Ultra Distance Cycling in Arkansas

Little Rock Area - Oct. 28, 2006

The following story is an example of a poor way to prepare and/or recover from an outstanding inaugural Little Rock 200 K brevet.

The Thursday before the Little Rock 200 K ride, I was cycling in central Mississippi, south of Grenada. I was soaked and shivering after about 35 miles of cold rain. I was participating in the annual CADIM ride (Caring About Diabetes In Mississippi). The headwind made me soooooo glad there was a warm sag van to pick me up and take me to the warm hotel in Canton. Afterward, I was sooooo hungry I ate two dinners. Unfortunately, my intestines didn't appreciate this during the ensuing night; leaving me with too little sleep and a stomach that couldn't eat breakfast.

The Friday before the Little Rock 200 K ride, my stomach cooperated with lunch, and I was able to ride 40 miles in gorgeous weather, ending up in Ackerman, MS. I caught a ride back to where I left my car in Grenada. From there, we deposited a vehicle about 20 miles toward Memphis, and I transformed into a taxi to the Memphis airport. It wasn't until around 12:30 am, after dropping off the other bicyclist, when I left the airport. I opted to flop into my own bed, in Memphis, until 3:30 am, then drive to the Little Rock Brevet start.

Arriving in parking the Murray Park parking lot in the dark, I was soon joined by Michelle Williams, from Jackson MS. We had ridden a 300 K together in the New Orleans area the month before. She recognized my blue Kettwiesel trike in the parking lot. It wasn't until almost the 7 am start time that we learned we were not in the correct parking lot. The RBA, Dana, found us and directed us to the intended starting location about ¼ mile away. Multiple layers of clothes were just right for the brisk temperature as we formally started about 15 minutes behind schedule.

All the riders kept together while the sun was rising as we crossed an awesome pedestrian bridge over the dam and river. As we worked our way to the north and west of North Little Rock, I had a flat from a tube that had already been patched the week before near Nashville (at least it had lasted 150 miles). Another rider found a slow leak in one of his tubes. Courtesy kept most of the group together. Michelle found her pace a little slower, especially on the hills. She wanted to avoid holding up the group, and didn't wait for the second flat repair. I paced her to make sure she wasn't alone.

Before getting into Conway, the chill was easing and the sun was out, no wind to speak of. Mostly flat and low-traffic roads before getting to the outskirts of Conway. All the riders had assembled together on the outskirts of Conway to ride into the first control point together. A brief rest break in the parking lot of a not-yet-open restraint (that was supposed to be the control station) brought some chill back. But the restraint let us in early for a "nature break", so we could start the next leg in comfort. Dana’s significant other, Grace, certified the control stop. After the bridge at Conway, the road was pretty flat before the real hills started. Riding south, I could feel the mid morning sun, and shed a layer of clothes and applied sunscreen. Great low traffic roads.

The serious hills started well before the Pinnacle Mountain Park. I won't say I had to stop because of the effort. But I did take the "opportunity" to stop to shed more clothes, to the last layer. By this time, a couple of the riders dropped off, and it was down to David, Michelle, Dana, and I. Dana and I kept together. But the hills proved too much for Michelle. She dropped after the 2nd control. Michelle loaded her bike into Grace’s SUV and got to experience the rest of the route in comfort and good company, while supporting the remaining cyclists. David was strong, and left Dana and I well behind him.

The back roads to the west of Little Rock had occasional flat stretches. The occasional rock outcroppings along the road reminded me of being in the Rockies. The fall colors were as pretty as I can remember in the Little Rock area. As the afternoon waned, temps drifted back down. Dana and I bundled up again at the 3rd control as dusk settled. Riding in the dark, back into the Little Rock suburbs, the traffic remained light, saving the last hills for city streets. The last stretch from near Cantrell to the level of the river, and along the bike path back to the finish was very peaceful and easy. One estimate of the total climbing was ~ 8500 ft. I believe there were three finishers, out of 6 starters.

From my perspective, as an out-of-towner, it was a comfort to ride with another cyclist that didn’t “tear up the road”, allowing for appreciating the scenery. It is also incredibly reassuring to ride with the RBA, and never need to refer to a cue sheet, and have complete confidence that there will be no wrong turns. Riding a whole brevet alone can be full of anxiety about wrong turns; contributing to a “mental fatigue”. It seemed like a magical gift to have such good fortune. Since this was my third brevet of the month, I pampered by body’s stamina, using plenty of spinning with lower gears, and using plenty of energy gel and fluids. At the end of this ride, there was only a “healthy tingle” in my legs, not a feeling of mental or physical exhaustion.

Originally, I had planned to tent the night in Burns Park (North Little Rock) after the ride. Dana and Grace and I went for pizza right after the ride. By the time I eventually found the Burns Park campground in the dark, there were no tent spaces left. Nobody seemed to mind as I took advantage of the empty shower house. Not wanting to drop $$ for only part of a night on a motel, I got back on the road toward Memphis around 11 pm. A 1-2 hr nap at a rest stop on the way kept me from finding my own bed in Memphis until around 4 am. Audio books are great for staying awake on the road!!

Next time, I'll appreciate the ride more (and probably remember more) by spending quality sleep time before and after the ride in Little Rock.

John Shelso