FreeWheel 2009 Day 7: Alva to Kiowa, Kansas
We have pedaled all we can, eaten all the ice cream we could find, and climbed about every hill western Oklahoma can boast. And we survived.
Day Seven of FreeWheel 2009 was no easy spin. Normally it is—the last day is typically short, and not very hilly. Not so this year. The ride was just over 40 miles, and it was plenty hilly. Adding to the misery was a 15mph headwind that slapped us in the face the entire way, except for about a quarter of a mile, right at the end.
Spencer, Paul, and I rolled out at about 6:30 on Saturday morning, hoping to beat that wind. Didn't work. We knew we would have to work together, and that is exactly what we did. We formed a small paceline, which grew over the next couple of miles. Eventually we had about ten riders on board, and we were really racing, reaching speeds over 20mph. A turn to the west, and a steep climb, and most of the paceline fell off the back. At the top, we waited to regroup, then started in again. After about 15 miles, we hit a really steep climb, and that's when the group completely blew up. It was down to me, Spencer, and a young guy named Ben, who lives in Norman, and is getting ready to move to Houston to take his first job out of college.
As we continued on, we eventually picked up some new riders, young guys, very fit. I wasn't crazy about them jumping on, since one of the guys was wearing headphones. Besides being illegal, and stupid, I don't think people who wear headphones can hear, and there is a lot of communicating that goes on in a paceline. So we picked up the pace a little, to see if we could break them, and on one particular hill, we did it. We got to the top of one hill, and I heard the headphones guy say to his friend, "I can't keep this up." Sweet. Old guys rule.
Kiowa, Kansas was remarkable. It looked like most of the town turned out. The police were on loudspeakers directing us to the city park. There were churches and civic groups selling all kinds of food. There was music playing (Marty Robbins rocks), and homemade ice cream! Kiowa won my vote for town of the week. I hope they win. They deserve it.
FreeWheel 2009 was good. For the first time since I started riding this event in 2001, the wind did not cooperate, not even for one day. The big secret of FreeWheel is the wind. Most summers, Oklahoma winds blow strong out of the south, or the southwest. Perfect for this ride. This year, when the wind was out of the south, we were riding west, so we had a wicked crosswind. On the days when a south wind would be helpful, we had a north wind. There were parts of the route, on a couple of days, when the wind was favorable, but that is it. But it is the weather, and there isn't anything we can do about it, but lower our heads and spin.
Here is how the week breaks down:
Ready to rock Day 7
Rolling out
Ben and Spencer set up a killer paceline
Spencer and Ben
My buddy Meghan, and her dad David behind her
Lisa left us an encouraging message with about four miles left.
It was good to see that state line
Spencer, Me, Paul at the finish line in Kiowa
Those Kansans really know how to throw a party. Food was everywhere.
Day Seven of FreeWheel 2009 was no easy spin. Normally it is—the last day is typically short, and not very hilly. Not so this year. The ride was just over 40 miles, and it was plenty hilly. Adding to the misery was a 15mph headwind that slapped us in the face the entire way, except for about a quarter of a mile, right at the end.
Spencer, Paul, and I rolled out at about 6:30 on Saturday morning, hoping to beat that wind. Didn't work. We knew we would have to work together, and that is exactly what we did. We formed a small paceline, which grew over the next couple of miles. Eventually we had about ten riders on board, and we were really racing, reaching speeds over 20mph. A turn to the west, and a steep climb, and most of the paceline fell off the back. At the top, we waited to regroup, then started in again. After about 15 miles, we hit a really steep climb, and that's when the group completely blew up. It was down to me, Spencer, and a young guy named Ben, who lives in Norman, and is getting ready to move to Houston to take his first job out of college.
As we continued on, we eventually picked up some new riders, young guys, very fit. I wasn't crazy about them jumping on, since one of the guys was wearing headphones. Besides being illegal, and stupid, I don't think people who wear headphones can hear, and there is a lot of communicating that goes on in a paceline. So we picked up the pace a little, to see if we could break them, and on one particular hill, we did it. We got to the top of one hill, and I heard the headphones guy say to his friend, "I can't keep this up." Sweet. Old guys rule.
Kiowa, Kansas was remarkable. It looked like most of the town turned out. The police were on loudspeakers directing us to the city park. There were churches and civic groups selling all kinds of food. There was music playing (Marty Robbins rocks), and homemade ice cream! Kiowa won my vote for town of the week. I hope they win. They deserve it.
FreeWheel 2009 was good. For the first time since I started riding this event in 2001, the wind did not cooperate, not even for one day. The big secret of FreeWheel is the wind. Most summers, Oklahoma winds blow strong out of the south, or the southwest. Perfect for this ride. This year, when the wind was out of the south, we were riding west, so we had a wicked crosswind. On the days when a south wind would be helpful, we had a north wind. There were parts of the route, on a couple of days, when the wind was favorable, but that is it. But it is the weather, and there isn't anything we can do about it, but lower our heads and spin.
Here is how the week breaks down:
- Miles: 402.12
- Time in the saddle: 23 hours, 40 minutes
- Feet of elevation gain: 12,413
- Average speed: 16.8mph
- Calories burned: 35,812
Ready to rock Day 7
Rolling out
Ben and Spencer set up a killer paceline
Spencer and Ben
My buddy Meghan, and her dad David behind her
Lisa left us an encouraging message with about four miles left.
It was good to see that state line
Spencer, Me, Paul at the finish line in Kiowa
Those Kansans really know how to throw a party. Food was everywhere.
Congrats - job well done
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Is this Steve Hanchet an Owasso High School Grad?
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