6 am came early. My eyelids was swole and my legs were slightly sore and tired. But I was anxious to get the day started. Breakfast consisted of several cups of coffee and a couple of omelettes. We had to wait for the Winn Dixie to open at 7 am to grab some ride food to get us to the Publix in Inverness.
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| Sopping up the remaining gravy with more bacon! |
The five miles of the Withlacoochee Rail Trail was a nice start to get our legs warmed up. It had rained briefly during the night making hero dirt/sand at Croom. The temperature was also a cool 60 degrees and would not get any hotter today.
The single track was a welcome sight. My taint was already whimpering, so I used the opportunity on the trail to stand and coast as often as possible. Despite the nuisance pains and the fatigue, I was in a happy place here.
Lindsey's still had her patellofemoral pain. This prevented her from being able to stand and pedal out of the saddle. She didn't complain; she just embraced the suck. After 25 miles of Croom, we then rode a section of Florida Trail, which was a couple miles of rough or plowed double track. From there it was a pavement jaunt to Lake Lindsey.
Mother Nature had woken up by now and the dirty devil that she can be, decided to turn the winds today to once again hit us head on. I soon figured out that by pushing a harder gear and pedaling a lower cadence, that it had less of a "meat-grinder" effect to my lady bits. I also spent a good portion of the day standing and pedaling. So now, I am pretty sure I could finish a race if my saddle broke.
Lake Lindsey Mall was closed, being a Sunday. We had plenty of food, but took a short break to use the porta john and get water from the spigot. It was a hard push into the wind for what seemed like forever before we headed north into the Citrus WMA.
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| Brittle Road in the Citrus WMA |
This area was stunningly beautiful. The roads were fast and the surrounding forests sheltered us from the winds. There was even a short section of single track.
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| Citrus WMA single track |
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| Trail 13 Citrus WMA |
Trails 10 and 9 through the wildlife management area were a much needed respite. We finally had a tailwind! So strong that we were able to easy pedal/coast for a good portion. This brought us into Inverness where we peeled off the route to hit the Publix.
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| Publix lunch |
We pulled in and laid our gear and ourselves over the entire sidewalk leading into the store. Some shoppers were miffed as they were stepping over us and weaving their buggies around our stuff, but we ... did ... not ... care. I had taken an Udi's GF bagel from the Holiday Inn to which I added turkey and muenster to it. Man, that was delicious!
Lindsey purchased a Salonpas lidocaine patch, in hopes that it would give her a little relief. But she was having difficulties in getting it to stick to her skin. She finally managed. Not sure how much it helped ... placebo effect?
15 miles of the Withlacoochee Rail Trail lay ahead of us to Dunnellon. Lisa and I took turns pulling. Towards the latter half of the trail, I had to stop and put on my rain jacket for warmth, along with inserting chemical warmers into my shoes and gloves. A combination of fatigue and dropping temperatures (mid to high 50's now) was causing me to shiver and lose feeling in my extremities. Even pushing a high gear and pulling, I could not get my core to heat up. But once I put those items on, I felt much better and my teeth stopped chattering.
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| Withlacoochee Rail Trail |
Once we hit the Dunnellon Rail Trail, the foot traffic became heavy, what with the evening walkers out and about. This was a very pretty section along here and just watching out for the people kept my focus away from the fatigue monster that was weighing heavily on my back.
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| For The Love of God ...! |
One more nasty little stretch of plowed trail and then we popped out on the highway of Death, Hwy 484. Three shoulder less miles of cringing each time a vehicle would pass, praying that today was not my time.
We stopped at Pruitt Trailhead to use the bathroom. Not wanting to use the equine watering hole, we divvied up our remaining water and put our lights on, as it would soon be dark. We bounced along the horse trodden section eagerly looking for the Tricycle Trail. Lindsey finally had enough with her other cleat, as it would not clip in to the pedal. Turning her shoe over, it looked like someone had taken a hammer to the metal ... that was one f'kd up cleat. Fortunately she had a spare set, so we spent a few minutes changing it out.
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| Lesson learned: don't buy "Shimano" cleats on Amazon |
Once on the Tricycle Trail, I managed to find some energy. But it seems I always feel better on trail ... this is my jam. The miles easily ticked on. And then there was Razorback, in the dark. A little bit sketchy, but still fun nonetheless. And then back on Tricycle, which was getting old. I was ready to be on Ern and Burn. Finally at the end of Tricycle, I realized we had to ride Beyond West first ... OMG! I was ready to be done. And I was shivering again! We stopped and I reached in my saddle bag and pulled out my night shirt, which I threw on over my race kit and then put my rain jacket back on over that.
Fortunately Beyond West was just a mile, but Ern and Burn felt like an eternity. I was so cold (it was only 51 degrees), that my brain was having a hard time processing the trail. Finally I saw the sign for Shangri-La. I was smelling the barn!
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| Almost there! |
We reached the campground and the end of the Huracan. But we still had a 6 miles of pavement to get back to the hotel. And a closed campground gate to hoist our bikes over ... oof! This was the second sketchiest stretch of road. At night, on Hwy 484, with vehicles flying by without any concern that a human was attached to the bicycle, I prayed once again. There was a bike lane, but what good is that when debris, downed branches, and overhanging limbs are present? At least I wasn't cold, as the remaining adrenalin was coursing through my veins.
We finished our journey at 9:30 pm, once again too late to enjoy a hearty meal. But then again, we were all so exhausted, that the hunger wasn't really there. Man, what an adventure! And with two wonderfully strong, fiery, and feisty women! Lindsey is the Superhero of Suck, meaning her power is the ability to absorb all the bad luck and still keep going strong!
Lisa and Lindsey, you are the absolute best, and the entirety of our adventure, the highs, the lows, and everything in between, will not be forgotten. Loved, loved, loved it.
And thank you Karlos, for creating this route, allowing us to pursue greatness through adversity and fellowship.
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| Live Oak on Tricycle |
There is already talk of another BDR 😊
107 miles, 3700 feet
Elapsed time: 14:00 Moving time: 11:36
Total distance: 402 miles
Total elevation: 10,000 feet
Total time: 60 hours 18 minutes
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