I threw the event out there about 6 weeks ago. I tried it solo back in May and was hoping to have other folks join this time. Audrey helped me come up with the date and was the only other rider this time around. The plan was to roll out at 6am from Clanton. Hardwick and Greg decided to do a 100-mile ride that would be the first 50ish miles of our route, before coming back, but they were starting at 7am.
We were almost ready to roll when Audrey realized that all the shifter batteries she brought were dead on arrival. I had one full spare which would get us started but hadn’t brought a charger. I called Hardwick, who was already enroute, and asked if he had a sram charger with him. He didn’t but offered to go home and get one before arriving. We ate some bacon egg and cheese biscuits from Clanton chevron while waiting for him.
We ended up rolling out with Hardwick and Greg at about 735am. With Hardwick’s charger we were able to get two spare batteries charged by the afternoon. Thank you, Hardwick. It was nice riding with both of y’all for a little bit, before the 20-pound bikes left the 40-pound bikes.
The weather could not have been better. It was about 48 at rollout and up to 78ish mid afternoon with clear skies. There were some tough spots with 18mph headwinds throughout the day. The roads were in great shape. Mostly hardpack fast clay with about 10% being sandier. This route has so many long descents, there were times I went maybe 2 miles at a time without pedaling.
At mile 26 we stopped and loved on Sampson, our 2,000 lb pet draft horse and fed him banana. He took some great selfies with us. It is really a nice treat to get to see him at the beginning of such a big journey, it helps set the tone for the rest of the adventure ahead.
At mile 33 we refilled water from the spigot at Marbury Baptist. I’m going to just make the store stop at Wadsworth grocery be the stop from now on. Marbury Baptist water tasted nasty. Around this time, we started to notice how bad the dogs were. Audrey had asked me beforehand if there were any dogs. I told her what we normally experience, and they were way worse out there Saturday.
We agreed that the spirit of Cujo was following us through different dogs along the way. There was one large black lap/pit looking mix, and one large white lab mix that were just about out for blood. I was able to stare them all down, but that was needed way more often than usual. I only had to kick one dog, and it was a big light-colored German shepherd. I unclipped my right foot and just barely tapped the top of his nose with my toes. We made eye contact, and he dropped pace and let us go.
We found a new stop to mark at mile 50, getting water from a spigot at Boone Chapel. I just updated the route to include that as a good stop. The water at that spigot tasted good, especially compared to the water from Marbury Baptist.
We had discussed timing before heading out and agreed that there is no point in stressing about making it to a certain spot by a certain time. It was better to know where the stops are and figure out timing as you go. We did that at the DG, and ended up camping at Evergreen Church at mile 100, and considered other options for the next day.
It was just dark enough to start needing lights when we got to Evergreen. We set up camp behind the buildings by the spigots, and the buildings blocked us from the road and the wind, which got stronger over the next several hours. We talked for a few minutes looking up at the stars, and I thought I heard coyotes howling in the distance but convinced myself it was the wind whistling against the edges of the butler building we were behind. The next morning, Audrey said she heard them during the middle of the night. We laughed about neither mentioning it to the other.
I wrestled with the cold that night. I started off sleeping on a concrete slab, since that had worked in May. It only got down to 52, but the wind made it feel much colder. As it got colder throughout the night and the wind picked up, I made my way to the ground and found it much warmer. Once you’re tired enough, you can sleep anywhere. Somehow the sleep I got was very good. I woke up feeling rested, maybe recharged. I think sleeping on the ground might have done some good, or maybe I finally got acclimated.
We got up with the light and rolled out about 630am Sunday morning. We had decided to make a few minor adjustments to flatten out the second half. We started the day heading to Plantersville Mini Mart for breakfast. I had a medium bowl of biscuits and gravy with two servings of egg and a black coffee and no matter how bad it might have been, it was pretty good.
On the way out of Maplesville, I saw a yellow pig between the road and the train tracks that I thought might be a piggy bank. I went back for it and when I picked it up it made the cutest snort that I have ever heard a squeeze toy make. I was so happy that I stopped to pick it up. It is the size of a football, and I secured it on top of the saddle bag pack sticking out from behind me. When I wanted to make Audrey laugh, I could stick my butt back 1” and bounce up and down making the pig snort. He kept us entertained for miles and now lives on the dashboard of my car.
We enjoyed some beautiful foggy gravel roads. I noticed the distinct change in trees and shrubs on the side of the road as we started to get near the Oakmulgee National Forest. The first thing that stood out to me is the abundance of needle oaks.
We ended up with 144 miles by taking the 158-mile rain bailout route, which is what I did in May, but left out the Parker mountain loop between Evergreen church and Bethel Church, cutting out 3 climbs up Parker Mountain, allowing us to make it back to our cars alive around 2pm Sunday afternoon. The majority of the escape route is country paved roads with very little traffic, but the last 8 miles along 22 should be avoided. That will be revised soon.
My Strava, https://www.strava.com/activities/16478589671
This is where I planned store stops based on estimated hours of arrival across 4 different paces. It helps not so much as a plan as it does a tool.
| Stops and Times | Times based on Saturday 7am departure | ||||||
| Mile | POI | hrs open | 10mph | 12mph | 14mph | 16mph | |
| 15.7 | MH General Store | Water at store | 5a-8p | 830am | 820am | 810am | 8am |
| 20 | DG Verbena | Dollar General | 8a-10p | 9am | 840am | 825am | 815am |
| 26 | Sampson | Feed the Horse | 936am | 910am | 850am | 835am | |
| 33 | Marbury Baptist | Church Spigot | 1020am | 945am | 920am | 9am | |
| 35.8 | Wadsworth Grocery | Store | 5a-11p | 1035am | 10am | 933am | 915am |
| 65.4 | 82 Market and Deli | Store | 5a-10p | 130pm | 1230pm | 1140am | 1105am |
| 74.6 | DG Autaugaville | Dollar General | 7a-10p | 230pm | 110pm | 1220pm | 1140am |
| 97.9 | Evergreen Church | Church Spigot | 450pm | 310pm | 2pm | 110pm | |
| 124 | Bethel Church | Church Spigot | 730pm | 520pm | 350pm | 245pm | |
| 134 | Plantersville Mini Mart | Store | 5a-8p | 830pm | 610pm | 430pm | 322pm |
| 160 | G&L Grocery | Store | 6a-9p | 11pm | 820pm | 630pm | 5pm |
| 171 | Pleasant Grove Baptist II | Church Spigot | 1210am | 915pm | 710pm | 540pm | |
| 179 | DG Randolph | Dollar General | 7a-9p | 1250am | 10pm | 745pm | 610pm |