tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8547030982927931214.post1731070803008575968..comments2024-03-05T22:31:49.321-07:00Comments on Cyclewhitney: Grand Canyon 300km BrevetSteve Atkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11397966495685879620noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8547030982927931214.post-6061456990292655072012-06-04T11:29:29.286-07:002012-06-04T11:29:29.286-07:00Thanks Paul, great seeing you out there as well! W...Thanks Paul, great seeing you out there as well! We had most of the Mormon Batalion out in force!<br /><br />SteveSteve Atkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11397966495685879620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8547030982927931214.post-71176679871756044622012-06-04T09:47:18.709-07:002012-06-04T09:47:18.709-07:00Congratulations on finishing. That was a brutal r...Congratulations on finishing. That was a brutal ride. Good thing it had such beautiful scenery! <br /><br />PaulAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8547030982927931214.post-41389086676565985852012-06-04T06:41:10.772-07:002012-06-04T06:41:10.772-07:00It was a challenging situation. I am glad you made...It was a challenging situation. I am glad you made it safely through. Also thanks for bringing your spare wheel to the start for Carlton!Steve Atkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11397966495685879620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8547030982927931214.post-26688254032721242492012-06-04T05:12:56.813-07:002012-06-04T05:12:56.813-07:00Steve ... me (Dan Fallon) to Susan P about the Fla...Steve ... me (Dan Fallon) to Susan P about the Flagstaff 300K:<br />----<br /><br />When I got to the Motel 6 last night around 8:30pm I told Ryan that a) I was not MIA and still out on the course, b) that he wouldn't be signing the RUSA card because I completed all but 7 miles of the course, approximately 183 miles. <br /> <br />The course to and from the Grand Canyon is great and well worth it. With one ten mile exception. <br /> <br />Coming south on 89 when the rider gets to Antelope Hills/start of the kaibab National Forest, the road becomes a 4 lane divided highway. I had expected that the road shoulder would also be wider, too. Not the case. Instead, right of the white line there are deep, `industrial strength' 6"x6" sharply ribbed gouges constituting the `rumble strip.' To the right of the rumble strip there was only 2 feet of angled shoulder before a steep graded drop off to the gravelly ground. <br /> <br />This section is difficult for any recumbent bike. Add to it a 3 - 5% incline and a gusting 20 mph wind from the west and it is more than difficult; it is potentially lethal. <br /> <br />The upright bike has far more balance capability than the bent. The upright rider can get out of the saddle and rock the bike back and forth with minimum of difficulty in order to ride a straight line. The bent rider doesn't have that option. By design the bike and the rider are one unit. Under difficult conditions the bent rider has to expend far more care. <br /> <br />After riding about 3 miles on 89 after it turned into divided lanes I concluded that it was too dangerous for me to continue. I hailed a truck and he gave me a lift about 7 miles to a (Chevron?) gas station shortly past where the shoulder opened up again. <br /> <br />On three occasions while riding on that narrow, rumble strip shoulder the wind blew me into the rumble strip, further destabilizing me such that I entered the traffic lane. Trucks and cars were wizzing by at 60-75 mph. Fortunately there was no vehicle when that happened or I would have simply been road kill. <br /> <br />My decision was the right one and if I were to have done anything different it would have been to do it sooner, as soon as I recognized that the road was unrideable. <br /> <br />When the truck driver dropped me off I completed the remainder of the route on my own power, eventually trailing Russ Cummings and a few other riders into Motel 6. <br /> <br />Again, this was a very challenging and rewarding brevet. But I'm going to have to give this issue much thought for safety reasons.Dan Fallonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07657026114332397755noreply@blogger.com