B-B-B-B-Bonk!

Saturday was one of those days where I should have stayed in bed. Instead, I was resolved to riding with friends on some open country roads. I opted to join the guys in Cartersville for the 45 mile option.

I have this love-hate relationship with Cartersville. I think it is a great place to ride--tons of cyclists, a few big rides throughout the year, marked roads, low traffic, etc. But something ALWAYS goes wrong. I have NEVER had a good ride up there. I recount my numerous struggles to Dan as we drive up there.

Today is going to be different. Or so I thought. Seven of us rolled out at 8:00 from the Bud plant. Dan and I were riding 45. The rest were on the 65 mile route. We spent the first 30 minutes slowly warming up, chatting the whole time. Then I was ready to go to work. My plan was to ride the next 60 minutes at 80-85%, take a 15 minute recovery and then finish with 30 minutes again at 80-85%. Just a normal race pace ride.

I took off at the 30 minute part and found my riding legs and watts. I pulled ahead of the group for a while. Around the hour mark the hills begin and the group is quickly thinned. Around 75 minutes the 45 mile route splits. I send the two others on their way and turn off onto my route.

Having ridden Cartersville a number of times, I am fairly familiar with the route. But all country roads look the same. To make matters worse, the county has repaved a few of the roads and of course the cues are gone. This isn't a major problem because you usually roll to the stop sign and will pick them up on the next road. That concept was serving me well. At least until.....

I apparently missed a turn. I rode the freshly paved road until it dead ended into another road. Not sure which way to go, I instinctively turn left and ride about a mile looking for a cue. I finally pick up evidence of the 100/65 route. Hmmm. Well I don't want to be on that route. So I turn back, retrace my path past the turn and travel a mile in the opposite direction. No cues. Guess my instinct was right but I am very weary.

So I pick up the remaining parts of the trail. I think to myself that even if I am now on the 65 mile route, surely I shaved off 10-15 miles. The route loops me around a farm and then back onto the same road. I realize this when I pass the original turn for the third time in the past 20 minutes. Hmmm. Well maybe I wasn't supposed to go left originally. I guess I didn't go far enough down the road. So now I head down about 3-4 miles until the road intersects into a four lane highway. No cues. No clue.

I finally stop and pull out my phone to route me back. I am 14 miles from the Bud plant. Not too bad. Looks like my ride will be about 52 miles. That is still doable. The map says it is a straight shot. So I proceed down the road AGAIN, past the original decision point, ignore the cues and past where the loop dumped me. And then I see a 65 on the road. Sweet. Back on track.

I continue down this route following the cues on the road. I am making good time, even pass a few other cyclists. As I surpass the 50 mile point in the ride, I am thinking about my t-run and a cold bottle of water. But I don't see the Bud plant. At 52, I still don't see it. I am still on the cues. I can tell that I am on the other side of the interstate so I now that I am close, just not 100% where it will spit me out.

And then I realized I was lost. Welcome to Adairsville. Shit. I am in the next city over. Bud Plant isn't close by. My concern at this point because my fluids and calories. I left out with a 2 bottles of water and a 2 hour bottle of infinit. I am sitting at 2.5 hours of riding, likely close to 3 hours with the remapping. I am out of calories and have about 2-3 oz of water.

No worries, I just need to find someone out working in the yard and I can re-hydrate. I pull up a map and find myself now 19--NINETEEN miles from the car. Not good. At this point, I know I am on the 100 route. Who knows how far in to. I begin to re-route myself to see if I can make this closer to 12 miles and begin booking it.

Ten minutes later, I am not feeling good. I call Dan who just finished his ride. I tell him I am 30+ minutes out and probably need him to come get me. I tell him I will ride south once I hit the highway. 10 minutes later, I am on the side of the road again. I am shaking. Full on bonk. Total ride 62 miles. 3.5 hours total out there. Well beyond my abilities.

But the story gets funnier. Dan and I hit the interstate and begin heading south. We haven't heard from the rest of the guys but that should be the case if they rode 65 miles. A few minutes later we get a call. One of them just hit Adairsville and is totally lost. I just had to laugh. I am trying to calm him down and reroute him when out of nowhere comes another one of the guys. Both of them are way off course. Their day became a 78 mile ride.

30 minutes later while we are eating, we get another call. Two others just finished. They only got off course by 10 miles. But the third hasn't been seen in a while. 30 minutes later, he still isn't back. Poor guy ended up doing 105 miles that day.

In the end, everyone but Dan missed several turns. Reason 259 why I hate riding in Cartersville.