Betsy's got the Tour of the Gila coming up, I just got the System Six all built up and pimped to my and particular and peculiar tastes, and Chris just likes to ride.
Betsy wanted to do Mud Pike. She wants to be like the Lords.
Here's their sweet blog-
Tuesday Grimpeurs
But how to get there from here, Bi-atch HQ?
We shan't drive.
So-
Up Dug Hill to Pierpont, across the top, down to the other end of West Run, whatever that's called, then back up, down to Cheat Lake, 857, up, out, and on to Quarry Run.
That's where I gave up my 12x25 to Betsy for her 12x23. Gonna be a long day for me, the Director Sportif...
Up that silly nasty Quarry Run and then got Chris to take the goat path to the left instead of the really smooth and burned up gravel road down to the Trout-trout-pretty-little-trout pond. Gonna be a long day for Chris...
Up out of the trout pond where I took the much coveted Preston County sign sprint.
On to Rt. 73.
This was taking a bit longer so I decided that we wouldn't do the truncated Tour de Smock, but rather a new and brave route, that would be made up as it went.
Turned off 73 and on to Lake O'Woods, see if the Rossos and Arnolds are around so we can score some food or beer (which they weren't) then on to Wymps Gap.
Wymps Gap has a bridge on it now!!! And there's burned up gravel section!!!
Holy Crap, it's scary when you hit that stuff at speed.
Oh, and I won the PA state line sprint and Betsy won the Top O' the Hill sprint. Chris was just hanging on...
So now we're back on 857 heading toward the mother land. The Exxon and Mud Pyke.
The Exxon was really really hot inside. It was weird, but the locals were pretty friendly. One chap said we really looked the part, and of course he was right, cause looking good is all that matters to the Bi-atches.
After a bit of eating and drinking we started right up the Pike. Full bellies and cold legs, this ought to be sweet!
Well in all my years here I've only ridden down Mud Pyke. And now I now why.
Yuck.
Chris and I battled it out. Up and over those up hill rollers, taking each other to the ditches (we did this up Quarry too, good skillz training...).
We saw some bottles of beer in a ditch, but ralllied past them. Found out later that Betsy was back there drinking them. Good girl.
So starting from the stop sign up to the stop sign at the top, it took about 27 minutes, probably less than a minute more, but we're not sure where the Lords start and stop their efforts.
Chris's effort stopped about a 1/4 mile short of the climb. Poor kid.
And I wasn't even trying! Trying earlier wore me out...
Betsy the drunk came up a little later, like a minute and a half to two. Those bottles were hard to open.
Then.
Then, the rain came, just a little, but it sure did look like it was not going to let up AND it was a cold rain. So instead of riding down towards Bruceton and 73, I made the executive decision to go back down the Pyke and figure out a way home from there. Surely it would be warmer at least down low.
And it was!
And it didin't rain on us again till we came up from Sabraton Ave.
So we got back on to 857, headed south, turned there on Chess Road and started quite the series of roads all kind of heading back to where I thought we should be.
Those are some sweet roads out there.
The locals sometimes looked at us funny. But they were pretty funny looking too.
Somehow we ended up on Banks Road, or something like that. It was a nice gravel road that ended with a fine cinder surface uphill before it turned back to pavement and shortly there after we were on the road that goes over to Gans or wherever that crosses 43 at that last exit before WV.
Took that back to 19 and Pt. Marion. Screaming we where. Real rolling heros. Yeah boy.
Me and Betsy thought that since we were feeling so good still we should take the dirt road over to Ft. Martin and come home.
Chris whined and pouted so we rode back the rail trail.
It was fine though, as we got to sprint every mile and it upped our pretty pathetic avg. speed.
Passed a few folks and once on Deckers we passed a women and she rode with us toward Sabraton and was probably amused at out antics and comments. We do try to please, yes we do.
So finally we got going up from Sabraton and onto Richwood and all that.
I wasn't going to crescendo, then all of a sudden Betsy comes blowing past with Chris egging her on. They made fun of me, and I let them have their fun... for a while... then I pushed it into the high ring and astoundingly *blew* by Chris and came up on Betsy before she even knew what was going on.
Then coasted some as I was getting winded.
Betsy came around and I was determined to make her suffer until the very end. Mostly by yelling and jeering from behind.
Then we went up Dayton and I yelled at Jeremy and gang all drinking and what-not at their house.
Coming across Louis, we saw a black sheep amoungst the several regular types and I quoted Th' Inbred "a black sheep by any other name is still a sheep".
That's it kids, see you at Big Bear for the race tomorrow, Team Bi-atch will hopefully be rested and ready to go.
Go Bi-atch!
On to Rt. 73.
This was taking a bit longer so I decided that we wouldn't do the truncated Tour de Smock, but rather a new and brave route, that would be made up as it went.
Turned off 73 and on to Lake O'Woods, see if the Rossos and Arnolds are around so we can score some food or beer (which they weren't) then on to Wymps Gap.
Wymps Gap has a bridge on it now!!! And there's burned up gravel section!!!
Holy Crap, it's scary when you hit that stuff at speed.
Oh, and I won the PA state line sprint and Betsy won the Top O' the Hill sprint. Chris was just hanging on...
So now we're back on 857 heading toward the mother land. The Exxon and Mud Pyke.
The Exxon was really really hot inside. It was weird, but the locals were pretty friendly. One chap said we really looked the part, and of course he was right, cause looking good is all that matters to the Bi-atches.
After a bit of eating and drinking we started right up the Pike. Full bellies and cold legs, this ought to be sweet!
Well in all my years here I've only ridden down Mud Pyke. And now I now why.
Yuck.
Chris and I battled it out. Up and over those up hill rollers, taking each other to the ditches (we did this up Quarry too, good skillz training...).
We saw some bottles of beer in a ditch, but ralllied past them. Found out later that Betsy was back there drinking them. Good girl.
So starting from the stop sign up to the stop sign at the top, it took about 27 minutes, probably less than a minute more, but we're not sure where the Lords start and stop their efforts.
Chris's effort stopped about a 1/4 mile short of the climb. Poor kid.
And I wasn't even trying! Trying earlier wore me out...
Betsy the drunk came up a little later, like a minute and a half to two. Those bottles were hard to open.
Then.
Then, the rain came, just a little, but it sure did look like it was not going to let up AND it was a cold rain. So instead of riding down towards Bruceton and 73, I made the executive decision to go back down the Pyke and figure out a way home from there. Surely it would be warmer at least down low.
Riding the Storm Out
And it was!
And it didin't rain on us again till we came up from Sabraton Ave.
So we got back on to 857, headed south, turned there on Chess Road and started quite the series of roads all kind of heading back to where I thought we should be.
Those are some sweet roads out there.
The locals sometimes looked at us funny. But they were pretty funny looking too.
Somehow we ended up on Banks Road, or something like that. It was a nice gravel road that ended with a fine cinder surface uphill before it turned back to pavement and shortly there after we were on the road that goes over to Gans or wherever that crosses 43 at that last exit before WV.
Took that back to 19 and Pt. Marion. Screaming we where. Real rolling heros. Yeah boy.
Me and Betsy thought that since we were feeling so good still we should take the dirt road over to Ft. Martin and come home.
Chris whined and pouted so we rode back the rail trail.
It was fine though, as we got to sprint every mile and it upped our pretty pathetic avg. speed.
Passed a few folks and once on Deckers we passed a women and she rode with us toward Sabraton and was probably amused at out antics and comments. We do try to please, yes we do.
So finally we got going up from Sabraton and onto Richwood and all that.
I wasn't going to crescendo, then all of a sudden Betsy comes blowing past with Chris egging her on. They made fun of me, and I let them have their fun... for a while... then I pushed it into the high ring and astoundingly *blew* by Chris and came up on Betsy before she even knew what was going on.
Then coasted some as I was getting winded.
Betsy came around and I was determined to make her suffer until the very end. Mostly by yelling and jeering from behind.
Then we went up Dayton and I yelled at Jeremy and gang all drinking and what-not at their house.
Coming across Louis, we saw a black sheep amoungst the several regular types and I quoted Th' Inbred "a black sheep by any other name is still a sheep".
That's it kids, see you at Big Bear for the race tomorrow, Team Bi-atch will hopefully be rested and ready to go.
Go Bi-atch!
Oh yeah, Mike Y. is coming in too.
Be afraid, very afraid...
Official Stats-
71.5 Total Badass Miles
5.00 Total Honch Hours
14.4 Way high avg. speed
47.6 Top Speed of Bunny
49.2 Top Speed of Chris
+50 Top Speed of Nars
2 gajillion feet of climbing
"Riding the Storm Out" Ride song
3 Bitching Tans
