<email sent on 7/29/2023>
Hey all,
It's been over two weeks since the ride, but better late than never eh?
But first...
Brief History
Someone asked on FB how many times we've done this ride so I spent some time going down the rabbit hole collecting information on past rides.
From what I've been able to figure out, the answer is eleven. if you include 2015 when no one finished: 2010, 2013-2019, 2022-2023 (We did it twice in 2018, hint hint).
I've led the ride seven times, Roger Pardon twice, Vince Gatto once, and Dawn Piech / Ray Dal Lago once (co-ride-leaders).
More on that anon, here's the 2023 report (from my perspective).
Prologue
My goals: 16+ MPH moving average, finish in daylight, ride in Z1 / Z2 without going into the red too much, keep track of all the riders, get everyone in safely.
I arrived at 4:42 AM and found riders assembling in the parking lot. Since I had pre-filled out ride sheets the check in process was easy - thanks to the fillable PDF forms and some preparation.
I had the guests sign the waiver, and checked off the EBC riders. There were a few no-shows due to the weather, and one additional guest ride for a total of 16.
There were LOTS of new riders and some familiar faces. EBC:7, NBC:5, Guests: 4 (technically all non-EBC riders were guests).
Tom Preston was also there with three riders to ride the first 25 miles with us.
Naperville to Sycamore: 5:04 AM to 7:43 AM, mile 0 to 45.
We rolled out at 5:04 AM leaving TJs a new way in order to avoid the construction on Washington in Naperville.
We made good time until a rider in Tom's group got a flat around mile 18. Since they were only going a few more miles with us the main group pedalled on. Tom reported later that a long screw had found its way into someone's tire.
Our group then had a quick stop when Joe needed to fix a tubeless flat with some sealant and a plug around mile 20.
The group pretty much stuck together then at a social pace all the way to the Sycamore Mobil.
Sycamore to Oregon: 7:54 AM to 9:54 AM, mile 45 to 82.
After a quick stop of around 11 minutes we headed out. Traffic was still light as we passed through town on IL-64 then got onto Old State Road.
I stuck with the lead group until around mile 70 when I backed off a bit for a rider that was falling behind a bit, plus the pace was picking up and I didn't want to burn all my matches.
This began a pattern for me of falling behind as the lead group crept ahead, so for example they arrived in Oregon about 10 minutes ahead of me based on the Strava Flyby feature.
After waiting to make sure the last rider made the turn onto IL-64 I arrived at the Oregon Mobil to find riders trying to fix Vince's bike which was having a Di2 shifting problem.
It appeared to be stuck in "crash mode" where the RD is stuck on a small cog and you can only shift the FD. So he had a 2-speed bike basically.
Vince though kept riding, and not only that he rode with the lead group the rest of the ride. Nails.
I was eating my way through the food I brought, plus using drink powder (Infinit) so I only got some water like I had done in Sycamore. Both the Mobils had fountain water dispensers which was great (unlike Casey's which does have better food).
Oregon to Dixon: 10:12 AM to 11:49 AM, mile 82 to 105.
After our stop (18 minutes for me) the group was back on the road. Some hills were coming up, and since the slower rider was falling behind on the flats, I figured the hills would have a greater impact.
I again kept them in sight until the turn onto Penn Corner around mile 91, where I waited for a few minutes to check with them to see if they were able to navigate on their own - they confirmed, so based on that I decided they would get to Dixon OK, at least navigationally. This rider had brought a friend on the ride, so I was hoping they would stick together after Dixon.
This is a pretty section with some rolling hills and a couple of long but not steep climbs. There were no steep climbs on this route according to RWGPS.
After the last rollers you turn left and head southeast to Dixon on US-52, which has a big shoulder and not much traffic, trending downhill as the route descends to IL-2 close to the Rock River.
I arrived in Dixon about 20 minutes after the lead group, which worked out well as there was no line at Subway when I got there.
From Flyby I could see that the group broke up a bit heading into Dixon, so the pace was starting to affect some riders.
Dixon to Ashton: 12:20 PM to 1:18 PM, mile 105 to 121.
After a luxurious lunch stop (31 minutes for me) most of the riders left together. Before we left I talked with Abraham and Paul, who were hanging back a little and didn't leave with the group.
They said they would stick together as Paul was riding a little slower.
Since there was a street fair and the route was blocked, we took a slightly more direct route on IL-2/US-52 across the river.
On the little climb up IL-2 leaving Dixon I let the group go and fell back, I could see the other two riders behind me in the distance.
The first few miles of this section are quite scenic, with some long rollers until you get up to the short section of IL-38.
I caught up to Steve and Kyle on this stretch and we then rode in together to Ashton, the last stop before the long stretch to Hinckley.
The whole group was there lounging having arrived around 10 minutes before. I stocked up on water and added more Infinit for the next stretch.
I also got some ginger ale which I was still drinking as the main group took off.
Ashton to Hinckley: 1:33 PM to 3:47 PM, mile 121 to 158.
I should have left with the main group but I was forcing down ginger ale. They missed a turn then called out "This way!" as they corrected and headed south.
I left shortly afterwards and watched the group steadily pull away. Behind me I saw Abraham and Paul. It was a nice day for a ride!
As I proceeded solo, one rider was slowly catching up to me - Abraham. We rode together for a while then caught up to Kyle on Lee Rd around mile 147. I took a few pulls but no one else was interested in pacelining, so we just made our way together to Hinckley where everyone was at Dairy Joy. I placed my order quickly and was soon chowing down a burger and a chocolate malt. And I got lots of water.
Hinckley to Naperville: 4:13 PM to 6:52 PM, mile 158 to 200.
Steve and JimP asked if I wanted to ride the last stretch together as they were done hanging with the lead group. Steve had fallen off the back, as had JimP who said he rode much of the last stretch solo.
We took off a little after the main group left, with Kyle, Paul, and Abraham still at Dairy Joy.
Motoring along. after Yorkville we were surprised to see the lead group pull out of a side road just after we crossed IL-71. I recalled that Forrest lived out in that area and speculated they had all stopped for a cold one. Turns out it was just fixing a flat. Once again we watched that group pull away into the distance.
We pulled into TJ's just before 7PM, and saw Jason and Forrest. They got there about 15 minutes ahead of us.
I heard later that Rob took a detour and got back around 10 minutes after Steve, JimP, and I.
Kyle riding solo came in around 7:40 PM.
Paul Escandon and Abraham Salazar abandoned after Hinckley but still got in 165 miles. So close! But there were I heard cramping issues so they got picked up.
Epilogue
This ride was a success overall and a good experience for riders to push their limits.
The weather turned out to be almost ideal as we missed getting rained on, the winds were mild, and it didn't get too hot.
We had a great group of riders with diverse backgrounds show up and ride together.
The youngest rider was 19 years old (Kyle) and at 69 I was one of the older if not the oldest rider.
I am sorry that two riders needed to abandon but they still accomplished a lot.
Thanks everyone for coming out, you all made it a successful and safe event.
Summary
The lead group finished at around 6:38 PM, with a 19 MPH average for 200 miles - AWESOME!!
Riders that completed the ride (14): Jon Alumbaugh, Jack Davidson, Kyle Feckler, Vincent Gatto, Jason Jarrett, Steve Jurasek, Jim Krzyzewski, Charles May, Forrest Miller, Glen Paradise, Eric Peterson, Jim Pirzyk, Joe Turek, Rob Weiss.
Personally I met my objectives. My stats:
Start time: 5:04 AM, End Time: 6:53 PM
Moving Time: 11:51:56, Stopped Time: 01:56:35, Avg Speed: 16.8 mph, Total Duration: 13:48:31
Zones:
Z1 Endurance < 119 : 12.1%
Z2 Moderate 119 - 136 : 48.9%
Z3 Tempo 136 - 152 : 32.8%
Z4 Threshold 152 - 160 : 5.3%
Z5 Anaerobic > 160 : 0.9%
Great ride everyone,
Eric