So I guess I'll drive the old Volvo out to the middle of nowhere, aka Hodges Gardens, for the La./Ms. district championship Road Race. With the Masters races on Saturday and the categorized races on Sunday, it's hard to find anyone who wants to stay both days. I saw Amy and Brandon this morning and they're heading up Saturday morning too, so maybe we'll link up and spring for a hotel room at the scenic Emerald Hills Resort across the street. Maybe I can even convince another person or two to make the trip. Hodges Gardens is really, and I mean really, in the middle of nowhere, about 15 miles North of Fort Polk, which was most certainly located where it is because the Army figured it was so far in the middle of nowhere that the neighbors wouldn't mind the daily bombardment from the tank artillery. That means that Hodges is actually on the outskirts of nowhere. There are only two reasons why we keep having the road races there. The first is that the course has a series of three hills that are guaranteed to split the field up. The second is that it's all on private property so it's relatively easy and cheap to hold a day and a half of races there. Unfortunately, the course is so hard for people to get to and the terrain is so difficult that the turnout is usually quite low. And then, there's the road surface. What was once a nice smooth asphalt road, maybe 25 years ago, is now a rough, worn-down macadam strip offering little more than unrelenting vibration. If there's anything loose on your bike, this course will find it. Robin gave me a handful of Gu packets this morning after the ride, so between that and a bunch of PowerBars, I should be OK fuel-wise. I'm not as confident about my fitness level, however. Having spent the Tour de La weekend completely off the bike, it's been a long time since I've seen any real racing and I feel neither sharp nor fit.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Last Minute Plannin'
Well, whuddya know! I have internet access this morning. The mail server is down and Tulane's main webserver is down, but I can still get to the web. A big "nice job" to the Data Services techies for not leaving me bound and gagged today.
So I guess I'll drive the old Volvo out to the middle of nowhere, aka Hodges Gardens, for the La./Ms. district championship Road Race. With the Masters races on Saturday and the categorized races on Sunday, it's hard to find anyone who wants to stay both days. I saw Amy and Brandon this morning and they're heading up Saturday morning too, so maybe we'll link up and spring for a hotel room at the scenic Emerald Hills Resort across the street. Maybe I can even convince another person or two to make the trip. Hodges Gardens is really, and I mean really, in the middle of nowhere, about 15 miles North of Fort Polk, which was most certainly located where it is because the Army figured it was so far in the middle of nowhere that the neighbors wouldn't mind the daily bombardment from the tank artillery. That means that Hodges is actually on the outskirts of nowhere. There are only two reasons why we keep having the road races there. The first is that the course has a series of three hills that are guaranteed to split the field up. The second is that it's all on private property so it's relatively easy and cheap to hold a day and a half of races there. Unfortunately, the course is so hard for people to get to and the terrain is so difficult that the turnout is usually quite low. And then, there's the road surface. What was once a nice smooth asphalt road, maybe 25 years ago, is now a rough, worn-down macadam strip offering little more than unrelenting vibration. If there's anything loose on your bike, this course will find it. Robin gave me a handful of Gu packets this morning after the ride, so between that and a bunch of PowerBars, I should be OK fuel-wise. I'm not as confident about my fitness level, however. Having spent the Tour de La weekend completely off the bike, it's been a long time since I've seen any real racing and I feel neither sharp nor fit.
So I guess I'll drive the old Volvo out to the middle of nowhere, aka Hodges Gardens, for the La./Ms. district championship Road Race. With the Masters races on Saturday and the categorized races on Sunday, it's hard to find anyone who wants to stay both days. I saw Amy and Brandon this morning and they're heading up Saturday morning too, so maybe we'll link up and spring for a hotel room at the scenic Emerald Hills Resort across the street. Maybe I can even convince another person or two to make the trip. Hodges Gardens is really, and I mean really, in the middle of nowhere, about 15 miles North of Fort Polk, which was most certainly located where it is because the Army figured it was so far in the middle of nowhere that the neighbors wouldn't mind the daily bombardment from the tank artillery. That means that Hodges is actually on the outskirts of nowhere. There are only two reasons why we keep having the road races there. The first is that the course has a series of three hills that are guaranteed to split the field up. The second is that it's all on private property so it's relatively easy and cheap to hold a day and a half of races there. Unfortunately, the course is so hard for people to get to and the terrain is so difficult that the turnout is usually quite low. And then, there's the road surface. What was once a nice smooth asphalt road, maybe 25 years ago, is now a rough, worn-down macadam strip offering little more than unrelenting vibration. If there's anything loose on your bike, this course will find it. Robin gave me a handful of Gu packets this morning after the ride, so between that and a bunch of PowerBars, I should be OK fuel-wise. I'm not as confident about my fitness level, however. Having spent the Tour de La weekend completely off the bike, it's been a long time since I've seen any real racing and I feel neither sharp nor fit.
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1 comment:
My 850 is a 94, don't call a Volvo old till its about 18 !!! Enjoy your blog.
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