I thoroughly enjoy reading Team Pinnacle?s postings of their ride so I had to write about The Prouty.... Our first mishap was about 1/8 of a mile from the sag stop after Mount Cube. Michael Feeney was the fifth of a five man pile up going up the last hill before the sag. Thankfully he was unscathed because he just rolled to the ground while I watched from just behind. A couple of guys were hurt and bicycles were mangled and I witnessed first hand an example of how fast these things happen! After the sag stop and a little food, the ride was smooth and uneventful until we reached the flat at 45 miles. Mariah Hughlock had a big burst of energy and Mike Feeney, Mariah and I flew through the next fifteen miles at 23-25 miles/hour with high fives at the end. That was so exhilarating and what a blast which got us pumped up for the rest of the ride. From mile 60 to mile 70 we stayed together and Janet was with us as well. Then we latched onto Team Pinnacle. Ryan O?Brien gave me and everybody else a fast hard ride through the flats at the end with a wicked head wind. Ryan pulled us all through almost going backwards down hill the wind was so strong. When I got to Chieftain Hill a kid on the lawn of the Chieftain started playing the Michigan fight song right in front of me. Having been to many Michigan football games and my son in at Michigan Law School I couldn?t wait to yell ?Lets Go Blue? at the end. Team Pinnacle was so great and I had the best ride of my life enjoying every minute riding with you guys. We shaved an hour and a half off our last year?s time finishing in five hours and fifty five minutes. Thanks guys!!!!!!!!! :)

[b:c0ee6aa727]Julie, SORRY for my contribution to your crash![/b:c0ee6aa727]

Other than that, Great Ride and Great fun.

After days of me not wanting to get up that early Brian, PJ, Dan, Mark, Ken, Erik, and I managed to get off together for an 8:15 start.

Day started off rather nice at a decent pace in a good group. Crossing back over into NH before Mt Cube, the leaders missed the turn for the bridge and I found myself in a rare position to easily capture a state line, so I thought. PJ being just behind me had other thoughts on the subject, as we neared the State line I casually looked back and much to my surprise PJ was right in my draft ready to strike, and in that moment some deep down primitive switch flipped and I simply could not let that go unchecked, as a "Pulp Fiction" needle to the heart adrenalin stream kicked in and I was able to edge PJ out for the line. Although I'm not convinced PJ didn't let me have that one, I'll take it non the less.

Not long after the sprint as we are ascending Mt Cube the realization that I had spent like a 1/3 of my muscle mass on a 10 second Cro-magnon maneuver started to set in. Even after a break at the Summit Sag and long descent into Warren by the time we left Warren it was clear I was not going to maintain the Gurney bullet pace much longer as he and others slipped away, fortunately PJ, and Ken seemed to be in the same boat and Brian fell back to pull us along.

Several miles out of Warren at a reduced speed I started to get some juice back in my legs as a stiff tail wind and another rider joined our train we were able to crank it into the 50 mile ~ Sag. It was nice to see the early starters and front of our earlier train at the Sag when we arrived. At that point it was clear we would be seeing more of the early crew on the road but Mark's eagerness to get a move on made it pretty clear we wouldn't be seeing much more of the Gurney crew.

Couple miles up the road we came across Julie and Dan and in a moment of playfulness Julie ended up going down right next to me. Fortunately it was a slow uphill crash, unfortunately no crash is a good crash on the road, but Julie pulled through it all the way to the finish line, GREAT JOB!

Brian Lip Sting, Sag 60, PJ tire issues and a more managable pace marked the next 20 miles.

At Sag 70 we finally all meet up again with exception of the Gurney crew which as anticipated was long gone. Either shortly before or after the Sag Sandy started to toy with us on the uphills as they clearly weren't fast enough for her and I decided it would be just a lot of fun to see what Sandy had left in the tank, knowing we had plenty of distance left to see how that story would play out Ken and I joined the Sandy Train and we started to separate from the Julie Train knowing she was in good hands with Dan, PJ, and Brian.

At Sag 80 we all met up again and after what seemed like 30 seconds Sandy was back at the side of the road ready to go. My tummy required a bit more than GU and water so I explained I was happy to let her go and would catch up after a little food, but for some reason her eagerness to get going was overshadowed by her unwillingness to endure the head wind so she and others very patiently waited while Ken and I refueled and off we went.

By mile 85 there seemed to be a general lack of interest for challenging the pace especially on the uphills. :twisted: :D

We rolled into the last Sag with a little splintering of the group but before long the Sandy & Julie Trains were united again. PJ & Brian departed early heading for the Lip Physician, Sandy train was next with Julie & Dan shortly after. A few miles from the finish PJ's tire issues arose again as him & Brian were being serviced by a wheel van as we passed, so I pulled over and the Sandy Train continued on. As there was nothing I could do, I moved on and caught up to a fractured Sandy Train a mile or so down the road, after a short coercion attempt to get Sandy on my wheel to catch the rest of the group, I cranked up to the front and after a brief regrouping we hit Chieftain Hill and just a short flat to the finish.

Within 5 minutes or so all the remaining TP / Cycle Depot folks were home.

What a great day for a ride, a great group of friends to ride with, and a fun day to raise money for cancer research. Albeit I don't race much, I just love to ride and I can't agree with Brian & Dan more, this being my second Prouty, it continues to astonish me the large variety of age and ability all out to support a great cause.

Ryan

Ryan,
I agree, what a great day for a very worthwhile cause!!!! I'm glad Jules made it to the end. She's too stubborn not to & I love that about her!!! Thanks for your comments.
Sandy :D

Adventure Prouty 2008

Ahh, it was a gorgeous summer morning?July 12, 2008. Seth (Wilner) and I left exactly on schedule and headed north to Hanover. My friend, Sandy had gotten permission for her employer to park right across from the starting point! This was Seth?s first Prouty, and as you all well know, my second. Filled with anticipation, we left at exactly 6:30am?our goal time. All is well in the world. We start off fine?I had been to the chiropractor earlier in the week and my back and neck were a little sore, but generally speaking, I felt okay. At one point, I didn?t shift properly, and my front chain fell off toward my frame, but I quickly fixed it and was back on the road in a jiffy. Seth and I stopped at the first SAG, and decided to continue past the second one. Somewhere along the beginning of Route 25A, I had chain trouble again, but was able to quickly put it back on. Unfortunately, it was not quickly enough because Seth never knew I stopped and I didn?t see him again until the finish line. In retrospect, he thought that our regular riding group caught up with me, and that I had opted to ride with them. In reality, I pulled the next 30 miles or so ALL BY MYSELF. For all of you who know me, you can just imagine how much fun I thought that was! As I grumbled my way through town after town, I began reflecting more upon the pain in my back, and the pain in my neck, and how hard it was not to blow over when the huge trucks went by. All in all, I was beating myself up pretty badly. This was not the fun it was supposed to be. So, I make my way to just beyond the 50 mile mark (maybe Pike, NH?) and call Bob. ?Sure? he says, he and Jeff will leave right away and find me wherever I am on the route. I figure I?ve made it 50 miles, raised lots of money for the cause and I?m ready to call it a deed well done.

At that point I see Sandy, Janet, Mike and Mariah arrive all excited and thrilled with their experience. I whine and explain my peril. They offer to have me ride with them after they regroup. Okay! Then I turn around and here comes Team Pinnacle! Ya hoo! Our home town group is all together. The Team Pinnacle guys are gobbling up the goodies and we tell them we?ll catch up to them later. Off ?WE? go. Only I can?t even make it 500 yards at the pace of my friends. I?m whooped?they?re still fresh and ready to make the best time ever. They?ve gotten their drafting techniques down to a science. So, there I am alone again. And miserable. I figure I?ll continue on until Bob and Jeff find me.

So there I am, plugging and I do mean plugging along just wanting to be done and I feel a tap on my shoulder, and then a little help from behind pushing me up a little hill I was on. It was my band of angels?Team Pinnacle! We laugh and joke and then it happened. I?m quite sure that my lack of experience lead to my mishap with my left hand?or handlebar, or something that completely threw me off balance. Down I go right in the street. I look up and see wheels and people with very startled expressions?and hear my name from every direction. I think, ?Okay, this is really going to hurt?. But it didn?t, at least until later. PJ, Ryan, Dan, Ken, Mark and Brian were immediately at my side helping me?I remember PJ saying that they had to get me out of the road. I was shaken and sore, but pretty much fine. More importantly, my bike was fine. One of the guys asked me if I could ride, and I think I replied that, ?I?d try?. And that I did.

Amazingly, they all took turns riding with me and brought me all of the way through the finish at 100 miles. I can?t imagine what people must have thought watching this so professional group of guys on their million dollar bicycles and one girl poking along at maybe oh, 17mph (Dan says that was our top speed :)! What was repeated to me, say every 100 feet was the fact that the Prouty isn?t about the ride, it?s about the team and the event. I have never felt more a part of anything so terrific in my life.

And so many lessons were learned this year. Some a little more painful than others, but all good. Thank you all for your donation of money and/or of emotional support this year! And please remind me that I?m only doing 50 miles next year NO MATTER WHAT!

Jewels

[img:cbe37de85c]http://www.team-pinnacle.org/media/images/forum/JulieProuty08RoadRash.jpg[/img:cbe37de85c]

Not sure we could allow you to just do 50 after completing the 100 twice, that would just be wrong! :D

So don't put that bike away yet, training for next year starts now. :shock:

I promise I'll keep my distance next year Julie.

Ryan

p.s.

[quote:4174a1ad3d]More importantly, my bike was fine.[/quote:4174a1ad3d]

Spoken like a true cyclist!

Ryan

Now Ryan, just think of it this way--my inexperience absolutely caused my crash so now that I'm "educated" in that arena, I'll be able to handle it better should I find myself in a similar circumstance in the future. So, no more guilt comments from you--and please don't keep your distance--I loved the help until I got off balance!

Julie.

ok Julie.

Ryan