Vernon's PacTour Epilogue

This is my long delayed epilogue for my Elite Southern Transcontinental PacTour adventure. It was delayed for a number of reasons.

1) there were so many demands on time when you return from something like this - family and work mostly.

2) About a week after returning, Robin had one of her twice a year CT Scans to look at her pancreas. The tumor they had been watching for eight years had decided to start growing and was about 3 cm in diameter. The doctors said we could not delay any longer. Ultimately we chose Dr. Dana Anderson at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. The surgery was in September and there was no cancer. Robin is doing well, although we are surprised how long it takes to recover from a 6-7 hour major surgery. Maybe I'll post more about her doctor and the procedure he pioneered in a later blog.

Now back to the epilogue. Getting back to Colorado was no easy task. There were delays and I ended up sleeping on the floor in Chicago O'Hare airport - shown below. What fun after 17 days of riding!

When I returned to Colorado Springs from my PacTour adventure I found some pictures and captions on my office door and a couple of new chairs. It's nice to know people are thinking of you when you are out there wilting in the Mississippi heat and humidity. Here are those picture (taken from the blog) and the entries to the caption contest

West coast captions. Click on picture to view at full size. I'll declare the WINNER after you read them. I'm not sure what prize they win.

West coast caption winner:

Eric: " I am a YOUNG lean mean bikin' machine. I am gonna BURY this old man." Vern: " I hope Eric can keep up. I'll feel kind of bad if I have to leave him behind"

Mid-Ride Captions: Click on picture to view at full size.

West coast caption winner:

Tire pump: $45, Camelbak: $75, Entry fee: $2,995, SHADE: Priceless.

East Coast Captions - Click on picture to view at full size.

East coast caption winner:
Vern and Eric have returned to the same spot after Vern cleverly changes his shirt to give us the illusion that they have biked across the country, but Eric's lack of attention to detail gives them away.

Honorable Mention: All dressed up, nowhere to go.

The guys in the office also decided I needed a more comfortable chair. Here is one version. This is the winner of the chair competition.

This one is good too.

Here is the plaque you get upon completion. The photo was taken on the Talimena Parkway. These are some of the steepest climbs in the hottest most humid climate I've ever ridden in. Photo was taken by Lon Haldeman and it was just a matter of less than an hour before the sky broke loose with the impressive lightning and torrential rain that I describe in the blog posting for DAY 10.

Don't tell Robin that I am a RACE ACROSS AMERICA QUALIFIER - she might get worried. You get this by completing every day in the allotted time and by riding every single mile without any sag wagon rides. 50 people started. 39 finished. 19 became RAAM qualified. I think those numbers are accurate? I should tell her she really doesn't have any worries - right? I mean no one out there has the $20,000 to $50,000 (estimate) to sponsor me - do they?

It was a fabulous adventure!

The End (for 2007 Adventures).

Day 17: 6/26/07 - Completion of Elite PAC Tour

Today we completed the 17th and final day of the 2007 version of the Southern Transcontinental Elite PAC Tour - Eric, myself, and 19 others (21 total) out of the original 50 people completed all 2,797 miles and are RAAM (Race Across America) qualified for the men's solo division. I suppose all of our wives are worried we might do RAAM now? Today was 142 miles from Dublin GA to Tybee Island GA.

Anyway, it was a fantastic ride. Hard, hot, humid, fun, exciting, and a true test. I am glad to have completed it. I met a lot of new friends that I hope to see again someday. Here is a picture as we made our way over the boardwalk to the Atlantic ocean.

Eric and I are holding our bikes in the Atlantic ocean. Just 17+ days ago we took the same photo in the Pacific.

Then they had us assemble for a group picture. I think all the beach people thought it was kind of strange to see us and our bicycles on the beach. The water was warm (even for me) and later on, I went in to float around for a while.

Tomorrow (Wednesday 6/27/07) it's back to Colorado Springs. It has been a long time since we have seen our families. It has been a long time since we've been to work too. It was an adventure but now it's back to reality.

Day 16: Monday 6/25/07 - The 4th Time zone

Today was 160 miles from Eufaula AL to Dublin GA. After being in Mississippi and Alabama, where almost everyone had a "coon dog", it was a relief not to chased by ANY dogs in Georgia. Here is a picture Eric took for me as we entered Georgia, just four miles after leaving the hotel. Needless to say we exited the pace line very early in the day.


The topography has included a lot of lumber producing forests. This has been the case in Alabama and Georgia. With that come a lot of trucks, some of which are courteous and some are NOT. Here was a typical road today. Not real exciting, but typical.

We entered our 4th time zone today and our 9th state in the Elite PAC Tour crossing of the U.S. The states have been California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. The thing about these last four states is that they have a lot of water that doesn't seem to be moving. In Colorado the streams and rivers are definitely moving and lakes always seem to be rough from the wind. Not so around here.

Eric broke his left side crank arm today. What a monster he must be. Of course it was hot and humid, AGAIN. Tomorrow should be cooler (in the 80's) as we approach the coast, go through Savannah and on to Tybee Island. Last day tomorrow.

Day 15: Sunday 6/24/07 - A recovery day for me.

The internet connections at the motel we were at last night in Camden AL wouldn’t let us upload anything at all. I put stuff on for yesterday just a few minutes ago – Please scroll down and read about Day 14 first.

Today (Day 15 Sunday). Here is a picture if Jeff Linder and his "Bike Friday".

Today (Day 15) was 152 miles from Camden Al to Eufaula AL. There are only two more days remaining to this Elite Southern Transcontinental PAC Tour. Thanks go out to Lon and Susan for putting it on and for taking such good care of us. Thanks also go out to all of the crew for their work in keeping us fed and encouraged. We are only 3-4 miles from the crossing into Georgia, our final stat to ride in. So far we have ridden about 2,500 miles and have about 300 to go. The next two pictures show our progress and position at the end of today’s riding.

I rode today as a “recovery day” after yesterday’s trouble with the heat. Eric and I rode together all day after only about 25 miles in the pace line. We took more photos and just went at our own pace. It was HOT again, and I resorted to using Kevin’s tube sock filled with ice starting at the 101 mile lunch stop. It made the heat more tolerable. We finished the 152 miles in 10:00 hours, 1:45 behind the amazing Mark Pattinson who finished alone. I believe I heard that he has finished first every day but Day 1.

Here is a picture of George Metzler.

We saw a lot of Kudzu in Mississippi and Alabama. Apparently, Kudzu is native to Japan and China, however it grows well in the Southeastern United States. Kudzu is a vine that when left uncontrolled will eventually grow over almost any fixed object in its proximity including other vegetation. Kudzu, over a period of several years will kill trees by blocking the sunlight and for this and other reasons many would like to find ways to get rid of it.

Here are some things that have worked well for me on this tour:
1. The medical bike-fit from Andy Pruitt’s staff (Tami and Todd) at the Boulder Center for Sports medicine. The changes they made to my set-up made all the difference in the world – no IT-Band knee pain and better posture.
2. My bike itself, a Serotta Ottrott ST. It has been very comfortable on these sometimes rough roads. Thanks go to Serotta, but also to John Crandal and the staff at Old Town Bike Shop in Colorado Springs for all of there help and maintenance. Stop in and see them sometime.

The other three things that worked well all concern the three contact points your body has with the bike – feet, hands and butt. Keeping these three areas happy makes for a more enjoyable ride.
A. The Specialized Body Geometry shoes were roomy for me – much better toe room than any of my previous shoes.
B. Using Syntace C2 aero bars gave an extra position that took pressure off the hands.
C. The Boure Pro short worked out best for me.

I always wanted a house with a porch. I wonder if this one is avalable.

Tomorrow we go into Georgia.

Day 14: Saturday 6/23/07 - Oppressive Heat!

Today was 172 miles from Forest MS to Camden AL. Here are some pictures taken during the breakfast period (6:00 to 6:30 AM). This is Tom Schwartz (crew) loading some bikes on to of the van.

This is George Jahant (crew) who later today would be a huge cooling relief to me.

Here are some riders waiting for Susan to say "breakfast is open". Pictured are (closest to farthest) are Tom Lawrence, Peter Beeson, Scott McIntosh and Brad Reid.

This is a picture of Mark Jackson (crew). Aside from always being fun at all stops he is the morning "bagel man".

Here is a close up of the flowering Mimosa tree followed by a picture of the tree itself.

This is a picture of myself and Charles Breer as we entered Alabama today.

This was my hardest day. 172 miles from Forest MS to Camden AL. The HEAT did me in. After the lunch stop (at 106 miles), I couldn’t keep up with Charles, Eric, Scott, etc. I just didn’t have it. Maybe I didn’t drink enough early on? Maybe I didn’t eat enough? Maybe The first 100 mile was too fast? Maybe I wasn’t tolerating the 100 degree heat and humidity very well. Maybe it was a combination of all these factors? I told Charles I was going to have to drop out of the group. I had to stop and get some no-doze and a coke in hopes of staying alert and recovering. Was it working? I don’t know. Then Kevin Kaiser came along and helped me get to the next sag stop (at 137 miles). He helped with encouragement and trying to sling-shot me up some of the rollers. At the 137 mile stop George Jahant (crew) put cold wet towels on my head and water down my back. Mark Jackson (crew) helped fill my camelback and bottles. Thanks George and Mark. Kevin gave me his tube sock to fill with ice and ride with around my neck. Thanks go to Kevin. That may have helped the most. I had a fair recovery between that 137 miles and the last stop at 154 miles. Phil Holcomb and I sometimes rode with each other or one of us would get ahead a little or behind. He too was encouraging and made sure I was OK. Thanks Phil. Here is a picture of myself and then one of Phil on the bridge over the Alabama River.

Tomorrow is all in Alabama.

Day 13: Friday 6/22/07 - Paying for the first 100 miles.

Today we rode175 miles from Batesville MS to Forest MS. I didn’t carry my camera because it wasn’t focusing properly. Here is a picture that Andrew Puddy (from Australia) took a few days ago when Brad Haslam crashed and dislocated his knee cap. The story goes that Brad was holing his leg in to keep it from hurting as much and really wanted to have a picture taken to record the event before they hauled him to the hospital.


My day began asking Lon for a wheel magnet. He had one. I lost mine in the incident with the construction wire yesterday. Anyway I got the magnet installed and used a couple zip ties to re-secure the pick-up sensor.

We started in the fast group again, but the second group (starting 1 minute back) caught us in the first mile or so while we were sitting at a stop light. Anyway the group was a bit larger for some reason. Eric had planned to skip the first stop, and I found out later that “fast” Mark Pattinson wanted to miss it too in order to get it down to a smaller group. It worked because we were down to eight or so. Eric took his pull and then fell out of the group. The rest of us went on. Charles Breer and Peter Beeson didn’t stay in at the next stop. Then Don Maggie dell out of the group and then, with 130 miles to go, it was down to three of us – Mark Pattinson, Scott McIntosh and myself. We worked together until mile 100. I checked my watch and we had just done a 5:04 century. Then my sanity came back and I decided I didn’t want to work that hard any more. I rode to lunch at 107 miles and left as Peter and Charles were coming in. I wanted to go easy after the hard morning and let lunch digest. I rode the next ~30 miles alone, wondering if I was going to fall asleep, or when would Peter and Charles show up. I was paying for the fast first 100 miles. They did show up with Ed Pabst and we worked together to the 175 mile finish. I continued to pay for those early miles feeling sluggish and tire in the 95 degree heat. We finished at 4:45 PM doing the 175 miles in 10 hours 15 minutes.

There are only four more days left to this adventure. Two nights in Alabama, and two (including the night after the finish) in Georgia. We have gone over 2,000 miles so far.

Here are two pictures of Mississippi that Eric Hallam took and said I could use.

Day 12: Thursday 6/21/07 - (WITH PICTURES NOW) Into Mississippi

Note: Last night's motel internet connection didn't allow me to upload any pictures. The pictures here were added 6/22/07, the day after.

Today was 156 miles from Pine Bluff AR to Batesville MS. The morning started out t 6:30 AM with a very comfortable temperature, but still muggy. Once again Lon started us off in three groups separated by 1 minute each. Once again the usual people joined the fast group. In this group was Mark Pattinson, Peter Beeson, Charles Breer, Eric Hallam, myself and about seven others. The group pretty much stayed the same for the first half of the day. Eric however did a few things like skipping or shortening a stop so he could do some standing, rather than just sit a spin a high cadence which can get tiresome for the legs and the butt.

The group was about twelve people, each taking their turn at the front. I was in the second from the back position and heard a bike in front of me kick up some sort of object. Then it seemed as though I was caught up in something. Eventually I knew it – something was caught in my front wheel and it was going round and round through my fork. I got the bike stopped without going down. We had to remove the front wheel and untangle two pieces of heavy duty construction wire, like the mesh for reinforcing concrete. It bent two spoke pretty bad and the wheel was out of true. We opened the brakes enough to ride without rubbing and I got a substitute wheel at the next sag stop.

Wheel damage is one thing, but the repeated scraping from the rotating wires really messed up my beautiful Serotta F3 fork. I suppose that is one of the accepted hazards of riding in a pace line group when not every piece of debris can be pointed out in time to avoid it (particularly if you are near the back).

Somewhere along the way I snapped this self portrait. Maybe I'm not smiling because I'm starting to get mouth sores.

Lon and Susan went out together for the first time on their tandem (that I know of). Both of them have individually won the Race Across America (RAAM) and together on their tandem. The group (without Eric who had gone out ahead of the tandem at a break and was already with the tandem) went kind of wild in a chase for the tandem. Eventually we caught the tandem, largely do to Mark Pattinson’s influence. Then we were at the lunch stop. I was fast to fill bottles and grab a bite, but the fast group left while I was in an actual sit-down toilet facility. They might have waited but I didn’t tell anyone where I was (three minutes) and Eric wasn’t sure, so… Eric, Jeff Linder, Ed Pabst and I left together with no hope of catching the lead group. Eventually the lead group finished at 3:16 PM and we finished at 3:45 PM. Eric came in at his own pace at 4:05 PM.

Lon replaced the most badly damaged spoke after we got in (two pictures below).

Many of my pictures the last two days have been out of focus, particularly the longer focus distances. I’ve been carrying my camera in a Lowe case mounted to by handlebar stem for easier access while riding. I think the vibration may have damaged the camera. I’ll have to see what deal I can work out with Eric so I can use his camera sometimes in exchange for him using my PC to upload and do his blogging. No easy or convenient solution. Maybe I’m hosed from here on out?

Day 11: Wednesday June 20, 2007 - First there were Twelve.

Today was 175 miles from Mena AR to Pine Bluff AR. Once again they started us in three groups separated by one minute each. There were 12 in our "fast" group. After a while there were 8. After lunch there were 5. We worked together and got in at 4:39 PM. So... we rode 10 hour and 9 minutes finishing first and getting our names on the whiteboard - Mark Pattinson, Charles Breer, Peter Beeson, Ed Pabst and Vernon Smith. A lot of things were wet from the day before so I didn't take any pictures. Temperatures were in the 90's with high humidity.

Day 10: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 - Glad to be Alive!

Today was Day 10 of 17 days across the country. We went 178 miles from Ada AR to Mena AR. It was the second largest amount of vertical gain (10,100 feet) with 8,000 of that starting at around mile 120 for the last 50 miles. This is more gain than riding from Loveland CO (5,000 feet) to the top of Trail Ridge Road (12,183 feet). Before we got too far down the road I snapped this flower picture.

The first 120 miles was a lot of group work. Then the climbing started. This was probably the hardest, hottest, most humid, steepest, coldest, most rain, most lightning and thunder section of 50 miles (given that it started after mile 120) than I have ever done. You only needed two gears - big chainring with small cog, and small chainring with big cog.

I am glad to be alive after this day! First the heat on the lower part of the climb, then the torrential rain and hail mixed with lightning and booming thunder. Mark Pattinson and I started the Talimena Parkway together. The first to get there. I lost contact with him on the second climb. The whole parkway is a series of steep climbs and steep descents on a low traffic road that follow the ridge of the mountains. I'm used to climbing, but not in these hot and muggy conditions. After the one three-mile section of 7-15% grades my legs didn't even want to work going downhill. I rained briefly which made it temporarily cooler. Charles Breer pulled into the "picture taking" sag area as I was pulling out. Then he passed me just before the last checkpoint. I was hoping for more rain. I skipped the last checkpoint not knowing whether or not Charles had stopped there.

Then the skies got dark. The wind came up. Sheets of rain began. Then the lightning and thunder started. I figured I'd try to ride through it and get down to lower elevations. There was lightning all around. After I couldn't see any more and was unsure if I could keep the bike upright a strike seemed to hit just up the road. I got off the bike and left it in the grass and ran to the lower side of the road.

I started practicing the crouching position they suggest for lightning storms. I had no rain gear at all. I was soaked and getting cold. Thoughts of hypothermia came into my mind. I ate everything in my jersey pockets to put some calories in. I began marching in-place in an attempt to generate some heat and prevent my hamstring from cramping. The lightning and rain continued. After about 60 minutes I still hadn't seen any one go by and figured the lightning was a bit farther away. At one point I ran out to put the bike closer to the road so if they came looking for me they could start there. I ventured out an began riding hoping some climbing would warm me up. It was still raining.

While all this was going on Eric Hallam had made his way to the sag van and took shelter inside. He took the really cool video on his digital camera. It shows just how intense the storm was. This video post is using an experimental version of of the blogger software just made available. Play around clicking the big "play" triangle in the middle of the picture and/or the small "play" triangle at the lower left part of the video.

A mile farther down the road, a car honked at me as it was coming out from the Inn that is up on the Parkway. They said two of my friends were up there in the Inn and thinking of getting a room. Later I found out they bought some jackets to wear. I continued down the road with a few remaining climbs and finished safely as the second person in that night. Here is a shot of my had after I got into the hotel. I looks like it was under water for hours!

The end of an exciting day.

Day 9 Monday 6/18/07

Today was 206 miles from Sayre OK to Ada OK. A LONGGGGGGGGGGG and WINDDDDDDDDY day. They were head winds and cross winds. We have yet to see (except for the day I came in first with Mark Pattinson) any tail winds or the supposedly prevailing west to east winds. There was even a windmill farm and they only put those where the wind is sure to blow. Charles Breer, Eric Hallam and I exited the big group earlier today than previous days. I think everyone was fearing the wind and the long day and the riders spread out clear across the road - all looking for a place to get some shelter from the wind. It was too much for us so we let them go and we went it alone.

It must have been crazy because Brad Haslam apparently went down (crashed) and dislocated his knee cap and fractured it as well. He went to the hospital and is out of the tour. I don't know the full circumstances. Brad is from the Albuquerque area and there was a picture of him in his puffed out orange jacket (but no face visible) in my blog posting yesterday.

The following picture is proof for my wife that even on rides like this, we get off our bikes and take time to view the local sites. There were tarantulas walking all over the road! We also saw lots of turtles - some alive and many smashed, and several armadillos - all smashed.


It was very humid today as well as windy like I mentioned but temperature in the high 80's or low 90's were fairly comfortable.

Tomorrow is 174 miles from Ada OK to Mena AR with 10,100 feet of climbing (a lot for this tour). 8,000 of it is packed into the last 50 miles of rollers. Should make for some good fun.

Day 8: Sunday June 17, 2007

Today was 180 miles from Hereford TX to Sayre OK. A pretty flat ride. We actually had a plan for riding partners today. Peter Beeson, Charles Breer, Eric and I decided we would try to keep an eye on each other during early part of the ride where it's impossible to get into a small group, and then ride together after things got sorted out. Well... it was so flat that riding in the big group was rather easy. Everyone kept a fairly steady pace without the typical accelerations and decelerations.

Today was also a nice cool day, 62 degrees when we started - very comfortable. Hard to believe especially since the start was in Texas. During the early part of the day I snapped this picture just for my Kirtland and Sandia cycling friends in Albuquerque. It seems people from Albuquerque always need to dress warmer than everyone else. This is Brad Haslam from the Albuquerque area. It was the only jacket I saw today. In Brad's case the jacket was catching a lot of air and looked more like something you would see at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. A lot of today's ride was along historic Route 66. That's Eric Hallam in the far background.
Charles Breer said this was the most photographed building on Route 66 so, of course, I had to take my own picture of it. Sandiway Fong is in the foreground.

This next picture was probably in Oklahoma along Route 66. On the left is Richard Waugh (from Cleveland) and the other rider is Peter Beeson (from Seattle).

Tomorrow is the tour's longest day at 206 miles from Sayre OK to Ada OK. Long but not long compared to the 400 km (250 mile) brevet we do back home routinely. Until then....

Day 7 Saturday, June 16, 2007

Today was the flattest day of this PAC Tour - From Roswell NM to Hereford (Cow Capital of the World) TX. Here is a picture of Eric and I at the starting parking lot in Roswell.

We had the typical mass start, but without any real climbing there was nothing to break the group of 47 into smaller groups. So.... I tolerated the big group as long as I could before going to the front and putting some distance on them, then letting them catch you and repeating the process. Eventually it splits up. I rode with the group that would probably finish first but that pace was a little fast (no climbs for me). They left me but stopped at the 22 mile sag area and I continued alone. They caught me after a while and I went through one rotation with them and let them go. They stopped at the 41 mile sag area but I went on alone again. I wondered where Eric was. They caught me again and that's the last I saw of them for the day.

Here is what the first half of the day looked like - rumble strips and a nice smooth wide shoulder in New Mexico.
Here is a way too common site for cyclists. We have to dodge these tire pieces all the time, in addition to the radial tire wires that often cause flats.

After this, near the 63 mile sag area another group caught me and Eric was there. We pulled into the stop and left pretty much with just three of us, Eric, Charles Breer and myself. This was a nice group. Eric was glad to be rid of the larger group he was in and I was glad to actually join a group of three. Eventually we picked up Tom Lawrence and after a while Ed Pabst. We worked well together on this flat day that really didn't fit my style. Here is the Texas state line.

Here is the Welcome to Texas sign. The road after this had this 8 foot wide shoulder and had been recently paved, but they forgot to pave the shoulder, pretty much making it to hard to ride on. What a pity.

Texas has lots of cows and feedlots to hold them in. The smells are much more intense than even Greeley CO in the old days.

One pleasant surprise of the day was when Mike and Tonya Gelder drove by. Tonya stuck her head out the window and called my name. They the followed us a while and eventually stopped at the next sag are after Clovis. It was great to see them. Mike and I went to two years if high school in Los Lunas NM and he was my best man at my wedding. Thanks Mike and Tonya.

They next few days are long ones (180, 206, 178 and 180 miles). Those days will take us through OK and most the way through AR. Stay tuned.

Day 6 Friday, June 15, 2007

Be sure to also check out:
Erics blog at http://teamhallam.blogspot.com
and George's blog at http://georgemetzler.blogspot.com


Today was 172 miles from Socorro NM to Roswell NM. There was a headwind at the beginning which made everybody worried. Eric and I rode the whole day together with only monor separations when I was having a good time climbing or on the aerobars. We knew Mark was out in front and that Ed Pabst went with him. However, we say Ed leave the 107 mile lunch stop alone. After Eric and I left, Eric's tire flatted with a bang. He had sidewall damage with a 1 cm gash in it which we booted with two $1 bills. While doing so Tom passed us. We caught Tom and continued. We daw a rider in the distance which we hoped was Ed. We worked hard (three of us now) to chase him down. With a really good effort we caugt him as we enterred Roswell and the four of us finished as the second "group" in - Only Mark, the guy I finished first with the previous day, came in before us.

Today was also "laundry day". On the Elite tour they do it for us. We drop it of in the AM in mesh bags and we get it back 3/4 dry in the PM.


Here is one of the "hand wash stations" - a jug with soapy water and a roll of paper towels combined. Do not violate the gloves off and wash before touching anything rule.


Today was all New Mexico - the land of the yucca plant.

After Carrizozo we entered the lava fields. The picture does not do it justice but it is pretty neat.

Eric hasn't won his "first group in" tattoo for his left calf, so he improvised and put a chainring tattoo on his right calf.

After our finish at 4:02 PM, Tom Lawrence, Ed Pabst, Eric Hallam and Vernon Smith. That was 172 miles in 10:02 for an average speed (including stops) of 17.2 mph. Our actual riding time was 9:14 so... we spent 48 minutes off the bike. Yesterday I averaged 20.8 mph and at least a part of that was that in the 7.5 hour ride I spent only 14 minutes off the bike. Moving at zero mph during a lunch stop really hurts the average time.