Third Time’s a Charm or You’d Think I would Learn My Lesson Sooner….

June 10, 2021

Third Time’s a Charm or You’d Think I would Learn My Lesson Sooner….

Did we make it or is this photoshop trickery?

No one ever accused me of making good decisions when it comes to cycling: 100-mile mountain bike races, 200+ mile gravel races, waking up at 4:00am six days a week to train, the list goes on. But all of those seem rather sane compared to taking a third swing at riding the 400-mile Border to Border route I planned out a few years ago.

The first two attempts both ended early because of weather, and maybe a bit of poor planning on my part; I mean who thinks it is a good idea to ride all day and all night in Michigan in October; cold is an understatement. This time around I was a little smarter at least. Let’s really stress that “little” in there.

First things first: a brief history of bad decisions - in 2018 Brett, Sheldon and I rode 333 miles from Ohio to Mackinaw City. We had a crew of two in a motorhome that met us along the way. It was a great yet challenging day. In 2019 we thought we would try for something a little bigger and the idea of OH-Canada (Ohio border to the Canadian border in Sault Ste. Marie) was born. A 400 mile route with a change in Northern Michigan to add in more hills, this time we set out with a group of 7 riders. The motorhome was there to support us once again, but a massive storm just south of Petoskey ended our day, and that was after fighting a headwind the entire way. 2020 came and we decided to take the ride on self-supported and we were back down to three riders (Kevin, Brett and myself). Things were going well (apart from the night in the mid-20s) until just south of Mackinaw City when we were once again met by a massive storm, this time it was even colder when the storm moved in. We called it in Mackinaw City, 350 miles complete and a bit closer to the finish. Frustration was the name of the game.

The last two years I tried to fit the B2B ride into my schedule, with races taking up all the nice summer weekends that left the fall for the attempts. This year I decided I was done dealing with the cold and I made B2B a priority. So much so that I skipped out on a race I was registered for; the Mohican 100. That is a pretty big deal to me, I really like racing Mohican. Add to that it was less than a month out when I decided I would rather go for B2B than Mohican. I talked to Brett and he was in, we both started reaching out to see if we could find another person or two to ride with us, but with such a short leadup no one was able to make it work for the entire ride.

Brett was able to talk Nicole and Chad Cottom into joining us for the start of the ride. Their plan was to drive to the start with us, Chad would ride to Grand Ledge, pick up a car and drive north to pick up Nicole, whose goal was to push over 150 miles. Chad would meet up with us when Nicole decided she had gone far enough and they would head home, leaving Brett and I all to our lonesome.

Enough of the prep, let's ride bikes.

So much bike goodness

With the car loaded up we set out for our starting point which really is just the side of the road, next to a field a few miles into Ohio, near the MI/OH/IN border. There is nothing special there, in fact, there is nothing there, but it is where we start. The plan was to start about 7:00pm on Friday June 4^th and we arrived at about 6:40, leaving plenty of time to do the final prep work. We started unloading the car and making sure everything was set to go. Lights on the bikes, bottles filled, hydration packs stuffed with fuel and some spare clothes. Then the tire pressure check. I added a couple PSI, Brett and Chad checked theirs and they were all set. Brett started adding some air to Nicole’s front tire, pump, pump, pump, BOOM! The tubeless tire blew right off the rim. Sealant went everywhere and we all just stood there staring.

Oh crap!

After a quick second we all realized what happened. No big deal, Nicole’s ride wasn’t over before it began. Nicole found a tube and Chad had it in and pumped up in a matter of moments. Calm, breathe, everything is okay. Back to the final checks and a quick photo op.

Ready to Roll

Let’s roll.

We started off pretty chill, letting our legs warm up and trying not to expend too much energy. My favorite part so far was that it was not dark within thirty minutes of starting. June really was a good decision. Our first stop of the day was a gas station in Springport, roughly 60 miles into the ride. About an hour in some asked if we would still be able to make it before they closed at 11:00, because of our slightly late start cause by the tire debacle. I looked at my computer and realized even though we were not pushing it we were making great time. Oh yeah, we would make it with plenty of time to spare.

Still all smiles

We rolled into the parking lot after just over 3 hours, averaging about 18.2 mph. After a quick stop to refill some water, we were back underway. It turns out we were not the only ones who wanted to come out and play. All the bugs joined us, and I do mean all of them. It was insane how many there were. For a while it felt almost like we were riding in the rain, but it was not water hitting us. After a while a car came toward us and its headlights gave us a view I do not really care to see again. I’m pretty sure Nicole said “I really didn’t need to see that”. The headlight beam was filled with a cloud of bugs. Time to tip my head down and breathe through my nose as much as possible. Do not think about it, just ride; then smack: a giant bug would somehow hit in the tiny space between my glasses and my helmet. I am sure I only ate a couple. An hour or so later it got better.

The first sunset of the ride

Shortly after that we made it to Grand Ledge, where Chad and Nicole had parked their car. 86 miles done and the end of Chad’s ride. He loaded his bike on his rack, gave his lights to Brett, who could not keep his charged for some strange reason and wished us luck on the next leg. He planned to meet us at the next scheduled stop in Shepherd (roughly mile 145). Our party of three set off into the night.

Riding in the middle of the night can be really cool, but it can also be really boring. You can’t see anything but where your light is shining, and it feels like you are going a million miles an hour until you look at your computer and realize you are going 18mph. Do not get me wrong, 18 mph was the right speed for this part of the ride but compared to the million it felt like we were going it was a bit disappointing for a minute. From Grand Ledge to Shepherd is probably the least exciting part of the entire route so it was a good time to talk about plans for the summer, Coast to Coast, The Crusher, Marji; after all what is better than talking about riding bikes while riding bikes.

Roughly 10 miles south of Alma at about 3am we saw a car heading toward us, it pulled onto a side road and did a U-turn. Luckily, it was just Chad and not some weirdo bent on giving us a hard time. He came to let us know the gas station we planned to stop at in Shepherd was not open. So much for that open 24hrs on their website. Not to worry though, I had a backup plan and this may have been a saving grace for the ride, but more on the later. Instead of stopping in Shepherd we would ride on to a gas station in Mt. Pleasant. It was about a mile off course, but it was right by the Casino so we knew it would be open.

149 miles into the ride, a little more than a mile before we were going to turn off route toward the gas station, we came to a slight rise in the road. I was riding on the front of the group; Brett was just behind me on my left; as we started up the rise we both shifted down a gear. That is when I heard the sound. If you have ever heard it, you know exactly what I mean, it is sort of a grind, crunch, clunk. Brett’s shift cable snapped. His rear derailleur instantly dropped to his highest gear. The disappointment was palpable. I did not pack a spare cable and I was sure Brett did not either. There was no way Brett could single speed all the way to Sault Ste. Marie, especially not in the gear he was in.

We made our way to the gas station, with Brett slowly grinding away, trying to figure out what we could do. There was no way he could ride Nicole’s bike, it was way too small. Chad had ridden his gravel bike with gravel tires. An attempt on that would only end with Brett either going 7 mph or simply blowing up. That is when we started looking at all three bikes to see what could be made to work. Chad got out his multi-tool, very definitely not the correct tool for the job but it was all we had, and he set to work.

SuperChad to the rescue

Chad was able to fit Nicole’s wheelset on his bike, but because of the differences in drivetrain he had to adjust it so it could not shift in to the easiest two gears. If it did it would either snap the chain or the cassette would eat the derailleur, nether of which is a good thing. Then he put Brett’s saddle on, made some fit adjustments and Brett had a Franken-bike worthy of the last 250 miles. He may not have had the easiest two gear in the back, but the front chainrings were smaller than on his bike so he still had lower gearing than he would have. They say not all super hero’s wear capes, but Chad did have a giant “S” on his chest while he was bike fixing, coincidence?

If we had stopped in Shepherd and Nicole and Chad left us there, Brett would have been done and I really don't think I would have tried to make it on my own. I probably would have gone for Mackinaw though.

Obviously, Nicole called it a ride at this point since Brett stole her wheelset. She crushed the 152 miles we had ridden, making it her longest ride to date and a great training ride for the upcoming 212-mile Coast to Coast. It was a bummer to have her ride end, but we were all grateful Brett and I were able to continue.

90 minutes after riding into the gas station with a giant weight on all our shoulders we were back on our bikes and the sun was coming up. We had set out nearly 11 hours ago and we still had a long way to go. But you know what? It was not cold and it was not dark for 72 hours like it was the last two times we tried the ride. Okay, I know it was not really dark for 72 hours, but it sure felt like it was. Once again, I was very thankful for making this attempt in June instead of October.

The next leg of our journey was rather uneventful except for a three mile stretch of gravel road where I learned 23mm wide tires do not like to play in sand. This may not really be news, but it sure will keep you awake.

Once we got north of Gladwin we started to hit some hills. We knew all along that Brett and I climb at different speeds so that plan was for us both to ride our own pace up the hills and group back up once we got over the top. A quick note for non-cyclist: everyone has a pace or effort that is most efficient and effective to climb at, there are several factors that play into it. One is gearing, Brett’s Franken-bike had much easier gearing than my bike so he was able to shift to an easy gear and spin, I on the other hand had to keep my speed up a bit otherwise I would have ended up spinning really slowly which would just burn up my legs.

Just keep pedaling

Anyway, we rode into our gas station stop in Prudenville at 784 o’clock in the am. Yes, I made that up too. It was actually something like 9:30am but I’d lost all sense of time already. Time for some real food. It was not that I needed the calories for fuel, it is simply a matter of wanting something substantial in my stomach. Brett got a hotdog that had been on one of those heater roller things for what I am guess was a day and a half. I bought a pre-made sub that had a made fresh sticker on it. I unwrapped it and took a bit only to find out the middle was frozen. Not only was everything hard it had frost crystals in it. Yummy. At least it was hot and sunny, so I opened it up and let it sit in the sun for a few minutes before I ate it anyway. Brett’s hotdog may have been a tastier choice.

With all our water refilled, our stomachs silenced and some sunscreen applied we set out again. The next part of the route was new for this attempt. In previous years we had ridden straight north out of Prudenville and gone north of Higgins Lake. This meant we were on some rather busy, larger roads with traffic that did not seem to care that we were there. So this time we went between Houghton Lake and Higgins Lake, right along the south side of Higgins. The first 5-6 miles felt a bit like riding through rush hour. Then we turned onto a smaller road and life was good again. And it got even better, we spent about 5 miles on brand new pavement with next to no cars on it.

All to soon we turned on to Military Rd. which is always a slog. It is an 8-mile section of rough road that is a slight but constant climb. To top it off my feet were starting to hurt like no other. I do not understand why, it’s not like I’d had my biking shoes on for 17 hours or anything.

Look, more trees

Grayling and another quick gas station stop. I wanted some coffee but I did not want anything hot since the temp was in the mid-80's. Unfortunately, the gas station was all out of cold brew coffee, but they did have some Coke with Coffee. It sounded strange, but I though I would give it a shot. I like to have some coke on my rides, I like to have cold coffee on my rides; this hit both at the same time. I hate to say it but it was really good. I have no idea if it really was good or if it was one of those right things at the right time scenarios, but it hit the spot. No, I have not tried one since. Once again we refilled everything and applied enough chamois cream to last most people a month and hit the road.

Time to head for Gaylord. Now it was staring to get hot. As long as we kept moving it was not too bad though, and we still had a gentle tailwind which made the going a little easier. As we were riding by Otsego Lake Brett asked if we should stop for a minute to jump in and cool off. Remembering how nice it felt when we crossed the Huron River while riding the CrusherEX last year we both decided it was a great idea. The lake was a bit cold for swimming, so we just waded in to about knee deep, rinsed off our feet and legs, then dried our feet off with toilet paper from the bathroom. It may not have been the best thought out plan, but it sure did feel nice.

Back on the bike.

Again.

Still.

After 270 miles, 15 hours of riding and 20 hours after setting out we stopped in Gaylord for another refill and some snacks. While at the gas station Brett pulled up the weather radar and saw exactly what we did not want to see: a nasty storm heading our way. There really was not anything we could do about it so went on our way. As we got north of Gaylord the sky turned super dark and ominous. We stopped in Vanderbilt to get one more check of the radar and see if we should find somewhere to wait out the storm of just go for it.

For some reason I am riding toward the storm

After very little consideration or thought the decision was made just to keep moving. We heard one thunderclap a few minutes later and the sky started to lighten up a little. Maybe we would miss the storm. Five minutes later the sky opened up and we were riding through torrential rain. The worst of the rain only lasted about 10 minutes, but a gentle rain did last for about an hour. Another nice thing about riding in June, when the storm rolled in the temps went from the upper 80’s to the mid 70’s and the rain was refreshing rather than hypothermia inducing. We just kept on moving.

So very wet

More hills, more yo-yo type riding but it worked well for us.

The last stop before Mackinaw City was in Harbor Springs. 315 miles complete. Only 87ish to go. I said that to myself and I realized I really must be out of my mind. Only 87 miles; any other day 87 is a good long day. No time to dwell on poor life choices. It was time for a little more solid food, another sub for me, at least this time it was not frozen.

The sidewalk makes a great table

Back on the road. Only 34 miles to the bridge. Everything was going great until we turned on to Wilderness Park Dr. Last year this road was a mine field of potholes and broken road surface. This year we would have welcomed the awfulness of the past. The road surface was gone. All the pavement had been ripped up. I wish I could say it was just a gravel road, but it was really a construction site with washboard as far as the eye could see. We tried to find smooth spots only to be met with soft sand, more bumps or in the worst case, the side of the road decided it did not want to exist anymore and Brett and I both had our front wheels sink in about 6-8” while sliding to the right about a foot. Somehow we both were able to get a foot down to keep from falling. I almost wonder if it would have been more comfortable to come face to face with the gravel, cheese grater style, than to keep riding on it. After the three most miserable miles of the day the construction zone came to an end, but not before I had the worst arm pump and a giant knot in my upper back.

The last three miles to the bridge was nice and chill and as we rode into the Colonial Michilimackinac parking lot Jasmine was there cheering us on and ready to give us a ride across the Mackinac Bridge. I did wonder to myself, “How far across the bridge could I ride before the cops stopped me?” I would not dare try and find out, but now you have to wonder.

We've tied our previous best attempt, time to finish this thing

Anyway, we had ridden over 350 miles, ride time was 19.5 hours and it had been 25.5 hours since we had started pedaling. We loaded the bikes on the rack, jumped in the car and headed for the Bridge View Park just north of Lake Michigan. We did have to make a few stops on the way. Brett managed to leave his clear glasses with Chad and Nicole in Mt. Pleasant and he wanted a pair he could ride in. Two gas stations and a Family Fare later he still did not have any glasses, but we were ready to start the last leg of the journey anyway at about 9:30pm.

Obligatory selfie

The very first thing we encountered in the U.P. was a nice climb out of the park up to US2, but it was not a preview of things to come. Three miles in we hit St. Ignace and Brett saw a Dollar General. He wanted to check for some glasses one last time. Success, kind of. He bought a cheap pair of shades, but only ended up wearing them for 30 minutes before he realized they were just a bit too tinted to wear at night.

One more selfie, this time from the U.P. side

We headed right up Mackinac Trail, the road that used to be the main one before I-75 came to town. It was a nice wide road with nothing. And at night it had even less nothing. Mostly flat and nearly devoid of anything resembling a turn, it was not a very fun road. Somewhere north of Rudyard it started to get really sleepy out. Brett had a Bluetooth speaker with him so he turned it on to try and keep our energy up. I could only really hear it when I was within about 3 feet of him and at this point in the ride that was not happening very much. I would slowly pull ahead, realize it after a while, then slow so Brett could catch back on.

I made a quick stop for a nature break and decided to put in one headphone so I could have some music of my own, but still be able to talk to Brett when I wanted to. The music helped but only so much. My next tactic was even more helpful. I would stop for a minute or two to do something, usually something that didn’t really need to be done, then I would just hammer it as hard as I could to catch up and pass Brett. I did this three or four times during the last hour of the night. My HR would come up and I would come back to life. If I stayed at a constant easy pace my HR would come down and I would get really tired. I do not understand why, it is not like I had been awake for over 42 hours straight or anything.

We hit that seemingly mythical distance of 400 miles on the edge of Sault Ste. Marie. We had two miles left through town and decided it was time to use everything left in the tank. We flew down the empty streets with giant grins on our faces knowing we had finally done what we had set out to do three years earlier. At just over 402 miles we rolled into the Soo Locks park, breathed a sigh of relief knowing we didn't have to ever attempt this route again (unless we want to????) and took a couple pictures for posterity's sake. Success.

Finishing strong

Warning, not typical Mitch part coming up:

Less than two weeks before the ride my dad suddenly passed away. No warning, no signs, nothing. He spent the morning taking pictures at Pikes Peak with my mom and as they were driving back down his time came. Luckily, my mom was driving and by some divine miracle there was an EMT and a nurse just behind them to help. I am writing this because my dad taught me a lot of things in life. How to work with my hands, how to fix the mower and all manner of equipment, maybe how to embellish a story to make it a little more interesting. But one of the most important things he taught me was how to work hard, follow through and finish what you set out to do. That a good work ethic was worth more than any possession. As I rode through town, I had done just that, I made it, I did not quit, I did not let setbacks stop me from doing what I set out to do, I accomplished my goal and finished my task.

With less than a mile to go one of my favorite riding songs came on my headphone and all I could think was how, even though he was not there, his example throughout life was what got me there, what helped me succeed. I knew he was watching, and I knew he put my song on for me. I rode up to the Soo Locks with a giant smile on my face and tear in my eye; so grateful for everything I had accomplished and missing him.

Back to normal Mitch type stuff

The details:

Strava Link

Ride time: 22hrs 54min 01seconds

Average moving speed: 17.6mph

Elapsed time: 30hrs 00min 25seconds

Calories burned: Somewhere between 10,500-13,000 depending on what source I look at

How did I fuel: My main source of fuel for the day was Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem. I took in somewhere around 3,500 calories worth of the nearly 5,000 calories of it I had packed, I replaced what I did not finish with two Snickers, two exceptionally bad subs, 2.5 Cokes, some gummy bears and a cookie. All told my calorie intake was about 5,500. This comes out to about 180 calories/hour, which was exactly my plan for the day. I also had about 15 Hammer Fizz tabs, a bunch of Anti-Fatigue Caps, Race Caps and BCAA+ caps. I followed it up with some Recoverite and some pizza that Jasmine picked up for us in Sault Ste. Maire.

Now to say thank you to those who helped make this possible.

Brett for joining me on this really bad idea

My wife Laurie, who drove with us down to the start and brought the car home,

Jasmine, who met us in Mackinaw City and Sault Ste. Marie, and drove us home in our sleep deprived state Sunday morning.

Chad and Nicole Cottom for joining for the start of the ride and giving up their bikes so Brett could keep riding,

SPIN Bicycle Shop, Hammer Nutrition, ESI Grips, Maxxis Tires, Tannus Armour, and Smith Optics have all been huge supporters of mine and without their generous support I do not know how I would make this all work.

And everyone who has ridden part of this bad idea route over the past three years. You guys rock.

I know there are more, but my brain may still be a little broken, so a big thank you to everyone who as supported me, cheered me on or pushed me that one more mile.

Time for some much deserved rest then to come up with the next bad idea.