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Ladies' Week Out at the BRAT or
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| Novice rider that I am, I was surprised but pleased when Hilda and Daisy encouraged me to join a group of ladies going to ride the BRAT this past week in East Tennessee. Normally I don’t ride lots of miles in a week. I’m truly a recreational rider who tries to make the Tuesday night ride and maybe the Thursday night on occasion. I’m usually the last rider in. Weekend rides happen when other things don’t take priority, maybe once or twice a month. Otherwise it’s usually a solitary 20-mile route on the mountain a few times a week to stay fit. I‘d never camped more than overnight and that was years ago in college. Needless to say I viewed this BRAT week as a personal challenge—how did I think I was going to ride long miles daily for a week!! And what about the weather—there |  |
| would be no guarantees and no free rides—I’d never ridden in the rain—what would I do? Believe me, it was a challenge; but, boy did I have a wonderful time!! New experience, new friends, and I did it!! I’m hooked!! | |
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Sunday afternoon took us to Cove Lake State Park, our starting point for tomorrow’s ride. We set up our tents, checked out the port-a-showers (new to everyone) and headed for an awesome turkey dinner at Louie’s on the Lake—food fit for a farm hand complete with dessert and a chance to meet some awesome new friends—four ladies from Cleveland!! Entertainment that evening was a local storyteller with some entertaining tales to share. Then off to bed early to get ready for tomorrow’s ride. If that night foretold the future I was in trouble—I didn’t sleep at all, tossing and turning all night. And I wasn’t the only one who was restless. Oh, Boy!! |
Our first day dawned early and the scramble was hectic to get dressed, get breakfast, pull down tents, pack belongings (of course I brought too much), brush teeth, fill those water bottles, prep yourself and your bike to ride, and load the transport truck, all by eight o’clock. Last check—do I have everything I need for the day?? I won’t see those bags until tonight. Whew!! Riding would be easy after all that chaos!! Now it’s onto the bikes and we’re off. Luckily our first day was only thirty miles with the normal sags that you’d find on any organized ride—perfect for a first-timer. And it was comforting to see those park rangers in their trucks cruising up and down the road, checking to see that all was well. Did I mention that the rolling Tennessee countryside was BEAUTIFUL—without a doubt it was an awesome day on the road with just enough climbing to make the ride challenging. It was great to be able to share that relaxed day with other women who told their stories as we sped along the valleys and challenged you to "keep up" through the climbs and flying down those hills. It was a beautiful thing!!
| The afternoon brought us to Indian Mountain State Park, a pretty little valley recreational park close to Jellico with a small lake and lots of trees. Our tent village went up again, and we had lots of time to shower, socialize and make new friends. Patrick and Cary from Franklin, North Carolina, fit right in and our little group began to grow. Patrick, our token male, took his role seriously and watched over this flock of women, carrying bags and offering help!! Or perhaps he just | |
| enjoyed our company—he was a great friend!! And—a few of our Cleveland girls found some fun and fuel at one of the rolling RV’s that followed the ride. Seems those guys had some great stories and some good cold drinks. Entertainment that night was an awesome guitarist/storyteller and his fiddler friend who kept us tapping our toes with their Appalachian tunes. Young Peter captured everyone’s heart by giving us his energetic talent show karaoke rendition of a favorite song dedicated to the memory of his granddad. Unfortunately, food that night was very late and left a little quality to be desired—but the restless crowd controlled themselves admirably. Off to bed--tomorrow’s ride will be a more challenging 60 miles. |  |
| I’d love to tell you every adventure for the week—and there were
a few—troubles with my bike gears and getting that fixed; the most intense climb of
my career, 2500 ft in 2.5 miles (and I chose to do it!!); the heart stopping ride down;
quaint little tourist towns; my first ride in the rain; one killer of a century (that I
didn’t do!!); and all the fun and friends that went with it. All those back road
lunch stops each day added a lot of color to our trip. Everywhere we stopped people were
curious and a little envious about all those crazy cyclists. Where were we going and what
were we up to?? Our route took us on a 250-mile circle from Cove Lake State Park near
Caryville north of Knoxville, to Indian Mountain State Park near Jellico, to Lincoln
Memorial University near Cumberland Gap for two nights, to Big Ridge State Park on Norris
Lake, then back to Cove Lake. I’d love to tell you everything—give me a call,
we’ll talk. Friday, our last day--we’re on our way back to Cove Lake. The skies are threatening rain but we’re hopeful that it will just stay overcast for the ride. No, that didn’t happen. I’ve been told I need to experience riding in the rain. I guess it’s my time to learn. The drizzles begin shortly after we begin riding, so I steel myself for the experience. It really wasn’t so bad—you just need to plan ahead. The worst fear I had was not the discomfort but the safety of the ride. I learned to lightly tap my brakes on the downhills to be sure |
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| that they were dry enough to stop if I need to—it certainly came in handy once. We rode for about an hour in the rain then decided to stop at a quick mart to dry out a little. What a treat we had. We walked in to see mile-high pies that were calling | |
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to us. Needless to say, we couldn’t pass that up!! Pete the Ranger joined us, and young Peter celebrated his 32nd birthday with a candle and a song. Before we knew it, the whole store was filled with cyclists eating pie at 10:00 am! Luckily, most of the rest of the day we stayed dry—there was so much to see and do! Our mileage that day was shorter, 45 miles, but it took us a long time to make the trip. The Museum of Appalachia, Norris Dam, Lenoir Museum and Threshing Barn were all calling to us. We wished we had more time. Luckily we had just one flat tire for the week, and that came today. Jane changed it quickly on a rest stop and we were on our way back to Cove Lake. After packing the van |
| and a quick shower we were on our way home to our husbands waiting to share a good meal and hear all our stories. I don’t know about everyone else, but I was smiling inside. I had done it, and it was fun!! Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!! More reason for me to ride!! And, maybe we’ll even let the guys go—next time. | |
Ladies (and gentlemen) from CBC: (back) Ed Rouse, Sherry Neidich, Pat Burgoyne, (center) Carol Lawson, Mary Lou Miller, Charmaine Hayes, Pat Ownby, (front) Jane Indyk, Hilda Fraley, Ebb Donahoo, Daisy Blanton
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