The family and I rose at 5 AM yesterday and drove over to Catawba, NC for the annual Murray’s Mill ride. We arrived at 7:30 and fell into a line of cars parking in an open field above the mill. Carl and Sharon were just ahead of us, and Lyn and his friend Todd, who planned to ride with us, arrived a little later.
Registration was quick – I handed over the form and money and that was that. No cue sheet (“The route’s very well marked”), meal ticket, etc. was handed over. So I pulled on my shoes and lined up with 267 other cyclists, while we waited for the police to block the road.
The route follows a figure eight, with Murray’s Mill as the middle rest stop. The first loop is relative flat, and even with a strong wind in our faces we finished the first 33 miles with an 18.75 mph average. The wind didn’t abate during the second half of the ride, which turned out to be much hillier than the first. Even with one long, slow climb during the midpoint of the second loop, we still managed an 18.2 mph average over the entire 65 miles.
It’s a fantastic ride – well organized, and following a scenic route. Highly recommended.
Afterward we sat in the shade and had lunch, then beers at the Boxcar Grill. Then we made a sidetrip to the Bunker Hill Covered Bridge, one of two remaining covered bridges in North Carolina:
Technorati Tags: cycling, catawba, murray’s+mill
I like to see that you’ve choosen to put a few photos of your rides in your blog. I find it great to see what other places look like. Please, keep doing it that way.