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Clint:
Howdy folks,

Well I'm sitting on the return bus to Lansing after a great 4th day on the bike and a fitting end to a fourth tour. The evening of Saturday was a nice and cool in the high 40's which felt MUCH warmer then the night before. That resulted in a nice temp in the morning as well which required only some arm warmers and a wind vest to tame the morning chill. The 4th day always starts off with about a 1.5 mile climb out of the Torch Lake valley and then a fast decent into Central Lake, MI. We wanted to hit the first 50 miles hard and fast to try and get over the climbs in decent shape so we followed John and Chris on the tandem and Chris on his single up Old State road. John and Chris have been riding very strong all tour and are easily the strongest tandem. After Central Lake there were three or four additional climbs that took some wind out of us and we dropped off the back of John and Chris's wheel. For the next 15 miles we tried to chase back on and almost made it a few times coming within a hundred feet, but every climb took a little out of us. By the time we arrived in East Jordan we knew we were not going to catch them by the time we hit "The Wall (a well-known climb on the route - see details below), so we brought down the levels a little to make the climb. After "The Wall" you get a series of rollers/slow grinders that feel tough, but more so because of the previous climbs.

Things were calm most of the way into Harbor Springs where we met up with the majority of the group. We were missing Jon and Chris and maybe a few singles who took off a tad early to make a stop up the road. 11 miles later we ran into them and all rode in together which was a highlight of the tour... It meant a great deal to Robyn and I to be all together since we've been working and laughing with everyone for 5 days. What a fun way to top a great tour.

The bike computer is in the bags below the bus but I think we did the 99 mile course in 5 hours and 10 minutes. Just shy of that 5 hour century for the 4th day. In the end I'm happy with my form after DALMAC. When I came in I was pretty worried that Robyn and I were going to be able to keep up for the distance and by the end my legs felt stronger and ready for the remaining racing events in September.

I'd like to thank everyone in the group for a great tour. Mike (and Chris) make the tour 120% more enjoyable and easy. To pull into a rest stop and have cold drinks, fruit, CHEESE, and great laughs helps more then anything.

The sun is setting in the bus window, it's 7 or 8 miles to Lansing (running joke) and it's time to call it an end to the 2003 edition of DALMAC.

Robyn:
OK, I admit it, I'm a biology nerd. Mind you, it's been several years since I studied mammalian physiology - plant physiology is more within my field of specialty - but it's amazing to feel what the body is capable of doing in events such as this. The week before DALMAC we do the traditional "tapering", meaning riding relatively few miles. A fairly heavy regular training week for me is about 200 miles on the bike, usually split up into about five days' worth of rides. So during DALMAC, the body goes almost instantly from doing far less than what is typical to doing double the normal regime. Plus, many of our rides this year have been shorter-distance, to a maximum of about 60 miles in one sitting. Just imagine the changes that have to take place: there might be an increase in slow-twitch muscle fibers. Certainly there is a huge shift in metabolism. Your body becomes more efficient at taking in water and electrolytes. You have to become accustomed to eating amounts of food that would normally make you embarrassed to be seen consuming - all day long, again and again; otherwise, you will experience the meaning of the term "bonking" first-hand. (One such experience is usually enough for most people: shakiness, blurred vision, extreme muscle fatigue, fighting for every pedal stroke and trying not to think about the fact that a child on a tricycle could probably outsprint you.) At night, your circulatory system somehow manages to clear most of the lactic acid out of your musculature, and the body lets you know in no uncertain terms that a full eight hours of sleep is the bare minimum needed for repairs and restoration. And on the rides themselves, it's incredible to experience the flux of your body's performance. Sometimes it sings, sometimes the distance or the hills are effortless, sometimes it's all you can manage to do to hold on - and it can change in an instant, or an hour. If you've ever thought about trying an endurance event - whatever an endurance event means for your own particular physiology - I recommend it wholeheartedly. It's a fascinating life lesson to experience.

The fourth-day route of DALMAC includes some really tasty hills - some famous enough to be bestowed with nicknames. "The Wall" is one such climb. It consists of a slow, very gradual grade for about a mile or so, then it kicks up to probably about a 17% grade - but only for about 100-200 feet. This year, all riders from all four or five DALMAC routes faced this challenge, because road construction in the area didn't permit any shortcuts or bypasses. It was great to see everyone tackle the hill, regroup at the top, and turn around to cheer on the cyclists huffing and puffing up the slope behind them. Another famous section is the "Seven Sisters" series of rollers. To be honest, I'm not completely sure which region is considered to be the Sisters; there are a series of rollers on a very narrow, very winding residential road, and then beyond this a few miles there are several larger rollers on a more open section of county highway. All of them are a lot of fun, no doubt about it. Then there are many other hills which haven't acquired their own names, but which require homage from leg muscles regardless. A number are in the early part of the day. Then there are several good climbs in Petosky (which is, by the way, a lovely town but apparently inhabited by motorists that are annually irritated at seeing so many bikers on the road - the only shouts and threats I've ever gotten from motorists on DALMAC have been in Petosky, both years). There are a number of interminable false flats sprinkled in for good measure throughout the day. These are mentally draining because the road rises ever so slightly for a long period of time, making you feel tired and slow, and yet there is no perceptible crest of the hill to look forward to.

In the end, our group had a pretty good day, with the exception of a mishap in which a couple of riders fell in a forested area just after Harbor Springs. Dave ended up with some road rash, but no serious injuries. Poor Aaron and Doug have been so plagued with bike mechanical problems during the trip that they jokingly said they were just planning on chucking their bikes in the trash when they got home; Aaron's handlebars came loose during a hill climb, and one of the brothers pulled a cleat out of the pedal right in the middle of the steep part of "The Wall". To his credit, he managed to reclip and continue up the climb - no small feat!! (No pun intended!)

Thanks so much to everyone for making this ride so much fun. Our nights relaxing in the camps were great - I laughed so hard my abdominals started to cramp up. Many wonderful moments, and it was a true pleasure riding with the "Jolly Rogers" group. You guys are warm-hearted, quick-witted, and genuine to the core - and such strong, talented cyclists to boot! Best wishes and tailwinds -

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