Here are photos from the 51-mile recon skate and bike last weekend. We did the 51 route to see how the markings and road surfaces were. We came away feeling some surfaces were slightly worse but some major ones were much better. Overall, I'd say I can live with some patching that was rougher last fall but has had some sealing done, and one of the roads I considered taking out of the route has been made into supersweet asphalt now. It was a fun day out with beautiful skies and great companionship with skatey-mark, northinsouth and timv joining in.
75 photos from 51 miles of recon skating on the eastern loop of the 2009 Carolina Century
also
3d thumbnail map
2d speed route map
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Gospel Baptist Church
5945 N Church St
Greensboro,
NC United States
36° 13' 27.3684" N, 79° 47' 30.9984" W
Comments
Questions
Same route as last year, for this portion of the course?
The really bad pavement, recently chip sealed when we skated it last year, is better?
Carolina Century 51, 102 Better Than Last Year
Hey. Well thanks for pointing out the brief section that was really bad, ha, instead of the other 101 miles! :o) But yes last year they put that stuff down on late in the week when it was too late to change anything. I had to compete just to get the markers down and make sure they weren't painted. So it was brand new with gravel on top, chipped but not sealed I think. Even the middle of the road, which was indeed smooth still, had tiny gravel bits. However, when there was no traffic I was able to actually recover a bit on this section. But I figured I'd have to change the course this year, and reserve that option, however...
We went up there for my birthday skate (thanks timv, northinsouth and skatey-mark) the street crews had covered over the gravel with the sealant stuff and it had smoothed out over the year. Even last year I don't think it was any worse than some years at A2A
, but it was depressing that it happened the week of the event.
They also did another mile or two of the favorite roads around there with the stuff, but it has been sealed too. We did fine on that, but it wasn't as fast of course, and not quite as fun, but still fast and fun.
The really good news is that one of the roads I considered eliminating has been repaved with smooth stuff and it will be much easier going.
My goal is to give you fast, safe, smooth roads for as many of the 102 as possible, with very few technical challenges, and those only requiring moderate skill and not for long periods of focus or intensity...and to let you know where these places are at the route discussion the evening before and on the turn sheets and on the road.
I hope you'll be back this year and bring more pals...and your family! (Off topic, and start a new thread if you're up to it...the world wants to know...how is the Silver Comet after the floods?)