These guys are ANIMALS!! From left to right: Clarke Clingenpeel (Nashville, Team Gran Fondo), Shawn Hirt (Knoxville, Team Gran Fondo), and Kent Bostick (Knoxville, Team Melting Pot). 3 hours- 57 minutes - 20 seconds.

A View from the SAG Wagon for the Elite Peloton

Everyone knew that trouble was afoot at 6:30 AM when the riders lined up at the start. The wind was already freshening and the forecast called for steady winds of 15 mph. A number of riders elected to move back to the second peloton (the one shooting for a sub-four time), leaving only twelve hardy souls in the elite peloton, hoping to beat the 3:53:00 record time around the 100-mile course.

The presence of only twelve riders made it extraordinarily unlikely that the record could be broken since each individual rider would have to spend proportionally more time at the front of the paceline. And there was the wind..... The 3:53:00 record was set under ideal weather conditions: cool and calm. And that group had a very strong tandem in its midst (read about it HERE). On September 1, 2007, there was wind, heat, and no tandem. So there you have  it: twelve riders against Mother Nature, the clock, and their ability to withstand pain.

The group quickly set a 25 mph pace and pushed the speed higher down International Blvd over the first five miles to Hampton Station Road. The first rider peeled off at three miles. They were down to eleven. They then lost two more riders to the pace at about six miles. Kent Bostick suffered a flat rear tire on Port Royal Road (eight miles) but we had a spare wheel set, so he was able to keep going. The stop caused by the wheel change cost the group about 1 to 2 minutes to slow, stop, get restarted, and back to speed. By the way, Kent demonstrated that it is possible to ride a Campy cassette with a Shimano chain (you do it by leaving it in the highest gear you can stand!). The two riders dropped were able to rejoin but dropped out again a few miles later. We were down to nine riders.

We  made our way to Trenton, Kentucky and turned to cross the CSX railroad tracks. The motorcycles crossed, the riders crossed, and as I crossed in the support vehicle, I noted a train approaching from the east. Initially I thought it was stopped. WRONG!! Just as the rear of my vehicle crossed the tracks, the bells began to gong and the gates started down. About 15 seconds later a high-speed freight carrying intermodal containers came through doing 65-70 mph. The motorcycles providing intersection control got caught by the train. In retrospect, had the riders been caught, they probably would not have broken 4 hours.

They lost three more riders on KY 848 (down to six) at about 28 miles and two more on Old Railroad Lane (down to 4) at mile 34. Why? The group was maintaining a 25 mph average into the teeth of wind gusting to 20 mph. The remaining four riders got a quartering-tailwind heading back into Trenton on KY 1753 and 104. When the group turned back north on KY 475, the fourth rider said, "That's enough!" We were down to three, the three that finished, with 52 miles remaining.

The three remaining riders were escorted through Elkton by the local police department and turned south on KY 102, but it seemed like the wind remained in their faces. They were doing a great job of sharing the pull but the wind was taking its toll. At 75 miles, their average was down to 24.9 mph. Now it seemed like they would not be able to break 4 hours.

They turned west on KY 848 and FINALLY got a tailwind. The average started coming up. When they reached Guthrie about 10 miles later, it was 25.2 mph. They put their heads down and continued to claw back time. With ten miles to go, it was clear that they would finish under 4 hours (absent a mechanical or cramps) but the 3:53:00 was safe for another year.

International Blvd, a blessing at the start, is a bitter pill at the end of the ride. It's a long, gradual upgrade back to Rossview Road, made worse by the wind (again in their faces). They hit the finish line at 3:57:20, with an average of 25.4 mph.

I've had to good fortune to provide SAG, at the Clarksville ride,  to the elite group since 2005. This was, without question, the grittiest performances I've ever had the privilege of witnessing. But these guys are used to pain. Consider please:

Kent Bostick: Kent Bostick is a 1996 Olympian with twelve career national titles including the Road, Time Trial, Team Time Trial and Pursuit, two world records and over 300 career victories.   He has 12 career national titles, two world records, eight national records and over 300 career victories, Career Highlights include: Six-time National Team Time Trial Champion, Three-time National Pursuit Champion, Two-time National Time Trial Champion, Two-time Pan American Games Gold Medalist, and Tour DuPont Most Aggressive Rider stage award. Learn more about Kent here: http://www.shaklee.com/products_kbostick.shtml

Shawn Hirt: According to the Gran Fondo website http://www.granfondocycles.com , Shawn is a USCF Cat III rider and a 4-time TBRA Champion (2002 -2005). But consider this article that I found on the Knoxville Cycling Forum site from March, 2006: "Shawn hit a Suburban in the state TT championship Saturday, sustaining very serious injuries, including a shattered wrist, three fractured vertebrae, severe concussion, etc., etc. His speed was approximately 30 mph when he broadsided the truck (Shawn is a very, very good time trialist). The suburban was trailering a boat; Shawn hit the left rear of the Suburban, so he had the benefit of some energy absorption by the body panel of the truck. If he had hit the boat, the damage might have been worse. The driver 'didn't see' Shawn. Either blind or stupid. Supposedly the same driver later pulled out in front of Kent Bostick...."

Clarke Clingenpeel: According to the Gran Fondo website http://www.granfondocycles.com ,Clarke was the 2005 TBRA Category 2 Champion. You can see his race results here: http://www.usacycling.org/results/index.php?compid=101983

So what about 2008? There's talk of moving the century to October (cooler weather). The Sunrise Rotary Club hopes interest in the event continues to increase. With a larger elite group to share the pull and less or no wind, I'm confident that the 3:53:00 record is going to be broken. It's going to take a concerted effort by one or more teams, willing to sacrifice themselves for their protected rider(s). Having said that, Kent, Shawn, and Clarke put on an incredible show and its a shame that my co-pilot and I were the only two who got to witness it from beginning to end.

In closing, I want to thank the motorcycle support team that controlled every intersection and every crossing road for the group. It was the next best thing to being on a closed route. They did a great job and the riders never had to slow.

Charles Marshall
Nashville, TN

Read about the 2005 Elite Peloton. Read about the 2006 Elite Peloton.