MusselMan Course Preview Ride - Sunday 6/14

Ally ally in come free.  We someone to carry the grill I got the keg.

Ken you have to carry the mixer for the margarita's.

No drop ride??  Hmm, I'm not quite a jargon know-it-all yet.

We ride together. 

What speed to expect to average?

Polly

We are hoping to be done by 12:00 to 1:00.  so around 15-16 mph avg. 

I can't make it, but I'll be curious to see what you guys think.  I rode it a couple of weeks ago, and there are some "interesting" parts.  Please follow up with a report!!

Yes, I, too, cannot come despite being up that way (I'll have a non-athletic friend in tow).  But, I look forward to hearing about these "interesting" parts!

I'm particularly interested in hearing how you all will deal with fluids/nutrition!

Well apparently we have a keg and a blender (for frozen drinks) for the ride, as long as someone brings a grill and some brats we should be all set for fluids/nutrition!

Hey, now that I think about it you can bring your bike and have your not training friend get lunch together while we ride!

Edited by kenj 2009-06-11 8:57 PM

Overall assessment: Challenging, but certainly doable. Picturesque and varied, it'll present you with some gifts but it will make you work for them. It's an honest half iron bike course, tough but fair.

You'll start with a gentle climb for a few miles on 5&20 and 96. These are main roads with good surfaces.  They won't be closed but will be coned. You'll pass Sampson State Park on your right and Seneca Army Depot on your left. Keep an eye out for one of the rare albino deer on the Army depot grounds!  On second thought, forget the deer, keep your eyes on the road. Miles 4 to 13 are the very definition of "rolling" and a great warm up for what's to come.

You start the first significant climb towards the end of this section around mile 13. It's steep at first and then goes to a more manageable grade on Blaine road. Overall this climb lasts about 2.5 miles before peaking at the turn onto 414. Road surfaces are ok here. Some potholes but not too bad. 

Scenery-wise miles 15 through 22 are probably the least picturesque part of this ride, although it's still quite nice and probably the section where you're most likely to pass a Mennonite family in horse and buggy.  It's a gradual descent giving you an opportunity to recover from the climbing you just did provided of course that the wind isn't against you. This is mostly farm land, so if there's any wind it has some large fields upon which to gain speed. Even going downhill in this region can be work if the winds are against you. Road quality here is variable. Some is excellent, some is a bit rough, nothing too bad though especially considering the heavy farm equipment traffic.

County Rd around mile 25 has an incredible view of Cayuga lake just before a breathtaking descent to it's western shore. Be careful going down this hill! The descent ends with a 90º turn onto 89. Enjoy the view and the descent because over the course of the next 10 miles you're going to pay for them.

This section starts with a very gradual incline on Route 89 going south along the lake. After some short rollers with a couple of steep grades, it turns back inland and you get to climb up the side of the glacial valley you just rode into. Swick Road in particular is there waiting to hurt you. It's waiting right now, mocking you, waiting to feast on your quads... If Once you make it to the top of Swick, you'll have been climbing for a couple miles and the worst grades are behind you but you still have about three miles of climbing to do. The countryside here is nice but you won't care.

If you're going to be conservative on any part of the bike course, that climb out of Cayuga Lake is the place to do so. It's definitely the easiest place to throw away your half marathon.

The pinnacle of this climb is the thriving metropolis of Ovid. Known for it's enthusiastic support of the Musselman cyclists, it's rumored that the whole town came out in 2007 to cheer, then all three of them got into the front cab of Ed's Ford F150 and drove to Geneva to see the finish.

After passing through the teeming throngs of Ovidians, you get to claim your reward for all your climbing: a short fast descent back towards Seneca Lake. It's about 3 miles of serious "DOWN!" so you shouldn't have any problems exceeding the posted 30mph speed limit on Main St. in Willard. Should you need to do any shopping, this is your only shot until you're on the run course in downtown Geneva. Again, the roads here are in very good shape.

Once back on the shores of Seneca Lake you'll ride through a small neighborhood of well kept lake houses and then into Sampson State Park. Officially, you'll be on E. Lake Rd. There are some serious places to be careful in here. It's a state park with camping, hiking, fishing etc. and not a thoroughfare. Remember  that "Rd." does not mean "paved with asphalt". The first mile or two are what many people would call a trail as it's paved with packed gravel. The road is not maintained for high speed travel. This didn't present any problems to our party of three middle aged doofuses (doofi?) on tri bikes, so you shouldn't have any problems. Just maintain a high level of road awareness. As it's fairly secluded with lots of tree cover, this section is as good a place as you're going to find if you need a bathroom break. Also, there won't be any car traffic for a good section of this.

Once out of the park, E. Lake Rd becomes one of those surfaces cyclists will make a weekend trip for. For about four miles, it's as if the road is maintained nightly with it's own dedicated Zamboni. This, combined with the slightest of downgrades, just enough to take the load off without actually looking like you're going downhill, makes this part of the course an absolute joy.

After turning away from the lakeshore, we're treated to one more climb of about two miles and then it's a gradual descent on Rte 96A (stay in the cones!) to Seneca Lake Park.

There are some turns onto smaller roads, so even though the RD, Jeff Henderson, runs a very organized race and I do expect volunteers directing you at each turn, it would still be worth your while to become familiar with the course. If you have the opportunity, I would definitely ride it before race day. It's a good one to know beforehand.

I really like this course. It's challenging but not a killer. The terrain is varied and there are some spectacular views. It makes you work but rewards you for it.

Tough but fair.

Great report, Mike.  At the tail end of the Sampson Lake Park bit, did they still have about 5 strips of really big rocks and gravel?  When I was there in May, it scared the crap out of me, and I walked my bike over all of them.

Yes those strips are still there.

""County Rd around mile 25 has an incredible view of Cayuga lake just before a breathtaking descent to it's western shore. Be careful going down this hill! The descent ends with a 90º turn onto 89. ""  Be careful towards the bottom there are two significant pot holes in the middle of the road.  There are a little hidden in the shadow of a large tree. 

After the descent through Willard there is a short steep hill before getting into the park.  Kinda around a bend so be ready for it.  I felt there was a lot of left hand turns on the course.


Edited by dexter 2009-06-16 9:22 PM

So anyone feel like riding it this weekend?