NE 1000 Ride Reports

On Saturday August 4th, 2001, Richard Hamblen and I began our New England 1000 Endurance ride. This was a 1000 mile ride through 6 New England states that had to be completed in 24 hours. It also qualified as an IBA Saddlesore 1000 ride. The ride began in Augusta Maine and we rode up the day before and stayed at a motel. Getting up at 3am, we began our journey at 4:05am. See Richard’s report in the next column, it really was good. I will just add a few more comments to what he wrote. We had a plan with riding and all stops to finish in just about 22 hours.

It was actually just past 22.5 hours when we got in, not bad when you consider the little set backs that Richard talks about. It was amazing too as we got 300 - 400 miles in, how crazy I was thinking we were... then as we neared 600, we were able to look at the remaining miles and say "only 400 (then 300 etc) to go, we do that distance regularly!" As the remaining miles dwindled we really were getting excited about the finish! The last 150 we knew we were in and eased a bit.. taking a couple extra short breaks. We were pumped and riding well the last leg! The adrenaline must have been flowing. What a physical and mental crash after the finish.. The ride home was Dangerous as the fatigue really hit us. We stopped at a rest area 40 miles down the road and crashed on some benches for an hour. That was just enough to allow us to get home safe and sound.

Thanks to all for the support, especially Tim and Kim for visiting us in Augusta and to Dave Benson... (he tried to surprise us and meet us at exit 6 on 495 but we did not stop for gas until we reached rte 24. Sorry we missed you Dave but thanks for the support and trying to meet us.

Richard, thanks again.. for my first IBA ride, I had the perfect partner!

What a weekend. First of all I have to let you know how nice it was to have two of our members come over to Augusta to join us for dinner the night before. Thanks guys. Second, thanks to an outstanding ride partner. If anyone ever has a long road trip to do, you won't find a better wing man that Pat. As well as doing a great job scheduling and planning, he maintains a positive attitude throughout the entire adventure. Thanks for the company, Pat.

The ride started out well enough, but after the first hundred miles it was discovered that I had a slow leak in my rear tire. For the next 900 miles it was gas and air at each stop. Early on we tried some tire sealer to no avail. It wasn't until near the end that we actually found the tiny screw that had caused all this trouble. Nevertheless, such minor problems were nothing compared to the traffic which was horrendous due to accidents caused by rain. In addition to 2 T-Storms, a burning SUV caused us to lose an hour just north of Springfield and another half hour was lost getting into Hartford because of some concert. In spite of these minor setbacks, the trip was splendid. The scenery was pleasant in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont along US 2. For most of the trip I rode lead. Bright lights and an ECM pod (radar) made the Venture the choice. With his GPS navigation system, Pat kept us on course throughout the trip. Fuel stops were right on the money. Seems we both needed to gas up at the same time. When cruising central Maine before dawn, get gas whenever you can.

The last 100 miles are harder than the first 900. We were both riding close to the edge during the last couple of hours, and needed frequent stops to get oriented with the surface of the planet. Fatigue was a great factor, and was getting to be a safety issue. But we knew we had the psychological advantage of being on the down hill run, and made it with about a half ounce of energy to spare.

I'm still tired, and obviously rambling. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Pat, thanks again pal,

Richard