A surprise welcome for Gerry & Mikki Eddlemon before the Connecticut record attempt.

We started on Sunday Aug. 27, 2006 at 7:30 a.m. EDT. We started on the waterfront in New Haven at the intersection of Howard Ave. and S. Water Street.

I was trying to recover from a bad shoulder injury incurred in a hard, over-the-handlebars fall after colliding with a large dog ten days before. After only three hours sleep, I awoke at about 4:30 in the morning of the attempt to dark grey skies and temperatures in the 60s. (My orthopedist believed I could safely ride without further injury as long as I could stand the pain). Dressing was a painful affair — my right shoulder and arm were nearly useless except for reminding me of how painful shoulder injuries could be — my crew chief (who happens to be my wife) had to assist me in dressing. An enormous multicolored bruise covered nearly all of my right chest, shoulder and my arm.

I rode with the judge and crew to the designated start and it immediately began to rain. After checking the bike, mounting caution signs and amber flashers, bike lights, and taking a few photos, I got a rainless start under overcast skies with temperatures in the mid 60s. The light ocean breeze felt good. The first 42 miles or so were under overcast skies but no rain (streets were wet). I averaged 17 to 18 mph despite scores of traffic lights which made this stretch a series of wind sprints, while my right shoulder and arm became increasingly painful. Then the rains hit hard and cold, raging on for the next 77 miles to the finish except for perhaps a five-minute respite on the way back.

Bruised but not beaten. Residual bruising from shoulder separation and dislocation, micro fractures in upper arm, and general trauma from bike accident 10 days before.

Why do a record attempt? Back in February at my first century ride, and six days later in the 12-hour Sebring bike race (won my age class), I found that an old guy of 60 could do on a bike what I used to do in my younger days before. As a runner and speed-hiker I twice held the record for hiking the 70-mile length of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including the first transit in less than 24 hours. Ultracycling is like being handed an unexpected gift, which, at my advanced years, I realized must be used now — or never.

What equipment? A Litespeed Teramo titanium bike (purchased from West Bike of Knoxville) with mostly 10 speed Ultegra components, Speedplay X2 pedals, Ritchey WCS compact crank assembly, SpeedCific wheels and hubs built by Mike Garcia of Odds and Endos, and Veloflex Pave tires for the entire ride.

Food and drink: After a rather small breakfast of Ensure Plus and two Nature Valley bars, I consumed three 8-oz bottles of chocolate Ensure Plus energy drink during the ride. Because of my injuries, I had considerable trouble eating and drinking on the road. I needed my good arm on the handlebars, but the bad arm could hardly raise a bottle or food bar to my mouth. The Ensures do not bad taste bad and each provides 350 Calories and plenty of sodium, magnesium and potassium. I also consumed a granola bar, a couple bananas (always tasty), and a PB&J sandwich. The only other sports drink was a large bottle of Gatorade Endurance.

At the start on the New Haven waterfront for the Connecticut cycling record attempt.

What was the best part? Finishing. The first 40 miles or so were encouraging as I was able to keep close to my target speed, but then pain, cramps, heavy, cold rain, steep hills, and some loss of fitness after the accident created a perfect storm of challenges that degraded my speed significantly. My attitude q changed from anticipation and excitement to one of "let's just get it over with."

What was the hardest part? Riding much of the way essentially one-handed while trying to endure the ever-increasing ache in my right shoulder and arm. I couldn't get into either a proper tuck on the down hills or stand on the pedals with any authority for the up hills. Particularly difficult was trying to change with one hand from wet summer shorts to warmer long pants in a heavy rain while muscle cramps played blitzkrieg with every part of my legs. I lost 29 minutes on the turn-around at the CT / MA state line. I suffered some from difficulty eating and drinking on the bike for the same one-handed reason. Not enough water and electrolytes might have contributed to my storms of muscle cramping).

Cold, torrential rains and stretches of broken pavement and potholes hidden by ponding rainwater compounded the difficulties. I had to change a flat rear wheel with one hand in a downpour only 16 miles from the finish.

Mikki steadies the bike as Gerry tries to get his bad arm and shoulder in gear for the N-S record attempt.

I either stopped cold, or slowed way down for 80 or more traffic lights in only 119 miles. We hit a roadblock for downed power lines. The police passed me through with the comment to keep my head down to pass safely under the partially downed lines,

I endured thousands of vehicles, including an enormous motorcycle parade with several hundred motorcycles, which was going the opposite direction on rain-slickened roads in the steep curvy hills of northern Connecticut.

Anything particularly unusual? The heaviest and longest rains I've ever ridden in. No dogs! I could hardly believe it as any ride back home in Tennessee will inevitably involve some potentially serious dog/rider interactions. Maybe they simply knew to get in out of the rain.

Traffic was often very heavy, but drivers were not overly aggressive and sometimes downright considerate compared to other places I've ridden. There were narrow but generally usable bike lanes. Because of all the traffic lights there were few big trucks.

I wore a very non-aerodynamic windbreaker and at first cursed my failure wear a tight-fitting jacket that would not slow me down on the big down hill. However my attitude changed as the wildly flapping, yellow jacket was indeed highly visible to other drivers in the downpour (confirmed by my crew and judge).

Finish of the Connecticut S-N-S record on the New Haven waterfront. Not quite as sharp looking as nine hours before!

Acknowledgments: My heartfelt thanks to my crew captain and bride, Mikki Eddlemon, and the UMCA official, Jerry R. Jones of the U.S. Army Environmental Center at Aberdeen, MD. My wife's generosity in time, encouragement, and support, and Mr. Jones' diligent and very professional service as the UMCA official were absolutely essential to the success of these record attempts.

I dedicate this effort to three dear friends whose cheerful courage in the face of serious injury and illness inspired me to even greater effort and certainly put my lesser injuries in their proper perspective:

CT S-N record attempt dedicated to Ms. Elle Speer of Knoxville, TN

CT N-S record attempt dedicated to Mr. Bob Miller of Farragut, TN

CT S-N-S record attempt dedicated to Dr. Tom Early of Oak Ridge, TN

Official Record, South to North: 58.7 miles in 4:05, average speed of 14.38 mph
Start: Intersection of Howard Ave. and S. Water St. at the waterfront in New Haven, CT
Finish: CT highway 179/819/Granville Road where it crosses the CT /MA state line about 0.16 miles south of its intersection with "South Lane" in Massachusetts. A white line painted across the road and a sign pointing north to "Granville" township and south to "Hartland" township mark the state boundary. According to a nearby resident, a snowplow took out the actual sign declaring the CT/MA boundary.

Official Record, North to South: 58.5 miles in 4:19, 13.55 mph

Official Record, South to North to South: 117.2 miles in 8:52, 13.22 mph