The Gold Rush Randonnee wrapped up Friday evening. Congratulations to DCR regulars Mary Crawley, her tandem partner (and TDR fave) Jeff Bauer of Nashville, Carol Bell and Bill Olsen for their successful finishes. Read more at the Gold Rush homepage.
We hoped to ride this randonnee this year. I am very envious of all the riders and also congratulate the Davis Bike Club for another successful edition. Great job, all.
Randonneuring is a many-splendored thing,
It’s the April rose that only grows in the early spring,
Randonneuring is nature’s way of giving a reason to be living,
The golden crown that makes a man (OR RANDONNEUSSE) a king (OR QUEEN).
Remember that old tune? While the actual word in the song might be “love,” and not “randonneuring,” I find randonneuring fits quite nicely, and the stanza encapsulates how I felt at the end of our DC Randonneurs 2009 ACP brevet series. Good thing that randonneuring isn’t a broadway play or I would have belted out those words upon completing the final ride of our series. (It does make me wonder what randonneuring would be today if Julie Andrews had been a randonneur, though. She would definitely ride a mixtie. But I digress…)
While I may have been overcome by sentimentality and exuberance upon completing the spring brevets, I don’t always have those feelings. Sometimes when I ride I wonder if I trained enough, am I making the right food choices, if I really do like my outfit, whether I’m riding fast enough or pedaling hard enough, and does anyone besides Ed know that I’m on this ride?
When these thoughts start rattling around my brain, I try to dim them by reminding myself that randonneuring is “just bike riding.” Is it really worth all my fretting?
On one level it may be just bike riding, pedaling and pedaling and pedaling for miles and miles and miles and miles, but randonneuring is much more than that. It is a social experience (and sometimes an experiment) on wheels that brings me together with other riders in the area. The group bonds primarily by their affinity for being on their bicycles all day (and sometimes all night!). I often have little or no idea what people’s day jobs entail, but I know how and what they like to ride. We all find our place of belonging in the randonneuring community, and it isn’t based on what we do or where we live.
Riding brevets challenges my body and spirit, especially the long hilly ones! It encourages me to maintain a basic level of fitness that allows me to finish the rides within the time limits and, hopefully, without suffering.
A ride takes me out of the day-to-day and allows me to reflect on my life in a different way and in a different space. As I venture through the areas outside of Washington, DC, I often start pondering my existence in this big wondrous world. (This pondering is sometimes accompanied by an “Is everything ok back there?”)
Randonneuring is also a unique way for Ed and me to spend time together. It is an incredible feeling to be able to share a brevet with a person you love.
Given we have so much time to think and reflect on our rides there is always some point on a brevet when I realize that it’s ok to worry some about the details (training, clothes, speed, etc.), but it’s far better to spend energy savoring the brevet adventure.
It’s when the savoring starts that randonneuring transforms from just bike riding to a whole lot more.
You hardy randonneurs continue to impress. A number of our riding buddies triumphed at Tom Rosenbauer’s PA Randonneurs 1000K this last weekend — Chip Adams, Rick Carpenter, Patrick O’Donnell, and George Winkert were among the eight riders who started and finished within the time limit. From what we know, completing one of Tom’s ultra-scenic courses in the time limit is no small feat.
With their completions, George and Chip also qualify for R-5000 medals. Way to go guys!
Tom also had help from able volunteers Ron Anderson and Jim Logan, among others. Read Tom’s comprehensive reports on the ride at the New Jersey Randonneurs Forum and results at his PA Randonneurs site.
Back here in TDR-land, MG and I have decided to set aside our plans to ride John Lee Ellis’s Last Chance 1200K in September. We could not put together enough long rides between now and then to be confident of finishing. Maybe next year.
Instead, we’ve decided to ride Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway down to Mt. Pisgah near Asheville, N.C. later this summer. We can ride from home and drive back in one day, allowing us to complete the trip in eight or nine days. More to come on our trip.
On the Road to Success 2009 - photo by Felkerino
One of the things I love about randonneuring (besides the glamour, the fans, etc.) is that it is a sport that thrives on individuality. While each rider must start, progress, and ultimately finish the ride within required timeframes, the way we get to the start, pass through controls, and reach the finishing point can be diverse. The way randonneurs define a successful ride or a successful brevet series varies.
As the 2009 ACP brevets come to a close, I find myself contemplating my own randonneuring success, both as a tandem team (Felkerino and me, movie coming out soon), and as an individual. I’ve concluded that, overall, Spring 2009 was a randonneuring success!
Maybe you also had a successful spring riding season. Congratulations! And how did you measure it? I measured my Spring 2009 success by evaluating my randonneuring against the criteria below. They are listed somewhat in the order of importance, but all were critical to the success of 2009.
Teamwork-photo by Felkerino
1. Multi-Tasking and Teamwork. This year, my tandem partner and I balanced many exciting activities– new jobs, selling homes, buying a home, wedding planning, it has been a dynamic spring. (I guess that’s life as a grown up!) I am not the best multi-tasker so it feels amazing that we completed an ACP series. By working well together, we had just the right number of base miles (ok, we could have used a few more), did the pre-brevet preparation fairly seamlessly, rode well together, and managed to balance our other life responsibilities.
Food-Yay! - photo by Felkerino
2. No Vomiting. In the past, the early morning starts combined with physical activity have been a recipe for some pre-dawn “incidents.” Not this year. Everything stayed down and my stomach felt strong for all brevets. Further, I was happy with my food and nutrition selections for all the rides, which was a definite first for me.
Good Outfits - photo by Bill Beck
3. Great Brevet Outfits. We have enough to think about on our rides without regretting our choice in wardrobe. It makes for a long day, when every time you look at your legs you think, “I hate these shorts,” or “this jersey makes me look fat.” I loved the clothing I selected to wear on the long spring rides. Just the right wool jersey and the perfect cycling shorts for each brevet. I also loved the clothing Ed wore, which might be even better than loving my own wardrobe since I spent the spring looking at Ed’s backside for miles and miles and miles. And miles.
Not a Tandem Team Meeting - photo by Bill Beck
4. Tandem Team Meetings. As we all know, brevets can be intense. And long. Sometimes it’s hard to stay in a good mood and perfectly synchronized with my tandem partner for the length of the ride (although I always try to look like I am having the time of my life whenever there are onlookers). This year, though, Ed and I did pretty well, and our team synchronization kept improving as the season went on. We only required one “tandem team meeting,” which I am happy to report was short, mutually respectful, and did not involve any swearing.
Excellent Brevet Comeraderie - photo by Felkerino
5. Excellent Companionship. While Ed and I rode many miles alone, we also had the pleasure of riding with a lot of different people over the courses of the spring brevets. I thoroughly enjoyed passing the miles with various DC Randonneurs. Thanks to everybody who rode with us! Being able to share the ride with others enhanced the brevet experience and made me feel we had an even better ride, making for even more SUCCESSFUL brevet.
Following the Rules - photo by Felkerino
6. Starting, Controlling, and Finishing within the Time Limits. Our Co-Motion tandem operated smoothly throughout the spring. We experienced one minor mechanical this season. Otherwise, our bike moved us smoothly through each brevet and we started, controlled, and finished within the time allotments.
Beautiful Brevet Days - photo by Felkerino
7. Great Routes. The DC Randonneurs route designers assured that each ride took us through green countryside, quiet roads, and even up a mountain or two. Oh, and the excellent weather didn’t hurt either. The beauty of the courses stays with me, and remembering them evokes a great feeling of fulfillment.
Other elements contributed to this successful brevet year, but these are the standouts for me. I hope everybody else out there can say they experienced some 2009 randonneuring success, too, be it a great outfit, a personal best time, or whatever criteria is important to you.
And now, I’m happy to focus on non-brevet related activities for the next couple of months while I revel in the successful 2009 ACP brevet season!
The End! - photo by Bill Beck
Some of you may know that Ed and I ride tandem a LOT together. I mean, a LOT. And it is such a wonderful experience most days. The two of us riding the same bicycle together mile after mile (after mile), coordinating each pedal stroke, getting sweet looks from the passersby (yes, isn’t it so sweet, bleah), and getting comments like “who does the pedaling” or “she’s not pedaling.” You get the idea. What’s not to love about a tandem?
Even though Ed and I may look like we are having the time of our lives, as though every movement and every pedal stroke we take is perfectly synchronized, in reality it’s not always that way. Sometimes I dedicate time to wondering if a small saw would fit in our Carradice bag and what would happen if I starting sawing off the back end. Would it work? Would Ed notice?
With my mind occupied by saws in the Carradice, my feet tend to slow. It takes energy to think about such things! I’m often unaware of my drifting until something alerts me. These alerts usually come in the form of “Mary, is everything ok back there?” or “Mary, what’s going on back there?” The tandem captain thinks he is being crafty, but I know what he is really saying. He is saying “You back there, you are not pedaling.” How do I know this? Because not only do I speak English, but I am also fluent in the language of tandem, which is absolutely essential for any tandem team that attempts brevets.
Ed and I have been working on our tandem fluency since we began riding together. While on the surface tandem may appear to be a rather rudimentary way of communicating, in fact it is a complex mixture of concern, irritation, caring, and discord.
We learned the language of tandem through the school of Crista Borras and Chuck Wood, which meets every Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 a.m. for 100-mile classes. Weekend after weekend we have attended this school, practicing our pedaling and communication.
One of the more critical parts of the language of tandem is communicating how to stand. At first, Ed and I could not find the tandem word for standing. This led to frequent shouts of “Danger!” from the school of Crista and Chuck whenever one or both of us was spied elevating out of the saddle, as it was likely that tandem leaning and weaving was about to ensue. Soon enough, we taught each other the question “ready?” “Ready” is not really a question; it is a rhetorical term that means, “I’m going to stand now, and you’re coming with me.”
We remember the significance of “ready” 90 percent of the time. The other ten percent of the time it is interpreted in multiple ways by one or the other of us, which leads to inopportune leaning or jerking of the bicycle. It should be noted that Chuck and Crista are so fluent in the language of tandem that they never use verbal cues to stand; they simply rise out of the saddle and sit back down in a perfectly synchronized pedal dance. Those two are great tandem professors!
While some parts of the language of tandem are spoken, others are not. “Steering from the back” is one of these nonverbal aspects. When steering from the back of the tandem occurs, this is a message to the captain that perhaps he or she is not going the right way, or in the way the stoker would choose. I’ve noticed that steering from the back is an excellent way to get the tandem captain’s attention. It’s a physical gesture that can have the strength of five sentences or more, and steering from the back is almost never misinterpreted.
When riding single, I have absolute control over my bicycle. If I want to use the brakes on a steep switchback, I am free to do it. If I want to stop and eat a turkey sandwich, I can do that too. On a single, I do what I want to do when I want to do it on my bike. Not so on a tandem. A tandem melds your two riding styles together, and there is a certain degree of loss of control. I feel this is particularly true for the stoker.
Fortunately, another part of the tandem language Ed has learned are the phrases “Gersema-approved” and “not Gersema-approved.” This is another quick way of communicating satisfaction with the movement, steering, or perceived antics of the tandem partner. And most of the time, Ed’s Gersema-approval ratings are pretty high.
Next time you ride with a tandem team, you might listen in and learn a bit about the language of tandem. See if what I tell you is true, or what other phrases and non-verbal communication you might learn. There’s a lot happening on a tandem. As Ed sometimes likes to say, “It’s a whole different level of effort!” Now what do you think that means?
As many of you know, the DC Randonneurs ACP brevet series wrapped up with our beautiful 600K ride on Sunday, June 14. Congratulations to all riders, brevet organizers, and volunteers. DC Randonneurs ran an EXCELLENT series.
Even though there were congratulations all around (and even to me) at the end of this weekend’s 600K, for some reason I thought I needed more. Perhaps if I had just bought the medal, the urge to brag would have been diminished. I’ll never know because I’m too cheap.
In a previous post, I strongly advised readers to go into work the Monday after a brevet no matter what, as it is the only way to capitalize on socially acceptable bragging opportunities. However, I did not follow my own advice, took Monday off in a fit of fatigue, and worked all Tuesday to make up for those lost socially acceptable bragging opportunities. The results of my efforts are some antics that I share with you as a cautionary tale. Don’t let this happen to you!
E-Mail: Because I was out of the office on Monday, I was unable to immediately respond to the e-mails people sent me. I wanted people to know that their e-mails were very important to me, and that extraordinary circumstances created the delay in my response to them.
Therefore, my e-mail responses included the following: “Please excuse my delay in responding to your e-mail. I was out of the office on Monday, as I participated in a two-day, 375-mile bike ride. The answer to your question is blah blah blah.”
In some cases, the portion of the e-mail describing my delayed response was the bulk of the e-mail, e.g., “Please excuse my delay in responding to your e-mail. I was out of the office on Monday, as I participated in a two-day, 375-mile bike ride. The answer to your question is yes.”
Conclusion: SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE
Phone: Sadly, I received no phone calls for the time I was out, but I decided that, for my next brevet, I will assure that my voice-mail message includes my reasons for being out of the office just in case I get lucky in the way of phone calls for the next brevet (out for a two-day 375-mile bike ride, message at beep, thanks, have a great day!). Don’t want any opportunities to slip by!
Conclusion: SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE
The Gym: Socially unacceptable bragging opportunities abound since I became a regular at gym classes. Working out on my own? The tree falling in the forest that no one hears. But Monday night kickboxing, Tuesday night spin, Wednesday yoga, etc., now that’s a different story. Each of the class regulars is a tree, and when one of us falls, the rest of us are there to hear. Sometimes the sound can be deafening.
Take my Tuesday gym experiences. I went during lunch AND after work in order to make sure that no bragging opportunities escaped me.
Experience 1. Lunchtime Conversation at the Gym:
“Mary, did you go to kickboxing on Monday?”
“No, Laura, I did not because my legs were still tired from my 375-mile bike ride over the weekend.”
“Really? That’s amazing.”
Thanks, Laura! I’m pretty excited about it.”
Conclusion: TOTALLY SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE.
Experience 2. Announcement of Accomplishment in Spin Class
Later that day in spin class, my instructor recognized me to the group. ”And in the room tonight, we have Mary, who just completed a 375-mile bike ride this weekend! Each of us has a journey, but for some of us, it’s longer than others.”
“Thanks, Cynthia!”
Applause all around. “Wow, that’s amazing!”
“Thank you, thank you!”
Now, because I consider Cynthia and I to be friends and we regularly apprise each other of our riding and other outdoor activities, I believe this exchange falls slightly withIN the lines of socially acceptable bragging. But I leave it to you, readers, to be the ultimate judge.
Conclusion: POSSIBLY SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE!
Next month I start a new job within my organization. Fellow randonneur Maile Neel suggested to me that perhaps my impetus for seeking alternate work was because the novelty of my riding had worn off with my current colleagues (”You rode how far? Oh well, so what, you always ride far, so CRAZY!”). A new job allows me to impress a new cadre of coworkers, if only for one brevet season.
HA HA! I may be desperate to brag, but I will only do so much. While I do look forward to next year and the excitement of sharing my weekend tales with whomever will listen, everyone should rest assured that my new job is in no way related to seeking out a new audience for bragging!
Conclusion: SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE! NO BRAGGING YET!
Since Tuesday’s antics obviously evidence that I have strayed from what is socially acceptable bragging (who knew a randonneur could sink so low), I must reacquaint myself with the proper bragging environment and techniques. No one likes a tree in the forest falling right on top of them. BAM!
Oh, and please check out Felkerino’s post below about the 600K… it’s no MG Thursday, but it’s really good stuff!
Conclusion: SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE!
The D.C. Randonneurs this weekend completed their inaugural ACP brevet season under RBA Bill Beck, and we could not have asked for a better 600k. Temperatures stayed in the 80s with light winds and low humidity, and the skies gave us only a brief dash of passing rain on Saturday evening. Throw in Lynn Kristianson’s superb double loop course from Frederick, Md. featuring southern Pennsylvania’s infamous Pigeon Hills, and we savored an event to remember.
See our photos at my Flickrpage. See more photos from Bill Beck, from Maile, and see our track at my MotionBased page.
For MG and I, completion of the 600K marked our most unlikely Super Randonneur series. We have loaded up our off-the-bike schedules this year and, for the first time since we started riding together, undertook a 600K without back-to-back century days. Let’s see — I got a new job in February, took a month off the bike in March to let my injured knee heal, we got serious about our wedding and began running around making arrangements, I listed and sold my condo, then packed and moved week before last.
MG started a job search and interviewed in May (she got the job!). Finally, we did not know if I could ride this weekend because I fell during the move and bruised my ribs, costing me sleep and making it hard to take a deep breath.
I felt better by Saturday and we put our faith in the fact that the brevets are supposed to make one stronger just by riding them, and this time it all worked! Despite some achy knees at the end from pushing big gears on the hills — the Pigeon Hills cure you of that habit immediately — we finished with our lowest 600K time yet in four rides.
Bill Beck did a terrific job in his first year as RBA, as did all the volunteers and organizers who stepped up to make the series a true club effort. There is no doubt DCR has come back to life better than ever, with great rides and more good times to come.
Below is Bill’s report and the map of the course.
Thirty three riders showed up at the Motel 6 in Frederick for the Big One – the ACP 600K. The ride started at 4AM on Saturday. Unfortunately, while Chris Mento was still in the parking lot, he discovered that he had a loose or damaged headset, so he wisely decided not to start. The remaining 32 riders headed off into the darkness on the first 240-mile loop through Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia.
Thirty of those riders made it back to the Motel 6 on time, but three of them then fell victim to the Figure-8-route curse and headed for their cars. The remaining riders took a sleep break in Frederick, except Gary Dean, who decided to ride straight through. All of the 27 riders who departed the Motel 6 for the second loop returned with official finishes. The preliminary results are now posted at the DCR site.
Congratulations to all 27 of the official finishers. And special congratulations to Jan Bull, Gary Dean, Lane Giardina, George Moore, Ray Skinner, and Ray Suziedelis, who all completed their first 600Ks and first Super Randonneur series! (As usual, pending ACP approval. Ray Skinner previously completed a tough 1000K.)
Thanks to the small army of volunteers who made the ride possible. Crista and Nick did their usual excellent jobs with the cue sheets and GPS files, respectively. Friday registration was handled by registrar Chris Burkhardt and bike inspector Randy Mouri. David Ripton and Dan Blumenfeld were up and out before 3 AM to take care of registration and inspection on Saturday morning.
David then also drove out to staff the control at the Kings Gap General Store and provide water to thirsty riders. Tom Lepore drove out to Bluemont, VA to staff the control at the Pine Grove Restaurant, and stayed there for hours in the dark to provide food and water to appreciative riders who arrived after the restaurant closed at 8PM. Finally, Steve Ashurst, Lynn Ho, and little Nathan came out to Frederick to check in riders at the finish, sell medals, and keep the food and ice flowing smoothly. Thanks to all of you, and to all of the organizers and other volunteers who made the spring ACP series a success!
I hope to get the schedule of summer and fall rides posted within the next week or so. We will take a break in July, but resume with a 200K in August and likely have rides each month through November or December.
Bill
While it is common knowledge that randonneuring was invented by the French, it is a lesser known fact that those French people were also dentists. Yes, in the late nineteenth century a group of cycling dentists sat around, smoked cigarettes, and brainstormed ways to build their practices.
“Argh! Ever since that American invented dental floss, we’ve been losing business! We must do something.”
“But what?” They asked each other.
“We need something special to counteract the flossing and the teeth brushing. Something that seems healthy, but is really rotting people’s teeth out, paving the way for fillings and root canals. What could it be?”
“Eureka! Let’s make people ride their bicycles for hours on end, day after day, requiring them to fuel on unhealthy treats. And as an added bonus, at the end of the day they’ll be so tired they won’t even want to brush their teeth.”
“Magnifique! And let’s make them buy their own medal at the end of the ride!”
“TRES MAGNIFIQUE!!“
That, my friends, is the story of how randonneuring was born (well, maybe the last part wasn’t totally true).
Since that time, randonneuring has blossomed, as you can see in the “New Members Section” of the RUSA Newsletter, American Randonneur.
Dentists across the country also read American Randonneur; naturally, it is required reading for all practicing dental professionals. They relish the growth in riders, knowing that new riders means new patients. How can it not when brevets are routed through myriad gas stations, convenience stores, and sometimes a bakery or two?
Dentists take special pleasure in reviewing cue sheets found on randonneur web sites or shared at holiday parties. They love noting rest stops and controls labeled “7-11,” or “blah blah blah Sweet Shoppe.” The more people out there swigging Gatorade and Coke, munching on Twinkies, and slurping down energy gels, the more secure the future of dentistry!
As the randonneuring population across the country increases, dentists look on happily, just waiting to get their dental accoutrements on the teeth of the riders. Their long-term plan is finally coming together. Not even floss, fluoride, and brushing are sufficient to ward off the damage of the energy “food” and convenience store fueling.
Alright dentists! Your plot succeeded. I’m hooked on randonneuring, but I still love my teeth. I’m not that hooked on going to the dentist, but I don’t want to be a toothless randonneusse. After the 600K, I’m calling my dentist to confirm my 6-month checkup.
One essential element of successful randonneuring is to enjoy riding one’s bike. I know I like to ride mine. Two weeks ago, I happily hopped on my bicycle to take part in “Bike to Work Day” even though it was my day off. See how dedicated I am? (Note: socially unacceptable bragging.)
However, in my four short (or long, however you want to look at it) years of randonneuring, I notice that each brevet season– what I also call Spring– I reach a point where the idea of riding my bike to the office loses its appeal and I throw in the towel on the bike commute. That happened this week on what I am calling “Don’t Make Me Bike to Work Week.”
Before Don’t Make Me Bike to Work Week, I was zipping everywhere by bike– going to work, toodling to the grocery store, and reveling in the feel of each ride. This past Monday that all stopped. Get on my bike? Yuck.
I know this feeling doesn’t happen to all randonneurs. Many of my cycling friends cannot think of a better way to spend each day than on their bike. Every single day! But not me! Bike lethargy enveloped me and rather than fight that feeling, I hung up the Sidis and put on my walking shoes.
During Don’t Make Me Bike to Work Week I was not a cyclist; I morphed into a pedestrian, Metro rider, and bus passenger. I think I carried it off quite well! This week I exercised my patience, rested my legs, and enjoyed reacquainting myself with the tunes on my iPod .
I liked being a pedestrian, except that it took me three times longer than my bicycle commute to walk home. Also, since I was incognito, no one riding their bike could identify me as a cyclist , which essentially eliminated all pre- and post-work socially acceptable bragging opportunities.
As a Metro rider and bus passenger, I sacrificed the control of my departure and arrival times to the whims of the rush hour traffic and the will of mass transit. Metro riding also reminded me of the morning crankiness and crowdedness that often pervades the morning subway commute.
When bike commuting, I sometimes moan and groan about the aggressive drivers (or even yell at them if I feel my life is in danger). Pedestrians and tourists freak me out with their unpredictable movements, particularly when that movement is right toward my bicycle. I get irritated when my work clothes don’t handily fit into my pannier, changing at the office is an inconvenience, and helmet hair– well, I just can’t stand helmet hair! Throw a series of brevets on top of it all, and my cycling verve fades.
There is nothing like Don’t Make Me Bike to Work Week and spending a few days as a pedestrian, Metro rider, and bus passenger to ebb those frustrations and revive my inner cyclist! Overall, I prefer being on the road dealing with the things cyclists do, and having full control of my schedule. I get to exchange hellos with my fellow randonneurs when we cross paths on our commutes; that’s a real treat! And cycling is cheaper than bus or Metro, which allows me to save my pennies for all those brevet medals I collect in my desk drawers.
This week the Sidis are on and I’m back to stuffing the panniers, enjoying the fresh air of the morning with my bike commuter brethren, and pedaling my way to the office. Hey everybody, I’m a cyclist again. (Please, ask me about my riding!) It feels great, and it’s all thanks to Don’t Make Me Bike to Work Week!
UPDATE: Russ Morris has posted photos and David Ripton has written a report. See the photos by Russ Here and David’s report at his Not Even My Wife Reads This blog. Thanks guys!
The D.C. Randonneurs 400K ACP brevet went off Saturday from Frederick, Md. and 37 riders were greeted with some of the best weather of the year. Sunny skies, low humidity, and an afternoon tailwind worked to keep us smiling.
The highlight, besides the terrific four-state course by Lynn Kristianson, was the 18th Century Inn control at mile 176. Ray Skinner and family put out a huge range of hot and cold entrees, desserts, fruit and drinks for us to enjoy poolside before the big climb through the Michaux State Forest. As I did here in 2007, I took a nice 10-minute nap in the cozy living room. Nice.
See photosets from Patrick O’Donnell, Bill Beck and yours truly.
(While we were riding, D.C.R.’s own Maile Neel and Carol Bell were with the N.C. Randonneurs for their 600K. See Maile’s photos and a writeup at Mike Dayton’s Research Trailer Park blog.)
You’ll notice at the end of Bill’s set that he has posted photos from the site of a hit-and-run collision by a motorist inflicted upon participant Keith Krombel. It took place around 11:30 p.m., just five miles from the finish after a four-way, stop signed intersection. The Armstrong family, who has helped crew a RAAM station previously, heard a loud noise and came out to find Keith, himself a RAAM finisher, and his bike on the grass. It appears he was sideswiped.
They found the emergency phone number on his cue sheet and alerted organizer Lynn and called the EMTs, who ultimately took him to Hagerstown, Md. to an intensive care unit. Keith was conscious but remembered nothing of the impact or anything of the previous six miles.
Keith had a number of serious injuries but appeared out of the woods as of Monday evening. What was upsetting was the Frederick County Sheriff’s office treated our organizer rudely, demanding to know what Keith was doing out riding by himself. Of course, I hope they somehow catch the criminal who left the scene. A driver who hit a rider on the Cascade 1200K in 2006 called his insurance company to put in a claim for damage to his car and was reported to authorities, so a resolution is still possible.
We’ve been using that same run-in to Frederick for more than a decade and it has always given me some concern. It appears to be a back way for the party hounds to drive into Frederick and I’ve ridden defensively in hopes of that the speeding drivers give me some extra room. It could have happened anywhere, true, but there’s always something edgy about finishing a brevet at a destination town on a Saturday night.
Best wishes to Keith for a speedy recovery. Here’s Bill Beck’s report:
Thirty seven riders showed up at the Quality Inn in Frederick on Saturday for the ACP 400K. Of course the main thing that we are all concerned about is Keith’s recovery following the accident that happened near the end of the ride. But the earlier part of the day was beautiful with temperatures in the seventies and a gorgeous ride designed and organized by Lynn Kristianson. Along with the memorable climbs to Snickers Gap, PA16, and Big Flat, there were stretches of rolling terrain with long, clear views of the surrounding mountains.
And, of course, the wonderful control at the 18th Century Inn, complete with log cabin, swimming pool, and the best selection of food that any randonneur could hope for.
Thirty three riders reached the finish within the time limit. One rider had to abandon at the 18th Century Inn with knee problems, two others reached the Gettysburg control past the time limit and elected to get a ride, and of course Keith was only 5 miles from the finish when his accident occurred.
The preliminary results are posted at
http://www.dcrand.org/dcr/results.php?page=display-results&year=2009.Special congratulations to Jan Bull, Lisa Catino, Lane Giardina, George Moore, Dave Ripton, and Ray Suziedelis who all completed their first 400K! Many people think that the 400K is the biggest hurdle. (Any other first-400 riders that I missed?)
Thanks to Lynn for her gorgeous route and for organizing the ride. Also to bike-inspector Rudy Hewitt and volunteer Bill Smith for helping at the ride start, and to Gordon Meuse for restoring the hotel room at the finish after our extended use for eating and check-in. And of course many thanks to Denise and Ray Skinner for that amazing food and hospitality at the log cabin.
I particularly enjoyed the chicken chili, but there were too many options to try them all! Ray also ferried back a rider from Newville, picked up Keith’s bike, and filled in at the finish check-in. Chris Mento and Michael Rowny went to the hospital immediately after they finished (still in bike clothes) to check on Keith and talk to the police.
Finally, I conveyed our thanks to the Armstrong family who live in the house next to Keith’s accident, and who called for help after they heard the noise and came out to help him. By the way, John Armstrong worked at a RAAM time station in a previous year and was impressed that Keith is a two-time RAAM finisher.
My pictures from the ride are posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/wabeck/sets/72157619091131958/, and as a captioned slide show at http://tinyurl.com/mjgzna. The final pictures in the set show the site of Keith’s accident, taken on Sunday afternoon, with the Armstrong family showing where things were
located. A GPS track of the route is at http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/8353651Bill
If your only evidence of a ride is the memory you carry inside of you, that is simply not enough! Further, memories fade over time, so here is where socially acceptable bragging can help.
Last week I provided a primer on socially acceptable bragging through ride reports. However, if you are not willing to put the work into a ride report, there’s always the camera. Socially acceptable bragging is also frequently accomplished through flickr (or other popular online photo sites). The approach for finding your way into photos is similar to that of the ride report.
1.Bring your own camera and take pictures of the ride. When taking your own pictures, there are two important aspects to keep in mind: take pictures of yourself and pictures of other riders.
If a tree falls in the forest and no one sees it, did it actually fall? No way! When taking your own pictures, it is imperative that you master the “panda portrait,” which is a photo you take of yourself while riding your bike. Unless your face makes it into a shot there is no proof of you actually doing the ride. (See http://www.flickr.com/groups/pandaportraits/ for more information about the essential panda shot.)
After mastering the panda portrait, make sure your photos are not solely panda shots, as this moves into the socially inappropriate bragging arena. Take a few panda shots (four or so are acceptable), shoot some pics of the countryside, and make sure to get as many riders into as many photos as you can. Just as you want to brag about your ride in a socially acceptable way, so do your cycling comrades. This will also have the benefit of making you more popular among the randonneurs, thus leading to greater inclusion in future ride reports and pictures.
When you upload your photos, make sure to send a message to a couple of listservs with the link to your photos and a little message like, “Great ride. Thanks everybody!”
2.Try to make it into other people’s photos. Worried about weight and can’t take along a camera? Too uncoordinated to manage your bike and a gadget simultaneously? No problem! Get to know your fellow digital camera-toting randonneurs and ride along with them as much as possible.
Bill Beck rides too fast for you? You have multiple options—
There is no excuse for not worming your way into a few photos.
After you receive the message from your randonneur photographer on the local listserv, make sure to find a photo where you appear and forward it to all your friends. And don’t forget to thank the photographer if you really like the photo(s) they took of you. This helps build goodwill and greater photo opportunities for future rides.
While the strategies shared over the past three weeks are not all-inclusive, they are among the most effective socially acceptable bragging techniques.
Remember, if a randonneur rides a ride and no one knows about it, then the ride experience has not been maximized. Medals cost you money, and bragging costs you nothing, especially when it’s done right. So what are you waiting for… get out there and ride!
While later finishers on the D.C. Randonneurs 300K last weekend were blasting through driving rain and sheltering from lightning, our randonneuring brethren faced the same conditions, over another 100K, on Tom Rosenbauer’s PA Randonneurs 400K.
DCR members Kelly Smith, on tandem with the unstoppable Mary Crawley, Chip Adams, and New Jersey’s own Bill Olsen were among 23 finishers. Tom reports on his excellent site that later finishers were out in the rain for six hours or more. He calls it “a gritty, character building experience, to say the least,” and who’s to argue?
I like that Tom posts his own report and adds comments and reports, so we can compare the organizer’s view with the experiences of the riders. Invariably, the riders are a lot more descriptive of the hills!
Tom’s doing a great job and it’s worth the drive if you can get to one of his rides.
Here is an excerpt from a story on the ride by John Dennis:
Leaving Pottstown, we still had a tad under 36 miles to cover, which at 12 mph would take us another 3 hours or well after 3am. It was not a happy thought. I was running on fumes and I wrongly assumed that Dan was using the back-up copy of his cue sheets. If I had known, he was still using his first set, I would have asked for his second copy. Dan had programmed the course into his Garmin GPS and he explained that once on a given road, we could ride willy-nilly until the Garmin warned him that the next turn was coming up, whereupon he could then read the details from his Garmin or on his cue sheet or both. It all sounded like technology at its best. But then we arrived at the intersection of Smith Road and Swamp Pike. The cue sheet instructed us to turn left onto Swamp Pike from Smith. The problem was we had reached Smith while already traveling on Swamp Pike. In our fatigued state, we were totally flummoxed by this development. We had no map and the one or two cars that passed us by were clearly not stopping. We dithered and I felt a bone-numbing tiredness start to creep into me. Finally, I mustered up the imagination to pretend we had just reached Swamp Pike from Smith. Duh! I made the indicated left turn, traveled the 0.0 miles indicated and, voila, there was our next road waiting for us, Steinmetz. We could practically have swung a wet dead cat to it from where we had been dithering.
If a tree falls in the forest but no one hears it, does it make a sound? Of course it doesn’t!
The only way for your ride to become a reality is for others to know of your accomplishment. Another way to socially acceptably brag is through a ride report. There are two common methods of ride report publicity.
1.Write your own ride report. This shows that, not only did you do the ride, but you put extra time and effort into writing about it. Multitalented! Overachiever! But in a socially acceptable way! If you can, post your report to a couple of listservs and find a friend who can connect you to a blog or two.
If you are going for a humble twist on your socially acceptable bragging, preface your report by saying your impetus to write it was to help others who may be attempting that route in a future year. Your ride report is doubling as an educational tool!
After posting your report, hopefully you will receive at least a couple of written comments in return like, “Awesome story. Thanks for writing it!,” or “Great read, your name here. Congrats!”
If you come to embrace socially acceptable bragging through scribing ride reports, you may eventually establish your own blog, or become a regular contributor to a friend’s blog (wink!).
2.Try to be included in someone else’s ride report. If you are too lazy to write your own story, that’s ok. Sidle up and ride a few miles with someone who you know is a regular ride chronicler. To improve your chances of being included in the person’s story engage in conversation and, if possible, say something meaningful, witty, or otherwise memorable for those miles you are together.
However, do not provoke them to anger or irritation. Memorable though that might be, your ride report inclusion chances will be nullified. Or the person will write about you and you will become notorious, and nobody wants that, as it is inconsistent with the spirit of randonneuring.
If you are committed to the training, insane wake-up calls, and actually doing the rides, it only makes sense to exert a little extra effort to ensure the memorialization of your accomplishment. A ride only lasts so long, but a ride report lasts forever!
We almost got away with a dry ride at the D.C. Randonneurs 300K ACP brevet from Frederick, Md. on Saturday. The forecast called for late day showers, and boy did the storms hit hard just before 6 p.m. Our little group stopped 17 miles from the finish in Thurmont to get some drinks and when we left the drops started, then turned to rain, then hard rain for the final few miles to Frederick.
Me, Randy and MG: Three Drenched Cats (courtesy Bill Beck)
The day itself was partly sunny and warm with a gusty south wind that got us as we turned toward home in the afternoon. All 40 starters finished, with some of the later arrivals sitting in Thurmont while lightning storms passed.
There were a lot of cameras out and about! Check out photosets from Bill Beck, Maile Neel, Bill Smith, Nick and Jan Bull, Rudy Hewitt and yours truly.
See the results at the D.C. Randonneurs web site.
Big Flat. Grab your granny gear.
Another Saturday at a Sheetz with your riding buddies
Thanks to organizer Chris Mento and all his volunteers for a terrific brevet.
Here is a map of the course. See my GPS track at MotionBased.
No one likes a braggart, and I am quite sure braggarts are not in the spirit of randonneuring. However, randonneurs need to capitalize on all opportunities to celebrate their rides with others. For lack of a better term, I call this bragging, but in a completely socially acceptable way! After all, aside from buying yourself a medal, what other reward to you get? Bragging is all we have. A variety of socially acceptable methods for bragging about rides exist. Over the following three weeks, I will share these proven approaches that allow you to commemorate your ride, avoid being labeled a braggart, and preserve the spirit of randonneuring in your heart.
Some socially acceptable bragging opportunities present themselves more easily than others. The “how was your weekend” discussion is one of the most obvious. In order to capitalize on the “how was your weekend” discussion, it is important that you make it into the office on Monday, no matter how tired you are. By Tuesday, people have lost interest in what happened over the weekend and have fully transitioned into work week activities.
Usually, conversations about the weekend present themselves in three ways.
1.Your coworker says hello and asks “What did you do this weekend?” This is an open invitation to brag (with some humility, of course. You must maintain the spirit of randonneuring.). You may immediately state that you rode x miles over the weekend. This will usually impress your coworker.
2.Your coworker says hello and asks “How was your weekend?” This question requires you to respond in such a way that your colleague will ask you a follow-up question. Do not simply answer “My weekend was good,” as this is not likely to open the door for further discussion about your ride.
For example, you may say “It was great, but my ankle is a little sore today.” This is an excellent prompt for an additional question. You are almost guaranteed a “Really, why does your ankle hurt?” And then you may state that you rode x miles over the weekend. As in #1, this will usually impress your coworker.
(Note: If you choose to make a statement regarding your personal pain, make sure it is pain in a normal area. Words like “saddle sores” freak people out and they will be loathe to ask you why you have them.)
3.No one says hello to you when you arrive at the office. Thus, you must seek out coworkers and ask them about their weekend. Unless your coworkers are megalomaniacs they will be polite and in turn ask you about how your weekend was. When this occurs, please refer to #1 or #2, as applicable.
The spirit of randonneuring also dictates share and share alike. After telling the tale of your exploits, it is only polite to ask your colleague about his or her weekend, no matter how much premature bias you have that it will pale in comparison to your great cycling achievement. This is especially difficult to remember to do after a 600K. However, your colleague will be grateful that you asked, and you never know what exciting thing they may have done that could perhaps hold a small candle to your outstanding ride.
The last couple of days have been quite eventful, so let’s get right to the news. TDR buddy Maile N. rode the North Carolina Randonneurs 400K on Saturday, and took a lot of great photos. MG and I enjoyed this event last year and Maile’s shots brought back a lot of good memories. See her photos on her Flickr page.
Sunny Skies to Sea Grove (courtesy Maile Neel)
Secondly, our favorite comic strip Yehuda Moon has been on hold. But, Rick Smith has put up a little note on the Yehuda Moon site that Yehuda, Joe, Thistle, and Fizz return on June 12. Consider making a donation to keep this charming strip alive.
And now the really big news. The North American Handmade Bicycle Show is coming to Richmond next year on Feb. 26-28! We can all attend by bike and check out cycling’s true artists and their work. Here is the announcement:
NAHBS Announces Richmond, Virginia, as 2010 Venue Exhibitor Registration Now Open
PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Paul Skilbeck Tel. 415-516-1444Speedway, In.—The Greater Richmond Convention Center in the historic city of Richmond, Va. will host the 2010 North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) when the world’s number one custom bicycle show moves to the East Coast next February 26-28.
Booth registration for the show will start immediately for the 2009 exhibitors, who will be contacted by email. Open registration will start June 15, and will be accessible through the event website www.handmadebicycleshow.com.
Show founder and director, Don Walker, said “I researched all the way along the east coast and Richmond came up as the strongest candidate, all criteria considered. I then put forward three candidates to a vote among this year’s exhibitors, and Richmond was the clear winner. I looked at some of the largest cities as well, and while these cities might have great cycling culture, their prices are out of range for the vast majority of my exhibitors.”
Jack Berry, president and CEO of the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, commended the decision. “The timing’s perfect!
Cycling is really becoming more and more popular in this region. Being a cyclist myself, personally I’m thrilled! This is huge for Richmond and the Mid-Atlantic.”
Champe Burnley, president of the Richmond Area Bicycling Association, also sees this as a good time for NAHBS to come to Richmond.
“Richmond is a cycling hub with a great history. We have a strong cycling community with great facilities, which helps draw a major international show like NAHBS. We really want Richmond to be a world class cycling city. For officials and the business community, our efforts are now starting to realize a return.
Officials here are really beginning to get cycling and its benefits to the community. NAHBS could not have chosen a better time to come. This marks a cycling renaissance for the Richmond area.”
NAHBS will occupy the 46,000 sq. ft show hall D in the convention center. This has space for over 200 10’x10’ booths, and Walker expects to fill it.
Richmond is located within a day’s drive of half the U.S. population, and within cycling distance of the nation’s second largest cycling club (Potomac Pedalers). Only 90 minutes by car from Washington, DC, Richmond is served by Amtrak as well, with a station about a mile from the proposed host hotel. Richmond International Airport is approximately 15 minutes by car from the convention center.
The state of Virginia actively promotes bicycling and related activities, and has designated various special routes for the purpose. United States Bicycle Routes 1 and 5 meet in the city of Richmond, and the city is known to have a strong cycling culture, ranging from racing to tourists and fixed-gear riders.
Located in the middle of the Eastern Seaboard, Richmond becomes the fifth city to host the NAHBS in the show’s six-year history. Houston, Texas was first, and then two years in San Jose, California, followed by Portland, Oregon, and in 2009 Indianapolis.
About NAHBS
The North American Handmade Bicycle Show moves from city to city each year. It is scheduled for February 26 – 28, 2010, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The show is dedicated to showcasing the talents of individuals around the world whose art form is the bicycle. It aims to be a meeting point–online and in person–for frame builders and consumers looking for custom-made bikes, for the sharing of ideas, and promotion of a special industry with a rich history.
Since its first year in 2005, NAHBS has grown from a show with 23 exhibitors and 200 attendees to 150 exhibitors and 7200 attendees. For more information, see http://www.handmadebicycleshow.com.
Ed and I had the pleasure of riding with Russ Morris on last week’s DC Randonneurs 300K brevet. During the heart of the ride and in between controls, we pulled over, reapplied sunscreen, and refilled on water.
Russ then informed us that we were making a “crucial stop,” i.e., a stop that is not a control, but that you really need to make, anyway. ”There is always at least one crucial stop on a brevet,” Russ asserted. 170 miles into the ride, we pulled over again to drink Cokes. Russ said, “this is crucial stop number two!” I couldn’t have agreed more.
The “crucial stop!” I had never thought of my stops in this manner, and it made a lot of sense to me. I asked Russ if he would share more about brevets and the buildup to the “crucial stop.” His thoughts follow. Thanks for being a guest contributor, Russ, and helping me understand the importance of those “crucial stops.”
You start your ride and see the first control is at the 60 mile mark. No problem! Temps are cool, you’re full of energy, and your butt doesn’t hurt yet. You arrive at the control, your mind lucid, and you accomplish all the normal brevet tasks with ease.
The ride continues. You pass through the second control at 85 miles. You’re drinking and eating, but you look at your cue sheet more often to remember the next turn. Temps are rising, and your butt starts to hurt.
You approach a Mom & Pop convenience store; it isn’t a control. The next official stop is 15 miles off.
Your randonneur clock is ticking. Tick tock. Tick tock. Push on. Push on. You want to roll past the store without pausing, push on to that control, but your legs aren’t keeping good time with your randonneur clock. Please stop, they seem to say. Please stop. This, my friend, is your moment for the “crucial stop.”
Listen to your body and do the right thing– stop. Calmly go in the store and select comfort items. Slowly walk up to the counter, engage the clerk or a fellow customer in light conversation. Perhaps they’ll ask you how long your ride is. Force yourself to be a human being again, not some desperate randonneur on a 189-mile race against the clock.
When you get back outside, take your time eating and drinking in the shade. Sit if you can, stretch if you must. Take stock and consider why you’re putting yourself through this. OK, don’t think too long. As the refreshing cold beverage works its way through your system, you’re reinvigorated.
You happily mount your bicycle and ride off with a rejuvenated spirit and willingness to endure the hardships of the brevet.
Who knows? That crucial stop may even yield you a better time. Make the crucial stop, fellow randonneurs.
Thanks again for being part of MG Thursday, Russ! And by the way, even if that stop doesn’t better your time, chronologically speaking, it can make a huge difference to your disposition over the course of the ride. And that makes for a better time to me… and in turn, to Ed, ha ha :).
Russ at Crucial Stop #2
George Moore has written a lyrical account of his first fleche, last month, with Lynn Kristianson’s NCDC team. The group had a happy ride up from southern Virginia, and George gives us the perspective of the newbie doing well.
Read George’s story Here.
Here is an excerpt:
The ride began with an early breakfast at the “Texas Inn” diner in Lynchburg. It was chilly, but the route was there to compensate. After a short downhill to cross the James, we had a nice climb up to Madison Heights to get us warm. Then the route went across the top of the heights. As the road dipped back toward the James there was a fantastic view into an idyllic verdant green valley: the James River – a railroad – old log barns – cattle – few roads except the low-traffic country road that we followed. You could almost hear the banjos playing.
UPDATE: Maile N. has posted photos from the finish at the hotel. See yourself eating pizza here.
The forecast for Saturday was certainly gloomy but not ominous. In keeping with a recent post on TDR, I decided not to talk about the weather and instead packed a rain jacket, put the front fender on the tandem and left it at that.
At least there were no lightning bolts.
The day turned out quite nice after all. We had one decent passing shower that stopped after 20 minutes or so, and after that only some random, threatening raindrops here and there. We enjoyed some spells of sunshine as well, and temperatures stayed in the 60s and 70s. Not bad.
See all my photos at my Flickr page and our GPS track at my MotionBased page. Most esteemed RBA Bill Beck also posted his photoset.
A total of 27 riders were sent off by organizer Maile Neel and co-organizer Lane Giardina, and all came home within the time limit. See the times at the D.C. Randonneurs results page.
We rode with the front group until the rollers got to us at mile 30 or so, and after that we rode with Russ Morris the rest of the way. We saw the leaders coming away from the first control at Syria, and talked with Bill Beck as he proved that a Carradice bag can hold the makings of a fine randonneur yard sale.
Somewhere in there was a long-valve inner tube.
Mary, Russ, and I pressed on through the day with short stops, allowing ourselves a luxurious 40-minute stop at the Dairy Korner in Orange. Mary finally found a turkey sandwich to her liking! We were much improved with an actual meal after munching on convenience store food all day.
Fast and friendly service at the Dairy Korner
Lynn, Russ and Lothar at the Dairy Korner
We also encountered a stuffed hamster in the road in Louisa County. What a fortunate fellow he was, unlike the collection of road kill we encountered throughout the day.
Cute, and lucky
We enjoyed the easy run to the finish in fading light. The rain held off and we didn’t rush. All told, quite a nice day’s ride. Thanks to Maile, Lane and all the helpers in making this another successful D.C. Randonneurs brevet.
Almost to Warrenton
As a randonneur, I like to find out as much as I can about what a particular route holds in store for me. I research this both before and during the ride. It helps me mentally plan for the miles ahead. For a basic overview, I rely on the course description. But where can a randonneur turn for more detailed terrain reports?
The answer is nowhere. Never believe what anyone tells you about the course.
Take drivers, convenience store employees, and local residents. How many of us have had conversations akin to the one below?
“Where you riding to?”
“Blah blah blah town,” I answer.
“Oh, that sounds lovely,” the driver/convenience store employee/local resident responds.
“Really?! What’s the road like?” I inquire.
“Oh, you will love it. Just one small hill from here to there.”
“Great!” I answer, totally inspired and rejuvenated. And several miles later, as my legs throb away from the onslaught of climbs, I think about how I’d like to have a talk with that individual about his or her perception of “one small hill.”
Not all drivers/convenience store employees/local residents see the courses through such rose-colored glasses (or as I like to say, randonneur-colored glasses). Take this conglomeration of several terrain-related conversations I have personally had.
“Where are you riding to?”
“Blah blah blah town,” I answer.
“You’re going where?” Eyes engorge when told the route. “On your bike? You guys are crazy!” Shakes head. “Good luck! Whew!”
While this conversation may give me a better sense of what’s coming, I will not believe it, as it has great potential to create self-doubt and dissuade me from continuing. I always perform better with a hint of reality and a dose of delusion. It keeps my legs strong and my mind happy. Eyes engorged and use of the word “crazy” in reference to my ride and me provide little reassurance or inspiration.
After so many disillusioning exchanges with drivers/convenience store employees/local residents, I decided to limit my course questions to other riders. I am not sure why I thought that sleep-deprived randonneurs with over one hundred miles (sometimes 200) in their legs over multiple days and memories that only recall three cues at most were a reliable source for terrain tips.
Randonneurs who utter phrases like, “just one climb,” “completely flat,” even “mostly flat” should be treated with skepticism, if not disregarded. Smooth sailing from here to the end of the ride, someone says to you? Yeah, right. Don’t believe it for a minute, and keep the granny ring close by. By taking this approach you will either be: 1. pleasantly surprised by the ease of the next miles; or 2. you will not be totally ticked off when that 12% grade unexpectedly presents itself. In both cases, you will harbor no resentment toward your fellow rider regarding the accuracy of their information, as you had no expectations, anyway. Simply accept that no one is to be trusted, and all will go well!
As many of you probably read, Ed and I rode the “Old Rag 200K” in late April. I have ridden this course at least three times, and Ed has ridden it at least twice as many times as I have. As we departed our last control to embark on the final 20 miles of the course, fellow randonneur Gary Dean said, “I wonder how many hills we have left?” Ed and I assured him confidently, “Oh, just one.” A few miles and several hills later, Gary rode up to us and said, “It sure feels like more than one hill to me!” Oh right. About that…
Never believe what anyone tells you about the course.
Those French! They were really onto something when they created the niche sport of randonneuring. There are many great aspects to this activity— personal challenge, time with friends, seeing new places—but none are so great as the benefit of getting to avoid weekend chores.
Even if you run a marathon, you still have time to do your laundry in the afternoon. That’s why I started randonneuring. With randonneuring, the majority of the day is devoted to the ride. And for long rides, the day and NIGHT is consumed with riding. Randonneuring is an ideal sport for the domestically disinclined.
Wanting to avoid mopping and vacuuming? Sign up for a 200K. Interested in adding laundry to the mix? Get out there for a 300K. Dusting and mowing, too? Maybe there’s a 400K on the schedule. And to get out of it ALL, a 600K is the perfect ride for you (although the after-effects may also seep into Monday at the office).
Not only is randonneuring pleasurable with regard to where the journey takes me, but for the duration of the ride I get to distance myself from all my cares while my dirty clothes and unpaid bills lie in wait for me at home.
Soon after I started riding with the DC Randonneurs, I met Ed Felker, an avid brevet rider. I felt uncertain about riding brevets, but when I saw what happens to the person left at home sans control card and holding the spatula I changed my tune and hopped on the bike. Wait a minute, buddy, we’re in this together, I thought. And there’s no way I’m staying home with kitchen duty while you galavant around the countryside convenience stores. I think this is one of the many factors that makes Ed and me such a strong tandem team… neither one of us wants to do housework.
Thank you, French people! You created an activity that suits my lifestyle perfectly– a weekend pass to be out riding around on my bike while the dirty dishes languish and the dust bunnies frolic.
P.S. Enjoy the rides this weekend, DCR fleche riders! We’ll be thinking of you while the dishwasher runs and we wander the aisles of the grocery store!
I struggle to find the words to adequately describe the warm sunny spring day bestowed upon us for the D.C. Randonneurs Old Rag 200K brevet on Saturday. The controls were as friendly as could be, the 48 riders were in a great mood and rode well, and we had a nice time in the hotel room with pizza and stories afterward. Thanks to Crista, George, and Chuck for all their fine work on Saturday. Well Done DCR!
The photos tell the rest of the story. You can see MG’s and my set Here and the set from esteemed RBA Bill Beck.
We also posted GPS tracks. For the front group experience, see Bill’s. For the perspective of our little chase group of MG, me and Dave G., see mine. Bill has posted results at the D.C. Randonneurs results page.
We are not riding the fleche, but hope to hear from some of the participants next weekend. Our next stop: the DCR 300K on May 2. For a preview of the event, check out the photoset Maile posted from the checkout ride, also on Saturday. Thanks Maile!
(TDR launches a new feature I’ve named MG Thursday, in which our fair MG offers her observations on the randonneur lifestyle. Enjoy!)
How to Talk about the Weather – Don’t.
As a randonneusse and bicycle commuter, the weather consumes a lot of my thoughts. What will I wear in the morning? What will I wear home in the evening? How many layers will fit in my pannier? What will the weather be like for our weekend ride? All of it is dictated by forces over which I have no control so of course that makes me want to spend more time thinking about how I can control them.
What I have come up with are the following strategies:
First, I tune in as frequently as possible to weather websites. When I’m feeling like a bit of narrative with my four seasons, I watch every randonneur’s favorite, The Weather Channel. Twenty-four hours of nonstop weather! WOO! Sometimes I compare the television forecast to that of the website, and always believe the more optimistic prediction.
I also pray, but I try to save prayer only for brevets or long rides. I know God is busy so I don’t want to take advantage. I also do not want to come across as a weather wimp, especially considering my Midwest upbringing, but surely God has a moment for me and my riding territory’s weather patterns.
Finally, I keep quiet. Somewhere along the way, I learned that the the spirit of randonneuring dictates that randonneurs NEVER talk about the weather, except for the weather that is happening right at that moment. If it’s raining while you’re riding, you can comment about that to your buddy. But don’t even think of saying, “I sure hope this clears up.” It only invites trouble. You may also freely discuss what the weather was like during your ride– AFTER you’ve finished. Weather can make a good ride story great! But as I just stated, only after you have finished the ride!
The weekend ride forecast is 65 degrees, sunny, and calm? Great news, tell no one! Definitely do not put it in writing and send it out to any listservs on which you are a member. It just invites trouble, cloudy skies, inappropriate wardrobe choices, and disillusion if things change.
It looks like 70% chance rain? Pray! The day may turn out to be sunny… you just never know. Never give up hope until the moment you are at the ride. Even then, you never know what can happen.
In conclusion, when discussing the weather, DO NOT mention anything about the weather.
Looking past the fact that D.C. Randonneurs has already staged its first ACP 200K, this weekend’s Old Rag 200K in Warrenton, Va. marks the beginning of the ACP season for MG and me.
This route was my first 200K, way back in 1996. These days, I get a nostalgic feeling when I think of the Old Rag 200K. (It is named for Old Rag Mountain. For more information click Here.) Back then we were not a formal club, just a group of riders organized under the Potomac Pedalers Touring Club. We rode just the four Super Randonneur brevets, making each one extra special. It helped that they were perfectly organized by then-RBA Jim Keuhn.
I was the new guy among seasoned, hardy randonneurs who had ridden PBP as far back as 1987, and I am still riding with most of them today.
I rode that first 200K with absolutely no idea of what I was doing. I had never ridden that many hills in my life. I bonked with five miles to go and could barely sit on the tiny, hard racing saddle by the end. I finished, somehow, fully exhausted and massively saddle-sore. I didn’t ride another brevet that year, but I thought about the brevets all summer and winter and came back for more in 1997.
I’ve ridden at least one ACP 200K a year since, usually this route. The rides are even more fun now that MG and I are seeing them together by tandem. The Old Rag 200K is best run in mid-April when the dogwood and redbud are in bloom. They make The Three Kings, The Meanies and Piney “Pukin” Mountain Road — tough, steep hills in the second half of the ride — practically enjoyable.
MG and I, with Maile N., organized this ride last summer as a RUSA brevet, but we’re really looking forward to seeing it in its spring glory. Plus, we expect conditions to be s—ny and w–m! (No jinxes.) If you want to see some pictures of the route, Maile joined Crista and Chuck, Lane and George W. for the volunteers checkout ride in rain and wind last Saturday. See her photoset Here.
See you Saturday!
While we were enjoying warm, if windy, conditions on Saturday riding around Richmond, the tough got going in the cold at the Pennsylvania Randonneurs 200k brevet, the first ACP event of the season for PAR. TDR buddy Tom Rosenbauer reports a whole batch of heroics ensued. Here’s his report:
Greetings, PA R-12 participant,
Preliminary Results for the PA200k (4/4/09 edition) have been posted. Please let me know of any corrections or other issues. Results will be submitted as soon as RUSA processes some pending applications, and will then become final, pending RUSA/ACP approval.
Congratulations to all the participants who ventured out into wind conditions that were unprecedented — I can’t recall ever seeing the winds blow as hard and as long as they did on Saturday. Looking over the 12-hour weather history, the average wind speed was in the mid 20’s and at mid-day, was over 30 MPH. Gusts were well in the 40’s with maximums that were just short of 50 MPH. The PA200k course is plenty hard enough, and the “Difficulty Factor” of the wind made it a epic saga for all.
Truly, this was a character building ride that finishers will be able to draw upon, as they tackle other challenges. And Joe Carbone came away with the most character building , as measured by time on the road. Although outside the time limit at the Fox Gap controle, he finished the ride under his own power — battling those headwinds on his own — for 17 hours and 5 minutes. How about that, for a display of mental fortitude!
Congratulations to first finishers, Nate Morgenstern and Juan Salazar, who came in a few minutes before Craig Martek and John Wichard.
After the heavy rains a couple of days before the event, the parking lot at the hostel swallowed up several cars that needed to be towed out. In talking this over with Jerri Ann at the hostel, she said that for future events, she plans to put out traffic cones to outline the safe parking areas.
Special thanks to volunteer Nate Morgenstern who led the way with the sign-in sheets and helped out with the BBQ at the finish. Thanks also, to Rick Carpenter and the other veteran PA riders for lending a hand as needed, at the finish.
Check out Juan Salazar’s report and pictures at these links:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jsalazar1978/20090404?feat=directlink# and http://www.cycloblogger.info/2009/04/caught-in-whirlwind-pennsylvania-acp.htmlAnd Kate Marshall’s nice report is here: http://psycles-kttrue.blogspot.com/
Eric Keller has posted here: http://www.njrando.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=324#p1089
And Craig Martek writes: “Just wanted to thank you for another fantastic ride! Again, one that will forever be in my memory. The climbs and scenery would have been enough, but to add temps and winds both in the 40’s, a little rain and a few seconds of frozen stuff was even more memorable. Then to add icing to the cake, some deer, a dog, a few trash cans and a near miss from a flying piece of barn roofing – now you can’t beat those very easily!! … Thanks again Tom! Looking forward to seeing everyone again next month!”
Craig, BTW, rode his very first brevet ever, on the inaugral edition of the PA1000k in 2007 … he’s now working on the shorter brevets and will be clipping in for the EM1240k this fall.
I’m looking forward any other ride reports and pictures that the riders may have.
-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA
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