tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73322493215413100152024-02-18T20:49:40.067-08:00Putting it out there...Dabbling in bloggingJackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-12516074443583648282023-09-03T10:56:00.026-07:002023-09-24T11:46:30.770-07:00PBP 2023, As I Saw it<p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOu0liJybyCezR40fE3qCkRnPyV13HE3Txdl7ztjs8-_kYQMeDiMwXWjxsDppIPHYLwAmuDm5jqU0Klitsab-2f0mhvZXUlezRIXeo4ZYmLvN6cdCVx4-lGe5_DFAkfPVDhYeegE6ooKbOwqYM472HV--W8Vt5MDxPuJKLqVm6NXTiKU0MAbWplZMIfY/s4032/CB71259A-10D2-4361-939C-D6C310E4F1A5.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOu0liJybyCezR40fE3qCkRnPyV13HE3Txdl7ztjs8-_kYQMeDiMwXWjxsDppIPHYLwAmuDm5jqU0Klitsab-2f0mhvZXUlezRIXeo4ZYmLvN6cdCVx4-lGe5_DFAkfPVDhYeegE6ooKbOwqYM472HV--W8Vt5MDxPuJKLqVm6NXTiKU0MAbWplZMIfY/w640-h480/CB71259A-10D2-4361-939C-D6C310E4F1A5.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike inspection in front of Chateau Rambouillet</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"></span></div><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br />This is my fairly detailed post about the 2023 Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) 1200K ride, held on 20-24 August. I write these to preserve the memories for my future self, but share them because some others actually read them word for word. If that's not you, feel free to just look at the pictures.</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Objectives for PBP 2023:</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">(1) Get out of the "bulge" (the thousands of 90-hour riders, like me, that start within a couple hours of each other on Sunday evening. When this bulge hits stops for food, etc., the lines can be long and the delays lengthy. Compared to my first PBP (2019) when I started in a fairly early wave ("G", 5:30 PM), my 2023 start wave was an hour later ("K", 6:30 PM). This was because my 2022 rides qualified me to preregister in the second increment, vice the first increment I earned for the 2019 event. So I planned to ride swiftly (but but not outrageously fast) early on to get out ahead of the bulge, then...</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">(2) Earn membership in the Adrian Hands Society so I could wear the jersey I purchased earlier this year when it was available. To do so, I had to finish in the final 65 minutes of the 90 hours allotted (between 88:55 and 90:00 hours), so I would have to slow WAY DOWN late in the ride.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">(3) Stop frequently for some local flavor. I did almost none of this on my first PBP, wanting to see how quickly I could finish. This time I planned to hit roadside stands, tabacs, whatever looked interesting along the route...those things that PBP riders all talk about.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Preparations:</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">(1) Lots of miles. About 1000/month this year, about double 2019 mileage.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">(2) A "big" ride close to the event. In the past I've taken it easy after the spring qualifying rides and just kept doing my monthly miles. This time I did a 300K 15 days prior to PBP to see if that would help fitness. My bike was fully laden with the worst-case loadout of everything I might need to </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">carry, including a full complement of wet- and cold-weather clothing. It was a real confidence builder - even fully loaded it was a personal best 300k time for me.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiry6kFv24kupSwuoaiP9pZSjwNntOIgvJ5vrV4YPyzem9aX7DlrcWFonNCSTzHxlWisWUMTHW6vFhO6V6QZ_F6wjYtKILML9F1dif_BBs_1fHDi0SCcNIMztfNLBtf5ECN8ILYmFJt0MuDHMgezm6Hb4C0pGHsa8YkkF_pjOZDW4ZJ9mDAFfFG08G8PNs/s4032/F929FEA8-32DB-4A31-98A1-2260C61A6BB6.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiry6kFv24kupSwuoaiP9pZSjwNntOIgvJ5vrV4YPyzem9aX7DlrcWFonNCSTzHxlWisWUMTHW6vFhO6V6QZ_F6wjYtKILML9F1dif_BBs_1fHDi0SCcNIMztfNLBtf5ECN8ILYmFJt0MuDHMgezm6Hb4C0pGHsa8YkkF_pjOZDW4ZJ9mDAFfFG08G8PNs/w640-h480/F929FEA8-32DB-4A31-98A1-2260C61A6BB6.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Worst-case PBP bike load out that I carried on the 300k training ride. Game-day forecast allowed me to leave most wet- and cold-weather stuff (most of the top half of this photo) behind.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">(3) Reserved an Airbnb near Loudeac on the 2019 PBP route, for two sleep/logistics stops at roughly the 1/3 and 2/3 points of this nearly out-and-back route.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(4) Created a GPS route to cover the 20km between my hotel in Marepas and the start in Rambouillet. Although there is train service, I watched riders pour off the train in 2019 and was concerned that the train might be overcrowded on start day. I thought I might lose control of my destiny, so I would ride the bike to the start. I also created GPS routes for start-Airbnb, Airbnb-Brest-Airbnb, and Airbnb-finish, and loaded all into my Wahoo.When the 2023 route was finalized the Airbnb was still on the return route, but ACP had moved the outbound route about 3k north. The GPS route I had built minimized the extra riding required by routing me on a path that slowly diverged from the official outbound PBP route, then after the Airbnb slowly converged back. HOWEVER, after I completed the GPS work I remembered that there were secret controls in 2019... what if they put one on the PBP route that I was skipping enroute to/from the Airbnb?? I checked the rules and sure enough we were expected to stay on the official route, so I had to replan such that when I returned from the Airbnb it was at the same point from which I departed the official route.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">(5) About a year and a half of daily Duolingo French lessons. Last time all I knew was "Ou est la sortie" (where is the exit?)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">(6) Replaced my oldest components...chain, cassette, rear wheel, and tires...before the 600k qualifier. By PBP this stuff was still almost new, and had been properly "burned in"/proven reliable. </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.1px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Getting from Maryland to the start:</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">For my flights my bike box was "checked luggage", my oversized backpack my "carry-on", and my rear-rack bag (on a shoulder strap) my "personal item". The last 2 were crammed with clothes, bike parts, chargers, cables, etc., so I was not surprised when my rear bag was pulled by TSA for inspection. They asked if there was anything sharp in there (no), and they proceeded to tear apart this carefully packed bag while looking at the scan. They decided that what they saw was just the presta valve stems on my spare tubes and were very apologetic, smoothing things out by engaging me in some light conversation about the upcoming ride. They then asked me if I wanted them to repack this bag, knowing that I'd say I'd do it myself. I grabbed the large plastic x-ray bin full of stuff, moved off to a table against a wall, and repacked the bag.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">I figured out that you shouldn't get too concerned if your Apple Air Tagged bike box doesn't get to the plane right away. This doesn't seem to happen until about boarding time.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;">It turned out Misha H., Hamid A., and Shab M. were all on my flight. When traveling with oversized luggage it's always an adventure finding where to claim it. After landing in Paris Misha and I were both looking for an oversized baggage claim but couldn't find it. In 2019 I had flown Air France to Charles Degaulle Airport (CDG) terminal 2 and the oversized luggage window was not too hard to find. This time on United we were in Terminal 1. Just as we were seeking help from an agent, a handler arrived pushing a large cart with 3 bike boxes on it (there is no designated location for oversized stuff in terminal 1).</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.1px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I got my rental car and drove to the B&B Hotel in Maurepas. A very different experience: the front desk is only staffed a few hours a day. To check in you enter your reservation number and name into a video console and pay by credit card. You are then given a 6-digit number that gets you into the front door, into your room, and into the parking lot (locked at night).</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.1px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">The room was quite spartan - no mini-fridge, microwave, or even ice bucket (or ice machine on premises). I went food shopping at the Auchon Hypermarche next door, which was quite the monstrosity. Easily the biggest store I've ever been in, I'd estimate 2-3 times as large as a typical Costco, and mostly groceries. I picked up some groceries not requiring refrigeration, as well as a 6-pack of my favorite beer Leffe Ritual 9 and a bag of ice for my makeshift ice bucket. I returned to my room and spent the evening building my bike. My oldest odometer would not come to life, as it did briefly just prior to the trip when I reset it to metric mode, but that's why I carry 2.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRyHCgi1v5SOOeh3rq6cNDQY9n7wM8spH6AbJuEI5BV8J0DLDGE9itfcro7fJ91CFQJJfPx7NoNmHc_cFyLPTFsLlVhHiGKhs33nf7LGOZ-8VN7ger3tBLWKWqCNzfouOY4s4qzHw3fvZv1iMBJiBZvlj18JKOnvA0bXQbO051GOLpEETdFRH_kW2Cww/s4032/117FA726-F839-4DA7-9125-55A04FAEF4B1.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRyHCgi1v5SOOeh3rq6cNDQY9n7wM8spH6AbJuEI5BV8J0DLDGE9itfcro7fJ91CFQJJfPx7NoNmHc_cFyLPTFsLlVhHiGKhs33nf7LGOZ-8VN7ger3tBLWKWqCNzfouOY4s4qzHw3fvZv1iMBJiBZvlj18JKOnvA0bXQbO051GOLpEETdFRH_kW2Cww/w640-h480/117FA726-F839-4DA7-9125-55A04FAEF4B1.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike is built. Room was too small to show the whole thing.</td></tr></tbody></table><span class="s1" style="font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1">The next day (Friday) was an extra day I planned in case of any problems, but there were none. I decided I'd first test-ride the route to the start but immediately ran into problems when, 2k into the ride, GPS directed me to turn left where there was nothing but a forest. Not even a path (maybe once upon a time?) I returned to my room to replan, and set off again, but quickly ran into similar issues. Many of what Google Maps and RWGPS considered "roads" on the west side of highway N10 were dirt/mud logging roads or horse trails (one "road" was a 1' wide mud path full of horse shoe prints). I bailed from this route and did some ad-hoc navigating with phone in hand to get back to paved roads and eventually to the PBP start/finish area in Rambouillet. I had a cola "slurpee" with a sandwich while looking for a better route on my phone. There had been one rider post that said there was a good route on the east side of N10, so I gave that a look. </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Setting the Google Maps routing for "driving" and "avoid highways" gave a very promising paved result. </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">A</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">fter first visiting a memorial in town that I had heard about that honored the American soldiers killed in an ambush 2 months after D-Day (the fighting was far from over after D-Day), I set off for my hotel. The navigation problems had killed my thoughts of maybe visiting Versailles on that extra day.</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_IYwV8AgV6q8NCmhy_O5HaCu7a7KV8SkEeRQmGL2mxEK345Kxm96K3upWCKfodj0hmdWtAEo17Ztqf4dtZ9eZjEnbPXfo-4-YKxKpp7Vq3qF_2XKhtORfa-5Yr9GvH0jSrgOPhxr6bj1_ZfKR10oeEGZxheZXNNE4CVkA8PIWzV37KCAf_dgGN8pTG8/s4032/1AE8B5F9-5EB1-466C-B787-9E70DD38C87A.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_IYwV8AgV6q8NCmhy_O5HaCu7a7KV8SkEeRQmGL2mxEK345Kxm96K3upWCKfodj0hmdWtAEo17Ztqf4dtZ9eZjEnbPXfo-4-YKxKpp7Vq3qF_2XKhtORfa-5Yr9GvH0jSrgOPhxr6bj1_ZfKR10oeEGZxheZXNNE4CVkA8PIWzV37KCAf_dgGN8pTG8/w640-h480/1AE8B5F9-5EB1-466C-B787-9E70DD38C87A.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Memorial in Rambouillet</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">The route was excellent, and upon entering Coignieres about 2k from my hotel I ran into Pat O. from DC Rand walking down the street. We had dinner at a steakhouse near his hotel, and the Duolingo lessons came in handy when trying to communicate to the server that we wanted the tab (l'addition). In general I found that I knew more French than the locals knew English, even though I felt I just BARELY knew a little French. I certainly can't understand 2 locals having a conversation, but I had fun trying to ask for stuff in french. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Saturday was check-in day. I took the train to and from Rambouillet just to see how it went, and immediately ran into problems. The ticket machine only seemed to want to sell me tickets to Paris, but fortunately an agent opened a window after about 20 minutes and sold me my round-trip tickets. RUSA and DC Rand planned group photos in front of the Chateau Rambouillet which I just barely made, then I went to collect my ride materials. The jersey I ordered was too small (a common occurrence), but I was there early enough that I could exchange for a larger size. I also bought a couple t-shirts, and visited Danial Webb who was there promoting the London-Edinburgh-London 1500k and handing out candies.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVEpzNK65g5UdCKp96WJ9zayi7Ys3lm6kTGCqxGWHlX6HpEYUqgQs5NJ5p7XYychJOSnO-IiJHj9-JRq_GsF5q3L-rT5Kn76nRJ43KaUlebORuw0Y_QC5-__F2jr2mvpCUBtVqEztotb0_7leIfu94EF8IBBWvMXjYZG2ZeFju1tP9WJgKBwHDDqMEOw/s4032/751085D3-0FAE-4C46-B93E-C7BBB65F4C2A.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVEpzNK65g5UdCKp96WJ9zayi7Ys3lm6kTGCqxGWHlX6HpEYUqgQs5NJ5p7XYychJOSnO-IiJHj9-JRq_GsF5q3L-rT5Kn76nRJ43KaUlebORuw0Y_QC5-__F2jr2mvpCUBtVqEztotb0_7leIfu94EF8IBBWvMXjYZG2ZeFju1tP9WJgKBwHDDqMEOw/w640-h480/751085D3-0FAE-4C46-B93E-C7BBB65F4C2A.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danial's London-Edinburgh-London 1500k swag</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">Afterwards I had a sandwich in the parking lot in front of the Hotel Mercure where they had set up tables, hay bale seating, and concessions. Rambouillet was much better prepared for the thousands of PBP riders this time compared to their first time hosting in 2019, when they probably didn't understand what was coming and food was a little hard to come by at times. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I had </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">dinner with Pat at an Italian restaurant near his hotel, and spent the evening/early morning riding out food poisoning until about 4 AM Sunday morning. I believe it was the calamari appetizer. </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">I woke at 8 AM, but laid in bed till 3:30 to rest for the day's start. Based on the weather forecast, I ditched cold weather gear (except knee warmers) and rain gear (except the Showers Pass jacket.) The forecast proved accurate, the only clothing I took on the bike that I didn't end up wearing were knee warmers. Since I was checking back into the same hotel 4 days later and had their permission to leave my rental car in their lot, I loaded all my non-ride stuff into my bike box and locked it in the car.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.1px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">As planned, I rode the 20k to the start, and saw maybe 2 fellow PBP riders along the way. The start was a little more organized this time, but the plan was not well communicated. Instructions were to report to the chateau for bike inspection about an hour before start time, but it was not obvious how to navigate the crowd there. I eventually found out all we had to do was find the guy holding the large "K" sign, and he would lead us through inspection to the start. I found Pat O. pretty quickly, b</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;">oth Roger H. and Pat O. from DC Rand were in "K" with me.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zhY0ExcJdQGKIR78eMQz00OCcBVY6frReezy67lO_pOAFxCtkzsfsC3wfZxasszuKR6UfdCwxNAZKRLEnvKr41PceToHOXlbqDLAsq128kHWyV4tlMuCr0PgXpZ2wfq41hwtc585gGYsd1tb1_p_NBwFppdTa5iHfhVTIRhOLbZ04WUaz3L8zP0Achc/s4032/2F30F41C-665A-4C77-ACDA-5538F8BAD747.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zhY0ExcJdQGKIR78eMQz00OCcBVY6frReezy67lO_pOAFxCtkzsfsC3wfZxasszuKR6UfdCwxNAZKRLEnvKr41PceToHOXlbqDLAsq128kHWyV4tlMuCr0PgXpZ2wfq41hwtc585gGYsd1tb1_p_NBwFppdTa5iHfhVTIRhOLbZ04WUaz3L8zP0Achc/w640-h480/2F30F41C-665A-4C77-ACDA-5538F8BAD747.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pat O. and me before the start</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"> We made our way through a very quick inspection of our lighting, then got our control cards stamped and headed to the start box.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZVqULKl7T8ypVPIbRhGL4MNZFp8DKr0OFBRefkhmL6L235jXjyIud40q3YldHKq-eKGoB3pq2u_UJjfcwY77AtuqOZd6piRvdpUb7YYurO-9-7qS1D63i0k-Ww-a5X3NxGoWfuNwMBMRttNJxiK7sKDtTo8az2wnh-H8K7-nFniwSwt7HlAPeBV4F8U/s4032/BE1F0617-35E6-4048-A149-BC5D07ACC10D.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZVqULKl7T8ypVPIbRhGL4MNZFp8DKr0OFBRefkhmL6L235jXjyIud40q3YldHKq-eKGoB3pq2u_UJjfcwY77AtuqOZd6piRvdpUb7YYurO-9-7qS1D63i0k-Ww-a5X3NxGoWfuNwMBMRttNJxiK7sKDtTo8az2wnh-H8K7-nFniwSwt7HlAPeBV4F8U/w640-h480/BE1F0617-35E6-4048-A149-BC5D07ACC10D.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the start box</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">Anticipating a couple idle hours between leaving the hotel and starting the ride, I packed some Golden Oreos and cranberry juice on my bike to stay fueled and hydrated before the start. I finished half the cookies and all the cranberry juice and asked a fellow rider in the start box to hold my bike while I ran to a recycle bin to get rid of the bottle. I also had 4 energy bars on my bike to get me through the 120k to the food stop in Mortagne, only 2 of which I actually ate by then. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">The Ride:</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">At 6:30 PM, we were off.</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I hit a comfortable but swift pace as we headed west into a perfect sunset. </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The beginning/end of the route is fairly flat, but nothing else is.</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGxQ23TjDmVFUO7ATGUjcdnzySo79IsSrjQl35XB7rmthn8T4ZjRpYyrt2d4tEEeswviRYuXdzbZ0lHrdc90hV2pjjOMbg-oIKqynXvk-4-yA5_vgNZYvk6uhfMSlS65q9GbhMZdgJElA2Q_YBIdiJb7-IKAb3mY4GiL9vzRhgbCi1NBaYVJDNlnmRII/s4032/989C1FCD-2D79-4AB6-83B7-2DA2B3D7ABC6.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGxQ23TjDmVFUO7ATGUjcdnzySo79IsSrjQl35XB7rmthn8T4ZjRpYyrt2d4tEEeswviRYuXdzbZ0lHrdc90hV2pjjOMbg-oIKqynXvk-4-yA5_vgNZYvk6uhfMSlS65q9GbhMZdgJElA2Q_YBIdiJb7-IKAb3mY4GiL9vzRhgbCi1NBaYVJDNlnmRII/w640-h480/989C1FCD-2D79-4AB6-83B7-2DA2B3D7ABC6.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First hour of the ride</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">From time to time I was riding with Roger, but we stopped to get Roger a sandwich perhaps 2 hours into the ride (I wasn't hungry) and he said I could ride on. I didn't see him again for a while. I also saw Pat briefly after this stop, and saw him once more the next day. I was feeling very good and moving along smartly, passing hundreds of riders and only occasionally getting passed myself by fast-moving pace lines. I saw the first rider from the "J" wave that had started 15 minutes before us after an hour of riding , and successive earlier waves about every 30 minutes later, eventually finding 80 hour riders from A-E wave</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">s. </span></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">There was a Steely Dan playlist running in my head the entire ride: mostly Doctor Wu, </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">The Fez, and The Nightfly (OK, that one was a Donald Fagen solo).</span><div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I hit Mortagne at 11:25 PM, having already banked 3 hours time-in-hand after only 5 hours of riding. This would grow until my first Airbnb stop. I was shocked to find local rando Misha H. there as she is a powerful rider who started 45 minutes ahead of me. In retrospect, she was riding in a group of friends, some of whom probably started after her and maybe not as fast. I hope she didn't misinterpret my surprise as insinuating she was slow. I also chatted briefly with a very nice volunteer lady whose english was excellent. </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Following the first control (official check-in station) in Villaines (203K) I managed to get lost. 7k after the control, at 2:40 AM Monday, I was following 3 other riders (none of us using GPS...just follow the riders ahead of you!) who were following a large group of riders. Apparently the large group made the right turn in La Croix-Barbe but those in front of me (and I) did not see that and continued straight. About 2k later they stopped, sensing something was amiss, asked me if we were lost and if I had GPS, and turned back. I went along a little further before I was convinced that (1) I was off course (2) it was time to use GPS. I stopped in the village of La Chappelle Au Riboul to start it up. It was </span></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">weird: not a single light was on in the entire village and the sound of non-farm animals was everywhere.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXyMSj3aekGBFCvnPRSM4bnNVrr3FsBespJpQEdnxXKa-UP4RyjCn29gsXBbJbKs73epZTd6UYyHtrB8Dx2dbgGlSXTOMIA_FetPRYMAKYlOigkUDvLAY7fJ2PrGyqaipSZlDA8RgmNHnutfWLS44vcOkKbRHjmMk4GKaDIrNaY-M6apvxdK3f6qje-E/s986/9693CA91-707B-4A53-8731-EA8A7F43B1A7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="986" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXyMSj3aekGBFCvnPRSM4bnNVrr3FsBespJpQEdnxXKa-UP4RyjCn29gsXBbJbKs73epZTd6UYyHtrB8Dx2dbgGlSXTOMIA_FetPRYMAKYlOigkUDvLAY7fJ2PrGyqaipSZlDA8RgmNHnutfWLS44vcOkKbRHjmMk4GKaDIrNaY-M6apvxdK3f6qje-E/w640-h426/9693CA91-707B-4A53-8731-EA8A7F43B1A7.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Georgi S. found this photo of me on the Facebook page of photographer by Dom Vidom. Approaching Tinteniac Monday morning </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">The rest of the morning was uneventful and I continued moving along smartly, setting personal bests for 300k and 400k but no longer passing riders in droves. One thing I noticed was that, unlike 2019 when it seemed I got passed by droves of riders on every climb, I was hanging with the crowd. It also seemed like rider behavior was better than in 2019, although I could not believe one rider held out his arm to stop a car from passing him while he passed a slower rider ahead of him. Idiot! I sensed I was still in the "bulge". Controls had two food options: cafeteria-style with trays (long lines) or a quick grab-a-baugette-and-drink line that was very short. I mostly opted for the latter. I also noticed that learning some French had its limitations at controls because many of the volunteers came from other countries and spoke neither English or French. I was utterly unsuccessful in asking the medical staff at one control for a Band-Aid. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">It was getting very warm by noon, and I found myself in a small group of riders moving at my speed. At 1:23 PM I arrived at Le Billiac, about 6k short of the Loudeac control and the point for departing the official route for the Airbnb. I headed south down the D14 for Le Cheze, a </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">6k </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">downhill run through wind turbines and farmland to my small cottage, arriving at 1:37 PM. This was over 4 hours sooner than I arrived in Loudeac in 2019 and time-in-hand at this point was almost 10 hours.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">As I did last PBP, I hand washed my Severna Park Peloton (SPP) kit for the trip to the finish, hung it to dry, showered, and hit the sack. Rather than sleep away all my time-in-hand, I decided to just sleep </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">5 hours (more than double my sleep at this point in 2019),</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> saving some time for sleeping there on the return trip. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I departed at 8:17 PM in my spare kit and </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">was shocked to see a rider already headed to the finish right outside my Airbnb. I was 1/3 of the way around the course and he was already 2/3...just wow!</span></span></div><div><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.1px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">After the short ride to the Loudeac control (435k) I got a sausage baguette, fries, and drink with a rando from Minneapolis (Jonas?) I was very impressed with his French when ordering, he said he had lived once in France for 7 years. I saw Pat O. across the control on the other side of a barricade, but by the time I got around it to talk to him he had disappeared. The ride out of Loudeac into the setting sun was worth stopping for a photo:</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTAq4wtyZWItAG4rLvk9L9tZySnjB-X8-J7Gky19_IjyHd9nodMbG2C0ngujbE7lZbCC1HswsKeFHC-d2QxbY7xjuhQzMGrpOAlSYUuagm1VPda813xGNorMM4ZHpTalAEPH_KNdCrBFvLS23-vNkpLnTScL3XWF03vyOCNYZSasGJIYRI8lt5IlyZLU/s4032/F2FE2526-FA91-4A58-84A7-EA48B17B502E.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTAq4wtyZWItAG4rLvk9L9tZySnjB-X8-J7Gky19_IjyHd9nodMbG2C0ngujbE7lZbCC1HswsKeFHC-d2QxbY7xjuhQzMGrpOAlSYUuagm1VPda813xGNorMM4ZHpTalAEPH_KNdCrBFvLS23-vNkpLnTScL3XWF03vyOCNYZSasGJIYRI8lt5IlyZLU/w640-h480/F2FE2526-FA91-4A58-84A7-EA48B17B502E.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riders westbound from Loudeac Monday into the setting sun</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I hit a secret control in Canihuel (no services...just a quick stamp on the control card), just prior to the services at Saint Nicolas (482k). </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I hit the next control, Carhaix (514k), at 1:21 AM Tuesday which always seems to be packed in the evening. It was hard walking around the place with bodies strewn everywhere. Every square yard of floor space seemed to have a sleeping rider on it...you had to step over several just to get into the men's room.</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8iNwzzRljyeSIIy-_mXzgjYLQusim8KC7v-WanYWO8pp0iLV1j6Z1EaaaI53ktjWs1sdLl60oVBvGg-xc75H5GFSxPbiIWBw-ioPZUxgtpD_ZZzlU8kW7HxrxHssUEKbGVr25GP4K5YNWfk9FzBF6XI-ODOuncvpZ1KzZ7PELcE6lNs8vuv8tSIxV9EI/s4032/70230851-4B01-421B-BC7F-93422D6282A9.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8iNwzzRljyeSIIy-_mXzgjYLQusim8KC7v-WanYWO8pp0iLV1j6Z1EaaaI53ktjWs1sdLl60oVBvGg-xc75H5GFSxPbiIWBw-ioPZUxgtpD_ZZzlU8kW7HxrxHssUEKbGVr25GP4K5YNWfk9FzBF6XI-ODOuncvpZ1KzZ7PELcE6lNs8vuv8tSIxV9EI/w640-h480/70230851-4B01-421B-BC7F-93422D6282A9.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carnage at Carhaix. No more floor space indoors</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">From there it was on to Brest. For the only time this PBP I got so sleepy I thought I might fall asleep on the bike (this happened many times in 2019, causing me to ditch nap to clear my head). I knew this year the leg to Brest was not an out-and-back trip like 2019, but I thought the climb over the Roc'h Trevezel (highest point of the event) was on the return trip. So, for the second PBP, I summited the Roc'h without realizing I was doing so (the climb is more gentle than some would lead you to believe.) I was certainly climbing, towards a glowing white blob of light through a heavy fog that turned out to be a huge transmitting tower. Only after the descent into Sizun and seeing the Cafe du Centre that was my salvation on that freezing night in 2019 did I realize I'd gone over the Roc'h. </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> I got to Brest (604k) at 6:09 AM and tried to table nap because of my sleepiness enroute there, but by then I was no longer sleepy so I just took off on the return trip to Rambouillet. Unlike 2019, it was daylight when I crossed the Pont Albert Louppe bridge.</span></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTtmTiomwCp4eWjr7oRxhUl8vfmMxXhv4N3FNkbTriwHmjmzBpxQhdx_xqoq8XSullkdJCI3fNlGMx51C6s5e2AO1oAXECzpcO8eWQL1vKClgroWD9GLpFXMCcJ_T_Pprqp5-uXPHa5vPJIFKmpMhzcSAHLoOfP5a295ojn0UV2mL24kps8m4xx9Ekx4/s4032/9D90005E-37EF-477A-A07B-9D8066AE58DE.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTtmTiomwCp4eWjr7oRxhUl8vfmMxXhv4N3FNkbTriwHmjmzBpxQhdx_xqoq8XSullkdJCI3fNlGMx51C6s5e2AO1oAXECzpcO8eWQL1vKClgroWD9GLpFXMCcJ_T_Pprqp5-uXPHa5vPJIFKmpMhzcSAHLoOfP5a295ojn0UV2mL24kps8m4xx9Ekx4/w640-h480/9D90005E-37EF-477A-A07B-9D8066AE58DE.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuesday sunrise in Brest. Beginning the return trip</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The return trip back to the Airbnb outside Loudeac was the low point of the ride for me. Yeah, it was warm, but not as warm as Maryland or the previous month's RAGBRAI ride when the heat index was around 115F. Or maybe I was tired, or maybe it was my sore contact points, but decided that if my wife came alongside with my car and asked if I wanted a ride I'd abandon right there and then. For me the fun in this sport comes before and after the ride, not necessarily during, so I'm glad the option to abandon so easily was not available. At some point some French guy passed me on the right without warning and with very little room to do so. I was pissed..."That was dangerous! </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Dangereux!"</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">There was a new feed stop for 2023, Gouarec (731k), that had excellent baked goods for the riders (or maybe it was the secret control at Pleyben, I'm not sure). On my second pass Loudeac (782k) was a ghost town...I was clearly out of the bulge. I arrived at the Airbnb at 6:30 PM, a</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">t which point I had 42</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> hours to cover the final 435k. It was time to put on the brakes if I wanted to finish in Adrian Hands time. I didn't want to just ride slow, for that meant more time for the contact points on that torture machine that my bike was becoming. I also didn't want to fritter away all that extra time sitting in one place (how boring!), so it was time to start a series of short time-wasting stops. I started by sleeping</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> almost 7 </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">hours. </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">My hand-washed SPP kit that I had started the ride in was now dry and I put it back on. I had grabbed some food before stopping there so I had something to eat when I got up, and discovered my host had left some snacks as well.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nJQ324zdt5fLfarD5z1gpNHKxfFwjm8D-w6qRCAmncrUtrBXUn1WfaqyjATkXxeaPNMLnSkI5FPqkBlj0Njfwfi2pL2mNQBy2LPx87LApKAgLIM20jQbrbAsY6toD1xC_wY-meKWzxHNPh1HjWC_7sCngQglfWzz-wrzHy8PqSYZz35w0BnayeubKYM/s4032/63DE003F-116B-46D9-B1FF-3DCA4B9B9923_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nJQ324zdt5fLfarD5z1gpNHKxfFwjm8D-w6qRCAmncrUtrBXUn1WfaqyjATkXxeaPNMLnSkI5FPqkBlj0Njfwfi2pL2mNQBy2LPx87LApKAgLIM20jQbrbAsY6toD1xC_wY-meKWzxHNPh1HjWC_7sCngQglfWzz-wrzHy8PqSYZz35w0BnayeubKYM/w640-h480/63DE003F-116B-46D9-B1FF-3DCA4B9B9923_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Airbnb snacks. These were awesome. I ate all that my host had set out.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">I forgot a can of Coke I had put in the fridge. I hope my host enjoyed it.</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></div><div><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">I departed the Airbnb at 1:45 AM Wednesday with zero time-in-hand so as to make the control in Tinteniac by its 8:15 AM closure. Riders were rolling past me on the return route as soon as I stepped outside the door, which was quite energizing. </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.1px; text-align: left;"><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">During the night I found one large and lively roadside concession in Illifaut and spent some time there eating and drinking, and dancing a little to their stereo.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMftQXggIlE6JvnnLI8osSHYlQrSR2RmpN4ZmkS9wlnKIbPBaNepo4pEBLh3zMCe9pZvHLAHDnd-PdsudDefhBfDsx11TGwDvl3Mjkkuis_8vHO6J6fRn9pxqxKpTgaDIBQjWfPfDb9JBal51c00LSxO1j1GWN-4JY3Kz4QFpU17FxYEXvbJCAoHOvSs/s4032/46EFB68D-F761-4249-80AB-321073CB6A91.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMftQXggIlE6JvnnLI8osSHYlQrSR2RmpN4ZmkS9wlnKIbPBaNepo4pEBLh3zMCe9pZvHLAHDnd-PdsudDefhBfDsx11TGwDvl3Mjkkuis_8vHO6J6fRn9pxqxKpTgaDIBQjWfPfDb9JBal51c00LSxO1j1GWN-4JY3Kz4QFpU17FxYEXvbJCAoHOvSs/w640-h480/46EFB68D-F761-4249-80AB-321073CB6A91.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYq42gDujbkF_zA6ptg194N7xkzf100QR1dnpRnO0cnFqdBHYH4Vh1NdLDcSSqGc-bgrISYJJIagOpjaIg-vNboz1L3uT49vxmBGIVBYf41aNml0F5Ew-IP5mx1ldqrvNxFj1ur65plcGz5lAU_33cgJpsMsbtDZzlLqBU2WLnYEi-802iKvJGUUnQjjU/s4032/CFE5806D-002D-4B8D-A144-803C36A8329A.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYq42gDujbkF_zA6ptg194N7xkzf100QR1dnpRnO0cnFqdBHYH4Vh1NdLDcSSqGc-bgrISYJJIagOpjaIg-vNboz1L3uT49vxmBGIVBYf41aNml0F5Ew-IP5mx1ldqrvNxFj1ur65plcGz5lAU_33cgJpsMsbtDZzlLqBU2WLnYEi-802iKvJGUUnQjjU/w640-h480/CFE5806D-002D-4B8D-A144-803C36A8329A.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roadside in Illifaut, Wednesday 3:15 AM</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">It was followed by a beautiful sunrise</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtP6ccWWfYgfOTQ-2-N7n7qqxdatSQEDtF3wxvu77qAV93BOYOY4n48sJqJDE18BDFY7rUUiZry7AV_dww3rE-rWPQNj_WCXzIMYLS5lsG6Q7Tv3cmNM9KzfPDr-45ktq9XvvucGjF5UWpokgsj82DwD0NCiOn7W5uz0Re0NcgZXaPIwMMo09-d8tp_lE/s4032/C505F621-C4B4-422A-A4D3-0F676B0C25BC.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtP6ccWWfYgfOTQ-2-N7n7qqxdatSQEDtF3wxvu77qAV93BOYOY4n48sJqJDE18BDFY7rUUiZry7AV_dww3rE-rWPQNj_WCXzIMYLS5lsG6Q7Tv3cmNM9KzfPDr-45ktq9XvvucGjF5UWpokgsj82DwD0NCiOn7W5uz0Re0NcgZXaPIwMMo09-d8tp_lE/w640-h480/C505F621-C4B4-422A-A4D3-0F676B0C25BC.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wednesday sunrise, just before La Budorais</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">I made it to Tinteniac (867k) by 6:11 as day broke, and said hello to Misha in the line to get control cards stamped. Just before the next control, Fougeres, I heard someone yelling "Jack! This way!" It was super volunteer Shab Memar, directing the riders to a last-minute detour while snapping my photo.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3_1KOV7KTqfWqiZR0FKVAADj9gJsScdEOl6GvUcPsWE62vDHaAJXDx7mBhqL4Ud7_de1BnFUkzYJMBuwIi80GqEKmTj51k6IjsPpmalQSvFB8nDCLtSJ9ssjOgXMhy3-6FNWd6AAAYSwn1SAGrHKl-d8wE7hQEC5di_Cy1hy_kcLZu44ew0P1Ru97O4/s1402/D7FD2AF3-5D34-44BF-9C30-6ADA04C04613.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1402" data-original-width="1051" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3_1KOV7KTqfWqiZR0FKVAADj9gJsScdEOl6GvUcPsWE62vDHaAJXDx7mBhqL4Ud7_de1BnFUkzYJMBuwIi80GqEKmTj51k6IjsPpmalQSvFB8nDCLtSJ9ssjOgXMhy3-6FNWd6AAAYSwn1SAGrHKl-d8wE7hQEC5di_Cy1hy_kcLZu44ew0P1Ru97O4/w480-h640/D7FD2AF3-5D34-44BF-9C30-6ADA04C04613.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fougeres. Hello Shab!!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">I killed a little time in Fougeres (928k) having an extended snack, but left with </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">time-in-hand at </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">over 3 hours and increasing. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;">At 11 AM I stumbled upon the famous postcard stop in La Tanniere: free eats and drinks if you promise to send Paul a post card when you get home. I perused the USA section of his display and saw several familiar names from his 2019 collection.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18.6px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EMAQZk089l-P8IIGK0zSLR8jvhryhwhI8Kh3buSwd7bLtHFcCiH6uxYkh0cPHjddzy1EL_WwCwnpsctsCQjjSss4GDBXII48T8PPbJeMpwDgRZpxUH4NJS7SOzVpKY33thO5Xjj277hUh_fPWqvJRYC8x61cbV0F_oj_8Z5_zbzN0o6Ht5wlcfqp8Cc/s4032/037CBEE9-34E7-4F9F-95A0-57F813075059.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EMAQZk089l-P8IIGK0zSLR8jvhryhwhI8Kh3buSwd7bLtHFcCiH6uxYkh0cPHjddzy1EL_WwCwnpsctsCQjjSss4GDBXII48T8PPbJeMpwDgRZpxUH4NJS7SOzVpKY33thO5Xjj277hUh_fPWqvJRYC8x61cbV0F_oj_8Z5_zbzN0o6Ht5wlcfqp8Cc/w640-h480/037CBEE9-34E7-4F9F-95A0-57F813075059.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Tanniere. Free eats and drinks for a postcard when you get home</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">That killed some time. I hit some more roadside stops and two more were offering the same deal. At the last one there was a man and two little girls. I had 2 DC Randonneurs pins in my pocket (3 originally, but one got tossed accidentally with some wrappers from that pocket), and I presented them to the girls as a "Cadeau" (gift).</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Then I got more serious about killing time. There was a big party in the middle of Le Ribay, and I hung out there for 45 minutes eating a sandwich and plate of pasta and drinking a beer, which a local jokingly warned me wasn't good for me. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cNX7g6nYWKEMwtpASXKfLIEzjRXVjBG_VK7hHpPj2YZRZGXPsUIjk1UHs5Hle-71hoBn5_sjznosncV85ULMc2DOsG7p8kzH80GQqQRbhbThFaObe8lrsH-72ugeju3hvPFfkxdd5HOEhJpSqsauiRg5z3hMJpIQEsLZP-rNPMCQUGD_eXg0zoIn0hU/s4032/2A174CC7-2976-4A02-853E-4609EC4A973D.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cNX7g6nYWKEMwtpASXKfLIEzjRXVjBG_VK7hHpPj2YZRZGXPsUIjk1UHs5Hle-71hoBn5_sjznosncV85ULMc2DOsG7p8kzH80GQqQRbhbThFaObe8lrsH-72ugeju3hvPFfkxdd5HOEhJpSqsauiRg5z3hMJpIQEsLZP-rNPMCQUGD_eXg0zoIn0hU/w640-h480/2A174CC7-2976-4A02-853E-4609EC4A973D.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Party in Le Ribay</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Shortly before Villaines I ditch napped in a grassy spot under some shade trees with a bunch of other riders for 35 minutes.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Villaines (1017k) did not disappoint...the town always puts on quite a spectacle and makes you feel like you just finished a stage of the Tour de France. Live bands, what seems like the whole town there to greet you, a big festival. I saw Hamid there and he gave me the Band Aids that I had been looking for. I then napped on the lawn there with other riders, killing another hour there.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtWnxSoqNcKjAm9wHKBRETP44rAJBTdR0JdhzrSkRr1wqB9bvuoeCr0oWqsf-zpUPvd2856ool7jvwv7KXdXVvwL7Q8t7GaeB4wwrU0BqEMs-l7Bzd-SZUu1S2dw3B3lfmFVjnA2rIRIp8wmBhljTd-VgS9Q1ISU5mB5AcXqgxQyr2ezXCOLKTMb8iU8/s4032/56ED9362-72DB-4AAC-A869-D832B6FCD56D.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtWnxSoqNcKjAm9wHKBRETP44rAJBTdR0JdhzrSkRr1wqB9bvuoeCr0oWqsf-zpUPvd2856ool7jvwv7KXdXVvwL7Q8t7GaeB4wwrU0BqEMs-l7Bzd-SZUu1S2dw3B3lfmFVjnA2rIRIp8wmBhljTd-VgS9Q1ISU5mB5AcXqgxQyr2ezXCOLKTMb8iU8/w640-h480/56ED9362-72DB-4AAC-A869-D832B6FCD56D.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome Villaines</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">About halfway to the next control, Mortagne, I was passed by Misha and her "Party Train" of maybe 10 riders. Shortly thereafter, in the tiny village of Les Hautes Haies, I spotted the perfect spot for the next ditch nap: a grassy field surrounded by a hedgerow with just a small gap in it. No one would see me there. I went for it.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOGFFweOR_b2CwrKDy14ROoVRavt-6yFM52J6mKG9UsRVG8kuBaHUwJC2LhwnXi1fLLav40uEMhKSXsM6DEcu23CChrv1UEFFdXuuwhzK01FI19tqnmYUSzslhUCLZ6ym1ZLSjqOCAiB3jr0qrFNR-zQPa8nZJhqFzKKhAiX2HR0fsfxbi5DyOa1SPFI/s3088/C44DBFF6-EFBB-42C6-A474-9528DC8D14E1.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOGFFweOR_b2CwrKDy14ROoVRavt-6yFM52J6mKG9UsRVG8kuBaHUwJC2LhwnXi1fLLav40uEMhKSXsM6DEcu23CChrv1UEFFdXuuwhzK01FI19tqnmYUSzslhUCLZ6ym1ZLSjqOCAiB3jr0qrFNR-zQPa8nZJhqFzKKhAiX2HR0fsfxbi5DyOa1SPFI/w640-h480/C44DBFF6-EFBB-42C6-A474-9528DC8D14E1.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Les Hautes Haies. Actually, sometimes I DO sleep with my bike.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">I woke with a start, in the dark, thinking I overslept the next control. Adding to my panic I could not find my phone (to check the time) or wallet. I thought I left them on my front wheel, but after turning on my helmet light I found them right next to my head. I had been there for 2.5 hours but it was still not time for my alarm to go off. I got back onto the road and rolled into Mortagne (1099k) at 1:08 AM Thursday with only an hour and a half time-in-hand...excellent! Mortagne has best food. I had the same big plate of spaghetti that I had there in 2019 along with two cans of Orangina, and took my time eating. Being middle-of-the-night, the place was absolutely packed with bikes and floor sleepers like it was in Carhaix. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnUC0w3F3j7d45HVzp1uy8dEFnAzd_sglSAykpyJbPzHvSDPldMgQW-N14JJvd5W0ZVj3DqI1Np820hva-OK4dgEzkL7QKhviKeRimfPgx9pCzQNRxoglRXQ4lcshavlkw_OiEDaKl4ttuJ6soUO70X6TBBwiKc-2-u2yPCI-aN219SV2NwLdCfhkKP4/s4032/CABB47D9-AA3E-435C-B00B-E0F453ACA32A.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnUC0w3F3j7d45HVzp1uy8dEFnAzd_sglSAykpyJbPzHvSDPldMgQW-N14JJvd5W0ZVj3DqI1Np820hva-OK4dgEzkL7QKhviKeRimfPgx9pCzQNRxoglRXQ4lcshavlkw_OiEDaKl4ttuJ6soUO70X6TBBwiKc-2-u2yPCI-aN219SV2NwLdCfhkKP4/w640-h480/CABB47D9-AA3E-435C-B00B-E0F453ACA32A.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mortagne was packed </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">There were bodies everywhere, even one in a diarama by the front door! I did notice, however, that when I departed at 2 AM the bike racks had emptied out considerably.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">An hour and a half later I came upon a bunch of riders crowding around a tabac/bar </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;">in Neuilly Sur Eure called La Bonne Franquette, with an outdoor seating area next to it. It looked promising, and the Oranginas had worked their way through me, so I stopped in to check it out. It was a quite lively mix of both riders and locals.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkr0PC0MURggK09kO00jyCUMsZ4ZUuICtRdNv4nxJ_Scrhn-7uVAEsjpS2ykXHMrkc_ztiLgy6DCCCefKy-Cg_UJlIZWxt-pA1K6gDYZCegsw1Cu7bq0opVUA8yn4gouokCItooAPM7cfaFUjlBf0xSEp-CwGj64Wee74HUWAXb81CeSbkjaF3wsyGXbQ/s4032/FA8003F7-17BE-4851-858E-44584D42375A.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkr0PC0MURggK09kO00jyCUMsZ4ZUuICtRdNv4nxJ_Scrhn-7uVAEsjpS2ykXHMrkc_ztiLgy6DCCCefKy-Cg_UJlIZWxt-pA1K6gDYZCegsw1Cu7bq0opVUA8yn4gouokCItooAPM7cfaFUjlBf0xSEp-CwGj64Wee74HUWAXb81CeSbkjaF3wsyGXbQ/w640-h480/FA8003F7-17BE-4851-858E-44584D42375A.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Bonne Franquette in Neuilly Sur Eure.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">From there I found another roadside gathering in Senonches, very low-key, where I dozed in a chair for an hour.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">At some point I pulled off the route down a side road to gaze at the very black sky of the countryside, and found myself right next to a man/woman pair of cyclists doing the same thing. I only stayed a couple minutes and gave them back their privacy.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">I reached the penultimate control, Dreux (1176k), at 7 AM with 2 hours time-in-hand. I napped there for a while, then got up to eat some breafast - a huge and satisfying plate of scrambled eggs. While carrying the plate to the table Roger called me over. I hadn't seen him since the first 2 hours of the ride. After almost 2.5 hours in Dreux I couldn't stand to sit still any more. I said goodbye to Roger and headed out for the final 42k to the finish trying to hold my speed down (I only have 1 speed - "Ride Your Ride").</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">It was either before or after Dreux that I chatted with a Turkish rider for maybe 30 minutes. He was quite up on things in the U.S - space program, politics, the military - despite being a dentist. I was quite impressed the analytic abilities he displayed, I wish him the best in his quest for citizenship. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">On the way to the finish I was passed by a 3-bike pace line. The first rider snapped a photo of me, the second rider just rode, and there third said "He likes your (SPP) jersey." But apparently not enough to trade (I asked).</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7FjnrM5QJvOzj2Hh89qfphJRjhXmL7KI4rWPhPtQWIve-H1gTWjHALRv6SYAE5jdEDIWICoJZ004-Vyy63rf3HsdyMaW5a6ZGZBL9vavg0ezSbunzqNg7BH9KZcNlbtAAaN9W9-AYFmKZb9ykYjDZEhGGHguYbgAuT4ff134HWt8RsqcvWxx_bVX_0Y/s4032/37F5B298-87AC-4A29-9BD5-534777FF030F.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7FjnrM5QJvOzj2Hh89qfphJRjhXmL7KI4rWPhPtQWIve-H1gTWjHALRv6SYAE5jdEDIWICoJZ004-Vyy63rf3HsdyMaW5a6ZGZBL9vavg0ezSbunzqNg7BH9KZcNlbtAAaN9W9-AYFmKZb9ykYjDZEhGGHguYbgAuT4ff134HWt8RsqcvWxx_bVX_0Y/w480-h640/37F5B298-87AC-4A29-9BD5-534777FF030F.heic" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cockpit, near the finish. That's (1)218k on the odometer.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br />Finally we were in terminal homing. We were on the same road I'd ridden into Rambouillet on my scouting ride last week. There were 15k-10k-5k countdown markers on the road. I checked the time and it looked like I would finish 6 minutes into the Adrian Hands window, a safe margin to account for timing errors.</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh779--_bJNZXrZYQUKwHkDOBRwKoCLp8dE9z0gH7zjqr3I12RMvKWC7KBEcBwqmKY3BmVYb-r8Ka2aAzity6ecuicE4-u-ESxoWDDUn5tHDo2jA3qab-X1CUGqhTdSRcMxoQTleZv0cH7UhjqeRvRemTGYx0tEILOkf34MMg3j95gR4_2iGBrrf1ZY9qQ/s4032/34C88DB4-21C1-4507-B9AD-E9FC6C5CB8A5.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh779--_bJNZXrZYQUKwHkDOBRwKoCLp8dE9z0gH7zjqr3I12RMvKWC7KBEcBwqmKY3BmVYb-r8Ka2aAzity6ecuicE4-u-ESxoWDDUn5tHDo2jA3qab-X1CUGqhTdSRcMxoQTleZv0cH7UhjqeRvRemTGYx0tEILOkf34MMg3j95gR4_2iGBrrf1ZY9qQ/w640-h480/34C88DB4-21C1-4507-B9AD-E9FC6C5CB8A5.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish line in sight</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">I finished at 11:31 AM (89:01 after the start), and immediately checked my time on the rider tracker website. It showed me at 88:57...? What I had overlooked was my elapsed time started not at 6:30 PM on Sunday but 4 minutes later when I actually crossed the timing pad after hundreds of other riders in my wave. But happily I still finished in the time window I was shooting for. I got there final stamp on my control card and a finishers medal.</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPP8Vhs0W6hSMbOZcWTT3HJs_8ONzLh6l-1v_bdb1x2xK3kwoeq6PDm3rSCUux8lyrJJyY5wSZbFtQp7HPGmjn8iFeD6W0OZLAsaRSNo9nddRQl_eFtviCR3CvOvychaeyenKUfHpyDYzaXSocGNiqpViku6Mi25FcgdPkPd_Cm2Bu_LY-31uYBQzAwM/s4032/3ED8E7FF-7F56-4DEE-BD6A-00B49C861547_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPP8Vhs0W6hSMbOZcWTT3HJs_8ONzLh6l-1v_bdb1x2xK3kwoeq6PDm3rSCUux8lyrJJyY5wSZbFtQp7HPGmjn8iFeD6W0OZLAsaRSNo9nddRQl_eFtviCR3CvOvychaeyenKUfHpyDYzaXSocGNiqpViku6Mi25FcgdPkPd_Cm2Bu_LY-31uYBQzAwM/w640-h480/3ED8E7FF-7F56-4DEE-BD6A-00B49C861547_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGzYPGnCEQs42UjVwYn5JW1kxhLEFU_4WXDfyf7A5gwbXBqlUBAl8xxQeqLas9a43r2PIxFklWzi9Mafd6a5RyNgOTLKdMqXgvVodOA1SQstVgWEfaKj4CFowbTHMHjwecLrUAW4RvOcOinWikRuJ1aWgBOrM3JRT4NR1LFe-1kZlcmz8Q5e8F0Y90ec/s4032/51468C1D-2C1F-4135-BB09-E0B830944586_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGzYPGnCEQs42UjVwYn5JW1kxhLEFU_4WXDfyf7A5gwbXBqlUBAl8xxQeqLas9a43r2PIxFklWzi9Mafd6a5RyNgOTLKdMqXgvVodOA1SQstVgWEfaKj4CFowbTHMHjwecLrUAW4RvOcOinWikRuJ1aWgBOrM3JRT4NR1LFe-1kZlcmz8Q5e8F0Y90ec/w640-h480/51468C1D-2C1F-4135-BB09-E0B830944586_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHjqFV_Aig0T88kq9sEdL0UvU4_q2H8qk7TNCOwBuWI536v0rtpS_arJbQH2Tcp-ft-LCOR1aHRa44AoYTErc6WNjhXgwu5T1pyKoOZ-9-wM3lYGG5gs_0Jv2SBrgHsTska5bwNKy3RXIAu2PPFKhzQfv4_8P9YoDJ4jpb7tQB-ruiNoa5Gn2kmnA0PE/s4032/F7FFE9F2-707A-45CD-8BAA-7D9041C5C44F.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHjqFV_Aig0T88kq9sEdL0UvU4_q2H8qk7TNCOwBuWI536v0rtpS_arJbQH2Tcp-ft-LCOR1aHRa44AoYTErc6WNjhXgwu5T1pyKoOZ-9-wM3lYGG5gs_0Jv2SBrgHsTska5bwNKy3RXIAu2PPFKhzQfv4_8P9YoDJ4jpb7tQB-ruiNoa5Gn2kmnA0PE/w480-h640/F7FFE9F2-707A-45CD-8BAA-7D9041C5C44F.heic" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Done</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">I had almost 13 hours of "stopped" time out of the 34 hours since departing the Airbnb outside Loudeac. Like 2019, not once did my alarm have to wake me up...the body just knows you have to make the next control before it closes. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: medium;">I got in line for the free meal at the finish, but whereas in 2019 the food tent was empty for my 5 AM finish, it was now noon and the line was over 100 yards long and did not move for the 20 minutes I was in it. </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;">I bailed and then waited at the finish line for Roger, and he showed up a few minutes later.</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;"> Still hungry, I went</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;"> into town for a baguette and beer lunch and before catching the train back to my hotel. It started raining as I sat there at the same place that I had lunch a couple days ago, the only rain of the event. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Après:</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">I had a great 3 days of exploring Bayeux, Caen, and the Normandy beaches.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.1px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">I Ieft my passport at security screening at CDG. Fortunately I discovered this pretty quickly and, after a heart attack, got it back after about 5 minutes. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Notes for next time (2027):</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Maybe do the 84 hour start. I've either finished or shown I could have finished in under 84 hours twice now, so maybe see PBP from a different perspective with its early morning vice evening start.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Try to stay in the start/finish town of Rambouillet. I did this in 2019 and had an Airbnb there reserved for 2023 until it was sold, my reservation canceled, the Airbnb remodeled and the rate jacked up. Maurepas was fine, but very commercial and less accommodating. This would be really helpful for getting to the early-morning 84 hour start.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Same prep regimen. The 1000 miles/month and 300k training ride 2 weeks prior turned PBP from a challenge in 2019 into a very enjoyable ride. Many said this edition had much more climbing in it, but to me it felt much flatter than 2019 (when I felt unprepared for the continuously hilly terrain.)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Again take food and drinks for the pre-start waiting period, and maybe up the energy bars from 4 to 8. I only needed 2 to get to the first feed stop (maybe because of the pre-ride food/drink), but after all 4 were gone I kind of wished I had a few more. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;">Make that jersey a 2XL or 3XL. I'm actually an M, but this is some whole other sizing system. </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.1px;"><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.1px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 18.59px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18.6px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p><br style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;" /></p><div dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">Jack</div></div></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-3113720935518518732022-10-14T07:44:00.042-07:002022-11-24T02:44:26.693-08:00Ride Across Britain (RAB) 2022<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHWBTetR38SwcZryQdzlKqBek2TRe1aPNg8yWIGXGunPOKzX5E1SHt6bXvKClCl_ObF9TF92ZZiAuvdkBFeR-T4-dY8lD2djfSycO7IFMmvUDvkv4D9RGyrWshRtnS8Imn7ZuSGGBH_kKAFhlC9vklBL_AAHyDDFRdRz0TjCBk2XT8EYWeuRtqtSv8/s1011/5D2463AC-4DB5-490F-A430-01D853D45702.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHWBTetR38SwcZryQdzlKqBek2TRe1aPNg8yWIGXGunPOKzX5E1SHt6bXvKClCl_ObF9TF92ZZiAuvdkBFeR-T4-dY8lD2djfSycO7IFMmvUDvkv4D9RGyrWshRtnS8Imn7ZuSGGBH_kKAFhlC9vklBL_AAHyDDFRdRz0TjCBk2XT8EYWeuRtqtSv8/w486-h640/5D2463AC-4DB5-490F-A430-01D853D45702.jpeg" width="486" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <b><span style="font-family: times;">No, it was not a randonneuring event. I thought it was much better.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">My original plan for this year’s “Big Ride” was London-Edinburgh-London (LEL), which I had done in 2017. In fact, my motivation for attempting the 2021 edition of the Colorado High Country 1200k was to give me enough 1200k’s for guaranteed entry into LEL. I found additional motivation when LEL was lengthened from 1400k to 1500k, in order to actually ride through Edinburgh proper (instead of turning back towards London in the suburbs in sight of downtown Edinburgh as it did in 2017). However, while pre-riding DC Randonneurs 2021 600k, Mike W. told me about Ride Across Britain (RAB)</span><span style="font-family: times;">. Sometime in the fall I decided to switch to RAB as a less grueling, more enjoyable option. Ride the length of Great Britain as a one-way trip, 100 miles a day instead of 200, full night’s sleep (albeit in a tent), catered meals, good services, lots of time in Scotland, all good.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><div><span class="s1" style="font-size: 18.59px;">There were 3 of us from D.C. Randonneurs registered. David R. (a native son who had done it before), Theresa F., and myself. Mike had to drop out, deferring his ride to the next time it's held (scheduled for 2024). Just before the ride we found out that John M. and his wife Cindy also signed up, sort of at the last minute.</span></div><div><span class="s1" style="font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span><span class="s1" style="font-size: 18.59px;">Logistics is always a challenge on big rides…moving 100 pounds of kit to the start, getting it to the finish, then back home again. The first leg was flying to the UK. British Airways has a once-daily flight out of BWI and a resonable luggage policy for bikes: a boxed bike counted as just a second piece of ordinary luggage ($90 each way, call BA at least 48 hours prior). After landing in Heathrow, Enterprise one-way car rental to Penzance, the nearest town/rental car outlet to the start. I considered rail travel, but it would have involved waiting over 12 hours for the train to depart London and it wasn’t clear that you could travel with a bike box. From Penzance to the start at Lands End a taxi that Theresa had been booked in advance (they tend to be in demand by riders). Getting from the start to the finish in this one-way event involved riding the bike there and booking with the RAB-affiliated European Bike Express (EBE) to ferry the bike box. Carriage of a bag was included in the event, but as an “international rider” who had to move both his event and non-event items </span><span style="font-size: 18.59px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.59px;">during the ride </span><span style="font-size: 18.59px;">(mostly clothing for travel), I purchased an extra weight allowance from EBE and packed everything in a very large/heavy bag that the organizers moved every day. At the finish you were reunited with your bike box, so after packing your bike in the box international riders had themselves and all their stuff bussed/trucked to Inverness by service purchased from EBE. My original plan was to rent a car in Inverness and do a scenic drive to Edinburgh for some touring before flying home from there, but events precluded that and I flew home from Inverness, with a connecting flight at Heathrow.</span></div><div><span class="s1" style="font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span><span class="s1" style="font-size: 18.59px;">I also needed some new equipment. Getting the bag was a challenge. It needed to be big (could be up to 120 liters, a bag metric that was new to me), waterproof (it would spend much time outdoors in damp/rainy conditions), and should have shoulder straps for ease of carrying. After much research, several “out of stock” experiences, and one purchase that never shipped and had to be disputed I found the 110 liter, waterproof, “Bills Bag” from NRS that met all the requirements. Since it could not be locked I bought some chain from Home Depot and devised a way to lock it with a TSA lock. I also needed an air mattress, and purchased the Alpkit Dumo after seeing several glowing recommendations on the RAB rider forum. It had an internal manual inflation pump that made it super easy to set up every day and was quite comfortable. Everything else was in hand from previous events.</span></div><div><span class="s1" style="font-size: 18.59px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;">I wasn’t sure how to prepare for 9 consecutive 100 mile days. I'd ridden the total distance before, but in half that many days. The number of days was only new aspect, so the potential problem area seemed to be the saddle. I tried to not take any lengthy absences from the bike seat and just tried to ride as much as possible, throwing in some hilly stuff as well. I ended up doing over 1200 miles during the month prior. I also planned to do several 200k's in the last 2 weeks prior, but life happens. In the end, there were no saddle issues but I could have benefitted from being better ready for climbs (recurring deficiency). The only physical effect of the ride was a tenderness between my right ankle and achilles that lasted for several weeks that seemed to start on days of steep and extended climbing.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, as was so successful for LEL, I spent much time on Google Streetview, familiarizing myself with the key parts of the drive from Heathrow to Penzance (hotel, gas stations, rental car facility, and walk back to hotel). A virtual trip through key interchanges was very helpful preparation for the drive. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Travel to RAB</b></span></div></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The packout went fine, except I was surprised how full my 110 liter bag got so I had to leave some bulky clothing behind to make it all fit. In retrospect, I should have had lighter items such as hiking pants instead of jeans, fewer non-ride clothes, and perhaps a less bulky sleeping bag.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I met Theresa at BWI, and thanks to the Apple Air Tag Clint P. loaned me I could ensure that my bike box made it onto the plane. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EYOW0okswJhX_vqieTv_zeRuHGKn48BjmCzo8r9PDDBJ7pnYQ2Nf5BHjevfnmrq8KNikahSX_uEe_krYkkBxG8ehun-w9q1aMQBmWV0yW0O1lMKweYmSMpOaqtx_ClCcPjyQlK2uHE_xSQNHQMAZMPC2uKKngPfp6_VcKCe47TRGzch4s7V-czEc/s634/A2C7C87D-90FC-41C1-B5B5-2E92897C75DC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="599" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EYOW0okswJhX_vqieTv_zeRuHGKn48BjmCzo8r9PDDBJ7pnYQ2Nf5BHjevfnmrq8KNikahSX_uEe_krYkkBxG8ehun-w9q1aMQBmWV0yW0O1lMKweYmSMpOaqtx_ClCcPjyQlK2uHE_xSQNHQMAZMPC2uKKngPfp6_VcKCe47TRGzch4s7V-czEc/w604-h640/A2C7C87D-90FC-41C1-B5B5-2E92897C75DC.jpeg" width="604" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The bike is moving towards the plane...I feel better</b></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I made it a point to sleep through the entire flight because we had a long drive after we landed, with the added complication that it had been years since driving on the left side of the road, or with a manual transmission. We had to wait a while for a rental car shuttle, then wait longer for one big enough to carry our two bike boxes. The rental car office was chaos, and Theresa figured out you had to collar one of the employees running around outside the office in order to get a car. He helped us load up the car, which was bigger than the one I reserved, and off we went down the M4 westbound. Theresa mostly slept for the first half of the 6 hour drive to Penzance, while I fought off occasional bouts of drowsiness. Shortly after we hopped from the M4 to the M5 we stopped in Bridgewater to get a Costa coffee, and I got a pasty to eat. Both of which made the rest of the trip a snap. Along the way we got word that David R. had to drop out of the event because of a family issue, and that Queen Elizabeth was having some health issue.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Although we had the rental car for 24 hours we wanted to return it by the end of the day, but the office closed at 5PM and time was tight. We stopped at Morrisons in Penzance for an $83 tank of gas, then to the rental car office to see if they had after-hours drop off (they didn't). So we dropped Theresa and all our stuff at our hotel (Premier Inn), then I drove to the rental car office and arrived at 4:57. It had rained most of the day, and it was a mile and a half walk back to the hotel, so I carried my small backpack on the walk along the Southwest Coast Path back to the city centre. I noticed thick blackberry bushes along the path, and asked a lady walking her dogs to confirm that's what they were. During the following days we rode past/feasted off hundreds of miles of these bushes:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkKkOkJfSa6THntIjvulLpxA5znqn6MEX9H6qqeFMQHnpjDjZRiKSZN2_lVfdEs8Hn1ErZYTZSeCeGeddU7sPKAai6ygN-0kXdMbkD14GQX4kmmkdHHhA2LWGW7kDA-4cG6CJgfspjZOMZv4IEhbBjHPxzctt21HQUP9PMzQ0ef7aQ82N8fkeezmC/s4032/6D85741C-62EE-44EE-B9AA-939AEAE69D6A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkKkOkJfSa6THntIjvulLpxA5znqn6MEX9H6qqeFMQHnpjDjZRiKSZN2_lVfdEs8Hn1ErZYTZSeCeGeddU7sPKAai6ygN-0kXdMbkD14GQX4kmmkdHHhA2LWGW7kDA-4cG6CJgfspjZOMZv4IEhbBjHPxzctt21HQUP9PMzQ0ef7aQ82N8fkeezmC/w640-h480/6D85741C-62EE-44EE-B9AA-939AEAE69D6A.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><p>About that time the skies opened up and, despite my jacket in my backpack, I got soaked from the waist down and so did the items in my backpack, including my battery pack and GPS. I could hear water sloshing around inside my GPS. This was not surprising, the waterproof seals on it had been failing for a while.</p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>David had made 6:30 dinner reservations at the Old Lifeboat House Bistro, and Theresa and I showed up without him, me wearing shower shoes (my only dry non-bike shoes). It was there that we heard of the Queen's passing. We had an outside table, but after we ordered it started raining and, fortunately, the hostess had held an inside table for us. We ended up next to a couple from Wisconsin with whom we compared travel plans. They screwed up Theresa's order and brought her some mushroom dish by mistake. It looked great, so I ate it along with my entree. Afterwards we wandered around town and ultimately ended up at the Tremenheere, a Wetherspoon property (a chain famous for their economically-priced yet tasty</span><span> ales - pints for 2 GBP). The rest of the evening was spent finally getting my phone’s roaming service working, getting my stuff from Theresa's room (there since the quick rental car drop-off), and trying to dry my wet stuff with a hair dryer or hanging it up.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Check-in Day: 9 September</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The following morning I got up and continued drying my shoes (now wearable) and clothes from the day before. It seemed that my battery pack had dried some, as it (mostly) came back to life. Theresa and I kicked around Penzance, at low tide, </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObZ6ldtqR_22Xk5hmlj2XQWQREqQ8z431ebluS6-_2CN63yFSbFrxzDNYeB1SBanzCjOxoQJ2QQ2PIBOk6Xb0TxWoOxbl0rElGDqOo25pxNWgsbnYJhws3z2Nc_-1ciasEOPsFreVtiG28HyRsVFIf3QVIiBcnzvsHROZYFw5LlzjW-tr9LtqCWBz/s4032/9B4E445B-D3DB-437D-85A0-21DC73258E51.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObZ6ldtqR_22Xk5hmlj2XQWQREqQ8z431ebluS6-_2CN63yFSbFrxzDNYeB1SBanzCjOxoQJ2QQ2PIBOk6Xb0TxWoOxbl0rElGDqOo25pxNWgsbnYJhws3z2Nc_-1ciasEOPsFreVtiG28HyRsVFIf3QVIiBcnzvsHROZYFw5LlzjW-tr9LtqCWBz/w640-h480/9B4E445B-D3DB-437D-85A0-21DC73258E51.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">hitting Costa Coffee, </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">another pasty place, a pastry place, and others. There was a big geothermal pool near the coast, and a pub called the Boatshed that included parts of old sailing ships in its structure. </span></div></span></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvfBrhmz5XtwWyTfl5s1TEoyGUBDL79pANK3XlxTF_7aDV4omJU1WtVoEKDJWzLP-6TCKypnfK66WwPIhLG7AuD2UzscRfE8Vxp8LU4t2ZVa0ZgqJKRuFdklaGsHCm8qunZCUMJcMLcK4rS55ygMXg1vlghLPxupkcVc-oYmEJ498GEs5cFCcyPan/s4032/A3C7FF86-EE16-4125-9DF9-149CCFABE074.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvfBrhmz5XtwWyTfl5s1TEoyGUBDL79pANK3XlxTF_7aDV4omJU1WtVoEKDJWzLP-6TCKypnfK66WwPIhLG7AuD2UzscRfE8Vxp8LU4t2ZVa0ZgqJKRuFdklaGsHCm8qunZCUMJcMLcK4rS55ygMXg1vlghLPxupkcVc-oYmEJ498GEs5cFCcyPan/w640-h480/A3C7FF86-EE16-4125-9DF9-149CCFABE074.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><b>That main ceiling beam was a sailing ship mast</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I considered buying a new battery pack at a cell phone store, and did buy a pair of lightweight waterproof pants at an outdoor store in case it was rainy in base camp, but I ended up never wearing them. We checked out of the hotel at noon and stored our stuff with the hotel until our taxi showed up at 1400 to take us to the first base camp, at Lands End. Base camps opened at 1400 daily.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The first order of business was to pick up our registration packets and put all the tags on our things (bike, bike box, bag) and wristbands on ourselves.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-boJFM_CENqzmnSW5qoCWFgiqvB_lpctiunUkmkH_U6Lj3vfJ4izlDLR0iFG6MsWft7QfU13NqV6VcqEyH2akDD8UEtyac6fW6ipDH5ksBtz5WP_pwzYlEEFDyoXfFvUMJAmVgLIv7rUNA9MYdyNgcXKRrLYmTThrHhENWOzuWMFw-_U6gQa0iZF/s4032/2A989657-3AC7-4AB6-A75A-8529FB9CF988.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-boJFM_CENqzmnSW5qoCWFgiqvB_lpctiunUkmkH_U6Lj3vfJ4izlDLR0iFG6MsWft7QfU13NqV6VcqEyH2akDD8UEtyac6fW6ipDH5ksBtz5WP_pwzYlEEFDyoXfFvUMJAmVgLIv7rUNA9MYdyNgcXKRrLYmTThrHhENWOzuWMFw-_U6gQa0iZF/w480-h640/2A989657-3AC7-4AB6-A75A-8529FB9CF988.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />The top wristband in the above photo provided identification and your subgroup (red, yellow, green, blue, or purple) and was used most often to get your bike, which was tagged with the same number, out of the guarded corral. You got the orange wristband if you purchased the laundry service (collected after day 2, 4, and 6 and returned the next morning) and identified your laundry bag. The bottom band was your tent number in your subgroup, assigned by sequence of arrival. The number, and hence that paper band, changed every day - having that number on your wrist came in handy.</span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The second order of business was to build your bike and turn in your bike box. Fortunately the weather was nice, otherwise building your bike outdoors would have been difficult/miserable:</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JJfU3Tv2o6XKxqoBmuJs8FBfSz0PUmkD3PyoiXDkZsPXmtP_xm1hAMsFntjphSN2VlUuKEp2LaRPITTuUIrnHBg91s5QLKd4Y4jE-IEcvyD8-53_2Q8eQkAaTJPJex-M9UehQvRUYNaePbDTrRsRCug50YvYk8hi3eWOOpR54INJITWJ6r87AFDb/s4032/10C12AD9-3763-4877-8F07-286F2A82B6A5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JJfU3Tv2o6XKxqoBmuJs8FBfSz0PUmkD3PyoiXDkZsPXmtP_xm1hAMsFntjphSN2VlUuKEp2LaRPITTuUIrnHBg91s5QLKd4Y4jE-IEcvyD8-53_2Q8eQkAaTJPJex-M9UehQvRUYNaePbDTrRsRCug50YvYk8hi3eWOOpR54INJITWJ6r87AFDb/w640-h480/10C12AD9-3763-4877-8F07-286F2A82B6A5.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We were literally at land's end, camped on a bluff with our backs against the Atlantic:<br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkb1mVruCC2KEqDr9q0OIWmcInQNpRM2hy5dfC-gm2mkUEbzUcQ8m7GunLr9Az1d6kcVZDzH71zFuPQxhjrYHGnD9O9vJqeUlhpjKQuPEcWMjnmVm7tsSHrdyaDDaSMRMgGvWi7oHwKVcg79SZyiGD2rUVtGlvTfG4lzf-zxjJl0HwshXe8beI2E5/s4032/98466FD4-0988-4412-9443-AE40FF78C370.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkb1mVruCC2KEqDr9q0OIWmcInQNpRM2hy5dfC-gm2mkUEbzUcQ8m7GunLr9Az1d6kcVZDzH71zFuPQxhjrYHGnD9O9vJqeUlhpjKQuPEcWMjnmVm7tsSHrdyaDDaSMRMgGvWi7oHwKVcg79SZyiGD2rUVtGlvTfG4lzf-zxjJl0HwshXe8beI2E5/w640-h480/98466FD4-0988-4412-9443-AE40FF78C370.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Each rider had a 2-person tent, one side for you and one side for all your stuff. Here's my "Bill's Bag" (all 50 pounds of it), my Camelbak. and my laundry bag, in front of my tent (red 26) for the night before the ride started.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpqQqwLeGMmn4n0otKemdNPX9Err1brK-WAVhVdKFl38zYuMiV3cpBoGZtPU5JdPO-0hBqMuNBJf-2vMkVkw8p7yTlkArIw6oPQOQL3_Lw3F4C2luwpsQCr8mfr9O4RkUO3sEcwrEOK8UjpB_ZtUtcOrYiTJXW_qGXSU8zPbSwhQUMvWM7z6JTqm3/s4032/861866E7-5D55-4611-A105-83DFFECE08EC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpqQqwLeGMmn4n0otKemdNPX9Err1brK-WAVhVdKFl38zYuMiV3cpBoGZtPU5JdPO-0hBqMuNBJf-2vMkVkw8p7yTlkArIw6oPQOQL3_Lw3F4C2luwpsQCr8mfr9O4RkUO3sEcwrEOK8UjpB_ZtUtcOrYiTJXW_qGXSU8zPbSwhQUMvWM7z6JTqm3/w480-h640/861866E7-5D55-4611-A105-83DFFECE08EC.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Theresa and I took a walk to the actual tip of land, and found a lady there painting a landscape scene. The "main venue" of each day's base camp was a big tent that held all 600 riders and 150 staff, where dinner and breakfast were served, the nightly 8:00 brief was held, the ~400-connection charging station was located, and where the pub was moved when we got up to the colder north . It was in here, on the evening we checked in that we saw King Charles address the nation following the passing of Queen Elizabeth. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOq1A6Zns_5jpnkl-_od7sjI-WFwG7UfwMpwicz_IhqCq0yQZe911mUMFkBfytXUCQVPQ-ITW8zMFfcdAGgTr4YXvnA5x6bZc--gP1dBTyB8v_vH7mk_-s536m4MV8936c5aVM-CMK3NEykqcLzPRQLqiByOVWH-s19iy5BzvH2Ifg5hwke5J1bMc/s4032/574CAB4D-F79C-4E46-8524-1F2148743F54.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOq1A6Zns_5jpnkl-_od7sjI-WFwG7UfwMpwicz_IhqCq0yQZe911mUMFkBfytXUCQVPQ-ITW8zMFfcdAGgTr4YXvnA5x6bZc--gP1dBTyB8v_vH7mk_-s536m4MV8936c5aVM-CMK3NEykqcLzPRQLqiByOVWH-s19iy5BzvH2Ifg5hwke5J1bMc/w640-h480/574CAB4D-F79C-4E46-8524-1F2148743F54.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Other amenities included a bank of trailer-mounted flush restrooms:<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWUVkMmZ07xYcA3cWqtdF_KfmHlbtS9wNB1RjgYIXSy2G6wOYGffUGq9_5EwUTWjIWxMeq5HV_gc-rPTLZxqwawYIFQ-8msBvM4D_3MDzXXHou5IFLlAzYL9WAXTGPvGjXv4J5q2p8j6a9dFrBx4EHUV1Tt3OC6hpdA6eUZPTD0cuIGN3FkLMXgwq/s4032/C3EE3E9D-F5B2-4864-A132-3D2E97214BE5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWUVkMmZ07xYcA3cWqtdF_KfmHlbtS9wNB1RjgYIXSy2G6wOYGffUGq9_5EwUTWjIWxMeq5HV_gc-rPTLZxqwawYIFQ-8msBvM4D_3MDzXXHou5IFLlAzYL9WAXTGPvGjXv4J5q2p8j6a9dFrBx4EHUV1Tt3OC6hpdA6eUZPTD0cuIGN3FkLMXgwq/w640-h480/C3EE3E9D-F5B2-4864-A132-3D2E97214BE5.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And great shower rooms:<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnqjCIIlqinba41ECYT1uzNyWNHwd1-GUvuuURAJPDsy1bhYijjV_jLn8tLXTgxmtuHR3g2OEWo6aWw2rcy4sE6d-mUKjN7fqsgNeBuLJ8jMIM6VUbC4EPHm0kPo25JzfRdAgkGeBbUeWMQY-Fz9lQkjjW6JeWunzgFFMfopEAM711Lr_rI6xThW_/s4032/9BFDE098-C858-42D4-947A-83445E42AC69.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnqjCIIlqinba41ECYT1uzNyWNHwd1-GUvuuURAJPDsy1bhYijjV_jLn8tLXTgxmtuHR3g2OEWo6aWw2rcy4sE6d-mUKjN7fqsgNeBuLJ8jMIM6VUbC4EPHm0kPo25JzfRdAgkGeBbUeWMQY-Fz9lQkjjW6JeWunzgFFMfopEAM711Lr_rI6xThW_/w640-h480/9BFDE098-C858-42D4-947A-83445E42AC69.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>I pumped up my air mattress fully and went to bed in street clothes, on top of my sleeping bag (it wasn't cold). My bedding was a bit too hard, I found that putting just enough air in the mattress to prevent much bodily contact with the ground was best, although one night I decided to just use the mattress as a pillow (instead of my non-ride clothes in a pillow case) and sleep on the hard ground. That was also comfortable. I slept on one side with all my junk piled on the other side. Near my head was what I needed to put on in the morning: kit, shoes, helmet, and glasses (in my helmet, to protect them in case someone tripped and fell onto my tent). And in a clear spot next to me went my phone and head lamp, things I might need in the middle of the night. Perhaps it was the generators powering the portable light poles, or perhaps it was my lack of any real effort that day, but I didn't get to sleep until maybe 2300, just after they shut down the generators.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Day 1: 10 September</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The first day of riding was billed to be the hardest based on there total amount of climbing (~9000 feet), so the 1-hour start window would open at 0630. I set an alarm for 0500, but was awakened at 0440 by a cacophony of zippers from the tents all around me. Zippers on sleeping bags, zippers on tents, duffel bags, jackets, jerseys, shaving kits...zippers, zippers, zippers! I got up and stepped out of my tent. It was very wet from dew and ocean mist (not rain), but dry inside the tent as it was of double-walled construction that eliminated the usual "wet inside walls" experience. I got back in my tent and started packing my bag. This was my first time packing my bag outside of my home or hotel room, and wasn't sure how long this going to take in that tight, dark space. Once done, I realized my headlamp was still on my head - and it was essential for operations inside the dark tent. You kind of couldn't pack it in the bag because you needed it to pack the bag, so I just got into the habit of carrying it in my Camelbak every day. Later I saw Theresa and said I'd see her at breakfast, sitting near the door to the big tent to maximize fresh air (COVID concern). However, once inside, I noticed the two large air ducts that supplied outside air to the tent and had breakfast in the airstream coming out of one of those. Breakfast was excellent every day - full English breakfast, croissants, and so much more that I never touched. On later mornings I would either eat breakfast at the end of the tent opposite the serving line, where I was away from others, or outside the tent (where I ate most dinners and listened to the nightly brief). I also saw John and Cindy for the first time that morning. They were not staying in tents at base camp, they were on the "plus" plan that featured hotel accommodations every night. Before the start of the ride we heard that 3 bikes had been stolen from the corral around 0445, as the staff were transitioning from guarding the bikes to checking rider ID's when retrieving their bikes, a first in the history of RAB. Those riders were quickly provided with loaner bikes.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>On most days riders were throttled onto the local roads in waves of ~30 every couple minutes. Here is the start for day 1:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDDfOyOSicJx3VWlF7oMyl72JqdwUQro8K0Yb6yUqK1FOk2--W2zuU-I0eSu76EY_KxPsfxj-nVSjCLILmdsGgWaTXdxJGcq48bu0z-28osCBSU-zenZ1N-_mkzO6nytYiXWU3W7qB33LLKb--HmxjFebtvAVh3xjhPuFfDqHXHse8Z7NClPsTr_f/s4032/32E79A32-D539-44C1-B83C-E53380444B99.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDDfOyOSicJx3VWlF7oMyl72JqdwUQro8K0Yb6yUqK1FOk2--W2zuU-I0eSu76EY_KxPsfxj-nVSjCLILmdsGgWaTXdxJGcq48bu0z-28osCBSU-zenZ1N-_mkzO6nytYiXWU3W7qB33LLKb--HmxjFebtvAVh3xjhPuFfDqHXHse8Z7NClPsTr_f/w640-h480/32E79A32-D539-44C1-B83C-E53380444B99.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Day 1 certainly lived up to its billing...very little of Cornwall and the part of Devon we rode through was flat. Lots of steep, but short, climbs and descents. It dawned on me pretty quickly that this was a younger crowd than in my U.S. randonneuring experience. Average age was maybe 35-40. As happened last year, one rider came down one descent a little too hot and won himself an air ambulance ride. But it wasn't the "toughest day of the ride" in my opinion. The first landmark of the ride was St. Michael's Mount, just north of Penzance. Sort of a British counterpart to Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France. Most riders stopped for a photo at the first opportunity, but I didn't like how it was silhouetted by the rising sun. I rode a bit longer for a better angle for lighting:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxSFUqub1Hny45AoMBBcgFAYUZ1y6VyzntP76Dw-EOH6Zhu8PiolhWr2mmTvzfXXdM36DlzQHb6o_q5s2IJ7qLlX6BsLUF748He1dv5kBk82We7EmKoRauZShX5-FZJbsbbTNy4fIhacDpAQOUxsb9WCzz5koaRPK-JWdWiM3DxLwAz6cV1oP-RK5g/s1152/5901BFCE-C763-46D0-A08A-00D1556B0C3D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="1152" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxSFUqub1Hny45AoMBBcgFAYUZ1y6VyzntP76Dw-EOH6Zhu8PiolhWr2mmTvzfXXdM36DlzQHb6o_q5s2IJ7qLlX6BsLUF748He1dv5kBk82We7EmKoRauZShX5-FZJbsbbTNy4fIhacDpAQOUxsb9WCzz5koaRPK-JWdWiM3DxLwAz6cV1oP-RK5g/w640-h404/5901BFCE-C763-46D0-A08A-00D1556B0C3D.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>In England it seemed we spent most of our time on narrow country lanes between hedgerows, which made for some cozy moments when encountering motor vehicles (which was a frequent occurrence):<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEOxuWsWAjyXIZI1IUNiKcB3TKLyNU7UX-X9AjW65D_Tuk0bafYbbPyngryyhoTEy8i7aNcsxVuxy6Z1P46B3EdQRpqJ_X9C4q42xZQmlPz7gVcSJG_EVAFbKvzMPOdzmh18hvEf933NwVEu9dZI0eyCP18uRn4FeJn38Y63nh4kA-tVbhEiUsR7c/s4032/177CC832-0657-47D8-9EF3-94A16B834E82.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEOxuWsWAjyXIZI1IUNiKcB3TKLyNU7UX-X9AjW65D_Tuk0bafYbbPyngryyhoTEy8i7aNcsxVuxy6Z1P46B3EdQRpqJ_X9C4q42xZQmlPz7gVcSJG_EVAFbKvzMPOdzmh18hvEf933NwVEu9dZI0eyCP18uRn4FeJn38Y63nh4kA-tVbhEiUsR7c/w640-h480/177CC832-0657-47D8-9EF3-94A16B834E82.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div>My GPS, still wet from 2 days prior, would not power up. I tried charging it from my dynohub but immediately got a screen I'd never seen before telling me to stop charging it. Later, it spontaneously powered up, attempt to boot, and shut itself down, and did this repeatedly before it finally stayed up long enough to attempt to navigate with it (fail) or record the ride (successful). Perhaps bouncing around on the bike shook the water out of the right places for a while. But, by the end of the day it died for the last time, never to operate again. The battery pack was flaky. It would charge to a certain percentage, then seemingly stop charging, but it seemed to then charge the phone OK.</div><div><br /></div><div>About that time we hit the first pit stop of the event. These were generally at the 1/3 and 2/3 points each day: </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbwFF61ovxaU8qjqP1yyYTERtTVZcyUBDP2fALXL8eAu9RwB15ME9QCHf2OFQTrSXtgAxCxB4zTOgRyRIeyap9VghTqHglR82y9XkGS235ow5_w9jlrcZ6JC7KhiHulpP5BVjRqPGK1KqmJmT-JBT1F1T4x6O1MPNua62Fxl8dKXg98_J_G8Afb-C/s4032/8ED19216-0E67-41B7-B215-864215B67DCC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbwFF61ovxaU8qjqP1yyYTERtTVZcyUBDP2fALXL8eAu9RwB15ME9QCHf2OFQTrSXtgAxCxB4zTOgRyRIeyap9VghTqHglR82y9XkGS235ow5_w9jlrcZ6JC7KhiHulpP5BVjRqPGK1KqmJmT-JBT1F1T4x6O1MPNua62Fxl8dKXg98_J_G8Afb-C/w640-h480/8ED19216-0E67-41B7-B215-864215B67DCC.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>These were impressive: a variety of drinks, meat pies, candies, fruit, rice pudding, chips, you name it. The second pit had all this, plus about 10 different kinds of sandwiches. Chocolate in Europe is so much better in the states, and I pounded it mercilessly at each stop (5-10 Freddos or Dairy Milk Mini's per stop) until they eventually ran out somewhere in Scotland...probably my fault. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF87vADhSviInDHpRVpKUGyg1W8sWnNWuDRDUfOQNAp1gxwoSTPmCPXiP4DLhYSNsYAjoO8ATdV_Fk0eSAr7qYeoYtRfb7Ea_59jkMtouBSZNv5_LJkkuC9rSWy_Kn3WaUX06e6HoDSyiaeMaHeJzm5RXNUedGNcY-8I5dMdMIGNyjgpltdQ4PdftX/s4032/AFAF4FB5-2573-454C-8B45-0D97290D1799.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF87vADhSviInDHpRVpKUGyg1W8sWnNWuDRDUfOQNAp1gxwoSTPmCPXiP4DLhYSNsYAjoO8ATdV_Fk0eSAr7qYeoYtRfb7Ea_59jkMtouBSZNv5_LJkkuC9rSWy_Kn3WaUX06e6HoDSyiaeMaHeJzm5RXNUedGNcY-8I5dMdMIGNyjgpltdQ4PdftX/w640-h480/AFAF4FB5-2573-454C-8B45-0D97290D1799.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>I also saw the riders with something I think they called "squash", which was concentrated berry juice that you would cut about 3:1 with water and was quite satisfying. I tried a swig of the stuff straight, it was like battery acid. </div><div><br /></div><div>At some point I found myself on a steep descent with a 1-lane bridge at the bottom and a car coming at me about to get on the bridge. I braked aggressively and pulled to the side of the road, and immediately heard someone yelling "WHOA!!" right behind me. This guy had been on my wheel and I didn't know it. Once things settled down and apologies were exchanged he said he thought I knew he was there because I had a helmet-mounted rear-view mirror. Let me tell you, when I'm bombing down a hill at 35+ MPH my eyes are locked on what's up ahead, there's no time to look back.</div><div><br /></div><div>By the way, that mirror got more comments and inquiries than anything else I had (the Infinity saddle, the front fender - really a rear fender - and the Seven bicycle got a few). Definitely a business opportunity there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Coming out of the second pit Theresa had a flat rear tire. She didn't want to change it, just pump it up. Her pump wouldn't put air into the tire, which I later found to have one of 2 components needed for Presta valve use still in the Shrader valve position. We pumped it to 40 PSI at mile 70, then rolled as I monitored the shape of her tire. We then pumped it to 60 PSI at miles 80 and 95, and made it to camp where she turned it in to the mechanics to fix (although they replaced the tube, they did not find the hole). </div><div><br /></div><div>My enduring memories from the rest of that day are Truro, which impressed me as a nice little town, and Bodmin Moor/Minions, with stone ruins from the tin-mining days and wild ponies that wandered freely along the road. That painter from the day before was there again, capturing that scene. I had researched the RAB route to identify items of interest along the way, and got a quick peek of Launcheston Castle late in the day.</div><div><br /></div><div>We made it to the Okehampton base camp, where I discovered my tail light had fallen off during the day, probably not secured enough to survive the rough roads. Then a young lady wearing nothing but a towel ran past me...OK! </div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, this was the first experience most riders had with the showers. Each one had a roomy shower stall and an equally-sized outer area with a sink, mirror, shelf, 3 hooks, and a ceiling vent. And you got a clean towel and plenty of hot water. An attendant would squeegee the floor of the place before you went in.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was a little chillier than the previous night. I slept in flannel jammie pants and a henley top, again on top of the sleeping bag; and slept like a log.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Day 2: 11 September</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I woke to my alarm (not zippers), and began to refine my morning routine. Having seen that breakfast was being served earlier than advertised, the morning routine was becoming: get up, head call, check bike for flats, get breakfast and fill water bottle while the big tent was essentially empty, return to the tent to dress, pack up, and sweep up any grassy (or other) residue out of the tent, drop off bag for transport and drop off used shower towel, get bike, and queue up for the start.</div><div><br /></div><div>This sunrise was the most spectacular of the event. Many snapped this photo and shared it later on the riders forum:</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-EkrydjuezhfCRDNzxTDJBVBEnCdZQTpfahACAlEBL336HVhlKRIn2uw-ty5Dh9nGWRUNLpUsoY4YskBerjntia4tNTF044D9tFx2cr505PXURW25q0DHNqFIL9-gYWQROiHJUJz5rd-xUmbqO-VJD2h_2fQLiejs0ZtCq61NbRCe6sfS3XgD0ei/s4032/BCFAC948-BC09-426A-BF04-1D32489170F3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-EkrydjuezhfCRDNzxTDJBVBEnCdZQTpfahACAlEBL336HVhlKRIn2uw-ty5Dh9nGWRUNLpUsoY4YskBerjntia4tNTF044D9tFx2cr505PXURW25q0DHNqFIL9-gYWQROiHJUJz5rd-xUmbqO-VJD2h_2fQLiejs0ZtCq61NbRCe6sfS3XgD0ei/w640-h480/BCFAC948-BC09-426A-BF04-1D32489170F3.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>While waiting for the start I struck up a conversation with a staff member from Oxford named Ed, who said he was waiting to assist a rider with a broken arm pack up and get on his bike. WHAT??? Stay tuned...</div><div><br /></div><div>While in the start queue another rider told me how tubeless tires were a Godsend during hedge trimming season because of the thorns left on the road. Later that day we passed a truck-mounted hedge trimmer. Stay tuned...</div><div><br /></div><div>It was a foggy/spooky scene for the first hour or so:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkttJj19FiNpjA4gHwNR7szQxNmqSLsZWavxwRf5qgaCcTNLPJt7rTzm-FowXkSlX4eMegdtSEfXem6iwoDtngNGLMT2X8o0417EQb7wQyrg_9cI1m-1zFV06vaI54RbqmKeyDXF2h0Qo12__RuNW3YWEhr1wXi3PO_zErdFdf4BTUxHHL7kBzu4hR/s4032/214D9EDA-411D-4EBC-BFD3-F6B04A60AB9A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkttJj19FiNpjA4gHwNR7szQxNmqSLsZWavxwRf5qgaCcTNLPJt7rTzm-FowXkSlX4eMegdtSEfXem6iwoDtngNGLMT2X8o0417EQb7wQyrg_9cI1m-1zFV06vaI54RbqmKeyDXF2h0Qo12__RuNW3YWEhr1wXi3PO_zErdFdf4BTUxHHL7kBzu4hR/w640-h480/214D9EDA-411D-4EBC-BFD3-F6B04A60AB9A.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBD_uvwlxd3kDzeF3900Dpc0xsAtQJuA9zsQpEQba9ufHZN_9XmKjckl3DSqe9rE1q86YM8DV8x5Fk-uHz_KLQja5VlieJuuw29fcLOXZLArp68Il_aOBPabt2-zMdlCEdaYUP6bVpWsky-zr4ybuA9i6-v7N4PJI3Cy3vNAa28LHoEBXi3F-du8Mk/s4032/8925CF7F-9B1F-471B-8A58-47F67E6C83D9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBD_uvwlxd3kDzeF3900Dpc0xsAtQJuA9zsQpEQba9ufHZN_9XmKjckl3DSqe9rE1q86YM8DV8x5Fk-uHz_KLQja5VlieJuuw29fcLOXZLArp68Il_aOBPabt2-zMdlCEdaYUP6bVpWsky-zr4ybuA9i6-v7N4PJI3Cy3vNAa28LHoEBXi3F-du8Mk/w640-h480/8925CF7F-9B1F-471B-8A58-47F67E6C83D9.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We rolled through Tiverton, which was a fairly good sized town, and past a Costa Coffee. About a mile beyond there it dawned on me what a missed opportunity it was to not stop for a latte at Costa. I looked for another the rest of that morning and the rest of the event, but didn't notice another when I was in the mood. Seems like they're only in the bigger towns, maybe some gas stations.</div><div><br /></div><div>At one of the pits the staff convinced me that when in Rome try a pork pie. It was pretty good.</div><div><br /></div><div>Most days had a big climb, and this day's was Cothelstone. It was a grind, but not outrageous. Stay tuned for Scotland…</div><div><br /></div><div>I fiddled with the USB Werk charger - that thing that takes the output of the SON 28 hub generator and charges USB devices (phone, tail lights, battery pack, GPS when it's working) - to see why the battery pack wasn't charging normally. My routine was to charge the battery pack during each day's ride, charge my tail light once that was charged, then use the battery pack to charge the phone overnight. Despite the charging station in the big tent, I wasn't comfortable leaving my phone there. Plugging and unplugging the USB cable from the USB Werk to the battery pack seemed to help some.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were a couple more climbs that day. The next was Cheddar Gorge, a winding trip up this fairly steep, narrow, and rocky feature:</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBMDxr8BlBTM-LFMJeg_nc44swC95EijDAg6FAvAQpL96_S0X6w-8UZKsuRIlCwzfZUjhKPHVA1M5jHrcnQfEBC6_atUgfp6eSc79gTWjNYzstZ-HDB8QCkyMwLIWRZHUifsMSSMu-4hZnnrhanPIBwpPAiR5GTMz61eXZJuzBFOtRNK9rYDRaEA1/s4032/5532427B-9951-45CE-9B68-7D645558339B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBMDxr8BlBTM-LFMJeg_nc44swC95EijDAg6FAvAQpL96_S0X6w-8UZKsuRIlCwzfZUjhKPHVA1M5jHrcnQfEBC6_atUgfp6eSc79gTWjNYzstZ-HDB8QCkyMwLIWRZHUifsMSSMu-4hZnnrhanPIBwpPAiR5GTMz61eXZJuzBFOtRNK9rYDRaEA1/w640-h480/5532427B-9951-45CE-9B68-7D645558339B.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> </div><div>That painter was there yet again, but this was the last time we saw her. It was early in this event, the legs were fresh, and they wanted to go; so I hammered to the top of this climb - a moved dubbed "the Jack attack" by one of the chaperones (staff who rode among the riders to provide encouragement, assistance, etc.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Once over the top it was a great ride through the Mendip Hills followed by the rapid descent into the historic town of Bath. The trip through downtown was very cool/scenic, and reminiscent of all the times I had been there in my last job. From there it was a fairly “grippy” (steep) climb up Bannerdown Hill to base camp at Batheaston. Again, the legs wanted to hammer to the top, so I let them.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had been in contact with Jeff S., my UK counterpart from my last job, who lived nearby and agreed to meet me for a beer at base camp. I gave his name to camp security so that they would let him into camp. Once I got my bike corralled I went to get my bag and was surprised that staff carried it to my tent for me, which they offered to do on several days. After showering, and grabbing a plate of dinner from the big tent I ran into him just as I was coming outside to eat. We hung out for at least an hour, trading rounds at the camp pub.</div><div><br /></div><div>This was the first night to turn in laundry. 6 garments max, bike stuff only, with the strap contained in the mesh laundry bag threaded through an opening in each garment (hence no socks) and buckled into a closed loop. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was cooler still as we moved further north. I used the sleeping bag as a blanket.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Day 3: 12 September</b></div><div><br /></div><div>So the day started before dawn with a couple of ladies giggling at me as I emerged from one the ladies rooms. Apparently this was becoming a problem at base camp. The cause was lighting: there was a sign above the doors to the ladies-only rooms, but when it was dark outside all you could see was the lighted doorway - the signs were concealed by glare. After a couple days the organizers figured out a solution and put the "ladies only" signs inside the entrance, where they were lighted and visible.</div><div><br /></div><div>I ate breakfast wondering why somebody's iPhone alarm was going off continuously, until I realized it was my phone in my pocket, somewhat muffled. The day was not getting off to a great start.</div><div><br /></div><div>Laundry was ready for pickup, warm and dry, hanging vertically:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOd-7z2tAjJnksYMaAnzmnGlKUY6kDOqkYarvBBMEsygBYyK5Pn15H3axnS9UeIhnFDWGiDDQo89E-8_Lh1rcKCDvga-58sYt5qm35Wx-i0iNXhG6iMWVykYUoD9EOKUsWZkOEmGHQmfkeD606tvikHwZEBaR0d4OGug4E_9Zecm1LQQt_aDbWl-E/s4032/317ABAE6-5AD1-4687-AADD-95547A5477C1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOd-7z2tAjJnksYMaAnzmnGlKUY6kDOqkYarvBBMEsygBYyK5Pn15H3axnS9UeIhnFDWGiDDQo89E-8_Lh1rcKCDvga-58sYt5qm35Wx-i0iNXhG6iMWVykYUoD9EOKUsWZkOEmGHQmfkeD606tvikHwZEBaR0d4OGug4E_9Zecm1LQQt_aDbWl-E/w640-h480/317ABAE6-5AD1-4687-AADD-95547A5477C1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br />To troubleshoot my on-bike charging problem, I swapped out the micro USB cable on the bike for another in my bag to watch how the battery pack charged that day. Later, the battery pack charge indication again stalled at one point - 91% - but after a while immediately popped up to 99%. So it seemed the issue was the battery pack, not the cable. However, it still charged the phone just fine.</div><div><br /></div><div>We got rolling, and about 25 miles in we crossed the Severn Bridge for a brief ride in Wales. The tidal current was impressive:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivB1e02vTgWKjoUkCIGlif-hXRSpwA7sXlyMHLfCoidbc5MEc96UHUpPNd0PWMZoRAr90hoMtR2zywM4SuADWZ-Flf9koqXPKw4Uf0_8src6sE6LmWWLKfJMq63Ftn-GJDfRYtLtn7icyuZ-_ANBSRinqTx8BColin0Z7iDlvgkQEkGevusHtAVb2G/s4032/3DBF8945-841E-450D-B94C-CF3639DE8BB8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivB1e02vTgWKjoUkCIGlif-hXRSpwA7sXlyMHLfCoidbc5MEc96UHUpPNd0PWMZoRAr90hoMtR2zywM4SuADWZ-Flf9koqXPKw4Uf0_8src6sE6LmWWLKfJMq63Ftn-GJDfRYtLtn7icyuZ-_ANBSRinqTx8BColin0Z7iDlvgkQEkGevusHtAVb2G/w640-h480/3DBF8945-841E-450D-B94C-CF3639DE8BB8.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>The first pit was just past the bridge. Between the towns of St. Briavels and Coleford there was a large flock of sheep lying by the side of the road, unfenced. I later found out that freely wandering sheep had been a common practice in this area since Norman times. There was outstanding scenery along the Wye River:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlAHyz5Cu2jorSmBYXVz1Aw0VnPPS-OtouTmqM_GZyCekJ9Q9YhOuRu3zrNBrpQzRLpdmPocM9ieVmssM7rW_2mnFXtwUPwnOpsvwhITz56_9qYtGzwZnnIAZ3U-Gthmx60ZvBKZhxogOLs81nVoSDmo-xivZcmnA9AbCMsm-aO26DO6rzTLdhjFd/s4032/5784267C-36B3-4C04-B923-7C816442B328.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlAHyz5Cu2jorSmBYXVz1Aw0VnPPS-OtouTmqM_GZyCekJ9Q9YhOuRu3zrNBrpQzRLpdmPocM9ieVmssM7rW_2mnFXtwUPwnOpsvwhITz56_9qYtGzwZnnIAZ3U-Gthmx60ZvBKZhxogOLs81nVoSDmo-xivZcmnA9AbCMsm-aO26DO6rzTLdhjFd/w640-h480/5784267C-36B3-4C04-B923-7C816442B328.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's some of the riders at the second pit of the day, in Fownhope:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXFGXuAWWhHCk3vmFnbnodWIPOTc2VtUNdyoLj6LBhPfuKcDk_mKneqUwG6fyzzpxAEq4BFIuWm-jL9OTg7hzOPVMrTCMJhWDnrywtXgGFF00PY095SwOheJvbINOqcuZLYZnfKbUHVgqwYY-XSJEda6t1dLwr5JdIbhfVpLKVe3LMFNvAKYeYf5C/s4032/3200BEEB-4731-44FB-860F-5FFBCAFE4622.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXFGXuAWWhHCk3vmFnbnodWIPOTc2VtUNdyoLj6LBhPfuKcDk_mKneqUwG6fyzzpxAEq4BFIuWm-jL9OTg7hzOPVMrTCMJhWDnrywtXgGFF00PY095SwOheJvbINOqcuZLYZnfKbUHVgqwYY-XSJEda6t1dLwr5JdIbhfVpLKVe3LMFNvAKYeYf5C/w640-h480/3200BEEB-4731-44FB-860F-5FFBCAFE4622.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>In Mordford, a little after that pit, came the only time I went off-course because of my own mistake (others would lead me off-course later). I had no GPS, and the route was marked with frequent blue/white arrow signs, but they were easy to miss since the UK uses a very similar design with the same color scheme for other road signage. I must have missed one and headed west instead of continuing north. Whenever I didn't see a route marker sign for a while it was reassuring to see cyclists up the road from me - hopefully RAB'ers on the route. I probably only went about a half mile before I realized there were no cyclists in sight, even with a long line of sight. Circling back I regained the route. </div><div><br /></div><div>For the final 20 miles of the ride I fell in with groups of riders pacelining it to the finish, perhaps the only time in the event I did so. There was a final turn across traffic to enter base camp, and I made a cheeky move to do so. Nobody else followed, I deserved the blaring horn I got for the move, and I thought I'd get some comments from my fellow riders, yet none said anything to me...almost as if they wished they had thought to make the same move. My Apple lightning stub cable must have fallen out of my charger bag at that point because one of the others picked it up and handed it to me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Base camp was at the Ludlow horse racecourse. My tent was the blue one on the left:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sD7_AjYJbQFGdrYcHYLSqv8_Nhlyt86TjI-yaRtlV1L_iJmfYpSmuZRvBflsmy01mOz0GoTIePgZDw5zFP_IPkrJxdypUcCxVFZOdY23es-72B7ximzcZZa7GaY_FZASgMBbZT0ZpiY2TWDa92H8HUwViuiR28H0a1eQrdEiHUaWazNYA-kWGjvC/s4032/6A15FE01-9358-455C-BF2E-C6C7A86ECDEB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sD7_AjYJbQFGdrYcHYLSqv8_Nhlyt86TjI-yaRtlV1L_iJmfYpSmuZRvBflsmy01mOz0GoTIePgZDw5zFP_IPkrJxdypUcCxVFZOdY23es-72B7ximzcZZa7GaY_FZASgMBbZT0ZpiY2TWDa92H8HUwViuiR28H0a1eQrdEiHUaWazNYA-kWGjvC/w640-h480/6A15FE01-9358-455C-BF2E-C6C7A86ECDEB.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>There was an ice cream truck there, and I bought a cone.</div><div><br /></div><div>At this point I had perfected the post-ride routine: drop off the bike, get a tent assignment, get the bag, empty the bag into the tent, put on shower shoes, stuff shaving kit and jammies into the Camelbak, pick up a towel, shower/change, drop off shower stuff at tent, get a beer (if I felt like it), dinner, nightly brief, bed.</div><div><br /></div><div>The organizers started awarding "RAB'er of the Day" honors to someone nominated by other riders, who had "done a solid" for other riders, with the prize being a big customized and well appointed tent for the night. That night we found out that the winner had given it away to the final rider to finish that day. Pretty cool. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Day 4: 13 September</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>This was the "flat" day the organizers were talking about, only 3200 feet of climbing. I got into the second start wave, as I tried to do for the rest of the event (the first wave being reserved for sponsor-affiliated riders - the "Babble Rabble" - and yesterday's swept-up riders), but found the pace was not too fast. There were lots of pretty fast riders in this event. It seemed that even when cruising at 18-20 MPH I was constantly being passed by riders going 3-5 MPH faster. I was fine with this, since it helped GPS-less navigation by giving me riders to follow. My theory is the fastest riders would start late in the start window to prevent arriving at the daily base camp before the 1400 opening time, which was totally doable.</div><div><br /></div><div>A little hand numbness started on this day, but never got as bad as it does on a 1200k.</div><div><br /></div><div>Early on the ride I watched a guy stop on a steep uphill, attempt to get started again, lose it, and end up spread eagle on his back in the middle of the road. He said he was fine, laughed it off, and got going. Shortly thereafter was a fenced area with a ton of sheep against the fence looking at me. I stopped to take a photo, but as soon as I pulled out my phone they all scattered. Hmmm. I later found out that "sheep worrying" is a thing. In fact, it's against the law to let your dog "worry sheep."</div><div><br /></div><div>At the first pit I received an email from the rental car company in Inverness that said my reservation for the day following the ride was cancelled because of the Queen's funeral that day. This was a big problem - that was how we were getting to Edinburgh for our flight home. The afternoon involved a lot of urban riding as we reached the outskirts of Manchester, the most of any point of the event. And it was the start of rush hour.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the end of the ride I called the rental car outlet and was told it was possible to get a car the following day if I wanted, and later decided that's what we wanted to do, but by then they were closed. We went about booking a second night in Inverness after the ride until we could get the car. I contacted the hotel we were in for the first night, but they could not confirm a second night yet. So Christine got me a second night at the Travelodge just down the street. I just needed to get the car re-reserved.</div><div><br /></div><div>Base camp was another horse racetrack, Haydock. Most of camp was in the infield, but the deal was we had to use their food concession/dining room for meals (in place of "the big tent"). It was similar to what Lulu's catering service had been providing RAB the rest of the time, but as a bonus they had mushrooms with breakfast...my favorite part of an English breakfast. There was also a free ice cream cone concession, which I hit several times. The grandstands provided a bit of an elevated view of base camp:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkTqXbZMF3Y7R-D0Jnkhbyrgwlh_pQO9B3TLVSEExqSsEOnl8GC1vdNI8QJlBMaEA238aBVypdj-yHRstHgWh9Lin2_xzBvpsWPJi0EHp-uVepOMX5UB1K5d1B3_JOe5IVGs6TauyjyifqJJxGDJZ1c0Kt6ZvwH8n-P7bvDpj49pOHM47VPvbLN9Z/s4032/253C6951-008B-41E8-B2ED-0723415B3566.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkTqXbZMF3Y7R-D0Jnkhbyrgwlh_pQO9B3TLVSEExqSsEOnl8GC1vdNI8QJlBMaEA238aBVypdj-yHRstHgWh9Lin2_xzBvpsWPJi0EHp-uVepOMX5UB1K5d1B3_JOe5IVGs6TauyjyifqJJxGDJZ1c0Kt6ZvwH8n-P7bvDpj49pOHM47VPvbLN9Z/w640-h480/253C6951-008B-41E8-B2ED-0723415B3566.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_s-R5muNQW-zJ4WB3dfbhXoZcLnIdXF8ZvqUBoTMEU34_E2ld1VCCIz52pcQBJPn9Z4HEWWEURLBxo2S-qisPWrKtzGMRjM5Lwj_cjSxsQBymO74nnR78Y-EEbrGpJeNt-_2Nlv67cKQcA-M63vxatgTFyRyCKnEvQpxzIdCAXmvoAao3_WCFVoX/s4032/96ADD5C7-46B2-4039-B8FC-F6C4C926FC14.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_s-R5muNQW-zJ4WB3dfbhXoZcLnIdXF8ZvqUBoTMEU34_E2ld1VCCIz52pcQBJPn9Z4HEWWEURLBxo2S-qisPWrKtzGMRjM5Lwj_cjSxsQBymO74nnR78Y-EEbrGpJeNt-_2Nlv67cKQcA-M63vxatgTFyRyCKnEvQpxzIdCAXmvoAao3_WCFVoX/w640-h480/96ADD5C7-46B2-4039-B8FC-F6C4C926FC14.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>This shot from inside there infield shows two other features of the event. In the foreground is one of many hand santizer stands that we were constantly being reminded to use to prevent the spread of "D&V disease". We all learned to step on the base before pressing the dispense button so it wouldn't fall over…something I must have used 100 times. Behind it are the 4 disposal/recycling containers: food waste, mixed recyclables, "terra cycling" (things like potato chip bags and candy wrappers), and non-recyclables:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-YW08W3rRzhe27cFUovSbFHXNf7ueYKegYTZY8VPFkicnyWgei3HdDKXp0aJv1CHwHEUsBmtgLSL91AaPfITjGTlrOdSfcOdcXfHA1COYojGvLMFuNCnWJo5eUlXatsVawdaMKb6wR44IymSsHtRj5C5ABwTQQZAk6XySRm6716dDqg0xCzsc9ll/s4032/3D81C968-940F-4E92-9EF5-DD2C0BFE6597.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-YW08W3rRzhe27cFUovSbFHXNf7ueYKegYTZY8VPFkicnyWgei3HdDKXp0aJv1CHwHEUsBmtgLSL91AaPfITjGTlrOdSfcOdcXfHA1COYojGvLMFuNCnWJo5eUlXatsVawdaMKb6wR44IymSsHtRj5C5ABwTQQZAk6XySRm6716dDqg0xCzsc9ll/w640-h480/3D81C968-940F-4E92-9EF5-DD2C0BFE6597.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>It was also the second laundry day. I was pretty cooked/sleepy/stiff at the end of that "flat" day for some reason. But it got better over the next 2-3 days. It was getting chilly as we worked our way north, the last day for shorts and short sleeves.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Day 5: 14 September</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The day got off to a rough start: my front tire failed the morning "squeeze test." I quickly completed the rest of the morning routine, then went to the mechanics to buy a tube. I had packed 2, but since I was about to use 1, and the mechanics were right there, replace it immediately. The mechanic's stand was hectic, hence comical. They initially brought me the wrong tube, then when they brought the right tube and presented me the credit card machine. I paid, but then they realized I had paid for another rider's repairs. Instead of the 8 GBP for the tube I had just paid 15 GBP. The quick fix was to give me a second tube, hence a 1 GBP savings. I was a bit pleased that this was not a rear flat, breaking my streak of perhaps 15 rear flats in a row, but I was disappointed that the Specialized Air Lock sealant tube didn't seal. In fact, the sealant was all over the inside of the tire. I worked on a wooden picnic table, slightly bending one of the electrical outlet tabs on my SON 28 dynohub in the process (but was still able to make the connections afterwards). Riders departed past me as I worked, the only day they were not launched in waves. I found one of those thorns that I had been warned about and easily removed it. I inflated the tire and installed the wheel on the bike but it would not rotate freely...catching in the brake caliper. I found that part of the tire bead was not clinched by the rim and had bulged out, requiring deflation/adjustment/reinflation. Finally, I was off…into Manchester morning rush hour. Averaging 10 MPH during 2 hours of traffic snarls and short traffic lights. I was still hurting from yesterday so I took it easy that day. I did don my jacket for part of the day, for the first time. Here is a nice shot outside Lancaster at a place called Knotts Wood:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bMBGNFVo7DhaeAqZ2dj4TMPoqLB11se2oeur5bB4zl_VZUfNGnrx4YsBSBBTFXILPKflWie1lV5ZEh4CSXawdnp6SkIZTFw8bigdrjeN8FAEQEOu4UrpeTjlAB38Mvtno2wJxcYf5TOdEklfEzTotof8sCr-4ewwI9bKpyk4Fc9TiVG4GNmB2hHV/s4032/E4E4698E-4446-4381-941D-8F67EE144148.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bMBGNFVo7DhaeAqZ2dj4TMPoqLB11se2oeur5bB4zl_VZUfNGnrx4YsBSBBTFXILPKflWie1lV5ZEh4CSXawdnp6SkIZTFw8bigdrjeN8FAEQEOu4UrpeTjlAB38Mvtno2wJxcYf5TOdEklfEzTotof8sCr-4ewwI9bKpyk4Fc9TiVG4GNmB2hHV/w640-h480/E4E4698E-4446-4381-941D-8F67EE144148.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>At some point a guy on a recumbent cut in front of me after passing, missing my front wheel by less than an inch and almost taking me down. I think this was the day the guy with the broken arm passed me...he was pretty fast even with just 1 arm. I talked to him at the next pit, asking about his bike. It was a road bike, with no brake lever on the broken arm (left) side. On the right side was a brake lever that pulled both brakes simultaneously. He also had electric shifting, I believe both sets of buttons on the right side as well. He would pass me a couple more times in the next couple days, and complete even the nastiest of climbs. </div><div><br /></div><div>The big climb of this day was Shap Fell, about 1400 feet with a reasonable grade, but it did not really bother me much (see the final photo). </div><div><br /></div><div>It must have been windy that day, because the "RABers of the Day" were DC Randonneurs’ John and Cindy for towing a bunch of riders behind their tandem. However, they were on the "Plus Plan" (sleeping in hotel rooms, not the tent), so they had no use for the nice tent they had earned. They offered it up to Theresa and me, and she took them up on it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Base camp was a third horse racetrack in a row, at Carlisle, the last camp in England. Once there we continued to work the problem of getting home after the event.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Day 6: 15 September</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I woke up a little early thinking about my failed Wahoo Elemnt Bolt GPS and how others with the same failure mode (loss of waterproofing) had gotten free replacements. So I went to the company website on my phone and filled out a problem report and included a photo of my GPS/serial number. I was almost immediately asked for proof of purchase (which I had long lost back home), which I let them know. I also received a photo from my daughter that showed her name in the credits to a movie. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was now far enough north that full fingered gloves and a jacket were needed all day. Not long into the ride we crossed into Scotland and I got the almost-mandatory selfie at the sign (with two RAB course arrows hanging from it):</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUSRU6Vj7G4Kn__YxnCFdYzaZUt7ePIb0zGmliHn7W0diIwpz-2LFsy6m9k14osARF2RJdtu3bfkPHZfgq7VoqypF68eDCaw9pPz4AuXxxmZYERe-5zMwzkQoQRjFu3v-oO3uSBYYuM3qAfR5SFqzbrT6HqIyEvn7ZX7rSYRBQjq984t1AavdFleY/s3088/A68EAAB9-3751-4BD5-A406-57D8E8647C82.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUSRU6Vj7G4Kn__YxnCFdYzaZUt7ePIb0zGmliHn7W0diIwpz-2LFsy6m9k14osARF2RJdtu3bfkPHZfgq7VoqypF68eDCaw9pPz4AuXxxmZYERe-5zMwzkQoQRjFu3v-oO3uSBYYuM3qAfR5SFqzbrT6HqIyEvn7ZX7rSYRBQjq984t1AavdFleY/w640-h480/A68EAAB9-3751-4BD5-A406-57D8E8647C82.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Scotland was beautiful as always. Here are some photos from the Moffatt/Devil's Beeftub area. The first one is a bull (far left) grunting while leading the herd to follow him:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNWVTkrSO_s2ua6WJGFM0-sNjSEbc6NtqGHsoozSrI1qPx73we7ErEoNYt5izvRJViDnKF_bCtZqKdysUIQJ0gMTvpNk-a0-XDvZGzLzcH5w-5P9owqpcI1c-NCHE7IItCzOrtjg0ei1LWnUWNmQtnd4WZ9Sqrt1tfQaAMiGRH7wnK_R6HAZ1L3aQ/s4032/6FB28F18-93BE-499E-8FC1-52A2CD0A2670.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNWVTkrSO_s2ua6WJGFM0-sNjSEbc6NtqGHsoozSrI1qPx73we7ErEoNYt5izvRJViDnKF_bCtZqKdysUIQJ0gMTvpNk-a0-XDvZGzLzcH5w-5P9owqpcI1c-NCHE7IItCzOrtjg0ei1LWnUWNmQtnd4WZ9Sqrt1tfQaAMiGRH7wnK_R6HAZ1L3aQ/w640-h480/6FB28F18-93BE-499E-8FC1-52A2CD0A2670.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AgB7qIjkGjPsm07KEVuBnB4oVgqtfFGDnKMv9TeX3ssdSVsMlrJjHNUDy5NOmAd8RqSex1zyJ97d0vRMSRCvhYvTbUbjowJ6oUdC1NtatJWiQxznO76iVy5vqJhc0-y48UinsAA8j8AdRCu7XhnR6ECSqrwz_2-0csYitZLP4TbJVAkyXY9dbjYM/s4032/9036A190-DB2C-4DBA-BCF6-0F23EE046FAA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AgB7qIjkGjPsm07KEVuBnB4oVgqtfFGDnKMv9TeX3ssdSVsMlrJjHNUDy5NOmAd8RqSex1zyJ97d0vRMSRCvhYvTbUbjowJ6oUdC1NtatJWiQxznO76iVy5vqJhc0-y48UinsAA8j8AdRCu7XhnR6ECSqrwz_2-0csYitZLP4TbJVAkyXY9dbjYM/w640-h480/9036A190-DB2C-4DBA-BCF6-0F23EE046FAA.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgext6M9Z3UrHhVXS9aLRWChgBtn4e1GiFz6vK4OW4NNaC9rgQ7SEzPIxHiUT5mzARG1GrPGFDMhAcRA32J7df-I1N1_Mv_pX4C4GX606-zPTxiEec_1ZZP1BqgG-K0WbyfosU-gQRx1saRa-P3NnOLhRfaayC9xdbNcE_4fEdHIM8A2DlFCMoIbTpm/s4032/0D6BBDD8-EC18-4A87-B97C-1AC4D43F3E70.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgext6M9Z3UrHhVXS9aLRWChgBtn4e1GiFz6vK4OW4NNaC9rgQ7SEzPIxHiUT5mzARG1GrPGFDMhAcRA32J7df-I1N1_Mv_pX4C4GX606-zPTxiEec_1ZZP1BqgG-K0WbyfosU-gQRx1saRa-P3NnOLhRfaayC9xdbNcE_4fEdHIM8A2DlFCMoIbTpm/w640-h480/0D6BBDD8-EC18-4A87-B97C-1AC4D43F3E70.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We had joined part of the LEL 2017 route for a while. As I had planned, I departed the RAB route when it diverged from the LEL route to follow the latter for about a half mile to Broughton to retake a photo of Clint and me from 5 years prior taking a coffee break at the Broughton Village Store. I even wore the same jersey. As soon as I departed the RAB route I met two RABers who had done the same, albeit by accident. They excitedly told me I was off-route, but I assured them I knew what I was doing and that it was on purpose. The photo didn't quite work out, as there had been some changes:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3I4QOsByoBziXo4jIn_y4O9aZuzzEZD14C2nTo3i0n6UnCe-o2Vk3Mv4arLOBX95UOCVer_xBVyqHvL_rullQq162UhvT1SZf4Hgncd4v4Q8_EMVaMY7cx2Q97YJ0GzXXBq8qWRYLsqpqSQcNc030A3ZYjWK5XZ1ORBGkNgXbpWNRwqh7bcdOwTF5/s3264/CADA0076-F662-4877-85E8-145B8FBF7E79.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3I4QOsByoBziXo4jIn_y4O9aZuzzEZD14C2nTo3i0n6UnCe-o2Vk3Mv4arLOBX95UOCVer_xBVyqHvL_rullQq162UhvT1SZf4Hgncd4v4Q8_EMVaMY7cx2Q97YJ0GzXXBq8qWRYLsqpqSQcNc030A3ZYjWK5XZ1ORBGkNgXbpWNRwqh7bcdOwTF5/s320/CADA0076-F662-4877-85E8-145B8FBF7E79.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOALwqCQvw_f6aqbBbRZKQMm6LKpBQ_pJTOnGERS2XwSShEuF0KSbz5Q75mnQ3rn5wzKXkVreK87xPbjCOXUUZWXxbn5T91wi09X-HA0NySY93dlLRgP_l09SjbeJ4fYYHPTH8AEqplh2JQafp4NKj-wvl8OZOrOXktK7zgqdBxksF7K_FqP5nm3r9/s2963/4689C7A4-083C-4A91-B22B-E47D40352608.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2963" data-original-width="2850" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOALwqCQvw_f6aqbBbRZKQMm6LKpBQ_pJTOnGERS2XwSShEuF0KSbz5Q75mnQ3rn5wzKXkVreK87xPbjCOXUUZWXxbn5T91wi09X-HA0NySY93dlLRgP_l09SjbeJ4fYYHPTH8AEqplh2JQafp4NKj-wvl8OZOrOXktK7zgqdBxksF7K_FqP5nm3r9/s320/4689C7A4-083C-4A91-B22B-E47D40352608.jpeg" width="308" /></a></div><br /><div>Another photo a bit later, near Biggar:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_fBsUvDEOzQmjrq7bsTF3lQxoDdGKC0hmVWBRkBly4Rv9BAAUeQbdc1lEKbXXC3QeoZcHrFfxqQq0ZQuZJm2JwPh84GKHF9CT1e2hlBc7DvY86FVn2HB3kMnMSROpJSF1e9iAx684vFg4SWRi9Hrr5MDdJ_s3V85y655R2NP9pKW_aAWXO35Ofd2/s4032/B074492A-4FB5-4B90-A6B4-323DDA9DB4EA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_fBsUvDEOzQmjrq7bsTF3lQxoDdGKC0hmVWBRkBly4Rv9BAAUeQbdc1lEKbXXC3QeoZcHrFfxqQq0ZQuZJm2JwPh84GKHF9CT1e2hlBc7DvY86FVn2HB3kMnMSROpJSF1e9iAx684vFg4SWRi9Hrr5MDdJ_s3V85y655R2NP9pKW_aAWXO35Ofd2/w640-h480/B074492A-4FB5-4B90-A6B4-323DDA9DB4EA.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>During the event there had been a couple moments where my pedals would lock momentarily, then release with maybe a bit of backpedal. However, it finally got bad enough that they locked and stayed locked, an opportunity to get off the bike and find the reason. It turned out to be the chain getting caught under a screw that mounted my rear rack. For this event I removed the rear rack as unnecessary weight and left the screw, but without the rack it protruded further into the drivetrain. On an aggressive downshift from the smallest cog, usually when going from flat road to a sudden pitch up, the chain would cock across several cogs and raise up enough to get caught under the screw. The solution would have been to remove the screw, but this had happened enough that the screw threads were damaged and the screw would not thread all the way out. It did retract enough to clear the problem, and once I got home I had to cut the screw off and replaced it.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfKx9YiFhZJB4fudyXJl8gJtiJwNx04YVsTocaAZzNpkkNGHICeNbJPepOA-VtA6XMzPL07riFWiki4Y3R0szTvbClw4tOOjy-fbVa9rGjzn3spiyGWXlR78vnBIx4R45QoO_AhbQIt0crbx5Ap0dS1t-WIaqlSpyrnZF_6aktX-hxswQj6FpHAKI/s4032/DBAF4644-A2F2-4C22-8A00-9EB6CE4670D9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfKx9YiFhZJB4fudyXJl8gJtiJwNx04YVsTocaAZzNpkkNGHICeNbJPepOA-VtA6XMzPL07riFWiki4Y3R0szTvbClw4tOOjy-fbVa9rGjzn3spiyGWXlR78vnBIx4R45QoO_AhbQIt0crbx5Ap0dS1t-WIaqlSpyrnZF_6aktX-hxswQj6FpHAKI/w640-h480/DBAF4644-A2F2-4C22-8A00-9EB6CE4670D9.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>I was feeling strong towards the end of the day, and even stronger upon cresting a ridge a couple miles from the finish and spotting a familiar sight I hadn't seen for a few years: the three bridges of Edinburgh spanning the Firth of Forth.</div><div><br /></div><div>This was the final laundry day. I continued working the return trip home problem in base camp. Christine and I had rearranged hotels to add a day in Inverness and subtract a day in Edinburgh, but could not find a rental car other than one that would have cost about $700 for the day's drive. I even stayed up from 0200-0400 that morning working with her on a solution that never materialized. At the end of all that I realized it might be time to forget Edinburgh/the rental car and just fly home from Inverness, if it were feasible.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Day 7: 16 September</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>We were further north and it was colder still. It would also rain occasionally, but not the soaking kind of rain we get back home. Small droplets, maybe the size of drizzle/light shower, driven by a strong wind. We got rolling in the dark to cross the Firth:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzQjjgrAT7yUh9ZMVSzzH0Vl5d10L9fD51GRqvjJVqIuvNfMFN0f3Lb30t407gFg5I_SUMk_ScyB3uzDnt4O4urDe_O6IYnJBILyCKd-bJqQAFTlihN_tM6pprIBh2HzxGUM1Qb6N3apfV22UULUxFCL1uFAFJS8yism_PtonJI6xFDfIyr3Cl-4o/s4032/F3C2D3CE-71FD-4C43-BC7C-AB0C5A3263F0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzQjjgrAT7yUh9ZMVSzzH0Vl5d10L9fD51GRqvjJVqIuvNfMFN0f3Lb30t407gFg5I_SUMk_ScyB3uzDnt4O4urDe_O6IYnJBILyCKd-bJqQAFTlihN_tM6pprIBh2HzxGUM1Qb6N3apfV22UULUxFCL1uFAFJS8yism_PtonJI6xFDfIyr3Cl-4o/w640-h480/F3C2D3CE-71FD-4C43-BC7C-AB0C5A3263F0.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>My first objective that day was to visit the home of friends David and Ann in Kinross. We had stayed with them a few years ago to ride the Etape Caledonia, and their house was right on the RAB route. Unfortunately they were in the U.S. that day, but I texted them this photo:<br /><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl9QmlZPnudwDGFTCHZc3hKGKDCgonULMDRPNAvXmhHqlhMGKkWu20J-zq5_BMRRRirJYjYThIhvDEiZDIHF1GRopvuUlBDQc1Jd401dCRy3CdddCv-EBoB-4k-qXzVs-kpliXY6KKbFwAtpOD3mXcbknORc4-lIN3SdlSt7vFZzeaHMf1YKvsGVs/s4032/38295D16-907D-4EB9-BF26-0FB03B1DE4C4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl9QmlZPnudwDGFTCHZc3hKGKDCgonULMDRPNAvXmhHqlhMGKkWu20J-zq5_BMRRRirJYjYThIhvDEiZDIHF1GRopvuUlBDQc1Jd401dCRy3CdddCv-EBoB-4k-qXzVs-kpliXY6KKbFwAtpOD3mXcbknORc4-lIN3SdlSt7vFZzeaHMf1YKvsGVs/w640-h480/38295D16-907D-4EB9-BF26-0FB03B1DE4C4.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Departing Kinross we climbed a fairly tough hill that I didn't remember from my previous visit, and which didn't really stand out on the route elevation profile. Later that morning we passed what's billed as "the world's tallest hedge", in Meikleour:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWyQZvP_RmHXb_G5QUTPnsGfNRS5V7IFNW8D_yBb51FDT8u7C0Kdc-HxiWuiwWFh-FzyneywBQe_RsGFbWDLsPyH-DoGeiwXrrqv7SYE8S4iWxBjj7rBeGVHObhoyKL7vumODNrXrOr6bBR-Vc8tZ-5SETkFEJ7Me4lKqG9gIhnBN9iG3iW7DJxG2U/s4032/6EA0F4CC-39C9-405F-B89C-1AEC22076A0A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWyQZvP_RmHXb_G5QUTPnsGfNRS5V7IFNW8D_yBb51FDT8u7C0Kdc-HxiWuiwWFh-FzyneywBQe_RsGFbWDLsPyH-DoGeiwXrrqv7SYE8S4iWxBjj7rBeGVHObhoyKL7vumODNrXrOr6bBR-Vc8tZ-5SETkFEJ7Me4lKqG9gIhnBN9iG3iW7DJxG2U/w640-h480/6EA0F4CC-39C9-405F-B89C-1AEC22076A0A.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Another verdant field of sheep just east of Pitlochry, the town where David and I started Etape Caledonia in 2018:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDH1lFIYsDJlANwHY2roUnaVVfVCRDYcUeba0BCNjZCXqv-0tlaKls43WssrKcUS-Kjdq0xpCKvI16hQeEJSn5mY4Mf07HLFfkah7Aye2TUncwWOONF6Ps9dChOSVvYNAYzIDBhOP75PdPLp0OEsfZZn6xu9oKNw9SOEDYEq8zhVabIUsBzKrbi5Q/s4032/B33202E5-CD5C-4D12-8EA9-6BB3C87236B6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDH1lFIYsDJlANwHY2roUnaVVfVCRDYcUeba0BCNjZCXqv-0tlaKls43WssrKcUS-Kjdq0xpCKvI16hQeEJSn5mY4Mf07HLFfkah7Aye2TUncwWOONF6Ps9dChOSVvYNAYzIDBhOP75PdPLp0OEsfZZn6xu9oKNw9SOEDYEq8zhVabIUsBzKrbi5Q/w640-h480/B33202E5-CD5C-4D12-8EA9-6BB3C87236B6.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>When you see a rainbow in sunny weather, get ready for rain:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOq9Vhx6iAQu_4yUuwQBQL5mDG-GcNZWEalH6-3Pt2L1_KKDa3bnT36aQnrH2DEMrBe1T5htn99rZsG8FjNp_1YjH5pHHc1o1MoUFjrJYqqDabDRa0uFwHHLBqB9I49otTj1dxaXhE_25nqPO_9igqPAT3SVIwoIJXWtB9b4ORGStSSKbT05tupZ1/s4032/60C879D2-ACA7-4FA0-913A-FCDC44A18DEC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOq9Vhx6iAQu_4yUuwQBQL5mDG-GcNZWEalH6-3Pt2L1_KKDa3bnT36aQnrH2DEMrBe1T5htn99rZsG8FjNp_1YjH5pHHc1o1MoUFjrJYqqDabDRa0uFwHHLBqB9I49otTj1dxaXhE_25nqPO_9igqPAT3SVIwoIJXWtB9b4ORGStSSKbT05tupZ1/w640-h480/60C879D2-ACA7-4FA0-913A-FCDC44A18DEC.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>What happened next has been called one of the most epic events in the history of RAB. As we approached the "big climb of the day" at Glenshee (2200 feet, with the final 1.5 miles > 8% grade) the weather deteriorated. It got darker, colder, and started to rain.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIhLOPUt2d5GIjEj3-QHyZrJwHYQjBOGmVYnqlHPhPpNeapaggY8tYYTjrr4m36iYWWKjWIz9OriEGAZh8hl2KnOTvK2cS3gQ2mARscLYPX1gV8z2ggZb5mSzntCncR_bhRzcZxPdYhcYbHg8VMGQTe82Fhp24lL51k-T7vRgyKnAOADRZSf0Jz04/s4032/A5698F9A-4C5F-43A0-9EDC-7147ED82A938.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIhLOPUt2d5GIjEj3-QHyZrJwHYQjBOGmVYnqlHPhPpNeapaggY8tYYTjrr4m36iYWWKjWIz9OriEGAZh8hl2KnOTvK2cS3gQ2mARscLYPX1gV8z2ggZb5mSzntCncR_bhRzcZxPdYhcYbHg8VMGQTe82Fhp24lL51k-T7vRgyKnAOADRZSf0Jz04/w640-h480/A5698F9A-4C5F-43A0-9EDC-7147ED82A938.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Just beyond center of the above photo the road pitched up to over 12% and a fierce howling headwind was blowing. "UPHILL AND INTO THE WIND IS NO WAY TO GO THROUGH LIFE SON!" The steep grade/low gear combination caused my front wheel to frequently "wheelie" up off the road, then the wind would try to send it in some random direction. OMFG!! If it were colder it would have been a blizzard/mass casualty event. I didn't want to be the first rider in sight to start walking so I kept struggling with the pedals. It seemed like every 10 feet was a victory in itself. Eventually I saw riders start to walk, but by then the summit was in sight and I had resolved to stay on the bike, and did. Just over the top was the second pit of the day, and it was a scary place. The cold, howling wind rattled the tents even though they had been tied down to whatever was available. I got my supplies and got the hell out of there. I later found out that numerous riders abandoned at that point and got on the sweeper bus. The headwinds were so strong that you had to PEDAL down the backside for about 5-10 miles before they subsided. It was so miserable up there I didn't even pull out my phone for a photo. Later, from a distance, it looked so calm: </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPxkhSe76JknVlqblEW3fbAeHPvF-50vb87FxLC1phWbLhK-b8NSPjKeXru9Py5DJIR5kgSgjFOwU5kLh_CqpgyFMVNVhZDvJlygwWBKHnJhgVWGpI9QxO6X8srgVs5VSctYm34E-vaZ1RCUwtMdBRnKqB-h9pIJsXsKmt2NW-gRKmgWrT7OS1tiF/s4032/80749DB7-B89A-47F0-A7F3-B38EFFEB9F16.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPxkhSe76JknVlqblEW3fbAeHPvF-50vb87FxLC1phWbLhK-b8NSPjKeXru9Py5DJIR5kgSgjFOwU5kLh_CqpgyFMVNVhZDvJlygwWBKHnJhgVWGpI9QxO6X8srgVs5VSctYm34E-vaZ1RCUwtMdBRnKqB-h9pIJsXsKmt2NW-gRKmgWrT7OS1tiF/w640-h480/80749DB7-B89A-47F0-A7F3-B38EFFEB9F16.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br />This was the start of the scenic River Dee, along which we would spend much of the rest of the day. We also passed Balmoral Castle, where Queen Elizabeth had just spent her final days. Near the end of the day's ride one of the chaperones, escorting a group of riders, asked me what was in my Camelbak. I was going to rattle off its contents, but got uproarious laughter from his group after the first item: "my wallet" (perceived as: my wealth requires I carry this huge wallet on my back). I would hear more about "my wallet" on subsequent days. </div><div><br /></div><div>At base camp I made one last (unsuccessful) attempt to rent a car at a decent rate to drive to Edinburgh, then implemented my plan to fly from Inverness. British Airways only charged me $70 to make the change. That was a welcome break after days of Christine and me trying to arrange return travel. However, I was unable to cancel my Edinburgh hotel reservation online, or even by contacting the hotel. Inexplicably, when I had delayed my arrival 1 day LATER because of the second day in Inverness, they had moved my cancellation deadline 1 day EARLIER...and I was already beyond it. I was charged over $200 for the room as a result, but after returning home and writing Hilton about it my money was refunded.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also received a discount code from Wahoo for the purchase of a new Elemnt Bolt GPS unit, which I bought when I got home. It was about at this point I thought better of charging my phone from a battery pack that had been wetted and was acting flaky, so for the rest of the event I charged it from the charging station in the big tent (but did not leave it there for extended periods).</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Day 8: 17 September</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The day began with the news that at least 5 riders were sent home because of COVID, the first (and last) time this had been discussed at the event. The weather forecast was for a greater chance of rain than yesterday, so I put on my sock covers to keep my feet dry (if I also wore my rain pants...stay tuned). Not 9 miles after the start we reached the "big climb of the day": The Lecht. We were greeted with a "22% grade" sign, which was just the first phase of the climb. I managed to get up that grade OK, although others were already walking, and then it pitched down to more like 15%. But after Glenshee the day before, the steep stuff I'd just climbed, and the sustained grade I was on at that point, I had had enough and pushed the bike for about a quarter mile to catch my breath and let my legs recover a bit. Here's a picture right before getting back on. I wondered how steep it would be after the road disappeared into the clouds:</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgir0xT9TEBw1IWVmLEAL8maBBGZuQJs2HY4c0f2OilStjm8fZdOHqCoJuTwnvSsy6cz6sgwwzn-Nh8e1XP3HiIa_UeKvYHEK9XotKb_HTM9SUSsPTlSQNfpQFffovgN6qJQhybivzBhIiDBo8991KjFVgt4ElzqWstniiHU1vhXDHxyDj_1X1Kqg0o/s4032/B5024CDE-F8E3-4BE1-8404-63932A9C704D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgir0xT9TEBw1IWVmLEAL8maBBGZuQJs2HY4c0f2OilStjm8fZdOHqCoJuTwnvSsy6cz6sgwwzn-Nh8e1XP3HiIa_UeKvYHEK9XotKb_HTM9SUSsPTlSQNfpQFffovgN6qJQhybivzBhIiDBo8991KjFVgt4ElzqWstniiHU1vhXDHxyDj_1X1Kqg0o/w640-h480/B5024CDE-F8E3-4BE1-8404-63932A9C704D.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I managed to stay on the bike through the twin 2100 foot summits, and then we were on the edge of Speyside "whiskey country". This is the River Avon near Corgarff, before it meets the River Spey:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dO8HxzQkeTKX8gLSihMXJ3Tz-8TVrUzQ658VhebwOGAvV17UbwGmr7QphcCQeY_wWCFbk0pWLv9HNdIVpL1HAZ9SxNOZgshxj2JL-sCQryGBLGp99lqz97z4t2ekX74f2IfpnzKGENPzgdSbRecCg0EMThvduqlRmIjIdjv9Np6tEuYATJhrkiTy/s4032/F3DE328E-BD62-441D-AF6A-9716283BE8A7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dO8HxzQkeTKX8gLSihMXJ3Tz-8TVrUzQ658VhebwOGAvV17UbwGmr7QphcCQeY_wWCFbk0pWLv9HNdIVpL1HAZ9SxNOZgshxj2JL-sCQryGBLGp99lqz97z4t2ekX74f2IfpnzKGENPzgdSbRecCg0EMThvduqlRmIjIdjv9Np6tEuYATJhrkiTy/w640-h480/F3DE328E-BD62-441D-AF6A-9716283BE8A7.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>There is a shiny, square, silver sculpture along this stretch called “Still”, kind of an open-ended mirrored hallway through which to view the area that I saw while researching the route and planned to visit. While flying along this stretch I caught it out of the corner of my eye, not along the road but above me and to the right. Not knowing if I could get to it, I kept rolling.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was rainy off-and-on, but not enough to really wet you. I wore my jacket more for temperature than for rain, and my gloves, tights, etc. never really got wet. After the first pit we rode through Culloden, famous for its historic battlefield and where we rode under the impressive Culloden Viaduct, a huge 1/3 mile long masonry train bridge:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDD3Z0e6QJaT7m7rsA4Vbh4cFB0859BxlcbufG-ZRH1u_jhlQD-POqKAwvMtkuItuPzMOFkoUcY73Lgf88jZmtPfnMQapDjuWyrorvaqlGLG3k9LY-U46YdRcEx5J_aHMV_Y9r9reykE8wbrPa0bU4OqaBwg6XUrSaKPDNva2GdDEn55EeRT0C7r74/s4032/FF85815B-462B-4119-8A99-57969A560C8D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDD3Z0e6QJaT7m7rsA4Vbh4cFB0859BxlcbufG-ZRH1u_jhlQD-POqKAwvMtkuItuPzMOFkoUcY73Lgf88jZmtPfnMQapDjuWyrorvaqlGLG3k9LY-U46YdRcEx5J_aHMV_Y9r9reykE8wbrPa0bU4OqaBwg6XUrSaKPDNva2GdDEn55EeRT0C7r74/w640-h480/FF85815B-462B-4119-8A99-57969A560C8D.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>We rode through downtown Inverness, knowing we'd be right back there tomorrow after the event was over, and left town via the Kessock Bridge. We climbed for a while, and about 10 miles later were looking at this view of Cromartie Firth and the mile-and-a-quarter long Cromartie Bridge. It was a fun descent and crossing.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-81sM1zxxxiHqMQXyiBWNRKLeV6hSfFsdyk4GuZx1As4gGcDwOolV8Giy7qWJxQ3hkceemsxMevKT869cTEYbvsP1ytemAEcka-TPrdKDfuPcOOtxI5kgnL4oE_620tuoXk-CRelTA9PhpbAmDx_PUGFT4IlSlA5EUyAlTQuoAQzNWN7sw25_SSa/s4032/7998203F-D74F-4FCD-ABC9-2079ED680F51.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-81sM1zxxxiHqMQXyiBWNRKLeV6hSfFsdyk4GuZx1As4gGcDwOolV8Giy7qWJxQ3hkceemsxMevKT869cTEYbvsP1ytemAEcka-TPrdKDfuPcOOtxI5kgnL4oE_620tuoXk-CRelTA9PhpbAmDx_PUGFT4IlSlA5EUyAlTQuoAQzNWN7sw25_SSa/w640-h480/7998203F-D74F-4FCD-ABC9-2079ED680F51.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> </div><div>Along the way I noticed a 'tick-tick' sound coming from the bike. It was at the same frequency as wheel rotation, so I stopped and spun each wheel...nothing. Got going again and it was back. Stopped and spun my wheels again, nothing. So it seemed to happen only when the wheel carried some weight. I did a quick check of spoke tension but everything seemed OK. I thought I'd have the mechanics at base camp look at it at the end of the day, but having seen how frenetic their shop was back in Haydock, I figured they had many more pressing issues to deal with than a funny sound. So I left it alone as it came and went the rest of the event. As of this writing, it hasn't recurred.</div><div><br /></div><div>The final treat of the day was hearing other riders saying that we were coming up on the spot where you could see base camp from miles away. I’m not sure where this spot was, perhaps the Struie Hill viewpoint. It overlooked the Dornoch Firth and its inland extension the Kyle of Sutherland. Sure enough, if you looked hard enough, there was base camp.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_Dny-snPY7CdpzP9y0qo_hY4ZmAoZ81BEyT_IZNbHm1m9wp86ZOsxsRwH51Uq4cSMb5LVW4KbOtnRj5fnZJpE_UhRpszu5Y5Y4MmnuiD9FclvAvgUstGReyCA9LLCNQ8qSgY7SgObkJQTwc-w9sPHmKwlJRGNbuiJcH3w7ReheUfDxrHBifY_yMP/s4032/84304527-985F-4699-8B65-679DC0D963F0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_Dny-snPY7CdpzP9y0qo_hY4ZmAoZ81BEyT_IZNbHm1m9wp86ZOsxsRwH51Uq4cSMb5LVW4KbOtnRj5fnZJpE_UhRpszu5Y5Y4MmnuiD9FclvAvgUstGReyCA9LLCNQ8qSgY7SgObkJQTwc-w9sPHmKwlJRGNbuiJcH3w7ReheUfDxrHBifY_yMP/w640-h480/84304527-985F-4699-8B65-679DC0D963F0.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I motored pretty hard to get to base camp, thinking if you could see it it couldn't be too far away, but it turned out to be about 8 miles.</div><div><br /></div><div>After getting to base camp I followed the routine: tent assigned, get bag, empty bag into the tent, shower. When I returned from the shower the tent was...empty?????? I checked my wristband and I was indeed at the assigned tent...so into which of the 600 other tents had I emptied my bag? I started "knocking" on nearby tents before peeking inside to look for my stuff, they were clearly occupied but their fortunately tenants all elsewhere and I was spared the embarrassment of being totally confused. Eventually I came up with a hypothesis that proved correct: I had confused tent #59 (assigned) with tent #49 (where I found my stuff). I did a couple quick trips to move my stuff to my assigned tent and I don't think anybody noticed.</div><div><br /></div><div>That afternoon I had got a voicemail from the Royal Highland Hotel in Inverness. I had been looking for a second night there for Theresa and me so we wouldn't have to schlep our 100 pounds of stuff a couple blocks down the street to the Travelodge for the second night, and the message was that we got the second night. YAY! I found out that the only way to cancel the Travelodge was in person, for which there was plenty of time as you had until noon on check-in day.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Day 9: 18 September</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Final day. Although many riders were relieved that this was the last day of this 980 mile journey, I was feeling a bit melancholy knowing this adventure was about to end. I was in my happy place: riding long-distance, in the UK (especially Scotland), cask ale, Costa Coffee, full English breakfast (although never got the superior Scottish/haggis version), pastys, Cadbury chocolate...</div><div><br /></div><div>The start window opened at 0600 to allow time at the end to take care of logistics, box your bike, catch your bus, etc. The "big climb of the day" went up 900 feet, but it played out over 20 miles and I don't think I even noticed it. Rain was forecast again, and shortly into the ride it showed up...big time. I made the mistake of not zipping up my jacket (it can get warm in there) or donning my waterproof over-gloves (cheap Home Depot rubber gloves) or rain pants, based on not needing them in the rain on previous days. But this rain must have been heavier because my hands were cold and wet inside my gloves and I soon felt cold rainwater running down inside my sock covers. I stopped to zip up my jacket and put my rubber gloves over my wet gloves and continued on to the first pit.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was miserable by the time I got to the pit at Altnaharra. I was cold, wet, and needed to eat and drink but just didn't want to. I finally donned the last bit of clothing I had, my rain pants. They always make me steamy, like a turkey in a roasting bag, but that's exactly what I needed at that point. This was also the spot that we had been warned about for months. The midges, clouds of biting Scottish gnats, would be there. I had bought a midge net to cover my head and neck, and had it in my Camelbak, but either because of the rain or because I was already miserable I didn't notice them. I had to stop and check to see if they were there. They were, in clouds, but were the least of my issues. I forced myself to eat some meat pies (the Cadbury chocolate had run out by then) and drink something, and got rolling again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Everything soon changed for the better. I began to roast nicely in my rain pants. The rain stopped and the sun came out. I improvised a clothes line on the front of my bike to dry my wet socks and gloves (I absolutely hate when those are wet), riding barehanded and sockless in my shoes. The good fortune included the scenery...easily the best of the entire event. The Strathnaver area featured a quiet road with numerous historical markers along the River Naver with freely roaming sheep. It went on for miles and miles:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSR8Ms9teSZI0GpukCB6TrQWlI5rPeQH6JSDZkBS8QYc99-lT_4VYGDDYwIB6a99rDoblc9s1rGs1l_UfRT7yhTIv-B4chmi2-5mTYSG53pIqOuWmZBYG65fv89KTGlJJroQDC5HREBwWj54AKFIu83KU7gck-Pl9BWJdtisivrKrsZvgg9cUMsd9j/s4032/9EC038DC-F54E-4D7B-9918-0046344855FB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSR8Ms9teSZI0GpukCB6TrQWlI5rPeQH6JSDZkBS8QYc99-lT_4VYGDDYwIB6a99rDoblc9s1rGs1l_UfRT7yhTIv-B4chmi2-5mTYSG53pIqOuWmZBYG65fv89KTGlJJroQDC5HREBwWj54AKFIu83KU7gck-Pl9BWJdtisivrKrsZvgg9cUMsd9j/w640-h480/9EC038DC-F54E-4D7B-9918-0046344855FB.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>The spot where the inland beauty of Strathnaver meets the sandy/rocky beauty of to ocean, Bettyhill, is now on my list of the most scenic places ever visited (along with Glencoe, Skye, and Loch Lomond/The Trossachs; all in Scotland):</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFaAsNq7W_dQjTO1lTPgP5dqBE85rKX8qv1NlfvaqZrc9tiMldpoijqEr80uvzlqIg8m920SQncXrVlYHaOuXc_8eZoypxCWcjQMdHLaUb_CkqFerJHmaGeJtStB-XVn4xabJO-EfrfJXo1FdlFW-2OXGzPDMpc2EsQfu_b49Pjd2P7szSAfja3Bql/s4032/44431833-A234-4B5C-A3FE-C9E0D9CE53D8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFaAsNq7W_dQjTO1lTPgP5dqBE85rKX8qv1NlfvaqZrc9tiMldpoijqEr80uvzlqIg8m920SQncXrVlYHaOuXc_8eZoypxCWcjQMdHLaUb_CkqFerJHmaGeJtStB-XVn4xabJO-EfrfJXo1FdlFW-2OXGzPDMpc2EsQfu_b49Pjd2P7szSAfja3Bql/w640-h480/44431833-A234-4B5C-A3FE-C9E0D9CE53D8.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>At the second pit, after about 30 miles on the clothes line in a stiff breeze, the gloves and socks were basically dry, so I put them back on:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIXhSoH_5eM0dWNEqVG0pSt75mZ6eiBQzaPu4PftgUHsh-gvpTcmGUg5duqItv-xmX2DAQ1ZjXvAi7eO8No1SoUNnA-HpZmslnf7qza22qKRK_V3Qgnb-htf4QIhNgaemHDnVQsAvYmmaf0qu1HIHqM74lxQbZTDA842Vq1253FAcYfkeneYZGqFH/s4032/F55DF71F-7C87-47AC-9DD3-09F6BECC23FE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIXhSoH_5eM0dWNEqVG0pSt75mZ6eiBQzaPu4PftgUHsh-gvpTcmGUg5duqItv-xmX2DAQ1ZjXvAi7eO8No1SoUNnA-HpZmslnf7qza22qKRK_V3Qgnb-htf4QIhNgaemHDnVQsAvYmmaf0qu1HIHqM74lxQbZTDA842Vq1253FAcYfkeneYZGqFH/w640-h480/F55DF71F-7C87-47AC-9DD3-09F6BECC23FE.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Theresa and I had agreed to meet at that pit and ride to the finish together, so we linked up for the final miles along the north coast with views of the Orkney Islands. This was near Thurso:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97Zt7EMuRCwQpnchXK_XBnuVOb1Erra6ivkUfQnD7HUQgAkV9kiozdyNpsWG4HEmNWNokNToakH943fdXywi2zfg5dNMyhSm2EYg0snuspphSyX2yVUBEkmgYpnUtSbxbyHSt0djcX9bKnCK3VLOIcfiP0n3WuDuJrquDOvkeIU5E4Bs-dtGr13Jm/s4032/AEB3BDA0-3A2C-4DC7-B5C3-FB1004C84447.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97Zt7EMuRCwQpnchXK_XBnuVOb1Erra6ivkUfQnD7HUQgAkV9kiozdyNpsWG4HEmNWNokNToakH943fdXywi2zfg5dNMyhSm2EYg0snuspphSyX2yVUBEkmgYpnUtSbxbyHSt0djcX9bKnCK3VLOIcfiP0n3WuDuJrquDOvkeIU5E4Bs-dtGr13Jm/w640-h480/AEB3BDA0-3A2C-4DC7-B5C3-FB1004C84447.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>But all good things must come to an end, and so did RAB. We crossed the finish at John O'Groats and heard our names announced over the PA system:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lHBUMFlwqjHf3wYkK3jt5I5_oqkJhg43yeF_9bRqvUEG_AZ7IUZe2-AsTnwnoc5UNL5ZTgOfroY0oaWRT0E7mUMxB2mcik09oFQQEWPr_3QDrhOl_niHeVQnxiovNz-AdlEoTGz-srnCv3-z_30mDJHTxRG5ZYYNkEVhYVfX0pbAx9BKieSULf0I/s640/ACCBFF67-67D6-4DC6-8110-A8E6E42574B8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lHBUMFlwqjHf3wYkK3jt5I5_oqkJhg43yeF_9bRqvUEG_AZ7IUZe2-AsTnwnoc5UNL5ZTgOfroY0oaWRT0E7mUMxB2mcik09oFQQEWPr_3QDrhOl_niHeVQnxiovNz-AdlEoTGz-srnCv3-z_30mDJHTxRG5ZYYNkEVhYVfX0pbAx9BKieSULf0I/w640-h480/ACCBFF67-67D6-4DC6-8110-A8E6E42574B8.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>The next rider to finish was met by family or friends, and got a champagne spraydown. This ride is a real big deal for many.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next came the scramble to wrap everything up and make the bus to Inverness. We quickly found our bags and bike boxes. Fortunately the weather was nice so boxing up the bike outdoors was not a problem, although for some reason my handlebars would not twist around the attached cabling they way they did for the trip over and it took me quite a while to finish boxing my bike and turn it in for transport. Theresa finished her bike first, figured out how the transport situation, and got us onto the 1800 bus instead of our reserved 1830 bus. After turning in my boxed bike I found a "changing tent", a large empty tent where you could change clothes. It was fantastic to get into "real” clothes and shoes for the first time in 9 days. With time to spare I found a small food/beer concession (almost sold out) and got some of both.</div><div><br /></div><div>We got on the bus, followed by a truck carrying bike boxes, and 3 hours later got off the bus at the train station in Inverness. Our hotel was right there. I checked into the hotel and dumped my stuff in my room while Theresa waited for the truck/bikes. By the time I got back she had our bikes, and we retired to our rooms.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next day was the funeral for Queen Elizabeth and the country was pretty much shut down. After walking down to the Travelodge to cancel that reservation, I watched the funeral in my cozy room:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfR2L2GNWCM7dOMD6z3duHQpyCogB4DPYCQiVmk9E-k-eFWIQx8srBj8icT8ZAkeFcuj9FAlFOKbYnRc8aYxb0SokOUWoFsUbeIwQ5eKJdVCzymlxaFD2OIvr2UYXXnqDVdhAx1ASe3U073t1zySN0buDySDMdfw-OWltNongavre62dlON4zqyYMP/s4032/55BE7039-68CF-4BE9-AC6F-F240AF813274.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfR2L2GNWCM7dOMD6z3duHQpyCogB4DPYCQiVmk9E-k-eFWIQx8srBj8icT8ZAkeFcuj9FAlFOKbYnRc8aYxb0SokOUWoFsUbeIwQ5eKJdVCzymlxaFD2OIvr2UYXXnqDVdhAx1ASe3U073t1zySN0buDySDMdfw-OWltNongavre62dlON4zqyYMP/w640-h480/55BE7039-68CF-4BE9-AC6F-F240AF813274.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The trip home was uneventful. The taxi driver who picked me up at the hotel at 0430 didn't think my bike box would fit in the back of his Mercedes and was concerned it would damage his vehicle, but I showed him it could be done and everything was fine. During the 7-hour layover at Heathrow I stocked up on Cadbury/Toblerone/Drambuie at the Duty Free, and had my final cask ale(s).</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Feedback for the organizers</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Is there any way to avoid Manchester evening rush hour followed by morning rush hour? My only comment on an otherwise EXCELLENT route.</div><div><br /></div><div>Could Lulu's catering include mushrooms with the full English breakfast? Could we have haggis in Scotland?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>In summary</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The best time I've ever had on a bike. You can see why, on this shot from Shap Fell…</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92-cN1Lz1ZgCQHbJgocf8j8xSX9sFpEE3t8xdOVnrDBPyKkb2Tb_7JE3Cqb2r6i4y34_ENQq-2zE29RFxZc5m8AuUz5oJUn0NWaW83ww7RYpco0Lo_Rppr2v4irQZ1ucifrvOCBFhuRxNE1jDycHAWVaST8RRKByImbl9mUyas4AjGdPngcXjLw9k/s3000/F92DB3E6-8C91-4077-AD90-8CC80CF1852C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92-cN1Lz1ZgCQHbJgocf8j8xSX9sFpEE3t8xdOVnrDBPyKkb2Tb_7JE3Cqb2r6i4y34_ENQq-2zE29RFxZc5m8AuUz5oJUn0NWaW83ww7RYpco0Lo_Rppr2v4irQZ1ucifrvOCBFhuRxNE1jDycHAWVaST8RRKByImbl9mUyas4AjGdPngcXjLw9k/w426-h640/F92DB3E6-8C91-4077-AD90-8CC80CF1852C.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-80584615751006167732021-07-23T14:20:00.020-07:002021-08-06T19:04:54.446-07:00My Colorado High Country 1200k (not even a first-ever DNF could spoil it)<p><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">Although I would ultimately abandon the ride, a first in 148 randonneuring events over 10 years, it was still a great time and I still want to capture the details so I can relive them in my rocking chair.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">I excitedly departed Maryland in my car with my bike in the back at 4:30 on Friday morning 9 July 2021. I had not pushed a pedal in Colorado in 52 years and I was anxious to get back to terrain I remembered from the part of my childhood I spent there. I’d planned for this ride for about 2 years, having been delayed a year because of COVID.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">One of the reasons I drove instead of flying was White Castle hamburgers in the Midwest. The first opportunity was in Columbus OH, and I took it. 10 sliders went down in about 5 minutes, diced onions on my lap and car seats but so what! I got as far as Blue Springs MO (just outside Kansas City) the first day, stayed in a new/clean/nice Hampton Inn, got a great apple fritter from LaMar’s Donuts across the street for breakfast Saturday morning, marveled at the sea of wind turbines known as Kansas, and arrived in Louisville CO at the end of the day. Sunday I hiked the Flatirons Loop in Boulder, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KGCS5x8w7XEWYTgsKc-LSIXorK8il4kZAmanAQmtYCgYt9fnOXtn6XEAO7PViLjzT7PRXZpanCZSHK2IJZnHlMhO_a6ph44fm35GYtBxux9abTU0PYBANggVDFzv26cxaNkJtm44hQU/s2048/64770675857__29AD5D71-9931-49C1-B60B-E260762FBBC0.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KGCS5x8w7XEWYTgsKc-LSIXorK8il4kZAmanAQmtYCgYt9fnOXtn6XEAO7PViLjzT7PRXZpanCZSHK2IJZnHlMhO_a6ph44fm35GYtBxux9abTU0PYBANggVDFzv26cxaNkJtm44hQU/w640-h480/64770675857__29AD5D71-9931-49C1-B60B-E260762FBBC0.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">then hit every bike shop in Boulder that was open on Sunday looking for cool stuff or a cool t-shirt. The biggest and most impressive was University Bicycles, a veritable bike museum as well as large store. The most unique was Colorado Multisport – part bike shop, part sports bar. Ultimately, I didn’t find any unique bike stuff, and the few t-shirts I liked were not in my size or thin and overpriced. Later that day I took my bike and drop bag to registration at the Louisville Quality Inn. Contrary to rider instructions, drop bags were not being checked. I had a dull headache throughout the trip, and once in Louisville felt kind of lazy and rested a lot, and wondered if I was ready for this ride despite careful preparation. <o:p></o:p></span>That question was answered Monday morning at the 0500 start, when I departed as one of 43 riders. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF-6WSOktQ1QI0iNkEf76ipoD_DcvqS0P6oRPqGdAJQsdx5uerCoxi77gjwIU1DhmTnTLk4lgjlEXVpgM3Nry1b4TgCNL3mpM-t8ae3S91WC5eRzYkAcBktNoqQdmkH6hT12rPhiLSYE/s2048/64777965146__F9C5B10E-F99F-41ED-9732-4B37B8350370.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF-6WSOktQ1QI0iNkEf76ipoD_DcvqS0P6oRPqGdAJQsdx5uerCoxi77gjwIU1DhmTnTLk4lgjlEXVpgM3Nry1b4TgCNL3mpM-t8ae3S91WC5eRzYkAcBktNoqQdmkH6hT12rPhiLSYE/w640-h480/64777965146__F9C5B10E-F99F-41ED-9732-4B37B8350370.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">I felt great and energetic, and the bike felt great too. I saw my fellow DC Randonneur George W. at the start, but his group got caught at a red light one block into the ride and I didn’t see him again for a couple days. I was in a group of ~25 riders, moving at a brisk but comfortable pace, and noticed Jeff N. at the front. I had ridden both Blue Ridge to Bay and PBP ’19 with him. I moved to the front and made some comment to him like “It’s Jeff off the front!”, but he pointed ahead to another group that was already about a half mile ahead of us. Jeff stayed at the front of the group for many, many miles, and a couple riders told me he just would rather be pulling at the front than ride in the bunch. I delayed starting up my GPS since (1) this group knew where it was going (2) I wanted to conserve its battery so that I wouldn’t have to charge it before the end of the day and (3) the turns were few and far between – the cue sheet and odometer were plenty navigation for almost the entire event. It later dawned on me that without GPS I was giving up one “proof of passage” method, but I was filling out my cue card to create a souvenir and photographing each control as a redundant method. It also dawned on me that I had forgotten to put on my reflective ankle bands (which nobody else noticed), so I had to stop to do so, then catch up with the group.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">The sun rose in a haze of smoke (possibly from fires along the Pacific coast) as we moved along - a crimson ball that several riders photographed. I didn’t want to stop to pull out my phone to snap a photo, nor do that while riding, and kind of wished I had my small camera hanging around my neck instead of leaving it at home as extra weight. This northward trip across the plains was essentially a 100-mile commute to the first major climb of the event. I struck up conversations with Charlie M. from San Francisco, Sara S. from Seattle with whom I had corresponded and worked through hotel check-in issues at the overnight, and Mike B. from Chicago (previously of Pasadena MD) who spotted the “Arnold MD” plate on the back of my bike. The group stayed together and controlled in Platteville (36.2 miles), Carter Lake (67 miles, ignoring the sign in the window about the bike rack),</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1mdBC2iTFEPx1-KJmxueGrJuMMJR_1ZoyHhFw5k96DE_wC3SJLnmXKdGRf-smjnqm_c1D1KHooecZUHLsgN6OSELQN191ehhnnX8H6T5YJ4NLlHJ8awuDVjunwKufE1cwns56wuVonw/s2048/IMG_4285.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1mdBC2iTFEPx1-KJmxueGrJuMMJR_1ZoyHhFw5k96DE_wC3SJLnmXKdGRf-smjnqm_c1D1KHooecZUHLsgN6OSELQN191ehhnnX8H6T5YJ4NLlHJ8awuDVjunwKufE1cwns56wuVonw/w640-h480/IMG_4285.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">and Horsetooth Mountain Park (83.7 miles -photo by ride staff). </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoW5UIDHlPmvqZpVCvNB2s140TOh3sUQxAxbgsFxkPPu9gtSgA2poPJOK8fMf2Gd0-GLyoheJpXSt5mwEwKGFCJl7QSLEZffvsm5ejp4C6_L8AE7RLRTiD4UAp3ONzgx__nmkc3cJIeew/s2048/Horsetooth+Climb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoW5UIDHlPmvqZpVCvNB2s140TOh3sUQxAxbgsFxkPPu9gtSgA2poPJOK8fMf2Gd0-GLyoheJpXSt5mwEwKGFCJl7QSLEZffvsm5ejp4C6_L8AE7RLRTiD4UAp3ONzgx__nmkc3cJIeew/w640-h426/Horsetooth+Climb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p>The latter 2 were near reservoirs with steep stingers nearby, and Carter Lake had a sailboat fleet in it, much to my surprise. <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">We also stopped at Laporte (mile 96) for one last food and bottle stop<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCkh9pnk4iarLWvlBnpzcl1VmmAeCdmRgh0I0-Ail_-U4o9z3Cd2_AP78DcSwwwBUZX0A74DRNkjL2twS56Vryf4ZFGHQF7lRoOQRGdKJ3Rr3PgSlMNMCD0JHWLZDwXpoNAau8HxmlMY/s2048/64780324406__B3677D4F-4AC7-4158-B821-8442AFDB1726.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCkh9pnk4iarLWvlBnpzcl1VmmAeCdmRgh0I0-Ail_-U4o9z3Cd2_AP78DcSwwwBUZX0A74DRNkjL2twS56Vryf4ZFGHQF7lRoOQRGdKJ3Rr3PgSlMNMCD0JHWLZDwXpoNAau8HxmlMY/w640-h480/64780324406__B3677D4F-4AC7-4158-B821-8442AFDB1726.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> before beginning the 60-mile climb up Poudre Canyon to get over the Front Range (photo by Jeff N.). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ifnbsSqkDrEYfihJgkrrZ2mHggJ7ztltXCbdFMCfKut_mlTajOQljtYptSYofR3EU0fWdRbxZ6lCrPpgf_T7uSZBUVdG3nLfdTnsO1KiViGGy9IF6bGXaKQIBPfuf8nbRdck0yU0sMY/s1978/Starting+Poudre+Canyon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1176" data-original-width="1978" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ifnbsSqkDrEYfihJgkrrZ2mHggJ7ztltXCbdFMCfKut_mlTajOQljtYptSYofR3EU0fWdRbxZ6lCrPpgf_T7uSZBUVdG3nLfdTnsO1KiViGGy9IF6bGXaKQIBPfuf8nbRdck0yU0sMY/w640-h380/Starting+Poudre+Canyon.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">The canyon was also host to white water kayakers and rafting excursions. On the climb our group began to splinter, and ultimately I would summit at Cameron Pass in a group of 3.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-yoe7hMIbjV8jXBnUdjjRDRmkXTmdl1nnHN5mzFsEGPnqjWdGyizYGXIxhl7TJObu5oSBAydLVd3oKKL42ak-C4gjo5sXGPCl1xXCWKT_M0mx4ebJTERwBp5pfqznCH1VEDtrXU5Xp8/s2048/IMG_4288.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-yoe7hMIbjV8jXBnUdjjRDRmkXTmdl1nnHN5mzFsEGPnqjWdGyizYGXIxhl7TJObu5oSBAydLVd3oKKL42ak-C4gjo5sXGPCl1xXCWKT_M0mx4ebJTERwBp5pfqznCH1VEDtrXU5Xp8/w640-h480/IMG_4288.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">About halfway up the climb (mile 131) most riders stopped at Glen Echo Store in Rustic to top off. I got a Pepsi, water, and ice cream. The real food (sandwiches) had been cleaned out by riders ahead of me. I also called the overnight hotel in Walden, the North Park Inn and Suites, because their office closed at 2200 and I wanted to make sure they left my room key out for me if I got there after that. I had reserved a room for myself outside of the organizers room reservations during the peak of COVID and had hung onto it. Continuing up the climb I encountered biting flies on my legs that were not severe enough for me to stop to apply repellent, I just kept swatting at them. Besides, one rider thought the repellent actually attracted them. At 1717 I summited Cameron Pass (158 miles) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSZ22MmCTDk9qzlopVPsdfv6tlandTUlHVB-Teef-_zSejvxmXsFg28d_eT3749GN5AyUoyzSyycrtfS2B4A8ArMVofiw9uyBK3b0-JPk8IOLyGy_OallY1REC6VZ-dUWEXTLvPas6U4/s2048/IMG_4291.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSZ22MmCTDk9qzlopVPsdfv6tlandTUlHVB-Teef-_zSejvxmXsFg28d_eT3749GN5AyUoyzSyycrtfS2B4A8ArMVofiw9uyBK3b0-JPk8IOLyGy_OallY1REC6VZ-dUWEXTLvPas6U4/w640-h480/IMG_4291.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">Thus began a screaming descent down the back side of the Front Range and into North Park, a 30-mile gradual downhill with a stiff tailwind. That combination got me across the 30 miles into Walden, our overnight stop for the next 3 days, in an hour and a half. So ended a 300k first day, in a personal best time of 13:49. I checked in to the hotel (well before their office closed), signed in for the ride, and got dinner (a baked potato with a scoop of chili on it). I have no idea why I took a picture of the potato, maybe I was hungry, but since I took so few pictures here it is:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAq-ofLnH1DUAkdIvcuphS4jq8hCGelB8dv_WHcp_HDFrl6XaEs7LV82kZ4hWT4AcIP1TCQG19u9OvPHxOLJr58nYCna2Hgs3uS8hxKyG5MWUNK9lqU6r8aWOvkE6U8gOA6eaEZELYf_U/s2048/64783188104__BBA284DB-5C04-42C5-BEF4-3450BD3F2877.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAq-ofLnH1DUAkdIvcuphS4jq8hCGelB8dv_WHcp_HDFrl6XaEs7LV82kZ4hWT4AcIP1TCQG19u9OvPHxOLJr58nYCna2Hgs3uS8hxKyG5MWUNK9lqU6r8aWOvkE6U8gOA6eaEZELYf_U/w480-h640/64783188104__BBA284DB-5C04-42C5-BEF4-3450BD3F2877.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></div><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><br /></span>I then set up shop in my room, posted my arrival/departure checklist on the fridge, and decided when to get started in the morning. On multi-day randonneuring events I do well with 3 hours of sleep each night – if you can’t ride fast, control fast - with an hour on both ends for eating and other necessities. My pre-ride plan, based on actual performance on previous 1000k/1200k/1400k’s, had me departing Walden at 0200, 0330, and 0500 on the three mornings in order to complete the ride with some time buffer. The popular sentiment around the hotel that evening was to depart at 0400, based on comments from a pre-rider the previous week that there might not be any services open in Saratoga WY if you started earlier (Saratoga was the only place to get food or drinks for the first 114 miles of the second day). However my research indicated that there were at least two 24-hour places in Saratoga if you rode an additional few blocks, so I stuck to my 0200 departure. I went to bed and had some of the worst leg and arm cramps of my life. Upon reflection, I realized that I had drunk too much water and not gotten enough electrolytes the first day.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">I got up at 0100 on Tuesday and got ready. Knowing the gaps between services were 56/48/28/63 miles, I took my Camelbak with me in case 3 water bottles proved not to be enough. When I went looking for breakfast there was none to be found and nobody awake in the hotel. Not being able to figure out what the deal was with breakfast, I hit the road northbound for Wyoming at 0145. I did have Boost and lots of Gu and Peanut Butter Ritz Crackers onboard for emergencies.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">The road was as advertised, trending downhill but with increasingly large rollers. There was a rider ahead of me by at least a mile, with a bright blinking tail light that I could not close. I hoped for a perfect night sky, but it was partly cloudy and not much to see. As planned, I stopped at the Wyoming border for a selfie with the sign. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07KbGIbMSvUxFXjvTHqdb1UUyM9JapIgxG551bgpnRkPacVunYg8r5TLZ0nvY2fMN5NC1T8vniEUVUTgXJvGHzCpgY1PWoaWhNIZXSZ7-dfL1DGjHZP70RJANfkeJBsIZlGAzi4_MtHY/s2048/IMG_4303.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07KbGIbMSvUxFXjvTHqdb1UUyM9JapIgxG551bgpnRkPacVunYg8r5TLZ0nvY2fMN5NC1T8vniEUVUTgXJvGHzCpgY1PWoaWhNIZXSZ7-dfL1DGjHZP70RJANfkeJBsIZlGAzi4_MtHY/w640-h480/IMG_4303.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><br /></span>It was the most deathly-silent outdoor place I’ve ever been. No cars, airplanes, or wind…just distant animal calls. I wish I could have sat there for a half hour. I got rolling again in the dark and startled a bird that had been on the road. It took off, but seeing only my headlight in the darkness hit me in the head as it took flight.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">Dawn broke and I rolled into Saratoga around 0610. Yes, the Valley Foods IGA control didn’t open until 0700, but less than a mile further into town I found a Kum & Go convenience store. It was just what I needed: engaging locals talking about other riders who have passed through on other trips, Pringles chips for salt, bananas for potassium, glazed and raspberry donuts for breakfast, boxed Hostess cherry fruit pies for today’s and tomorrow’s breakfasts, orange juice. As a bonus, there was a small table and chairs in the store where I ate my breakfast. This place was a big boost to my spirits. As an additional bonus, my odometers had been tracking about 1.5 miles short, and this additional ride into town perfectly synchronized them to the cue sheet as I departed and headed for the Snowy Range and highest point of the ride.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">The 35 mile climb out of Saratoga up the Medicine Bow Mountains to the summit of the Snowy Range (10,847 feet) was absolutely beautiful. Antelope, a hilariously hopping mule deer and its 2 fawns, lots of lakes, streams and meadows.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMFJ1Qzpanv05pFkb-RR8sLl30VOiUV-qURjrkIFxUsF5PFX1MLRi3iRA88_tYfYG7-lbVdYBtk4BmM4bgBCQwoNV9VxNLK1iKotNwXcGnejB2S132c2mdBRxxE9XPk-i2ygpwAO0_-4/s2048/IMG_4305.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMFJ1Qzpanv05pFkb-RR8sLl30VOiUV-qURjrkIFxUsF5PFX1MLRi3iRA88_tYfYG7-lbVdYBtk4BmM4bgBCQwoNV9VxNLK1iKotNwXcGnejB2S132c2mdBRxxE9XPk-i2ygpwAO0_-4/w640-h480/IMG_4305.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzy7TwQRBda-gD30bGx6fqPVmMO1ZiaQCVaf5fUPRkLUCAdnHIJNjWtS6X92fBPAaWbmtNEu3pEtxdcVsQBlUlHZCrRLbLgZdZ_7UK9puT8iXy2Hm5x2dwi9AfFyO_hWHb8xDFaH56jps/s2048/IMG_4306.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzy7TwQRBda-gD30bGx6fqPVmMO1ZiaQCVaf5fUPRkLUCAdnHIJNjWtS6X92fBPAaWbmtNEu3pEtxdcVsQBlUlHZCrRLbLgZdZ_7UK9puT8iXy2Hm5x2dwi9AfFyO_hWHb8xDFaH56jps/w640-h480/IMG_4306.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Parts of the climb were long and kind of steep. On one steep stretch I was passed by 1 rider quite soundly, the first rider I was close enough to speak to all day, moving by so quickly I barely had time to ask about breakfast. Eventually I </span><i style="font-family: Calibri;"></i><span style="font-family: Calibri;">arrived at probably the best view of the entire event: Medicine Bow Peak and its reflection in Mirror Lake.</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFF1CXa4WDL7VavoqVX4VvcPG-ZGLmnUfgXo_W6ob5dt73tnvAn32eXTO-_7fOdRPkT2YbR2gceaCpUIL3KKDcwhcrr_TFz8iUUkQtdWv9ojR2ImD1AwAxHiWhjSXrVydmZWlvYf1PvA/s2048/IMG_4307.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFF1CXa4WDL7VavoqVX4VvcPG-ZGLmnUfgXo_W6ob5dt73tnvAn32eXTO-_7fOdRPkT2YbR2gceaCpUIL3KKDcwhcrr_TFz8iUUkQtdWv9ojR2ImD1AwAxHiWhjSXrVydmZWlvYf1PvA/w640-h480/IMG_4307.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">Just past this point I encountered the ride organizer Jon E. on the side of the road with water for riders. I stopped to chat (I still had 1 of 3 drink bottles full) and was quickly joined by Charlie M. and another rider. Jon took this photo:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bOKzdjsREINSIlNiAHLMOLy6lFnEY096VxUCNgmy6V-Gha5hbFKLEvuitCi6lO3I__OgzZqJdwMu0HLgJrhhCpH7lsHy_HGyzxjuu5z-DFdsdYwh7Arnzzv63AA4Lbx46gn_fNRS-tw/s2048/Snowy+Range.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bOKzdjsREINSIlNiAHLMOLy6lFnEY096VxUCNgmy6V-Gha5hbFKLEvuitCi6lO3I__OgzZqJdwMu0HLgJrhhCpH7lsHy_HGyzxjuu5z-DFdsdYwh7Arnzzv63AA4Lbx46gn_fNRS-tw/w640-h480/Snowy+Range.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><br /></span>What followed was a fast, steep 12 mile descent. I really wanted to just let it fly at 50 MPH, but whenever I start flying down a hill I think about a deer jumping onto the road and the resulting serious injury (or worse), so I kept a lid on it. <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">At the bottom of the decent was Centennial WY, the next services in this sparse part of the country. I stopped with Charlie and a few others who followed us in for a bottle refill and lunch at a picnic table outside the Friendly Store. I think I had ice cream, bananas, and a Pepsi. The others found breakfast burritos that I considered going back in for.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">From there it was a flat ride along the Big Hollow to Laramie. The skies started to turn dark and you could see for miles in all directions, so you could keep tabs on the thunderstorms around you and gage whether you were going to get wet. It started to rain lightly on us, and the others stopped to don rain gear. My experience is as soon as you stop to don rain gear in a light rain, it stops raining as soon as you start rolling again. I was fine without it, although my decision to mount fenders paid off as they were keeping my feet dry. The winds started from the North (our left side) but over time clocked around until it was a headwind for 20 miles.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGsO2Z-W2zoK8hT6tgjjCMClbpzKK_kBBw04aWUGtS4jhnZ2lL49nqtsUqdGbctxGq5XxBz6LGUs7NZe8Ywtxb_9cpEPiUqav7CFq1UNVdWJIbNrmjpMIAKTLN5pwF-IaI7SvrDfMJoA/s2048/IMG_4308.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGsO2Z-W2zoK8hT6tgjjCMClbpzKK_kBBw04aWUGtS4jhnZ2lL49nqtsUqdGbctxGq5XxBz6LGUs7NZe8Ywtxb_9cpEPiUqav7CFq1UNVdWJIbNrmjpMIAKTLN5pwF-IaI7SvrDfMJoA/w640-h480/IMG_4308.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><br /></span>We arrived in Laramie to control at a gas station/convenience store. I began to roll out of there before realizing I had not controlled, so I stopped long enough to answer the info control question on the card (all controls were info) and take a photo of the place. From there it was heading southwest on a 2 lane road back towards Walden on a gradual climb. It was now a cross-wind, but the kind that saps you. Traffic was not sparse, but light enough that I rode mainly on the road, hopping onto the rough shoulder through breaks in the rumble strips whenever a vehicle approached from the rear. At one point a truck and cattle trailer that was headed in my direction stopped on the road ahead of me waiting to make a left-hand turn across traffic. A speeding pickup truck coming up behind it didn’t see it until the last minute, slammed on the brakes but saw it wasn’t going to stop in time, and steered off the road into a field. Excitement. I wondered why trucks driving in the opposite direction frequently made this ZZZZZZZP! sound just before they sprayed me with mist, until I saw they were pulling over towards the opposite shoulder to give me wider berth, and were spraying the water filling the rumble strip divots when they did. <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span>Somewhere on this leg I first noticed front derailleur trouble – it wanted to stay in the big ring. Troubleshooting while riding revealed the cable was slack, so the problem was the derailleur itself. I thought a bit about my daughter’s failed front derailleur a couple years ago with similar symptoms due to a broken spring. I tried shifting it back and forth, and shifting the rear to the big cog to pull the chain towards the small ring, and it finally shifted. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">At the start of the climb for the second crossing of the Medicine Bow Mountains was another volunteer with water. Again, my third bottle was full and I needed none. She told me I was the 12<sup>th</sup>rider on the road. I told her my shoulders/elbows/wrists were aching (arms are my chief long-distance riding complaint lately), and she produced a pillbox with a couple different pain relievers. I took 2 Aleve, thanked her, and began the climb. The climb began as 5 miles of relentless S-curves, each of which looked like it was the final one. On at least 3 occasions I told myself if the end wasn’t in sight around the next curve I would stop in a shady spot and get my stuff together, which I did. Eventually it sort of plateaued for another 5 miles, then headed down into rolly terrain again. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">At this point the wind had clocked around more to become another headwind, and it was sapping me. The kind of wind that sounds just as scary as how it feels working against you. I spent most of the next 25 miles in the drops, exhausted and weaving, but maybe 5 MPH faster than out of the drops. I think I bucked this headwind for 40 miles over the day. My arms were getting tired, but felt better in the drops than otherwise. At one point I saw a grown-over abandoned rail bed that looked pretty cool. Somewhere in here my front derailleur jammed permanently and that where it stayed until Walden - I couldn't sort it out on the road. As it started getting dark I stopped to rig for night riding.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphWkFtk0UCfXP_5X2IuN68H6YMGl1o-dwAku1Qc64iVfJbpTRuuuZQjz2RCNrSGns3fg-oDzcnyF_jaVzQ-dV7vWAXysvuo7uRIsnYgg4nvaL3axKhCMNfkXcjzgG5JNqWSKK2-b5WHs/s2048/IMG_4310.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphWkFtk0UCfXP_5X2IuN68H6YMGl1o-dwAku1Qc64iVfJbpTRuuuZQjz2RCNrSGns3fg-oDzcnyF_jaVzQ-dV7vWAXysvuo7uRIsnYgg4nvaL3axKhCMNfkXcjzgG5JNqWSKK2-b5WHs/w640-h480/IMG_4310.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><br /></span>One other rider passed me while stopped. I suggested we work together against the headwind, but he said only if I get rolling quickly. By the time I found my not-sunglasses and put them on he was gone. While I rolled up the final miles of the day I started formulating how I would do the next day’s climbs with a jammed front derailleur, including getting the chain out of the derailleur and putting it permanently on the small ring.<div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">I arrived back in Walden right at 2100 and immediately asked if there was a mechanic in the house. While I ate a fantastic Italian dinner with garlic bread, two volunteers poked around in poor lighting at a derailleur type they had never seen before. While randomly fiddling with it one of them exclaimed “something just moved”. They discovered and removed the cause: a small black pebble lodged in the black parallelogram. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">Exhausted, I allowed myself a 4<sup>th</sup>hour of sleep that night, getting up at 0200 for day 3.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">I got up Wednesday morning, ate breakfast in my room from the food I collected during the ride the day before, and put on my empty Camelbak again because there was one 79 mile stretch on day 3 between reliable services. The organizers did say that there would be someone with water on that stretch, but I had</span> been on a ride (in Death Valley of all places!) where that person had no water when I arrived and I wanted to have enough capacity to get me across that gap. As was the case the morning before, there was nobody awake at the hotel when I left at 0237, and I believe I was the 2<sup>nd </sup>(records indicate 1<sup>st</sup>) out onto the course that day. Not wanting to head off into oblivion right at the start, I did briefly turn on my GPS until after a couple of turns and I was on the road to the first control, Steamboat Springs. It was a gradual uphill in the darkness, with strange red or green lights in places just off the road. Again, the skies were partly cloudy and I was denied a view of a perfect night sky. Then things started to go haywire. First my helmet-mounted “cue sheet light” failed, followed shortly thereafter by my helmet-mounted headlight that served as a backup. But it was a long road to Steamboat and it would be light before I had to see my cue sheet and make a turn. 22 miles into the ride (mile 415) my arms turned to rubber, and I was losing the ability to hold my torso above my handle bars. This was worse than yesterday’s arm problems, and was getting worse with time. This was a new problem, something I’d never experienced. I got off the bike, laid on my back, stared at the sky, and took stock for a few minutes. Maybe if I splinted my elbows somehow I could continue, but it was going to be a 205 mile day and Mark T. had written me that this was the toughest day of his pre-ride. I’d gutted out all kinds of rides, including the 3 times I thought I’d DNF the 2017 edition of LEL, but I felt like this wasn’t even a decision to be made – it was a forgone conclusion that I didn’t have 335 miles in me to finish the ride. Fortunately it had been a climb, so it was mostly downhill back to Walden, with wobbly arms. It was also the “Ride of Shame”, as I met the parade of outbound riders. Fortunately it was not too light yet, so my identity was a bit of a mystery, but it was light enough to see that the red and green lights I saw earlier were from oil wells. The last rider I met slowed and crossed over as if to offer assistance, but I just said good morning and kept rolling. Getting back to the hotel, I informed the staff, my wife, my bike clubs, and social media. I immediately got a phone call from Gardner D., the DC Randonneurs RBA and a lawyer, who was about to go into court but called me to tell me he had experienced the same arm issue a little while back. I was touched that he would call so quickly from court. I slept most of the day, and hung out with other DNFs and ride staff later that day. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">One smart thing the organizers did was to offer the final day of the ride as a 200k brevet to the DNFs. Most took them up on the offer, reducing the number of sorry DNFs and their bikes they would have to ferry 150 miles back to Louisville, but I (1) had no confidence in my arms (2) wanted to get to my car as quickly as possible so I could make it to North Carolina and see my son for the first time in a year, before he flew back to California. I flipped modes from rider to volunteer, and set off earning my ride back by checking out all the riders and helping with breakfast and breaking down our event setup and loading it into the rented trailer. It was a great opportunity to get to know the riders and staff a little better. Three of us DNF’s piled into Brent M’s vehicle for a 3-hour guided history tour, which included the moose sighting I had hoped for. Upon arrival back at the Quality Inn I unloaded all the rider’s drop bags from the trailer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6Ik0Ug7eYJLcuBpeGgG32pTaO-naMgK0MxLqPaOPI91UlQFKbhJsUi0K3kxaolafLtxa6rSm6mQswhBkYP_6D_kgf8TkyMDzrhiIErX35SEReYiO7bdg9mlmKbtVZrTlQfqfwtUcTxU/s2835/Unload+trailer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2835" data-original-width="1109" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6Ik0Ug7eYJLcuBpeGgG32pTaO-naMgK0MxLqPaOPI91UlQFKbhJsUi0K3kxaolafLtxa6rSm6mQswhBkYP_6D_kgf8TkyMDzrhiIErX35SEReYiO7bdg9mlmKbtVZrTlQfqfwtUcTxU/w156-h400/Unload+trailer.jpg" width="156" /></a></span></div><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">Considering my lift back to the start paid for, I hit the road for North Carolina and arrived home in Maryland 4 days later.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">In summary, this was a gorgeous route. Despite the DNF, it was a positive experience. Although I didn’t ride most of the third day, I think I saw the best of this route. I missed Muddy Pass, Rabbit Ears Pass, Steamboat, Gore Pass, and Willow Creek Pass, but had seen day 4 highlights Cameron Pass and Poudre Canyon on day 1. I also met some new people in the “1200k club”. For me this is the best part of Randonneuring – travelling all over this country (and world), seeing people from this very small club over and over. And if it wasn’t the cause of my arm problems, I learned that I was good with riding at altitude.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">Preps:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">The one unique preparation for this ride was to anticipate the wide variety of possible weather conditions while minimizing gear to carry on these big climbs. Experimenting over the winter, I found that simply by bringing my waterproof sock covers, knee warmers, rubber gloves, and my constant-companion Showers Pass hooded jacket, I could withstand cold rain or temperatures as low as 29F. I did add SPF arm sleeves for the high-altitude sun, and bug repellent (that I never used).</span><o:p></o:p></p></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-91810806503764378572019-08-28T15:33:00.007-07:002022-11-01T14:43:20.766-07:00PBP 2019, As I Saw it<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: calibri; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Let me start by saying that I wrote this report mainly for my own reading pleasure in old age, and to capture some detail in case I ride it again (which I plan to). It is long and detailed, perhaps you will find it mundane in places. But some have asked me to make it available. If you’d like to read it, you are welcome and I am honored that you would do so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Next - Clint Provenza is entirely responsible for this experience. The “Godfather” of our local bike club, Severna Park Peloton, he came up alongside me back in 2011 during a 115 mile club ride to Ocean City MD for a “get to know you” conversation. He asked me if I rode centuries (I did), and told me that if I rode just 10 miles more than we were riding that day, I could join something called Randonneurs USA (RUSA) and start riding 200Ks with many of that day’s riders. I could graduate to longer rides, and eventually he’d get me in shape for this thing called Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP), which he had done in 2007. I went for it - the next month was my first brevet, quickly followed by Fleches, R-12s, Super Randonneur series, route ownership, RUSA Cup, and the 1400K London-Edinburgh-London (LEL) 2017. But despite all that I didn’t do PBP 2015 because I was starting a new job and I wanted to do LEL instead. I wasn’t planning on doing it at all after completing LEL (which had been my bucket list ride) but one day Clint said I should have a PBP on my riding resume, and over time I came to believe that he was right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;"><b>PREPARATION</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I really enjoy planning long rides in detail, maybe more than riding them, so in mid-2018 I dusted off my LEL checklist and notes and started working PBP 2019. Significant developments since LEL:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">⁃<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">A new bike. My 2000 Trek 5500 was 18 years old, the carbon frame was showing its age, and had been through some trauma, so I was losing confidence in its reliability on a long ride (I’m a reliability geek, I try to minimize the chances of being stranded in the boonies with a broken bike). Also, I had suffered searing lower back pain on LEL and wanted a better fit. Finally, the Trek was a racing bike at heart, and I wanted a bike with randonneuring in its DNA - stable steering, fender and rack attachments, external cable routing, reliable, tough yet comfortable frame, serviceable in the field. I opted for a titanium-framed Seven Axiom SLX and outfitted it with wider, flatter, more comfortable bars, bar-end shifters (for reliability and less reach than my old bike’s down tube shifters), 28mm tires, rear rack so that I could stop carrying all my junk in my Camelbak Mule, and an Infinity saddle (which doesn’t work for everyone, but is the best I’ve ever ridden). I also moved my electrical system (SON dynohub, B&M IQ-X headlight, and USB WERK charger) over from my Trek.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">⁃<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I’d go it alone. Initially I planned to buddy up with another rider but those plans fell through. Besides, I read a ton of 2015 PBP ride reports, with most authors subscribed to the same “Ride Your Ride” philosophy I tend to follow on long rides. They almost all eventually separated from those they started with. Clint and I did stay buddied up for LEL, but I know he was stronger than me, waited for me, and I held him back. Besides, with over 6000 riders, you aren’t really “Going it alone”. You can engage in all sorts of “promiscuous riding” - hanging out with whoever suits your pace at any moment. I would later join forces with Bob Counts, but his start time was 2h45m behind mine so our collaboration was purely logistical and I rode PBP entirely at my pace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">⁃<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">No drop bags. The services I could find sounded like more trouble/expense than they were worth, and previous riders had wasted time finding their bags or found them in the rain. Besides, on LEL I learned I didn’t need all the junk in my drop bags. I probably already knew I would skip drop bags when I spec’ed my new bike, because the rear rack gave me the capacity to carry what I needed. I bought a cool Bontrager rear bag that was not only bigger than my old Camelbak or seat post bag, but also had zip-out panniers that gave me all the volume I’d ever need. I also didn’t realize it until after I got rid of the Camelbak that all that weight I had been carrying on my back translated to more weight being supported by my butt/saddle contact point. Getting rid of the Camelbak would help with saddle soreness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Preparations got thrown off track quickly when the start location was changed. I had booked a room right at the start venue (the Ibis Velodrome hotel in St Quentin) - IT DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT!!!! - but the start location changed to Rambouillet. With very little lodging nearby and not getting the word of the change fast enough I missed the chance to book anything there, so I kept my hotel at the old start and planned to either take the train, drive my rental car, or ride my bike the 30K to the start. That would change for the better later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">One thing that did go my way was getting the earliest start time in the 90 hour group. I wanted to start in front of the thousands of riders in the 90 hour “bulge” to avoid crowds at controls, and planned to stay in front as long as I could hold them off. I didn’t savor the evening start that came with 90 hours, but had done it before on Lap of the Lake 1000K. And my hotel offered 4PM late checkout. Also, having needed 89+ hours for my only other 1200K I wanted all the time I could get. Preregistration order was based on you longest ride the previous season, and having done both a 1000K and 1200K in 2018 I was in the first group to preregister. I set up my PBP registration account before preregistration opened, so I preregistered right when it opened. Only the (very fast) 80 hour riders would be ahead of me, and I’d never see most of them again, so in essence I would be in the lead wave onto the course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">To maximize the chance my bike wouldn’t get lost enroute, I wanted a direct flight from Dulles to Paris. There were 2 options: United and Air France. I had lots of miles on United from business travel, but not quite enough for a round trip. United would also charge a bike fee PLUS oversized baggage fee PLUS possibly an overweight fee for my bike, making it as expensive for my bike as for me. I went with Air France, but took a risk: you need to reserve a spot for your bike on the flight and they took months to approve my request. To get my bike to the start, and to have a place to keep my bike box and other junk during the ride, I rented the smallest/cheapest car that would carry my bike box - a Renault Twingo. I checked out trains between St Quentin and Rambouillet and rules for bikes (permitted) and cost (3€) recognizing that for the ride the trains may be overloaded and I might have to ride my bike to and from Rambouillet. I considered putting a French SIM card in my Verizon phone for connectivity during the ride, but after Christine tried it on a trip to the UK I opted for Verizon’s $10/ day international plan. By using cellular data judiciously while in France it would not cost me much more, and it would save me the hassle of buying a SIM in France and having a different phone number.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;"> I upgraded much of my other equipment. I bought a cool Chums “wallet” that held my phone, my cash, my credits cards, even a pen and control card if it was folded in half. Waterproof and smaller than a jersey pocket, it was a near perfect solution for carrying and organizing things on a ride. No more ziplok bags in my pockets. It, plus the around-the-neck control card holder issued at PBP (which held my card plus my passport), really cleaned up my on-bike logistics. My phone with its somewhat thick Otterbox Commuter case was a tight fit in the Chums, so I bought a cheap phone case at Five Below that was thinner, and sanded its glossy plastic backside so that it did not stick to the clear vinyl window of the Chums. I bought some small waterproof bags to keep things dry inside my rear bag on my bike, although this might not be a big deal because my Bontrager rear bag also had an integrated rain cover that tested well in rainy conditions. I bought an emergency bivvy bag, essentially a sleeping bag made of space blanket material, about the size of a tennis ball when new and rolled up, for roadside naps if needed. I purchased new VDO cycle computers as my old VDOs were dying one by one. The only mistake I made in selecting these was, unlike the old ones, I could not pause them mid-ride to resync the mileage to actual mileage in the event of a wrong turn. To remedy this, I rode PBP with my last remaining old VDO, along with a new one. In the end, I liked the new one better despite this difference. I bought some Cygolite Hotrod tail lights, as they are bright and long lasting for their size. I tested one, and it ran for 85 hours in night/steady mode - long enough to complete PBP without incurring the time penalty for not having a tail light. I mounted 2 on my bike, and kept a third hidden in my rear bag in the event my mounted lights were lost or stolen. Theft did occur during this PBP, with many riders having their GPS receivers stolen at one control, despite only riders being allowed in bike parking areas, and volunteers watching bikes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I experimented with more in-the-saddle snacks (an ongoing 7-year search for the right thing) and settled for Trader Joe’s Uncrystallized Candied Ginger for this event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I wrote my ride plan based on actual day-by-day overall average speeds for expected conditions taken from control cards from my 4 previous 1000K and greater brevets (Day 1: 20kph, Day 2: 17kph, Day 3: 16kph, Day 4: 15kph). Because I wanted to minimize night time riding, my first day was going to be long. I planned to do the classic two nights in Loudeac strategy, and my early start time would have stopping there 4:45PM outbound. This yielded an estimate of 79.4 hours, finishing at 12:56 early Thursday morning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">A lesson from LEL: I made a complete set of GPS routes for everywhere I expected to ride my bike, including getting to and from the start/finish and my Airbnb in Loudeac.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I learned rudimentary French using audiobooks during my daily 90 minutes of driving to/from work every day, and a little from Rosetta Stone (which wasn’t teaching me much that would be useful in the PBP scenario, mostly stuff like “the boy has an Apple”). Finally, I just made a list of what I thought would be useful (e.g., Do you have some water?”, “Where are the restrooms”, French numbers) and used Google translate to get the French equivalents. However, much of the time it was just instinct - 50 year old stuff I still remembered from French lessons in 4th and 5th grade. Thank you Madame Gelfan and Mme Smink!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I must have read 50-100 ride reports. One good compilation was on British Columbia Randonneurs website (<a href="http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/pbp/main.html"><span style="color: #dca10d; text-decoration: none;">http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/pbp/main.html</span></a>). Eric Norris’s series of some 20-odd YouTube videos (campyonlyguy) contained lots of good advice for long rides that you might know already, but also had great PBP-specific tips on riding in the French countryside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;"><b>QUALIFICATION AND STAYING READY</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">The qualification rides (200K/300K/400K/600K), along with my son’s college graduation and three trips to the UK for business kept me busy during the spring, so much so that I had to drop Fleche from my schedule. My favorite RUSA event, and the first time in 7 years I didn’t ride it. Training went well. I set personal bests in the longer two qualifier rides, and set another personal best in the 400K that Chip, Earl, Calista, and I did in late July, 23 days before PBP, as a final training ride and a shakedown of my bike in final PBP configuration. The highlight of that ride was Clint and Sherri Provenza surprising us outside Milton DE (</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(53, 53, 53); color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Christine tracks my phone when I ride, and she cued them into my location) </span><span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">with freeze pops on that hot afternoon. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Along with a personal best 1000K time the previous fall, all indications were that I was ready physically. I might have overtrained a bit before LEL, so I didn’t do much after that final ride, just a 200K the following weekend and short club rides up until the final week. And attend the DC Rand sendoff Party at the Hillas’.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;"><b>TRAVEL</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">In early July Bob Counts and I came to the realization that we had both lost our original ride buddies and each had a complete set of reservations, so we decided to join forces and share reservations. He had the best start/finish accommodations (in the start town of Rambouillet versus mine 18 miles away), and I had the best on-route accommodations (in Ludeac, 300 meters off the route versus miles outside of town on just the route out but off the return route). And I had a rental car to make the hour trip between the airport and the start/finish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I packed the Sunday before PBP, and packed the stuff I use every day and rechecked against my checklist on Tuesday. The pack out was: bike box with only my helmet in it (to stay below 50 lbs), my clothes and bike pedals/parts/tools in a carry-on sized suitcase, my rear-rack bike bag packed to the gills, and a backpack with my drink bottles, iPad, charger, phones, and paperwork. Wednesday I drove to Dulles for my flight. I caught several breaks - no beltway traffic, a parking spot by the parking shuttle bus stop, an empty parking shuttle bus for me to wrestle my stuff into/out of, and Air France didn’t charge me the $150 bicycle fee. Perhaps because the flight is shared with Delta, which had just eliminated it's bicycle fees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">On the down side, we sat on the plane for 2 hours waiting to take off due to weather in the northeast. Everything on Air France was bilingual French/English, to my relief. I must look French - the flight attendants seemed to guess who the Americans were and address them in English, but they always addressed me in French.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Near the end of the flight I saw that we were passing Brest. It was the better part of an hour, in a jet plane, before we landed in Paris. This was going to be a long bike ride… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">After landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport things got confusing. I followed the crowd following the “baggage” signs and ended up at a train stop. There were announcements to ensure you had all your baggage, and signs implying baggage claim was there (M gates), but I didn’t see any baggage claim. I skipped the first train just to look around some more, but there was no baggage claim. The train ran between M, L, and K gates, and the sign also indicated baggage claim was in K. So I got on, and was pleased that nobody got off at L, and everyone got off at K. After clearing customs, we were in baggage claim. After a short wait, during which I got 300€ from an ATM (I might haver gotten ripped off on the exchange rate), I had both my bike box and my checked bag (and had carried on my backpack and bike bag). After some more guessing I found the rental car place and was pleased to find all my stuff fit in the small Opel (Corsa?) rental car I had reserved. I originally reserved a smaller one, but went up one size when I teamed up with Bob, there looked to be plenty of room for his stuff also. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">A quick requalification on manual transmission and it was time to drive. My phone GPS wasn’t working when I left the airport, but I had studied the route to my hotel while waiting for the flight in Dulles, so I got on the road from memory until GPS finally kicked in. It took me a slightly different route than the A1-A86-A13-A12 sequence that Google Maps showed me before the flight, through some town to make the jump from A86 to A13, but it got me to my hotel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">The hotel had no reception parking, in fact no open parking outside at all, so I pulled into its underground garage. That proved to be the right answer. I successfully cancelled all but one night since we were headed to Bobs Airbnb the next day, and got a 4PM late checkout. I then went to my room and crashed for 3 hours to sleep off the redeye. When I woke up I studied how to navigate picking up Bob at the airport, and texted with him about the rendezvous plan. I then did whatever bike assembly I could with the bike still fitting in its box. Around 4 I was getting hungry, not having eaten since the flight, so I walked into town in search of some local flavor. I skipped McDonalds and Burger King for a little restaurant, but after having a beer there I found out they were not serving food that day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No food for you today</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">So I walked around and found all the restaurants closed, either because it was August or it was Assumption Day (15th of the month, every year I’m told), so I ended up in McD’s because I was starving at that point. On the way back I spotted a rider in the RUSA PBP jersey with a couple other American riders. He was from Kansas City, and pointed out a supermarket that was open (Carrefour's). I went there and bought a box of coconut macaroons for dessert/breakfast, as well as a large bottle of Leffe Rituel to celebrate the end of the ride, if i could resist drinking it that long. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Motivation</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I also had to buy a reusable shopping bag there - no freebies - which I used several times during my stay. On the way back to the hotel I found more PBP riders, Malaysian I believe. The only bit of common language between us: “PBP”.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">On Friday I headed to the airport to collect Bob, watching the sun rise behind the Eiffel Tower while driving<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">The pickup came off without a hitch (I had learned a lot about the airport in the last 24 hours). He was hungry, so we went into Saint Quentin for food, but once again ended up at McDonalds (does this town ever come alive? Maybe it’s still that “take August off” thing.) Back at the hotel I was able to grab a free parking spot at the hotel (the night before had cost me 13€, even with 12 hours validated) them Bob and I crashed in my room until he had to turn in his drop bag at 2. We checked out at 2, and I caught another break when the hotel didn’t charge me the 20€ late checkout fee they should have. Additionally, all our stuff fit comfortably in the car. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">After dropping off Bob's drop bag, we drove to the start town of Rambouillet, passing Georgi Stoychev and others riding down the highway. We got into our Airbnb and promptly built our bikes. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">We then headed out looking for dinner - which again proved elusive. For the second night in a row we ended up on a place with good beer but not serving the food on their menu. While enjoying our beer we chatted with a group of UK random including a lady who goes by Brevetbird on social media, and I spotted Chip Adams who immediately caught my attention in his distinctive Severna Park Peloton jersey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">We also talked a while with Eric Norris of YouTube fame (mentioned above), who said there was a pizza joint open up the street. We went to said pizza joint and ordered, only to meet Eric and daughter Sarah picking up their pizza. He invited us to join him for dinner at his beautiful Airbnb across the street, which we did. He also provided the beer for the dinner. Because the word was out that the final stage of PBP had been rerouted, we returned to our Airbnb to download the updated GPS file to our receivers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;"><b>REGISTRATION</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Our Airbnb was right across the street from the Rambouillet train station, from which emerged hundreds of cyclists every day.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Saturday was registration day. We started off by looking for breakfast, finding an open air market where we found quiche, baked goods, cheeses, as well as seafoods, meats, almost everything you might want to eat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">It was raining, so we went into the same cafe as last night to have something to drink while we ate our breakfast. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Afterwards Bob went to the registration area to be in the RUSA group picture, but I skipped it because it was raining and turnout was probably going to be light. Because food was becoming a problem, and the start was the next day (a Sunday), I went grocery shopping at the small Carrefour's in town to ensure I had enough to eat before the ride. I then went to registration, riding in the rain in full rain gear. It seemed like overkill at the time, since rain was light, but registration involved standing in the rain for most of an hour and the rain intensified so those with me who were underdressed (nearly everyone) were suffering. The rain intensity was cyclical, and the line was longest when the rain was hardest, and vice versa, because whenever the rain would stop and people would head over to registration it would be raining hard again by the time they got there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I saw Shab there, someone I’m always delighted to run across. If you ride these big international events, she will be there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I also chatted with LEL organizer Danial Webb, and finally got to see the legendary Lois Springsteen in the flesh working as a volunteer. She was busy doing bike inspections in the rain so I didn’t introduce myself. Although my start time was 1730, my control card said my start window opened at 1715. I finally figured out that this wasn’t LEL, where your card’s timing for controls was specific to your start time. The PBP card has a range of opening and closing times, and a page on their website tells you how to calculate your timing based on your start time. I calculated my times on the hard copy printout I brought with me, and snapped a photo so I had them in my phone if needed. It would be something I looked at regularly, especially late in the ride.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">We went out to meet with a group Bob had lunch with: Misha and her brother Luke, Chris and his wife from NC (his wife was the volunteer who got me my stuff at check in), Vinny a gregarious Nigerian fellow from Seattle Rand, and a gregarious Brit named Malcom that we swept up along the way. We ate dinner at a creperie, our first real meal in France. Mine was a "butcher's steak" (hamburger) crepe, and it was very good. We had a great time trying to communicate with the waiter and generally just yukking it up, until we closed the place. Chris introduced us to the Google Translate app, which uses you phone’s camera to almost magically translate text, in this case the menu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE RIDE</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">The next morning it looked clear as we got up around 8:30 and headed into town to find breakfast on a Sunday morning. We were pleased to find a cafe that had loads of baked goods, and met a couple of Danes - one of whom had a velomobile parked out front with a canopy and a seat in the back for his infant child (with its own window). There was also a very chatty Brit named Gary who gave Bob a pair of pants that he needed, and another Brit who lived in San Francisco. We walked back in pouring rain, and I ate a salad I bought the day before and went down for a nap until 3, trying to sleep until right before the start.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I had been watching the weather forecast closely, deciding on whether or not to mount my fenders and bring my rain pants. The forecast was for clear weather, so I left those behind (it was the correct decision). I got to the start about an hour before my 5:30PM time, and was glad I did. It was total confusion, with riders from all start groups just milling around mixed together, with the occasional official making an impassioned plea for the crowd to move somewhere else so the next start group could sign in and get to the start box before their start time. There was very little in the rider instructions on what we were supposed to do here. After parking my bike and walking around a bit it I figured out that there were two roads that were supposed to serve as feeders to one road that took the start group to the start, and that the next couple of groups to start were to form up on the feeders. My group G was in the way of F getting to the start, so we pushed off the road into the trees to let F get by. Then it was our turn to head for the start, sign in at tables along the way, get into the start box.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">We got into the start box about 5 minutes before the start, then we were off. Things were interesting right from the start. Several bikes pulled off the road for flats or other mechanicals right off the bat. There was a lot of adrenaline flowing and I resisted the urge to jump on fast trains, especially since the first 3 stages were the longest 3 of the ride. I saw Hamid and Misha go by on some of these trains, but I stuck to "ride your ride" with groups going as fast I thought I should be going this early. This was a marathon, not a sprint. Actually, it was about 30 marathons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I soon realized that I had forgotten to apply chamois butter before starting the ride, something I would do later behind a hedge in the dark. I also realized that I forgot to bring my power adapter and phone charger, but this was no big deal because I can also charge my phone from by dynohub. I also wished that I had brought a banana with me, as these recently started working for me, especially under hot conditions. It was somewhat warm and I started sweating early in the ride, to the point that it was affecting my eyesight, so while riding I removed my helmet, put on a sweat band, and put my helmet back on. That sweatband would be on my head the rest of the ride, regardless of temperature, sometimes serving as an eyeshade for short naps. We were riding into a headwind for the first day or so and it would sap me at times, but not as much as the headwind on the final miserable day of LEL did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">The scenery and the friendliness of the people that everybody commented on in ride reports was borne out in the first few hours of riding. You really did see Mom, Dad, the kids, and grandma on the side of the route in the little towns cheering and kids looking for high fives from riders. All hours of the day or night. An accordion player. One kid collected rider autographs. Amazing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">It was about 25K into the ride before I saw the first rider from the group that started before us, 50K until saw the first rider from the group after us (H), and 75K until I saw the first rider from two groups after us (I).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I talked a bit with Bulgarian guy named Nikola who started the conversation because he was also riding a Seven, the only two I ever saw there. He spoke great English and said he had gone to college in upstate New York.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I came up on Brazilian rider. He grinned at me for a second as if to say "watch this", then started blasting “TNT” by AC/DC through speakers on his bike, followed by other classic rock songs. He would respectfully turn off the music as we passed through a village.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">During a nature break I pulled out my bottle of Perpetuem. I had been concerned that I might not find enough to eat during the first night, so I made a concentrated bottle of this stuff that had the consistency of pancake batter. It was equal volumes powder and water, and it felt great in my stomach and kept me energized. A successful experiment, I wish I had more (although mixing it this concentrated would be difficult on the road because it clumps). I went through about 8 oz in the first 100K, another 8 oz at the first food stop, and the rest during the second 100K. I mixed it in my oldest most decrepit bottle so I could discard it when empty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Once darkness fell you could see long lines of red tail lights and identical reflective vests (everybody got one as part of the ride) climbing up the long hills heading into Mortagne. Must have seen 200 at one point. On the plus side it was quite the visual effect. On the minus side it showed you when there was a big climb coming (I don’t want to know until I’m on it, don’t want to get psyched out). Now I understand why Gardner said Mortagne must be French for mountain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I hit the first services on the route, the food stop at Mortagne (118K) around 10:30 PM after 5 hours of riding. It was not very crowded - I was still ahead of the majority of the riders due to my start time. I was hungry, and got a great plate of pasta and meat sauce, Orangina (a new drink for me, something I drank many times during the trip) and 2 bananas (to make up for the banana I wish I had on the bike – I would take them on the road with me). I paid, then realized I had no utinsels, so I went back to the start of the serving line with my tray, grabbed them, then walked past the cashiers and sat at a table to eat. I was immediately questioned by a volunteer who saw me walk past the cashier without paying, which I resolved by taking him back to the cashier I had previously paid. I spotted Jeff Newberry, the Texas randonneur I had met in the Blue Ridge to Bay 1200K last May in my neck of the woods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">At 4:01 AM I rolled into Villaines, completing a respectable 9h30m 200K to that point. The weather had been great, and I now saw riders from groups C through K. Approaching Villaines I saw a large group of riders coming onto the course, as if they were returning from getting lost. The route had signs directing each turn on the course, each about the size of a shoebox lid. They were visible to me by day, but at night the only visible part was the reflective head of the arrow, about 3” on a side. I suspect these riders missed one of these signs. I had not planned to use GPS for this ride, but the signs were hard to see and I was glad that I had the route loaded and ready to go – I used GPS the rest of the ride. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">The Villaines control was more crowded, but there were no real delays for food here or anywhere else the rest of the ride. Here and back in Mortagne I saw people stopping for food at local establishments, maybe because this was the smart thing to do to avoid delays in previous PBPs, but it was not necessary this time. Later most experienced riders would comment that the long lines from past years were gone this time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I was starting to see people sleeping on the side of the road, and at the Villaines control. I saw Hamid and Misha in Villaines. I wasn’t too hungry, so I just had 2 Cokes and finished my Perpetuem. Later I ate my 2 bananas on the road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I had a humorous interaction with another rider after Villaines. He was wearing the RUSA PBP jersey, so I asked him where he was from. He said “Northern Virginia, I am the RBA”. It was Hamid! It was the last time I would see him during the ride, but I would see his wife Shab many times at controls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">The weather continued to be nice, with a gibbous moon behind us to keep us company. It wasn’t cold, I wore only my jersey, shorts, and reflective vest that night. Traffic was very light, at most 10 cars all night. At dawn traffic started to pick up, perhaps because it was Monday morning. I was a little disappointed that, like LEL, it seemed like 95% of the riders were passing me. However, I finished in the ~50% who successfully completed that ride, so I tried to not let it bother me. Perhaps they were passing me and stopping, passing and stopping. I was keeping up with my ride plan – within an hour of it until the last day – so how I was doing relative to my progress towards the finish was all that really mattered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">The sun rose on the second day. The only time I felt the bonk coming on was prior to Fougeres, but my candied ginger snacks pulled me out of it. I arrived in Fougeres at 8:25AM, tying a personal best for 300K at 14h40m along the way. An interesting control – no water spigots. I was told to purchase water or get hot water out of the men’s room taps. Speaking of the men’s room, there were only 2 commodes for over 6000 riders. And this was the only place in the ride I felt I lost time because of waiting in line. For some reason, the guys immediately ahead of me each took about 10 minutes in the stalls. Why? Perhaps because there was a small wash sink in each stall and they decided to sponge bath in there rather than walk across campus and pay for a shower. Just speculation on my part.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I hit the Tinteniac control (360K – minimum fleche distance) at 11:40AM. I saw Shab as I was rolling out of the control and stopped to talk for a moment. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shab got me in Tinteniac...</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">She was looking for her husband Hamid, and I told her I had passed him sometime last night. I would see her several more times in various controls. I narrowly averted disaster about 50 yards further down the road. My night glasses fell out of my rear bag’s unzipped pocket, and two cars behind me each missed running over them by an inch or so. Without them, "I’d wear my sunglasses at night" (if that were possible). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">The terrain was getting more extreme, and I noticed that after the first day I still can’t climb to save my life. The last 2 controls before my sleep stop were Quedillac (386K) and Loudeac (445K). </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and again in Loudeac!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">2K after the Loudeac control was our Airbnb, just 300m off the route, and I collected food items at these last two controls so that I had something to eat after sleeping. After getting a big pre-sleep meal at Loudeac around 5:00 PM with Jeff Newberry, it was off to the Airbnb, following a GPS route I made to get me there. This first riding day had lasted 24 hours.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">My never-worn SPP socks made the steps to bedrooms on the second floor as slick as ice, which I believe caused me to slip and injure my right knee. It was a little painful upon departing, but worked itself out after a couple hours. I quickly showered, washed my clothing in the bathroom sink and hung it to dry (to economize I only packed one replacement kit), unloaded anything I didn’t need for the coming day (I’d be returning here the next evening) and got down to sleep. There were no curtains on the windows, but there were working external shutters, which I figured out and closed. I set the phone alarm for 3 hours, but was done sleeping after 2. Since I was an hour behind my ride plan, that put me back on schedule. Bob, who had started 2h45m behind me had not yet arrived. I ate the food I had gathered earlier, and set off in the fading daylight for the next riding day. From my front door I could see the other riders headed down the route - what a great location!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">My legs felt great. I was passing everybody now, especially on climbs. I found Olaf Storbeck along the way, the guy who had photographed Clint and me at LEL and who was the volunteer coordinator for the coming LEL 2021. We talked for miles, mostly about his role as LEL 2021 Volunteer Coordinator, until we got separated on a big hill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">There was a food stop at Saint Nicolas at 488K that I hit at 11:10PM which was also the outbound secret control (it would be the inbound as well), then the busy control at Carhaix at 521K that I hit at 1:04AM. There was now two-way traffic at controls as riders had made it to Brest and were now heading inbound as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">After Carhaix there was a light in my helmet mirror that I realized was the rising moon. It was cold this evening. I put on my rain jacket and knee warmers and put the hood on under my helmet. Eventually I zipped everything up. Later reports would say it was in the upper 30’s at night the rest of the ride. There was a steady stream of riders headed back to Paris on the other side of the road. The terrain was getting hillier, but not excessively, when suddenly in the darkness I recognized the large radio tower that told me I was almost on the summit of Roc’h Trevezel. It was the highest point of the ride, but the climb to it had not been excessively steep. I was pleased that the “big climb” was already behind me without even realizing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Perhaps it was from climbing the Roc’h, and maybe the fast descent off it, but I was getting very cold and very sleepy. I thought about napping on the side of the road, but I pressed on hoping for some civilization so I could nap indoors. I had my emergency bivvy, but had seen others that had been used and never again could be rolled up as compactly as when new. I really wanted to avoid that if I could. Soon I rolled into Sizun, and found a small family-operated roadside water and coffee stop. However, the guy in front of me got the last of the coffee. I tried napping in one of their lawn chairs, but it didn’t work, so I rolled on. Less than a mile later I found an all-night café – PERFECT! I put my helmet on a table and ordered a coffee. There was a rough looking young dude in there – tats and piercings everywhere (will never forget the cord hanging out of his ear lobe) – who seemed to be giving me a hard time at the bar, but it turned out he was apologizing (in French) for having gotten in my way. He insisted I sit at the bar stool he thought he had blocked me from, and despite me pointing at my helmet at the table he insisted I sit at the bar, so I did while I drank my Americano. Then I moved to the table, set my phone alarm, and took a table nap for about 20 minutes, awaking warm and clear headed. Although I always set my phone alarm, not once during the ride did I sleep until it went off. Adrenaline? Fear?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Then it was on to Brest (610K). I crossed the bridge that everyone stops on for a selfie, but it was dark so I just kept rolling. I got lost for a minute at the far end of the bridge, then discovered the climb to the control was just as Gardner had described – one of the most annoying climbs of the whole ride. I arrived at 7:00AM, setting a personal best for 600K along the way. Once there I received a message from Bob that he had abandoned shortly after leaving Loudeac and was now returning to our Airbnb in Loudeac to sleep. He was having serious sleep problems. I took another short table nap in Brest, the halfway point of the ride, then set off to Paris into a rising sun.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of the return trip</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Somewhere on the Roc’h I got sleepy again, so I pulled off the road in the sunny late morning, reclined against a grassy embankment, pulled my hood over my eyes, and napped for 20 minutes. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atop the Roc'h</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">After that It was Carhaix again (693K) at 1:00PM, and St Nicolas to gather food again for the overnight in Loudeac. I was back in Loudeac (783K) around 7:00PM, stopping at the Airbnb to sleep before hitting the control 2K further down the route. It had been about a 22 hour riding day, with three naps. I remember the approach to Loudeac as being pretty hilly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">There was no sign of Bob – he was done sleeping, gone, and headed east for Rambouillet. This time I slept the full 3 hours, ate my food, gathered up all my stuff, secured the Airbnb, and headed into town to control and eat some more. When I controlled there, I had only 1h39m left in the bank, but it was a calculated risk to sleep before controlling. I would soon be putting lots back in because of the 12kph pace of the final day, even while slipping from 1 hour behind my ride plan to 4 hours behind by the finish. Build in a time buffer - that saved my bacon at LEL.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I left Ludeac riding into a rising moon. As the night chilled again I stopped to zip up my clothing. While stopped I heard the unmistakable sound of a large group of riders coming up behind me. I turned to see: a rider in the front escorted by security motorcycle, a security vehicle behind them, then a tight group of maybe 50-100 riders moving smartly down the road. As they were where I was, so this couldn’t have been some elite rider with an entourage. Later some speculated that it might have been the PBP Youth Ride. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I had a healthy appetite now, so I stopped at the Quedillac food stop (843K) around 2:00AM and ate some more. I was really feeling good at this point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Somewhere after Tinteniac (869K, 3:50AM) I was joined by a silent rider who would not leave me alone. He drafted me when I was fast, sat on my quarter when not. I pulled behind a stopped garbage truck and he went by, but then he got back on again. He was in group D group, 45 minutes less time than me, so maybe he was trying to leverage me to keep moving. I later caught a train and never saw him again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">For the second time in three days I arrived in Fougeres (923K) in the morning (7:12 AM). Again, the two stalls in the men’s room were a time waster. I would find out later that day when Bob texted me that he was sleeping right there in Fougeres when I passed through, which then put me ahead of him for the return to Rambouillet. I had previously asked him to ensure the key to our Airbnb in Rambouillet was in the key box when I got there. We mused that it was now my responsibility. I got a 20 minute nap on a yoga mat on the floor.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Somewhere after that is when it started happening again – that thing from LEL. To me, it looked like the riders ahead of me were leaning to the right. What was really happening was my own brand of Shermers neck – head leaning to the left. That, plus the lack of sleep, messes with my sense of vertical. The whole world tilts right, even when I hold my head vertical, sometimes making it hard to get rolling on my bike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Around noon I was getting very loopy and unsteady, having a hard time separating reality from dreamland. I stopped for a roadside nap on a grassy spot next to a cornfield under a tree, out of sight of other riders. Perfect (or so I though). Upon laying on the ground I felt my right arm stinging and saw ants on it. I brushed them off and fell asleep. 20 minutes later I awoke to find ants all over that arm, which was all red and irritated. I brushed them off and got rolling again (clear headed as always after a short nap). As I was rolling down the road I felt a sting just below my navel – I had missed one ant. But I dispatched it without having to stop my bike. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">On the approach to Villaines (1012K, 2:14 PM) I remembered one ride report I had read: “Time to feel like a Pro”. And it was – hundreds of spectators, noise, commotion, banners. A little girl in a green t-shirt asked if I wanted to eat, and she then proceeded to fill up a tray with whatever I wanted and seat me at a table to eat. Riz au lait, cheese, chicken and taters, and enough other stuff to make it a large meal. I gave her a couple Euros in return. On the way out spectators watched me entirely unload my rear bag looking fruitlessly for my phone charging cable. I then put my phone in airplane mode to conserve battery, only to take it back out a little down the road fearing that the loss of “Find Friends” position reporting would cause Christine to think I had been in an accident. The cord turned up later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">For some reason every couple of hours my GPS receiver would go into a 10 second countdown to powering down, which you could override if you noticed it. Once I did not, and had to restart it. I was hesitant to make any changes to my equipment before the ride, so I lived with it until after the ride and I updated its software. The update solved that problem.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Sometime later that afternoon, after passing up many of them this ride, I stopped in the little concession in the center of some town to get water. There were locals there, food, music, a party in the town square. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">As the sun was getting close to setting for the last time (I figured I would finish in darkness) I decided I needed to take a couple pictures of the countryside. I stopped and dropped to one knee to take some pictures with my phone and knee started stinging. What’s wrong with this place? Every time I touch the ground I get stung!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I got to Mortagne (1097K) at 8:17 PM after some healthy climbing into town. On the way out one rider said the hilly stuff was behind us now, which wasn’t quite true. There were still a couple big climbs coming out of town, with a group of spectators at the top of perhaps the biggest one. I didn’t recognize the language (Italian?), but a man in the group seemed to be telling the riders that this was the last hill. And it essentially was. Some hard-to-come-by flatness would complete the route.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I stopped for one last nap around midnight, thinking an earlier nap was better before it got too cold. I laid down on the ground and bundled up as best I could, with my sweat band over my eyes to cover them from the lights of the bikes rolling by. I could hear the voices of the riders, even a couple walking around me. Although I shivered occasionally, I didn’t feel cold. I still didn’t want to open my bivvy bag, my situation wasn't quite that bad. On previous nights I speculated that the skies must be amazing here because of the lack of light pollution, but my headlight provided it's own pollution. I realized here was a chance to check it out. Pulling my sweat band eye shade away from my eyes and pulling out my glasses from my jacket's breat pocket, I saw the most star-ful sky I had seen in decades. Done sleeping, I got up and got back on my bike, but had a hard time getting going because of the vertigo that my neck problem was causing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I arrived in Dreux (1174K), the penultimate control, at 2:06 AM, just 45K from the finish. I knew I had a realistic shot of finishing inside of 84 hours, the time limit Clint thought I should have signed up for, and wanted to prepare for that final leg. I took another 20 minute table nap, my 4<sup>th</sup>nap since my sleep stop in Ludeac over a day ago, and had a cup of coffee (only my second of the ride). I rolled out of Dreux with a crystal-clear head, a man possessed with rolling up the final stage and finishing this thing before 84 hours. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">The ride was a rocket sled on rails, full throttle the whole way (in act</span><span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">uality I was only doing about 12 mph over this flat stretch - late in a long ride things look faster than they really are!) A Malaysian guy joined me who spoke very broken English and was having some trouble navigating (no GPS, reliant on signs). He stayed with me, following me for navigation, but at one point said something about wanting to slow down, then he stopped. I didn’t want to slow down, but when he stopped I got a little concerned, so I circled back to see what the problem was. No problem…HE WAS PLAYING WITH HIS PHONE!! Later dude, you’re never more than 30 seconds from the next rider coming by, you’ll have someone else to follow shortly. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">The rest of the ride into Rambouillet was uneventful. There was nobody in streets when I finished, just after 5:00 AM with a time of 83h31m, and turned in my completed card. Although I finished 4 hours later than I estimated that I would, it was a personal best for 1200K by 6 hours. The other personal bests along the way were by minutes. That huge effort was probably the reason I couldn't manage a smile despite the achievement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Despite the neck injury and outward appearance, ecstatic.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">It had been a 31 hour riding day, with only four 20 minute naps along the way. As soon as I turned in my card I experienced the same thing as at the end of LEL – the feeling of the remaining energy in my system just drain away (as the adrenaline turned off for the first time in 3 ½ days). Feeling like a bouncy house looks when collapsing on itself as soon as the fan is turned off. They had a free meal for the finishers, lightly attended at this early hour.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">I rode home, exhausted, and contemplated going straight to bed without showering, but that was too gross even when this tired. I'm glad I showered - the hot water I stood in for the next 20 minutes felt very very good on my injured neck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #353535; font-family: helvetica;">Six hours later I woke up, drank that beer, and greeted Bob as he arrived. Over the next 2 days I slept a lot, went for a recovery ride, hung out with other riders, dropped Bob off for his flight home, and packed my bike. As a farewell present, Air France did not charge me the $150 bike fee, again. Not sure why, and didn't ask.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmUCVQBBQs_CDoscSKQu4xVTUn53oAk_KspRh2aRji1kFM9bt4Z5Pb6dsMvjqaZBUK6QCo54JPc-8XTFozMHEnOFIlYsGqmEdhjgXJVHtR3-hl_cAopk8HG2cfm4btOuoPXo90-LoAdg/s1600/image4-4.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmUCVQBBQs_CDoscSKQu4xVTUn53oAk_KspRh2aRji1kFM9bt4Z5Pb6dsMvjqaZBUK6QCo54JPc-8XTFozMHEnOFIlYsGqmEdhjgXJVHtR3-hl_cAopk8HG2cfm4btOuoPXo90-LoAdg/s640/image4-4.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Hamid (Northern Virginia RBA) and Vinny (Seattle Randonneurs) after some sleep</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: calibri; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Things to do differently next time?<br />
<br />
1. One or 2 bags of snack food, no more. A couple bottles worth of Gatorade powder, no more. 10 or so Gu packs, no more. 1-2 ounces of sunscreen, no more. I hauled way too many consumables all the way to the finish, unused. Dumb!<br />
<br />
2. Now that I proved I can finish in under 84 hours, sign up for 90 hours again and spend more time enjoying the local flavor on the side of the road.<br />
<br />
3. Bring full fingered gloves for the cold nights.<br />
<br />
4. Try to get a better exchange rate on Euros.<br />
<br />
5. Finish in daylight. It was cold, dark and lonely at the finish.<br />
<br />
6. Train more for climbing. It was more than expected. Dropping some body weight, to under 170 pounds, seemed to help a lot in this area.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: calibri; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br />7. And open the damned bivvy bag and use it. For crying out loud you cheapskate, a new one only costs $15!</div>
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Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-44131751563389937622018-09-24T12:28:00.002-07:002019-09-08T10:14:50.974-07:00Dressed for Arrest (Not!)<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">About the 21-22 September 2018 ride to Ocean City and back:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;" />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">It started innocently enough. I've been chasing a RUSA Cup for years (100k,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">200K, 300K, 400K, 600K, 1000K, 1200K, and fleche, all in the US), but haven't</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">yet gotten them all in the required 2-year period. After riding DC Rand's Blue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">Ridge to Bay 1200K this year (the toughest on the list), I was only missing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">the 100K (easy enough) and 1000K (had one once, but it "expired"), so I signed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">up for the Bicycle for Life 1000K in North Carolina. Not having ridden more</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">than 200K since June, I had to throw in a longer ride 2 weeks prior for</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">training. I decided to do what I did for my last 1000K back in 2014, ride to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">Ocean City and Back on Earl's 200K routes - 400K total, and 400K RUSA credit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;" />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">Margaret, Clint, and Earl joined in, and we met near the Eastern Shore end of the Bay</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">Bridge Friday morning. Pre ride discussions included Earl saying to expect headwinds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">both out and back (you've got to be kidding), predictions of finishing times</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">(2-4AM), and how you should try to eat normal food during a ride -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">that once you need goo you are in a downward spiral). All later proved to be</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">prescient.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;" />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">We shoved off <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">at 7AM</a> under leaden skies, riding the usual Chester/Grasonville</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">route through puddles that were actually very high tide (the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">spray from Earl's rear wheel tasted salty). Once into Queenstown I finally</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">saw that mythical beast, the always-mentioned-when-we-pass</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">through-but-I've-never-seen-it white squirrel, along with two black ones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;" />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">We reminisced about past SPP Ocean City rides as we passed the spot where we</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">used to stop to phone in the breakfast order to Dave's Place in Ridgley, and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">made a bottle stop in Denton. Just before stopping Clint and I discussed how I'd</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">like to test ride his new solid tires and he'd like to test ride my new</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">Infinity saddle, so we departed Denton riding each other's bikes wearing each</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">other's shoes. Clint commented how, up to that point, he and his bike had</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">been "monomagmous". I realized that most of us are. Only once in the last 30</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">years or so had anyone else ridden my bike - Christine, for a test ride.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">Clint's tires didn't feel any different than conventional ones, but the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">unfamiliarity of his bike, especially his saddle and saddle height, drove me</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">nuts and I had to get back on my own bike after less than 10 miles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;" />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">The skies cleared, the predicted headwinds appeared on cue, we got a reprieve</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">from the headwinds on the 10-mile northbound stretch in Delaware that made</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">this a 200K route, and we rode on to our lunch stop at Subway in Milton.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">Rolling out of the parking lot to get into traffic at a red light, I heard a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">woman yell "Mom? Mom!" It was Margaret's daughter and her family in a car, a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">chance encounter on their return from the beach. Figure the odds.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;" />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">One discussion that was not prescient was about Lighthouse Road, that 4-mile</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">stretch that drops you onto the main drag in Ocean City. Someone warned about how much tire-damaging debris there was along that stretch, which made me realize I'd</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">flatted twice there - once so close to the finish that I just rode it in on</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">the rim. But no flats this ride.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;" />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">After the obligatory picture on the beach we started the trip back a little</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">after <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://3" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">5PM</a>. Ride endorphins caused "Haitian Divorce" by <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://4" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="4" x-apple-data-detectors-type="misc" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Steely Dan</a> to play in</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">my head all day in sync with my pedaling cadence, and it continued to play the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">rest of the ride. At some point it was "who has a joke" time, but the best</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">any one of us could come up with was "What are the two things heavy coffee</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">drinkers do? Number one and number two!" We pulled into Irish Eyes in Milton</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">for dinner at dusk. I was still in sunglasses, if it had been 10 minutes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">later I would have stopped to get into regular glasses. We all wanted to get</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">pitchers of water to fill our bottles, but they would only bring us individual</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">glasses, which they refilled a couple times. Recognizing we were 95 miles</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">from the finish, with nothing open at night along our route, I wanted to fill</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">both my 24 oz bottles and 3 liter Camelbak, but only got the bottles plus a little in the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">Camelbak. It was night when we finished dinner, and warm, so Margaret didn't</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">want to wear her reflective vest. I lent her the reflective/mesh stuff I have</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">on my Camelbak, as I have done on a 300K last year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">After leaving Milton my legs felt dead. Also, the predicted wind shift</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">happened, giving us a headwind for the return trip as well. I started</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">pounding crackers to fuel the machine, and drinking water. I felt really strong during the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">day, but it seemed each of us had our "moment" and the rest of the ride would</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">be mine. I wished I had put Gatorade powder in my bottles for something</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">sugary. At one point Earl said "I'm fantasizing about taking a nap on the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">front porch of that fruit stand in Bridgeville", and I cast the second vote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">for that. If you have ever been dog tired on a ride, you'd appreciate how</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">good that 20 minute visit to dreamland feels and how much fresher you feel</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">when you get up. The porch was brightly lit, so I used my Camelbak strap as</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">an eyeshade.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">Refreshed, we got back on the road and arrived in Denton, 50 miles since</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">dinner. My bottles were empty, I'd been sucking on my Camelbak, and we still</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">had 45 miles to go. I needed water, but incredibly the other riders had used</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">as little as half a bottle so far. It was <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://5" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1AM</a>, and nothing was open. Not even</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">the Irish Pub we thought would SURELY be open until 2. Even the fire house</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">was locked up and unresponsive. That's when I devised a plan to find a water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">faucet on the outside of some business. Businesses were all closed, so the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">risk was minimal (doing that at a house would get us noticed, maybe shot!).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">The others looked elsewhere, but since I've never seen a working faucet on the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">front of a business I went down alleys looking at the sides and backs. On</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">only my second alley I hit pay dirt, filling my bottles with water and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">Gatorade powder (finally, sugar!). I saw the others ride down the street past</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">me, so I called them into the alley and they filled up as well. Nothing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">between us and home now except 45 miles, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">While crossing that bridge departing Denton I sensed a car following us. Just</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">as I thought a Dentonian might have "seen something, said something", blue and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">red lights came on behind me, while another car passed our group with its</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">lights on and stopped in front, corralling us on the bridge. Perhaps it was</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">the lighting on my bike, or on my helmet, or when I called out to the others.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">Or maybe the back of the business was a residence, or the building next door</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">was. Anyway, it was time to face the music, and it was because of me. While</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">a cop talked to Clint at the front, his supervisor came to me from the car in</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">the rear and told me a citizen reported people on bikes riding in and out of</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">alleyways. I explained my need for water and the distances involved, and he</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">broke out in a big smile. "Well, you all are dressed like bikers, so I guess</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">I believe you". Better yet, we were in matching SPP jerseys - do burglars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">coordinate their clothing? We exchanged pleasantries and parted company.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">The rest of the ride was uneventful. At some point Margaret set a personal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">best - longest ride she had ever done. Although on multiple occasions Earl</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">commented on how out-of-shape he was, he seemed the strongest late in the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">ride. I was the anchor, the guy everyone else adjusted speed for so that I</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">didn't get more than a hundred yards behind. We arrived at our cars just</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">after <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://6" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">4AM</a>. I got home, showered, and went to bed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;" />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">When I first saw Christine, later that morning, she led off with "So,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">how's my jailbird?" Sensational news travels fast.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstyletallbody"; font-size: 17px;">Jack</span>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-2142906538957511002018-06-11T13:53:00.002-07:002018-06-12T13:20:41.553-07:00BRB, as I saw it<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<b>Ringed by Severna Park Peloton super volunteers, BWI overnight control</b></div>
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This isn't a fancy writeup, just the facts (mostly).</div>
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At 0500 on 31 May 2018 my fellow riders and I launched from the Leesburg VA Best Western on day 1 of the inaugural edition of the DC Randonneurs Blue Ridge to Bay 1200K. 51 riders, including 5 females, attempted the ride, which had a time limit of 90 hours 27 minutes. Spoiler alert: all 5 females finished in time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The weather at the start was foggy/misty, and only got worse as time went on. After a couple of turns I found myself in familiar territory – eastbound on the W&OD Trail, the final leg of my last 6 fleches and at one time my bike commute to the Pentagon. We moved at a rapid pace, which got me a bit overheated because sweat was not evaporating much. Soon we arrived at the Key Bridge Marriott, the “happiest place on Earth” for any DC Rand fleche rider as it has been the finish line for many years. For the first time in over 20 years I rode to it but did not pull into its parking lot.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We pressed on down the Mount Vernon Trail, made one quickly-corrected wrong turn that sent us under vice over the 14<sup>th</sup>Street bridge and rolled onto the Washington Mall, still largely in one group. The first control was at the Washington Monument, where we were pleased to find Ed F. and Mary G. snapping photos of us and generally supporting us however needed. We then rolled on to the Lincoln Memorial, where we encountered Roger H. yelling directions on how to get headed towards Georgetown and Bill B. ready with the camera, as always.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We got to Georgetown, where I tossed my first cue sheet into a trash can and helped a couple of out-of-towners pick up the Capitol Crescent Trail. Once on the trail we encountered a detour, and I helped a large group ignore bogus directions from a construction worker and get headed in the right direction. We headed up the trail for several miles until we departed at a special control set up by the organizers (in case you needed anything to eat or drink at this point, which I did not).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Continuing north through the Montgomery County suburbs in light rain, we crossed the Beltway on the Bethesda Trolley Trail, which I had seen many times from my car, and through a mind-numbing series of residential neighborhoods with numerous turns. My open lunch control was a McDonalds in Olney MD, where I found Hamid A. Being still in contact with him, and having ridden to this point with Bill F. from PA Rand, I was wondering why I was in such fast company. Call it the starting surge, it didn’t last much longer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although we were pretty much one big group up to this point it was inevitable that, with this open control with people going various places and finishing up at different times, the big group would fragment - and it did. I headed out solo to continue northward, and recall seeing Gardner D., Theresa F., Steve S. and De’anna C. inbound for lunch as I left; all of whom I would end up behind later in the event. Northward I went, through the familiar Gettysburg area and then towards South Mountain. I rode with Jeff L. for a part of this, and eventually ended up in a larger group including Gardner and Theresa with whom I would ride for most of the rest of the event. It began raining harder as we started the climb to Big Flat, which was perfect for me because “my engine runs hot” and the rain kept me cool – just riding in shorts and a jersey. There is a false summit on this climb and several in our group were fooled by it and even by another descent before it. At the summit many stopped to put on more clothes to warm them for the long descent, but I just bombed it wearing what I had on. I was happy to be almost cold. At the bottom we controlled at the Shippensburg PA McDonalds for dinner. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As darkness fell upon us enroute to the overnight control in Shepherdstown WV our group grew to about 10 riders, and I spend much time talking to Jeff N. from Texas. Somewhere along this stretch Theresa stopped suddenly and we all slowed until she caught up. She said she saw a kitten on the side of the road. Once we got going again I heard a loud “MEOW” in the group, and a fellow rider told me she had it in her vest. For the next hour or so we heard from the cat periodically. Arriving at the Shepherdstown overnight control at the Quality Inn, we were met by “super volunteers” like Shab M. and John M. who could not do enough to get us settled and fed. I was assigned a room with Jeff L., who let me know that he was dropping out and that I’d have the room by myself the next night, which was convenient. That next night when I returned I found a nice note from him wishing me luck on the rest of the ride.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Gardner, Theresa, and I departed for day 2 at 0630, having gotten 2.5 hours of sleep. They almost left without me – having been told (erroneously) by several people that I was already gone. They left the kitten behind in their room, but it was gone (to Theresa’s surprise) on our return later that day. While we were riding the housekeeping staff heard the cat meowing and reported it to management, who contacted the volunteers for an animal fee. The volunteers resolved the situation by finding the kitten a good home, which was what Theresa was intending to do all along. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I wasn’t feeling all that strong that morning as we headed south. The stop in Berryville VA for snacks helped a little. We continued south into Front Royal, rolling into town down a steep descent which ended with Gardner and I at the bottom without Theresa. I told Gardner I saw a small turtle in the road fly past my field of view and guessed that she stopped to rescue it. She did. We ate lunch at a BP station, where I tried a three-pronged approach to nutrition: something substantial (tuna sandwich), something sugary (ice cream), and a sugary drink. For the rest of the event this “holy trinity” of nutrition worked great to keep my energy level high. The tuna sandwich was a risk. It was pre-made, with no “sell-by” date on the package, but I needed it and chanced coming down with food poisoning while climbing to nearly 3400 feet on Skyline Drive. Unlike the day before, this climb was going to be in bright sunshine. To stay cool, I filled both my drink bottles with ice cubes as much as possible, the topped off with Gatorade. I filled my 3 liter Camelbak with ice cubes, which melt over time to provide a constant flow of ice water. We finished up lunch, rode to the Shenandoah National Park entrance, paid our $15 apiece, and started our ascent.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The climb was challenging and pretty constant. The annoying bit was that on several occasions, after gaining many hundreds of feet of elevation, the road pitched down and we would give back a couple hundred hard-won feet. I was getting low on fluids as the summit approached, and eyed the many springs pouring out water along the road. Much as I wanted to drink from them I stayed away, only realizing later that I could have taken advantage of them not to drink but to cool off by letting the gushing water pour over me. Eventually we arrived at the highest point of the ride, Hogback Overlook, where Bill B. and Nick B. were waiting with water and Bill’s camera. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Gardner and me climbing Skyline Drive</div>
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After a short stop to enjoy the view we did the long, wild descent into Luray VA for the next control, followed by the climb over Edith Gap into Fort Valley. This was probably the longest steep climb of the whole event, and we all ended up pushing our bikes up the grade. While doing so the skies just opened up in a torrential downpour, which kept up during the steep descent into Fort Valley, making it very challenging. The rain continued as we rode through the valley, and at one point was so heavy we could not see or brake. At that point we stopped briefly to take shelter but found none, and donned additional clothing. A few miles down the road we found a covered picnic area where we sheltered for a few minutes while Gardner called the Shepherdstown control to ask about weather (it was bone dry up there), then continued to the Front Royal control and points north. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It was during this stretch that I briefly considered dropping out of the event. We had done a hell of a lot of climbing that day, and now were getting dumped on mercilessly in the dark. The fun had just about drained out of it. At one point I saw a sign that told me I was closer to my car (at the start in Leesburg) than I was to the overnight control, and I indulged myself in thinking about riding to my car, driving home, and sleeping in my dry, warm bed. I felt like I needed a small sheltered break to get my stuff together. We found it on the picnic table on the covered front porch of the Locke Store in Millwood VA. The place was closed and darkened, but when we sat down a lady came out and asked what she could do for us. After we refused several offers, it seemed she would not take no for an answer, so we accepted a bag of potato chips. I took a 10 minute nap to clear my head while the others chatted. During this time the skies really opened up and I was glad we were there. When the rain subsided, we rode the final 38 miles back to Shepherdstown control. The elevator was busted, so the super volunteers carried our bikes up to our rooms.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I got really lucky on my day 3 wakeup. The alarm clock in the room went off at 0700, but my iPhone did not. After investigating I found that I had set my iPhone to PM vice AM, and my former bunkie Jeff must have set the room alarm clock before he left. My bar tape was unravelling pretty badly after all that climbing and rain, so I did an emergency repair with duct tape. Gardner, Theresa, and I departed at 0730 after 3 hours of sleep. I didn’t have time for breakfast, so I stuffed a pocket with bananas and bars and ate breakfast during the first hour in the saddle. There was comical moment just a few blocks from the control when Gardner and I turned left on Duke Street to cross into Maryland while Theresa turned right to head back to Front Royal. It turned out that the control staff had inadvertently given her the previous day’s cue sheet. We rode through familiar spots like Gapland and MarLu Ridge and headed for the Chesapeake Bay. I have yet to find a flat east-west bike route through central Maryland, and this one was really hilly. Mid-day we got dumped on again, but it envigorated me by cooling off my engine. I felt it rev up and I was off the front of a fairly large group in pouring rain until I stopped to wait. One of my Planet Bike tail lights went into my cassette at this point and was shredded, but it had gone bonkers the night before because of water intrusion (a design problem), so I didn’t really care. That night I had texted my wife Christine, who was volunteering at the next night’s control, to ask her to put an extra tail light in my drop bag. We rode across the state, and eventually found ourselves departing the BWI trail enroute Annapolis when a car suddenly appeared honking its horn. It was Christine with John and Janet B., who had tracked my iPhone on the “Find Friends” app.<br />
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Theresa, me, Kelly S., and Gardner. Tracked down by my phone</div>
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After a quick roadside conversation we headed to the bay. These roads were our “home field” as Gardner put it, but after 3 days riding my rear end was feeling rough spots I had not noticed on local roads before, like the road just after the Eastport Bridge. It was a real hoot to ride our local everyday roads as part of a 1200K. We did the loop around Bay Ridge, crashing a big party that was food on one side of the road, live band on the other.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Night was falling, as was some moderate rain, as we departed Annapolis for Crownsville, when I noticed that my helmet “map light” was dead. I couldn’t find spare AAA batteries in my Camelbak (I found them there after the event), and the convenience store at Crownsville Rd and Defense Highway was closed. Some teenagers in search of cigarettes were equally disappointed, but were impressed that I was riding in the dark in the rain. As our group of about 6 rode Bell Branch Road eastbound the skies dumped on us yet again, but it just made me feel better again by cooling me down so I rode on wearing just jersey and shorts. At the summit I told Gardner I’d ride ahead in search of batteries. He pointed out that the High’s on Muddy Creek Road was a few miles ahead and told me to try it. He also asked if they should look for me there, and I said yes. Headed south on Rutland Rd I found Tom and Mark from MN sheltered under the Route 50 overpass. I set a fast pace for the High’s store, and found what I was looking for there. I waited about 25 minutes for the rest of the group, but only Tom and Mark showed up. I decided to continue on with just them. Just before we left an ambulance went by, headed back up the road we had just come down. I found out later that the other three – Gardner, Theresa, and Kelly S. had stopped for a flat and someone who saw them had mistaken their roadside activity as a medical emergency and called for help. Tom, Mark, and I hit the final controls for the day and arrived at the BWI overnight control around 0400. I was expecting the easy approach that I was familiar with, but the routing instead was towards Patapsco State park and over challenging terrain. Christine watched the maneuver on Find Friends and thought I was lost at that point - I was not happy on arrival. I hung out with my Severna Park Peloton buddies staffing the control and stayed up sharing stories later than I should have. The store-bought lasagna was out-of-this-world good, as was the beer. Until this point I had skipped the nightly beer offered at the controls, but during this day I was told that drinks along the route were common during Paris-Brest-Paris, so I decided to start getting used to it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next morning I was a little rushed, after only 2.5 hours sleep. After getting dumped on so many times I decided to lube my chain in my hotel room bathroom before heading out. While doing so I was called by Mike B., one of my buddies staffing the control, checking to see if I was awake. I was one of the last riders still there, and had not made an appearance yet. He had already called Christine to ask if he should wake me at that point of let me sleep, but she didn’t know. When I got to breakfast I found out Theresa and Gardner had come in so late that they just showered and headed back out onto the course, a little ahead of me. I departed solo at 0845 in light rain, blowing through both a stop sign and a red light closely monitored by policemen (who didn’t react to my traffic violations). After a few hours I spotted a familiar figure on the side of the road – it was Gardner, having just abandoned due to a couple injuries. He had a car on its way to pick him up, so I gave him a couple of Janet's homemade chocolate chip cookies to munch on while he waited. Shortly after I left him the skies opened up yet again, so I called Gardner to tell him I had spotted a house under construction near his location without garage doors – a perfect spot to shelter. This day – the final day of the ride – was cooler and I immediately donned my rain jacket at this point. Charging down the road I caught a group of about 6 with Theresa, De’anna, Rudi M., Jimmy A., Emily R., and maybe others. They told me the forecast was for falling temperatures all day, and I wished at this point that I had brought my rain pants instead of leaving them in my drop bag as I had the rest of the event (check the weather next time!) We went to a Burger King in Damascus MD as the open control, on our way to hypothermia, and adjusted our rain gear for the rest of the ride. I asked the staff for plastic garbage bags with which to fashion rain pants with my duct tape, but they did not give me any. We helped Rudi adjust his clothing to keep him dryer/warmer, and headed on. Theresa and I ended up by ourselves by the time we got the Poolesville MD control, where I bought a box of small trash bags as a just-in-case. We also saw a sign that said White's Ferry was closed. We found out later that was due to flooding on the Potomac River. We eventually caught the rest of the group, and also spotted Andrea M. from DC Rand pacing riders in her minivan with the window rolled down to talk. I remember asking her opinion about the Volagi she owned as I am in the market for a new bike. She stopped at one point to give Theresa and me hugs and to offer me rain pants she had in the van, but they were impossibly small in the waist. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Later that afternoon Theresa disappeared from the group without my notice when she stopped to remove some rain gear. I saw a couple of guys associated with the event in an SUV along the side of the road and gave them her description so they could check on her, but they were unsuccessful. When I got to the Lovettsville VA control Gardner was there waiting for Theresa to arrive, which she did about 20 minutes after me. She had called him because her cue sheet had gotten pulped in the rain, and he had texted her a picture of the sheet and went to meet her with another. I promised him I would not lose her again. Theresa, Steve, and I departed together and stayed together from there to the finish, with night falling as we reached Purcellville VA. Near the end of the ride Theresa seemed to get really loopy, asking where the hotel was, so we adopted a formation with Steve in front, Theresa behind him following his steady red tail light, and me behind Theresa just watching her. We rolled down Dry Mill Road (not the W&OD) to Leesburg, and rolled up to the finish at 2235 (52 minutes to spare) to be met by a decent-sized crowd of volunteers and recent finishers. I immediately tossed my bike into my car and went inside to eat, drink beer, and party with the other riders until we shut the place down after midnight. Only 2 riders finished after us, but only 33 of 51 1000K/1200K starters finished this very challenging ride, so we were happy just to have made the time limit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> Steve and me. So glad to be done.</o:p></div>
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Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-22658456009337296992018-05-06T08:54:00.002-07:002018-05-06T08:54:17.768-07:00Team Chain Reaction Flèche 2018<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Note 1: A well planned trip tends to be less eventful, as this was. This may be a bit dry.</span></div>
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Note 2: In February Team Chain Reaction (TCR) had 7 members </div>
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Note 3: Every year, the weekend before <span class="il">fleche</span>, TCR calls all its controls to ensure they plan to be open during <span class="il">fleche</span>.</div>
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During the week before <span class="il">fleche</span> the weather forecast was horrible. 5 inches of snow was predicted for most of TCR’s route on Saturday 7 April, which would have been unrideable. After some discussions within the team and with <span class="il">fleche</span> organizer Bill Beck, we discovered we had the minimum number of riders allowed for <span class="il">fleche</span> (3 – Clint, Margaret, and Jack) available for a Friday start and a finish Saturday before the snow started. But doing so meant that Earl and Pat could not start with us. Previously both Mike and David had moved to Dan’s team because they were shorthanded, and Earl hopped over when we changed our start date, completing the reduction of team size from 7 to 3. After a little while it dawned on us that not starting on Saturday meant we no longer had to start at 7AM because there was no longer any 7AM Sunday arrival for breakfast. Since we had spouses picking up in Arlington at the end of the ride, we gave them a bit of a break on getting up early on a weekend morning by delaying our start/finish to 8AM.</div>
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We were quite surprised/moved by the number of people who showed up for our start – we must have been outnumbered 5 to 1. Margaret was on her first <span class="il">fleche</span>, and received much ribbing about not having the flexibility of abandoning the ride without DQ’ing the team. </div>
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We rolled out of the Big Bean at 8AM sharp under overcast skies and cool temperatures, and had an uneventful first leg. One thing we hadn’t realized about a Friday start was rush hour traffic – something <span class="il">fleche</span> usually doesn’t encounter – but it was mild and it was over by the time we left Benfield Blvd. We rode past Jack’s childhood house (only TCR members know where it is) and hit our first control at a brand new Royal Farms in Largo MD at mile 31. For this year's flèche Jack eliminated all controls that didn’t have both seating and restrooms (bye-bye 7-Elevens). </div>
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We continued through the rest of Maryland, finishing with one of the high points of the route: a very nice ride along the Potomac River at National Harbor, then crossing the Wilson Bridge, then riding along the Potomac in Virginia towards Mount Vernon. We stopped in Fort Hunt to shed a layer as the sun came out and warmed us. Perfect riding weather – warm with soft sunlight filtered by thin, high clouds. Headwinds were predicted, but were light at this point.</div>
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We pulled into our second control in Lorton VA at mile 65 for lunch – Paisano’s Pizza. The young guy behind the counter asked Jack “Hey, are you the guy that called last weekend about a group of bike riders stopping here?” – the first time that happened in 8 TCR <span class="il">fleches</span>. There were many food options at this shopping center, so Jack and Margaret got burritos at Chipotle and ate them at Paisano’s with drinks from Paisanos just to be fair. On the way out the employee asked the usual questions about how long the ride was, expressed the usual disbelief at the answer, and made a comment about how his best riding years were behind him (at about 30 years of age). Jack assured him his best years were ahead of him.</div>
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We continued into Virginia, taking on the big climb of the day (climbing out of the Occoquan River valley) with little difficulty. Traffic in Dale City was worse than previous <span class="il">fleches </span>because of the weekday, so for the first time in many years of riding this route the team exercised the option of riding the bike paths that run along the route. This route was planned many years ago to use roads with bike paths running alongside (just in case), but because Saturday traffic is lighter we had not exercised the bike path option until this year. As we rode through Dale City the predicted headwinds arrived, and started to become a bit onerous. Clint spent more than his share of his time at the front.</div>
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Following our next control at the Woodbine Winot Stop (a BIG improvement over Aden Grocery, a tiny bait shop with a porta-potty) at mile 81 on the edge of civilization, we headed into the Virginia countryside. Headwinds were now challenging, particularly for Margaret who was experiencing leg fatigue and a stabbing shoulder pain but keeping thoughts of quitting to herself at this point, but still better than 5” of snow would have been. The biggest issue on Fleetwood Drive, which is a quiet 2-lane country road on a Saturday, was a continuous line of afternoon rush-hour traffic that made no sense for that location. As best we could figure, this was traffic heading southbound out of Manassas bypassing I-95 by going behind Quantico, and was flowing with us. Safety concerns led Jack to move to the back and blast this line of traffic with his very bright Dinotte tail light. At one point we pulled off the road, and could not get back on because there was no break in the traffic. We eventually forced our way back in by pulling in front of a car to force it to stop.</div>
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Because of the headwind and because this was our longest stretch between controls (45 miles), we made an unscheduled stop at a Subway in Elkwood, the only such service other than Aden grocery along this stretch. On the way out Clint’s Boa shoe closure broke, which was quickly repaired with some of Jack’s duct tape which had been in his tool kit unused since LEL. </div>
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After a quick dinner at Subway in Culpeper at mile 126, </div>
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we had finished riding southwest and headed towards Purcellville which was 61 miles to the north. The headwind had become a (lighter) tailwind, it was dark, and the terrain is particularly lumpy along this stretch. Along the way we hit our Warrenton control along the way at mile 151, </div>
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and rode down Main Street Middleburg. We had close encounters with herds of deer, and some of the dark descents on roads without lines to mark the edges were a bit scary. To entertain us on this long stretch Clint played some Taylor Swift and Andrew Lloyd Webber tunes from his phone. We hit our control at the Purcellville McDonalds at mile 186 around 1:30AM, then hopped on the W&OD trail to head for the finish. At this point the wind was now from the north, and it was cold.</div>
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We arrived at our 22 hour control, the Amphora Diner in Herndon at 4:02, giving us nearly the entire 2 hour maximum time to stop in one location. Each of us ordered what we wanted and napped on our own booth benches, which were large and comfortable. When we came out at 6:00 it was cold and it was sprinkling, and we headed for the finish. </div>
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With just a couple miles ago we found our fan – a guy Jack works with clapping for us on the side of the trail who knew we’d be in the area. </div>
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With 27 minutes and about 1.5 miles to go we passed a Giant, the first open business we had seen for miles:</div>
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Clint: I gotta go! (departing the trail)</div>
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Jack: We’re a mile and a half from the finish – can’t you hold it?</div>
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Clint: I’ve been holding it for 5 miles!</div>
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So Jack and Margaret stopped and waited. And waited. And started to freak out (thinking about recent <span class="il">fleche</span> riders who had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the final few miles of <span class="il">fleche</span>). Finally, after almost 10 minutes Clint rejoined the team and off we went.</div>
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A couple of blocks from the finish, the trail was blocked by a construction barricade. Afer a moment of panic, we rode the wrong way down a street parallel to the trail, then realized that we were actually on a walled off section of that street that was set as a temporary trail. In the final block the normal trail reappeared and we hopped onto it and into the parking lot off the finish, the Key Bridge Marriott. </div>
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TCR traditionally takes a victory lap around the parking lot, but not this year. We needed a receipt from the hotel before 8 AM, and we weren’t sure how (normally, for the Sunday finish, the <span class="il">fleche</span> organizer sees you finish and nothing else is required). We quickly parked our bikes, ran into the lobby and looked for a source of a receipt. Spotting a Starbucks, we ran into there, only to find a long line. We asked those at the front of the line for their receipts, explaining our just-completed ride, but all viewed us with suspicion. While the cashier fumbled with the register to try to get us a receipt, Clint ran out to the concierge desk to ask him. He wanted to gererate a receipt, but was told by his supervisor not to do it. Instead, he signed a business card and wrote the time on it . On the second try he got the time right – AM, not PM. By then the Starbucks cashier, with some help, produced a suitable receipt: 7:47AM.</div>
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Clint’s wife and Margaret’s husband arrived and drove us home.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQ2KZL_Mgov83WbTrkGEGQBlFdqygPhqw2mNwCq4i5jnSdz-VS4ZS920lBFWm9H_P5vw58Y8Yds5d-eMvGOZXEmnGQvDElKOwtbBx0Dge6FaAJ2fAnmTAjHY0k_yANTzyvr_sQVzgF7k/s1600/image1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQ2KZL_Mgov83WbTrkGEGQBlFdqygPhqw2mNwCq4i5jnSdz-VS4ZS920lBFWm9H_P5vw58Y8Yds5d-eMvGOZXEmnGQvDElKOwtbBx0Dge6FaAJ2fAnmTAjHY0k_yANTzyvr_sQVzgF7k/s320/image1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><u> <span style="font-size: 11pt;">Stats</span></u></b></div>
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Mileage: 233</div>
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Time: 23:47</div>
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Riding time: 17:29</div>
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Max speed: 34 mph (Kellys Ford)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/21917974</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-31003400025071432352017-08-23T17:46:00.000-07:002017-09-09T12:18:06.466-07:00LEL<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Our Story of London-Edinburgh-London 2017</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">by Jack and Clint<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I got out of the Uber
and helped the driver empty it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gave
me a “good luck” and drove off; leaving me on a gritty London sidewalk, in smelly bike clothes, going on 29 hours with only 30 minutes of sleep, with my CamelBak, drop bags, bike frame, and
two wheels. Alone, behind my Airbnb, my nice expensive gear in a heap - having
just completed the ride of my life. –Jack</i></div>
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<br />
Riding the 1400KM London-Edinburgh-London (LEL) was
something we had been planning for about two years, ever since we got spots in
the early registration in 2015. Riding for Severna Park Peloton (Severna Park, Maryland, USA): Chip, Jack, Clint. Hoping to
join us (but couldn’t): Mike C and Scott C.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Jack: This was the only item on my bucket list. I had been
looking forward to it ever since I discussed the event with Susan Otcenas at
dinner before the 2014 Lap of the Lake (LOL) 1000K. I had even gotten my boss
to guarantee that I could have the time off, even if it meant he would have to give
a major presentation for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to
say I have never planned and prepared for something more carefully, or devoted
so much time and money, into anything that did not involve family or work
before. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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LEL was fully supported, with controls about every 30-60
miles that provided great food, drinks, showers, beds, massages, mechanical
assistance, and drop bag opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You were allowed 2 drop bags, and since the route was essentially
out-and-back, you had up to 4 opportunities to access your stuff, change
clothes, restock on supplies, etc. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With
9 controls in each direction it’s important to carefully select those two controls!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Our main objective was to maximize riding during daylight
hours in order to catch the scenery, and to minimize riding in the dark to
avoid having to navigate strange and sometimes bad/narrow roads with an unfamiliar
signage system. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Because of the drop bag rules, our desire to minimize night
riding, and the 10:45 AM start time we were assigned, we sent our drop bags to
Louth and Brampton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Louth would have us
stopping just after dark on the first day, a short day of riding followed by a
short sleep stop. That would set us up to ride during daylight and sleep during
darkness for the rest of the Event. Days #2-#4 would each be ~190 miles
(~300K), with nights #2 and #3 both in Brampton (reaching Edinburgh between
those nights, with Brampton being analogous to Loudeac in
Paris-Brest-Paris).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Night #4 would be
Louth again, then finish the next day (hopefully), or thereafter.</div>
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<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7332249321541310015" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7332249321541310015" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7332249321541310015" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AziwfIgR5x0HyrBqIg6Mb-4hrEJKqS2lKMj_6YtoWg7eNPpyTsFnU7R2sWgbr4m4VITFpbWlIxlDQaFVKSvORlUlGzUyJlTLPGt0GTKI3WSXRcCX-NFNeXSL6hllVLjCRewCXasTHFY/s1600/LEL+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1262" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AziwfIgR5x0HyrBqIg6Mb-4hrEJKqS2lKMj_6YtoWg7eNPpyTsFnU7R2sWgbr4m4VITFpbWlIxlDQaFVKSvORlUlGzUyJlTLPGt0GTKI3WSXRcCX-NFNeXSL6hllVLjCRewCXasTHFY/s640/LEL+map.jpg" width="504" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
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Two days before the start (Friday) we all arrived in London
- Jack and Christine flying in from Baltimore, Clint, Sherri, & Nicole
after a UK cruise from Dover, and Sherri’s sister after a week in Paris.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all checked into an Airbnb in London,
where the non-riders played tourist during the ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After assembling our bikes we went for a spin
through London just to make sure everything held together.<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGaSEuShLNMPcYd6Rh8PfrN-tOOYzUrNEamyQnDYz9-L9AAcwEwcbEm9y604-gbscVX67WEqk2Xz_p07XB6_XLa9jY6D3ihilmvso9erx-iKGaz3rQ2ddYiGsBYs_Pb8TUEucXr6eNho/s1600/image3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGaSEuShLNMPcYd6Rh8PfrN-tOOYzUrNEamyQnDYz9-L9AAcwEwcbEm9y604-gbscVX67WEqk2Xz_p07XB6_XLa9jY6D3ihilmvso9erx-iKGaz3rQ2ddYiGsBYs_Pb8TUEucXr6eNho/s640/image3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The elevator in the Airbnb building was a little tight<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shakedown on the streets of London<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Saturday morning we took the London Underground and an
Uber to register at the start location at the Davenant Foundation School in
Loughton, a suburb northeast of London.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We picked up our “route cards” and filled our drop bags with the stuff
we brought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each drop bag was color
coded for its control, so the accumulating bags provided a living histogram of
rider preferences. We were not alone in our Brampton strategy, as was borne out
by the number of pink Brampton drop bags. There were so many pink bags that
there was also a truck filling up with them when this photo was taken.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj31U_3rq_k_2rVYvHbcl6_7KALYqgFOMw5BW9O0Klcc4Sw-xikzPA8vTOVWNV0Q3ovEAz_RN9iX_pd8SHkdJbQ76SbQFEjePE2oPStj8tLED_tvWrrcXxK2JfNSi2L_i3OQLbU1ZU8t8/s1600/image2-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj31U_3rq_k_2rVYvHbcl6_7KALYqgFOMw5BW9O0Klcc4Sw-xikzPA8vTOVWNV0Q3ovEAz_RN9iX_pd8SHkdJbQ76SbQFEjePE2oPStj8tLED_tvWrrcXxK2JfNSi2L_i3OQLbU1ZU8t8/s640/image2-4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The histogram. Brampton is pink<o:p></o:p></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEvxXvqXrDNIrYyOcfDbkAHpcsz1rDxfVRofBYcuHuy5tOLC7pFmIfprffO6skGs9TzQu7moH5Nzx5p-EmfGkvBAljonXuDESLQOGvxtkUljHeyerRMuqEVuw_Ac0uAPj1JGlba3DXFM/s1600/jackbag.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="481" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEvxXvqXrDNIrYyOcfDbkAHpcsz1rDxfVRofBYcuHuy5tOLC7pFmIfprffO6skGs9TzQu7moH5Nzx5p-EmfGkvBAljonXuDESLQOGvxtkUljHeyerRMuqEVuw_Ac0uAPj1JGlba3DXFM/s320/jackbag.png" width="227" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jack and Clint with their two 5 lb drop bags filled to the max<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
We managed to catch up with most of the 10 DC Randonneurs (Washington D.C.) riders
at registration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here we are with DC
Rand President Mike W.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcBOTU02a9dBDRzClT6zqDmAeuWtNAIYHKeSdlc7Joo2zPaUKlpn-llRqBWs6ePGtqncARhsPRCAvyLU-elSXcu2Da2jzrkLHodYvO3Gt6GyjWNVwDbJHnNCUYwS1epXnhMpQMJfifE8/s1600/LEL+wali.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcBOTU02a9dBDRzClT6zqDmAeuWtNAIYHKeSdlc7Joo2zPaUKlpn-llRqBWs6ePGtqncARhsPRCAvyLU-elSXcu2Da2jzrkLHodYvO3Gt6GyjWNVwDbJHnNCUYwS1epXnhMpQMJfifE8/s640/LEL+wali.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jack, Mike, and Clint<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sunday morning was the start. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We posed for a quick photo and left the Airbnb
for a train ride to the start. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_38"
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FfahSaGQlmDVVnilc6ELffHEfn-yI7lggBvfQ1dfVvqfAnJ4UWXLHk_zmmlJzdDNh9GSY-e2frTtROoWte6d7OSodAu-YfVh1HchCf-18KK_LZefvCc7WjFZFI0nubQX37pQSTb47ZQ/s1600/image1-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FfahSaGQlmDVVnilc6ELffHEfn-yI7lggBvfQ1dfVvqfAnJ4UWXLHk_zmmlJzdDNh9GSY-e2frTtROoWte6d7OSodAu-YfVh1HchCf-18KK_LZefvCc7WjFZFI0nubQX37pQSTb47ZQ/s640/image1-3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Departing our Airbnb in SPP team colors<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During a previous business trip to the UK, Jack had ridden
the London Underground from the Airbnb to the start to scout it out.
Confidently, we took our bikes to the Dalston Junction station and Clint bought
a ticket (Jack had his “Oyster Card” pass).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After some quizzical looks from the ticket seller and question about our
destination we headed down to the platform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Right as we got to the platform an excited employee came running down to
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first it seemed he was going to
tell us we would not be allowed to take our bikes on the train. Jack had
checked out the bike rules – technically we weren’t allowed to have bikes on the train between
two of the intermediate stations later on our route, but the LEL organizer had responded
to a query from Jack that this rule was rarely enforced. Instead, the employee
told us was that one of the three trains we were going to ride to the start
didn’t start running on Sunday morning until a couple hours later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jack missed this detail in his scouting
because he had scouted on a Friday morning, and the previous day’s trip to
register was on Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The employee’s
intervention was clutch – he saved us from an ill-fated trip
that would have had us miss our start, and got us on an acceptable alternative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only glitch in the planning, but no blood
no foul.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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We got to the start and were soon called into the start box
just prior to 10:45 along with the other 50 riders in our start group, all of us
whose rider numbers started with “R”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
background, riders are pre-grouped in blocks of 50 starting with letter A at
6:30am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B riders launch at 6:45,
etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would be important later to
gauge our progress as we “caught” lower letter riders who started before us,
and the later letter riders who caught us. The gate opened at 10:45 and we rolled
out onto the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Jack: The first few kilometers were completely familiar
although I’d never been there before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
US cue sheet will instruct you how to turn at an intersection by providing the
direction of the turn and the name of the road to turn onto. In the UK, road
names are not always present at an intersection. Instead what you frequently
get is a signpost that tells you which town is down each road at an
intersection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, the LEL “route
sheet” has an extra column called “signed” to tell you what you might find on a
sign pointing down that next road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
route sheet also uses some different abbreviated instructions from what is
commonly used on a US cue sheet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
example:<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 5.65pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 491px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 13.15pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="border: solid #7F7F7F 1.0pt; height: 13.15pt; mso-border-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 27.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="27"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">0.3<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid #7F7F7F 1.0pt; height: 13.15pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 176.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="176"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">SO @ X [A1121] <span style="color: #dd0806;">!CAUTION!</span>
BUSY ROAD<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid #7F7F7F 1.0pt; height: 13.15pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 129.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="129"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">(Brothertoft, Langrick)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid #7F7F7F 1.0pt; height: 13.15pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 123.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="123"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">B1192<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid #7F7F7F 1.0pt; height: 13.15pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .5in;" valign="bottom" width="36"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">27.7<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 13.15pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid #7F7F7F 1.0pt; height: 13.15pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 27.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="27"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">5.3<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid #7F7F7F 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #7F7F7F 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 13.15pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 176.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="176"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">R<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid #7F7F7F 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #7F7F7F 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 13.15pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #7F7F7F .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 129.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="129"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">(Sibsey, Frithville)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
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<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">B1184 Armtree Road<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">33.0<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
To prepare for LEL, I had ridden the first few km on Google
Street View back at home with the route sheet in hand to ensure I could
navigate and the route sheet and the signs along the way all made sense.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7332249321541310015" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>The first control, St Ives, was 100K down the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “R” group pretty much rode as a pack
through gently rolling terrain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
after one turn there was some confusion as a couple of the lead riders suddenly
stopped as if it was a wrong turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
caused the whole group to hesitate for a moment, however Clint and I were
confident of navigation and kept up our speed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Suddenly we were ahead of almost the entire group, then pretty much off
the front. The group ride ended there, but losing the group was not a problem
because of a nice tail wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
prevailing winds typically provide such a tail wind here, and a corresponding
head wind for the return trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our ride
plan factored this in. Based on actual progress during LOL, our ride plan had
us averaging (not including nightly sleep stops) 20 kph overall before stopping
in Louth for 5 hours (all other sleep stops 6 hours), 17 kph until Edinburgh,
and 15 kph for the return trip to account for anticipated fatigue and head
winds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were flying and we felt great.
We hit the first control and had a quick meal – the cornish pasties were
outstanding. The organizers tell you to label your shoes, because controls are
usually schools with wooden floors that you can’t walk on in cleats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People have lost their shoes to other riders
who mistakenly have left in the wrong shoes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DZPAHI09y9ICf59XC3SYFqFRsfHhtu5f1F6z10pvpCE1FA9SxrkHayZwlYQsHlSteIlTweCauJgB3ewMETlv4cbu0SjVoysmZWWib1NFnkBlbDfboR9SkH8rGaOIYg_gAxUIKtBTA3Y/s1600/LELshoes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="535" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DZPAHI09y9ICf59XC3SYFqFRsfHhtu5f1F6z10pvpCE1FA9SxrkHayZwlYQsHlSteIlTweCauJgB3ewMETlv4cbu0SjVoysmZWWib1NFnkBlbDfboR9SkH8rGaOIYg_gAxUIKtBTA3Y/s640/LELshoes.png" width="540" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Imelda Marcos’ closet<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We continued to fly with the wind at our backs, ahead of
plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Staying on or getting ahead of
plan was important because we had booked hotels at our Louth and Brampton sleep
stops for two reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although they provided
air beds, controls were frequently overwhelmed with the number of riders looking
to sleep during LEL 2013.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And LEL 2017
had 50% more riders than LEL 2013.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also,
controls could not guarantee charging connections or Wifi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Essentially none of the hotels you find along
the route have a 24 hour front desk, so if you arrived after about 10-11 PM you
might not get to check in. We had hoped to get ahead of plan, and it was
happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point along the way we
encountered Bob C. from DC Randonneurs, who snapped this picture of the two
of us.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGw56HNHnJRZqkdTR71gMc056fHaiMgQaPx0eEr-p7I3Bib6pPN60g8C9sZfAGP1KKhsa2pId_YKOE_aU3AqcExM042yr9S6oWCwojNY5L1pgGcLCaPjMTFCzwL7_yVWUAUoZvCa_NNkE/s1600/LELcounts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGw56HNHnJRZqkdTR71gMc056fHaiMgQaPx0eEr-p7I3Bib6pPN60g8C9sZfAGP1KKhsa2pId_YKOE_aU3AqcExM042yr9S6oWCwojNY5L1pgGcLCaPjMTFCzwL7_yVWUAUoZvCa_NNkE/s640/LELcounts.png" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
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<br />
We were soon in an area known as the Fens, a low board-flat marshy
area with beautiful canals and views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The ride was playing out exactly as envisioned – fast and flat through
the Fens. It was playing out so well that we were catching earlier groups: Q,
P, O, even one rider from L!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nobody from
a later group passed us.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Flying through the Fens<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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We arrived at the Louth control at 9:21 PM then went to our
nearby hotel with our drop bags, over an hour ahead of our ride plan and with
over 9 hours “time in hand” (buffer ahead of the pace to make the time cutoff).
The hotel was one of those British deals with a pub downstairs and rooms above
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We checked in with the bar maid, who
we asked about arranging to get into our room on the return trip if we arrived
after the bar closed that evening (our plan had us arriving at 2:00 AM).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was not very knowledgeable/helpful on
this point, so we just headed for our room for a short night’s sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The room was up several flights of narrow
stairs, and the last one involved a turn too tight to get out bikes around, so
we just stashed them as best we could on the floor below ours and got to our
room, showered, and slept 3 hours until 2:00 AM, then got up and got ready to
roll. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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Jack:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t sleep
much, because I just wasn’t all that tired from the short first day. When I bent
down to fasten my shoes water was spraying everywhere around me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turned out I had lost the bite valve on my
Camelbak somewhere, and even sitting fairly upright on the bike caused water to
run out the tube.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I drank down the
Camelbak quickly and gave up on using it.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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We took our drop bags back to the control, got something to
eat, and took off around 3:00 AM Monday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We made an impromptu coffee stop around sunrise, and shortly
afterwards crossed one of the landmarks of the ride, the Humber Bridge. It’s
the eighth longest suspension bridge in the world, and the longest with a bike
lane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the sun rose on the River
Humber…<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Scenes from the Humber Bridge<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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We continued on through the Pocklington and Thirsk controls.
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Brunch in Pocklington<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jack: the second day was a bit demoralizing for me – I was slow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clint wanted to latch onto the groups that
passed us, but I didn’t have the legs to hang on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Clint stayed with me throughout the day,
as we were passed by what seemed like hundreds of riders, with letters towards
the end of the alphabet, and then double letters (AA, BB,…).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started to doubt my prospects for
finishing, and contemplated sending Clint down the road without me (along with
my AWESOME Wahoo GPS that was keeping the two of us on course).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, at a control later in the day we
were told that the majority of riders were still behind us, which salvaged my
spirits.<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">One of the more annoying bits
of terrain along the way was in the Howardian Hills AONB (area of natural
beauty).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of short, steep stingers
around a large estate known as Castle Howard.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Castle Howard<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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The Barnard Castle control was memorable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only is there a beautiful castle ruin
along the way and the a beautiful control building, but we met Shab, wife of
Hamid A. (another DC Rand rider) volunteering there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She couldn’t do enough for us, even getting
Clint head-of-the-line privileges for a much-needed neck massage.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<b>The Barnard Castle
Control</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shab could not do enough for us<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Clint felt much better after the massage<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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We then headed for the big climb of the ride, Yad Moss, a
crossing of the Pennine mountain range that cuts across England. The summit is
around 2000 feet, with a climb that’s not overly steep but long and relentless.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nearing the summit, sunset on Yad Moss<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From Yad Moss we descended into the town of Alston, doing
about 35 mph when we were passed by a guy on a recumbent that must have been
doing 50 mph. Good thing we held our lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It seemed really steep…more on that later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few miles later we were in Brampton for our second sleep
stop, 15 minutes ahead of plan with 10 hours time in hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had been an excellent day, not as slow as
it seemed. What made it even more excellent was our sleep spot for the next 2 nights, The Oakwood Park Hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jack: Thank God I had also checked Google Street View for
the hotels because there is no sign along the road, just a long winding
driveway into the darkness, leading to a stately-residence-now-hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recognized the concrete posts at the
beginning of the driveway.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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In previous emails our hostess Wendy mentioned that we’d get
there too late for dinner so she would put food in our room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boy did she ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of sandwiches, chips, fruit, cheese, etc.
for dinner, and more for breakfast for when we got up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All included. “Would you guys like some lagers?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We looked at each other like “well…should
we??”, but ultimately decided to skip the beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another LEL pair checked in a little later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a luxurious 4 hours of sleep, we got up at 3:00 AM Tuesday
and got ready for another day of riding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had the luxury of staying in our room again the next night, so we
just left our drop bag stuff in there and headed north for the third day.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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It wasn’t long until we reached the Scottish border, where we
found ourselves in a daisy chain of picture taking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon reaching the sign you would find the
last rider to arrive and ask them to take your picture. As you were about to leave
the next rider would arrive and ask you to take their picture, etc., etc. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Progress!<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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We pressed on into Scotland, passing solemnly through
Lockerbie thinking about Pan Am flight 103.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then onto the Moffatt control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were riding well, moving quickly through
light rain and fairly level terrain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
sun came out by the time we took on the next big climb of the ride, the Devil’s
Beeftub, so named because rustlers used to hide stolen livestock behind the big
hills. Sheep were everywhere during LEL, and were particularly thick here.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">If we count sheep to fall asleep, what do sheep count? Answer at the
end<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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We got over the Beeftub with little trouble and stopped for
coffee in the tiny village of Broughton, cheering on our fellow riders as they rode by.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Coffee stop enroute to Edinburgh<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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Before we knew it we found ourselves at the halfway point,
Edinburgh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jack had visited this control, Gracemount High School, two years before just to see what the halfway point looked like, and
here we were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the other Severna
Park Peloton members, David K., splits his time between Maryland and
Scotland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had us keep him apprised of
our progress, so he could meet us at the control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also asked us what we might need, so when
we got there he handed Jack a replacement bite valve for his Camelbak and Clint
some lube and a rag for his chain.<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Edinburgh!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With David!<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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There was another big climb leaving Edinburgh, on the B7007, to over 1200
feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Edinburgh control was not in
downtown, but if you looked over your right shoulder as you were grinding up
this hill you could see into downtown and see such landmarks as Edinburgh
Castle and Arthurs’s Seat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ride back
to Brampton was a series of climbs as well as beautiful remote valleys that
invited you to forget the pain and the fatigue and the clock long enough to
“stop and smell the roses.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">If you get too wrapped up in riding, you might just miss it<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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We were a bit disappointed to not find the sheet cakes and scotch
at the subsequent Scottish controls that LEL 2013 ride reports delighted in,
but we got over it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the hardest
rain of the whole trip hit us here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
wasn’t torrential, but it was the only time that rain got into Jack’s
waterproof sock covers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other
showers we encountered were short-lived, light, and wind driven. Most times, if
you decided to stop to don rain gear the rain would stop almost immediately. We
felt way over-prepared for the rain encountered this trip, but learned later
that had we been a couple hours behind our pace we would have encountered some
real deluges during LEL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We soldiered on
towards our second night in our Brampton hotel.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
Jack: it was here that my most regretful part of the ride
happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was getting very sleepy, and
told Clint that I wanted to go straight to the Oakwood Park Hotel and not check in at the
control until we returned our drop bags the following morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would arrive 30 minutes ahead of plan,
with almost 10 hours time in hand, so we didn’t have to check in upon
arrival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides, the hotel was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before</i> the control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clint said he was concerned that those who
were tracking us on the LEL website, which displayed our arrival at each
control, would be concerned that we had not checked in at Brampton that night. But
we never made a decision on this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later,
when I spotted the hotel’s unmarked driveway, I turned in and told Clint to
turn, but he did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then yelled to
him, but he kept riding towards the control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Figuring he had decided to go to the control first, I went up to the
room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clint arrived about 20 minutes
later, although the control was only a couple blocks away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had not heard me and had gotten lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
Back in the room we feasted on restocked sandwiches, fruit,
etc. and enjoyed the breakfast Wendy provided when we awoke.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Some of Wendy’s hospitality<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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We departed the hotel at 5:00 AM Wednesday, checked in to
the Brampton control, and returned our drop bags. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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Jack: Clint and I joined two other riders coming out of the
control and were rolling through Brampton when I noticed my legs were in trouble
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even on the gentle hills in town
I could not keep up with the other three riders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remembering that Yad Moss lie immediately
ahead of us, and how steep the Brampton side seemed as I coasted down it two
days ago,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw no way that these legs were
going to get me over that 2,000 foot ridge today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the despair, I decided to give it a
go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If my legs finally gave out, I’d
just turn around and coast back into town and find a ride to London.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So off we went. Little by little we ascended Yad
Moss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Calista P. from DC
Randonneurs passed us on the way up, which was a welcome surprise. As the
summit came into sight, what started as despair was becoming jubilation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew we were going to finish this ride –
everything else that lie ahead seemed trivial by comparison. Something else
that came into sight was a small white van on the side of the road – a
makeshift café.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clint asked me if I
wanted to stop for coffee, and I was ready to celebrate conquering Yad Moss, so
we did. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learned later the roadside
café was run by “audax legend” Drew Buck, who had been shadowing the ride,
appearing from time to time along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was like the “Banksy of LEL” – appearing briefly along the
route on several occasions then disappearing again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Atop Yad Moss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got this!<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We coasted down the back side of Yad Moss, and rolled into
the Barnard Castle control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were both
feeling a little sleepy, so we decided to experiment with control sleep
facilities for the first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got
air mattresses in a dark gymnasium, complete with a pillow and a blanket that
was cheap and rough but felt great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
took 5 minutes to fall asleep, and 15 minutes later when we were awakened it
felt like we had been sleeping much longer and felt much better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the next control in Thirsk we did it
again, this time for 45 minutes, and felt good about it again. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Between the naps and just wearing down over 4 days of riding
we started slowing down and falling behind our plan. Over that day we had been
emailing the Louth hotel, trying to arrange an after-hour check-in for this
evening, and they agreed to let us in if we told them when we’d be getting
there, but now it looked like we would not arrive there until about 4:00 AM,
way too late for me to even ask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
asked if we could cancel, and they let us off the hook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A better plan seemed to be to spend this night
on an air mattress in Pocklington, which we reached around 9:00 PM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time was becoming a problem, as we were now
1.5 hours behind plan, time in hand had dwindled down to 5 hours, and we were
stopping for 6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gymnasium there was
a wonder: 300 mattresses in the dark and quiet - excellent sleep. We slept from
9:30pm - 2:00am and were rolling by 3 AM Thursday.<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">We once again crossed the
Humber bridge at dawn - the bright sun to the east, and the wind (more on that coming up) and a perfect
rainbow to the southwest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon we were hit by
a pretty good shower which, if you considered the rainbow and wind direction in
combination, you could have predicted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But like most rain on our ride, it ended about the time we donned rain
gear.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Humber Bridge, southbound<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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Just before Louth, our original sleep destination, we
spotted someone laying in the grass on the side of the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we went by we recognized him as Pat O. ,
another DC Randonneur, so we circled back to see what was going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said he was suffering from Shermer’s neck
and was giving it a rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
continued to the control, things were getting challenging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived with only 1:20 time in hand. We retrieved
our drop bags for one last time and got showers, a change of clothes, and as
always something to eat. We later learned that Pat abandoned due to neck issues
(couldn’t turn his head to see traffic).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were also bummed that Mike W. and Bob C. abandoned, as did Jerry
S. due to food poisoning just 30 miles from the finish.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The wind intensified as the day went on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The forecast was 40 mph, and it felt and
sounded like it. Our perception of speed started to distort -it felt like you were going over 20 mph, when
your cycloputer said you were only doing 12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We just soldiered on, determined to get to the finish, before the time
cutoff (or otherwise).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That afternoon
Clint had an urgent need for some ice cream, so we pulled off the route onto High Street in Horncastle and found a place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no place to sit so Clint sat on the
floor and had a milk shake, to the amusement of the proprietress.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJO7rLs7X6pt5XWOPSJR5mkNkZQL-iXJEvEidBd7XMiw25k8kwRwWAbEBLvDrRxQ8L6A8ARGHdpZMk08wrJ1Y6O0aeFxpfWvXNptdWU5MglprAViwWnv9wm5PnqvwedZg3PGnjue-pKCM/s1600/image1-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJO7rLs7X6pt5XWOPSJR5mkNkZQL-iXJEvEidBd7XMiw25k8kwRwWAbEBLvDrRxQ8L6A8ARGHdpZMk08wrJ1Y6O0aeFxpfWvXNptdWU5MglprAViwWnv9wm5PnqvwedZg3PGnjue-pKCM/s640/image1-2.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Table for one<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Further down the road Clint needed some caffeine, so he
ducked into a business that might (he hoped) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>have some coffee or Coke.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jack: I continued down the road looking for coffee or Coke
for Clint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After about a mile I found
nothing, and stopped to wait for Clint to reach me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He showed up about 15 minutes later, having found
no caffeine other than some caffeine goo he was carrying. He rode by with a
couple other riders. Unfortunately, because of a few seconds delay in getting
rolling, I could not close the gap into the headwind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried for a couple miles, but could not get
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then bad went to worse, when the train crossing gate at Hubberts Bridge closed between Clint and me for about 5 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it opened, I was alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rode solo for several miles, or so I
thought until I looked behind me and saw 4 riders lined up behind me. When I
stopped pedaling for a periodic stretching of my sore lower back, they went
around me and took off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several miles
later things got much better - a large group of Spanish riders came by and I
jumped on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They kept to themselves, speaking
excited Spanish amongst themselves, but seemed OK with hangers-on like me
hitching a ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They swept me along to
the Spalding control, arriving just seconds after Clint did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time in hand was only 1:12. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We set off across the Fens towards St Ives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The flat lands were indeed windy, but the
winds were starting to slacken as the sun began to set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> At St Ives time in hand had dropped to 1:00 and we still had </span>119K to go in this howling headwind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things were looking
dicey.<br />
<br />
We set off for Great Easton, stopping almost immediately at a Shell station / Costa
Coffee. As it was after hours, the attendant was behind bulletproof glass and
served the coffee via one of those armored bank drawers. Many other riders stopped
and joined us. We then found ourselves on the most amazing bike path. A flat
and straight cross-country affair with little white lights on its edges like an
airport runway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a pleasure to
ride on, and we were on it for many miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We soon found ourselves riding through Cambridge on a summer evening,
students walking about everywhere taking in the nightlife. Impressive
architecture everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Departing the
city, we were alone on a small road when suddenly they returned – the
Spaniards!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hopped on and took
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the group was a nice lady from
Ireland – an English speaker who chatted for miles and miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every so often all the Spaniards would stop
together (nature break?), leaving the hangers-on to ride in a small group, then
catch us and carry us along further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
roads were interesting, much of the way was nothing more than a paved goat path
with lots of gravel on it, over rolling hills.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We rolled into Great Easton at 1:47 AM Friday, with time in
hand increased to 2:04 thanks to the Spaniards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We knew we had this ride in the bag now, over 6 hours to cover just 48K
(30 miles). We felt so good that we decided to take a 30 minute nap there. It
was the smallest (30 beds) and noisiest (a guy talking on his cell phone,
people carrying on a conversation) of any sleep spot we had visited.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Jack: I needed that nap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>During the day before I had developed something you might call “sideways
Shermers”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My head hung to the left,
although it didn’t hurt to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During
the ride to Great Easton, because of the tilt to my head, I started
hallucinating that all the bikes ahead of me were leaning to the right.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We got going on the final leg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took it easy, knowing we could slow-roll
it all the way in. The sun was coming up and Friday morning rush hour traffic into London was
starting on motorways we over-passed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then,
we were into the final turns and the finish was in sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jack: I could not believe we were back where we
started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt like we had never
left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I thought of all that
preparation that went into this and the challenges we had overcome, I have to
admit I choked up a bit as I rolled up the final street. As soon as I got off
my bike, I felt like a bouncy house whose fan had just been turned off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like I was crumpling up, like it was finally
OK/possible to feel as tired as I really was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We checked in one last time, handing our route cards to the
volunteer …<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
and he handed us our finisher medals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow, what a feeling of accomplishment!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>890 miles since Sunday. Our ride plan had us
finish with 6 hours time on hand, but we had used up over 4 hours of that
margin because of uncertainties: the wind, not knowing the fatigue that came
from riding that far, both more than anticipated.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The one element of planning we had not really finished was
how we were going to get our bikes, drop bags (which were at the finish), and
other stuff back to the Airbnb 13 miles away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the last minute we called an UberXL, but none were available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So several of us each called a regular Uber,
one rider and one bike per car.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jack:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone else
got a good-sized Uber that picked them up along with their stuff and took them
home. Me, I got a guy in a minivan who refused to take me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said this was an Uber XL job, and despite
me pointing out that there was no Uber XL available and that my stuff would
easily fit in the minivan, he cancelled my Uber request in front of me and
drove off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I summoned another Uber, and
a guy in a Mercedes E class sedan showed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I immediately told him that it wouldn’t work because of my bike, but he
insisted we try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By taking both wheels
off we got my bike in his trunk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Off we
went, to drop me off on that London sidewalk. I did my best to get my wheels
on, but didn’t really get the chain on the cassette. It didn’t matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I called Christine and she came down and
helped me get my stuff up to our Airbnb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I got there everyone was awake. They asked me if I’d do it again
and, having just ridden for 5 days with only 30 minutes sleep in the previous 29 hours, and I barked “definitely not!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it’s been a couple of weeks now, and I now think it would be cool -
what an adventure!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(That’s what they
call “rando-nesia”) <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dinner and the theatre the day the ride ended. 2 hours sleep in the
last 45, but somehow we stayed awake all evening<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Took the Wahoo to the theatre so Clint could play with it before he
flew home the following morning. Christine was not pleased<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clint: Hats off to Jack for capturing so much detail I
forgot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was my longest ride at
1400K (890 miles), more than PBP and Alaska (each 1200K), and more than the Lap
of Lake Ontario (1000K) we did twice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
finished with a comfortable cushion of about 90 minutes under the max of 117
hours 5 minutes with no flats or other mechanicals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jack’s awesome Wahoo GPS and his careful
review of the course before riding it helped to keep us on course, preventing
any bonus miles.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was a very well supported event with about 1650 riders
from all over the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scenery was
awesome and the volunteers (hundreds of them) took excellent care of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At each control we had to park our bikes, remove
shoes, check in (scan control card, time stamp, and initials) and sometimes scan
out, fill water bottles, use restroom, eat, sometimes nap, find drop bags (at 3
controls), shower once in Louth, find shoes, find bike (amongst hundreds parked
on the racks), find next cue sheet (every control started on a separate sheet
at mile 0), load the next GPS file (my Garmin rarely worked), locate Jack at
his bike, turn on bike lights if dark, then find the exit from control parking
lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then you wonder, “did I forget
anything?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there time to use the wifi
to send the picture and a short caption to SPP and a “we’re fine” text to both
spouses?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was also a brutal LEL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The normal attrition is about 20%, but as of this writing it was
somewhere between 36% and half the field that didn’t finish within the time
limit.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Olaf Storbeck captured an image of us crossing Yad Moss and posted it on his blog</span><br />
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The whole trip (Disney UK cruise, week in Paris seeing the
Tour arrive, sightseeing in London, then riding LEL for 5 days) was a dream
come true, another checkmark on the bucket list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the ride was over, we still had to fetch
an Uber, clean and pack our bike & gear in the bike box back in the Airbnb,
shower, get a wonderful massage, take a nap, dinner with wives and family, and
stay awake for the show, Kinky Boots. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
next day we were back in Baltimore, dream over.</div>
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*<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>* <o:p></o:p><br />
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Answer to the question: what do sheep count to fall asleep?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>LEL Riders<br />
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We can't claim credit for that joke. That was told to us by Guy Roefs, somewhere between Yad Moss and Edinburgh</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDbll-teiHC4Dy1zz-z8k-RwlpHERJCLKSZakjfsp-ctx-fZSA7iyemfBOEnFK8U2hszn7cFImqlWYHeErvTDpHJjU1cE6drZawgFIw1OjPKAskGcleu7cYknOmKXr2jakJvWUbWdQf4/s1600/20170801_123027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDbll-teiHC4Dy1zz-z8k-RwlpHERJCLKSZakjfsp-ctx-fZSA7iyemfBOEnFK8U2hszn7cFImqlWYHeErvTDpHJjU1cE6drZawgFIw1OjPKAskGcleu7cYknOmKXr2jakJvWUbWdQf4/s320/20170801_123027.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Clint and Guy</b></td></tr>
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<br />Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-31895502710540289442012-11-11T02:46:00.001-08:002012-11-17T02:31:39.125-08:00Second FlatbreadMy first post in this blog was from last year's Flatbread 200K brevet. Yesterday was a repeat. Finished in 7:58, well ahead of last year. I credit lesser headwinds and better (but not optimal) nutrition<br />
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Lessons:<br />
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1. A Subway footlong is too much for lunch. Suffered digestive pains/shutdown and bonked until it cleared and I could get Gatorade flowing. Until then I was hanging with the lead group, but got dropped around mile 90.<br />
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2. Perpetuem works, but you need electrolytes separately. 6 scoops in a 24 oz bottle.<br />
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3. Had a dry bottle with Perpetuem in it which I mixed with water at lunch, but I think the powder compacted and there was a solid mass of the stuff in the bottom at the end of the ride.<br />
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Sound track: "Don't You Get So Mad" - Jeffrey OsborneJackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-88557618301596989802012-08-05T06:40:00.001-07:002012-08-11T11:14:43.160-07:00Flat Overnighter under a Full MoonOn the evening of 3-4 August I rode the Eastern Shore Reversed permanent with 3 other members of SPP. Fearing Friday afternoon beach traffic on my drive to Wallops Island, I left around 1:30 PM for a 7:00 PM start, stopping at Joy Luck IV for a quart of house fried rice to eat on the way (my carb-loading routine had been non-existent this time due to a couple of crises- I also had 3 bagels for breakfast), I got to Wallops about 5:30 (traffic in Salisbury was a mess), and had a BLT and three Pepsi's (felt a little dehydrated as well) for dinner with the others before heading out.<br />
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This was my first ride with my new Camelbak MULE, which held all my stuff and would have held more. This was a warm/humid/fast/sweaty ride, and I went through 2 bladders of water (~5l). Also two bottles of Gatorade, and probably still ended up on the dry side again. Food on this ride (other than the pre-meals): half a bag of jelly beans, a tastykake, and a clif bar. Definitely easier to drink from camelbak when riding fast, not sure it didn't make me hotter.<br />
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Receipts: Missed one at a control when the guy signed an old receipt vice giving me a new one. Sweat stinging my eyes was a big factor in the mixup. At a closed control got a receipt from a gas pump ($0.01, didn't even spill any gas).<br />
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This was a fast-paced ride. Finished 201K in 8:27 (an hour better than previous best). Had to dig deep to stay close, the rest would slow down occasionally to let me back on.<br />
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<a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/206589162">Here's a link to the stats</a> Thanks Clint!<br />
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Lessons:<br />
1. When switching between bike pack and camelbak, don't forget to transfer the spare spokes.<br />
2. Didn't have enough spare batteries for all lights. The "headlight" might be too small/dim.<br />
3. The GUTR would have been handy, even at night in 80F temperatures<br />
4. Kept tasting the fried rice almost to the end of the ride - wise choice grasshopper?<br />
5. Power Bars still don't set well. Get rid of them.<br />
6. When riding at your limit it's hard to eat/drink. Be attentive to slow points in the ride to do these.<br />
7. Had only commuted 8 times and ridden 40 miles with my daughter since last month's perm. Probably would have been faster with more mileage.<br />
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Hummed:<br />
My Love is Alive - Gary Wright<br />
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<br />Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-46775525891368198992012-04-21T04:22:00.005-07:002012-04-21T04:27:53.938-07:00Fleche<a href="http://revrider.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/fleche-success/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Here</span></a> is a great description of Team Chain Reaction's ride in the 24-hour event - it is pretty complete. Team photo at the finish line:<br />
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My comments:<br />
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It was pretty obvious to the team that the amount of climbing we were doing exceeded the estimates. This later proved to be the case.<br />
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I thought frequently about what to do if I broke a spoke, especially likely since the bike was laden with extra stuff. Towards the end I mentally calculated whether I was close enough that I could walk the bike to the finish and still make the 24 hour limit.<br />
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I was surprised how not-sleepy I was throughout the event, getting drowsy only when stopping at 3:30 AM for food but not drowsy enough to nap (which many did). On the bike I was wide awake.<br />
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Lessons learned:<br />
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- Add a hand pump and sweat bands to the rando pack list<br />
- Find a way to eat steadily in the saddle, not wolf down snacks and give yourself indigestion.<br />
- Used the wrong chain lube - it pretty much was washed away by the rain.<br />
- Carried way too many snacks (about 2-3x too much) just extra weight. One bag of candy and 4 powerbars would have been fine.<br />
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-Get those new wheels!Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-68619958853260552582012-03-18T14:35:00.001-07:002012-03-19T03:11:26.039-07:00Perfect Practice Makes PerfectYesterday I rode the furthest I had ever ridden in one day, and it was just practice for an even bigger ride coming up next month.<br />
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I left the house in the dark at 6AM and headed up the B&A trail to meet my ride partners Mike and Mike, with all my lighting installed to prove it would be OK in the future. In case you didn't know, there are LOTS of rabbits out on the trail after dark. We linked up at the 7 Eleven at Richie Hwy and Earleigh Heights Road, controlled in, and set off for Patapsco State Park. There is a very scenic trail that runs along the river that's worth a return trip. Flat #1 happened on that trail. It looked like a case of "snakebite", but perhaps a snake with huge fangs spaced closely together. We then headed to Gambrills for some food, then to North Beach for more food (stopping at two information controls along the way: questions you could only answer if you were standing at that spot), followed by another spot for even more food (the secret to long rides is to stay fueled and hydrated). My knee, which has recently become a problem, started hurting on the way to Gambrills, so I took a 200mg ibuprofen there. Pain got much worse for a few minutes, then completely went away. I continued taking one of those magic pills every 3 hours for the rest of the ride. Along the way Mike flatted yet again, in a way I've never seen before: both tires simultaneously from the same pothole. A curious horse came over to watch when we showed up. Something else I had not seen before: a dog take a running leap at a rope hanging from a tree, swinging from it while hanging on by his teeth.</div>
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We got back to the 7Eleven around dinner time, then rode to Squisitos Severna Park for dinner (more food). When it was getting dark, we decided the riding day was not yet over, so we rode up to BWI and did a loop around the airport. We considered a second loop, but it was 9PM by then and (a) we were thinking we should go home to our wives (b) we were feeling pretty good and knew we could go on almost indefinitely (c) it was St Patricks Day and we didn't want to expose ourselves to the ameteur drunk drivers any more than necessary. Got home about 1030PM after a 175 mile day, took a shower and went to bed.</div>
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Lessons learned:</div>
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- The breakfast routine I've been trying isn't working. Time to try something new.</div>
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- Time to ditch the backpack for something else - it's getting hot</div>
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- Need a "bento box" so I can snack continuously while riding</div>
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- Jelly candies go down well, power bars not so much</div>
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- The wire from my helmet light flops all over the place and needs to be restrained.</div>
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- Need to reapply chamois cream more often</div>
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- STILL need to relocate the cue sheet further forward on my bars</div>
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- Carry 3 tubes - you might need them all</div>
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- Time to replace the rear tire, it's getting bald</div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-79133764866059754232012-02-05T11:11:00.000-08:002012-02-05T13:57:14.442-08:00No Choice but to Confront Your FearIn a previous post I discussed my fear of having to ride in a cold rain. It happened yesterday, in a place where I had no choice but to put up with it.<br />
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When I got up to eat breakfast before driving to Rockville for a group ride into Virginia, I saw a Facebook post by a fellow rider saying the chance of rain was 50%, even though it had never been >20% as I tracked it all week. It was 32F with a high predicted in the 40s, about as cold as rain can get, so I tossed my make-shift collection of raingear into my backpack and headed off. I told myself not to worry, that it really meant a 50% chance of not raining. I usually get my way when daring the weather gods.<br />
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Most of the ride was cold, but dry. We had lunch at the halfway point, a cool/funky deli or restaurant (it defies description) place in Middleburg VA called Market Salamander. On the way out everyone freaked to see wet pavement out the window, and was very relieved to find out that the owners had just hosed down the patio.<br />
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At the 87 mile point we stopped at a 7-11, and emerged into a drizzle. We were far from home - with no choice but to get on with it. I pulled out a cheap cycling rain jacket, and others had nice jackets, but many had nothing but their normal stuff. It rained contiuously until we got close to Rockville, then it turned into a wintry mix of rain and snow. At some point the sun set and it also got really dark. That's when it got scary.<br />
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People could not see because their glasses were fogging over. If they could see, people could not see their cue sheets (directions) because they had either been pulped by the rain, or had rain drops on them. We were warned that, even under the best conditions, the route was "funky": with entries such as take the path just past the house with the white picket fence. We were riding on a busy 4-lane road in the busy part of town, disoriented, wet and cold, in the dark, unable to find our next turn. Someone had the presence of mind to recommend we all duck into Metro Coffee Convenience and sort things out. <br />
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Once we got inside it was clear that we made the right call. A couple riders were shivering violently, like I'd never seen before, and it was scary. We got them going on hot tea. I had a layer of slush on my fairly light jacket. We wondered about calling a cab to take us the final 4 miles to the finish. Quitting a 125 mile ride in the final 4 miles was repugnant to everyone, but if the situation was a little worse it's what we would have had to do. Mike B. and I, possibly the only ones protected enough from the weather to still be coherent, got out our smart phones for a GPS fix and tried to figure out where we were and how to interpret the "funky" directions to the next turn. He had the number of the route organizer and called her for clarification. I had brought a second copy of the cue sheet, and replaced my pulped copy of it. I also added a second light to my helmet, as did Mike, so we could read the cue sheet and see street signs. I also put on the plastic sailing overalls that used to belong to my wife to cover my lower body - I was almost completely waterproof. Mike went out and scouted the next turn for us. After about an hour there, everyone felt good enough to continue on.<br />
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We headed out - glasses much less foggy, nav picture clearer (still about 15 turns to go), and lights blazing. 15 minutes later we were back to our cars at the Safeway where we started. We got our control cards signed and gulped down hot chocolate and coffee. Everyone looked much better than they did when things got scary. As if there were a supreme being sending me a message, as I started my hour-long drive home a song came on that used to have special meaning to me as a member of the USNA Sailing Team: Gerry Rafferty singing "....just one more hour and I'll be home and dry......"<br />
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There - I did it. I can ride in any weather condition. Yesterday and Death Valley bookend the possible conditions, and I've done them both.<br />
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Notes to myself:<br />
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- You started out dehydrated because you didn't drink when you got up<br />
- Cue sheet frog light on your helmet still points in the wrong direction.<br />
- Waterproof sheet covers aren't<br />
- Neither is your backpack<br />
- Balaclava alone was waterproof enough in a light rain<br />
- Need a better way to flip between sections of the cue sheet<br />
- One tail light may be shot<br />
- You need a new helmet<br />
- Think about chamois butterJackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-90667180280119116852012-01-29T05:22:00.000-08:002012-02-05T10:19:32.236-08:00Concert at Ram's HeadI had a spiritual experience Friday night when I went to see one of my musical idols at Ram's Head Tavern, a local live performance venue. Since moving to Annapolis I have taken advantage of opportunities to see my musical heroes when the pass through, and Rams Head has been a good place to do so. I've got pretty eclectic tastes in music - my iPod and CD collection contain almost everything that you might find in the polygon whose corners are George Gershwin, Amy Winehouse, Rick James, and Buck Owens. Last night I got to see Jimmy Webb in concert. I didn't know who he was until a couple years ago, but the songs he wrote - By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Galveston, Wichita Lineman, All I Know, Highwayman, The Worst That Could Happen, MacArthur Park - have been favorites for decades, resonate in my soul, and are all over my iPod.<br />
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He played for over 2 hours. Actually, I think he played for about half that time and talked the other half of the time. He's not a great singe but a great piano player, just like his idol Burt Bacharach, but just being in the same room was well worth the $25 ticket price. Disappointingly, just like the time I saw Donovan live, he spent way too much time dropping names of past associates or telling of all the awards he had won (to his credit, most by the time he was 22), and was heckled for it at one point. He also seemed to begrudge singer-songwriters, blaming them for sweeping him and other songwriters out of the way as the 60's went on. He spoke disparagingly of the British Invasion, and of Bob Dylan (why did Bob get away with lyrics such as "You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat, who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat", when Jimmy got savaged for "Someone left the cake out in the rain"), and somewhat disparagingly of the Byrds and The Mamas and the Papas.<br />
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Jimmy - you are already a legend in my book, and in those others who knew enough about you to show up. You don't need to try to raise your stature. Spend less time time talking, and more time playing - maybe you could have gotten to "Worst That Could Happen" and "All I Know". At least you signed autographs after the show - a rarity among performers these days. And thanks for leading off with Highwayman, which contains one of my favorite lines from any song: "...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;">Or I may simply be a single drop of rain..."</span>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-4535038600140867542012-01-03T18:03:00.000-08:002012-01-03T18:03:17.049-08:00Could have been worse........could have been raining (from "Young Frankenstein"). On this ride it only could have been worse if the forecast for wind came true, because it was so cold that rain was impossible (it snowed instead). My secret fear in the world of randonneuring is spending a day in the cold rain, because that is my personal "worst case" weather condition. The wind forecast was 20 MPH, with gusts to 40 MPH. Despite waking to the howling wind, and seeing it blow leaves across the road on the drive from home, it was absent when we got to Emmitsburg MD for the start. And the only times it kicked up during the day it was a tailwind - a gift from the gods! Once the sun came up I even removed my balaclava briefly and went down to fingerless gloves. On the almost 2000 foot climb on Big Flat I thought about stopping and stripping off layers. But starting with the fast descent and for the rest of the day I was deep-down cold. The worst was whenever we emerged from indoors - instant shivers until we were on our bikes and peddling hard again. As a group we would group-up just inside the door, them all run out together and get to our bikes. Unfortunately, and inevitably, there was always someone who wasn't ready to go and we stood there in the cold waiting. Weird - at all other times I didn't feel all that cold, but I couldn't think straight most of the day and I could feel the cold warping my perception of reality.<br />
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This was the first ride since we formed our fleche team, and 4 of 5 members of the team were present among the 17 riders. I hung out with the other three guys all day to get a feel of how we would do riding together. Seems like a great group to spend 24 straight hours rolling down the road with. Unfortunately, one of the guys was suffering from bronchitis and had to abandon at a restaurant 60 mile into this 127 mile ride.<br />
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The surprise of the day was finding a Naval Academy classmate of mine in the small Italian restaurant we ate lunch in. He lives outside Carlisle PA and flies for Delta. I'm envious that he lives in the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside that we spent most of the day in.<br />
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Overall I was happy that I successfully applied lessons learned from the last ride. My small helmet-mounted white LED made night navigation a snap, since I could now read my cue sheet and bike computer in the dark. Wearing a backpack was a huge convenience in that it was a great organizer and allowed me to swap out glasses and gloves as conditions changed. The minimalist wallet I had also was a great organizer.<br />
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Funny, if you draw the routes for this, the Last Train From Clarksville perm, and the Civil War Century, it would look like a Venn diagram with this little spot between Liberty Resort and Gettysburg in the center<br />
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Synopsis: <br />
Weather: Starting/ending temp: 31F. High: low 40s<br />
Equipment: Plastic cue sheet sleeves blew out of the clip twice, need something more grippy. Very hard to read cue sheet in the dark with sunglasses on (no duh, but not obvious - need reading lenses). Reflective vest might need to be replaced by a Jack Browne belt because there is little reflective on it. Also, the flashing light-stick for my backpack is not reflective. Still ought to put reflective tape on my rims, and still need to find a place on my bike for my hand pump once summer gets here and I ditch the backpack.<br />
Food/drink: Need to pre-tear powerbar wrappers, and eat/drink more frequently.<br />
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<br />Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-17323025462801626322012-01-01T05:48:00.000-08:002012-01-01T09:48:16.318-08:00SnowboardingDuring the winter I'm short of time on the weekends because my bike riding and snowboarding conflict. This year it's an easy win for bike riding because there has been no snow and little snow making weather, However, with my boy getting antsy to try his new snowboarding equipment (me as well), and a looming trip to Breckenridge in a couple weeks,it was time to find some snow somewhere and start "tuning up" for the season.<br />
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We took a trip with my good buddy Kent to his cousin's place in Oakland MD, near Deep Creek Lake and Wisp Resort. Our hosts Mike and Donna were over-the-top welcoming and accommodating, and their place is the nicest second home/vacation home I've ever seen - nicer than anyplace I've ever rented for $$$$$. I'm not worthy! Anyway, I took my boy and Kent's 2 boys to Wisp on two days.<br />
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Wisp was barely open, only two trails (a green and a black). Unfortunately, there were enough snow-deprived folks like us in the area that the place was packed to the gills! We headed to the green trail to shake off 10 months of rust, and it was instant mayhem. The trail was packed with skiers and boarders, many like us wobbly and unpracticed, many flying down at high speed, in tight quarters. Within a few runs I had redeemed myself for the poor little kid I had collided with in Breckenridge last winter by (1) helping tend to some old guy who probably had a concussion after going down hard without a helmet on (2) successfully avoiding some little kid who did an ill-timed cut in front of me (replay of the Breckenridge incident) and apologizing successfully to his private instructor (3) getting taken down from behind by some teenage kids. Although the terrain on the black slope (Squirrel Cage) was more treacherous, it seemed to be less of a hazard than the melee on the green slope (Wisp Trail). So the next day, after resting, I took on the black slope somewhat successfully. I never made it without falling at least twice, mostly because it revealed to me my weakness in toe-side turns on steep slopes, but I did fulfill my goal for this season of getting up the gumption to do a black trail.<br />
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Clothing notes:<br />
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For 25F: Balaclava, jacket with flannel shirt and t shirt, no pants underlayer, Gore mittens.<br />
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For 35F: Helmet vents out, only t shirt under jacket. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-42418373343666645362011-12-04T08:50:00.001-08:002011-12-04T13:30:41.972-08:00First PermanentYesterday I joined 10 other riders (9 from SPP) for my first permanent ride - the "Last Train from Clarksville". This was a beautifully scenic ride, that felt like there were no flats -we were either climbing or descending. Some of the climbs were every bit as tough as the toughest stuff I've ridden in California, just not as long.<br />
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Temperatures: 29F at start, high in upper 40's.<br />
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Right off the bat: forgot to pump up my tires the night before - but they were fine all day. The good news was no flats! Perhaps the super inner tubes. Perhaps less glass on the road.<br />
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Clothing: long sleeve T-shirt under jersey under SPP jacket, Sugoi tights, winter gloves, Gore shoe covers, balaclava, helmet cover. Perfect choices, especially the balaclava because the downhill runs really froze my face. The helmet cover was probably extraneous. I forgot fingerless gloves, which would have been nice during the middle of the day when the gloves got sweaty. <br />
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Fuel: Had three slices of pizza for lunch at the Pizza place in Fairfield, and suffered through a three-hour long belly ache afterwards. Too much, and too much fat. Tastykakes and Yoo-Hoo were effective.<br />
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Equipment: it got dark - I need a better headlight and some kind of helmet light so I can see the computer and cue sheet in the dark.I need to attach my pump to my frame somehow (I didn't like it in my pocket) or carry it and my other junk in my backpack (which needs a reflector). My bottom bracket still ticks as I pedal, despite investigation by Bike Doctor. Maybe it's the pedal? <br />
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Overall: what a difference compared to the brevet - we stayed as a group for the most part, which also meant we were slower (stopping at times to let the back catch up) and stopped at controls longer. I was happy to be in the group, especially the 20 or so miles we rode in the dark. <br />
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<br />Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332249321541310015.post-42565963714311495342011-11-15T19:01:00.000-08:002011-11-17T19:15:53.530-08:00First brevet.On Saturday I rode my bicycle on a brevet, a 200 kilometer organized ride, with 78 other like-minded riders. I've been doing century rides (100 miles or longer) for over a decade, enjoying the experience and keeping in shape, but recently have fallen in with a group of local <i>randonneurs</i> (people who do this regularly). I've done a couple of interesting rides with them in the last couple of years while riding with the local bike club (Severna Park Peloton), and was interested in staying in shape year-round, instead of just during the fall "century season". That, and a conversation with Clint (the local "Godfather of bike riding") while riding to Ocean City last month, finally got me to take the plunge. So I joined the local and national randonneuring organizations and signed up for my first event.<br />
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The ride was a big loop on the eastern shore, starting and ending in the town of Centreville MD. I arrived at 6:30 AM, after a restless night (always seems to happen before the big ride). The temperature was in the lower 30's, and once I signed in and got my bike ready I spent a lot of time waiting in my car to stay warm. You tend to wear no more than necessary to keep you warm when riding, which is not enough to keep you warm when just standing around not generating heat. Finally, with a few minutes to go before the 7AM start, I went to the start line and joined the other riders for the pre-ride brief from the organizer Chip. Chip was behind me, so I turned my bike around for the brief (with my left foot clipped in to the pedal). At the end of the brief I turned my bike back around to get going, and started leaning to the left (with left foot still clipped to the pedal). Not wanting to fall over and create a memorable moment before the start of my first brevet, I somehow found a way to hop my bike to the left enough to catch my balance - and nobody seemed to notice. And then, we were off.<br />
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Before the start several of the SPP riders noticed I was wearing fingerless gloves and offered to lend me full gloves - which I thought was very nice - but I had commuted to work on my bike last week in 34 degrees bare handed without much discomfort. Once we got going my fingers did get cold, but the sun was rising and I knew it would soon warm my hands. I'd rather underdress early in the ride, and be cold for a while, so as to not carry discarded layers of clothes the rest of the day.<br />
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About 8 miles in came the first "control", or required stop to prove that you did the entire route and did it within time limits. At that control, a bridge, we had to record the time and the bridge's weight limit, on our card. At later controls we either had to have a convenience store clerk sign our cards or get a receipt. After walking our bikes across a frosty wooden bridge we were off again.<br />
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Over the next several miles the large group started to string out along the route as riders settled in to their favored speeds. What I've always liked about century rides (with hundreds/thousands of riders present) was the opportunity to fall in with a group going as fast as I wanted to go. On this ride, with fewer riders, the speed options were also fewer. I saw Earl and Mike way up the road ahead of me, because of Mike's super-bright tail light, and pedaled hard and caught up to them. However, they were both riding somewhat slower than normal because of physical issues, so when a faster-moving group passed us I hopped on. Shortly after hopping on, that group was passed by another containing Chip and Clint. I was happy to see that the ride organizer was on the ride (after getting the event started), and I knew both were very strong riders, so I figured I wouldn't see them the rest of the day.<br />
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My first mistake was needing a head break so early in the ride. I made an extra stop with several other riders at a convenience store, and wasted many minutes waiting in line for the only bathroom in the place. Brevets are not races, but they are timed events and riders tend to track their times. However, on the plus side I did eat a Tastykake blueberry pie there (I learned on the Seagull Century how much pie energizes me on a long ride), and got going again.<br />
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I fell in with a fast group that included the husband-wife team John and Janet and started clicking off the miles. A little down the road John was nearly taken down by a car that just passed him, then immediately made a right turn and cut him off. He avoided the car by stopping, and I somehow rolled through it all and made the light before it turned red. I caught up to Janet and let her know about it.<br />
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The headwind started picking up and I fell in with one of the tandem bikes that do so well in windy conditions. My second mistake was hanging with this fast group. I tend to like to ride fast early on, then burn out by mile 60. The next control was at mile 59, in Slaughter Beach DE. The only food that looked good was a honey bun, so I ate it and took off.<br />
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So began the loneliest 30 miles I've ever ridden. I was pleased to see Clint and Dan leaving the Subway in Milton DE as I arrived for lunch and control, as they are pretty fast, but except for them and a couple other riders, I didn't see another biker for 30 miles. I fought a stiff headwind out in the middle of nowhere, exhausted from the wind and the fast pace of the first part of the ride, navigating on my own and wondering how I would fix my bike if it broke down out here. One of the central themes of randonneuring is self-reliance, and I had already witnessed a couple of breakdowns where the victim was left on the side of the road by the group he had just been riding with, exactly the opposite of what I was used to seeing on a century or club ride. I wish I had that replacement spoke, because that plus my flat kit and bike tool would be enough to fix anything that had ever caused my bike to be un-ridable.<br />
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At the end of those 30 miles I was at the next control in Bridgeville DE. I knew I needed to eat, but could find nothing that I wanted to stomach on top of all the other snacks and Gatorade until I spotted the ice cream sandwich in the freezer on the way out. I thought I had a good group to ride with when John and Janet showed up, but I missed that group when I found my rear tire to be almost flat. I'm 0 for 2 this year riding to Bridgeville and having two good tires after getting something to eat - the same thing happened last month on the way home from Ocean City. I thought the rear end of the bike felt mushy that day, and I found a tiny pin hole in my tube that must have been a slow leak.<br />
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I replaced the tube and took off in a group of 4, including a tandem. I didn't know the couple on the tandem, but they took lots of pictures of the riders in this group. I started feeling better riding with the group, with the wind dying and becoming almost a tailwind. I hit a good stride for the final 40 miles in high gear and a low pedal cadence that was oddly relaxing. As we approached the finish I though about the "Hills of Centreville" we climbed on the way back from Ocean City and hoped we wouldn't see them - which happily was the case. I got discouraged when I thought the ride was almost over, but upon checking the cue sheet saw that the ride was 4 miles longer than 200 km I had mentally converted to miles. To partially compensate for that, my odometer which had been very accurate all day long showed we still had 0.4 miles left when I suddenly saw the finish line: Good Guys Sports Bar. Time was 9 hours 17 minutes, which I was disappointed with after talking to the "fast guys", but quite happy with when the tentative results were published. There was a biker party going on inside, and I turned in my card and Subway receipt and helped myself to some of the pizza that my $5 entry fee had paid for. I asked Clint about my thoughts on the road, about what to do if I found myself in the middle of nowhere with an un-ridable bike. His response was something I had done a few time in the past: "Call your wife". After hanging out with my fellow riders, mugging for some photos with the other first-time randonneurs, and sipping a little champagne from the bottle Earl earned for completing his "R-12" (doing at least one such ride for 12 straight months), I got in the car and headed home, stopping on the way to pick up an eastern shore Christmas present.<br />
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I liked it. The next milestone is the R-12, and that should be motivating enough to keep me riding year-round (assuming winter weather and snowboarding don't interrupt it). <br />
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Next time (next month):<br />
1. Try harder to resist the urge to "burn up the road" early in the ride.<br />
2. Try to get spare or temporary spokes, if just for peace of mind.<br />
3. Mount the cue sheet on the handle bars. The days of following the group or marks painted on the road are over.<br />
4. Get a hand pump - I wasted too much CO2 inflating the bad tube finding the leak.<br />
5. Under 9 hours? Do-able if I don't flat again.Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09155637985416527525noreply@blogger.com2