400K
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Pittsburgh Randonneurs 400K Allegheny Mountains Cruel and Unusual Punishment: Rebrand Campaign
The Pittsburgh Randonneurs Allegheny Mountains Cruel and Unusual Punishment (AMCUP) 400K – a scenic tour of the Alleghenies boasting around 18,000 feet of climbing over 262 miles (full description here) – has a branding problem. Let’s agree that a brevet with such a title probably does not entice a lot of participation. Cruel and unusual… Continue reading
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Quiet the Mind: DC Randonneurs Northern Exposure 400K
The restless mind. The shiftless mind. An unsettled mind. Worries, classes, work. The world. I cannot shut it off, this mind. The only way to pause the mental cartwheels, it seems, is to apply some pedal strokes to the matter. Go for a bike ride, and try to forcefully divert the energy from my mind… Continue reading
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Escape into Fall: Northern Virginia Randonneurs 400K
Over the last couple of weeks, Fall has been trying to catch my eye. The tumble of a golden leaf, a surprise wave of red from a tree. These gestures reach out to me as I briefly interrupt my stay-at-home life with an errand or workout. Can’t talk now, Fall, don’t you know what’s going… Continue reading
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The Answer to All My Questions: D.C. Randonneurs Northern Exposure 400K
The past couple of years have been oversaturated with persistent questions. What am I doing with my life? Where do we go when we die? Am I doing the “right” things? What should I have done differently? What can or should I still do? These questions pester and burden more than they used to do,… Continue reading
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D.C. Randonneurs 4 States 400K: Bring Your 400K Face
Want a successful 400K ride experience? Bring your 400K face to the ride and no other. After over a decade of randonneuring, some lessons have begun to sink in, and I’m finally figuring out what a good 400K face looks like. My 400K face is one that begins a ride full of a week of… Continue reading
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Enjoying Every Mile on the D.C. Randonneurs 400K
Stopped at mile 110 of our 252-mile ride, someone asks us where we started.”Frederick, Maryland,” we respond. When asked where we’re going we again say, “Frederick,” and then pepper in a few additional details about our day’s route. “Will you camp along the way?” our dining neighbors inquire. “No,” we answer. “We’re doing the whole… Continue reading
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Randonneuring: Making the Ordinary Extraordinary
Randonneuring events allow ordinary people like me to participate in extraordinary bike rides. Brevets changed my definition of a long day ride, from a century to more than double that– distances I previously could not even conceptualize pedaling. The randonneuring community helped me feel okay as a rider who does not move particularly fast, but has a body that has proven… Continue reading
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Figuring Out the 400K Brevet
After rolling into the finish of the D.C. Randonneurs Northern Exposure 400K, I heard myself enthusiastically discuss our ride and revel in the adventure shared by Felkerino, Matt, and me over the last 20 hours and change of riding. Incredible valley vistas and invigorating climbs! The cutest dog chasing us! A sublime night ride! Clouds… Continue reading
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The D.C. Randonneurs 400K Brevet: A Long Ride to a Pizza Party
This past weekend Felkerino and I organized the D.C. Randonneurs 400K brevet. Of all the spring brevets the 400K is the one that, as a rider, I find most daunting. It starts at 4 a.m., and is the first of the brevets that requires hours of night riding. Riders roll out in the dark, and arrive in… Continue reading
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D.C. Randonneurs 400K
Some of you may know that Felkerino and I spent the last couple of months preparing to run the D.C. Randonneurs’ 400K. The ride went off this past Saturday, and I put together a non-ride ride report of the experience. It’s not posted here, though. Find it on that other blog I know, The Daily… Continue reading
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D.C. Randonneurs – Frederick, Maryland 400K Brevet
What is 252 miles, starts at 4 a.m., and has many hills and valleys? It’s the D.C. Randonneurs 400K brevet. Ha ha ha!! I may be laughing now, but I certainly was not on Saturday morning when my alarm went off at 2:45 a.m. I never imagined that my idea of fun would require this… Continue reading
Chasing MailBoxes 