Category: 1200K & 1000K Rides

PBP days. Photo by Nick Bull
1200K & 1000K Rides, DC Randonneurs, Paris Brest Paris, Rando Q&A, Randonneuring

Dedicated to the Cause: Calista’s Road to PBP 2015

I recently had the pleasure of talking with D.C. Randonneurs and RUSA member, Calista Phillips, who had a great year on the bike. Some of you may have already seen this feature in the latest edition of American Randonneur, but I present it again in full here.

In 2015, Calista completed three 1200Ks (including PBP), and also earned her first K-Hound Award. In our interview, Calista discusses her randonneuring goals, PBP, some of the challenges she faced in preparing for long rides, and what makes randonneuring so special. Continue reading “Dedicated to the Cause: Calista’s Road to PBP 2015”

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1200K & 1000K Rides, Paris Brest Paris, Randonneuring

Nick’s 2015 Paris-Brest-Paris: Had We But World Enough and Time

We’re heading into the spring riding season, and as we do the dreams of big rides take shape. To help stoke the flames of our big ride plans, I’m featuring friend and fellow D.C. Randonneur Nick Bull’s PBP story, “Had We But World Enough and Time.”

Nick’s story gives the reader an inside look at PBP, as well as a glimpse of the pressures we deal with when tackling multi-day rides. Nick’s dedication to his PBP preparation as well as his tenacity during the event helped him pedal successfully to another PBP finish. Well done, Nick, and thank you for sharing your story with us! Continue reading “Nick’s 2015 Paris-Brest-Paris: Had We But World Enough and Time”

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Crossing the bridge into Brest. Courtesy of Gardner Duvall
Randonneuring, DC Randonneurs, Paris Brest Paris, 1200K & 1000K Rides

Bon Courage: Theresa’s 2015 Paris-Brest-Paris

Sometimes when conditions conspire to limit my ability to be outdoors, I turn to the stories of rides gone by for inspiration. Today I’m honored to post one such story, Theresa Furnari’s 2015 recount of riding Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP).

As I read “Bon Courage,” I remember the dedication and tenacity one needs to take on a ride like PBP, the anxiety of unexpected challenges, and the thrill of the ride experience.  Continue reading “Bon Courage: Theresa’s 2015 Paris-Brest-Paris”

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Eric PBP
DC Randonneurs, Interviews, Paris Brest Paris, Randonneuring

From Randonneur Rookie to PBP 2015: An Interview with Eric Williams

This brevet season Felkerino and I had the great pleasure of getting to know Eric Williams, member of #BikeDC and the D.C. Randonneurs.

In Eric’s first year of randonneuring, he completed a Super Randonneur series, a 1000K brevet, and Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP). And he just keeps on riding. He has the rando fever! Continue reading “From Randonneur Rookie to PBP 2015: An Interview with Eric Williams”

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randonap PBP
Paris Brest Paris, Rando Reflections, Randonneuring

The Randonap

Since beginning my glamorous randonneuring career in 2005, I’ve not only ridden in places I never imagined, but I’ve dozed in an assortment of spots I never before would have considered comfortable or conducive to sleeping.

Ride long enough, sleep little enough, and you too will find yourself mastering the strategy of the perfect randonap. Continue reading “The Randonap”

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Drew Buck arrives amid a sea of modern bikes
Paris Brest Paris, Rando Reflections, Randonneuring

PBP 2015: To Go or Not to Go Again?

The turning of the calendar to 2015 also means the arrival of a “PBP year.” Paris-Brest-Paris, the most heralded, historic, and international of all grand randonnees now peeps its head around the corner and beckons to us randonneurs, a mere eight months away.

I thought that deciding on a return trip to PBP would take little internal debate. I would set my sights on it, no matter what. Yet, as of this writing, I feel mixed. Like the self-help books taught me, I drafted a list of pros and cons to aid my decision-making. Continue reading “PBP 2015: To Go or Not to Go Again?”

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Riders on PBP 2011
1200K & 1000K Rides, Paris Brest Paris, Randonneuring

All Dressed Up For PBP: The Towns Along the Way

This is the latest in a series of posts I’ve been planning about the incomparable international randonneuring event, Paris-Brest-Paris.

Previously, I wrote about Drew Buck, who completed PBP 2011 on a 1900 Peugeot, a as well as the tandem bicycles (Post 1 and Post 2). Today I’m talking about the towns along the PBP route. Continue reading “All Dressed Up For PBP: The Towns Along the Way”

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Theresa, AA1000K
Appalachian Adventure 1000K, DC Randonneurs, Randonneuring

The Overnight Ferris Wheel: Mile 418 on the Appalachian Adventure 1000K

Felkerino and I returned to the Appalachian Adventure (AA) 1000K course this past weekend to staff the second night of the actual event. Continue reading “The Overnight Ferris Wheel: Mile 418 on the Appalachian Adventure 1000K”

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Sunrise on Day 3. AA1000K
1200K & 1000K Rides, Appalachian Adventure 1000K, Rando Reflections, Randonneuring

Enduring the Pain Point

Mile 250 of our 625-mile ride. Fatigue courses through my body. My skin has that beat-up feeling from multi-day endurance riding. The sun is shrouded in fog and the road keeps going up.

Mile 372. Crawling through Douthat State Park. It’s peaceful and wooded, but night is falling. And the road keeps going up. And did I mention? We’re crawling. Continue reading “Enduring the Pain Point”

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Walking under the fallen tree after the rainstorm.
1200K & 1000K Rides, Appalachian Adventure 1000K, Randonneuring

Appalachian Adventure 1000K Pre-ride Report

Felkerino wrote a day-by-day summary of our weekend 1000K pre-ride. It was intended for those who will be riding the event this upcoming weekend, but I thought others might enjoy reading it, too. Continue reading “Appalachian Adventure 1000K Pre-ride Report”

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Felkerino and me. Photo by Jerry
1200K & 1000K Rides, Brevet Training, Rando Reflections, Randonneuring

Preparing for a 1000K Brevet

After a summer of bicycling, the Appalachain Adventure 1000K is fast approaching, and Felkerino and I will be riding it.

Given that the Appalachian Adventure is a late summer affair, Felkerino and I maintained a pretty big base of mileage since finishing the Super Randonneur series with the D.C. Randonneurs. Continue reading “Preparing for a 1000K Brevet”

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1200K & 1000K Rides, Paris Brest Paris, Tandems

More Tandems at Paris-Brest-Paris 2011

After digging through the photos archives, I discovered more tandem shots worth sharing from the last edition of PBP. That is, they are not hopelessly blurry or otherwise terrible. Perhaps you will even recognize some of the randonneurs. Continue reading “More Tandems at Paris-Brest-Paris 2011”

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1200K & 1000K Rides, Paris Brest Paris, Randonneuring, Tandems

Tandem Bicycles at Paris-Brest-Paris 2011

Events like Paris-Brest-Paris are difficult to unbox all at once. Some aspects can be, such as the immediacy of the ride experience and the emotions and physical states experienced. Continue reading “Tandem Bicycles at Paris-Brest-Paris 2011”

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Paris Brest Paris, Randonneuring

PBP Memories: Drew Buck and his 1900 Peugeot

This week BBC News ran a feature about Drew Buck, a long-distance cyclist from Somerset, England, who is famous in the randonneuring community for completing Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) multiple times on vintage bicycles.

Drew Buck arrives at PBP. Love this shot. Photo by Felkerino
Drew Buck arrives at PBP on his vintage retrodrive Peugeot. Love this shot. Photo by Felkerino

The article prompted me to search through my own set of photos from the 2011 edition of PBP, and I realized that Felkerino I had the pleasure of encountering Drew Buck at various points throughout the ride.

Continue reading “PBP Memories: Drew Buck and his 1900 Peugeot”

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Dave, Bill, and Ed on the Colorado High Country
1200K & 1000K Rides, Colorado High Country 1200K, Randonneuring, Tandeming, The Daily Randonneur

Colorado High Country 1200K: A Breathtaking Trip Out West

The Colorado High Country 1200K is a 90-hour, four day jaunt through about 750 miles of the great states of Colorado and Wyoming. Felkerino and I rode it last month and this month I wrote my story about it. Continue reading “Colorado High Country 1200K: A Breathtaking Trip Out West”

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