1200K & 1000K Rides
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2011 in Review: All Rides Lead to Paris-Brest-Paris
Now that 2011 is coming to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the year, as many people do. For me, 2011 was all about Paris Brest Paris, not just because of the event itself, but also because of all the careful planning and diligent pedaling it took to get there. In early 2010, Felkerino and… Continue reading
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My PBP 2011 Story: You Have to Go to Know
October, 2011 Pre-Ride Many people who start randonneuring already know about Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP), but when I joined RUSA in 2004, I only knew what a fleche was. I had no clue there were these events called brevets, a thing called a Super Randonneur series, or Grand Randonnees. After meeting my randonneur- and now real-life spouse,… Continue reading
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Post-PBP Funk and New Challenges
Felkerino and I spent the past year gearing up for Paris Brest Paris, and the ride was definitely one of the great highlights of my summer. Since PBP, Felkerino and I haven’t been doing much riding. We unpacked, put the bike back together, and tried to catch up on sleep and stuff at the office. Continue reading
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PBP 2011 Ride Reports from Other Blogs
Hi, everyone. What have you been up to? I’ve been living the post-PBP dream, which mostly entails going to my job, dreaming about randonneuring, and recalling fun times at PBP. Felkerino has begun to post some good PBP accounts over on The Daily Randonneur to help keep the PBP memories alive. I’ve also been doing some internet… Continue reading
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Saying Good-Bye to Thai
We lost one of our D.C. Randonneurs’ members last week. Thai Pham, a fellow randonneur, died while riding in last week’s Paris Brest Paris. Continue reading
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My PBP 2011 Photos
Hard to believe that last week at this time I was still riding my bike through the French countryside on Paris Brest Paris. Where does the time go, ha! Finally, after a canceled flight to Dulles that required a re-route and a mighty drive from Boston (in a tropical storm, no less) I have had… Continue reading
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It’s official. Finished PBP
After months of prep, PBP 2011 is now in the books and so are Felkerino and me, successfully completing the adventure in about 81.5 hours. Continue reading
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PBP… the Riders are Off!!!
80 and 90 hour riders began to a warm and sunny send-off. The energy from the riders and the event enveloped this suburban town. Festive, excited, nervous, twitching with anticipation… The start was amazing. I have never seen an international cycling event like this. Unforgettable! One of the riders told me yesterday, “PBP is a… Continue reading
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PBP Bike Inspection: Day 2!
Today was our day for the 84-hour bike inspection and it went just the way we like it… uneventfully. We’re now checked in and ready to roll tomorrow morning. The gymnasium was much more low key this morning, in part because we went early and also because all the 80- and 90-hour riders inspected yesterday. Continue reading
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PBP bike inspection: Day 1
Excitement is reaching a fever pitch here, as the 90- and 80-hour riders gathered up their bikes, vests, and lights for official inspection. Felkerino and I went over to be part of the action, even though we inspect tomorrow. Check-in was teeming with randonneurs. How cool this event is, attracting riders from all over the… Continue reading
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Randonneur Group Ride… to Chartres
Another sublime day on the bike. Today Felkerino planned a group ride to Chartres, a 77 mile round trip over gentle rolling terrain. Our outing included randonneurs from D.C, Seattle, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Chicago. It was another great day to be a bike rider and I am still just over the moon about our… Continue reading
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PBP Shakedown ride… To Rambouillet!
Today Felkerino and I went out to test our bike assembly and turn a bolt or two. Our test ride took us out of the Paris suburbs and through the Rambouillet Forest to the town of Rambouillet, about a 20-mile ride from our hotel one way. Having never been to France, let alone PBP, before… Continue reading
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Arriving in France for PBP
A big first day, spent jet-lagged and with the main activity being bile assembly. Felkerino and I also had a great time talking with randonneur friends old and new. Here is a quick summary of the day in pics. Continue reading
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My Endless Mountains 1000K Story
Hey, everybody! Since I wasn’t able to get out this weekend and ride much, I spent a few hours at the computer with my favorite mug and some lemon herbal tea. It was time well spent, as I finally put together a summary of Felkerino’s and my Endless Mountains 1000K adventure! Felkerino and I set… Continue reading
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Post-1000K Walking
Since the recent Endless Mountains 1000K, I haven’t pedaled one bit. Residual knee pain and general fatigue are the culprits. Knee pain is the randonneur superhero’s kryptonite, I’ve decided. Continue reading
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I Used to be a Randonneur Superhero
When Ed and I rolled into the finish of the Endless Mountains 1000K after 67:37 hours in the company of five other accomplished randonneurs, I felt amazing. There was pain in my knee and I felt dirty and smelled bad, but all that was eclipsed by what our group had accomplished. Continue reading
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Endless Mountains 1000K – Update!
Felkerino and I are no longer riding the Endless Mountains 1000K (although it was quite the adventure while it lasted). We enjoyed a sun-filled ride with some awesome randonneurs and randonneur volunteers, ultimately finishing the event in 67:37. Thanks to Tom, the volunteers, and everybody who rode with us and helped make the ride epic!… Continue reading
Chasing MailBoxes 