Felkerino and I met up with bicycling friends Eric, Jerry, Barry, and Joel to ride the classic D.C. Randonneurs “Old Rag 200K” route. Jerry had some weird rattle in his rear wheel that would not go away, Barry was riding a loaner bike since his main rando ride was in the shop for repairs, our Schmidt generator hub failed, and Eric’s shifter broke in the final five miles.
Other than that, the day was spectacular. Continue reading “A Dose of Reality on a 200K”
The emerging warmth and green of spring days tempt us. Long days at the office interrupted by relatively brief spates of outdoor time urge us to spend weekends actively exploring.
This weekend Felkerino and I joined bicycling friends Andrea and Jerry to revisit the Devil’s Daughter 210K permanent, a ride carefully crafted by RUSA permanista Crista Borras.
This weekend Felkerino and I hightailed it out of the city to escape the crowds that have descended on Washington, D.C., and arranged to do the lovely Old Rag 200K out of Warrenton, Virginia, with bicycling buddies Andrea and Mike. Continue reading “Old Rag 200K Permanent: Hills, Vistas, and Math Word Problems”
A summary by the miles of the D.C. Randonneurs Wilderness Campaign ACP 200K Brevet.
Continue reading “D.C. Randonneurs Wilderness Campaign 200K Brevet”
Growing up in rural Iowa, the harvest was always an intense and busy time. Tractors constantly moved through the fields, and it was not unusual to catch sight of the lights of a tractor shining over the dirt clouds raised up by someone working into darkness. Kids missed school to help their families. Crops had to come out before the cold winter days arrived. Continue reading “Harvest Time and 200K Brevets”
There’s nothing that kicks off a bike tour better than riding the highest continuous paved road in the United States. Continue reading “Trail Ridge Road on Tandem”
This past weekend, Felkerino and I broke the tandem in two and took off for the Eastern Shore to ride the D.C. Randonneurs 200K Flatbread brevet. While I’ve ridden this brevet once or twice before, this time was unique because instead of the usual tandem routine, I rode it on my Rivendell Romulus.See? Continue reading “D.C. Randonneurs Flatbread 200K Brevet Roundup”
Ride summary: Ride the rollers out of Urbana. Whee! First control in Union Bridge, Maryland. Pedal pedal. Climb 77 in Catoctin National Park. Climb. Climb climb climb. Descend. Grind through the rollers out of Smithsburg. Stop for a couple pics. Pedal through the fragrant countryside. Whoah, stinky! See eight cats in someone’s driveway. Eight! Control in State Line, Pennsylvania. Eat half a sandwich. Hello rider. Hello rider. Hello rider. Pedal pedal pedal. Kemp’s Mill Road, a friendly zippy stretch. Control at KOA. Hello Lowell. Hello Severna Park. See end of cooking show about brownies. Depart control. Mosey to Sheetz. Eat an almond butter and jam sandwich. Drink a latte. Meet up with fleche teammates Lane, Mike, and Eric, as well as Scott G. and Alec. Chat and laugh. Ride. Information control in Antietam. The question is… just kidding! It’s a secret! Ride ride. Bonk. Battleview Market control. Eat chips. Contemplate life. Pedal pedal pedal. Trego, bleah. Climb climb climb. All alone with Ed. Gapland finally! Lane waited. Thanks! Descend whee! Pedal pedal pedal. Eric waited. Thanks! Marlu Ridge the easy way! Group ride with Mike, Eric, Lane. Chat. Listen to Mike. Fingerboard. Slog slog slog. Finish. Photo op by Bill. Pizza pizza pizza. Yeah.
Continue reading “D.C. Randonneurs Urbana 200K: Feels like the First Time”
If you were in the D.C. area over the weekend, you know that we had some choice cycling weather. A pinch brisk in the mornings, giving way to sun and warmth in the afternoon. Long-sleeve, no-jacket temperatures.
With weather like this, who can stay inside? Not me.
Continue reading “Weekend Roundup: Two Shorties, a 200K Brevet, and the D.C. Tweed Ride”
I know Felkerino will be doing a roundup of this brevet on my favorite news source, The Daily Randonneur, but until he does, here’s a quick summary from the stoker. Continue reading “D.C. Randonneurs Old Rag 200K Brevet”
I had a great time this Saturday, making my way 128 miles from Urbana, Maryland, around the Catoctins and South Mountain on the D.C. Randonneurs Urbana 200K (full route description here). Felkerino and I had not ridden a brevet since November so it was fun to carry a card around on an official event with 67 other people.
I know Felkerino will be doing a summary of this brevet so I’ll leave most of that to him over at The Daily Randonneur. I’ll simply say that: Continue reading “D.C. Randonneurs Urbana 200K Brevet”
Tandem partner Felkerino, friend Lane G., and I packed up our bikes and our randonneur passports this past Friday and headed to Pennsylvania for their November 200K brevet. The ride up was a solid five hours, but the trip was worth it.
Tom Rosenbauer, the RBA, put together an awesome 200K course, full of beautiful river views, scenic climbing, and fantastic controles. Continue reading “Pennsylvania Randonneurs Stillwater 200K”
Felkerino and I ditched the bags for the day and rode the Cacapon 200K brevet out of Middletown, Virginia. A group of around 35 people participated. Even though we rode much of the ride alone, it was great to see and ride in the vicinity of fellow riders.
This route has about a kerpillion feet of climb over 128 miles. Ha! In fact, someone said it falls out at around 9,000 feet. Continue reading “We interrupt this tour for the D.C. Randonneurs 200K Brevet”
