2012 Randonnees
The 2012 Randonneuring season began on November 1, so if you're riding randonnees this year, tell us about them.
Are you riding a Super Randonneur series with the hopes of getting into a 1200K randonnee later this year? Or are you just riding the randonnees for the fun, challenge, adventure, etc.?
Rowan and I rolled up to the start of our first 200K randonnee (the Cafe au Lait) of the 2012 randonneuring year, on our Santana Arriva, just before 6 am. It was 10C, clear, and the winds were light. This was a popular event, and quite a few other randonneurs showed up.
We all set off, shortly after 6 am, on the first loop out to Yarrawonga and back. The loop was mostly flat with a small section of hills to keep things interesting. Even more interesting were the sheep being herded down the road toward us!When they first spotted us, they ran toward us, so we stopped to let them go, but then they all stopped and stared at us. The dog had to get them going agan.
The next loop out to Beechworth was a bit more challenging ... flat for a bit - or actually, false flat for quite a way, that annoying type of road which appears to be flat and has you wondering why you can't get up any speed, but is really a very gradual climb. And then a 13 km climb up a paved rail trail during the hottest part of the day (27C). Last year we struggled with that climb on the KHS, and ended up stopping about every 1-2 km all the way up. Our fitness level then wasn't very good at all. This year, we stopped once for a few minutes, but the climb didn't seem nearly as bad as we remembered!
We stopped for ice cream in Beechworth (one of the best parts of these randonnees) and then sailed back down to Wangaratta.
One really nice part of the ride was that we were able to ride with a group of other cyclists. We sort of leap-frogged them because it can be a bit difficult to ride in the middle of a group with the tandem, but it was great seeing other cyclists on a ride. We usually get dropped off the back and never see anyone again.
Another really nice part of the ride was how well organised it was. The cue sheet was good and everything flowed smoothly.
We finished the 205 km in 10:35! That's our fastest randonnee in a long time.
And this 200K randonnee marks the begining of my 12th year as a randonneur. Who knew when I signed up for my first randonnee back in 2001, that I would still be doing this 12 years later!!
After a short break ... we headed for the local aquatic centre and floated around in the pool for a while.
Last edited by Machka; 11-13-11 at 06:55 PM.
I am planning on completing a series this year. I don't have a 1200k picked out, but it is on the radar. The difficulty for me is a lack of local rides. The only series of Randonees I can find is about a 5 hour drive from home. All part of the adventure, I guess!Originally Posted by Machka
2012 Randonnees
The 2012 Randonneuring season began on November 1, so if you're riding randonnees this year, tell us about them.
Are you riding a Super Randonneur series with the hopes of getting into a 1200K randonnee later this year? Or are you just riding the randonnees for the fun, challenge, adventure, etc.?
First brevet of 2012 was on 11/5/11: RUSA Permanent 1015: Queen Anne-Everett-Sammamish. 203 km, 2200m climbing by Garmin. A beautiful fall day that was unexpectedly dry. 7 riders, a good turnout for this time of year.
Month 38 of my 200+ streak.
Mount Baker 70 miles north
North Cascades range
Fall color in Snoqualmie Valley
Eildon Endurance 300K - December 10th
The Eildon Endurance goes through the area where we live and a year ago, when the Eildon Endurance was last held, Rowan and I saw some of the cyclists riding it. At that time I thought they were nuts. There is a lot of climbing on that ride and as such, it was not on my list of rides to do.
But over the past few months, we've been working on our climbing in preparation for the 7 Peaks Alpine Ascent Challenge, and I have been feeling a lot more comfortable with the idea of climbing. Three weeks ago, we rode a loop from Yarck to Euroa, up the Ruffy climb, and then back to Yarck via Merton, up the Merton climb ... the two biggest climbs on the Eildon Endurance. We had ridden that loop a couple years ago, and I walked a little bit of the Ruffy climb and most of the Merton climb. But three weeks ago, I rode up both the climbs without too much difficulty.
Two weeks ago, Rowan and I took a 3-day weekend, and took on 3 of the 7 Peaks: Falls Creek, Mount Hotham, and Mount Buffalo. All 3 were challenging climbs and we logged over 12,000 ft of climbing on that weekend. And last weekend we took on another 7 Peaks climb: Lake Mountain. So with all that climbing under our belts, we decided to ride the Eildon Endurance!
But what bicycle(s) to ride? Initially we decided to ride our titaniums which we used on the previous three weekends, but with just a few days to go, Rowan changed our granny on the tandem from 30 to 26, and on the Wednesday we took it for a test ride up a couple of the hills on the edge of our town which we would climb on the Eildon Endurance. We made it up both of them, and decided to use the tandem. After all, although there were at least two big climbs, and some stiff climbs on the edge of our town, the rest of the ride was flat or downhill.
So Friday night we drove up to Shepparton, the starting town, and headed to bed early.
4:30 am we were up and getting ready, and at 5:30 am we were off to find the start location ... and found the wrong road. So we ended up parking a little ways away and riding to the cabin. But it was all OK, we arrived in time, registered, chatted briefly to some of the other riders, and set off. Some of the riders were doing the ride as a permanent and thus were doing a shorter distance. And a few of the riders were doing the 400K distance. I think we might have been the only riders doing the 300K distance.
The temperature was warm (20C), but the clouds were thick and heavy all around. It was also quite humid and a bit windy, with winds gusting up to 35 km/h.
We were into the wind as we cycled eastward to Nalinga, so we were off to a bit of a slow start, but at Nalinga we turned south down to Violet Town and we picked up the pace despite the unexpected rolling hills along that road. We stopped a couple times on the way to Violet Town to stretch, eat, and drink. Riding the tandem doesn't allow us much opportunity for any of that while riding. Also on the way to Violet Town, a band of rain came over and were dampened for the first time on the ride.
When we got to Violet Town, some of the permanent riders were there and we had a quick bite to eat with them. It is nice to be able to ride near other riders these days. And then they headed back to Shepparton and we continued on to Euroa.
We had a quick stop in Euroa to put on some rain gear because we could see the rain ahead and knew we would soon be quite wet. But because it was warm (close to 25C by then), I didn't want to wear my rain jacket. At that temperature it is hard to know what to do ... wear the jacket and get soaked with sweat, or skip the jacket and get soaked with rain. But I did wear a wind vest so that I wouldn't get chilled.
The next leg of the journey was the Merton climb. It starts with a very gradual climb, with a few practice hills to get warmed up, and then at Watchbox Creek, the real climbing begins. The climb is about 3 km, and we made it to about 300 metres from the top before we were off and walking. I was quite impressed with that attempt because climbing can be challenging with a tandem, and this was a steep climb.
But a funny thing ... the Murphy's Law of Cycling states that a cyclist will ride for quite some time with no traffic at all, and when traffic finally appears on the scene, two vehicles will pass each other right beside the cyclist. An addition to that law is that there is a greater chance of that happening if the cyclist is doing something difficult or challenging such as climbing a hill. I have never seen so much traffic on that hill! We had line ups of vehicles behind us and line ups coming down the hill toward us, all trying to get by each other and us. Fortunately everyone was well behaved and there were no incidents.
And it rained all along that stretch. We were soaked by the time we got to the top, so we put on the rain jackets for the quick descent into Merton.
After Merton there's a bit of a slog in the form of a long gradual hill with a steeper bit at the end, but then it's all downhill to Yarck. The road to Alexandra starts with a hill, and ends with a pair of hills before descending into town. We've never ridden those hills after riding 100+ km before ... we've always ridden them when we've been relatively fresh. It was a new perspective on how tough those things can be, and we were ready for a break at home.
Being able to go home partway through the ride was one of the appealing aspects of this ride, even though we had to ride a little bit extra to do that. We had prepared in advance, so we were able to do a quick turnaround ... getting something to eat, oiling the chain on the tandem, and changing into dry clothes.
Next was an out-and-back to Eildon, an out-and-back we've done frequently ... very familiar territory for us. And so, that was a fast part of the ride because we knew what to expect. Then back home again for a quick snack, and then onward to tackle the two climbs out of town. They felt longer than they did on Wednesday.
It was fairly smooth sailing back to Yarck and on to the base of the Ruffy climb. There were some heavy rain clouds in the area, and I thought we were going to end up in the rain, but we ended up behind one bank of clouds, and another band passed by, just missing us. In fact, after soaking us in the early part of the ride, the last 2/3 of the ride were dry.
The Ruffy climb was just short of 3 km, but we only made it about 3/4 of a km before we were off and walking. I've had some difficulties with my knees since our 3-day climbing weekend, and they were protesting the steepness of this climb. Walking was marginally easier.
The descent back into Euroa is frightening, and one of our goals was to get into Euroa before dark so that we would not have to do any part of that descent in the dark. The descent is not particularly steep, but the road conditions are horrendous. We couldn't get up any speed because of all the potholes, and even so it was hard to miss all of them and it ended up being a bumpy ride down.
At Euroa we arrived at a cafe about 15 minutes before closing, just in time to get our cards signed and grab a bite to eat. By the time we got going again, it was dark. We had 50 km to go on a long, straight flat road. A few minutes after starting out, the full moon came out and lit up the fields and trees around us. It accompanied us all the way back to Shepparton. What also accompanied us was the view of a thunderstorm in the distance ... flash after flash of lightening.
That road seemed long. We were cruising along quite briskly but it seemed to take forever to reach the outskirts of Shepparton. Night riding is a bit like that. Then just as we reached the outskirts of Shepparton, the thunderstorm got closer and some of the flashes of lightening were around us.
We got our cards signed at a petrol station, walked over to drop the cards off, and just as we got back to the van, the skies opened up and it poured!!
But we had completed the Eildon Endurance 300K (with a total distance ridden of 312 km) in 17 hours and 12 minutes.
I didn't get many photos on this ride ... too busy riding ... but here's one:
And the November 20th photos in this set, on the following pages, are on the same route:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...etail/?page=15
http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...etail/?page=16
Last edited by Machka; 12-12-11 at 03:50 AM.
Definitely plan on a full series plus lots of other rides. (This year, one of our riders is completing 9 series, one of the ladies has completed 7 series). I'm not sure about a 1200k. The Last Chance in Colorado sounds most promising, but I don't know of anyone else doing it, and kind of hate to go ride it by myself.2012 Randonnees
The 2012 Randonneuring season began on November 1, so if you're riding randonnees this year, tell us about them.
Are you riding a Super Randonneur series with the hopes of getting into a 1200K randonnee later this year? Or are you just riding the randonnees for the fun, challenge, adventure, etc.?
"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
RUSA tends to measure the brevet season on a calendar-year basis, but by the ACP's yard-stick I already did a 200K this "year," a wonderful circumnavigation of Lake Okeechobee (in the Everglades) on a beautiful day.
God willing and the creek don't rise, I'll do a full series again this year. There's also a fleche being run by the Gainesville RBA, for which I have put together a team. The jury is still out on whether I'll do a 1200K in 2012. There are some good ones being offered, but I may just keep my powder dry when it comes to Grand Randonnees until LEL in '13.
We're planning on riding the North Carolina 200k on New Years Day to start 2012 off right! We'll by trying to complete the Super Randonneur series for the third year in a row. We'll be back for our fifth year of the National 24 Hour ride in Michigan in June. And we hope to also complete the Tour of Carolinas 1200km in the fall. All on our tandem road bicycles.
Our long distance riding may be reduced in 2012 if we follow through on our pre-PBP commitment to buy a mountain bike tandem. We are in the lottery for Leadville. We'll need a lot of off road training to accomplish that epic ride.
^
Are y'all in North Carolina, now? Or still in NW Ohio? Or both?
Missed that Jan 1st ride... I've already signed up for one charity event on the 1st - the NC ADA Resolution Ride (only 50 miles).
Might sign up for a local 5k run/walk "Run In The New Year" that starts at midnight. I'm not a runner, but I like the idea of a fitness event at midnight instead of drinking at a bar and drunkenly kissing a woman I fervently hope is turns out to be my wife.
There is a populaire in Louisville (100 KM) January 14. That would be my first randonee ever. I think I'm going to go for it.
I'm here on Earth to help others. What on Earth the others are here for, no one knows.
I'm in France through late June. I will probably do at least the ACP 200K in the spring, on March 31. If that goes well I might give a 300K a try, too.
I've never actually done an organized brevet, though I have done solo, unsupported rides of up to 200K within the time limit. I registered for a 200K once but I had to pull out of it due to an ignominious injury: hurt my knee getting out of bed two days before the brevet!
I'm also considering doing a couple of the Flèches de France: definitely Dieppe, which is only 184K from Paris via the touristic route (171K via the classic route), and maybe a 300K-ish one like Calais or Mont St. Michel. France is a great country to cycle in, though after a while it gets tiresome riding out of Paris and back in.
I hope to do at least a 1000k. Not sure what 1200k I would do, have to go shopping I guess.
My plans are still coming together, but I'm targeting a SR series and the National 24-hour time trial in Michigan. I'll probably ride my brevets with the Louisville Bicycle Club, although Columbus OH and St Louis are fairly close options.
I'm also thinking about a 1000k or 1200k somewhere in North America. LOL and Taste of Carolina seem like good candidates.
What is bicycle touring?
"So I kept looking and eventually found that a spark plug had same threads. So I cycled next two days until I got to Jackson, MS with a spark plug instead of right pedal." - mev
Just getting started in Randos in 2012. DH & I joined RUSA, and I will ride my first Pop on NYD (Rando Alvarado for those in DFW). Wish me luck, as I am a bit of a turtle, but at least I ride in comfort on my Vrex.
Skiffrun,
We're now in both - house in Ohio and apartment in Charlotte. On one hand, more good weather to ride. On other hand, too many commitments and way too much travel to ride. Still hoping for a good season. I'm liking the more rolling terrain of North Carolina.
Get hooked up on the LSR message board if you're not so you can keep in touch with what goes on. I won't be able to make the NYD ride, but should be out for plenty of others. Probably the majority of the riders on NYD will do the 200k, but I can think of at least 3 or 4 doing the 100, and likely at a speed you can ride with, too.
"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
I'd like to do two 1200's and a 1000 (or vice versa) this year. The last 2 years I did a 1000k and a 1200.
Some options:
May 9-11: San Diego 1000k
June 21-23: San Francisco 1000k
June 23-26: Cascade 1200 (Washington)
July 9-12: Colorado High Country 1200 (I plan to do this one)
July 22-26: Rocky Mountain 1200 (BC)
Aug 16-19: Seattle to Glacier Montana 1000k
Sept 9-12: Seattle 1000k
I might ride a 200 or 300 with the MN Randonneurs but my calendar is pretty full with other things and they haven't announced locations yet (they split between two different locations).
I'm planning on doing the 2012 SF Randonneurs brevet series, along with the SFR 1000k in June. It'll be my first 1000k. I did the SFR series last year and it was a blast.
I also plan on doing the 200k/300k/400k SFR mixed terrain brevet series in late summer. I did the Old Cazadero 300k last year (http://www.ridebike.org/2011/old-caz-300k/) and it was a crazy adventure - long steep climbs in Sonoma like Fort Ross Rd and Old Cazadero Rd, twisting dirt descents and climbs, gravel descents, and a creek crossing, with 15000+ ft elevation gain. I'm looking forward to the Marin Mountains 200k, which is mostly dirt, and King Ridge 400k, which is an even crazier version of the Old Caz.
Should be a full season!
Last edited by Paraleisure; 12-21-11 at 01:41 PM. Reason: added link
I have my sights on Cascade so it will be an early spring SR.
StephenH (Last Chance potential rider) and Cheg (Colorado High Country rider): welcome to Colorado! Last Chance is a great ride for a first 1200K- only about 18k of climbing total (but you've gotta love rollers!).The challenge for Last Chance will be the logistics in a deep rural area. Contact me off line if you have questions. CHC is a BEAUTIFUL ride - many reports of moose and eagles on route. It's well supported. For folks coming to Colorado from sea level be sure you plan to spend a few days relaxing in Denver before the ride- a few folks had issues w/ altitude sickness last year.
good luck and happy riding everybody!
Last edited by Sekhem; 12-21-11 at 01:57 PM.
We lived in Fort Collins for five years, so a lot of the issues I'm familiar with. I suspected the biggest issue on Last Chance would be wind. I'm not too interested in climbing (and descending!) mountain passes at this point. We had some pretty decent riders that DNF'ed High Country due to the cold, the rain, and the climbing. But Last Chance sounds like it would be similar to the Stampeded that I did this last spring.
"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
WIND!!... as in flying cows. There was a tornado that came thru the area the day before the ride. But that isn't your biggest challenge. The available stores east of Byers past the state line close around 4-5 pm and there's no place to purchase food/water if you're out past sunset (I would avoid public water taps in eastern colo unless you want the trotts). A number of riders abandoned because they didn't think they could ride thru the nite without supplies. I'm not a speedy rider so I cached water/food outbound in case I was delayed on the return and did fine. Last Chance will have much better roads then the famed texas chip seal
good luck
Nothing solid yet, but I just got an email from the D2R2 organizers about this year's ride (August 18th). It looks to be a week earlier than last year too. I'm definitely going to sign up later this week. If you haven't done this ride, you absolutely need to. I'm hoping to do some other Randos starting in April as well.
For the best riding south of Boston:
South Shore Outdoors
Signed up for the Last Chance 1200k in September.
http://www.rmccrides.com/lastchance.htm
"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
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