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.
