Inaugural Suffolk to Newsoms Populaire (72-mi)

20121215-SelfIt’s been a while since my last long ride.  I missed December’s first 200-km permanent earlier this month due to a hip issue.  The time off the bike made leaping into a long ride unwise, especially without a shorter test ride to ensure my hip was okay.  I’ve done plenty of riding since then and was hoping to ride another permanent tentatively planned for December 16th.  However, the ride was scrapped in favor of a new 117-km populaire.  I’m leaving town for the holidays.  Therefore, I’ll have to reset my run at an R-12 award and start over in January (I’ve only lost two rides).  I’m still working on my attire for cold weather riding.  So the shorter populaire was a nice change which still allowed me to practice doing RUSA paperwork and test my clothing layers without suffering the discomfort of 11-hours in the “wrong” apparel.  My primary goal for 2013 is to complete a Super Randonneur series.  An R-12 would be nice.  But it’s not my priority.  I’ll still continue to attempt one permanent each month if I’m up to it.  In the mean time, populaires are a good way to stay connected with fellow randonneurs. Continue reading “Inaugural Suffolk to Newsoms Populaire (72-mi)” →

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Southern Sojourn Permanent – Run #2 (127-mi)

I had been off the bike for a couple of weeks due to rain and minor medical issues.  It was nice to get another ride toward an R-12 award on November 4th.  Jacob Anderson was leading his 204-km Southern Sojourn.  The weather was clear but cold at 40-degrees.  I figured this was a good chance to try the ride again without the rain.  🙂  It was also a great opportunity to shake down my new handlebar bag, run my lighting system, and to try dressing appropriately before the weather was too cold to manage any clothing selection mistakes.  I wore tights, knee warmers, toe warmers, two summer jerseys, arm warmers, and a lightweight jacket.  I thought it was too much.  But I was initially cold and then warmed up… just the way it’s supposed to work. Continue reading “Southern Sojourn Permanent – Run #2 (127-mi)” →

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Sunbury-Edenton Loop (75-mi)

Twice a year, Team Portsmouth puts on a great 75 mile supported ride between Sunbury and Edenton, NC.  The team staffs two SAG vehicles and loads up plenty of drinks and goodies for the ride.  The plan includes stopping for lunch in Edenton before riding back to Sunbury.  The weather couldn’t have been better.  It was just a little cool that morning.  But Ride the Dragon had trained me well for dressing appropriately.  It was 48-degrees at the start and expected to rise to 70-degrees by 1pm.  I wore tights, a summer base layer, two jerseys, arm warmers, a light windbreaker, a balacava, and full-finger gloves.  One rider said, “I wish I had brought tights.”  I said, “Give it a few hours and I’ll wish I was taking mine off!”  😉 Continue reading “Sunbury-Edenton Loop (75-mi)” →

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Ride the Dragon, Gloucester VA (103-mi)

Ride the Dragon was a relatively under promoted 25, 50, and 100 mile ride which started at Thousand Trails Campground in Gloucester, VA on October 13th.  I had been off the bike since last Sunday’s permanent.  For one reason or another, I just didn’t ride during the week.  So I had little warm up for this ride.  With temperatures suddenly dropping to the 40s, this ride was a bit of a drill for winter dressing.  Jennifer Hamm and I planned to ride the century together and arrived thirty minutes before ride time.  However, we still left 25 minutes late due to trying to get dressed appropriately, packing a few things, and visiting with 50-mile riders we hadn’t seen in a while.  I really need to work on my pre-game if I’m going to do well with brevets.  😀  I was disappointed to learn I had left my camera’s SD card in my computer.  So I had to resort to cell phone photos.  😦  Continue reading “Ride the Dragon, Gloucester VA (103-mi)” →

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My Rookie Mistakes

With my first permanent behind me, I’d like to share a few observations and perhaps some rookie mistakes.  It’s very easy to look at the relatively low average speed required to complete a brevet on time and assume it will be easy (the speed, I mean).  Like many road riders, I cheat myself by tracking only my “rolling average” speed.  I prefer to see that I averaged 18-mph on a brisk ride since that reflects my active effort.  But the fact remains that hills, intersections, turns, breaks, and mechanical difficulties all impact the average speed during a long ride.  It doesn’t matter that my rolling average during my first 200km ride on October 7th was 15-mph or that I hung out at 18-19 during my best stretches.  My overall average speed with stops was 12-mph instead of a more favorable number.  Add the fact that I left 10 minutes after the clock started and you can see how minutes count.  I had 13 hours to complete 127 miles and I took almost 11 including my delay at the start.  That still left two hours to spare.  But what if I had had a flat?  Or two flats?  Or a broken spoke?  Or maybe a split tire or other casualty that required a longer stop?  Continue reading “My Rookie Mistakes” →

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Southern Sojourn Permanent #1677 (127-mi)

20121007_BrevetCardThe day finally came when I participated in my first randonneuring event in the form of a 204 kilometer (127 mile) permanent which started from Chesapeake, VA.  For those not familiar with randonneuring, a “permanent” is a somewhat informal event, similar to a brevet, only it’s scheduled on short notice and is not sanctioned by Audax Club Parisien (ACP).  A “brevet”is a self-supported ride, a minimum of 200 kilometers (124 miles) over a certified course within a specified time period, and is documented with ACP.  I’m still learning the terminology.  But I’m fairly certain that’s generally an accurate description in layman’s terms.  Continue reading “Southern Sojourn Permanent #1677 (127-mi)” →

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Hello World!

Greetings!

20121215-SelfWhy read my blog?  I’m a new randonneur and will write from the perspective of a novice rider.  I have a dry sense of humor and tend to be a bit sarcastic and gritty (without profanity).  That alone could make my entries interesting to those who understand my wit.  My goal is to complete a Super Randonneur series (200km, 300km, 400km, and 600km events) in 2013.  I’ll share my experiences to include my triumphs, my shortfalls, and my journey toward “getting it right” with regards to packing, dressing, gearing, nutrition, resting, etc.  My blog will be geniune and complete, even if I eventually quit, which I hope won’t happen.  So check out my blog and let’s see where it goes.

Until Next Time,

Scott, RUSA #8059

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