Rode a 200k yesterday, the last BRM of the 2019 season for my country. It's pretty much the rainy season right now with heavy rains and thunderstorms practically everyday, so I was prepared for wet weather riding and even added a mudguard to my road bike (a Topeak Defender RC1), but surprisingly it didn't rain. It did rain the night before, so we had some very nice cool morning mist... which kept clouding up my glasses with moisture, lol.
Since this was a relatively short and unimportant ride (well, "unimportant" as in, it wouldn't contribute to any mileage awards to the season, I'm already Super Randonneur and also already nabbed the SR3500 award that my club hands out -- this 200 would not be enough to bag me SR4500), I took the opportunity to experiment with all-liquid nutrition. I had one water bottle with my usual sports drink, and another with Ensure Gold milk. Also carried a container in my bag for a second serving halfway. Didn't work out that well, still felt hungry and ended up with wind in my stomach post-ride (the milk is supposedly lactose-free and gluten-free, so I doubt my minor bit of lactose intolerance had any part in this). Didn't seem to help maintain my energy during the ride either -- packs of Haribo gummy sweets typically work better for me in this regard, but they're bad for my teeth on multi-day rides.
Another interesting thing is we had a short 4+ km of unpaved road riding along the route. Made it feel a little bit like a cyclocross segment. We were joking that next time we'll have to dismount and cross rivers and camp outdoors, lol.
One last interesting fact... that starting point for the ride is also a very popular mid-ride stop for food, but this is the first time I drove there. I have to say, the experience driving there was a lot more stressful than when we just usually ride there on our bikes, especially when navigating the winding, curvy roads, climbing and descending to the town in question. It's amazing how a short 2-hour drive can be more stressful and mentally draining compared to being on a bike all day.
Anyways... here's my video of the ride: