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Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling Do you enjoy centuries, double centuries, brevets, randonnees, and 24-hour time trials? Share ride reports, and exchange training, equipment, and nutrition information specific to long distance cycling. This isn't for tours, this is for endurance events cycling

2022 Randonnees

Old 09-29-22, 02:22 PM
  #101  
groovestew
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Just a bison grazing by the side of the road, NBD. From a metric century last weekend.
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Old 10-11-22, 07:12 AM
  #102  
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Completed my SR series with a 600k over the weekend. Although the route wasn't a very tough one, but it was a somewhat unenjoyable ride due to frequent bouts of sleepiness. I didn't manage to get much sleep the night before, then had to wake up very early in the morning for a 1++ hour drive to the start location for a 5am start.

Initially the ride was great; we had a very huge turnout as there were plenty of people looking to get their SR. The pace was very fast at the beginning, quickly breezing through checkpoints 1 and 2 under some very nice, overcast and cool weather. In the evening, on the way to CP3, things started going downhill for me as I had to make my first power nap at a bus stop. Second long nap at a petrol station about 40km away from CP3. Finally reached CP3 and was looking for a hotel to shower and rest in, but every single hotel in town was fully booked. I wasted nearly an hour asking about 8 hotels in town but nope, they're all full. I ended up circling back to the checkpoint, then getting less than 3 hours of sleep on the cold, hard floor.

The second day wasn't as hilly as the first, but I kept losing time from frequent bouts of sleepiness, stopping just about everywhere to close my eyes and power nap to try and stave off those pesky/dangerous microsleeps. It just wasn't fun at this point, but doing the math in my head, knowing I still had enough time to get this ride done kept me going. At the end of the day, I managed to finish on time - but with less than an hour remaining on the clock.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7939226597
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Old 11-14-22, 07:21 PM
  #103  
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Saturday two of us rode RUSA Perm #01124 - Portland to Olympia, taking advantage of a dry and relatively calm day. We did have a slight headwind most of the day, but nothing significant. We left Portland just after 7am, hugging the west bank of the Columbia river along US Highway 30 up to Ranier, OR. This segment was about 50 miles, flat, and pleasant due to a wide shoulder and light traffic. The Lewis and Clark bridge into Longview, Washington is notorious for being heavily littered with logging debris - the shoulder can be so covered with bark it's unrideable. It's a cantilevered bridge, a bit of a climb, and a nice fast descent down and into Longview. The tree bark did get a bit sketchy to navigate as I sped down the Washington side. Longview was our first stop; for some odd reason we were both craving burgers so we hit a Wendy's for a couple #2 specials. The road got a bit lumpier in Washington, culminating in the highpoint near Winlock, WA, home of the world's largest egg. RWPGS recognize three "climbs" on this route; all in the 2nd half and none that presented a challenge. We hit up a C-store in Winlock; I just had a Hostess fruit pie and some Starbucks cold drink, while I think my buddy just ate some cookies he had stowed. Odd that a couple veteran randos - 25 years experience and two Mondials between us - would make rookie nutrition mistakes, but we did. We carried on happily through Chehalis then Centralia, stopping at a Starbucks around mile 99 for coffee. But no food, like a couple newbs. Somewhere around Grand Mound - I'm not sure whether just before or after - I started to feel the bonk coming on, which is absurd since I'd been carrying a large rice krispie treat and three gels from the start. Then my buddie says, "I'm starting to bonk". So we stopped alongside the road, ate what we had, marveled at an enormous ant mound alongside the road, then carried on. I was feeling ok, but my buddy had bonked pretty hard. Fortunately there was a bit of headwind, meaning he could sit in an catch a decent draft while I did the work. Funny how that works out; sometimes a headwind helps. The rest was pretty straightforward, just ticking down the miles on gentle rolling terrain with I think one "climb" per RWGPS. My buddy's gels kicked in just as we rolled in to Olympia for the finish, which worked out fine since we had 9 miles remaining to the Olympia/Lacy Amtrak station. Elapsed time on the 200 was 9:59, finishing just a bit after sunset. Downtown OLY to Amtrak is mostly trail, which was a nice way to finish. We got to the station just after 6 and our train was at 7:30, so we had plenty time. I suppose we could have gone out for food somewhere in that time, but we elected to warm up inside the train station, and hit the cafe car once under way. Olympia to Portland is about 2 - 2.5 hours, then 45 minutes transit. I was home about 11pm.

For a November perm in the PNW, finishing dry is a big win.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8109378854
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Old 11-15-22, 12:21 PM
  #104  
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200k DNF

Not really my shortcomings. It was a 200k with an up and over and out and back with 10,000 feet of climbing. After more than half of the climbing done, there is a flat section going north on Pacific Coast Highway. At mile 60, the road was blocked due to a car crash with multiple fatalities, no way around it, and the road wasn't going to reopen for two hours. My lighting plans didn't account for this delay and I had to turn around. On a positive note, I did get all 10,000 feet of climbing in the 95 miles completed. Standard road cranks with 52 and 40 tooth rings with a 14-28 6 speed freewheel were not ideal for this ride and the experience is motivating me to re-formulate my Rando Bike before my next brevet later a 2023 SR series.
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Old 12-11-22, 07:49 PM
  #105  
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Perm pop #4584 today, on the fixed gear. Weather was 39-41F, sprinkles, light wind. I chose to ride this triangle shaped loop counter clockwise, because the long stretch along the Columbia river is very exposed to gorge wind, which was blowing from the east. I got a late start at 11:30, which just meant a dusk finish at five hours. The first few miles drop down 300 feet to essentially sea level, crossing the Sandy River at Troutdale, which bills itself the Gateway to the Columbia River Gorge. The bridge is the first control. Crossing back over the Sandy on the I-84 bridge, the route works it's way to Marine Drive along the Columbia. I stopped at Subway, mile 22, for a quick lunch, eating half a 12" there and saving half for later. From there it's about half trail and half road to the next control at Kelley Point - a lookout point at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette rivers. From there it's down along the Willamette, under the spectacular St. John's bridge, then along waterfront trails and eventually the Springwater trail. I stopped along this segment to eat the second half of my Subway sub, enjoying the river view. I started having gps issues where the route departs from the Springwater trail to head down to Milwaukie - the stupid thing kept asking if i wanted to exit navigation, and wouldn't take yes or no. After about a million retires, I got the route restarted and continued my merry way. It did cost me to backtrack a few hundred yards. The control at Milwaukie makes the third corner of the triangle. The last ten miles regain the lost 300 ft of elevation, mostly a gradual climb on the Springwater trail. My elapsed time was 4:50, getting me in just before dusk. Although i still consider myself a fixed gear newb, I felt comfortable on the bike. Tired, but comfortable.
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Old 12-18-22, 01:44 AM
  #106  
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I missed the two nice December weekends, and rode my December 200k today. The same RUSA Perm #01124 - Portland to Olympia I rode in November, but solo this time and 10 degrees colder. 24F at the start, calm with a slight tailwind developing. My toes were cold for the first half of the ride, but warmed up; probably a combination of warmer temps and hillier terrain generating more body heat. The ancient Bell brand tights I dug out of my drawer served me well - heavy tights, nylon shell front. About 20 miles out from Olympia it started to drizzle, which was not forecast but then again not shocking for the PNW. Fortunately it didn't turn into anything more, so I didn't have to fab a rain suit out of my mylar emergency blanket. I rolled into the finish around 5:45PM, about 30 minutes slower than my November ride. 9 miles to the Olympia/Lacy Amtrak station was mostly trails; being off the clock I took it easy, still arriving an hour before my 7:30pm train. I'm really enjoying these one-way Amtrak return rides.
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Old 01-03-23, 02:06 PM
  #107  
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Last rando ride of 2022 was Perm pop #4584 again on 12/28, this time single-speed instead of fixed. I wanted to try out the 17 tooth gearing I have on the SS side, compared to 16 fixed. For this route and my current conditioning, 17 was much better.

For end of December I can't complain about weather. Temps in the high 30's to low 40's with a couple sprinkles and virtually no wind. Not a lot to say; I was solo. In fact there was hardly a soul out even through Portland. I did see a 70's Ford Maverick moving under it's own power - shocking - and later even saw it parked on the road so I know where the guy lives. Next time I'll take a pic.

On to 2023.
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Old 01-03-23, 06:36 PM
  #108  
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I can't resist the urge to sum up an amazing year of milestones.

SR series
ACP 10000
7th R-12 completed in August
RUSA Cup
Ultra Randonneur (10th SR series)
Rando Scout 50+
Mondial Award

On the flip side, my first rando DNF occurred this year at LEL.
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