Boston Brevets 200k

A few days have come and gone since the Boston Brevets 2010 200k ride. I have ridden the 200k a few times before, and it is always a good trip. The route has many quiet and interesting roads and there is no shortage of good company. But last Saturday was really tough. Things just weren't right and it gives me reason to rethink long distance riding for the time being.

Well here's how the day went. I was up early that morning. Claire had not slept well and everyone was a little grumpy from a poor night's rest. A lingering cold was sapping my energy still. It had been a long week for everyone. It seemed like I ought to just listen to the signs and sit the day out. For one reason or another, I decided to go.

I grabbed a quick coffee and breakfast sandwich to jump start my system on the way to the civil air terminal in Bedford. The crowd of riders was very large. I heard 80 showed up. Maybe it's the nice weather, maybe the new PBP registration requirements, who knows. We started out promptly at 7. I foolishly fell in with a large very fast group to start. We zipped along in excess of 20 mph for the first 40 or so miles, much faster than is normally sustainable for me, but drafting really helps and I was having fun chatting with friends. There were a few in the bunch who suffered with me through the torturous weather of the 110k two weeks before, and we exchanged comments about how much nicer today would be.

Zipping along, I eventually took a turn pulling and did not recover well. It was time to ride a more reasonable (slower) pace, and there were a few other riders who apparently realized the same. We cruised into the first check point in New Boston shortly thereafter.

I checked in, filled the bottles and grabbed a snack. A few riders were getting ready to go and we rolled out together. The second leg of the 200k is considerably more hilly than the first or last, and I was happy to be with riders who were familiar and sensible. And there was a tandem in the bunch, and I just love tandems. Trying to keep up with one on a downhill is near impossible, but tandems make for very good karma on a ride. One day I'll convince Nicole of how much fun a tandem is.

On Lyndeborough Road, just a few miles out, we reached a massive wash out in the road. Recent flooding damaged many areas, and that's probably what caused a 20 foot cross section of the road to disappear. There weren't any alternate directions on the cue sheet, and we discussed whether to cross the gulf or detour. At some point someone just decided to try and cross. The footing wasn't great for bike shoes, so we carefully spaced out across the ditch and passed the bikes to one another. The team work was really quite impressive.

We continued on. There were a few moments of head scratching at some intersections. Between the memories of riders and iphone navigation we found our way. Everyone in the group spaced out a little as each rode his/her own pace over the steady onslaught of hills. Occasionally we'd bump into one another. The most pleasant vista of the ride is always on Greenville Road near Mason, NH. Sure enough, you could see for miles. The view was great, but I was wiped out. I think my lingering cold was really starting to show it's effects. Thankfully, the second checkpoint was just a few miles off in Brookline. I sat for a while there and ate a ton of watermelon, a PB&J, pretzels and more. Rehydrated. People seemed to be having a good time at the stop, but I wanted to get the ride over with. I set off for the finish.

I bumped into a few riders here an there, but I rode the last section mostly solo. This was really good because I didn't feel bad stopping a couple of times to dunk my cycling cap at river crossings. That first capful of water dumped over my head was amazing. the weather was not too hot, but I was just feeling totally depleted and kind of miserable. I really just wanted to go sit in a river for the rest of the day, but that would not get me to the finish. A capful of water would have to do. Just before Westford, two familiar riders caught up to me. One in particular is always pleasant to ride with because she's very experienced and pleasant. Her partner was steadily pulling us up some of the large hills coming into Westford. After an eternity of pedaling we finally cruised into Bedford.

On paper, the ride went well; it took me just over 7.5 hours door to door. Great! But aside from that and the many friendly riders who kept me company, this was probably the most unpleasant brevet I can remember. It just wasn't my day. I felt pretty trashed for most of the ride. Why? Going out with a very fast group of hammerheads is just dumb; I'll admit that riding with that group is fun but I don't have the legs for it. I've had a cold that won't quit, and my energy is lower than usual. I'm pretty busy with work and family, and that occupies most of my mental energy. Riding is definitely a lower priority. Sure, I've been bike commuting and riding a good amount, but I don't think I can spread myself this thin and expect to ride that distance so quickly. Maybe I'll just volunteer as ride support for the longer rides. Earlier in the year, I was planning on doing the whole brevet series, right through the 600k. I just don't see that happening now. My weekends seem short and these rides take me away from home a little too much. Riding a 600k also demands more training than I am interested in doing right now. At times during the 200k, I was thinking to myself, maybe my appetite for long rides is diminishing these days. That's OK. I'm only riding for me. It only feels weird because I've always liked to get after it. Well that's it. Not the cheeriest report, but that was it.

Boston Brevet Series 400K

The day started the day before. I planned poorly for the 300K several weeks ago; the result was that I overslept the 4AM start by several hours. I missed the 300K completely and was pretty disappointed. For the 400K, I made sure to plan ahead. The day before I checked things off my list, packed my bike and supplies, filled my bottles, and set TWO alarms. I got a few hours of restless sleep and arrived in time. I even ate some breakfast (coffee, left-over pasta with chicken and a banana).

Twenty-three riders, I'm told, showed up in Bedford for the start of the 400k. Tracy Ingle (RBA) quickly checked that we were well-equipped, wished us luck and sent us on our way. The start of the 400k is a terrific riding experience. Nothing hurts yet. It's dark, but the herd of bikes is together and lit up with every variety of bike light. Twinkling red to the front and blinding white lights behind you. People are introducing themselves or buzzing to each other about some ride or other. Everyone moves quickly with eager anticipation... something like 1 mile down, 249 to go. The first 40 or so miles is a common BBS route, but it's fun to ride it in the dark. We have the road to ourselves for a little while until the sun comes up. It's a rolling party.

The first check point was in New Boston, NH at the local historical society. PB&J and banana at 7AM, yum. It's worth noting that I had a porta-john incident. While adjusting my shirt in the john, something fell out of my back pocket, hit the seat and plopped into the abyss. Momentary panic. I checked off a mental list of important or expensive things I would hate to loose: sunglasses, cell phone, wallet, tool kit, car keys - all there. What was it? People asked my about my panicked puzzled look. As long as it isn't your brevet card in there, then you are fine they say. Good point. It's time to get rolling again. If it was wasn't important enough for me to remember then it isn't worth taking time to worry about it. Onwards. About 10 miles down the road I figured out that I dropped the safety goggles that I had put over my regular glasses for wind protection at night. They didn't work well anyway, so good riddance.

The initial herd had split up by this point in the ride, so I set out on my own. I soon paired up with the cycling Scotsman, Tom. Tom's cynical wit busied the next 150 miles or so. We talked about ride nutrition for a bit and ironically stopped at Dunkin Donuts in Laconia for coffee and breakfast sandwiches. This is nutrition cycling style. Later Tom would have beer at mile 170ish and explained the merits of that beverage for randonneuring (see Tom's blog), but I stuck to my usual and had a coffee instead.

We continued along at a quick pace and moved ahead of my intended schedule for this brevet. The middle two sections of the 400K are the hilliest. I don't remember too much of this section (you can in fact ride 100 miles and not really remember it). I do, however, remember looking forward to a mysterious direction on the cue sheet: mile 36.3 of leg 3 (mile 153) Cow One Mile. I was thinking maybe it was a giant dairy cattle statue. It was not, but I was not disappointed. The landmark is a simple cow crossing sign similar to the one below (I didn't get a photo), but with One Mile in stead of XING. Yes, it is quite remarkable. Seeing that sign was very exciting for me, though I unsure if was from figuring out the meaning of the cue or reaching another distant milestone.

Peter White's bike shop was the third checkpoint. I didn't linger all that long, but I did stay long enough to get a tour of Peter's shop, or barn I guess. It's like santa's workshop, only filled with wheel parts, headlights and shelves of miscellaneous bike parts. Peter showed me the snazzy new Edelux headlight which is supposedly bright enough to fry an egg right on the cue sheet. Maybe not, but I really enjoyed hearing about why this light is so special from Peter himself. He is a walking bike encyclopedia. Thank you Peter.

Tom and I rolled out for the final 70 miles home toward Boston filled with ravioli and recharged for the task ahead. I soon started feeling pretty worn and the rain began. I settled into a somewhat pathetic pace, and Tom went on ahead. The next several miles were downright miserable. It rained, turned dark and a got chilly. My right knee was singing with pain. What the $!@ was I doing out here? I eventually pulled over to collect myself. I had forty miles left and felt terrible. However, I was still far ahead of where I thought I would be at this time. So I put on my O2 rain jacket and hopped on. A little while down the road, my wicked bike light started shifting to reserve mode, so I got out my spare. Another rider came down the road and he welcomed me to ride in with him. Bob, the rider, is a chemistry professor from the Hudson Valley and usually rides with the randonneurs in that area. We had much to talk about and the conversation was a nice distraction, so much so that I started feeling pretty good. After a while the roads started looking familiar again. Bob and I road in together just past 11PM, a little over 19 hours. Tom was still there, and we chatted about the rest of the ride. I said goodbye to Bob, wishing him luck in the upcoming Rocky Mt 1200 in British Columbia. I thanked to Tracy. Then I went home and slept.

In sum, the 400k was really really hard. I'm still feelling sore, but I'm glad I finished. I learned quite a bit about riding ultra distance, mostly about the value of pacing and good gear. These are lessons that will be valuable for the upcoming 600K...if I can motivate to do it. The 600K is a 400k followed by another 200K. It would be be great to complete it, but I'm unsure if my body is up to the task or if it will be 200 miles of fun followed by 175 miles of misery. There are some issues that needed resolving too: lighting, soreness, nutrition. Alternately, I could do something relatively sane like joining the Adirondack 540 Preview for a single spectacular 136 mile lap. ....but finishing a 600K would be quite an achievement. We shall see.

Thanks to Mrs. Wheelie, Bob, Tom, Tracy and the gang, Dunkin Donuts breakfast sandwiches and my O2 rain jacket.

Boston Brevet Series 200K

There is something very satisfying about a good tough ride. The Boston Brevet Series 200K was last Saturday (I'm a little behind in updating), and it did not disappoint.

A sizable crowd of maybe 40 showed at 7AM in Bedford under overcast skies. It was nice to see a bigger group than that of the 100K a few weeks ago. Maybe it was the nicer weather, maybe some randonneurs don't get out of bed for only 100 kilometers. The best part of milling around before the start is chatting with new people and checking out the bikes. Randonneurs rarely ride bikes that I would consider normal or commonplace. Most bikes have at least some interesting aspect that you wouldn't get off the shelf. The variety of fenders is exhausting. You could write volumes on gearing and drive-trains. Perhaps my favorite was the sun-burst finish Gunnar Crosshairs with dirt drop style handlebars - the spread on these is enormous and I bet they work nicely for long rides. I wish I had snapped a photo of that bike. Anyway, lot's of unusual bicycles, though they were all in some way perfectly suited to the day's task. I suppose I'll have something on lights in the longer brevets.


The ride started out nicely with a very large pack cruising along to the first check point. Lots of chatting with familiar riders. I now realize that the question "what have you been up too?" is silly in this context, because the answer is almost always "riding, a lot." Gradually, the crowd spread out and I took a quick break to shed some layers and get a snack. Getting back on the road, I caught up with some scattered riders. One rider Jake, explained how he had built his bicycle in a class held at Hot Tubes. Overall the craftsmanship was impressive and the neon green paint job is perfect for a bicycle. We also discussed the merits of generator vs battery lighting - neither are perfect, but both have merits. We soon arrived at the first checkpoint in New Boston, NH.


The forty miles between the first and second checkpoint was the most challenging part of the ride but also the most enjoyable. Straight out of New Boston, there is a significant amount of climbing. The ride up to Mt Vernon is long. Coming down the other side is fast and exciting, perhaps even a little scary. If one wanted to know how fast a bike can go, this is a good place to find out. Scenic vistas are frequent and provide a nice distraction from the difficulty of this section. Soon enough the hard part is over. The second checkpoint in Brookline, NH came up eventually even though I thought I was completely lost until I was right at the checkpoint.


Coming back into Bedford was pleasant enough, though I rode mostly alone. This last forty miles has relatively little climbing and I was very happy about that having 90 miles under me already. I stopped briefly to snack and take in the sun. Coming through Westford was generally pretty hilly with a downhill that leads to the crumbiest pavement in Carlyle. Though crossing into Concord, the road is smooth and easy. An older rider caught up with me and pulled me along for a bit - a demonstration that sometimes the guys who have been pedaling forever can teach you a thing or two. I was very tired and very thankful for the pull. Soon enough I was back in Bedford, finished. At this point, I had a real hankering for a chocolate shake, and I quickly took off in search of that. In all, the ride was challenging, but I enjoyed it tremendously.

Boston Brevet Series 107K Populaire

Earlier this year during the winter when the thought of “spring-time” riding seem relatively sublime, I made the decision to give randonneuring a try. Luckily, the Boston Brevet Series is local, so I signed up. Saturday was the first event of the year, the 107K Populaire. I watched throughout the week as the forecast for Saturday got progressively worse. On waking Saturday at 6 or so, it was pouring and miserable; this was going to be a wet day on the bike (thank goodness for my new and improved fenders). Things were still looking pretty rotten even as I arrived at the parking lot in Bedford, MA, and everyone seemed to express silent acknowledgement of this reality by staying in their cars for as long possible before the ride began.

By some stroke of luck, the weather turned around just at the right time. About 20 or so riders finally appeared. Everyone was thrilled to get started with the first event of the season despite the raw conditions. Just as the organizer Tracy Ingle concluded her ride explanation, the rain slowed to a light drizzle and it almost started to feel nice outside.

We rolled out promptly at 8AM heading for the turn-around in Sterling MA. I joined a group of riders moving quickly along as we pedaled over the first decent hill into Lincoln. Several miles down the road, the group broke up a bit as a few of us stopped to flip cue sheets and take a drink. We then worked our way over some long and steep hills through some orchards and farms in Bolton. We arrived shortly thereafter at the checkpoint in Sterling where a nice spread of goodies awaited us. The sun was starting to come out and the air was getting a little warmer. I happily shed a few layers and enjoyed a sesame bagel covered with peanut butter and Nutella, delicious.

Boston Brevet 107K (2007) leg1

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No sooner had I finished the last bite of the bagel, than did a few of my companions from earlier start buzzing about heading out. About five of us grouped up for the ride back. I’ll stop and talk about bikes here. The variety of bikes present, something I had been curious about, was pretty wide - a few minimalist roadies, some touring bikes, a 3-speed, some classic-style randonneur rigs, and a handful of fixed-gears. Excellent, I thought, riding fixed (46x17) wasn’t going to cause a stir in this crowd (no silly remarks like, "it must be hard going up hill on that..."), and it didn't at all. So, the little group I joined was zooming along and I was definitely not up to spinning the cranks fast enough for that pace... it was fast. Whatever, it’s not a race. I was happy to ease off considerably and take my sweet time enjoying the sunny morning and scenery. The last 30 miles flew by. Eventually, another rider and I made our way up the last little hill before the final turn. We agreed that it turned out to be a terrific ride.

Boston Brevet 107K (2007) leg 2

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People were milling around a bit after the ride chatting about this ride, other rides, bikes, but most of all about food. Cyclists like food, a lot. Talking about food is almost as good as eating it. Everyone seemed to have a food philosophy. I personally like Dunkin Donuts breakfast sandwiches – lots of calories, delicious, and readily available everywhere around here (but I didn’t stop for one this day). Everyone shared their food favorites. At any rate, it was nice conclusion to a good of day riding, and I look forward to coming back for the 200K in May.