That's right, this blog is moving to a new home. We have been with this host for several years now but it is time to make a bit of an upgrade. There will be no change in the direction of the blog or in the content. All the old posts are already there and all new posts will be made to the new site. Bookmark it now so you dont miss what's going on in the world of randonneuring in Southern Utah!

http://utahrandonneur.wordpress.com/

Thanks to all the loyal followers of this blog, your interest makes the effort worthwhile!

I am by no means an expert wheel builder but I do like building wheels for my bikes. As a randonneur it gives me great confidence to know that I built the wheels I ride on. It makes one less thing to have to worry about on a long ride. It still seems amazing to me that you can get such a strong and durable wheel out of a handful of small parts.

Here I am building up an early 80's Italian frameset and am trying to keep it period correct. For this bike I am building wheels using some old low flange Campagnolo Record 7 speed hubs with my favorite Mavic Open Pro rims. I always use DT 14/15 guage spokes which have never failed me. I have enough spokes laying around my shop for the job, but they are the wrong length, just a couple of millimeters too long.  I have to cut them to the right length and clean the ends with a belt sander. Once that is done they need to be re-threaded. My Hozan threading tool does a great job but if I did a lot of wheels it would become tedious.



Once I have a complete set of spokes ready I can start the assembly.  These wheels will be a 36 hole 3 cross pattern. That seems like a lot of spokes these days but was pretty common back in the 80's and it makes a very strong wheel. Getting the pattern right is not that difficult, if you start in the right place you will finish in the right place. If you do the assembly in the right order then you dont have too many conflicts and it will go smoothly.



The product at this point is a complete but floppy wheel. After some initial tensioning it will start to stiffen up a little. I think that this is where the art of wheelbuilding begins to be apparent. After an initial rough truing you need to pre-stress the wheel by grabbing alternet sets of spokes and squeezing them, adding extra tension and then relaxing it. There is a lot of "feel" required at this point in how much stress to add, and then subsequently how much spoke tension there should be. When you are done it should just feel right and you will know.



The finished wheels are beautiful and will last for many years. They will be installed on a lovely Messori frame which I had refinished by Joe Bell painting in So Cal. He does a wonderful job and the bikes he paints are works of art. This one will be a rider, perhaps not a daily rider but it will definitely get used. Thats the great part about these classic bikes, they still perform great and will last a lifetime if you treat them nicely. Watch for future posts on the rest of the build on this bike.

After 5 years of running this event, I sold it late last year to some new promoters. Which meant, for the first time that I would actually be able to ride it. The format of the event is simple, there are two loops, both of which begin and end in Panguitch Utah. The first loop is 106 miles and the second is 94 miles and you either sign up for the 100 or the full 200 miles. I signed up for the 200, but without much time on the bike lately I thought I would see how it went and decide at lunch if I would do the full route. I started riding a little before the official start to give myself a little extra time in case I decided to do the whole route. It was quite nice to ride this beautiful area in solitude for much of the morning. The low angle of the sun gives a stunning light in this red rock landscape. There was virtually no traffic for the early part of the ride and I had the world to myself! I was actually the first rider to arrive at rest stop #1 and was treated to a buffet of untouched food, a first for me. It wasn't until about mile 40 that the first real riders caught and passed me. There were about 8 or 9 riders in the "A" group and they were riding like they were on a mission. Before reaching the second rest at mile 58 or so I was also passed by the "B" group, "C" group and the "D" group. Now this event is not a race, but I like to do well when I can. I was still feeling pretty good but I settled into a 200 mile pace, one that would allow me to hold some reserves for later in the event. I was still riding by myself and still being passed by small groups here and there but I was cruising well and still felt pretty good. At about mile 75 or so the course turned straight south and into a growing wind, things were about to get tougher. At the rest stop at mile 80 I stayed a bit longer than normal, preparing myself for the 26 mile headwind pull back to Panguitch. A group of my friends pulled in just as I was leaving. I said my hellos and left, knowing that they would catch me soon enough. A little head start wouldn't hurt, right!  This seemed like a long section of the route, I guess headwinds have a way of doing that. My friends did catch me about 10 miles out of the rest stop but I declined to hook on to that group. They were going a little faster than I wanted and I was still trying to save a little strength for the second half of the ride. It was at this point however that I started think more seriously about calling it a day when I got to lunch. The closer I got to lunch the stronger the argument for just doing 100 miles got, but I kept my pace just in case. I suppose that I could have settled the argument by just going hard and then dying but I kept hope alive by maintaining my slower pace. When I pulled into lunch however the argument was settled for me. It was still hot (about 90 degrees) and the wind seemed to be building if anything. Cold drinks along with some food and the conversation of friends began to erode my resolve. Finally when I looked over and saw my car taunting me to just get in and not punish myself further I surrendered. Today I was an under-achiever with only 106 miles and a ham and turkey sandwich to my credit.

I do not really have any other "events" planned for the rest of the year so this one may have been a good one to start tapering down my season with. I'll keep doing some shorter distances here and there just to try and keep my cycling legs but thats about it!


P.S.  As I am sitting here finishing this spiel the wind has picked up to about 40 mph and blowing dust has reduced visibility to 50 yards. I think a cold front is passing. Right now I am very glad not to still riding in these conditions. I probably would not have finished until 8 or 9 pm had I continued.

This is one of those events that I’ve heard about for many years and even tried to get there and do it a time or two.  It just never seemed to work out for one reason or another, but finally this year it all came together.  We have a place to stay in Portland which turns out to be just a few blocks from the finish of the event which makes it very convenient.  I was also able to book a hotel just a few blocks from the start at the University of Washington in Seattle so it was perfect, my bed was just a few blocks from the ride on either end!

In recent years this ride has gotten pretty popular and is now limited to 10,000 riders, about 2500 of which along with myself will ride it in one day.  The rest will overnight about halfway somewhere and finish on Sunday. This pretty much makes it the biggest double century that I know of, one or two day!  I planned to ride with Jeff and Don, some friends that I haven’t seen since PBP in 2007. They usually have a good group that does this ride each year.  With their local knowledge of the event we were able to meet up at the start in spite of the crowds.


My view of the event for about 50 miles.

The one day riders started first and we let about 1000 or so riders go before we jumped into the stream of bikes.  There was no need to navigate and this mass of bikes flowed through town on a meandering route.  For quite some time we had the right of way at all of the traffic controls and there were no gaps among the riders.  We were just waved through by the local cops. There were a number of wrecks early on, mostly due to inattention but by mile 50 or so things started to settle down.  The course is quite easy by comparison to other events, roughly paralleling Hwy 5 on quite roads with about 1900 feet of climbing in the entire route.  I don’t think there was a major climb all day, just an accumulation of rollers. The sun was out all day but the temperature was mild and didn’t get much past the mid 80’s. The only real downer for the day was a pretty steady headwind for the second 100 miles. I did not stop at all of the rest stops, but the ones I did stop at were well supplied.  There are a lot of events that could take a lesson from STP on rest stop quality. The finishing area was a huge party with vendors and a beer garden. Mnay spectators were on hand to cheer the riders in. I love the rides up here, they all end with beer!


At a rest stop somewhere around mile 130

I was able to ride with Jeff for a while but eventually we got separated.  I ran into Don several times during the course of the day and again at the end.  He had finished some time before me but greeted me coming in and sat with me while I drank my celebratory beer.  My wife Sara and dog Austin were faithful followers and also welcomed me home.  I would say it was a great event that I will probably do again sometime. Great job Cascade Bicycle Club!

This was my fourth time riding the Grand Tour event but it was my first time riding the 200 mile distance.  On the previous occasions’ I had ridden the 300 mile event twice and the 125 mile course on one occasion.  This year I did lowland version which is a little flatter but has more traffic.  The support on this event is always great and the staff is friendly, many of whom are friends and riders themselves.  It was fun riding from rest stop to rest stop and being greeted by friends who were working the event. They of course would rather have been riding but they were supporting their club’s event.  I won’t bother too much with the details of the route.  If you have ridden a double century then you will understand how the variables of the course and weather can create highs and lows during the days ride.  This event for me had many highs and was perhaps my best event in 2 years.  The weather was great, I was able to see many good friends, it is a great course and I was riding pretty well.  I finished well before dark and felt good afterwards.  What more can you ask for? After my tough ride at the Central Coast Double this was a nice change. Thanks to the LA Wheelmen for putting another great event this year!

June is the driest month of the year in southern Utah, at least it is supposed to be.  This year however has been an anomaly with cooler and stormy weather being quite frequent so far.  Saturday morning at the start of the Bryce Canyon 200k the weather looked quite threatening as 9 Color Country riders set out for the day.  The forecast looked pretty grim but everyone tried to stay optimistic, after all even weathermen are wrong sometimes! The forecast winds hadn’t appeared yet and good progress was made towards the first control in Tropic, a little town just outside Bryce Canyon National Park. The climb up the bike path through Red Canyon was lined with flowers and along with the deep reds of the hoodoos on each side it was quite spectacular. Once on top of the plateau we could see for miles. There were many rain squalls in the area and it looked to be only a matter of time before we got wet.  But hey, if you don’t ride in the rain then you don’t really ride do you!

We descended to Tropic on wet roads but it was not raining on us.  The squall must have just passed by and we missed it.  The control in Tropic is at a country store and has about everything you need. We filled up on typical brevet food like donuts and V8's.  With the paperwork done we started back up the hill we had just descended.  This was a short out and back leg to the control and then at the top of the climb the route would turn north into John’s Valley. A strong tailwind powered the riders along this section before dropping down into Black Canyon and on to Antimony.  Antimony Mercantile is not a control but it is a must stop since there are so few services in this area.  It is a good spot to grab a sandwich and they have great pie too!  The randonneur must fight such temptations or he might not finish his ride.

Continuing the loop along the Sevier River winds became less favorable with the exception of the short leg out to the next control at the town Junction.  From here you headed south again and straight into a headwind.  Storm cells still hovered in the area and it was hit or miss if you got rained on.  Everybody got the wind however and it seemed a little unfair that the headwinds played no favorites.

 

Carlton and Mike were the first 2 riders in and only had rain for about 5 miles. Harold was next in followed by Dion and Doug who had mixed rain and hail for 20 miles.  The Young family finished in their ride near Antimony and got picked up by family.

In summary, the dire forecast did not live up to the hype and I think the riders enjoyed the unsettled weather on the backdrop of this spectacular route.  As for the wind what can you say; it played its usual part both helping and hindering at times during the day.

The Start:
4:30 am:  One by one my riders arrived at the start line in Hurricane Utah; 6 riders total.  They did not know it but I gave them each a bike inspection as they arrived. Only one rider failed my test for lack of a reflective vest, but I always have a spare and soon he was properly equipped.  I had mostly a veteran group with one rando newbie, Bryan McConnell from AZ.  He said taht he had done this distance before but he looked a little under-equipped for a 400k to me.  I just figured that he knew what he needed and left it at that; I’m no-one’s nanny.  The ride starts immediately with a 1200 foot climb up to Apple Valley and then cruises through Colorado City and onto the Arizona Strip on mostly flat road. This is the location of Short Creek, home of Big Love, Warren Jeffs and polygamy. Yes it’s for real and is also the location for the story in John Krakauer’s book, Under the Banner of Heaven.  All of my riders pass through without picking up any new wives.


Michael Bratkowski at Control #2

To Pipe Springs and beyond:
Pipe Springs is a National Historical Monument from the days of the early pioneers.  It was also a stop for travelling padres Dominguez and Escalante on their 1776 expedition from Santa Fe. Weary travelers for many years have stopped here for rest as they pass through the area.  My riders of the range stop here for much the same reasons; for food, water and a little rest.  Mike Enfield is the first rider in, covering the 41.4 miles in just over 2 hours including the climb! The others trickle in one or two at a time.  Everyone looks good as they depart.  The towns of Fredonia and Kanab are next up before riders start the first real climb of the day. Outside Kanab the rocks are red and the sand is pink as riders climb out of Kanab Creek Canyon and over the top by Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. The sun is out and temps are in the low 70’s; it’s a picture perfect day as they drop into the next control at Mt. Carmel junction.

Mt Carmel Junction:
At almost 80 miles into the ride, the Mt. Carmel Junction control is a welcome stop for most riders. It sits in a scenic narrow valley along the Virgin River and is a busy tourist stop.  It is at the turnoff for the East entrance to Zion National Park and offers the only self bailout option on this ride.  From here you are only about 40 miles from the start location in Hurricane and it is an easy bailout.  I have never had a rider take it until today.  Bryan McConnell of AZ had had enough and turned off here.  He was a little under-equipped for a ride of this distance and bailed out before he got into trouble.  It was probably a wise decision as we would find out later. The weather had been perfect until now but some clouds had begun to form.  It was still warm but it was looking like mountain storms were going to develop. The route would climb up to about 7000 feet and mountain weather is unpredictable. It can get cold and wet very quickly in the mountains.

Panguitch:
Most riders made it into Panguitch without getting wet but a couple got rained on pretty good for a short time.  At 128 miles into the ride, Panguitch makes a good lunch stop and has great services.  Richard, who had been riding with Bryan before he bailed had now hooked up with Mike Enfield for the ride into Panguitch.  Larry Nelson was not far behind them and Dion and Michael were about an hour back.  The sky was completely cloudy now with many small storms cells in the area. Temps had dropped to the low 60’s and the winds were very shifty. One minute they were in your face and the next they were behind you or a crosswind.

Richard and Mike at Control #5

Parowan Truck Stop:
It’s a pretty long stretch from Panguitch to Parowan, about 50 miles. The only services along the way are at a highway rest stop which has vending machines and restrooms.  The route is mostly along rural highways with a 15 mile stretch on I-15.  The interstate has a good shoulder, the pavement is fresh and the traffic wasn’t too bad either.  At the control I met Richard and Mike.  Richard was in good spirits as usual but Mike was starting to look a little green.  Maybe the strong pace he had kept earlier in the ride was starting to take its toll. They were eating Taco Bell burritos when I pulled up, classic brevet food! 

Cedar City:
The first riders, Richard and Mike pulled into Cedar City well after dark. Richard was still riding well but Mike was about done. He was being plagued by stomach problems and couldn’t keep any food down.  Although they were only 50 mostly easy miles from the end Mike threw in the towel and begged a ride.  I know the stomach thing well and if you can’t eat, you can’t ride!  This was the second rider that dropped today after riding with Richard, hmmmm.  Larry pulled in a short time later and then departed with Richard.  Someone should have told him about the DNF rate for Richards riding partners today!  Dion and Michael were well back at this point and I had to get to the finish so there would be no more checks on them.

Back in Hurricane:

Waiting at the end of a brevet must be the hardest part of the event.  You know that you must be there to see the riders in but it has been a long day and some rest would be nice too.  Shortly after midnight my first two arrived, Richard and Larry.  It seems that Larry had broken the curse and survived his ride in with Richard.  After a little small talk Larry went to find his bed. I however had 2 riders out still, so I waited.  Richard had no room to retire to and decided to nap a while before driving home. He ended up staying until the last 2 riders arrived just before 5 am.  Dion and Michael made it in but they were done!  They stayed together for mutual support for most of the ride and stuck with that plan until the end.  The two who resembled zombies, tried to recount their ride to me with grunts and other odd sounds. I’m not sure but I think they enjoyed the ride and were proud that they finished. It was Michael’s longest event to date.

 

Complete results can be found on the SUBrevet website under the results link. www.subrevet.org

Here was a fun Portland event that we did.  Our oldest son Justin and I rode this one together along with about 3000 other riders.  Justin has been riding for a while but this was his first 100 miler. I had my Surly Cross Bike and Justin rides a classic 1992 Bridgestone RB-1. His bike is a work in progress and although it rides good, he is working on getting it back to a mostly original top notch retro rider.

The weather was beautiful and we set out among the long line of departing riders. You pretty much saw every kind of bike here, from spiffy racers to mountain bikes and every type in between. There was even a group of unicycles doing the full 100 mile distance. We took our time on the ride and hit most of the rest stops and missing a few. We didn’t miss much food though and ate pretty well for the day. It is a nice course but there is an odd thing about the event. The farther you get into the ride the more crowded it becomes. This is because other groups of riders doing different distances on the event kept joining the route. The last 20 miles was quite congested. You had to watch out for those who were riding the shortest distances as they wobbled a lot more. We had no serious incidents ourselves just a close call or two. The last 10 miles was into a strong headwind. There were lots of riders but they were slow and no help to us in facing the wind. We finished in just over 6 hours for the full 100.

The event finished at the Pelican Pub in Pacific City. They had a huge tent set up for the post ride meal and a beer garden.  You have to love Oregon events, every one that I have done ends at a pub! I think that knowing that a fine brew awaited us at the finish help give Justin the motivation to complete the ride!

You know how sometimes when you start a ride and everything just seems perfect.  The ride follows a beautiful route, you are riding with friends, the weather is great and you feel good. You just know that today everything will be wonderful.  Well this was not going to be one of those days.

My riding partner Joe and I lined up along with 200 others in Paso Robles California for the start of the 2009 Central Coast Double Century, one of my favorite doubles. The 5:40 am start of the ride gave all of the clues of a great day ahead and everything was going well, until about 3 miles in. My double century bike, a Pegoretti Palo Santo started to feel a little funny, like something was loose in the rear.  I stopped to check it over and found the rear wheel was quite loose even though the skewer was tight. I seemed like the bearing adjustment had come undone. After 15 minutes of trying to repair it I came to the conclusion that it was a major failure inside the hub. It appeared that my ride was over!  A support vehicle stopped and asked if we were okay but I told them of my situation and that we were headed back to town.  We were coasting back into town when another support vehicle came along, this one piloted by super SAG guy Lee Mitchell.  He stopped to assist and I told him that unless he had a Campy 10 speed wheel, I was done.  Well, Lee carries a little of everything in his red van including spare wheels and he quickly offered me a Campy rear. It mounted up nicely and it looked like my ride was saved! There was only one problem now; Joe and I were back at the start and an hour behind the ride. We weren’t sure if we could catch up before the rest stops closed. We decided to give it a try figuring that we could turn it in to an out and back brevet if we missed the support.

The first leg of the ride starts with rollers and finishes with a short but vicious climb. At the top of this mean little hill is the first rest stop.  We were happy to see that the stop was still there when we arrived.  The staff cheered us in which was kind but annoying. They had no idea of our earlier setback and just thought we were slow. We resupplied and set off again pretty quickly. We still had some hope of catching back up to the event.

The second leg of the ride begins immediately with a steep and rough descent. You must stay on the brakes hard to safely negotiate the steep and twisty descent. Lower down the grade eases but the road remains rough.  It isn’t until about 10 miles later when you come into Cambria that the road surface gets better.  From here we went north up the coast with Joe doing most of the pulling into a stiff headwind. We were moving good now and when we pulled into the second rest stop there were still some riders there. We were hopeful for a minute that we were back in the ride until we realized that none of these riders would be finishers.

Rest stop #3 overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The next section continued up the coast, dipping and rolling into side canyons along the way. We still had some wind but got some relief from it in the terrain. We were still pushing hard but Joe started to falter some here.  Knee pain was beginning to slow him down so we backed off the pace a little. At the third rest stop there were several riders. We made as short a stop as we could but they were all gone when we left.  This is where the big climb starts, straight up the coast range and over the top. It is steep at the bottom and the top and a little less in between. I was wishing for the cassette I had on my other wheel which had a 28 tooth cog. With the loaner wheel I was stuck with a 23 which made the climb that much tougher. Once you hit the summit you get a good run the rest of the way into lunch. The lunch stop this year was at the beautiful San Antonio Mission on Fort Hunter-Ligget military base. It was a little hard to find but once we did find it we had a big surprise. There were 20 or so people still there. We hadn’t seen people all day! We chatted with a few friends before sitting down to lunch.  Being away from the coast a bit it was warm by now but we enjoyed a great lunch in the shade. By the time we got ready to go most everyone had already left. We were the lantern rouge again.

With the exception of a few hills and occasional headwinds the next section went pretty well for me. By now Joe’s knee was starting to get serious so he tucked in behind me to get some relief. We covered 20 miles pretty quickly to the base of the next climb. The heat of the day had peaked by now and we started to get some shade on the hill. Not too steep and not too long we crested the top and made the quick descent to the next rest at Lockwood. I might note with the exception of lunch the rest stops were a little thin and we did not really find anything we craved. We ate what we could and continued.

The route this year offered a detour to the next rest at Bradley due to some other detours on the route.  Because of our earlier setback we took it.  It was a good part of the ride. Quartering tailwinds and rolling terrain allowed us to cover the next 25 miles in about an hour. With Joe tucked in behind me to give his knee a rest we flew through this part. About 10 miles out of Bradley we had to turn our lights on and it was full dark when we pulled in the stop.

When we arrived there were many riders still here and now finally 180 miles into the ride we had caught back up to the event.  We took a longer stop here than we should have, in part because they had good food but also because Joe needed some time off the bike.  We rested and regrouped before setting off on the last leg which included the 6 mile climb up Hare Canyon and the long rollers back into Paso Robles. On the climb Joe’s knee went critical and if there had been a bailout for him I’m sure he would have taken it. Without that option we continued.  After miles of rollers with a couple of short and steep pitches just to aggravate things we finally began to see the lights of Paso. The route detoured again to avoid some road construction and then finally we arrived back at the start, the park in downtown Paso Robles. We checked in at midnight some 18 hours and 20 minutes after the ride began.

It was my longest time ever to finish the CCD and with the challenges we faced it would be easy to call this one an “Epic Ride” but I don’t think I will. Sure, we had some difficulties which we overcame and some physical challenges which we dealt with but on the  Lonnie “Epic” Wolff scale of rides this one was just hard, that’s all.

Definition of a Fleche: 
A direct translation of “fleche” from the French origins is an “arrow”. In randonneuring terms it is defined as a 24-hour team cycling event held on or around Easter weekend with a minimum of 360 kilometers being covered during the event. Each team must converge on a single destination at a specified time from a variety of different starting points. Each team shall consist of between 3 to 5 bicycles, singles or tandems. The ride must be proven by checking in at a number of control points along the way and obtaining proof of passage at these controls.


A spectacular day on the Central coast of California!

Fellowship of the Chain-Rings.
We began our quest in the little town of San Miguel which is north of Paso Robles in central California. We wanted to start in Paso Robles but couldn’t get the required mileage so we moved the start a bit north to work it out.  We had kind of a late start for a ride pf this distance and began riding at 8 am. The weather for the day was expected to be great for which was something that we were not used to. We cruised easily to Paso Robles and then up and over the coast range on Hwy 46 where we were treated to spectacular views up and down the coast. What could be better, it was a beautiful day, we were on our bikes on the California coast and now we were headed downhill. It was a breeze! Soon we rolled into our first control in Cambria after being sidetracked briefly at a local car show. This was going to be a great ride! We ate and took care of our business at the control and headed off down the coast with tailwinds and sunshine. In no time at all we cruised into our second control at Baywood Park where we took some time to eat. We were 110 km into the ride and feeling good. The next control in Guadalupe was a pretty quick stop and before we knew it we arrived at control #4 in Los Alamos. The shadows were starting to get a little long but we took our time here; we had been out for almost 12 hours and had covered about 210 kilometers.  It was time to regroup a little.


Who wouldn't stop at a local car show on a bike ride through Cambria?

The Two Towering climbs.
Okay, we had already done one big climb this morning but now we had to contend with two more. The first was Drum Canyon which we had to tackle immediately. The other would come a little later. Drum Canyon is really not that hard of a climb but coming late in the day as it does adds a little drama to the experience. We topped it just at dusk and didn’t get very far down the backside before turning on our lights. We finished the run into Buellton and our next control in full darkness. We took some extra time here as well to get a little rest before our long push through the night. We departed again sometime after midnight. The town of Solvang is a ghost town at that time of night but they leave the streetlights on. Here is where we encountered one of our first problems. Joe’s shifter started acting up and we had to stop under a light and attempt a repair. We were not successful and Joe was stuck in his little chainring for now. Not to worry, we were just about to begin our last big climb of the night. It was probably a beautiful route, but in the darkness all we saw was the tunnel of light cast by our headlights.  Some perspective is lost in these conditions but being in the small chaniring pretty much convinced us that we were climbing. On and on in the darkness the road twisted. There were no lights to be seen anywhere, no street lights, no houses, no cars, just the tunnel. Finally we broke out into a clearing and we could see lights from cars on the highway. We were drawn to the lights like insects but the lights also happened to be our route. Now on Hwy 101 we continued climbing, up and over, and then down. The down part was fast, very fast. This is where we had our second problem. We were descending very fast down Hwy 101 in the dark. The shoulder was good but something caught Joe’s wheel and sent him towards the side of the road at 40+ mph. He was right behind me, and then suddenly he was not. It scared the $#!+ out of him and it took him a while to recover. We checked out the bike and it looked good so we continued.


Southbound with a tailwind on Highway 1.

The Return of the Kings!
Riding through the night is funny; it’s like a time warp or a dream or something. We cruised along the coast with no sense of time or distance. Our unit of measure was hunger and fatigue. Regardless of either we kept riding and kept these issues at bay as best we could. We had stops at controls in Goleta and Carpinteria but we did not use them to measure our progress in units like kilometers or hours, we calculated our progress with a chocolate milk or some other
snack. The clicks didn’t matter so much, we wanted food! So eventually, a couple thousand calories later we were approaching Ventura. Somewhere between the chocolate milk and the egg McMuffin the sun had come up. We had hardly noticed since we probably had been eating at the time. Eventually somewhere near 8am we did roll into Ventura and the final control. Most of the teams were already there but we made as grand an entrance as the 3 of us could.

There were a number of other issues during the ride that hindered or helped but the only one worth mentioning was the spectacular weather. We had 75 degrees and consistent tailwinds for the entire ride. It truly was a magnificent day in Middle California!