David Roderick - 4/4/2017

Okay, our 200K is in the books, and now we look forward to the upcoming 300K. We had 24 riders registered for the 200K, and the weather was nearly perfect for the ride. It was cloudy with spots of sunshine and nearly 70 degrees. Veteran randonneurs and a few “newbies” all hit the road at 8:00 am. Larry Graham set a brisk pace on the great course put together by local randonneurs and tweaked by Dave Miller. Some riders used nearly all of the thirteen and a half hours allotted. Two finished after dark, which brings up the need for proper reflective gear and lighting. I was glad I did not have to DQ anybody for the lack of gear. RUSA requires front and back lighting, reflective vests and reflective ankle bands. If you put yours away after last season, you may need to dig them out for the 300K. There will be a bike inspection (that goes for Elipitigos too) and reflective gear and lighting inspections. Rider safety is paramount. Please refer to the RUSA website to make sure you are compliant.

There were some new faces at the 200K and, a first for any brevet that I can remember, an Elliptigo ridden by Scott Blower. Some veterans were skeptical about Scott’s machine but he finished, with rubber bands and duct tape holding everything together, in a very respectable time. I think he was glad to actually sit down afterwards. Way to go Scott. Laurie Skul, who joined RUSA on the day of the ride, also finished very strong. Charan Babu Puthumbaka, forgot his water bottles, but one of our veterans made sure he had one going out to the first control, and I had a full water bottle waiting for him when he got there. Charan noticeably had a great time on his first brevet and, although randonneurs are supposed to be self- sufficient, our riders welcomed him, and encouraged him. I’m pretty sure he’ll be back.

Can any of the riders that participated confirm and identify the two beasts that John Sanchirico claims to have seen along the course? He stated that they weren’t cows, horses, buffalo, llamas, or alpacas, so the mystery remains. Of course John could have been suffering from Debi’s Date Bar deficiency since we made him wait until the end where they were available with all sorts of other goodies and several pizzas. I always say that it is not a “good ride” unless there are stories. If you have something to add, send it off to Ted Meisky at our website, he has created a page for you to share your story. Way to go Ted.

Let’s look forward now to the 300K. There will be no registration on Friday or Saturday of the ride. Please commit early. As mentioned, be sure you have all the proper gear required, and check your bikes and tires so mechanical issues do not arise. Get a few more training miles under your belt and be sure to register before the cutoff at our website. Be safe out on the roads, I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks.