Rando Rambles

   Route / Event:   Railway City 200 / 200km Permanent [  Ride Log  ] "When the snow falls and the white wind blows, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives."  -- A Game of Thrones Is author George R. R. Martin a randonneur? I'm guessing he isn't. I mean I wish he was. I'd love to ride alongside him for 600km and chat about his Ice and Fire series. Nevertheless, the above words were etched in my brain as Marc Deshaie and I pulled into the Railway City Brewery, closing out the first 100km of our 200km permanent.  It was late November. The two of us had scheduled a permanent late in the riding season. The Radonneurs Ontario club's scheduled events were all done for the season but a permanent is a self-scheduled ride along one of the club's prescribed routes. I still had this ridiculous notion that I could finish a 200km ride in twelve consecutive calendar months. This route was ideal for a few reasons. Firstly, both of us being from London, this St. Th...

  Route / Event:   Niagara Ramble 200  / 200km Brevet [  Ride Log  ] Sometimes the bike carries you Sometimes you carry the bike The Niagara Escarpment on a lovely October weekend -- now that is a recipe for a picturesque ride. The weather forecast called for a mere 3 to 5 degrees Celsius; unseasonably cool for this time of year but nothing I wasn't prepared to gear up for. 25 - 30kph winds weren't ideal. The good news is there was no rain. No need to add wet to an already cold and windy day.  But weather wouldn't be the theme of this ride. Neither would the pressure of having to finish the day and get back to London knowing I had company in from out of town for Thanksgiving. No -- this ride would have a new wrinkle.  "You've got to be fucking kidding me" I said. I had just tried to shift down from my highest gear only to feel my shift lever give way to the cable, and go completely limp.  Michel, riding beside me, asked about this sudden change i...

Route / Event:   Sandhills 200  / 200km Brevet [  Ride Log  ] Saying hi to mom on the way through Fergus, ON "You know, I always forget how long it takes me to get all my stuff together." Michel said, as we assembled our bikes in the parking lot of the Waterloo-based Tim Horton's. We'd arrived from London for a 7AM depart, and I always aim to arrive early for exactly this reason.  "See? Not actually too early after all!" I replied, playing down my propensity for being punctual to a fault.  And why not arrive early? Greeting fellow randonneurs at the departure point is part of the draw for me. It's one of the only chances I get to talk to like-minded people; folks who would deign to roll out of bed in the pre-dawn hours and drive to a meeting point before sitting on their bike saddle for anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. These are my people. And yet for many, the departure point  may be the only time I see them all day!  Randonneuring is, after all, an ...

  Route / Event:   St. Thomas-Paris 200  / 200km Permanent [  Ride Log  ] "Hey Google, what will the weather be like in St. Thomas on Monday?" " Monday in St. Thomas there will rain from 4a.m. until 11pm, and a high of 25 degrees. There is a severe thunderstorm warning in effect. " Shit.  "Hey Google, what will the weather be like in Paris Ontario on Monday?" " Monday in Paris there will be scattered thunderstorms with a high of 27 and a low of 19 ." Sigh.  I did not want to cancel this ride. Nevermind the fact that both Michel and I had taken the day off work -- we needed this ride completed for a specific designation we were working toward called the O-12.   The O-12 is an Ontario-specific version what our American counterparts call the R-12 . Like the R-12, it requires a rider to complete a club-sanctioned 200km (or more) ride in twelve consecutive months. Sanctioned rides include either a brevet on the club's calendar, or an individual ri...

  Route / Event:   Much Ado About Nothing 200  / 200km Brevet [  Ride Log  ] PROLOGUE:  Nine randonneurs, all alike in dignity In fair London where we lay our scene. Passing through prescribed controls,  On each their own two-wheeled machine.  Despite past failures and successes One rider seeks to up his game.  A tradition of his local chapter; A new accomplishment to claim.  Combining exercise and culture, Adding challenge to today's brevet,  They'd ride hard to the town of Stratford To sit a meal, and watch a play.  Continuing their prescribed course;  The aptly named 'Much Ado About...'  The randonneurs would hurry back  To London before time runs out. The Much Ado Crew (Photo credit: Brenda W.) ACT I.  SCENE 1: London to St. Mary's (0 - 50km) Another Saturday, another 200km, right? Ride the distance, passing through the required controls, and do it in under 13.5 hours. Oh but this one's special. The Hur...

Route / Event:   Railway City 200  / 200km Brevet [  Ride Log  ] "You hear that?" I asked Michel.  "What?" he replied. The strong headwind was in both of our ears so of course he couldn't hear me. I hammered the pedals to close the gap between us.  "Did you hear anything behind us? I think I heard voices." I yelled. We were climbing into the wind on a road with no shoulder so I hadn't had the chance to safely check behind me. For all I knew, 140kms into this ride I was hearing voices in my head. When it was finally safe to do so, I peered over my shoulder. Six smiling faces, riding two abreast, were right on my wheel.   "They're here!" I confirmed. "The Huron Express has caught up to us." "Hop on!" Brenda yelled in confirmation.  =- earlier that day -= I was up at 5:30a.m, a full thirty minutes before my alarm was set to go off. Today's brevet was set to launch from St. Thomas, only a short drive from my place ...