Rando Rambles

Route / Event: Railway City 200 - pre-ride / 100km scouting mission [ Ride Log ] The mission was simple: scout the back 100km route of an upcoming 200km brevet event. A little rain in the forecast -- maybe some thunder, but otherwise a nice clear day according to weather forecasts. It's only 100k after all...what could possibly go wrong?  Photo credit: Adventure Cycling Association When I  rode the Railway City 100 populaire a few weeks back, I was told that the vision for this route was that it was the first half of an eventual 200km brevet. The idea was that the first 100km could terminate at the departure point (Railway City Brewery), proving an opportunity for self-supported riders to restock from their own parked vehicles (and enjoying a refreshment of course). The only thing was that the back 100km had yet to be designed.  Following that ride, soliciting feedback from local London-based randonneurs Marc Deshaies and Michel Hebert, I took on the task of mapping the back 10

  Route / Event: Railway City 100 / 100km Populaire [ Ride Log ] I was first to arrive at the ride's starting point. Today we would launch from the  Railway City Brewing Company , a microbrew located in the center of St. Thomas, ON. I still had forty minutes before the depart time, so I sat back in my vehicle and enjoyed the drive-thru breakfast I'd picked up coming through Lambeth.  Not too long after, another vehicle pulled into the lot. After confirming I was here for the ride as well, the man introduced himself as Jim. Jim had come in from Sarnia and this was his first ride with the Randonneurs Ontario club in over five years. (We would also later learn that today was Jim's birthday!). Michel arrived next, and by this time the rain started to hammer down. With our bikes unloaded and packed, but with no place to shelter, all we cold do was wait inside our own vehicles as others arrived. Once Tim and Brenda arrived, the rain had slightly abated. Before leaving we calle

  Route / Event:  Railway City 70  / 70km Populaire  [  Ride Log  ]  Spring has spring in Southwestern Ontario. Though old man winter's last exhale threatened us with freezing rain, the early morning forecast reported above freezing temperatures -- that's all I needed to see.  The ride today is a populaire -- a sub-200km route with no required control points to pass through. Early in the riding season these shorter rides serve as great conditioning to the longer brevets which start in May, though I've noticed that some club chapters will run populaires throughout the entire season as they make great entry points for new riders all year round.  This is the first populaire I've participated in with the  Randonneurs Ontario  club because the spring lockdowns of last year saw them all cancelled. Despite the shorter distance, I've approached preparing my bike and myself the same way as though it was a full brevet event. I could have gone without the food or extra battery