Rando Rambles

  Route / Event: Much Ado About Nothing / 200km Brevet [ Ride Log ]  Today was the day -- the day I would try to complete my first 200km brevet; an organized group-depart event with the Randonneurs Ontario club. Earlier this year I didn't think I would be able to make this event, which was a shame because it was the only brevet that starts in my resident city of London, Ontario. I was scheduled to participate in Race the RockStAR , an annual multi-sport adventure race up in the Haliburton Highlands. But it's cancellation freed up this weekend which turned out to be serendipitous.  However, pulling in to the Tim Horton's at 6:45AM, I was in a bit of a state. Sure I was excited about the prospect of completing my longest ride to date, and my first official ride with this club. But it was raining, and that was wreaking havoc on my psyche. I had attempted this route before once , back in October 2020, and the all-day rain had played it's part in preventing me from finis...

As far back as I remember I've loved being on a bike. Growing up in a small town with a population of 8,000, everything I needed to do was within biking distance. Whether it was riding to school, a friend's house, a trip to the pool, a ride out to the lake, I never had to pedal for more than an hour to do anything I wanted. As a kid, bicycles were freedom and independence.  When I moved to Toronto at age 18 I was quick to ditch my car. I wound up living close to a subway, and eventually I picked up a 21" steel-framed CCM hardtail I used purely for a fit way to get to work. I enjoyed my ride-commute along the Lakeshore multi-use trail, but by then cycling had lost it's luster to me. Transit was faster and much more convenient, and cycling, purely for the purposes of transport, was a grind. (Back then I had no appreciation for what a nicer bike with lighter components would have done for me). I can't even remember the fate of that bike -- it's possible I just lef...

Route / Event:   Much Ado About Nothing  / 200km Permanent  [  Ride Log  ] It was still dark, and already raining when Kim and I set off for the departure point; my bike strapped to the hitch rack of the SUV, and all my gear in the back. I couldn't help but think that I should have done this yesterday when the weather was cool but dry. This was not just a casual bike ride that I could decide to do another day, however. When you register a ride through a club like Randonneurs Ontario , the date is logged and there's insurance involved. And besides, battling through discomfort is a core tenet of the randonneur. Kim steered us through the drive through where I picked up two farmer wraps; one of which I ate immediately, and the other I stowed away for later. I thank her for the ride and told her that if I could maintain a pace of about 20kph, I'd be about 10 hours. She initialed my brevet card, we said our farewells, and I set off just before 8AM.  Ride Start: ...