Life in the Fast Lane

I want to ride faster – I go through this EVERY year around this time. This urge to ride faster – to ride with the faster riders – I want to ride faster!

Problem is I’m slow. I have a heavy touring bike. And I’m over weight. The truth doesn’t look very glamorous in black and white does it?

Each spring I loose a little more weight, add more miles and ride harder. Sometime around April or May [when I'm still averaging 13 - 14 mph] I give up on “going faster” and resign myself to just getting out there and riding. This is fine – and comes to me through several juicy rationalizations about what’s really important – why am I out there anyway – and “no really – I like to ride alone”.

The trouble is seeing things like this video, and riding brevets, and dreaming about the feeling of freedom I believe is attached to being able to “keep up”. Anyway – that’s how I feel about it.

Rapha Rides The Tour of California from RAPHA on Vimeo.

200k – Yeah baby yeah

So Saturday I completed my first Brevet. It was in Augusta with the Audax Atlanta Randonneurs. I had a great time and after last years 200k – I can say I came out of this one feeling a lot better about myself. What a great group of riders they have in Ga.

• 126.19 miles
• 09:08 ride time
• 13.79 Average Speed
• 35.02 Max Speed

I couldn’t be happier about the way this ride turned out.

Cumming, Ga 600k

From the Audax Atlanta Website

The 600k wraps up the spring series of rides. If you’ve stuck with us so far, this one will complete your Super Randonneur award for the year, and qualify you for one of the 1200k’s, including Paris in 2011. Start Location: TBA – Cumming, GA Distance:  383 miles Time Limit: 40 Hours Entry Fee: $30 Bag Drop: Yes. Hotels TBA
Date & Time:	Saturday, 23 May 2009, 06:00 AM — Sunday, 24 May 2009, 10:00 PM
Location:	Cumming Residential 5920 Wills Lake Rd ( map ) Cumming, GA 30040 http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient-ff&

A little dab’ll do ya

Below are some definitions to help familiarize yourself with these type of events.

Randonneuring: (rahn·doe·ner·ing) – Long distance unsupported endurance cycling. This style of riding is non-competitive in nature, and self-sufficiency is paramount. Friendly camaraderie, not competition, is the hallmark of randonneuring.

Brevet (bruh·vay) – Literally, the word means “certificate”, or “diploma” in French. In “randonneuring”, completing a successful brevet (a ride of at least 200k) means one’s ride has been certified and registered in France, and the rider’s name is added to the roll of honor, going all the way back to 1921.

Randonneurs USA (RU·SA) – The bicyclist’s resource for information about Randonneuring in the USA.

Augusta Ga 300k

03/07/2009
Augusta
300k
20 hrs
August 300k Cue (xls)

Here comes Audax Atlanta’s 300k. This one is in Augusta like the 200k. Everyone says if you can do the 200k – you can do the 300k. I’m not so sure it works that way, but I’m thinking about it.

• Look at the route here
• Cue Sheet here
• Audax Atlanta here

Tagged with: Onroad, Scenic, Touring

Total climb: 1443m - Total descent: 1434m

A little dab’ll do ya

Below are some definitions to help familiarize yourself with these type of events.

Randonneuring: (rahn·doe·ner·ing) – Long distance unsupported endurance cycling. This style of riding is non-competitive in nature, and self-sufficiency is paramount. Friendly camaraderie, not competition, is the hallmark of randonneuring.

Brevet (bruh·vay) – Literally, the word means “certificate”, or “diploma” in French. In “randonneuring”, completing a successful brevet (a ride of at least 200k) means one’s ride has been certified and registered in France, and the rider’s name is added to the roll of honor, going all the way back to 1921.

Randonneurs USA (RU·SA) – The bicyclist’s resource for information about Randonneuring in the USA.

Gainesville, Ga 300k

04/18/2009
Gainesville Ga 300k 20 hrs
Gainesville Ga Cue Sheet [xls]

• Look at the Bikley route here
• Cue Sheet here
• Audax Atlanta here

This ride is tagged as:
Challenging 300k ride through hilly terrain.
Onroad, Difficult, Rural

Total climb: 2062m - Total descent: 2062m

A little dab’ll do ya

Below are some definitions to help familiarize yourself with these type of events.

Randonneuring: (rahn·doe·ner·ing) – Long distance unsupported endurance cycling. This style of riding is non-competitive in nature, and self-sufficiency is paramount. Friendly camaraderie, not competition, is the hallmark of randonneuring.

Brevet (bruh·vay) – Literally, the word means “certificate”, or “diploma” in French. In “randonneuring”, completing a successful brevet (a ride of at least 200k) means one’s ride has been certified and registered in France, and the rider’s name is added to the roll of honor, going all the way back to 1921.

Randonneurs USA (RU·SA) – The bicyclist’s resource for information about Randonneuring in the USA.