Next up: Golden Gate 1000k

Now that I've completed a Super Randonneur series I have just one more big ride on my agenda for the year. That's not to say that I won't be doing other brevets, but at this point there's only one that I'm definitely committed to riding. Any others beyond that will be on a more ad hoc basis--if I happen to be free that weekend and the route looks interesting... if not, no big deal. The big ride yet to come is the San Francisco Randonneur's Golden Gate 1000k. I'm really looking forward to this ride. This will be my first US brevet organized by a club other than SIR. I'm excited to ride through some new terrain with a new group of randonneurs. This will also be my first 1000k, and 1000k is the only brevet distance I've never done. I suspect it will be a lot like riding a 1200k, but still it will be nice to be able to say I've done them all. Plus, if you do all the different types of randonneuring events within two years, you can get a really cool trinket.

RUSA Cup[

Since I rode the SR series this spring on my single-speed Trek, it seemed obvious to me that that's the bike I would use for the Golden Gate 1000k too. But that was before I had really looked into the route (Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3). The route starts from downtown San Jose and immediately spends the first 25 miles climbing over 4,000 ft to the summit of Mt. Hamilton (home of Lick Observatory). That's a brutal climb on a single-speed. Maybe I could make it to the summit of Mt. Hamilton, but I'm afraid I wouldn't have much left for the remaining 600 miles of the ride (which also have a few ups and downs). Since the idea is to have fun and ride with other people, I've decided to ride a bike with those new-fangled "derailleur" things on it. I've been told the derailleurs and "gears" make going up hill nearly effortless.



So, it's time to dig my Velo Orange Randonneur out from the basement where it's been sitting behind the Christmas tree ornaments and 1990s bank statements. To be honest I did ride it once back in February, but just once. Out of nearly 4,000 miles I've ridden so far this year, all but about 100 of those miles were on my humble, devoted, always-eager-to-please, single-speed Trek.

Which brings up a source of a little bit of anxiety for the GG 1000k. It's sort of like getting a new bike two weeks before riding 1000k. Rule number one of randonneuring is you never change anything about your bike immediately before a big ride (or maybe that's rule number two, rule number one having something to do with being discreet about where you stop to pee). The VO Rando and I have a history together, but it's been a while. The fit is pretty different from the Trek, and I haven't had the spring SR series to make sure I've got all of the mechanical bits properly lubed, adjusted, tightened, lock-tited, duct-taped and zip-tied. Oh yeah, I also got a new saddle for it since the one that was on it before gave me saddle sores on PBP, and the corollary to rule number one (or is it two?) is "especially don't mess with the saddle!" So, I guess I'll set to riding the heck out of the VO over the next couple of weeks to try to sort out any issues and get acquainted again.

This Morning Outside Café Racer

SIR Spring 600k: Put a Forks in it

Welcome to Olympic National Park

It was on the road between Forks and La Push that I first noticed the moon. It was last Saturday night, and I was about 380 kilometers into the Seattle Randonneurs’ Spring 600k. The night was dark with few stars visible, the only light for miles coming from my trusty headlight and taillight and the running lights of Chris Cullum, my Canadian riding partner who I had been riding with off and on for the past 300 kilometers. Suddenly there it was: the full* moon shining through a gap in the clouds like a saucer of vanilla flavored Ensure Plus®. Then it all clicked in my head (by this point nearly as cloudy as the night we had been riding through). The full moon… The nearby town of Forks… Vampires! Werewolves! What was I doing out here!? I didn’t actually read any of the Twilight saga, but I saw the movies (well, part of the first one anyway)! I know what evil, wrapped in sparkly skin and designer jeans lurks in this damp corner of Washington state!

Ward and Gary on the road near Matlock

A few minutes later the wave of panic passed as I realized that even if vampires were real, they would probably do their best to stay away from Forks. Way too many Twifans hanging around these days. A more well-founded panic returned a little while later as I realized that it was Saturday night and Forks was the only town around with a bar. It was rapidly approaching the drunk driver witching hour, not a good time to be on a bicycle.

In spite of vampires, werewolves, drunk drivers, bad convenience store sandwiches, occasional headwinds and lots of lactate in my thigh muscles, I managed to complete the SIR 600k brevet last weekend. It was an incredibly beautiful route that circumnavigated the Olympic mountain range in a huge clockwise lumpy circle beginning and ending at the ferry dock in Kingston.

Shadow riders

Riding a single speed bike throughout the SR series this year has often made it difficult to find well-matched riding partners, but this time I managed to ride with others at a very compatible pace for about half of the distance. Chris in particular turned out to be an excellent riding partner, happily pulling me through endless rolling hills.

The view from Kalaloch

Every long brevet has it's warts and imperfections, but I really can't think of much about which to complain. Yes, there was a brief rain shower or two. But come on, we were riding through miles of Pacific Northwest rainforest in early June! What do you want? Maybe that last stretch of highway 104 from 101 to Kingston with the hills that took a couple of cheap shots at me when I was down on the ground? But that's not the hills' fault. They were there long before we decided to ride our brevet and they'll be there long after my trusty Trek has turned to dust and returned to the earth. Honestly I have to say this was my favorite 600k yet, and maybe my favorite brevet ever.

Some highlights for me:

• The excellent homemade chocolate chip cookies at the Hood Canal control (Jennifer's recipe and Kole's execution).





It was steeper than it looks, honest



• The lovely rolling, car-free back roads between Matlock and Humptulips, especially that steep dirt section that forced me to use my "granny gear" (i.e. get off and walk).


• Okay, this is for real: In the Matlock General Store the clerk found $40 on the floor and asked if it was someone in our group who had lost it. None of the group I was with thought it was ours. Then at the very next stop in Humptulips, 45 miles down the road, as I was walking to the cash register there on the floor at my feet... two crisp $20 bills. They weren't mine. I asked if anyone in my group had dropped them, but none of us had even come in with two twenties. Weird. I left them with the cashier and walked out wondering if the same $40 would be following us all the way around the Olympic peninsula.


• Chris and I helping a woman with a flat tire along 101. I'm convinced that woman would still be there trying to figure out how to fix that flat if we hadn't stopped (not exactly a whiz bike mechanic). She said she was riding to San Francisco. She'll either develop some bike mechanical skills along the way or continue to depend on the kindness of strangers.





"Dinner" at Kalaloch



• Celebrating the first real view of the ocean at Kalaloch with a dish of soft-serve ice cream.





Leaving Forks at 2:30 AM



• Making the most of the Forks control by stopping there not once but twice. The first time for an excellent bowl of homemade chicken soup to fortify me for the out-and-back to La Push. Then for a fiery bowl of chili and a couple hours of sleep before setting off again at 2:30 AM for last third of the route.


• The quiet and lonely slog from Forks up to the control at mile marker 218.7 in the wee hours (Chris and I had parted ways at Forks and from there on I rode alone). Perhaps I saw three cars in an hour and a half. A great time for introspection and loud off-key singing.


• But even better was the oasis at mile marker 218.7 with hot chicken soup and friendly faces.





Just before the sunrise on Lake Crescent



• Watching the black night turn to grey daylight as I rode along the shores of Lake Crescent.
• East Bank Rd!





Dungeness Spit from the stone bench



• Sitting on the stone bench overlooking the Dungeness spit and reveling in the knowledge that there was little between me and Kingston that could keep me from finishing the ride (but naively unaware of the hills on highway 104 I had yet to ride).


• The feeling of rolling into Kingston shortly after noon having just finished the brevet and a complete SR series on a single speed bike, not too mention it being my second fastest 600k ever. Of course, my spirits fell quickly when I realized I still needed to walk up a flight of stairs to the second floor motel room to get my card signed.

This was really a great ride for me from beginning to end. I felt strong the whole way and was rarely bothered by aches and pains. My bike worked well and nimbly avoided any broken glass and other sharp road debris that conspired to deflate my tires. The route was one I've wanted to ride ever since I started randonneuring. There's something about the remoteness and the idea of going all the way around an entire range of mountains that inspired me. I rode with some good riding partners who shared the hard work, some for a few minutes, others for hundreds of kilometers. Thanks to Chris, John, Gary, Ward and the others I rode with briefly. Most importantly, thanks to Kole and Jennifer, and the many other SIR volunteers for putting on an outstanding event.

*Okay, it wasn’t really officially a full moon until the 5th, but three days away from a full moon looks pretty darn full.