I just did my 2nd ever 200K with a buddy on our MTBs. It was a SMOKING hot day in the mid 90s and the sun was relentless. We were swerving to the shaded parts of the road.
The route was mostly pavement with a couple gravel roads and the emphasis was climbing. Jeff, who’s idea it was, does 100 mile NUE MTB races fairly often but i don’t really do big rides. He was on a MTB as well. A fully rigid 1x12 Trek that was probably the perfect bike for this ride(if using a MTB). I used my Top Fuel and i put some old 1.9" Bontrager XR1s on it and locked out my shocks. It was an awesome ride and on the first half he was pulling me along and the second i convinced him we had to finish which was surprising. It wouldn’t have been that bad if it wasn’t for the heat and the sun. I got the chills once or twice which i think is heat stroke.
I finished my 600 for the year. Now I just need the 2 to get super.
I rode with someone else for 200 km, then decided I wanted to try going sub 24. He wasn’t up to it so I rode alone for 400 km. Highlights of the ride were Lummi and Chuckanut in the morning, a great sunset over Birch Bay, a meter and perfect starry night out in the Fraser Valley. At 420 am my phone alarm went off from waking up the previous morning. While trying to turn it off I almost hit a baby deer. What a great accident that would have been.
I didn’t make 24 at all. I stayed at 25 km/h all day but lost my mind when it got dark. Lots of missed turns, suddenly realizing I was only going 15 km/h, stops to adjust clothes, shit like that. had to sleep on the side of the road at least five times… all were rather trippy 60 second dips into liminal space. It took 25:50 which makes me pretty happy.
If you’re near central VA and want to come do some fall randoish rides we have 3 200ks on deck and a 100mile(ish) cx adventure ride with some pushwhacking as well. One of the 200ks is a 7pm to 3-4am one mostly on the VA capital trail. The other two are day time and hit some really nice back roads north and east of Richmond.
Central VA rando-esque rides fall 2017:
I’m doing some of these, and have a couch (in an apartment) in Richmond on which a tarcker or two could crash before / after. PM if interested.
Thanks for organizing it, the route was great, and those were indeed fun people to ride with. that one dude’s many many flats were an amazing advertisement for wider and tubeless tires.
It sounds as if she was exorcising some traumatic experiences by riding that much, and in a car-free spot. Good for her, and holy hell I never want to do that myself. A year+ spent literally only riding a bike, with just enough time to eat and sleep off the bike.
I have so many logistical questions for her.
How were you able to survive for a year without working?
Did your family cook all of your food for you?
How much money did you spend on drivetrain and tires?
Did you listen to podcasts every day?
How clean is the nearest public bathroom to the wooded suburban park?
