Nice day to ride that loop; is it the old Birkie 200 cut back to Big Eddy park?
Randonneurs (randos), use metric for distances; it'll make them feel like a longer ride: rando chat‽
Not sure what the old birkie is, but it’s gothic logger cut to big eddy
They’re trying out these 100-125-150-175 rouleur distances to try to get some crossover
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James W fugn rode 10:38 gothic logger
He’s like 140lbs dripping wet and fast af
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It sucks that the Birkenfeld Store is no more, because that made an excellent place for a turnaround control. Was someone staffing Big Eddy, or was it an info control only?
A 10:38 olney loop is pretty impressive! (I thiiiiink that my fastest loop was something in the ballpark of 14 hours, though I really try to stay off the north end of the B-V trail because of those bumps and my speed is artificially bumped by the smoother & more terrifying pavement on 47.)
Dude EPP is real and super convenient. RBA sez nobody has used paper in 2 years - you just send your gps file (in rwgps or strava) and that’s it.
With that though is the desire of riders who want to start when they want to start. The last couple years the rule makers said we can be flexible with start times but I wonder if/when they’ll change that.
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It’s never been open when I rode by the last 10 years
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The store is gone; it’s just a nightclub these days, so unless you manage to get there in the late evening you’re shit out of luck.
I’m actually somewhat surprised that RUSA has bailed on that particular bit of paperwork! I suppose that means the ACP has given up on paperwork as well, so nobody else bothers to stand on Tradition! ?
I finished our Early Bird 200 today, it was super fun. Rode with local frens plus Yonnel from Seattle Randonneurs and this Cory chap who’s a proper ultra racer. I had a good day but damn, it wasn’t enough, cory has a coach and a plan and stuff and he’s juat way stronger than me. So that was a humbling experience. The wind was intense, worst Ive ever been in on a brevet, and blew absolutely all day. I was able to make a graeme obree egg on my aerobars and get through but it killed me. It was a totally fun start to rando season and the first normal rando since 2020. Yay!
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They’re hosting it again for PBP qualifying in February 2023
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Seattle Spring 300km brevets are always slow, but I was a dog at 16:30 elapsed time
my last brevet was PBP where I did the first 300km in 11 hours flat
I rode the first 50km in 2 hours with the fast guys, but had to drop because I’d lost too much muscle in my legs to hang on climbs after we were warmed up. I played leapfrog with people for the rest of the day, and rode solo for half the ride especially in hilly terrain.
I filled an Endpoint bottle with Horchata, but hanging out longer meant that a couple more groups passed me
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while trying to navigate Stanwood to avoid the highway and get to the taco place on the way back, I bought a demo CD from a guy walking the highway sidewalk
it’s pretty rough Stream Poppa Choppa | Listen to Better Days playlist online for free on SoundCloud
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Edit:NM’d a 200k course I’ve ridden 3 times today
ORR Birkie 200k
This is an older route, I’m told it’s older than the club (2006) but it’s changed a few times. The start is in forest grove, takes a westerly route through timber, vernonia, out-and-back to Birkenfeld (slightly past), a return over banks-vernonia state trail, through the west union fields back to the start.
About 20 people signed up for the 200k and 5 for the new 150k. Lots of old and new faces as this is generally the start of the season - “normal” years involve a populaire with 10-100 people (you know, Oregon Rando lol).
I left at start with a group of 10-12 that held until the first hill over timber. Obviously I dropped and lost the lead group of 5-7 over the top. I blame learning how to make cheese pizza over pandemic. On the descent, there’s usually a pair of loose dogs that bark and chase but this year I didn’t see anything except a clear cut.
As I hit the rollers into vernonia I’m passed by a guy in GIGANTIC BREWING kit in TT position (This is new guy JHR).
Vernonia is a sleepy town with trumpets, meth heads, and a decent gas station for corn dogs and stuff but I pass the couple dudes from the fast climbers as they wait for their sandwich artist to compile their culinary masterpiece at the local subway. I end up riding along listening to built to spill until ~5km from the turnaround where I see JHR and I ding-ding my bell and 2 km down the road I see the rest of the faster group. Turn around and I smile and wave and ride alone chasing the group ahead.
Slowest dumbest and all that
Back in vernonia I stop at the gas station for a Gatorade and I see a 150k rider, a long time rando with a 3 or low 4 digit RUSA number. We chat about this and that and he tells me his recipe for hydration:
1/2 bottle water
1/2 bottle pedialite
So with that I hop back on the b-v trail on a beautiful mid-60s sunny Saturday. Lots of walkers and cyclists and groups with kids. I make sure to ring my bell and say “I’m passing on your LEFT” which only worked half the time.
I’m passed by a couple on brand new electric parlees and they’re really not going much faster than I am. So obviously I’m now riding with them and their flappy windbreakers and I chat with one of them - “oh sweet, that’s a Parlee? I really like the lil aero covers on the disc brake”
“Yeah, heh”
Dude bought 2 bikes for him and his lady and had no idea other than it was a couple bikes.
I’m looking at $25k in bikes and it’s like
Yeh it’s a bike
Well obviously I drop them - nearabout where I hit 185kmph
Off the trail and into the headwinds in the fields and it’s a slog.
I hate riding alone
I hate not being fast enough
And I don’t want to be slower
Edit: Anyway 8:33 on this route
My last closest was 8:32
And 9:15 and 8:40
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Edit: I was 1 minute slower than my fastest time on that route
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Achievement re-locked.
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I’ve been riding the build-up poopylaires, 40k, 60k and 120k this past weekend. I knew I hadn’t done a whole lot over the winter in the way of “training” but the 120k kicked my ass. Didn’t help that it was a below freezing start with brisk gusty winds the whole way. I think the temperature topped out at +5C.
Then I get home and I start to get awful GI issues. Up all night with cramps and the entire Sunday was fever/chills and stomach cramps. Whether or not I was already fighting something during the ride, that’s my excuse for a sub-par ride. The first 200 is this Saturday, but I haven’t eaten anything in 2 days and thinking I might want to forego the unless I really rebound. Probably a shake-down ride on Thursday with some hills will give me an idea whether I want to attempt.
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either way you interpret this, you should have been wearing more PPE than just a helmet
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Bumping this TTT - local fast guy who cooked the last 200 at 6:30 was hit by a FedEx truck and Collarbonered
Put out healing vibes to a fast recovery
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Ugh. Broken or separated?
ugh that sucks