Cyclerdood: off and rolling

Sunday, April 05, 2009

off and rolling

it's that time of year again. yes, pollen!! that also means the brevets start for the NC randonneurs too. also known around here as 'Al's series', Al Johnson is the RBA and has hosted this set for years. for the second week in a row, the weather was crazy (read rainy and stormy) during the week and cleared by ride time on the weekend! blustery winds at times gave way to tailwinds when we needed them. a cool start saw everyone in warmers and vests but a warm afternoon had us peeling layers on the way back and digging the spring rays! it was a beautiful day to be on the bikes. what makes rando'ing so much fun IS the randonneurs. after the main group (30 something!) divided I spent the first half of the day with byron, branson, teddy, and kurt and victoria from charlotte. branson was getting along nicely on a fixed gear after byron "I can fix that witha zip-tie" morton reattached the front fender stay with; well, a zip-tie..

after seeing the leaders go by with a few miles to the control, I felt we were doing OK..
kurt n victoria left ahead of us and branson suggested a lunch stop at Ye old country store. everyone was game, and besides a tasty snack and friendly service it was nice to sit and chill with the cyclers. an hour passed quickly and with about a gallon of tea in EACH of us, we saddled up to get it done. it rolls pretty good out of snow camp, and after the 'three sisters' and a lively tear across chicken bridge road, Branson claimed he could "smell the barn" so we topped off the bottles at frosty's where a bunch of riders were doing the same. i take a bit of ribbing for MY 'style' but "stylin' Sally" had me beat on this one. (i took her photo w/byron) we non-stopped it from here to the finish at Al's where the 'welcoming committee' was enjoying cold beverages and making everybody feel like a champ! mike D was snapping pics. can't wait to do it again in three weeks for 300K! thanks, to riding buddies big and lil'B and teddy! see ya soon!