Skip to main content

Posts

Danger in Dingé

Here lies the tall tale of a randonneur and a calcule as it appeared in the American Randonneur edited and introduced by Mike Dayton who was a first hand witness to the alarming events as they unfolded. (click link below) https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2jEt05c5PgVOXlMOXJ4UTN6cnM/view?usp=sharing
Recent posts

Randocuisine

  Randolicious  Haute cuisine is not typically associated with long distance riding. None of the stars in the All-Star Special at Waffle House or on the Hardee’s sign refer to Michelin. Randonneurs seek fast, inexpensive and voluminous calories. Some long-distance riders can fuel themselves on powdered drinks and gels but I am not one of those. Early on I learned that my engine runs cleanest on real food. During PBP 2003 I had attempted to fuel myself with powdered maltodextrin, and gels but by the end of the day one my gastrointestinal tract had revolted. A rookie experimentation that nearly ended my ride but fortunately I was in France. The food offered at the controls had not been chosen at random. The menu had been cultivated from over 100 years of trial and error. I was grazing at the buffet of Audax savoring the terroir of long miles in the saddle. Slowly I recovered, fueling with mashed potatoes bolognese, riz au lait, pasta and pockets of endless jambon baguettes. I certai

PBP 2019

PBP 2019 Rick Blacker, Seattle Randonneurs and Mike Dayton, NC Randonneurs head into  the setting sun of the first night about to follow the endless ribbon of taillights. Loudéac, outbound. On the table was a plastic yellow tray with a bowl of potage and a few scattered baguette slices. Teardrops were falling onto baguette crust flakes. In other words, it was a typical moment in Loudéac. I was in tears and my riding buddy of fifteen years was smiling from ear to ear. In our time sharing so many roads this was my first time seeing Superman Mike Dayton abandon. I was devastated. He was relieved. Even if this was his first abandonment he sure handled it with grace and aplomb. He could teach a master course in abandoneé. He made the right decision and now basked in contentment. This is the quiet lesson that I learned from this brief moment in the chaotic Loudéac cafeteria, make the correct decision and be happy about it. This PBP was Mike’s first attempt at a Grand Randonnée since

Haiti 2019

Typical street scene on our commute to work Haiti is a confusing place. Yin and yang not only balance each other but they battle each other. It is a place filled with life (avg age 23, US 38) and a place filled with death, often of the very young (under 5 mortality in Haiti is 47/1000, US 6/1000). under 5 mortality   We have met some of the kindest, most gentle souls despite the petri dish of deep seated corruption that is brutal and pervasive. The conflict infects visitors. At one moment you think of selling it all and moving there to help those in need and a minute later you’re moving up your return flight to escape back to the comforts of home. These are not random thoughts. They grow from realty. Twice I phoned Dr. Mark, a dentist who had literally sold everything, including his practice to move to Haiti and build a hospital. You might think it may not last but that was 27 years ago. The team before ours had flown home a day early due to more planned riots protesting

Thriller

We had completed the difficult task of the day. Nine people had arrived from 5 separate locations on 4 different flights and were now piling into a rented Dodge Caravan in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We loaded up google maps on multiple phones and battled our way through traffic and unmarked lanes to Vega Baja on the North Shore about an hour west of the capital. We had completed a most comprehensive tour of our rental house, which was conducted in Spanish. A few things were lost in translation which became evident as we found that we did not possess the keys to the upstairs portion of the tour, which was simply advertising for next time. Anyway, we were past all that because we were hungry! We needed food. We reloaded google maps with a target, the closest one of the two restaurants which our hostess had provided as a recommendation. We asked for four recommendations since we would have four dinners at Vega Baja but alas only two places could be suggested as suitable for us. Our intend

PBP 2003

PBP 2003 by John Ende I became interested in Paris Brest Paris through casual examination of a wall display at the  Bicycle Inn  in Bakersville, NC. I asked, "What's this?" Michael Davis who rode PBP in 1995 and owner of the Inn answered, "That's PBP".  "Huh" I inquired, "750 miles?" He then told me all about the ride and the supportive spectators. He told me about pain and triumph and then he said something that peaked my interest. "After finishing I was on a three month high." That sounded good, a three month high. I signed up for the brevet series in  Spartanburg .  GO DAD! This series is filled with rolling hills and run by Ann Mullins, three-time finisher of PBP. Each of the four events, 200, 300, 400 and 600km rides were the longest of my cycling career up until that point. Each time upon finishing I thought, "Can I come back in two weeks and add 60 or 120 more miles?" Each time I did. I quickly lear