Cap'n's bLog

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...

Coal fired ship meet fixed gear randonneur.  http://www.ssbadger.com/about/history/ If you ever find yourself in Manistique in the Upper Peninsula at Marley's Bar and Grill and the special is a walleye sandwich, get it.  This was the exact situation that we found ourselves shortly before midnight on day 2 of the inaugural Mac and Cheese 1200.  My riding buddies Spencer Klaassen, Mark Thomas and Ian Hands and I went all in on the walleye special, and we did not regret it. The Mac and Cheese was a massive cooperative undertaking of the Great Lakes Randonneurs and the Detroit Randonneurs, led respectively by Michele Brougher and Jeremy Gray.  Their task seemed daunting but they handled the chaos with aplomb.  The first interesting task was to move most of the 63 riders across 50 miles of Lake Michigan from the finish town of Manitowoc, WI to the ride start in Ludington, MI.  Enter the Badger!  The Badger is a coal fired ferry that was up to the fo...