...a 200k brevet on platform pedals. Actually it wasn't so bad but I did get a bit of a hot spot at one point that was worse than anything I've ever had with SPDs. Since finishing my SR series back in June I've spent the summer doing 95% of my riding in platform pedals and MUSA shorts or knickers. Things fell in place to do the Bikenfest 200k and rather than switching pedals and dressing up in bibs I figured I'd just wear the getup I've been wearing all summer.
This was also the first brevet I've done in a long time with no HB bag or fenders on the bike. For tires I used Panaracer T-Serves (700x35). I ended up caring my supplies in my Sackville SaddlesBag (medium) which was a bit of overkill. I hadn't done this ride before so while the weather was predicted to be nice I still packed a LS wool shirt, jacket, lights and other odds and ends I felt I'd need in case I finished after sunset. Ten miles into the ride you begin a long and steady climb out of the Gorge and up into the rolling hills of eastern Washington. The climb was great, never too steep and offering stunning views of Mt Hood and Mt Adams at times. I actually was riding well and didn't even really notice the climb as I was enjoying the talking with other randonneurs. We had and incredible descent to the Klickitat River which was somewhat marred by a group of 8 or 9 motorcyclist flying down the descent and somewhat crowding me and some other randonneurs. One of the motorcyclist ended up overshooting a corner and going into some rocks and the canyon wall but appeared to be up and okay by the time we passed. The climb out of the Klickitat River was great but my feet were kind of hurting. I had developed a hot spot on each foot. I was using a pair of Patagonia Bagleys with MKS Sneaker Pedals. Fortunately it was easy to move my feet around on the pedals and get some relief. We stopped in Glennwood, ate and then continued climbing before heading into Trout Lake where there was a short out and back followed by about 25 miles of steady descending back to the Gorge and the final control. After the stop in Glenwood my feet felt fine and I had no further problems with the hotspot. We finished in 10:05hrs which was a fine. For some reason I had thought this ride would be a lot harder. We were quite leisurely through the controls. I definitely brought way too much stuff but that's fine. Better to be prepared and it wasn't like I was shooting for a sub 8hr finish like earlier this year. I had actually been contemplating laying off randonneuring for next year but found myself saying "See you at the Birkie next year" at the final control. I'll most likely be out there again next year but I'll definitely be in bibs and wearing bike shoes. I gotta say though, I really didn't miss my HB bag that much and loved the way my Hilsen handled without it. I think for next year I may just try and use a trunk bag on a rack. We'll see. Here are some photos. They're not so great as I took them with my phone and often seemed to be shooting into the sun. http://www.flickr.com/photos/41335...@n00/sets/72157624961799637/ --mike -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
