By the time we reached the final ten kilometers, we were, to put it delicately, no longer in peak condition. It was 10 p.m. We’d been riding since six in the morning. Most of us had been up since four. I was sunburned, bruised, mildly concussed by heat, and radiating the unmistakable smell of someone who had eaten too many granola bars in a single day. And still, it felt good.

Michel arrives at the final control in Waterloo.

There’s a part of the route every ride in Waterloo seems to share, a stretch of road that tells you you’re almost home. For me, that’s the intersection of Katherine Street South, where Crowsfoot Road turns into Conestogo. I got a second wind there, which is saying something, because the first one had died quietly somewhere outside Hamilton about ten hours earlier. But there I was, flying down familiar tarmac. When I reached the finish, I stopped so suddenly that my Garmin triggered a crash detection alert out of sheer confusion.

Rolling hills down the escarpment

The day had started with smoke in the sky – Canadian prairie wildfires, hundreds of kilometres away, politely ruining the air quality – and a blissfully fast 120 km of tailwind and descent. Marc, Mike, Jim, Mark, and I rode loosely together throughout the day. We’d separate and reform like the rolling hills. Sometimes we talked, sometimes we didn’t. No one needed a reason.

I rode alone for most of that first stretch, happily introspective, the way you sometimes get early in a season when the legs haven’t quite remembered who they are, and the brain hasn’t yet remembered why we do this.

Michel arrives at the first control.

Then we turned northeast. Into the wind. And up. The temperature went up with us. There were trees, thankfully, and we stopped under several of them. At one point, Michael and I sat on a stone at the side of the road – two stone garden gnomes left out too long: flaking paint, haunted expressions, and the vague scent of overripe bananas – and swapped riding plans for the season. Later, Marc joined us for snacks in a patch of shade behind the Foodland in Rockwood, which sounds less picturesque than it was and felt more nourishing than it should have.

Mike enjoys a well earned snack and break in Rockwood

I fell, briefly. Gravel at an intersection near Hamilton. Too much speed, a small lapse in judgment. Road rash and a few bruises. Nothing serious. And before you worry too much – the bike’s okay. What surprised me most was how kind the drivers were. No honking, no anger. Just people waiting, calling out to make sure I was all right. You don’t always get that in Southern Ontario traffic. It was oddly touching.

We took turns being strong as we climbed through the afternoon. We stopped for dinner at a place called the Tipsy Fox, which sounds like a pub in a BBC drama but served food hot enough to make us reconsider riding at all afterward.

Michel and Michael find some shade at by the Tipsy Fox

Jim Mullenix enjoys a pasta dinner at the Tipsy Fox.

But ride we did. The sun was setting as we left the pub, and while we still had hills to climb, they felt more manageable – if not exactly welcome, at least no longer personal. We passed through a town called Hillsburgh, which felt a bit on the nose. As Marc helpfully pointed out, burgh can mean “hill” in German.

Somewhere between dinner and the finish, the road got familiar again. We were back in Fergus, territory we’d ridden through a dozen times, maybe more. The turns started feeling inevitable instead of infinite. We stopped counting hills and started recognizing landmarks. And then I saw Crowsfoot Road and knew we were home.

The next morning, I was sore, sunburned, and very aware of the gravel still lodged in my shin. I had a tan line that suggested I’d been dipped halfway into red paint and left to dry. But mostly, I felt content.

Randonneuring has this odd way of asking everything from you, and then, almost sheepishly, giving something back. Not a prize. Not a medal. Just a vague but persistent sense that you’re a little more human than you were yesterday. A little more tired. A little more grateful.

And besides, it was only the beginning. We’ve got Devil’s Week coming. London–Edinburgh–London for some. The Granite Anvil for others. Which is to say: we’ll do it again. Longer. Hotter. Hillier. Possibly with fewer dumpsters.

Right to left: Marc Deshaies, Jim Mullenix, and Michel Hébert

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14401335647 

RideWithGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50530187 

What? 

Endless Flat 1200 hosted by the Northern Virginia Randonneurs (NVR) is a grand brevet starting and ending in Richmond, Virginia and looping to and from Elizabeth City, North Carolina. As the name implies the route is very flat, but with the first roughly 600km going south it means a lot of headwinds. 2025 was the first year of the event. 

Why? 

I got lucky and was able to get a position in London-Edinburgh-London (LEL) which is 1,540km with 13,000m climbing. My longest ride before this was 656km. Learning from running where I tried to jump the distance by too much and ended up not finishing, I knew the jump would be too big for me. So I went searching for an early season grand brevet. Golden Falcon looked interesting, but the timing didn’t work. The timing for Endless Flat did work and John was also riding it so we could car pool and share a room. 

Day 1 

“I bonked after that and got really discouraged… I rode most of the day alone.”

The ride started in Richmond, Virginia at 6am on May 3^rd, 2025. We all rolled out as a group of 42 riders. We rode down to the Virginia Capital Trail which is a long beautiful paved trail and were on it for about 70km. It went up and down and there some twists and turns.

I ended up with a good group of about 12 riders. We then got to a water crossing and had to wait for the ferry. After the crossing there was a stop at a convenience store and the group I was riding with left before I was ready to go. This was completely my fault for not being ready to go. Most of the day was going to be headwinds so this was disappointing. I bonked after that and got really discouraged. It was already hotter then any day so far this year back home. I did zero heat acclimation training. I stopped in the shade and put sunscreen on. I rode most of the day alone and eventually John caught up and I rode with him for a lot at the end. We finished at the second hotel in Elizabeth City, North Carolina at 4am completing 412km. 

Day 2 

“I wanted to quit so many times but I didn’t.”

Today was a lollypop that was super flat, but we would be ploughing into the headwind for the first 100 miles. We slept in and left at 10 AM. This was only possible because of the new rule that there is no longer intermediate control point time cutoffs. The RBA had mentioned that it is a fools error to cut sleep short on the first night. This was another very hot sunny day. I stopped many times in the shade contemplating why the hell am I doing this? I wanted to quit so many times but I didn’t. I arrived at the hotel with John covering 328 km at 4am. 

Day 3 

“I was intimidated by riding the Capital Trail in the dark and the rain… this section was 70km long and felt endless.”

The day promised to be the easiest because the wind would be from the south and we would be heading primarily north back to Richmond. Once again because we arrived so late we didn’t leave the hotel until 10 AM. I know I could leave whenever I wanted. I didn’t have to leave with John, but I was banking on his experience and knowledge to help me be successful at completing this grand brevet. The start of the day had us going south into the headwind one more time. It was funny because we passed by the airport and near there was a sign that said crosswinds.

We rolled together for about the first 50 km the wind was helpful once we started going north, but not as helpful as I thought it was going to be. After having a tub of oat ice cream and a Gatorade for lunch in Suffolk the wind was absolutely howling and lucky me it was at my back, the food and the wind really helped me push to get back to the ferry. I was hoping to finish the day before midnight. By luck the fairy had just arrived when I got to the port. It started raining on the ferry ride and it got dark.

I was intimidated by riding the Capital Trail in the dark and the rain. It wasn’t overly technical, but there were some ups and downs, where you could pick up a lot of speed and I was worried there would be a sharp corner that I forgot about and I would have an accident. My lighting on my bike is fantastic (hub powered Schmidt Edelux II) but not great for seeing long distances as the lights are pointed to the ground. Thankfully, the rain only lasted for a bit, but this section was 70km long and felt endless. I stopped many times because I was so tired.  Thankfully, eventually it ended, and I got to the hotel at 12:30am riding 273km. 

Day 4 

“When I got on the last road, I knew I was done and I started crying.”

This day was different then the rest. It promised to be hilly. But it was the last day and “only” 200 km. John and I had talked and we were going to get up at 8am but I woke up at 6:30 and could not get back to sleep so I started getting my my stuff ready. John also woke up and decided he would start soon too. I rolled out around 8am with the goal to the first control at 50 km without stopping. But I quickly stopped at 25 km because I was overheating. Unfortunately, immediately after that, I was cold. So I put my rain jacket on as it’s easy to take off. I wore the rain jacket for about 10 minutes, but it was worth it. This next section I struggled really badly. I started to fall asleep. I started to go really slowly. I wanted to walk the hills. So learning from experience, I ate a bunch of chocolate espresso beans and waited for them to kick in, thankfully they did and I was able to resume, but the hill’s were a plenty so progress was slow. Eventually, I made it to the next stop at 98 km which was in West Point, Virginia and biked by the massive sawmill, which stinks. I stopped at the 7-Eleven and came up with the great idea to chug a Red Bull to help keep my energy up, and by luck it worked. The next control was super close at 111 km at a church. I stopped there and really enjoyed it. It was super quiet sunny and a beautiful day to relax. I chugged another Red Bull and was on my way.

There was a bunch of rolly hills here, so progress was slow again. Thankfully, I kept micro focusing on just the next turn which was never more than 9km away. At the next control, there was a couple randonneeurs who had bought a bag of ice and offered to share with me. It was really hot again, and I could feel my stomach turning and my speed slowing. I put ice in my shorts, under my arm sleeves, in my helmet, in my shirt, anywhere where I could get it lodged also in my gloves this felt amazing and I didn’t care anymore because I only had 56 km to go.

I started sprinting hills as hard as I could go. Eventually, I got to the last control at 170km. I knew I was going to finish. I didn’t want to promise myself this as I know anything can happen, but with so little kilometers left, it felt inevitable. But you never know so I still didn’t know. The last stretch is through town and you are on a highway with a nice shoulder, but there are lights. These lights take a long time to change. So trying to exhaust myself I sprinted as hard as I could go after every light after it turned green. I think I sprinted about five times. When I got on the last road, I knew I was done and I started crying. When I got inside the hotel, the party had just started and I got introduced as this was my first time finishing a 1200, everybody cheered, then I went upstairs to have a shower and came downstairs to ate lots of pizza. 

Completing this has greatly increased my confidence in riding long distances multiple days in a row. I am now feeling much more confident for LEL. 

Lessons learned? 

– Double check sunscreen container amount. The big bottle I brought to fill the little bottle was nearly empty. 

– I need to be able to stay comfortably on the bike for longer durations. 

– There were a lot of very experienced people on the ride. I tried to listen to their advice as everyone knew this was my first grand brevet. 

– Most street signs are meant for car height, not bike light height, so at night I could not see what the sign was saying. I should invest in a helmet light. This could also act as a backup light. 

– Organization is key. My frame bag holds food, sunscreen, and chamois butter. While I am riding, I like to eat, organizing the food to make it easy to get makes life a heck of a lot easier. I did this by having little candy bags of each item I like to snack on and having them aligned to where I could easily get them when I open the bag. 

– It’s OK to lie to yourself. This isn’t a negative thing. I’m not doing this to hurt myself. I’m doing this to let myself vent and then move on. I promised I would quit and I would stop so many times and I would keep going or I would stop and then five minutes later I would keep going and maybe stop again and keep going. 

– Gotoes will successfully join tcx files from multiple long rides, fit file tools will not. I might just buy a more expensive Garmin so I don’t have to join files. 

– Bike fit the aero position. My shoulders killed me when holding this too long. 

– Apply chamois cream often. 🫣 

– It might be painful now, but it will pass. My shoulders would complain loudly then stop. 

– Know the signs of a bonk. Such as I just want to spin easy for a bit or stop or do I have to pee. Sometimes you think you are bonking, but the road conditions are making it hard. Is it a false flat, bumpy road? 

– Have a route recording backup plan. Some people use multiple Garmins. Spotwalla works too. 

Contact Points 

– The palm of my hands got quite sore, I’m going to put an under layer below the bar tape of something squishy to see if that is more comfortable. 

– My shoulders were absolutely killing me at points during the ride, I’m hoping the thicker bars make it better. 

– I had hot feet, my right was worse then my left, I am wonder if the wedges in my shoes are making the situation worse. 

– At the bottom of my glutes and top my hamstrings got really sore. I need to adjust my position. Need to research what to do. 

Random Notes 

-West Point smells so bad and has a massive (150 foot high) pile of saw dust. 

-The drivers in NC, 99% of the time would patiently wait behind you until it was safe to pass and go to the other side of the road. 

-There is a road and church named `Holly Fork` which is fun to say Wholey Fork! And another road named `Cool hill` (very disappointing). 

-`Pocahontas trail` is not a trail, it’s a 4 lane highway. 

-For the first time ever I had my chain get stuck between the big and small chainring. 

-Firsts: 745km in 2 days, 1018km in 3 days, 1218 in 4 days, 4 by 200km. 

At 3 a.m., somewhere between the south edge of Lake Huron and Goderich, the sky began to split open.

We were five riders deep into a Flèche, tracing a line across Southern Ontario, 420 kilometers in 24 hours. The roads were hushed, as if the world had stepped away and left the lights burning. The sky held its breath. Rain was forecast, but the storms passed just wide of us, as though we were being spared, or simply overlooked.

What I remember most from that hour is the lightning. Not the crack of it, but the light. It bloomed on all sides, lighting up the wind turbines, the dark water, and the reflective stripe on the back of Jim’s rain jacket. There was no thunder, just light, and the soft whisper of tires on damp pavement.

We talk about design like it’s something done in well-lit rooms, with wireframes and foresight. But this ride reminded me how often we build things, routes and systems and relationships, without knowing what lies ahead. Designing in the dark is not a metaphor. It’s what we do every time we set out with only partial knowledge, hoping the road we’ve planned will carry us through.

Our Flèche route had been built weeks in advance, carefully calibrated for terrain, distance, and timing. But you never really know until you’re in it. Until your left knee starts to ache, or you fall asleep at a control like your body has flipped a switch. Until you start brainstorming the worst app imaginable, and somehow you’re all laughing and talking about ethics and design as if it were a game.

It was a team ride. That’s what made it work. Marc brought us together and kept us moving with a steady supply of Monster Energy and relentless optimism. Michael, a human dynamo, talked faster the farther we rode. Edward was steady, the kind of rider who makes everything feel manageable. Jim was gentle, positive, thoughtful. Never in a hurry. Never off rhythm. Natalie met us at remote controls with water, a sense of humour just dry enough to keep us honest, and a quiet urgency that made sure we left every control on time. I had tested new shoes, which you’re not supposed to do on a ride like this. My knee let me know. But no one judged. We adjusted. A solid tailwind pushed us ahead of schedule, and we held that rhythm all the way through.

There’s something profound about designing as a group, in motion, in conditions that change by the minute. The route was fixed, but the way we rode it wasn’t. No one owned the pace. We made it together, one decision at a time.

We arrived at the Crazy Canuck in St. Jacobs just before 6 p.m. the next day. Other teams trickled in, soaked and sleep-deprived, and we greeted each other over burgers and pizza. They had all designed and ridden their own routes, and they had their own stories to tell.

Buds on Bikes and Beauty and the Beasts pose for a photo when they both sought shelter from a raging storm at Tim Hortons in Blyth, a control point both of their routes shared. Front row from left to right: Michel Hébert (asleep), Jim Mullenix, Philip DeVries, Marc Deshaies (with a brownie in his mouth). Back row: Edward Soldo, Paul Ragogna, Alden Ozburn, Michael Charland, Fred Chagnon, Rob Reinecker.

One Awesome 300km Brevet was held this past weekend. The Nassagaweya 300, created by Charles Horslin was ENJOYED and COMPLETED BY ALL 12 RANDONNEURS! This is the first time this ride was scheduled and I can’t wait to do it again! Congratulations to John Cumming, myself (Carey Chappelle), Marc Deshaies, Jerzy Dziadon, Richard Felton, Mike Fox, Mark Hopper, Charles Horslin, Matthew McFarlane, Sergi Tsymbal, Brenda Wiechers Maxwell and Nick Wolfe for successfully completing this challenging 300km Brevet!
Now, the Huron Chapter generally likes to add some ENTERTAINMENT during a ride and typically would complete a 18 Hole Mini-Putt Championship on a 300 … however,  that would have created a few DNF’s on this brevet … Scenery, 2300 meters of climbing and nasty weather created quite a challenge!

The first Control was in St.George where we saw a few Randonneurs stopped at the ESSO, our group stopped at a little Bakery and enjoyed some treats. Mike Fox met us at the Bakery before we all headed towards Hamilton. What a Gorgeous Ride that was, getting us back to the top of the Escarpment. Weather at this stage, PERFECT! The majority of us stopped at a POPULAR Cafe … the Copper Kettle in Waterdown for lunch and noticed  another 20 or so Cyclists on the patio.  One of them needed a tool and Dick was able to help them out!
Looking ahead, the weather forecast showed Heavy Storms headed our way with Rain Showers, Thunder and Lightning. Clouds could be seen and we all knew what was coming!

So the last 150km was the opposite of the first 150km, the groups had basically split up, finishing at different times. Mike and myself stayed together and had quite the adventure to the Finish! The last Control was in Hillburgh. The only place open was FOODLAND. Now Mike and I had hoped we would have dinner along with a Pint or two to get us home! We found a bike rack beside a General Store and parked ourselves. A Gentlemen approached us, found out what we were up to and let us know his Restaurant – Tina’s Homemade Cookin! was closed but he might be able to convince his wife Tina to make us a dinner! Sure enough Tina came out and took our order, moved us to their Patio!

While waiting, Tina came out and asked if we would like some protein added to our burger …

To this day, both Mike and myself agree that this was the BEST BURGER we have ever had! Now, having started dinner around 5pm and finishing around 6pm, we headed back out. Who shows up .. Dick Felton! So we decide to finish together and take turns leading into the STRONG HEAD WIND, HEAVY RAIN and eventually THUNDER AND LIGHTNING. At this point every man for himself! With 8km to go, my front light started flashing ON / Off, Mike’s Rear Light simply turned OFF, so Mike led the way to the Finish with us arriving just after 10pm. Dick a few minutes later. If there is one picture I wish I had taken it would have been Dick entering our room at the Hotel, PRICELESS! Soak and Wet, Shivering and one big SMILE ON HIS FACE!
The next morning, Mr. Felton treated Charles, Gwen, Matt, Marc, John and myself  to breakfast at a local Sunset Grill. Boy … did that HIT the SPOT! Thanks for the photo Gwen!

By Carey Chappelle

The Huron Chapter hosted the Beaver Valley 400km Brevet this past Wednesday. Scenery – Drop Dead Gorgeous! The Route – CHALLENGING! The Weather – NASTY!Congratulations to John Cumming (1), Charles Horslin, John Kieffer (2), Matthew McFarlane and Tiago Varella-Cid on successfully completing this 400!!Chappy, Charles, Matthew, John 1 and John 2. Photo taken by Tiago at the Start!

The original Start time was 0400hrs., the Randonneurs showed up at 0330 and enjoyed the Rain, Thunder and LIghtening for the next hour and a half. No one even considered heading out until 0500hrs when things started to look better! You can see me (Chappy far left) checking out the weather forecast for the day … I simply wished everyone WELL and headed back to bed!After 4 hrs of sleep, I double checked the weather forecast for the day. It hadn’t changed. Temperature to feel like 39 deg C, Occasional Strong winds from the SW at 100km/hr, along with Thunder and Lightning to happen in the evening and into the night! It wasn’t hard convincing myself I had made the right decision to provide SUPPORT!Heading NE, the participants enjoyed a decent tail wind until Matthew Mcfarlane experienced a flat tire! Quick fix and everyone was back on the road heading  towards the first Control – Dundalk (114km). When Chappy arrived, the only Randonneur he could find was pedalliing in circles … John Kieffer (a new Randonneur) had refuelled and was having trouble getting back on route! Chappy was able to get him in the right direction!
Now heading out of Dundalk, roads were closed but cyclists were able to stay on track. I had to detour but eventually was back on route. Another road closure left me wondering where everyone was. Headed through Flesherton, down into the Beaver Valley then up towards the next turn, then decided to message one of the Randonneurs to see where everyone was. Heading back to Flesherton, Tiago Varellla-Cid was in the middle of the climb and low and behold … the new Randonneur … John Kieffer wasn’t far behind!

• 

• 

The stretch from Kimberley to Owen Sound took a fair amount of fuel from everyone’s tank! I Stopped and filled some water bottles along the way … much needed of course! Touching base with the Randonneurs, I was able to make reservations  at the Casero Kitchen Table and order just ahead of their arrival. Tiago and John (2) arrived earlier, when I was having lunch at the Mudtown Station in Owen Sound and gassed up at another restaurant. I ordered meals ahead then waited in the Tented area for everyone. HOT? I had a difficult time not sweating under the tented area in the SHADE! Checked my GPS and the temperature was 41 deg C!! With over 20 yrs experience Randonneuring I knew the effect these conditions can and will have on every participant. I hung around waiting for the last rider to refuel and saved their leftovers for later in the ride. Leaving Owen Sound the ride basically headed SW. Into the Wind. Dark Clouds were moving in our direction, keeping fingers crossed I hoped the weather forecast wouldn’t happen!Unfortunately, another Bridge Closure happened on route to Durham, a few were able to make their way across while others simply took the paved roads detour. 

I decided to wait in Durham for all the riders to make it through the second last Control. Time difference from first to last was approximately 3 1/2hrs. Fortunately the weather was cooling down and the 100km / hr winds hadn’t happened!  Chatted with everyone, filled up their water bottles, passed a bag of Nuts on to Charles and wished them well to the Finish!

On my way to the Finish, I passed everyone noticing how much better they looked thanks to the cooler temperature, wished them well and headed back to the Best Western Plus,  Waterloo. Thought I’d pick up some Pizza but was unable to find a place open. Showered then waited to see our Finishers. Congrats Boys! Well Done!! I wouldn’t suggest riding in these conditions often!  Huron Chapter V.P.,Chappy

Ride report from Stephen Jones:

My Winter Training, by Stephen Jones

This past winter, I got into indoor training in a much bigger way than I have in the past. In previous winters, I generally accepted that I would lose conditioning. I stayed in some shape with commuting, and I would do occasional unstructured rides on the trainer.

That changed this winter. I had two goals: The first was to lose some weight. The second was to improve my power. I stumbled across a website called TrainerRoad (www.trainerroad.com). They have a pretty neat offering of workouts, training plans, and an application to help structure your workouts. But, you need some equipment:

• A bike.
• A stationary trainer to put the bike on. One that TrainerRoad has in its database.
• A computer with an ANT+ receiver. (A little USB dongle from Garmin or another vendor)
• An ANT+ speed sensor. (Garmin again)

How it works is you run the TrainerRoad application on the computer and pick a workout. Once the workout is loaded, get on the bike and start pedaling. TrainerRoad uses the speed it gets from the speed sensor and combines it with the power profile of your trainer to give you a power reading. Now, all you have to do is adjust your speed so your power matches the target power. You can now do power-based interval workouts on your stationary trainer without the cost of a power meter.

One of the first workouts to do is one of the power test rides. This will test your limits to find your threshold power. TrainerRoad remembers this power and scales all your subsequent rides based on this. So, an interval in a workout may ask for 150 Watts from one rider and 210 Watts for another, depending on the results of their power tests. TrainerRoad stores your workout history and tracks personal bests, such as max power for a minute.

There are a few costs involved. TrainerRoad is a subscription-based service (about $10/month) and if you don’t already have the Garmin bits, it will be about another $70-80 to get those.

This system worked for me since it gave me structured workouts that were more interesting than simply peddling along on the trainer for an hour or so. I also like the elegance of calculating power based on speed. Having the history lets me see improvements over time, which helps with motivation. Being able to play videos on the computer while I’m working out helps alleviate the boredom as well.

I know others do everything from continuing their training rides outside, using battery-powered socks, to joining cycling gyms and training in a class. This system fits my personal goals and personality. Maybe others would be willing to share how they train over the winter.

The Rando Bio by Kathy Brouse
Welcome to the “Rando Bio!” The plan is to rotate the Bio picks from each of the Randonneur chapters.

Welcome to David Thompson, our Randonneur Ontario Treasurer.

Question #1: Dave, you are undoubtedly one of the RO veterans with years of experience to share with members. Can you tell our readers the history of your involvement with the Randonneurs, how it all began and what inspires you about this sport?

My years of experience don’t go back as far as you might think…

2007 – One brevet
I was a weekend rider until 2006, never having heard of the sport. We moved from Toronto to the Philadelphia area in 1994 and I got into cycling there. I was able to get out most weekends, even during the winter.
In 2006, when I retired, I wanted to do something memorable and signed up for a cross-U.S. ride in 2007 with America by Bicycle, 5,500 km in 32 days. That ride went from Costa Mesa, south of Los Angeles, to New Hampshire. We sold our place in Philly in 2006 and moved half our stuff north to our cottage and half our stuff south to a house in northeast Florida, New Smyrna Beach. I trained in early 2007, getting out for 100-150kms per day and did that ride in April/May of 2007. It was quite an experience.
The organizers of that ride required that we demonstrate that we could do a century (miles) in reasonable time, so I had searched around and found a link to Randonneuring and signed up and did a 200k north of Panama City FL.

2008 – Some Permanents
Geoff Swarts, Jerry Christensen and I ended up riding a lot together on the ride across the U.S. and planned a ride around Lake Superior for the Spring of 2008. That was a ten-day, 2,000 km ride. We organized it in advance, booking motels for the overnights. My wife Sandy supported us, driving point-to-point between motels carrying luggage and waving to us as she passed by during the day.
Geoff, from Seattle, had recently gotten into Randonneuring and wanted to setup the U.S. portions of the ride as Permanents. I was listed as the “owner” of the Permanents, since the address of our cottage in the Loring, Ontario area is closer than Geoff’s. I still own those Permanents and occasionally someone will contact me and ride one of them.

2009 – The obsession begins
I talk about 2009 as when my real Randonneuring begins because that was the year that the obsession took hold. Geoff Swarts found the inaugural edition of the Granite Anvil on the calendar and talked me into signing up for it. I had no idea if I could do such a thing so I went crazy with training …
Living in Florida meant that I could train during the winter. It also afforded me access to two clubs – Central Florida Randonneurs and the Gainesville Cycling Club. They both ran full series that year and I did both of them. Every second weekend I was doing a brevet and of course riding in between as well. Once I returned to Ontario for the summer, I completed a full series with Randonneurs Ontario.
With a lot of trepidation I also signed up for the Shenandoah 1200 that would be run in June of that year. That became my first 1200k. Late afternoon of the third day I came to the realization that “I can do this”. At that point, I’d had two night’s stops, each 5 hours, getting 3 hours sleep, and was still rolling. The worst of the climbing was behind me and I wasn’t sitting by the side of the road :). The third night stop followed the same pattern and I completed the ride in 83:45. That’s not to say that I wasn’t fairly wiped out at the end of the ride, but I had lots of margin.
I rode the Granite Anvil with Geoff and one of his buddies from Seattle – Vincent Muoneke. We completed the GA in a similar time, 83 hours and change. In between, I’d also ridden the LOL 1000k out of Erin Mills. I found the 1000k to be every bit as hard as a 1200k, if not harder because you are unsupported.

2010 and onwards
The obsession continues. I’ve done 3-5 major rides each year (my definition of major is 1000+k) and as many brevets as I can possibly squeeze in. Doing brevets is easier in Florida because the rides generally start within 1-2 hours’ drive of my house. In Ontario, it takes 3-4 hours’ drive to get to a ride because our cottage is so far north.
To stay in shape and basically for exercise, I try to ride every second day. I don’t really think of it as “training”, more like “maintenance”. In Florida I have a few routes up and down the Atlantic coast from my house. From the cottage I ride 27 km west along highway 522 and then either north or south on 69, depending on the wind, for the same distance then turn around and go back. In Florida I deal with the traffic … in Ontario I deal with traffic as well — black flies and horse flies!
When people ask “why do you ride”, I have a couple of pat answers …
1) I ride because I like to eat! So much riding means that I can basically eat anything, in quantity that I want. That said, I do have a healthy diet but eat a lot of it!
2) I feel better when I ride (afterwards). There are often tough moments, even during some of my daily rides when I think to myself – “how do I ever do a 1200k?” – but I always feel physically better for the exercise
3) I like the “thinking time”. I really do. It clears my head of any frustrations, puts life’s challenges in perspective. There are hills and headwinds in life too.
I need a challenge and the brevets, especially the 1200’s, are my goals. Truth be told, I like the 1200s more than the shorter rides. I ride a 200k at about the same speed that I ride a 1200k, so I seem slow to most people. Indeed, on a 1200k I’m usually all alone at the back within an hour of starting. Later that day I’ll pass a few people and that will continue throughout the ride so that I’m in the first 1/3. I ride about the same pace the entire time.
I’m not out there to better my time, increase my speed or wattage output etc., just want to complete. I don’t like riding in a pace line, even though it might make it easier in the wind. I don’t want to stare at someone else’s butt for hours and days on end. If I had to do that, I wouldn’t ride. I’m quite happy having company on a ride, or riding alone if that’s what seems to work best for my legs that day.
I tell people that my legs set the pace and my job is only to steer. I don’t push it. When/if I do, especially in a paceline with all the little accelerations that go with paceline riding, my knees start to notice, so I simply go my own pace, even if that means seeing the group recede in the distance. I always ride conservatively, stop when I want to stop, spin easy when that’s what feels good.

Question #2: You have been involved with the RO administration in various roles over the years and are now the club Treasurer. I understand that your predecessor held the position for almost 20 years. Do you think your term will extend that long and what is that motivates you to volunteer so much of your time to promoting RO?

Actually I’d only gotten involved with the RO Board one year before I took over as Treasurer, I think. I happened to be the only one at the AGM from Simcoe (there are only three of us!) and Dick “Volunteered me” as VP Simcoe. As a side note, I live so far from any bike clubs in the region, however, that I’ve not been able to do that justice, have not been able to promote the Chapter in the region.
Leading up to the Granite Anvil 2013, I did volunteer to handle Hospitality and then subsequently, to manage the budget for the event, since Hospitality would be the major part of the expense. As it happened, Jim Griffin wanted to retire and Dick asked me if I’d be interested in taking on the role … I was and I did.
Jim had been Treasurer for about 25 years, so to answer your question – NO, I won’t be Treasurer 25 years from now!!
What motivates me to spend so much time on RO? Well, it’s that same obsessive/compulsive behaviour that you observe in my riding!
I feel that Randonneuring has done a lot for me in a short period of time. That only comes about because others donate their time. I appreciate that even more now, having been involved as Treasurer for a year and working through the Granite Anvil!
I enjoy working with the RO Board. Everyone is there because they want to be, not because they have to. It’s a different atmosphere than “work” 🙂 .

Question #3: I know that you cycle a lot in Europe and the States and that you are a Snowbird. Looking back, can you share one of your greatest experiences on the bike, either abroad or in North America?

I have done a lot in a short period of time as a Randonneur. I started late with the sport and want to squeeze in as much as possible. I’m very lucky to be retired (which gives me the time) with the financial wherewithal and health to be able to do so. I don’t want to put-off-until-tomorrow something that I might not be able to do later, for whatever reason.
Most of my cycling, in miles/km, when you get right down to it, is on a few routes close to my house in Florida or cottage in Ontario.
My cycling in Europe has been limited to three rides – the 1001 Miglia (1600k) in Italy in 2010, Paris-Brest-Paris in 2011 and London-Edinburgh-London in 2012. Of those, the Miglia tops my list … why?
The scenery, the food and the people make the Miglia memorable. A just-prior-to-dawn descent to the Mediterranean through what could be a movie set and a Cappuccino along the Strand … ahhh. I want to go back and do that ride again while I still can. Sandy and I did go back and trace some of the route, driving, after PBP in 2011. I wanted to show her some of the sights. Everyone should have that ride on their Bucket List.
Yes, the Rocky Mountain 1200k (BC) has wonderful natural scenery; yes, the people, crowds of people, on PBP make that memorable; there are enthusiastic volunteers on all these rides, I’ve enjoyed talking to so many of them.
Two memories of LEL stick in my mind – the food! Wow! and the sheep. There have to be more sheep in Britain than people. Oh yes, and there was that cold morning in Scotland when my friend Hamid had a Scotch while I only wanted coffee!
Each of these 1200k+ rides has a special memory, one or two things that stand out. I’m up to 14 now, five of which are the Shenandoah and two the Granite Anvil, but even the repeats don’t blend together.

Question #4: Everyone enjoys a good cycling story, can you tell us about a particularly challenging or most difficult experience that you had on a brevet or a PBP?

Well, that’s an easier question than you might think. The toughest day, by far, that I had on the bike was just this year, 2013, and it was self-inflicted.
There is now a South Florida Randonneuring club which didn’t exist in 2009. John Preston is the Regional Brevet Administrator (RBA). He does a great job with enthusiastic volunteers and has mapped out a variety of routes … but there are limits to what you can do with flat terrain that either has traffic (coast) or nothing (non-coast). Flat terrain means wind, and there’s very little wind-break. Sugar cane and saw grass don’t block the wind.
The 600k spends the first mostly 400k inland, cycling around Lake Okeechobee. There’s a levee (dyke) around the lake with a paved path on the top. It’s a big lake; driving distance around is 200k. The first day, 400k, starts at the Atlantic coast, runs clockwise around the lake and then back to the coast. The second day, 200k, runs north and then south along the coast.
The wind when you’re riding around the lake is brutal. There’s really no time when you have a tail-wind, or so it seems. You are elevated on the levee trail, totally exposed. I was riding with Dave Buzzee, a very experienced Randonneur, in fact one of the founders of Randonneurs USA (RUSA). At times we were barely making headway. Late afternoon he threw in the towel – “I’m not having fun”, he said. I continued on by myself.
As the sun was starting to set the wind was dying down, or at least it wasn’t in my face, I was approaching the end of the levee trail. I looked back over my right shoulder to see the sunset over the lake and then looked down at my Garmin to see the track off the levee. I looked up and the steel gate across the trail was in front of me, perhaps a meter in front of me, if that.
These gates, and there are a few of them, provide a little cycle-around spot at slow speed. They stop vehicular traffic, from accidentally driving on the levee trail. It’s not as if I didn’t know about the gates, having ridden around this very gate before or as if they are hard to see. I just wasn’t paying attention.
I don’t really know what happened next. I figure that I must have instinctively stood up and rolled. I hit the gate — don’t know how fast I was going — and landed on the pavement on the other side. My left knee felt the impact and my thumb. I did a self-inspection and nothing was broken, everything moved. I was so incredibly lucky. There are so many things that I could have broken, including my neck. The somersault over the gate was more up-and-down than the typical cycling fall, so I had no road rash.
After my self-inspection, I went back to the gate, because of course the bike didn’t go over the gate as it’s higher than the bike. I found that my handlebars had snapped, the left side dangling, the right side still attached to the stem. Oh my poor Easton EC90 handlebars! They were so pretty!

“I’m done”, I thought. I then recalled that on an earlier South Florida brevet there was a rider who had lost both his arms but did the 300k with one prosthesis. Well, I thought, if he can do an entire 300k with one prosthetic arm, surely I can ride at least to the next Control (<20k) or to the overnight and my car (a little less than 100k). He was my inspiration of the moment. I started riding again. I hurt, but not enough to stop riding. I had no idea how much I would hurt later, if any. The left knee hurt but no sharp pain ... so far so good. I got to that next Control and John Preston (RBA) was there with a van. He went to take a picture of me and I said "no pictures" and showed him my handlebars and said "I'm done". "Are you sure?” Well, I said, there's no way that I can ride another 300k like this and besides, I'm worried about my fork (I had just thought about that!). He volunteered to help me check my fork, so we removed the stem and pulled the fork and it looked ok, no stress marks on the carbon, nothing. While we were doing that, one of the non-riding Randonneurs called his phone to ask if he needed any help. "Do you have a spare pair of handlebars?” asks John. We discuss the specs for stem and Alex volunteers to bring handlebars to the 400k overnight stop. Rats. I'm now locked into at least riding to the overnight. Michele Cannedy is looking for company to ride to the overnight so we set out together. I've got some of those little bungees in my pack and have the left-side handlebar bungeed to the right. My light is attached to the right-hand side, thankfully. That <100k to the overnight was one of the worst rides that I've ever done. I couldn't stand, which I do a lot. We had a head-wind. I had my right hand on the right handlebar and my left on the stem. I was hurting from hitting the pavement. I was mentally hurting because of my stupidity. I had to stop every few km and stretch. I was getting incredibly cramped. Of course the other problem was that I was now committed for the rest of the ride. Alex was driving over an hour to get to the overnight to bring those handlebars/stem to me. How could I not ride now? He was waiting when we got there and we moved shifters/brakes, light, Garmin etc. as we re-setup the bike. By then it was after 2am and I needed a little sleep before setting out again. The remaining 200k wasn't a problem. At that point it was more my pride that was damaged from the collision the day before. I was quite surprised that I wasn't hurting more. There have been many other tough times on long rides. When that happens, I try not to think about the next ride, because I might just swear-off the sport. Inevitably I feel better for the experience once it's over. I didn't feel better from this one! Question #5: Dave, you were a key player, if not the key player, in the success of the Granite Anvil 1200 this past summer. It was an awesome brevet and organized brilliantly, I know because I had the pleasure to ride it. Can you share with members a brief history of how you were able to pull off such an amazing feat? Everyone worked hard on the Granite Anvil. It was truly a team effort. Experience with doing many rides was key to my thinking going into the Granite Anvil. I volunteered to work on this because I wanted it to be a ride that I would have enjoyed, even though I probably wouldn't be riding the "main event". I had ridden the previous edition in 2009. There were specific things that I wanted to fix from the prior ride and things that we knew as a group needed fixing. One of the biggest complaints from the prior edition was the route, specifically the cue sheet inaccuracies. My biggest complaint, personally, was the accommodation -- sleeping and showers. I had participated in rides with motel accommodations and wanted to go with that approach. I knew that we'd have to book very early to lock in enough rooms in these little towns. With lead times in mind, we started conference calls about 16 months before the ride. At that point the major activities were nailing down accommodations and the overall route since they were interdependent. The accommodations gave us a starting point for budgeting. I didn't have much experience working with caterers but since one of the hotels was including food in the package, it gave me a starting point for the overall food budget as well. The club gave us their blessing at the 2012 AGM, both to hold the ride as well as invest in its success. I never said anything to anyone else, but as Treasurer, I really didn't want to dip into that money. Having that "in reserve", so to speak, gave me some comfort that we wouldn't be short if on-the-fly decisions on food and support caused us to spend more money. Everyone had a voice, and an opinion, on the conference calls. The route was a group effort with Peter Grant having the lion's share of the workload; everyone chimed in as Andrea worked up ideas for SWAG, as we discussed menus; we agonized over minutia ... we wanted this to be viewed as "world class". Dick Felton, Peter Grant, Andrea Ferguson Jones, Stephen Jones, Bob Macleod, Vytas Janusauskas, Bob Kassel and I were all regulars, kind of the "core team". We did pull it off! I worked with CCN, our transaction processor, on two fronts -- Randonneurs Ontario membership and the Granite Anvil. A smooth sign-up process was also critical to our success. CCN had also assisted BC Randonneurs with the Rocky Mountain 1200k ride that year so we were on solid ground. The motels were nailed down over a year in advance; available double-rooms booked. The caterers were a work in progress until 2-3 months before the ride. The two pre-rides worked out well as we made last minute adjustments and then tested them out. We had great support from the club with many volunteers. During the ride everyone worked hard staffing the controls, moving food and drop bags, supporting with mobile units, staying in contact with one another via the central phone number at Durham College. We made some on-the-fly decisions vis-a-vis Control staffing, food supplies ... even one of our DNF's contributed (Michele Cannedy), becoming part of a mobile unit with Peter Dusel. Question #6: Dave, how many kilometres do you chalk up on average every year doing brevets and what are some of your future riding plans and goals? I will have chalked up about 10,000 km doing brevets in 2013 and will probably hit close to the 20,000 mark in total km. That's about the same amount of riding that I've done in each of the last 5 years, give or take. Basically I want to keep doing this as long as I can. I'd like to hit new rides as they appear on the world-wide calendar. Some sound very interesting -- Japan, New Zealand, other European Rides, there’s a lot out there. There are specific rides that I'd love to be able to do in 2014 -- Rocky Mountain High Country (Colorado) and VanIsle (Vancouver Island) -- come to mind. I don't know if I'll be able to do both. The Cascade 1200 is also out there; I haven't done that one. The Big Wild Ride in Alaska is definitely on my bucket list... There are some that I'll repeat -- I'll likely do PBP in 2015; the Miglia in Italy is something that I want to do again; I'll ride the Shenandoah again, if it's offered (not on the calendar for 2014); the Rocky Mountain 1200 (BC) was fun ... yikes, too many rides; too little time! The European rides are neat; the culture and the food are so interesting. I don't miss not having a 7-Eleven or Tim Horton's in France... Question #7: Finally, Dave, in a sentence or two can you share some inspirational words for new Randonneurs at the beginning of their journey? Randonneuring is an experience like no other. As with most things in life, you get out of it what you put in ... and you have to put a whole lot in to do a 1200k ride. The satisfaction that you'll feel, mind and body (believe it or not!) from accomplishing such a feat goes beyond anything else that you might accomplish. Don't be discouraged if you feel like absolute CRAP during a ride. It will go away. Give it a couple of days. It happens all the time to me. In 2009 as I did my first 300k, 400k, 600k -- every ride being the longest that I'd ever done -- there were many times, and there still are, when I wonder why I'm doing this. Afterwards the satisfaction settles in. A hot shower, legs up, beer in hand ... I did it! They say that Randonneuring is 90% mental, and the other 10% is mental. It's not really a physical sport, unless, of course, you're trying for some record. What you achieve mentally by finishing these rides will carry over into your life. PBP is out there, but it's not the end goal. There are so many other experiences in the Randonneuring world, things that you'll see; people that you'll meet; the perspective that you'll get; from your vantage point on the bike. It's not the same as a supported ride in the country, any country. Go ahead, do a wine tour by bicycle, yes, go for it ... but this is something special.