On June 22, Liz Overduin, John Maccio and Kathy Brouse rode the Creemore Classic 400 as a Permanent. They had a lot of fun. This is their ride report.

Kathy:

I have always wanted to do this brevet and was not able to do it with the Huron Chapter this year as an official scheduled ride. So, this weekend, Liz Overduin, John Maccio and I rode this brevet as a Permanent and it was an incredible ride. We decided on an 8:00pm start on the Friday night and planned to finish around 6:00pm on the Sat. Both Liz and John are familiar with this route but they have never experienced a night start.

For me, the ride began in panic mode. As I started assembling my bike in Port Elgin I discovered that I had forgotten my bike rack so it was not possible to take my bike bag. Fortunately Liz had a small backpack in her car and I stuffed what I could into that pack. I knew the night would be cold. John warned that the first 100km would be flat, the last 50km flat and everything in the middle was a climb. He was correct.

Memorable moments on the ride include steep climbs at Eugenia, Creemore and Scenic Caves, bright orange crescent/banana shaped moon in the night, napping in the shade during the bowling event, the Blue Mountains, the Beaver Valley, porcupines, snapping turtles and getting dive bombed by a red winged blackbird. No kidding, I was pedaling along minding my own business when I heard this chukka, chukka, chukka (repeat it over and over with speed and aggression) and looked over my right shoulder to discover I was being chased by an angry blackbird. I saw his beady eyes, bright red wings and he was bearing down on me, chukka, chukka, so I pedaled faster. Very weird.

I just Googled to see if Redwing Blackbirds do attack humans and discovered that in late spring to early summer male blackbirds are guarding multiple nests on the ground, low in trees and in marsh areas. They are ferociously territorial and they do attack human. “How to Stop a Redwing Blackbird Attack” suggests avoiding areas with high populations of redwing blackbirds, ducking as low as possible right before the attack, running as fast as possible for cover, and not to hit or harm a redwing blackbird because they are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and you could end up with a $250,000 fine.

http://www.ehow.com/how_7394726_stop-redwing-blackbird-attack.html

Here’s a funny video of a cyclist being attacked by a redwing blackbird:

So, one more thing to worry about when we’re out there on those long stretches of country road!

I regress, back to the ride report. After a full day of hill climbing in the hot sun we were quiet and weary along Grey Rd 40 to the control in Chatsworth. Having consumed coffee, carbs and sugar at the Coffee Time we were perked and pumped as we headed back to the finish in Port Elgin, telling stories and enjoying the perfectly peaceful quintessential summer evening. After a beer with Carey, Donna and Laurie we headed back to our respective homes and hotels. What an adventure. I highly recommend this brevet but watch out for those angry birds while in Grey County!

Liz:

Hi everyone. What is it with Kathy Brouse and the Birds & the Bees (remember the bee sting story on the Granite Anvil)? Thanks again to Kathy who so kindly offered to watch our bikes while John Maccio and I went into the Bowling Alley to determine which one of us would be the 2014 Creemore Classic Bowling Champion. John proudly wearing his Italian cycling jersey and shorts, Liz in her Netherlands jersey. John and I enjoyed a friendly beer together as the fierce competition to be the Champion was carried out. Be sure to come to the Awards Dinner in February 2015 to hear the details and find out who will get the trophy from Larry Sowerby. Or….come and do the Creemore Classic yourself as a permanent and try to beat the winning score of 125!

John:

I am not a wordsmith as the both of you but here is what I want to convey. It was my pleasure to do this ride with two enthusiastic women Kathy Brouse and Liz Overduin. The night looked good but there was some fear of rain, which really did not appear. The ride to Owen Sound was so peaceful and as we approached the midnight hour all I could hear was the scurrying of creatures in the woods beside us and the occasional raccoon or porcupine running across the road. The best wildlife we did see was at Pizza Pizza in Owen Sound where we met a group of 420 friendly party animals. They were friendly enough and wanted to know all about our trip and were impressed. It was enjoyable but I needed a quick nap and they wanted to talk. By the time we got to Collingwood, at around 8am, I was famished and enjoy the hungry man breakfast at the Red Hen. We met numerous cyclist in the Collingwood area as there was a charity ride happening at the same time. No matter how hard I train or prepare myself Scenic Caves hill is still intimidating to me but the view during the day made the climb even more enjoyable. I really thought that night start on the 400 was a great idea. I would highly recommend that we purpose one for the PBP year next year so that others can get a taste of a night start which most of the Canadian riders will be doing in Paris.

Ride Report from Kathy Brouse:

Although I did not ride this brevet I received feedback from the three riders who rode this challenging brevet. It’s one of those rides that if you’re not going up, you’re going down.

All of the riders on the brevet are new riders with the club – Randy, Tim and Janet. Technically Randy is not a rookie randonneur because he joined last year and rode at least one, maybe two brevets. But this was his first 400, as it was for Tim and Janet. Tim and Randy rode together and finished just before 2:00am, an amazing accomplishment!

Not to take away from their achievement, but this has to be said…..move over boys cause Janet Vogt is overtaking on the left! Janet rode that entire brevet, through the night for almost 24 hours alone. She negotiated the detour just west of Everett, the steep climbs and even told me that she now knows the appeal of night riding. She enjoyed Friday’s beautiful full moon.

Janet has proven that she has guts, fortitude and tenacity, all the virtues that make a true Rando warrior. Congratulations to you Janet, you are amazing 🙂

Ride Report by Liz Overduin:

Do you remember the first time? The excitement, anticipation and fears? Ahhh, the joys of the first ever 200 km brevet (what did you think I was talking about!)

This past Saturday my brother Nick did his first ever 200 km brevet. Nick was the first person to ever mention Randonneuring to me. He said “you should check it out Liz, they go long distances, up to 1200 km in one go – I bet you would like it.” But I did not look it up at the time because I thought Randonneur cyclists must be extremely athletic cyclists. A few years later I met some of you at the bike show in 2009……and the rest is history.

Nick has always been supportive of me in this sport and it has been a dream of mine to do a 200 km brevet with him. He was hesitant and he said “I don’t think I am ready for this”.
“You won’t be the first one to do a 200 km brevet without being ready” I said.
“Let’s do it” he said.

The first control was at 55 km. At the 50 km point he told me that he had never ridden that far without stopping……Oh, that’s what he meant about not being ready. Do you remember your first 200 and how important the breaks were?

The next control was at km 99. For Nick, km 99 was not to be rounded off to km 100. Ninety-nine it is, and we would stop for lunch. When we got there, the guy at the control passed a message on to us that everyone had gone into the next town for lunch instead and we should meet them.
“How much farther is it?” asked Nick.
“7 or 8 kilometers”.
Nick said “ok” but his eyes said “oh no”. Turned out that the guy should have said 7 or 8 miles, not kilometers – big difference! My brother was sure glad to get to the cafe for lunch, and everyone there encouraged him with the fact he now had 115 km done, only 85 to go.

Remember the first brevet you did, and the horror when you found out that a 200 km brevet could actually be more than 200 km. It was 202.9, almost 203. Yeah, that was not lost on Nick and while he was counting down the last 15 k, it was actually 18 – I didn’t know how to tell him.

There’s no denying it was a great ride. Great scenery, perfect weather, and forever memorable to do this ride with my brother. I will have to wait for Randonesia to set in for him because he said it is unlikely that he will ever do that again! He was very glad that he was able to do it and he said he did enjoy it.

Thanks for the cheers from those at the Comfort Inn when we came in, 12 hours and 36 minutes after heading out.
Well done Nick!

All the best to those participating in Devil Week – you will be enjoying some amazing scenery and great riding!

Ride Report from Kathy Brouse:

To celebrate the Lakes and Vines 300 I have just purchased a bottle of “vinology” from the Flat Rock estate winery that I cycled past yesterday enroute to Jordan Station. This evening I will sip this wine and reflect on what to me is the most beautiful Toronto chapter rando ride. I have said it before, and I will say it again, everyone should ride the L&V at least once, on a summer day it’s an amazing and so very scenic ride.

First you cycle through the Dundas valley which is all rollers, shade and dappled sunlight early in the morning. Then you go south to Caledonia and cycle with the Grand River and rolling farmlands on your left for ages as you head towards the north shores of Lake Erie. You know you’re getting close when you hit Dunnville, tons of fisherman out, boats and the holiday crowd. Eventually you arrive at Halimand and Wainfleet and follow the shores of Lake Erie for ages, very peaceful on a lovely summer day. At Port Colborne you stop for food and drink and head north through the vineyards to Jordan Station on the shores of Lake Ontario. Cycling through the vinelands is like moving through the aisles at the LCBO as you recognize all the estate wineries and try to remember to pick up a bottle from a specific winery in the next few weeks.

From Jordan Station it’s hills and ascents as you head towards Hamilton and high up on the escarpment on Ridge Rd you overlook all of Hamilton Harbour, a very dramatic view in the late afternoon. Then the day turns into dusk and you reach the Erin Mills finish as darkness descends. Unlike me, the speedy amigos riding the L&V , arrive at the finish much much earlier and while I am arriving at Hutches Burgers (second to last control) those fast guys are at home, showered and drinking a beer 🙂

Nice to see Ken Jobba out yesterday. Ken used to organize club rides when I first joined the RO and has not ridden with RO since 2009! (did I remember that correctly Ken??) And always nice to see Dave T on a Toronto chapter ride. It was his first L&V and he said it was great. Dave is off to do 1200 km in Ireland in a week’s time, what a great adventure and another 1200 km in Belgium two weeks after that, what a cycling machine! Good luck to Brian who is off to begin the Great Divide in less than two weeks. Looking forward to seeing Brian at the BC Vanisle 1200 and hearing about the Great adventure.

If you still have not done this ride, be sure to put the Lakes and Vines 300 on your cycling bucket list.

Ride report by Liz Overduin:

If you do a 1200 km ride, under 90 hours, in Canada and the US in the same year, there’s a medal for that. This is what I told my Bob and he threw up his hands, knowing it was something I wanted to do.

The Taste of Carolina 1200 is a mostly flat ride, going through some amazing scenery along swamps, marshes and of course the Ocean. We cycled beside acres of cotton fields, tobacco fields and peanut fields – all new sights and smells for me. Going across long bridges, sometimes 5 – 8 km long, we could look down at the snow white Egrets in the long grasses of the inland waterways. I was constantly scanning the algae covered swamps looking for the beady eyes of the Swamp Alligators, making this one of the most interesting brevets I have ever been on. We also saw quite a few of the big fat Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes – but they were dead on the road. Going along one long stretch of road beside a river we saw a Great Blue Heron up in the trees. As we got closer she would fly up along the road, sometimes landing on the road, sometimes in the trees, waiting for us. It was like she was guiding us – this went on for a good long distance. Kathy Brouse would have liked that.

Because this route was mostly flat, it was easier to stay in a big group. Although the first day was 372 km into a strong headwind and constant rain, by staying with 20 or so men with tree-trunk legs (including Henk Bouhuyzen), we maintained a moving average of close to 30 km/hr. Except when it was my turn to “pull” the group, we slowed down, although no one seemed to really mind. After a couple times of that, I very strategically made sure that I was never at the front, which also meant I got to meet a lot of people as I stayed back in the paceline. One of the men in the group was doing his 8th 1200 km ride this year, with one more to go in Australia after completing this one. He has the world record. Another man called himself a “Rando-Nerd, which totally suited him. There was also a young guy who just got married and wants to get these rides in before starting a family – we probably won’t see him for the next 20 years. Every cyclist in the group knew that it was imperative to stay with the group because if you dropped off the back, you were on your own and in for a tough day. The only positive to cycling alone would be that you wouldn’t have the muddy splash of road dirt coming off the bike tire in front of you into your face and teeth. Our group got to the first overnight control, 372 km, by just after 10:00 pm, Seventeen hours to do almost 400 km – something I could never have done alone. We decided to have a 6 hour stop so we could shower and sleep. I was actually so fed up of being wet and rained on that I could not bear the thought of more water coming down on me. Instead of a warm shower, it was a “washcloth wipe-down” for me. Thanks to all the high energy drinks, caffeine pills and extreme physical activity, I got zero sleep, but I did lay there motionless for those hours.

Henk and I went for breakfast in the morning, but this time there was a lot less of the group, as some of them had opted to sleep longer. Our group of about 8 were all hoping to get to the next sleep control in good time, an ambitious goal of 430 km. What was I thinking! The rain continued, but not as constant as the first day, and the headwind was not as strong. By the last 100 km before the end of that day, I was exhausted. The group was very patient with me and would not leave me. Henk made sure he was behind me so that I would not drop off – he was very encouraging to me, thanks Henk. The group plan was that I would be “Cyclist #3”, following closely on the wheel of “Cyclist #2″. That became my only focus in life – follow that wheel and don’t let it pull away!”. This way we could keep up 25 km/hr average and I could stay with them. About 30 km from the overnight checkpoint I hit a pothole and got an instant flat. Again, Henk took charge and while most of the group carried on, Henk replaced the tube a lot quicker than I could have done. The rest of the way to the Control my tire bumped and thumped and I thought for sure there was something seriously wrong with it, but we kept rolling. Cycling 801 km in just over 40 hours should have been one of the best moments of my life as a Randonneur, but in truth I had never felt so physically and mentally destroyed. Without the patience of the others I could not have done it and I did not feel that it was my accomplishment or that I deserved any kudos whatsoever. Thoughts like “Never Again!” or “Is there a medal for reading for 4 days in a row?”, or knitting, or gardening – or anything but cycling, were going through my head. But like every Randonneur knows, these low moments will pass. I had a shower and spent another sleepless and motionless 5 hours before getting up to face another day. As far as my thumping tire went, it turned out that it had not “seated” properly and I was able to fix it quite simply.

The others had all left, which is exactly what I had hoped for. Not because I did not appreciate their camaraderie and patience, it was just that I did not want to be “Cyclist #3” or even look at the back wheel of another bike again. I wanted to be free and alone. I wanted to go as fast or slow as I wanted. I wanted to stop and take pictures. I wanted to eat real food instead of gulping down “5 hour” energy drinks. Once again I was a happy Randonneur, even if I was alone. This wish came true for the rest of my ride. Although my GPS tracks did not work, the written cue sheet was perfect and I did not get lost. Although I never saw the sun, the third day was free of rain. I picked a piece of cotton and ate a raw peanut. I sang songs, and no one heard me – it was wonderful! I arrived at the 3rd overnight control before 8 pm, with only 175 km to go to finish the ride. The volunteers had bought pizza and let me eat as much as I wanted. I had a shower, watched TV, phoned Bob, and finally was able to fall asleep.

The morning of the last day was very calm, rainy and dark. Nothing but the sound of my spinning bicycle gears, splashing water, and the crickets in the marshes. No vehicular traffic at 4:00 am. I felt like I owned the road and all of North Carolina. These are the moments that make Randonneuring worth it all. Then I came around a long curve and someone, a creative someone, had set up a scene of the most realistic looking zombie-like creatures emerging from the ground – I suppose in honour of Hallowe’en. I must admit it gave me the shivers, and I don’t even believe in zombies. Suddenly I longed for the morning light and the finish of the ride. I started to push myself to get the last 130 km done. That’s when I noticed an inescapable ache on the outside of my left leg in the area of the knee. I did not know what it was, but it hurt to bend my leg at the knee. Riding a bike without bending the knee…..yeah, it doesn’t work. I had to let my right leg do all the work while my left leg just sort of went along for the ride. After a while, that still hurt too much. So I let my left leg hang down while I continued pedalling with the right – that also did not work out very well. I could barely go 20 km/hr and the headwind was picking up. Eventually I found that I could make the best time if I swung my left leg backwards and rested my foot upside-down on the rear rack bag, leaned forward and used the other leg to do all the spinning – it looked ridiculous if you can picture what I am saying, but it worked. I got up to 25 k/hr doing this, but had to stop and rest often. Tylenol and Advil also helped and when that kicked in I was able to stand up and pedal in short bursts, ignoring the left leg. This was something I had never experienced before – maybe it had something to do with the fact that Taste of Carolina 1200 is a flat ride, which means you never get a descent to give you a break from pedalling. It took me 10 hours to finish the last 175 km of the ride.

A grand total of seventy-nine hours and twenty-five minutes after heading out of Lumberton, North Carolina, I returned to the start. A 1200 completed in under 90 hours, in Canada and the US in the same year – and there is a medal for that! I’m going to frame that medal!

By the way, I asked the guy who has the record for the most 1200 km rides in one year if there was a medal for that. He laughed and said no. So my Bob doesn’t have to worry about that – I am content now. Thanks.

Ride report by Kathy Brouse:

Warning: If you were unable to get out on your bike yesterday due to family commitments, work or sickness, reading this ride report will hurt.

Liz drove out from Auburn on Friday night to join us on the Bits and Pieces and what a great ride we all had- Brian, Liz, Jerzy, Stan, Bob M and newcomer David P. It was a beautiful fall day and the colours of the trees, while not quite at their peak, were gorgeous. As the name suggests, the Bits and Pieces is made up of bits from the best of a number of TO routes. Starting in Mississauga the route makes its way west to Bell School Line, north on 6th Line Nassagaweya, west to Georgetown and north to Holton’s Bakery in Erin at 80 km. The four of us in the group at that time stopped for delicious apple fritters and coffee before heading north and west across the Hillsborough Hills to Wellington 29, and looping south and east to the Trail Eatery in Campbellville. As our group of four headed out back to the start, Bob and Stan pulled in, David had dropped behind. The sky was blue, the weather was perfect and the last leg of the ride was fantastic. Brian lost his car key on route and phoned his wife to meet him at the truck with the extra set of keys. Shari was of course overjoyed to lend support and drive from Oshawa with the spare key and join us for dinner at Montana’s after the ride. The beer and wings was a perfect finish to a great day on the bike. The rest of the meal was a bit disappointing, but that’s another story. Picture a plate of nachos and cheese so rock hard and cold that a special drill is required to break up the pieces. At least Brian and Liz didn’t have to pay and Liz said she would pick up a Happier meal on the way home.

So that’s it folks. The official end of the 2013 Toronto chapter rides. It’s been a great season, I’ve had a blast; riding my favourite routes with good friends and finally completing a 1200 km brevet. I will miss my cycling buddies and hearing the crazy stories and adventures. Can’t wait to hear about Vaune’s adventure in California at Furnace Creek 580 next week, good luck Vaune, we’re rooting for ya, and Liz’s adventures on the Taste of Carolina 1200 in two weeks. Go girls go, you make us proud!! Try to make it out on a cold and snowy evening to the awards dinner in February because it is always great to reconnect and see everyone (looking so clean and fresh in their non-cycling gear!) Dream good dreams, make big plans, stay safe on the road and see you out in 2014!

Added comments from Liz Overduin:

You would never know that you were off the bike this season for 6 weeks with a broken arm Kathy – you looked great and rode strong! Congrats on an amazing season.
We did this ride in 9 hours and 45 minutes. That is considered a “sub-ten”, something I have never done. It is actually something I had hoped never to do. Kathy told me not to say that because it would confuse the Toronto Randonneurs. But for me, if you do a 200 in less than 10 hours, you have not stopped enough to have fun. However, it was a very fun ride, with the sights and smells of Fall as well as the camaraderie for those of us lucky enough to find time for yet one more 200 km brevet. Brian, a Champion of Granite Anvil, gave us some tips and a few secrets on how to get a good overall brevet time without a fast cycling speed average.
I was happy that we could go out together to eat afterwards – although it was a first for me to pick up one nacho chip and have the whole meal lift off the plate!
The Awards Dinner and Bike Show will be here in no time – until then, enjoy life in the Winter ways, watch movies, spend time catching up on all the things you put off so you could ride your bike.

Ride report by Liz Overduin:

Just thought I would send out a ride report about the Huron Chapter’s most southern brevet and last brevet of the year. John Maccio did a great job of organizing the ride and getting word out to local Windsor cyclists and Detroit Randonneurs – thanks John. We had a total of 15 riders out to enjoy yet another gorgeous day after a soaker of a night (made for nicely washed roads). Although this route does not have the challenge of hills, it does have the reward of great scenery. We cycled along canals, marshes and the shores of Lake Erie, Lake St Clair as well as the Detroit River. Thanks to local riders, those of us not familiar with the area were given a bit of the history as well as explanations of the sights along the way. Our group of 15 also enjoyed a great lunch with some beverages in Kingsville, and one very patient waitress. With one more unscheduled stop for a Gelato just 15 km from the end, we all agreed it was a great ride. Not wanting our time together to be over, we drove to a great restaurant which John recommended (Armandos – Italian of course!) where some of the spouses joined us and we had dinner outside as the sun went down. During dinner, the two cyclists from Detroit, Makoto Miwa and Dennis vanStee, also wanted to thank the Ontario Randonneurs because last year John Maccio had told them about this ride in Windsor and they were inspired to start their own club – The Detroit Randonneurs. Their club is growing they have some great rides which they would love to have us come and ride.

As well, it was very exciting for me was to have my nephew, Eric, join us for his first ever brevet ride, and his first ride over 100 km. He did great, even hanging on for the final 2 km sprint to the finish at over 40 km/hr – as all of us more seasoned Randonneurs watched them pull away ahead of us. And, get this…… Eric’s wife and 5 children were waiting for him at the finish, with cards they had made, and even a necklace saying “I rode 200 km”! A cyclist who enjoys long distance rides, and a supportive spouse and family – now that’s a positive combination!

Thanks for a great season, and here’s looking forward to 2014!!

Ride report by Kathy Brouse:

You may have looked out your window yesterday and seen all that rain and thought to yourself, “I really dodged a bullet not going to Big Chute 200” but for those 5 intrepid souls that rode the Big Chute 200 out of Barrie to Honey Harbour, to Coldwater and back to Barrie, that was not the case. Well, I can only speak for 3 intrepid souls because Henk and Fred were on a mission and rode the route much faster than Arthur, Stan and myself. We had a great day: great scenery, interesting adventures and great camaraderie, what more could you ask for?! We had to carry our bikes and step gingerly over a tricky road closure on Upper Big Chute road, slipping and sliding on the wet wooden planks and yes it did rain all the way to Honey Harbour, but it was not cold and the rain did not interfere with the enjoyment of the ride. Warmed ourselves with delicious grilled cheese sandwiches and coffee at the General Store Café in Honey Harbour and then back on the bikes for the 40 km stretch to the Big Chute, which is undoubtedly one of the prettiest stretches of road on any of our routes as it winds through rocky landscapes, inland lakes, cottage country. And, it did not rain for this stretch of the ride, well, only a little. The temperature dropped after Coldwater and it did get a bit cold on the bike, but eventually the rain stopped and the last 40 km into Barrie was dry and the countryside sublime. We did get the shakes and the shivers at the end when we stopped generating heat on the bike, but the pumpkin soup and crab cakes at the Crabshack in Barrie made it a great end to an adventurous day. And, this will make our Huron chapter cousins smirk, we had virgin ceasars at the Crabshack and they were delicious!! If you have not done the Big Chute 200 yet, you must come out with us next year and enjoy the falling leaves and all the beautiful fall colours.

Added comments from Liz Overduin:

Ahhh, yes, Kathy, virgin Caesars is a start – I love it! We will have you Cheering with a beer yet!

I also agree that the Big Chute brevet is gorgeous, even in the rain with the leaves all shiny and bright and inhaling the smell of damp leaves. It should be a mandatory ride for every Randonneur, actually for anyone who cycles.

Ride report from Bob Koen aka BC Bob:

Day 1

The Granite Anvil 1200 km brevet is all about exploring rural Ontario. It starts on the eastern outskirts of the big cities and manages to circle all the way around the Toronto area without ever getting into any densely populated areas. All of the first afternoon is spent riding through the farming country in the western part of southern Ontario. This area represents what I used to think most of Ontario looked like. Huge expanses of corn fields and not much else. Flat as a pancake. Except that the flatness is deceptive, it isn’t really flat in the area that we rode through. There were lots of shallow rollers that gradually gained altitude. By my altimeter the high point of the ride was in a corn field north of Grand Valley. In the evening we did a long descent out of the corn into the Beaver Valley and then a long climb out of there and got a fine view of Georgian Bay before we descended past the Blue Mountain ski area. Then we went through Wasaga Beach and finished the day at Midland

The day started well enough for me. After the usual sprint start (that I no longer even bother to attempt to hang onto) I settled in with a group that was going at a brisk but manageable pace. I didn’t know any of the riders in the group at this point. The organizers had us put frame plates on our bikes which had our names on them. What a great idea! I was just getting to know the names of some of the people when I had to drop out for a second to check a strange noise coming from my bike. It turned out to be a failed rear tire. The tread had separated from the sidewall in one area and there was a bulge where the tube was trying to poke through the casing. I put on my spare tire and continued on but now I was last on the road. I caught a few stragglers over the next couple of hours to the first control, but none of these were travelling at a compatible pace so I soldiered on alone. The group that I had cycled with earlier was already gone by the time that I got into the control, so I had a quick bite and headed out. Soon I had some company in the person of Peter from England. We had a good chat over the next couple of hours but he would neither pull nor draft, so sharing the workload wasn’t going to work in this case. By now the forecast winds had sprung up and we were struggling into a stiff headwind all afternoon. I learned later that the winds had gusted to 40 km/hr and discovered that corn fields even at maximum height in late August do not make a good wind break. Fortunately for me I have aero bars on my bike and was able to make good use of them. Peter did not have aero bars and struggled mightily to stay with me. Drafting would have been a good idea for him and I wouldn’t have minded doing all the pulling. He eventually dropped off the back and looked like a hurting unit when I last saw him.

I finally caught up with the group at the second control after chasing for 200 km through the brutal headwind. I had been quite worried before the ride that my fitness wasn’t up to the task of a 1200 due to not enough riding in the previous months. My confidence improved a lot after my performance that afternoon.

We all left the second control together and spent the rest of the evening riding through the ski area country and then through the resort beaches area and arrived at the overnight control in Midland at about 11:30 pm. This stage was 398 km and gained about 2800 meters of elevation. The control was in a motel. There was dinner and breakfast food laid out by the volunteers. Due to some scheduling quirk I ended up with a room with two queen beds all to myself and slept very well.

Many randonneurs think that the success of an ultra brevet is measured by your finishing time. The fewer hours you spend out there, the better you are as a rider. Not me. I measure success by how many hours of sleep I get while still finishing within the 90 hour limit. This night I was able to get 3 1/2 hours of sleep. 4 1/2 would have been possible while still leaving an hour of margin before the control closed. But the organizers had recommended 2 hours of margin and the consensus of the group was to go with that. After chasing for most of the day on the first day I was quite happy to forgo the extra hour of sleep in order to have some companions for the next day.

Day 2

We left Midland at 4:15 am and rolled along through the early morning to a staffed control at Big Chute. Hot coffee, hot soup, and hot chocolate got us moving along nicely through the awakening day to the next control at Houseys Rapids. Here there was a ‘restaurant’ serving breakfast. It was quite an experience. It looked like neither the restaurant nor the restrooms had seen a health inspector in this millennium. But the food, when it finally arrived, was good. After that a long stretch of reasonable road on ON-118 allowed the pace to accelerate and spelled the demise of the 8 person group. Liz and Cincinnati Jim (I think) disappeared off the front and were not seen again until the following day. Marti, Fixie Dave, Florida Don, and Rich all fell back a bit and I ended up riding much of the rest of the ride with Kathy Brouse of the Ontario Randonneurs. We regrouped later for dinner in Haliburton before tackling one of the more memorable climbs of the ride. The route sheet made mention of the steep descent off the other side and the organizers had arranged for volunteers to be on hand at the top to warn riders to take it slow. The descent wasn’t too bad though; it was the cliff that we had to ride up to get to the descent that I remember most.

It got dark at about that point and so we rode on through Wilberforce (my favourite place name of the ride) and on into Bancroft under a nearly full moon. It was magic. We arrived at about 10:30 and had a nice meal before turning in for a glorious 4 1/2 hours of sleep. Or so I thought. While having some dinner at the control before turning in Florida Don and Fixie Dave arrived and Don immediately asked Vaune, the control captain “where am I”. This sent Vaune into spasms of hysteria. Don wasn’t close to being out of it, although it may have seemed that way to Vaune. It’s just that northern Ontario is a long way from Miami Beach both in a geographical sense and in a perceptual sense. Don was clearly stoked to be there.

My 4 1/2 hours of sleep turned into 4 1/2 hours of wakeful rest. I wound up with a cot while my room-mate slept in a comfortable bed and snored like a chain saw. Such are the joys of randonneuring.

Day 3

Kathy and I left Bancroft at about 4:30 am and rode out of town to the north, the way we had come in. We soon encountered the last poor soul still going the other way toward Bancroft. We felt awfully sorry for him as he was looking at maybe 1 hour of time in Bancroft before the control closed and he had to be on his way again into what was promised to be the hardest day of the ride. We later learned that not only did he make it out of Bancroft but he finished the ride as well. Chapeau to him.

It was extremely cold for August. I registered 3 degrees, Kathy’s thermometer registered only 1 degree. The saving grace was the series of very steep hills that we encountered in this stretch. Going up was a lot more pleasant than going down. Eventually the day lightened enough to see the surrounding terrain from the hill tops. There was fog in the low lying areas and hills poking out all around. Very beautiful. Then we rode up the aptly named Siberia road where we encountered a few climbs which culminated in one 100 meter ascent with a 19 percent grade. I had heard that the toughest climb of the whole ride was just before Barry’s Bay, which was the next control but still 30 km away. I was really worried that if the climbs were already this extreme and the hardest one is still 30 km away, then what are we in for? It turned out that this was the hardest climb and things got a bit more moderate on the way into Barry’s Bay. There was an excellent country restaurant there that was doing a great business among the randonneur community. This place was organized in a way that the ‘restaurant’ in Housey’s Rapids never will be, and we all got fed up right quick.

After breakfast we stopped by the control which was at the local community centre. A couple of the local politicians were out there welcoming us to their humble community and handing out pins and such, and claiming that it usually wasn’t this cold in August. Never trust a politician. Back on Siberia road I was noticing a certain plant growing beside the road that I had only ever seen before in the Yukon.

The rest of the day featured several more noteworthy climbs, never all that long but always plenty steep. Then there was the 31 km of loose gravel on Buckshot Lake road. Buckshot became a swear word after that. I think that this was the low point of the ride for myself, and for Kathy, and for several others also. The road had been torn up in preparation for a tar and gravel or chip seal type of surface, except that the tar hadn’t been added yet. What was left was loose gravel that was more tiring to ride than the steep hills that we were now leaving behind.

A couple of more controls passed by, including a lovely stop at the beach by Sharbot Lake. Then it was on into the gathering darkness on mostly level and nicely surfaced roads for the final 80 km to the final overnight stop at Napanee, where we arrived at 11:30 pm. Once again we could afford 4 1/2 hours of sleep and made good use of the time.

Day 4

We left the control at 5 am and immediately went to a restaurant about 3 blocks away where we whiled away another 45 minutes having a nice breakfast. We were on familiar terrain now and knew that the ride was in the bag (barring any substantial bad luck) and that we could take it easy. Liz and Rich had caught up to us at Sharbot Lake the previous evening and so we were now 4 for the remainder of the ride. There was a beautiful foggy crossing on a wide bridge leading over to the peninsula that comprised Prince Edward County just as the sun was rising. Another magic moment.

We rolled on through Prince Edward county as the morning progressed. By early afternoon we left the flatlands behind and entered into the Bewdley hills. The Ontario people knew all about this area; and I had encountered it on the 2009 Granite Anvil. It’s a real kick in the ass right at the end, just to remind the riders that it ain’t over till it’s over. And this ride is much like PBP where there is quite a bit of bonus distance to cover after the 1200 km mark. Unlike PBP though, the Granite Anvil gives you bonus hills as well as bonus distance.

We finished at 6:08 pm for a ride time of 86:08 over a distance of 1223 km with 10,100 meters of climbing (about 33,000 feet). Each of the first 3 days had about 2800 meters of climbing while the last day had about 1700. But the majority of that 1700 meters happened in the last 100 km.

Conclusion

This edition of the Granite Anvil 1200 km brevet was a truly wonderful ride. The organization was superb and the volunteers really worked hard to make sure that the riders were well taken care of. The whole thing went off without a hitch, from my perspective. I’m sure that from the volunteers and organizers perspective there was a lot of scrambling and just plain hard work to make my experience so great.

Hats off to Dave Thompson, Dick Felton, Peter Grant and the rest of the organizers and volunteers for putting on such a first class event.

Route sheet

I want to make special mention of the route sheet. This was the brain child of Peter Grant and was really a work of art. It was so accurate as to be almost bizarre. At around the 990 km mark my Garmin odometer disagreed with the route sheet by .08 of a kilometre. I was never out by more than a kilometre over the whole ride. Peter explained that the way it was done was to pre-ride the route using a Garmin and then extract the turn by turn information from the Garmin and use that to create the route sheet. This guarantees that the distances to each turn are accurate, but with one caveat. It’s only that accurate for riders using a Garmin. I have both a Garmin and a regular cycle computer and the two never agree. The Garmin always gains about 1 1/2 km per 100 km over my carefully calibrated regular cycle computer. I am very impressed however with the repeatability of the Garmin devices. The other nice thing about the Garmin is that it did not reset itself at 20 or 24 hours of riding as most regular cycle computers will do.

Ride report by Kathy Brouse:

Warning, this ride report is long, but then it was a very long journey! I hope you enjoy it.

My Granite Anvil 1200 Story

This was my first attempt at a 1200 km ride and I was nervous especially since I broke my arm on a fleche ride on May 18 and was off the bike for 6 weeks. I worried about many things: Was I fit enough to cycle the distance and the hills? Would I end up riding alone through the night? I remembered some discussion about bear sightings at the first GA, and worried about being alone in the dark and cycling into something big and furry or being chased by angry dogs in the dark. Or breaking down in the middle of nowhere and having to problem solve the situation with my severely challenged bike repair skills. But at the same time I was so excited to give it a try and was looking forward to riding a gorgeous route through scenic farm and cottage country. As it turned out, all of my fears were unnecessary and I had a great time, not every moment of the 86 hours and 8 minutes, but overall it was a memorable and fantastic experience. I will share some impressions and memories of my Granite Anvil journey.

Arrival at the university in Oshawa: Coming through the glass doors at the university on Wednesday evening with my bike and drop bags and seeing all these experienced male riders with their big strong cycle legs, milling and sitting around. Felt totally intimidated and considered turning around and going home: classic fight or flight syndrome. Checked in, met up with Liz and ended up going out for dinner with a group of riders from the States (you know the intimidating ones with the big muscular legs). Don’t ask me how this happened, it’s because of Liz. She’s so friendly that groups just form around her. Enjoyed a delicious dinner at an Italian restaurant and had a good time.

Day 1: So much nervous energy in the air for the 4:00 am start; everyone in full reflective night gear, lights on and raring to go. Set out in a large group from the university and headed north to the first control at Belfountain, 150 km. I was not riding with anyone in particular, just trying to hang in and on to the group. Reached the first control around 11:00 am, quickly consumed coffee, PBJ sandwich, refilled the water bottles and continued climbing towards the second control. The climbs throughout the day over the Niagara Escarpment and in the Beaver Valley were relentless and challenging. It was a difficult day made easier by periodic water and snack stops along the road at Conn, courtesy of Bob and Arthur, and again at the secret control in Grand Valley courtesy of Terry and Carrey who provided good cheer, water and more snacks.

We arrived at The Top of the Rock, Eugenia at around 5:00 pm. A number of riders were just pulling out. I gulped down a tuna sandwich and chips and prepared my bike for night riding. This is when I noticed something interesting start to happen. The big group had of course fractured and riders were naturally grouping up according to cycling ability. Chemistry kicks in and you find yourself drawn to a person or people that you suspect you will be seeing a lot of in the next four days because you ride at the same pace and enjoy each other’s company. By the time we arrived in Midland, the first overnight control, at 11:43 pm, having battled gusty NW winds and baked in the sun all day, we were a group of eight: five Canadians – Marti, Liz, Dave, BC Bob, myself and three Americans – Florida Dan, Cincinnati Jim and Iowa Rich (neither Liz or myself remember where Rich is from, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa? We agree it is not Idaho). The volunteers at the control were so helpful and I enjoyed a bowl of hot, delicious, beef and vegetable soup. Unfortunately, I did not sleep at all in the hotel, too wired and worked up, but I did lie down on a soft bed and was ready to head out with the group at 5:00 am. It was a cold morning in cottage country.

Day 2: The journey to Bancroft was flatter than the previous day, not so windy and the scenery was beautiful as the route twisted and turned its way through cottage country passing so many inland lakes, rivers and lots of rocks. The roads were blasted through the Canadian Shield and the granite is black and grey and sometimes pink. Pulled into the Big Chute control at 9:00 am and enjoyed a delicious hot chocolate served to us by Albert and Stephen. Replenished with more water, fig bars and bananas. My left foot was beginning to burn in arthritic pain and the pain was spreading to the big toe. This is when I begin to nibble on tabs of Tylenol Arthritis, not a form of pain management I endorse, but it takes the edge off the pain and keeps me on the bike. The next control at Houseys Rapids took much too long for the breakfast to arrive at the table and the ladies toilet was a disturbing visual, but John and Laurie were very friendly and on we headed towards Haliburton.

By 6:00 pm the group had fractured even more and there were four of us at the Haliburton Bar and Grill eating burgers and fries before heading off into the night: Dave P, Marti, BC Bob and myself. Florida Dan and Cincinnati Jim showed up as we were exiting the bar. Liz and Rich were an hour ahead and we did not see them again until the overnight control. Bob and I got ahead of the group and arrived in Bancroft at 10:45 pm, cold, hungry, exhausted. Was great to receive a warm hug from Vaune and meet her friend Janice and son Peter who was so supportive, taking my bag and bike to my room. I ate something hot, may have been a chicken stew, and again was only able to sleep for about an hour in that soft bed. I wish I was able to hit the bed and switch to unconscious but it just doesn’t happen with me. I was beginning to worry when sleep deprivation would kick in and stop me dead in my tracks while the group went forward without me.

Day 3: BC Bob and I left Bancroft at 4:00 am. A lot of riders were pulling out at that time. Dave P and Florida Don were just behind, the others- Liz, Rich and Marti had opted for an extra half hour of sleep. As we headed down the road we past a rider coming through the fog to the Bancroft control at 4:15 am. It was dark and foggy and so very cold – not even 2 degrees! Our Garmins never agreed on temperature, mine was always two degrees less than Bobs so the temperature was somewhere between 1.1 and 3 degrees first thing that morning! You could see your breath! Even though I had on winter cap, gloves, leggings and merino wool shirt my fingers were numb. However there were so many very steep hills to climb that the body warmed up as we churned up killer hill after killer hill. Sometimes we were so high up in the hills at the top of the climbs that it felt like being on top of the world, the views were all of hill tops with fog and cloud everywhere. It was a little like the Himalayas scaled down and without the snow (I can say that because I lived there for 12 years). Such a welcome relief when the sun eventually broke through, to feel some warmth and shed some layers. Stopped at a little dairy restaurant in Barry’s Bay full of randonneurs all chowing down on the lumberjack special, a meal you should only choose if burning thousands of calories a day on the bike. Bob commented that if you ate that breakfast for 5 consecutive days you would be dead. I counted six sausages on someone’s plate! The control was just down the road and around the corner. Bob McLeod signed the control cards and we were introduced to the Barry’s Bay mayor who was very supportive of our cycling event and insisted we take a Barry’s Bay pin.

The ride from Barry’s Bay to Palmers Rapids was relatively flat for a while and then the relentless climbing began again. I remember Recumbent Roland zipping past me on a steep descent going so fast it was crazy. Then I watched from a distance as he climbed up Schutt Hill (you know, the gigantic hill with the pretty church on the left hand side at the bend at the top). In his recumbent he looked like a big bug going straight up a wall. It was all very scenic and very hot as we worked our way up and down those hills. Pulled into the control at Hardwood Lake where Stephen and Albert were dishing out hot soup, stocked up on water and bananas, rested in the shade for a while and set off for the next control. The next stretch turned out to be the hardest part of the journey for me as I struggled with front derailleur problems, switching from small to big chain ring was just not happening without a struggle. However, the hardest struggle on this stretch, the afternoon of day 3 was mental. I was sleep deprived, exhausted, sun baked, my left foot and toe was a constant hot and painful ache. As I chugged along the 30 km stretch of Buckshott Rd on the gravel with nothing much to look at for a distraction I was thinking, “Why do I do this? I am not having fun. This sucks. Never again.” Yup, Buckshott Rd just sucked the little bit of life out of me that was left in the tank. I know Bob was experiencing similar feelings as we were no longer talking much as we continued to pass and overtake each other on the road. I was whooped and sick of the stupid, exhausting 1200 km adventure.

Then something interesting happened. We pulled into the Plevna control, sometime mid-afternoon, where two very funny friends -Carey and Terry from the Huron chapter, were running the control. They made me laugh so hard as they related stories of their night together in the tent waiting for riders to pull in that I started to cheer up. Laughter and a huge Cherry Bordeaux ice cream gave me the heart, hope and drive to continue on the journey. Also, Liz and Rich pulled into the control as were leaving and it always cheers me up to see my friend Liz. The four of us regrouped down the road and finished the ride together into Nappanee arriving just before midnight. It was so great to see Stan and Paul at the control and they were a great support ensuring we got everything we needed, food, liquids, assistance with the bikes.

Day 4: By the end of day 3 I was falling into a routine at the overnight controls, getting faster, more efficient: quickly eat something hot, drink fluids, shower, dump dirty clothes in dirty laundry bag, plug in the phone and all lights with rechargeable batteries, try to keep eyes open and text friends, lay out clothes and route sheet, sun and butt cream for early 4:15 departure. And finally I was able to fall asleep at the last overnight control, a whole 3 hours!! After a big breakfast at Spuds in Nappanee, the four of us headed out – Liz, BC Bob, Rich and myself. The sunrise was magnificent and if you have travelled through Prince Edward County you will know how pretty the landscape is there. We were in high spirits with perfect weather and best of all we were headed home, a mere 220 km to the finish. Only concern at that point was the number of hills that lay between us and the finish. Liz broke a spoke and was riding slowly with a wobbly front wheel. Eventually she phoned Nuala at the front desk who arranged for a replacement wheel to be delivered to along the route. Unfortunately, when the support car arrived with the wheel they brought a replacement for the back wheel, not the front wheel and Liz had to keep going with her wobbly wheel until another front wheel was found. As it turns out, Guy Q had his bike in a support vehicle and he generously loaned his front wheel to Liz making it possible for her to safely complete the ride. Once again Liz was tearing up and down the hills. Thanks to Dick, Rolf and Guy for their fast support on Liz’s wheel.

Starting before Bewdley at around 1100 km into the ride is a series of hills that are relentless and go on for about 60 km. Dick described them as “rollers”. Dick is a member of the Huron chapter and, like Carrey, he lies a lot! These were not rollers. At one point, as I was moving at quite a clip, I got stung on the butt by a wasp or hornet and it hurt so much. I will tell anyone the story in greater detail of how I shouted to Lizzie to stop and inspect my bite. She is a good friend and administered topical cream to take the sting away. Suffice to say that what happens on the road should stay on the road, there is little dignity involved when you are moving fast and trying not to waste time! So, with a bike that that was sounding pretty sick at this point: grinding, skipping gears and frequent clunking noises, we managed those hills, stayed together as a group and pulled into the finish in Oshawa at 6:08 pm on Sun evening. Friends and riders who had finished before us were all clapping and Lizzie and I were shouting and whooping as we came through the door. The applause went to my head and I did a little victory dance with my bike kicking my heels up in the air. Stephen said to me that if I had that much energy at the end of the GA the route was not hard enough!!

What an adventure I had! I now have a folder in my brain with the memories of the Granite Anvil 1200; the people, the places, the pain, the pleasure. Would I do it again? Yes, in a heartbeat, but not just for the cycling; that’s a given. I would do it again because I am drawn to the full package -the extreme physical challenge, the excitement of traversing new terrain and enjoying the scenery from the bike, the intensity of the friendships that form, the alliances and the unique spirit of camaraderie that develops as a result of sharing something very difficult with passionate kindred spirits. My heartfelt thanks go out to all the individuals who supplied support and encouragement, food, drink and hospitality along the way: Elizabeth and Jim (Midland); Vaune, Janice and Peter (Bancroft); Stan and Paul (Napanee); Stephen and Albert; Carrey and Terry; Bob and Arthur; John and Laurie; Bob and Milana; Vytas and Colleen; Dick and Rolf; Guy Q; the volunteers at the front desk in Oshawa; Peter G for the great route sheet and a tribute to Henk B who planted the seed for the Granite Anvil 1200 years ago. A special thanks to Dave Thompson who devoted countless hours, days and a significant part of his life to making the grand event come together. Without his efforts there may not have been a Granite Anvil 1200 this year. Hugs to Liz and BC Bob, Rich, Dave P and Marti for company on the route. A final salute to super hero Dave Pearson who achieved the awesome goal of riding the GA 1200, 35,000+ feet of climbing, on his fixie. Wow!

Thanks for sharing my journey with me. I hope I have inspired anyone who is considering whether they can do a 1200 km or not. My advice is to set a goal, train hard for that goal, prepare carefully and just go out and do it. If I can accomplish this goal, you can too!