Friday, July 10, 2020

May-17: Virtual RBR

The now outdated / defunct "Raleigh - Berea - Raleigh" was originally
Created for double-L, #5519, to have a convenient route for her to ride
Without requesting me for a ride on "Bay Leaf - Oxford - Bay Leaf" or
Less frequently "Bahama Beach".

As a result of LL being bashed into on Feb-20-2016,
I assumed ownership, with proviso that I would return the route
IF double-L ever again took up randonneuring (with a RUSA membership).
[We never would have guessed the demise of Perms because of liability insurance.]

Anyway, because "RBR" was so convenient for me --
The start / finish being only a half-mile from my abode --
Note that start / finish is only a mile from LL's home --
I ended up riding RBR rather often (click here for RWGPS route as filed with RUSA).

11 times in 2018.  11 times in 2019.
I should have ridden it more, but too many roll-overs and go back to sleep on my part.

The route is still a good one, especially if one starts at oh-dark-thirty.
Doing that, one gets out of the city BEFORE any morning rush hour traffic.
Then one enjoys 50-plus miles of rural riding, mostly on roads almost empty of traffic,
With some climbing, but nothing too strenuous.
And if one rode / rides it as I usually do, just turning the pedals without straining,
One gets in a decent training ride without wearing oneself out,
Enabling a full day of work or chores or whatever.

So, when GeorgeS created his Hudson Valley Randonneurs (HVR) Virtual Brevet Series,
RBR became an obvious ride to do.

Also, when RUSA halted rides because of the coronavirus situation,
I was at P-35 (also 97 of the previous 99 months with at least one P-ride);
Therefore, I'm intending to ride at least one 100-km ride a month,
Either pretending to keep my P-series going, OR
Maybe I've gone back to counting as I did pre-rando / early rando days.
I.e., C-# for consecutive 100-miler months (which currently is C-0) and
M-# for consecutive 100-km months (which, after this ride, stood at M-37 (and 99 of 101)).

Further, I'm HOPING that returning to "blog every ride" will re-energize me to ride
AND REPORT
So that I'll be able to reference this blog in the future and
Either refresh my memory,
Or re-discover a forgotten ride.


After all that above, what do I have to report / type about this ride?
Well, I originally posted something on Facebook, the HVR page, but
Have you ever tried to find something you posted a couple months earlier on Facebook?
I find that a lost cause about 99% of the time.
In other words, I have no idea what I posted on FB about this ride.
However, I'm confident that I referenced the distance ridden and in-motion and elapsed times.
And also that I modified the standard Perms course (as well as the usual safer finish)
In order to swing by "Goodberry's" to reward myself with a chocolate shake.

I apparently took no photos en route on this day.
That is usual practice for me.

I recall getting off the bike at the control in Berea, but
Decided that I didn't need anything from inside the store,
So I immediately re-mounted and began the return ride.
It was a good day, temperature-wise, for riding.
My Excel log notes that the temp varied between 61 F at the start and 70 F at the finish,
So I didn't need to refresh any cold beverages at the turn-around.

My Excel log indicates:
  • a 6:22 am start, 
  •  
  •  2h21 elapsed outbound -- that indicates a decent pace and almost no stoppage for lights, etc., 
  •  
  •  2h46 elapsed on the return -- and that might indicate that I slowed down, EXCEPT that
  • Return elapsed time includes the time spent at Goodberry's, and
  • That was likely at least 10-minutes -- more likely 15-minutes, 
  • So the non-Goodberry's elapsed time might have been approx  2h31, 
  • Which does indicate some slowing / sluggishness on the return. 
  •  
  • A total  5h09 elapsed from start to finish, and 
  • Taking the known outbound and return elapsed times into account, 
  • Indicates a 2-minutes stop at the turn-around. 
  • [I "told you" that I had immediately re-mounted when I paused in Berea.]  
  •  
  • 67.5-miles (108-kms),  4:46 in-motion,  14.1-mph avg pace. 
HVR V-100 #2.

No comments:

Post a Comment