Nottoway Ramble Permanent – 209K

A small group of randonneurs rode Ron Malinauskas’s Nottoway Ramble 209k Permanent showcasing southeastern Virginia’s landscape. The loop ride begins and ends in the small village of Windsor, VA.

A late start was not a concern as four riders rolled out of Windsor winding towards the first control in Yale. The history in the area is interesting and Ron provided entertainment as the duty historian with tales of from the past. The following is an excerpt from the Yale Daily News:

In 1882, a University alum who was laying tracks for the Atlantic and Danville railroad in Virginia named the local train depot after his alma mater, and the name came to be used for the surrounding area. Today, Yale is an unincorporated area in rural Virginia that does not qualify as a town. It’s a place whose enduring existence stems only from having its own post office...

The Yale Post Office served as our control. We signed a post card and dropped it into the mail, had a few snacks before shoving off to our next destination. Of so I thought. Dean, Ian and I rode for 10 miles before we realized Ron wasn’t with us. I kept thinking he should catch us any moment as we soft-pedaled most of the distance.

We sat at a stop sign for a few minutes waiting for Ron. When he didn’t arrive; worry set in. Did something happen? About this time Ian mentioned that he stayed behind at the Yale post office getting Jim Romer set up for the ride. Jim rode the Tappahannock 200k brevet on Saturday and arrived in Winsdsor just after we took off. Within the next few miles, Jim and Ron caught us.

Along the route we witnessed hundreds of vultures. The American Black Vulture is a social animal and hunts in packs. Though they most often eat dead or lame animals, lately they have been known to attack family pets and small children in Virginia. YIKES.

Rambling through the countryside, lunch in Waverly. The next area is some of the best riding in southeastern Virginia. In the center of this area is the village of Claremont on the James River. The area includes several rolling hills along the river and beautiful scenery on the bluffs. This terrain continues until Surry.

In Surry, Dean and I decided to wait for the other riders at a store. We topped off water, dawned reflective materials and waited. The sun was gone and the temperatures dropped quickly. I remembered that I had some foot warmers in my bag and decided that this would be a good opportunity to test them.

We headed out of Surry with lights and rode the last 30 miles as a group. Ron and I literally blazed the way with Edelux LED lights. Wow, impressive. I’m certain that oncoming traffic thought we were cars. I’m almost certain that the dogs on this stretch were either too cold to chase or to freaked out by the lights.

This is a great route in an otherwise flat area of the country.

Winter Riding

Sure, I'm riding but not outside as much as I would like or should. It is the pre-rando season and time to build base. The miles now will pay off in a few months. Of course I haven't followed this recipe to the letter. I have been doing rides on the trainer with plenty of intervals and trying to get at least 1 long ride 3 - 5 hours outside every weekend. Better than nothing right?

In a few weeks, Feb 7th, a few randonneurs in the area tentatively plan to ride Ron M.'s Nottoway Ramble permanent in the Surry County area of southern VA. Yes, the same area where Michael Vick's home for dog fighting. The area is nice with a few rolling hills perfect for a winter ride.

If you are interested in joining us for a day in the saddle, please let me know.

Chris Horner Visits Virginia Beach

CHRIS HORNER

Upon the conclusion of Team Astana's Tenerife training camp, PRO cyclist Chris Horner stopped in the new Bike Beat in Virginia Beach for a talk.

Chris is a down to Earth dude. While not as popular as some racers, has won nearly every race in the United States during his career. Chris is currently riding for the Astana Pro Cycling team as a very strong domestique. He said he enjoys the role and is paid generously to help riders like Contador, Leipheimer and now LA. These are some of the best if not the best riders in the world.

Chris talked about his career from racing in the Juniors to his present gig. He said the arrival of LA in camp was amazing. He said the team was organized last year but LA brings another level of professionalism and motivation.

When asked about the relationship between Contador and the rest of the team, he said it will be interesting. Horner mentioned that Contador lost much respect from the team after the comments he made about Leipheimer after the Vuelta. Levi placed 2nd as a domestique riding in support of Contador (rare).

Horner said it was very obvious who would lead the team in 2009 and there was no doubt in his mind that LA would win the Giro and the Tour if he races.

New Permanent on the Virginia eastern shore

I received a message from Dean earlier telling me about a new permanent on Virginia's eastern shore. This is fantastic news for Randonneurs in the Tidewater area!

The ride description on the RUSA website states, "Quiet, flat, rural, quaint towns of the Eastern Shore of Virginia." RUSA also lists the total elevation at 500 ft. Having ridden the roads of the eastern shore I will vouch for the term flat. The wind of the Tidewater area often makes up for the lack of hills. Eastern Shore Permanent owner Keith Sutton writes, "It is ALWAYS windy on the Eastern Shore."

I can't wait to take on this route in the coming months. You can read Keith's description here.

2008 Tappahannock 200k

Three Randonneurs gathered at Ashland Coffee and Tea to register for the 2008 edition of the Tappahannock 200K. After registration and a quick latte, Paul D., Dean F. and I were on the road to Tappahannock, VA.

It started out chilly but weatherman promised temperatures near the 70s with variable winds (read: headwinds all day…kinda). It turned out to be a truly beautiful day for riding a bicycle.

For the first 15 miles or so, we took turns at the front, until the first confusion of the day. Up a hill and Paul took off on a right turn. Dean and I slowed a little to check out the cue sheet. The road sign turned out to be on the wrong side of the road. Paul was correct and he was a few miles in front of us by now. We would only see him for a few seconds near the first control.

We rode without incident until shortly after the first control. The cue sheet and the road signs did not match up. We zigged instead of zagging and continued on route 616 for 5 about 5 miles and decided that we were wrong. Turning around with NO motivation, we made our way back to the intersection of confusion and continued on course for several miles.

Another short setback due to confusing directions left us an hour behind schedule. Not a crisis but we wouldn’t make it back before dark. We made it to the Tappahannock control at Java Joes and wasted no time. We got our cards signed and headed to a convenience store down the road to top off supplies.

The next control is about 25 miles from Tappahannock in a village called Sparta. The road to Sparta would take us through swarms of ladybugs, gnats and spiders. Someone forgot to tell these small critters it’s November. Riding with an open pie hole would guarantee a meal pleasing to Bear Grylls.

At one point I looked down at my shorts counting 7 ladybugs tagging along for the ride. Strings of silk were randomly floating in mid-air, the small spiders looking for a quick meal.

After the Sparta control, we would ride through my favorite part of this ride, a tour through farm roads past Collins Pond. We pushed through this area at a brisk pace but I had to stop at the pond for some photos. This section of the route takes away all of the frustration of the bonus miles earlier in the day.

The cue sheet stated 127 miles. After140 miles, we were greeted by ROMA RBA Matt Settle and Dean’s wife. All three riders were in and brevets earned.

The Showdown @ Black Creek 200k

The days trip to Black Creek, NC began in north Raleigh where many of the usual suspect gathered. When I arrived on the scene, Mike D. and Dean were already unloaded and were doing a final check of gear. A short while later, Jerry arrived with the coffee and Branson brought the chocolate au pain (I think). This was a perfect start to a great day in the saddle.

The only concern was the weatherman's accuracy. The rain pelted the area most of the night. The day would prove to be cold and breezy; a few scattered sprinkles. Nothing for Randonneurs to fret.

The other riders arrived, Byron had a pastry and we were off. The ride started and ended with 10 miles of rollers. I felt last weeks run on every single incline. I dropped off the back early and rode most of the day with Dean. We wouldn't see the other riders until we were outside of Black Creek.

Stories of the desolation in Black Creek were way off. On Saturday, there was a festival on Main. People were everywhere with their hot rods and tractors. Some wore costumes (very tall cowboy). A country & western band performed in the town's gazebo. Dean and I didn't waste any time. We got our cards signed and were off.

We found le peleton finishing a biscuit or two at Bojangles and rode to the next control together -- mostly. A quick regroup and a snack and we were off. This theme continued for the next 40 miles. Riding - regroup. The group was splintered by strong pulling in the wind! I fell off on a long uphill and rode solo for a while. I looked at my clock when I hit the century mark and was motivated. I was making great time and riding strong. Until I wasn't.

New theme: "I feel strong...until I'm not." This makes me chuckle because when the energy runs out, it takes a while to figure out exactly what happened and a while longer to do something about it. It is a feeling of helplessness.

The next regroup was at the Sheetz 10 miles from the finish. The lead group was sitting in the outside cafe seating sipping lattes. Perfect, I gulped down a cup of coffee while we awaited the other riders.

Like I mentioned in the begining, the last 10 miles of this ride roll right up to the finish. I found myself riding alone for the last few miles of the day. I would also finished with the...ahemmm, distinguished honor of Lantern Rouge.








Stats:
125 miles
Moving time: 8:26
Stopped time: 1:18
Total: 9:45

Road 2 Recovery Ride -- Day 2 and Day 3

I met Kevin on the road outside my house on Saturday morning for the 15-mile ride to Little Creek. We left early enough with the promise of free breakfast before the day’s event. A blustery headwind greeted us as we headed north along the Atlantic Ocean. Even with the wind, it was close to my quickest time for the route.

Jeff from the USO did not let us down. When we walked into the gym, there was a nice spread of chow waiting. With an hour to kill, we mingled and waited for all of the riders to file in. Riders of all ability levels began arriving for registration. Half dozen Marines from Yorktown were given full kits and borrowed bicycles from R2R. None of the Marines had ridden any real distance in their lives [they did 60]. On Monday, learned that my buddy Jimmy actually built them at Contes. Thanks Jimmy!

After some introductions and the standard safety brief [something regarding speed and spacing] we headed towards the VB Oceanfront and down to the Contes at Redmill. This leg of the ride was enjoyable as the winds were in our favor. It actually felt like sailing, I’m not sure I did too much peddling. I knew that we would eventually have to earn our lunch.

We took a break at Contes and were off for a tour of the Pungo farmland in Virginia Beach. Winding around the creeks and farms we eventually reached Creeds and began heading north to the Pungo Ferry Bridge. This is where the ride started getting difficult for many riders.

A pattern of riding and slowing to pick up stragglers began shortly after the bridge. We would ride then the motor escorts would slow us to a crawl for a ½ mile or so keeping the group together. This routine would continue for the next 30 miles.

We finally reached NAS Oceana and the chili cook off. NO, we didn’t have any chili but they only give out Dixie cups any way. We were offered our choice of chow from one of the vendors. I devoured a chicken wrap and some nachos. WOW, there is no shortage of chow on this tour.

The number of riders began thinning at Oceana. The Marines and several other riders were dun. I bailed out as the ride passed near my house. Overall, the ride took us 80 miles.

SUNDAY

Sunday began very similar. I rode by Kevin’s house and we once again rode hard to breakfast. We mingled and awaited our safety brief. The day’s route would take us 40 miles through downtown Norfolk, on to the Naval Station for lunch and return to Little Creek.

I decided to ride the COHO today and that brought some good conversation. I talked to USA Today reprter Sal Rubial about cycling in Virginia and France. He has ridden several tour routes and has covered the tour several times. We discussed Paris-Breast-Paris and both of us have the desire to ride it in the future. I’m sure I’ll see Sal on one or two brevets in the next few years. There’s less than 3 years until the next PBP.

Sunday also brought out another newbie cyclist, John. He dawned a kit, was fitted for a bicycle and we were off. John finished the ride. He mentioned at lunch that he had never hit the wall as bad as he did on Sunday AM. He also mentioned that he was helped with some pushing from other riders over more than 1 bridge. Good job John!

Actor Mike Vogel lead the way for the first leg of the ride and screamed his best rendition of Axel Rose for the first few miles. Look out Axel!

Once back on Little Creek, JW, decided to showcase a little speed. With around 1 mile to the finish, Sal and another rider had about a ½ mile lead on the pack. Our pace began picking up and JW clicked his shifter twice. Here we go. I shifted a couple times and was surprised I was able to hang. We rounded the final corner and JW put down the hammer. The acceleration was quick. I felt like I was watching from a stand still. FUN!

The R2R is a class act. It gets the wounded warriors out of the hospital and on the street. It gives them a purpose and a goal. The project also introduces cycling to active duty military that might not have the means to try the sport of cycling. I talked to a few of the Marines that were on the ride and they were planning to purchase bicycles in the very near future.

A huge thanks to John Wordin (JW) from R2R and Jeff Hill from the USO for putting together a class ‘experiment.’
----SEMPER FI.