Last month, I completed a 200k. It was a permanent route, my own in fact, and it was pretty uneventful. I rode with John, as I have so many times before. It was rather cold, which made it different than other rides. But it was sunny, the route was nice and quiet, and despite being practically catastrophically out of shape, it was a fantastic day on the bike. Many, many times throughout the day, I caught myself thinking, “this is soooo niiiice.” We encountered very few cars, and even fewer riders; only one other cyclist did we see on Mount Tam, and it happened to be another Box Dog customer, judging by the water bottles and frame. We got to go to my favorite brewpub at the finish and toss back a bit less than a pint (those dang artful brewpubs!), eat a fancy empanada, and go home for a shower. Here are some pictures.
TTFN,SF
base of railroad grade
mmmm forest at dawn on Tam
adjusting layers on Old Railroad Grade
West Point Inn
Bronze model of Mount Tam
Top of Mount Tam visitor area
cold, cold sunlight
Alpine Dam is spilling
Little Free Library in Samuel P. Taylor campground
Black Mountain off to the left
Nicasio Reservoir, also full to spilling
Marshall wall inches closer, farmland is utterly at peace today
not likely driving while texting
at least it’s warm on the climb
1000 shades of green
Mount Tam and Black Mountain align with the top of Marshall wall
the new cockpit
tip of the hat to another excellent year in rando adventuring
This ride wasn’t remarkable in any way except it was the 60th consecutive 200k or greater I’ve completed, beginning with my very first brevet to the Point Reyes Light House in January 2012. Yay for me! Whoop de doo! Next month, the series will continue. I hope. As I’ve said before, I never take randonneuring for granted. But I like doing the R-12s, because these days, being consistent seems more of an interesting challenge to me than being fast. I’ve always preferred having a good time to getting a good time, and that’s what I’ve done. In the past few years, I’ve really worked on finishing with a smile on my face, and I look forward to continuing that trend. But who knows? Everything changes. I might get faster and enjoy my rides, fancy that! If I do, you’ll surely read about it here on mmmmbike!
