DC Randonneurs 300K Brevet
Little known to the mainstream cycling world is an odd sub-culture of ubber-cyclists called 'Randonneurs' - which is French for 'You ride how freaking far?'Randonneurs bike year round but go easy during the colder months of the year with casual rides of only 200 kilometers (125 miles). As the temperatures rise through spring, they increase to 300 and 400 kilometers.
Once they are sufficiently lightheaded from all this excessive mileage, they take delight in their June outing of 600 kilometers (375 miles). Oh, and did I mention, there are always at least a few mountain crossings on every ride ?
Given this level of 'enthusiasm' for cycling, it's not suprising that Bill 'Million Mile' Smith is attracted to these recreational anomalies and rides with them on occassion. Here are some pics from their 198 mile ride on May 5th.
You can see a description of the ride here:
http://www.dcrand.org/rt_desc/month_brevet.html#may_5_300k
Bill leaving the ride start at 5:03 AM
Bill and his cohort Alex on the road in Thurmont
Rolling into the finish at 8:34 PM after more than 15 hours on the bike
( OK, so maybe the same joke isn't as funny the 2nd time . . . )