[RBW] 300k ride report: Samuel Hillborne still rules

[C Sharp]

Lovely report Bill! You’re inspiring to get on my own Sam and do a brevet over 
here in New York!

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[RBW] 300k ride report: Samuel Hillborne still rules

[William deRosset]

Hi, all,

First, congratulations Bill!

It is certainly worth a try, all you 200k you tire kickers. 

My first brevet was a 300k. I knew I had been served up with a nice Brown sauce 
when I found myself riding with Bob Fourney, RAAM champion, turning myself 
inside-out, and realizing that he was holding back for the difficulties to 
come. I bonked, lost my cue sheet, had to follow a faster group over the last 
100k to find the course, and had a ball.

I am still not a prolific randonneur, but have managed to finish a super 
randonneur series, PBP, and have had a ball generating a few permanents to 
inspire the intrepid here on the northern Front Range of Colorado. 

Come on out! A 200k is a century plus a bit. Nothing special but an achievement 
of distinction.

Note: I have ridden a few brevets on Grant Petersen design machines. I prefer 
slightly different bikes these days, but Lon Haldeman, Henry Kingman, and the 
many others who have piloted a Rivendell machine on a 1200k or longer ride, 
finishing with distinction and an American style, cannot be too far wrong.




Cheers,

Will
William M deRosset
RUSA 2401
Fort Collins, CO

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[RBW] 300k ride report: Samuel Hillborne still rules

[RichS]

Congratulations! Nicely done Bill! Thank you for taking the time to put 
together an enjoyable and inspiring ride report.

Best,
Richard

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[RBW] 300k ride report: Samuel Hillborne still rules

[Bob K.]

Nice, Bill! Hoping to do my first 200K this year on my revamped ‘09 orange Sam. 
Thanks for the additional inspiration! Have a link to the route or gps track? 
I’m always curious how the rides out west compare to the rollers in MD.

Bob K. in Baltimore

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[RBW] 300k ride report: Samuel Hillborne still rules

[Tony DeFilippo]

I think your ride reporting is improving and it was already great.  I'm ready 
to go sign up for a 200k!

When this rando series is complete you should do a retrospective all the way 
back to your 200x10 self challenge last summer.

Tony

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[RBW] 300k ride report: Samuel Hillborne still rules

[Deacon Patrick]

Fantastic, Bill! Well done, and a tip a’ me plaid cycling tammy to you!

With abandon,
Patrick

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[RBW] 300k ride report: Samuel Hillborne still rules

[Bill Lindsay]

This past weekend I rode the Sky Londa 300k brevet with Santa Cruz 
Randonneurs.  I rode my 56cm, single top tube, cantilever-brake, orange 
Samuel Hillborne.  Executive summary: the ride went great.  The bike did 
perfectly.  I'm hoping to do my 400k in two weeks.  

Bike details: I ran 700x35 Compass Bon Jon Pass (standard) tires.  HED 
Belgium wheels.  SP dynamo.  1x9 drivetrain 42x(11-32).  Loyal designs 
handlebar bag.  VO fenders.  

The ride started at 6:00AM Saturday morning at the Santa Cruz Lighthouse.  
I set my alarm for 2:45, and started driving at 3:40.  I parked near the 
finish and rode to the start, just on time.  It was raining quite hard, 
which discouraged some starters apparently, as there were only 8 of us at 
the start. Fortunately it was not cold all day. Santa Cruz Randonneurs is a 
small but prestigious chapter of RUSA; prestigious because they are led by 
RUSA #7 Bill Bryant and RUSA #8 Lois Springstein, both of whom having 
served as RUSA president (I'm #6551).  I had done a version of this course 
in 15 hours on the dot a few years ago, and I had the goal to cut a 
significant amount off that time.  Despite the heavy rain I was determined 
to settle into a brisk but sustainable pace.  I figured out pretty quickly 
that the other 7 riders were content to take a more slow-and-steady 
approach, so I went out alone off the front.  The rain and wind were both 
pretty severe.  Big, heavy raindrops just soaked everything, and the 
headwind was as strong as locals know to expect from the coast.  The course 
followed the course North as the skies started to get lighter.  The first 
welcome sidetrack off of coastal Hwy 1 went along Gazos Creek Road.  A tiny 
narrow canyon with a very vigorously flowing creek.  The rain began to let 
up as I entered the canyon, and I was completely alone.  No cars or people 
at all.  It was beautiful, and I stopped for a selfie:

Flickr Link to Gazos Creek Selfie 


I started riding again but was distracted by how beautiful everything 
wasso much so that I didn't notice the fallen tree in the road.  I saw 
it at the last moment but still crashed into it.  It wasn't a bad crash but 
a branch whacked my chin pretty good, and I was bleeding.  I was mostly 
thankful that nobody saw me, because it was an embarrassing move, like 
hitting a parked car or something.  I took inventory and meekly continued.  
The first control was in the tiny town of Pescadero (mile 34).  I grabbed a 
coffee at the cafe, which has a couple character pieces that remind me of 
Riv whenever I'm there: they sell and play vinyl records, and they have a 
hat-rack stocked with vintage baseball gloves for sale.  It's a cute spot.  

Flickr Link to Pescadero Control 


At a 'control' you have to prove you were there, on time, so you typically 
get a printed receipt.  This cafe didn't print receipts so we hand-wrote 
one on a business card.  While we were figuring that out two other Randos 
rolled up, both on traditional road bikes.  One was a titanium Seven, and 
the other was a steel SOMA.  We said hello, but I was soon on my way.  It 
was still raining but very lightly.  The course returned to Hwy 1 and 
continued North briefly before turning back inland for the first 
siginificant climb into the redwoods.  At the end of Purisma Creek Road 
there was an "info control" (mile 51).  The club posted a plastic sign high 
on a post with "SCR" on the top line and a three digit code on the bottom 
line.  You have to find the sign and write the code on your brevet card to 
prove you were there.  I moved on and finished the climb and had a very fun 
descent back to Hwy 1 and hit the nothernmost point of the route at the 
"Easy Mart" in Half Moon Bay (mile 64).  At this point I was feeling 
great.  This was the farthest North I'd be.  This was the farthest from my 
car I would be.  The wind would blow me to the south for the rest of the 
day.  I knew this was going to be totally do-able.  

Flickr Link to the Easy Mart 


Southbound AT SPEED was really fun. Cruising along easily at ~21mph was 
pretty great.  The Bon Jon Pass tires at ~45psi were just singing.  At mile 
75 I turned back inland on La Honda Road for the biggest climb of the day, 
up to Sky Londa.  In the flatter lower section of the climb, a ladybug 
landed on my GPS and rode along for the entire climb.  Freeloader!  
Stowaway!

Link to Instagram movie of ladybug (hopefully) 


My 1x9 drivetrain did fantastic all day.  I had everything I needed, 
nothing I didn't, and the steps between never struck me as too large.  If 
you asked me to throw away one of the 9 gears, I would have ditched the 
11.  The grades only got over 10% for brief periods so my 36" low gear was 
plenty low enough. I never wanted