We watched the weather all week. Early on, I said if it was raining at 6AM, I'd roll over and go back to sleep. That's me, a dedicated Randonneur. Fortune would smile upon us. It was clear and I arrived uncharacteristically early to the start.
We rolled at 8 after taking the Secret Randonneuring Oath, which is a morally and legally binding contract. The solemn ritual completed, we mounted our trusty steeds. Not too far into the ride, Jim noticed his derailleur was rubbing. New bike, cable stretch. Some fellow randos stopped and looked for pliers in their kit-no luck. We kept on. Jim's back was hurting, so in addition to the extra resistance, it was painful to pedal. Jim regretfully threw in the towel and Kurt and I rode on.
Descending Tesla, I heard a bang and an "oh, shit!" From Kurt. I stopped and turned around tentatively. Kurt was okay, but had a front blow out. We used his last tube. My pump didn't seem to be working right. He couldn't find his CO2 thinger (technical cycling term).
What to do? Call Jim! No reception. I rode back up the hill in search of reception. Yay! Tesla repeats!! Nothing at the top. Damn you, AT&T. I descended to the first driveway and reached Jim.
We made a plan and up Tesla I rode to relay the info to Kurt. Near the top, I got waved down by a truck. Kurt was in the passenger seat. He had trudged to the top and then hitched a ride. I gave them the driveway address where I had had reception and we waited for Jim there.
24 miles and 2100 feet of elevation, great company and post ride beers a little earlier than we thought. We didn't do the 200k but it was a great day anyway.
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