It was early. Really, really early. But of course I can never sleep well the night before a brevet anyways, so I was awake before my alarm went off at 3:30am. After fixing a nice strong coffee I checked the weather; 4ºC with nasty winds from the the west. Not the best news but at least it meant a tailwind in the morning. That also meant bad headwinds halfway through the ride, on the way back home. I gulped down my coffee and oatmeal, threw on an extra layer of merino on top and was out into the darkness. I laughed a bit riding on my way to the start line, passing everyone as they were getting out of the bars, wandering around the dimly lit streets.
At the start everyone was dressed in toques, mitts and green day-glow jackets. I felt a bit under dressed, but I thought I would warm up once the ride was underway. I was wrong. My hands and feet were numb already. Once we began, the pace was fairly fast as the wind was at our backs and we all wanted to warm up. About half an hour into the ride the sun started to rise above the horizon and I could feel its heat slowly seep into my bones. The clear skies made for a magnificent ride in the rolling farmland, all the birds joining in chorus around us. Unfortunately nature was also calling me, and I dropped out of the lead group to answer. I like wearing bib shorts, but this was not one of those times. Enough said.
Back on track I was alone for a bit, but I needed to make up some lost time and was trucking along. Slowly I was making up ground, catching up to some familiar faces. Heading towards the Vermont border we had the roads all to ourselves, rolling along, spinning and grinning the whole time. This particular brevet has some of the most beautiful scenery of all the rides, from undulating apple orchards to steep Laurentian climbs. Ancient stone fences appeared, dappled with morning light, spring life abounding just beyond. The first checkpoint was 100km in, a welcome stop to fill with water and chow down a quick sandwich. The orchards and meadows started to give way to denser and woodland groves and brisk blue skies. I was still wearing the same amount of layers (short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, light merino top and gilet, and bib shorts) and I still hadn’t warmed up much since the morning. Steep climbs and accents gave way to more river valleys with overgrown timber stands. The route turned away from the Vermont border and we headed more inland, which meant only one thing; goodbye tailwinds, hello headwind. My style went from clipping along at mid 30’s to around 15km/hr quite quickly. My energy was quickly drained and I felt my legs start to burn. A couple more mountain passes and my spirits were at an all time low. With about 15 km left people were passing me left and right. It took all I had to roll into the next checkpoint. The heavy winds were giving me a headache, so I quickly dragged myself into the nearest grocery store, bought a coffee and devoured lunch. Slowly I could feel the warmth return to my body and the caffeine awaken my senses again. My wife even sent a text with a few words of encouragement, which helped immensely. I was half way done and I still had 200km to go.
At least now with a little food and energy coursing through me I was back on the bike in a positive note. Coming out of town I ran into a friend, which really helped boost my outlook on the ride even more. I was a renewed randonneur! Its funny how fast things can turn around. The winds didn’t seems to bother me as much and I was flying. Checkpoint three seemed like a breeze to reach and I jumped back on my bike. It was bitter sweet though as I knew that if I took a right turn I would be back in Montreal in about 40kms, but our route was taking us back into the mountains, for another 150km, the long way around. I had to take a few breathers along the next few hours, just to take it all in and give the legs a quick rest. I knew the sun would be setting soon, so I put my head down and put myself into a bit of a cycling daze. I was starting to get a bit lonely as I had been riding solo most of the day, about 16 hours so far. I always find it a bit more comforting to ride with someone and chat to make the miles go by faster. Alas, I was leapfrogging a couple of groups all day, with minimal human contact.
With about 2.5 hours left I arrived at checkpoint 4, a Tim Hortons, in the dark. There were a few riders there, getting their fill and resting their tired bodies. I definitely had the thousand yard stare going on until the coffee took a hold of me. Fatigue was a definite factor for everyone at this point. AS more riders came in I know I had to get back on the road and get the brevet under my belt. With lights on, wind up and head down I was off into the brisk night air. It was pure four lane riding the rest of the way into town, with a nice wide shoulder at least. Belting out some vintage blues music seemed to help me stay awake and pass the time. The city lights drew closer and closer until the glowing suburbs started to light my way to the finish. I actually think my pace increased the last hour until I could see the welcoming neon sign of the last checkpoint. I had made it, after 19 hours on the bike. It felt great to see some fellow riders awaiting me at the finish, with red and white flashing lights a blaze. Unfortunately I still had about 12 km to go to get back home from the finish.
It was a bit ironic passing all the same people headed out to the parties and bars again as I had passed earlier in the morning. All I wanted was a hot shower and warm bed. The dancing and celebrating could wait until tomorrow.
Three brevets down, one more to go to qualify for the Paris-Brest-Paris. That’s when the celebrating will really start.
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