Batsto 200k rando pre-ride 4.21.2022

I pre-rode my buddy Rick's 200k route to check out the navigation cues for his upcoming brevet, open to all registered randonneurs next Saturday April 30, when I will be a volunteer working one of the controls.

I rode basically that same course during the brevet with a lot of other randos back in 2019, the last time it was held before Covid-19 (I think). It was also the last time I rode such a distance, and I wanted to see if I could still do it. Things went pretty well; I felt satisfaction that my body was still up to it. I did find myself shaking my fist and cursing the double-digit winds, especially late in the ride when the Hammonton blueberry fields I was riding thru provided no shelter. And early on my fingers went a bit numb; the earlier forecasts showed 46F at my start time, but at ride time the thermometer read 37F and my hands were under-dressed for at least the first hour.

My end-of-ride reward was a most welcome bowl of chili and a beer at the start/finish of the route, the Lower Bank Tavern, owned by a randonneur, Bill Reagan, who graciously allowed me to park my car there for the day.

Solo, on the Spesh Roubaix.

Course map, elevation profile and pics here:

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/87809432

Batsto 200k randonneur brevet 4.06.2019

4.18.19
As planned, I rode the Batsto 200k brevet on Saturday 4/06/19.
Drove there via the AC Expressway with the wipers on intermittent setting, and arrived at Lower Bank by the Mullica in the misty gloaming around 0645. We were sent off from the Lower Bank Tavern, 1.7 miles away (due to parking concerns), at 0730.

The weather got nice and I had a decent day on the bike with no cramping (dosing regularly with Saltstick capsules and Advil), riding alone mostly, and besting last year's time by well over an hour. A lot of that was the lack of a serious headwind this year, for which I was grateful. My total time put me 2/3 down the list of 65 finishers, and I was satisfied with that, considering that I thought I might end up being last rider in. There were 4 DNFs.

My newly-acquired Garmin Edge 820 had the route downloaded to it, but somehow got confused, and I had to choose Stop Navigation in order to get rid of the Make U-Turn message. However, a few miles later somehow it recognized I was still on course, and picked right up again, tracking the whole ride and giving me a nice file to download. I am still trying to figure out the device.

Oh, and I fell once. Came up to a blind intersection where I had the Stop sign and the cross traffic did not, and thought I'd be able to roll thru the country crossroads. Got deep into the corner and saw a fast-coming pickup, so I turned back and hit the brakes, but could not un-clip the left pedal in time and fell on that side. Embarrassed but unhurt, I got up quickly as if it never happened, of course.