200k - Sunday 03/25/2007, Westfield, MA An early start to the brevet series. Off to Westfield for the Spring 200. It snowed the night before, a bit more than a dusting, not enough to dampen our spirits. Phil and Christine pick me up and Petr snaps this shot right before we leave. 5 minutes later we were back, as I had left my bike shoes at home. Small details that could have ruined the day. The route, a figure 8 with Westfield a the middle point, has been switched around. Due to heavier snow than in Eastern Mass, we will loop the southern portion into Connecticut first, hoping that by the time we loop the northern part, the day will warm up and melt the snow. Our hopes will be shattered, temps not much higher than 32°F for the entire day! We made new friends: Larry Powers from CT, all clad in orange (hence the nickname Agent Orange), with his beautiful (orange!!) Rivendell bike, and Doctor Mike, a rookie randonneur and ER doctor, who is taking a leave of absence from work to cycle from Florida to California, doing brevets as he goes along to qualify for PBP.Quiet rural roads, very scenic landscape - if only I had time and strength to take it all in - and quite a few challenging climbs. This brevet had it all. |
