This one doesn't really need a chronological blow-by-blow. Just notes and some photos instead.
Start line scene:
I think this might have been the first velomobile I've seen on a domestic brevet. The rider peeled off at some point and I didn't see them again after that.
Early sections along the coast were lovely. I think I saw 100% more coast on this brevet compared to the Providence 200k, simply due to differences in the weather. The weather couldn't possibly have been more different between the two rides. I couldn't help thinking that if S had come along, there would have been a couple of extra delays for him to go jump in the ocean. I would not have minded.![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bluepapercup says New Hampshire has something like 16 miles of coastline, total. I think we probably saw all of it, and it was all wonderful. Here's the one photo I took that doesn't do the scenery any justice:
Boats, beaches, sand, surfers, beachside boardwalks, coffeeshops, and cafes galore. Vacationland!
Random fancy bridge:
I wound up riding with two other randonneurs, A and G, who were moving at a similar pace to me - something we all collectively figured out around the time we all reached the first control, at Nubble Lighthouse:
Sadly we did not get to climb up inside of the fresnel lens on this one.
One thing that I appreciated about riding with A and G: G declared that he had figured out some time ago that it is a good idea to not get too worked up over how fast one is going. It's a bicycle ride, after all. So they were both willing to humor me when I wanted to stop and get a photo out in front of the Maine Wedding Cake House. And throughout the ride, we were willing to patiently stop when needed, but generally kept going, too. It is pleasing when the pacing is pleasant.
Not pictured: any of the New England barns we went past. I'd never seen barns in that style before, where the barn is attached to the farmhouse. Lots of wonderful scenic ones.
This control had an absolutely delicious, nutritionally bankrupt chocolate chip muffin for sale, which I gobbed right up.
Also some very Maine things:
Lobstah rolls and lobster float-shaped birdhouses. Yup, Maine.
Portland controle:
Friends and I have joked about Portland, Maine for so long that it was highly entertaining to finally reach it. Equally full of hipsters and bicycles*. I visited Portland very briefly with a friend back in college, but I have hardly any memories of the place. My chief memory is of a lot of beautiful, well-made handmade goods. Along one stage of the brevet, we passed along a main street where people were setting up for some form of crafts fair, so I did get to verify that indeed, Maine is still full of people making beautiful, well-made handmade goods. While Maine isn't Washington, it still strikes me as a downright pleasant place.
The return trip largely followed US Bicycle Route 1, which was also fun.
I appreciated the coastal scenery on the ride up, plus the gentle rolling hills further inland on the ride back. Someone described many of the roads as "green tunnels." They aren't quite as narrow as the green tunnels in England, but they were still mighty fine, and helped reduce the impact of the wind, which seemed to be mostly a headwind regardless of which direction we turned. Another reason to be grateful for ride companionship: we could take turns pulling and drafting.
A section of about 8 miles of the route was on hardpacked dirt paths. This portion, through the Scarborough Marsh, reminded me slightly of some of the riding that S and I did in the San Francisco Bay:
Also kind of similar to the feeling one gets from certain stretches in the Sacramento River Delta. A good feeling.
Things I need to remember/check on for next time:
-knee warmers
-headlamp
-put fresh batteries into the handlebar auxiliary light so I don't have to deal with it while out on the road (this time I just didn't use it, but the extra light would have been helpful on some of the nighttime descents)
-dried apricots
-a consideration: carry backup reflective ankle bands?
I am fairly certain that almost everyone thought I was completely nuts to be carrying a full pannier on the ride. I didn't think it was all that bad, though. But maybe that's because I'm accustomed to commuting with a bunch of stuff.
I really want to shop for some of those Shimano bike sandals. I wore my everyday Born shoes, because my most recent bike shoes put my feet at a really awkward/bad angle on platform pedals.
And that is all.
*I don't actually know this for sure. We crossed over the bridge in the background, and this park is the extent of what we actually saw of Portland.
Start line scene:
I think this might have been the first velomobile I've seen on a domestic brevet. The rider peeled off at some point and I didn't see them again after that.
Early sections along the coast were lovely. I think I saw 100% more coast on this brevet compared to the Providence 200k, simply due to differences in the weather. The weather couldn't possibly have been more different between the two rides. I couldn't help thinking that if S had come along, there would have been a couple of extra delays for him to go jump in the ocean. I would not have minded.
bluepapercup says New Hampshire has something like 16 miles of coastline, total. I think we probably saw all of it, and it was all wonderful. Here's the one photo I took that doesn't do the scenery any justice:Boats, beaches, sand, surfers, beachside boardwalks, coffeeshops, and cafes galore. Vacationland!
Random fancy bridge:
I wound up riding with two other randonneurs, A and G, who were moving at a similar pace to me - something we all collectively figured out around the time we all reached the first control, at Nubble Lighthouse:
Sadly we did not get to climb up inside of the fresnel lens on this one.
One thing that I appreciated about riding with A and G: G declared that he had figured out some time ago that it is a good idea to not get too worked up over how fast one is going. It's a bicycle ride, after all. So they were both willing to humor me when I wanted to stop and get a photo out in front of the Maine Wedding Cake House. And throughout the ride, we were willing to patiently stop when needed, but generally kept going, too. It is pleasing when the pacing is pleasant.
Not pictured: any of the New England barns we went past. I'd never seen barns in that style before, where the barn is attached to the farmhouse. Lots of wonderful scenic ones.
This control had an absolutely delicious, nutritionally bankrupt chocolate chip muffin for sale, which I gobbed right up.
Also some very Maine things:
Lobstah rolls and lobster float-shaped birdhouses. Yup, Maine.
Portland controle:
Friends and I have joked about Portland, Maine for so long that it was highly entertaining to finally reach it. Equally full of hipsters and bicycles*. I visited Portland very briefly with a friend back in college, but I have hardly any memories of the place. My chief memory is of a lot of beautiful, well-made handmade goods. Along one stage of the brevet, we passed along a main street where people were setting up for some form of crafts fair, so I did get to verify that indeed, Maine is still full of people making beautiful, well-made handmade goods. While Maine isn't Washington, it still strikes me as a downright pleasant place.
The return trip largely followed US Bicycle Route 1, which was also fun.
I appreciated the coastal scenery on the ride up, plus the gentle rolling hills further inland on the ride back. Someone described many of the roads as "green tunnels." They aren't quite as narrow as the green tunnels in England, but they were still mighty fine, and helped reduce the impact of the wind, which seemed to be mostly a headwind regardless of which direction we turned. Another reason to be grateful for ride companionship: we could take turns pulling and drafting.
A section of about 8 miles of the route was on hardpacked dirt paths. This portion, through the Scarborough Marsh, reminded me slightly of some of the riding that S and I did in the San Francisco Bay:
Also kind of similar to the feeling one gets from certain stretches in the Sacramento River Delta. A good feeling.
Things I need to remember/check on for next time:
-knee warmers
-headlamp
-put fresh batteries into the handlebar auxiliary light so I don't have to deal with it while out on the road (this time I just didn't use it, but the extra light would have been helpful on some of the nighttime descents)
-dried apricots
-a consideration: carry backup reflective ankle bands?
I am fairly certain that almost everyone thought I was completely nuts to be carrying a full pannier on the ride. I didn't think it was all that bad, though. But maybe that's because I'm accustomed to commuting with a bunch of stuff.
I really want to shop for some of those Shimano bike sandals. I wore my everyday Born shoes, because my most recent bike shoes put my feet at a really awkward/bad angle on platform pedals.
And that is all.
*I don't actually know this for sure. We crossed over the bridge in the background, and this park is the extent of what we actually saw of Portland.
