During the next couple of days of riding, I slowly built up my strength, and before I knew it I was in a great daily cycling routine.  Our first rest stop on the tour was Guadalajara.  A city I had been to a few years earlier, and was eager to return to, to visit a good friend. The plan was to reach Guadalajara on day 5, and nearing the end of day 4, it appeared that we would be on target.  With at least 40 kms to go, and sunset nearing, I called Anie and let her know we would be there early the next morning.  We jumped back on the bikes and started riding, planning to camp a short dist

  For years I have wanted to go on a bike tour.  Sure in the past I have done an over night trip here and an weekend get away there, but nothing that really challenged me to adapt to a new set of parameters on the bike.  2011 was the year it all happened though.  I had had the plan for years.  

A precursory warning. Much of the following account is the dismal tale of a randonneur in the throes of sleep deprivation, mental fatigue, mild depression, and a dark urge to cause himself physical pain as a means of purging his personal demons. It is not a gentle story. It does not paint randonneuring in a p

  Lately, with the move to a new city, I have been feeling the desire to escape the hustle and bustle. With so much to see, so close, I decided to make a trip out to Steveston. I had been there before, some years ago, but it was late at night and I was working, so I never really got a feel for it. With all that in mind I grabbed a map, scouted out a rough route and hit the road.

You did the 100k Permanent and got your club recognition pin. You rode the 200k and had fun with it. The 300k is the next logical progression after the 200k, and it is a big step up in the long-distance game; while the 200k is a wee spot over a century, the 300k is just shy of a double (imperial). Depending on your speed and the time of year, this may be the first brevet where you encounter significant amounts of riding at night. You might need to carry some warm clothes for a pre-dawn start and nighttime finish. Nighttime navigation itself requires some new strategies; a helmet lamp to read cue sheets and street signs in the dark... Also helpful for nighttime flat repairs, should that misfortune strike.

I set a few goals for this randonneuring season: One, that I would ride 4000km in event distance; and another, that I would finish a Super-Randonneur as a complete series. After some early season illnesses, I'm struggling to make up distance for the 4000km goal, but the Super-Randonneur is well underway.

Everyone starts somewhere. Many of us have been riding bicycles since the days of our youth. Some never learned as a child, or had a gap and started back up later in life. For most, the desire to ride a bicycle is a simple recreational pursuit with friends and family on the weekends or a means of transportation during the work week. For many riders, 100km (a metric century, for those of us here in the States) is the big accomplishment for the summer. Assuredly, 100km is an epic ride for someone whose average weekend ride might be 50 - 60km; but there are those of us who aim to go further.

With the North American Hand Built Bicycle Show taking place last week We at BicycleSmile thought we should showcase some local talent who has not yet made it to NAHBS. Barrett Russell is a frame builder in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and we had a chance to talk with him and check out some of his work.

**We now have a look at cycling from across the Atlantic. Will Melling is our voice over in London. He was nice enough to share his thoughts and photos from the London hard court polo scene.**   Until recently I was a bike courier. Bike couriers are suspicious of journalists because over the years the journalists who write about couriers keep getting it wrong. A similar feeling seems to exist amongst bike-polo players so I'm reluctant to write much in case I annoy or alienate my polo playing friends. I don't play, I just hang around and take pictures. I'm not an expert on the game, not an expert on it's history and it's development. I asked a few players to write me with their experiences and thoughts. Not unreasonably they mostly ignored the request. Playing is the thing. These men and women love to play, four, five times a week. In the last year the number of players has got larger and the standard of play has got higher. These players are good, really good. 

Last year I wrote about Stabalizing The Stable. It was a cleanse of sorts. Taking all of the bicycles and parts I had amassed over the years and deciding what I really needed, and what I could do with out. It felt good to pass on parts to other people who actually used them. I sold a few bikes, made some cash, but more importantly I freed up space in my apartment.