The first SRCC 400 K brevet was held Saturday, May 8th. Seventeen riders left Destination RKA in Healdsburg and sixteen finished. Four SRCC riders, Barley Forsman, Bob Redmond, David Strong and Michael Zander were among the riders. There were two solo female riders, one of whom traveled from Arizona to do the ride, and there was a rider from Pasadena, and one from Reno. Each of them, and several others in the field, was using our 400 K to qualify for various 1200 K events being held later in the season. Incidentally, Barley Forsman rode the entire 400 K fixed. I don't know what gear he used but we are talking one speed fixed gear here--not a single speed, not a flip-flop rear hub with two gear choices. One gear.

Barley, inquiring minds want to know--what was your gear ratio of choice?

The course was roughly Healdsburg to Middletown, via Ukiah, east to Upper Lake on the north shore of Clear Lake, Hwy 20 down the eastern shore of Clear Lake, Old Hwy 53 most of the way to Lower Lake via Sulfur Bank Rd. and the old town of Clear Lake (a town that time has forgotten), Hwy 29 from Lower Lake to Middletown, and returned to Healdsburg via the same route in reverse. Bill Oettinger gave me the Sulfur Bank Rd. detail, which gets you off of Hwy 53 between the southeastern end of Clear Lake and almost all the way to Lower Lake on old roads (some of them very old).

The riders were required to validate their presence at several points along the route using time and date-stamped cash register receipts from markets at designated locations, and we provided one supported Controle, at a Lucerne public park on the way back. Jose Mundo ran that Controle and we had the full array of cycling food options, including hot noodles and coffee, prepared on the club's excellent new propane stove.

The riding conditions were mostly very favorable. It was foggy in the morning, but cleared as the sun came up. Temperatures were cool to pleasant, with strong winds from the northwest in the afternoon. The winds were a hindrance for the return trip up the eastern and northern shores of Clear Lake, but strangely, the wind held up after dark and into the morning to give assistance from Ukiah back to Healdsburg. The times were fast. Barley, David, and Bob, and four others finished in 15 hours and 17 minutes. 27 hours was the maximum time allowed for qualification.

Donna Emery signed in riders in the morning at the Start (she arrived at 05:00 to start working) and Bill Brand, Bill Mattinson, and Charlie Rowell checked them in at the end. The two Bills rode back to Sebastopol on their Rivendale products at the end of their shift at Midnight, and Charlie came on to stay until the last rider arrived, just a little after 2:00 AM on Sunday. Kimberly Hoffman and John Russell offered their services, but the field of riders was so fast that they weren't needed to staff the later shifts. Gordon Steward gave big help with route planning, as usual. Richard Battles and Kathy Storin again allowed us to use their business, Destination RKA, as our Start/Finish. Jose Mundo staffed the Lucerne Controle. Thank you very much for all of your cheerful support.

A Long, Long, Long Bike Ride
   or, How I Spent My Holiday Weekend

by Willy Nevin

This past weekend was my 600k. A buddy talked me into this ride after I finished the 200k, 300k and 400k in the prior two months. By completing the 600k I am now qualified to ride a 1,200k.

About 25-30 riders lined up at 6AM on Saturday for a casual day of riding. OK, a day and a half for most.

Usually these rides start off fairly briskly with most riders staying in a bunch. Eventually the group will separate into smaller groups and hopefully you will find a group that is just right for you. I did not get to find my group, as I became a gang of one when I flatted at mile 25. About 5 miles earlier another rider flatted and the rest of the group, me included, just kept riding. Being new to Brevets I was not sure if I should stop or stay with the group. It seemed like bad karma to keep going but I guess not as bad as riding the remaining 350 miles solo. Well five miles later the bad karma caught up to me as my rear tire hit a big rock, my tube blew and I was all by myself on the side of the highway.

It turns out the flat was the best thing to happen to me. As I was fixing my tire about 7 riders went by. Each asking if I needed help but I waved them off. Of course I would have been happy if they would have stopped so I would have company once I got going again. Just as I got the bike back together two riders went by so I took off after them. I caught up to them and rode with them for about 5 miles till the big 2,000 foot hill in front of us. Along this hill we ran into 5 other riders and down the other side to our first stop at mile 50ish. Pulled into a market to get fluids and ganged up with Tim, Dwayne, and Karen. We rode together for the next 30 miles to the first checkpoint at a motel. This would also be a checkpoint at mile 290 on the way back where you can grab a nap or shower if needed. Here we had a smorgasbord of biker food like M&M's, PB&J, ham sandwiches, Goo's and gels and power drink mixes.

From the motel we had 50ish miles to the next checkpoint. The three I am riding with are regulars in this area so I do not have to look at the directions which is nice. The three of us were riding VERY efficiently together. I have never ridden so far so efficiently. We caught up with 4 others so now there are 8 of us riding very well together. We are cruising along around 20-23 MPH as I think we had a decent tailwind most of the day.

We hit a few parks for water and even a great cemetery with water and bathrooms. We are out in the middle of nowhere so water and bathrooms are few and far between.

We hit the second checkpoint at mile 130ish and again have a similar choice of food and drinks. The ride was very well supported and I cannot say enough about the volunteers. You would arrive at a checkpoint and they would ask you what you wanted to eat. Then they would make it for you. Sandwich, soup, cookies, candy. All good energy biker food.

So now the four of us (Tim, Dwayne, Karen and I) are off for the next 50ish miles to the city of Davis which is the turn around. It is still in the high 80's or 90's and we are still working very well together. Tim is doing some monster pulls and our pace is up near a 20 MPH average. When I get to the front of the line I try to pull for about a mile or more then swing to the rear. By working together you only have to work hard a quarter of the time.

We get to Davis (mile 188) in just under 13 hours but probably closer to 11 hours on the bike. Our average was just under 18MPH for the 188 miles. We check in then hit a pasta restaurant for a sit down dinner. I am sure we looked a bit odd all decked out in colorful lycra. We found four seats at the bar so we would not have the 40 minute wait. We all pigged out and were back on the road around 8ish. We all put on our night riding gear which for me includes a reflective vest and ankle bands and a couple of lights up front and 2-3 red light in the rear.

We are now retracing the same route back but since it is now dark it is a completely different ride. The roads are lightly traveled and when there is traffic the rear riders will yell out "Car Back" and we all move as far right as is safe. We had zero traffic incidents. Nothing even close even thou it was a holiday weekend.

It was getting cold so we would stop here and there and put on more layers. We would even look forward to the longish steeper hills to warm us up. I thought I had brought too many clothes but with everything on I was only slightly cold.

We hit the next check point at mile 240ish where we had chili dogs, soup, coffee, another dog, a sandwich, another dog Tim???

We head out in search of the motel at mile 290ish. It is 3 AM and you can see every star in the sky. There is something very peaceful about riding at night. If you have never tried it you should.

We were all getting a little tired and colder so were looking for any 24 hour business to get coffee but the small towns were just closed up tight. We found a gas station where TK&D lined their clothes with newspaper to take the chill of the wind off.

We hit a town, I think Clearlake, and took a chance that the Jack in the Box would be open. Well believe it or not it was a 24-hour place. We lock up the bike and pile into the dinning room where it is nice and warm. Only to be told that only the drive thru is open and only to cars. No walk thru or bikes at 4:00 AM in Middle of Nowhere, California.

Eventually the manager took pity on us and gave us free coffee and eventually cook us up some greasy breakfast sandwiches.

We thank Mike the Mgr after Tim, Karen & I gave him about $500 of legal and tax advice on his upcoming new catering business. I am sure if he had had some sort of foot fungus Dr Dwayne would have gladly operated right then and there to get us in the door.

It is now daylight and we start to perk up with the sun. We hit the hotel 20 miles later but don¹t stay long. We are off for the final 80 miles but it is starting to get hot. And I mean Africa Hot. In no time it is in the 80's and 90's. After the next 30 miles we stop for a sit down breakfast. Those last 5 miles were a little tough on me as I was getting tired and not feeling good. I had had such a great ride so far I did not want to finish on a bad note. After the breakfast and a trip to the bathroom I was good to go.

We have 50ish miles to go but that 50 miles includes a very long 5-mile, no shade, completely up hill section in 90+ degree heat. It was slow going but we all got to the top no problem and it was all downhill from there. Well relatively speaking downhill.

We stopped with about 15 miles to go to refuel with ice cream then set out on the final push to the finish.

Our little ride included:

• 375 miles on the bike.
• Just under 33 hours total time.
• About 6 hours off the bike.
• About 16,000 feet of climbing.
• Gallons and gallons of water and thousands of calories of good bike food (which is anything you want).
• About 100 pit stops for Tim and Dwayne. If Dwayne was not a doctor I would have suggested he and Tim make an    appointment.

All in all a great bike ride for me as I met three great partners to ride with and hope to ride with them again. These rides are not about going the fast but rather going as fast as you want and enjoying the ride and the company. I had a much better time then I ever expected and it was all due to the teamwork of our group. We had many compliments on how well our little foursome was working together.

I want to thank Tim, Karen, Dwayne my riding partners. Donn for putting this ride on. All the volunteers who were out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night handing me chilidogs, and Dave for lending me his blowtorch of a light.

by Donn King

In any brevet series, the 600 kilometer brevet is the crown jewel. It is the event that looms at the end of the series, and it's the climax of training and anticipation. It is obviously the most difficult to ride, and it is the most difficult to organize. It is the most thrilling to complete. Riders who do the entire series, the 200, 300, 400, and 600 kilometer events, feel proud and exited to have finished, and the memories and sense of accomplishment literally last for a lifetime. The successful completion of "The 600" installs the cyclist into a virtual club of riders who have completed a 600 K event. In the Randonneuring world, completing the 600 K is a very big deal.

On May 29 and 30, the Santa Rosa Cycling Club presented its first ever 600 K, and three riders in the twenty rider field were SRCC members. All three, Barley Forsman, Robert Redmond, and myself, completed the ride within the 40 hour time limit. Barley and Robert were both in the lead group and finished the event in 26 hours and 3 minutes. As if this event isn't difficult enough, Barley upped the challenge by doing the ride on a fixed gear bike. In fact, Barley did the entire SRCC brevet series this year using a fixed gear. This 600 K was my seventh in as many years.

Although 40 hours allows enough time to take extended breaks, most riders chose to ride around the clock.There are several advantages to doing it this way: automobile traffic is almost non-existent during the night, and air temperatures are cooler. Additionally, there is a "get-through-it" factor that riding straight through facilitates. Some riders however decided to find a place to rest for a few hours, and a rest period of this sort is perfectly legitimate and works for many. No particular credit is given for a fast time other than bragging rights. Brevets are "Pass/Fail" and the rider who takes the entire 40 hours to do the 600 gets the same credit as the rider who finishes first.

The route for the SRCC 600 K brevet was roughly this: Start in Healdsburg, ride over the Hopland Grade to Lakeport, proceed north to Hwy 20 via Scotts Valley, ride around Clear Lake clockwise to Middletown, through Butts Canyon and Pope Valley to Moscowite Corners, past Lake Berryessa, and on to Davis via Cardiac Hill and Putah Creek Rd. Then, turnaround in Davis and ride back via the same route and finish in Healdsburg in 40 hours or less.

Does that sound like a long bike ride? Well it is. As many times as I have done this event distance, contemplating the entire route is a daunting experience. Even when the course is one that has been used before, and completed, it sounds almost impossible to ride a bike that far. Contemplating that much geography before the ride begins can give the candidate a good case of the jitters. For the SRCC 600 a course was used that had not been previously ridden as a 600 K, so there wasn't even the consolation of knowing that it had been done before. All veterans of the 600 K give the same advice: think of the course as a series of sections, and concentrate on completing one piece at a time. Then, once the pedals begin to turn, it becomes just a matter of completing the sections, one by one, trying not to think too far up the road. When the turnaround is finally reached, riders often get a strong psychological boost. At that point, the mileage numbers seem to diminish more rapidly, and each hill that is climbed is left behind forever. Distances that would normally be considered formidable begin to appear small, because the distance that remains is relatively short compared to that which has already been covered. Spirits lift and it is quite common to think, and to hear riders say, " We've only got 150, or 100 miles, to go."

Thanks to the efforts of SRCC members, two côntroles, or rest stops, were provided in each direction on the 600. Sue Bennett and Alan Bloom staffed a rest stop at a motel in Clearlake Oaks, and Bill Ellis and Evelyn Buchwitz staffed a rest stop at the Pope Valley Grange, using Emilio Castelli's van as their base of operations. Sharon Bates and Donna Emery checked riders in at the Start, and Gordon Stewart, Kim Hoffman, and Charlie Rowell checked riders in at the Finish. Jose Mundo provided essential materials transportation. Additionally, Bill Bryant and Lois Springsteen, Randonneurs USA President and Board of Directors member respectively, came from Santa Cruz to help staff the motel contrôle. The motel rooms provided kitchens and showers, and beds for riders who wanted to get horizontal for a while. Almost every rider told me later that Bill and Evelyn at Pope valley resembled Hindu deities, each with four pairs of arms, rushing about, preparing food and taking care of tired riders. Again, Richard Battles and Kathy Storin let us use their business as the Start/Finish for the event. Many, many thanks are due the over thirty SRCC members who contributed time and talents to the 2004 brevet series.

The 600 K brevet marked the end of the 2004 brevet season for the SRCC. This was the first full series ever offered by the Club, and it was successful, both financially, and in terms of offering a service that was utilized by a significant number of riders in northern California. Over one hundred riders rode our events this year, some of those taking part in all four events. Riders came from as far away as Arizona, and several came from southern California and Reno. A rider from Colorado registered, but was unable to travel for the event. No one was injured on any of our brevets this season. The brevet series made money for the Club, even after a substantial amount is deducted for an appreciation party for our volunteers. I believe that the SRCC is poised to become a center for Randonneuring in northern California, and that by 2007, the next occurrence of Paris-Brest-Paris, several dozen riders will travel to Paris, qualified by the SRCC brevet series, and wearing our 2007 PBP jersey.