Rando Recruiting

Over the last two years, I have been telling stories of my rando exploits to a mountain-biker friend.  He surprised me by putting road tires on one of his old bikes recently.  We went riding at Jordan Lake in central North Carolina today.

First we rode around the central portion of the lake, just over an hour of gentle rollers.  He often left me in the dust, even with his mountain bike gearing.  Next we climbed Col du Lystra, a short steep hill with a local reputation.  When we got to the wall, he smiled, stood, and said bye.  I just knew he would like it.

He is already super-fit, he said "whee" coasting down Jack Bennett, and he already has the 'fake rando smile' (right photo).  He's almost there.  With a little saddle conditioning, we could have another rando in our midst.

Lesson learned:  Keep regaling your friends with stories and photos and schwag.

Now where did I put those medals I bought?...

Fog, dogs, and buns

Eight randos set out on the RUSA Tar Heel 200K permanent in central North Carolina today

Jayjay and I started hours before sunrise, in dense fog with temps around freezing.  The sky brightened with sunrise, but the fog stayed for four hours.  The photo at left was taken just past sunrise, at the post office in Wade.  The fog eventually cleared past Stedman.  After lunch, it turned into a beautiful day with clear skies, negligible winds, and temps in the low 50s F (10C).  It was a very unusual and beautiful day for February.

We enjoyed crossing paths and chatting with randos Dean, Alan, and Mike O.  They started at a more civilized hour after us, and rode at a livelier pace.  Unfortunately, they brought news that rando Tom got bit by a dog, and that Mary and Lee Ann graciously abandoned the ride to help him get fixed up.  Get well soon, Tom.

On our way back, we encountered a bunch of hamburger patties and buns scattered all over the road.  The football Super Bowl was tonight, and I suspect a grocery bag full of party supplies flew out of someone's pickup truck.  Imagine when they got home, and wondered 'Where's the beef?'.

The usual set of random: photos