A Good Day for the Whirligig Ride...

Thanks to Tim for hosting Sunday's 100K permanent. It was a glorious day out in the sun past Vollis Simpson's whirligig farm, where this video was shot.

Video from Last Night's NC Rando Party!

Man we had fun. We had a strict no-filming policy, but someone (Branson?) managed to smuggle this video out ....

NC Randonneurs in the News...

Teri Saylor, who writes for Raleigh's News & Observer, did a nice write-up of PBP by interviewing Robert Bergeron and another local rider. Story here.

Robert is a new rider who came up just short of the finish line in Paris. I enjoyed listening to his adventures along the way. Robert also shared a PBP write-up on Martin's blog. You can read it here.

I've also learned Robert has been making news on the international front. During the interview he showed us a newspaper from Saint-Martin de Pres, which ran a picture of Robert posing with the locals. That's a real keepsake. Then, Mark Thomas sent along the video below. If you watch it at around the 41 minute mark, I believe that's a glimpse of Robert talking briefly then walking along the road. Note his NC Rando reflective vest.

Robert, congratulations on a tale well told, and we hope to see you at the Year-End event.

One final note: While watching the video, I saw the rider that Ian helped. You'll see Ivan, a rider from eastern Europe (his kit says Slovenia but he may be from Russia), at around 31:13. You'll also see Ian's green bungee cord. The story: several of us stopped to take a picture at an interesting PBP marker sign. Ivan came riding up, head bent over and suffering from obvious neck pain. Ian took a bungee off his rear rack and hooked it to Ivan's helmet to help him overcome Shermer's neck. We saw Ivan at the finish, so all worked out well. A picture I took of Ivan is below the video.... And here's another post that shows the PBP sign.

Well, another final note: Thanks to Martin for scanning and sending along the newspaper pix of Robert. It's below. Looks like the French moved Robert to the West Coast -- California, Carolina. close enough....


PARIS BREST PARIS JUSQU'AU BOUT DE LA NUIT from blankonthemap on Vimeo.

Carolina Crossroads Checkout Ride

The Carolina Crossroads route for Saturday's ride is now ready to go. The checkout ride has been completed, the cue sheet has been double-checked, and the bonus miles have been ridden so you that don't have to.

Geof, Lynn and I christened the Carolina Crossroads permanent yesterday, striking out for new destinations under deep blue autumn skies. The route is surprisingly quiet, even into and out of downtown Raleigh, and the portions south of Benson are nearly desolate. It's the kind of backroad riding that I like best. We battled a headwind to the turnaround at the Crossroads Grocery & Grill. The grocery and grill are being renovated and both are currently closed, but we talked to the owners and they said they'd be on hand with sodas and snacks for Saturday's ride.

By afternoon, the sky had clouded up and taken on the mantle of winter but the temperatures remained perfect, and we warmed up nicely after each stop. We came back into town as darkness fell for about 11 total hours. A great day on the bikes; thanks to Lynn and Geof for the company. These pix were taken along the way.

Details on Saturday's rides:

200K: Carolina Crossroads 200K: Time 7 a.m. / Leave from Natty Greene's in Raleigh. Fee: $10 (to be used for party expenses)

100K: Dean's Benson Mule Pull. Time: 9 a.m./ Leave from Swift Creek Coffee House in Garner. Fee: $10 (to be used for party expenses).

Please let us know ASAP if you are riding so we can prepare cards, etc.

A New Permanent: Carolina Crossroads

Cue that above video while you read this..... I'm pleased to announce a new permanent -- Carolina Crossroads -- a 200K that goes from the urban heart of Raleigh's Glenwood South and travels down to the Crossroads Grocery & Grill, with a town of address of Godwin but actually located dead center in the the Middle of Nowhere. Surprisingly, the Grill is on Facebook! Go ahead and friend em -- let em know you're coming.

This is a permanent route to lose yourself on  -- figuratively speaking, not literally, as the cue sheet has been carefully vetted by RUSA permanista Crista. The route is a time machine into North Carolina's rural past, but you'll be quickly snapped back to present day, with all of its modern conveniences, as you sit down for a tasty meal at the Burger King in Benson.

Here's a look at the route. (A shout out to Crista for making the route approval process so easy, and for working up this map.)



While my name is listed as the permanent owner, the route was masterminded by Dean Furbish. He drew it up at Helios coffee and managed to concoct a masterpiece despite annoyingly loud techno music in the background. You'll know Dean as the father of the beloved Tar Heel 200K and the Benson Mule Pull Populaire. In fact, the Carolina Crossroads route uses a large and quiet portion of the Mule Pull, so fans of that course will find themselves on familiar territory.

Carolina Crossroads is a likely candidate for our upcoming Year-End party. Reserve your spot on the route today! The $10 fee will be used to help defray the party costs.

The route name Carolina Crossroads was chosen in part to honor blues guitarist Robert Johnnson.

Here's several versions of one of his better known songs -- Love in Vain. First two originals by Mr. Johnson....



....Next a cover by Eric Clapton....





.... And finally a Love in Vain cover by the Rolling Stones. Embedding has been disabled for it, but a great version. Enjoy!