Matthew O'Neill memorial brevet

I've been getting some good riding in lately with a 200k permanent last weekend, another ascent of Keller Peak road, and the Matthew O'Neil memorial 200k brevet yesterday. There were about 15 of us on the ride, four of whom had recently returned from successful PBP rides. Eric, Shai, Greg, and Stacey were all wearing their PBP jerseys with justifiable pride.

We started from the Bott house at 7am and headed down to Point Hueneme and then inland to Somis for club subsidized burritos. Amazingly the whole group stayed together except for one rider who flew off the front like a bullet. At the control Foster explained that RUSA had refunded some money to the various regional groups based on ridership and we were using some of our share today which is why this ride was free for CIBC members and we got free food. Interestingly Foster mentioned my night audax ride where I traditionally buy burgers for the riders at the turn-around point for giving him the idea.

It took forever for the burritos to arrive and I could tell some of the riders who like to get through controls quickly were chafing - including me. But the burrito was great and I ate most of it in seconds, it seemed. We had ridden hard (for me) to this point so I knew the group would take off at 20mph which would offend my digestive system. I decided to sneak off before the main group left so I could ride easy until they caught me. Lonnie left with me and we rode a gentle pace and talked until the main group caught us - which didn't take long.

I managed to stay with the leaders until mile 70 when we climbed a nasty hill up to Rincon Point. Then Greg (our fearless leader) and I battled minor headwinds for the last 20 miles to Santa Barbara harbor at mile 92. As we were arriving the lead group was leaving.

Actually they weren't really the lead group because Jonathon Grey was riding his new Velomobile and was destroying us. By Santa Barbara he was 15 minutes and a control ahead of us. He seems to have fixed all the mechanical issues on his new bike.

The lines at Sushi-a-go-go (that's the real name!) were long so we settled in for another long control and chat. This ride is always very social and that's one of the fun things about it. It's late in the year so there's no worries about qualifying for SR or a 1200k.

Greg - looking particularly fearless and leaderly

I finished while Greg was still eating so I rudely left him and took off for the return leg. Just 30 miles to Ventura with tailwind all the way. Alan Tolkoff and a 'bent rider (Jeff?) joined forces and we cruised at an easy 18-20mph trying to catch Lonnie who had taken off a few minutes earlier. We caught up with him after Montecito and rode with him to the hot dog stand at Rincon point where he stopped to refuel.

Alan, Jeff, and I rode easy back to Ventura and for I while I thought we might manage a sub-nine hour 200k despite the long stops. But I had forgotten about the seven miles of climbing and red lights that is Ventura. We got to the finish at 4:10 for a 9:10 ride. When I looked at my Garmin I had a moving average of 17.2mph which means we spent 1:40 off the bike. If I had just grabbed food at the markets I could have taken an hour off my ride time, but where's the fun in that?

We socialized for a while at the Bott home and some local kids showed interest in Jonathon's velomobile. It's a fascinating vehicle.



Jonathon reveals the secret of his speed - he has a co-driver

Thanks to Foster and the Bott family for organizing the ride, feeding us, and allowing us to invade their lovely home.

Here is a pictoral selection of the some of the classic randonneuring bikes that were ridden on this brevet.