I know lot of crazy people

This weekend past saw the wettest Five Rivers 300k brevet ever. It was so wet there were actually rivers.

I had 36 riders signed up in total. Two rode the staff ride, 22 started the public ride and 20 finished it.

The weather forecast all week had been confident there would be heavy rain the day before the ride and light rain the day of the ride. In addition, Parks and Rec. had issued press releases saying the section of the SART from Taft to Memory Lane would be closed while they dealt with the homeless problem. Glenn Pinson was nice enough to scout out a detour for that 4.5 mile stretch of the route.

The storm scheduled for the day before never really arrived. There were some light showers, but nothing much. After I registered the riders that evening, I drove down to Yorba Linda park and jumped on my bike. My first task was to check the SART access off of Lakeview which had been locked on the day of the staff ride. It was unlocked for me so I didn't have to do anything illegal.

I rode on down to Taft where there was a soft barrier across the SART that I could move to one side. I continued on but noticed a security guard sitting on the SART at Katella. I don't know if he was being paid to stop homeless people returning or to stop legitimate trail users, but I decided to have the riders use the detour.

I returned to Taft, moved the barricade back into place, and rode on the detour. It wasn't too bad, being mostly right turns and with wide traffic lanes most of the way. I really wish Parks and Rec had set up detour signs. The SART is like our 91 freeway and no-one would consider closing the 91 for three months without detour signs. On the way back on the SART to my car I passed a sheriff's car patrolling along the SART. I think I was as surprised to see him as he was me. As I had a massive pair of bolt-cutters on my aerobars, I'm glad he didn't stop me. It could have been awkward.

It finally started raining about 15 minutes before the ride started and my riders endured 30 minutes of moderate rain. After that most of them experienced little more than scattered showers. There was at least one spill from the slick trail and the usual number of flats you expect when the pavement is wet. Alan called me at mile 40 to say he needed to DNF. He seemed to have a stomach problem that left him exhausted. Greg O ran out of energy or at least "joie de la bicyclette" and lyfted himself home later in the day.

Doug rode a 12 hour 300k in his velomobile and caught me in the shower. I seriously was not expecting anyone to complete an R60 in those conditions. Shai came in an hour later on his fixie so I ordered pizza and soda around 7:30. Riders started drifting in a little after eight with tales of flooded underpasses and a locked gate on the Rio Hondo that wasn't there two weeks previously on the staff ride.

I ordered more pizza at 10 and every last bite was gone by midnight. The event officially finished at 02:10 (ten minute credit for the detour) and Mel, Pete, and Keith showed up at 01:44 which was good because I was getting a little worried about them.

Congratulations to all those who completed this ride. It was one to remember. For those of you planning your first PBP next year, this was a great opportunity to test your gear against the kind of weather you will probably have to deal with in France.