Ride Report: The Willard Bay 200k

[Brady Smith]

I'd been looking forward to this ride for a long time. 

I turned 40 in the fall, not long after my dad was diagnosed with leukemia. He knew he was sick when he started the first day of RAGBRAI last summer and found the first 40 hot and hilly miles of an 80 mile day unbearably, miserably difficult. 

He's fine now, at least for now, having made amazingly quick and complication free work of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, facilitated by the extraordinary generosity of a college student whom I owe a case of beer and then some when we're allowed to know who he is, and the skill of the oncologists and transplant team at the University of Colorado. 

Needless to say, this illness provoked a fair amount of reflection and no small amount of urgency when it comes to cycling, especially since cycling has been so central to our relationship, and since the appearance of the leukemia on a week-long cycling event made it abundantly clear just how quickly one can go from able to not-so-able. 

I've been a randonneur for a while, having gotten into it during my days commuting from Fort Lee, NJ into NYC. Until last year, I'd only ever managed 200ks, largely due to family and work obligations. I've always loved the sport, and wanted to do more, but it was also incredibly easy for things to get in the way, especially given how limited our brevet calendar is where I live now in Utah, and how busy one gets as an educator in the spring. 

This fall, though, I put my name in the lottery for London-Edinburgh-London 2025, and I got in. I've never been a slow rider, but I've never been particularly fast either. My 300k last year was 15 hours; I managed 400k in 21 hours, and that with a few flats and a sidewall cut and some patching of tubes at a Wendy's while eating a cheeseburger in the hopes of not having to do it again in the mountains in the dark. 

I could probably manage LEL after a summer of randonneuring, but at 300k a day for five days is imposing no matter what one has done before. I set a goal to get faster--to lose some weight and finally be able to ride with the PBP finishers who always blasted off at the start of our brevets, never to be seen again. I doubled down on weekend nordic skiing this winter and bought a Zwift hub, upon which I mount my Roadini, which is transformed, somewhat irritatinglly, into an S-Works Tarmac in the app. Tired of running alone in the dark and the cold before work, I started riding most mornings, sometimes doing group rides, sometimes racing, sometimes just plugging along next to a pacer bot. 

It's boring but effective. I could tell on my first mountain bike rides this spring that I was stronger. I was climbing hills in higher gears than I ever had before. I set a new personal best up Emigration Canyon a few weeks ago. But a 200k is not a short weekend ride, and my one opportunity to go long ahead of this event was a mixed bag, though in hindsight that was probably entirely due to having spent a few days prior couch surfing in a friends' apartment in NYC. 

When we pulled out of the Centerville Walmart and headed north along a mostly flat course to the tiny town of Corinne, Utah and back again, my plan was "Hold on as long as you can, but no longer." 

It was a beautiful day, with a high of around 70 degrees, and a slight headwind as we moved north, which meant that we would largely have the wind at our backs as we came home. I stayed with the lead group, mostly much more seasoned riders than me, up through the first control, thinking that I'd drop back after we headed out to make sure I didn't blow up later in the ride. 

When push came to shove, though, I kept on going. The second quarter of the ride was hilly and windy, and I started to feel a bit queasy as I worked through a big section of rollers that led up to lunch. 

At lunch, I mentally resolved to drop back and save myself the misery that I figured was out ahead, but after eating and getting back on the road, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I spent fifteen miles yo-yoing off the back of the group, watching my heart rate spike, thinking that I was about to lose them for good, until the pizza/soda/bratwurst/energy bar combo I ate in Corinne kicked in, and I realized I was going to stay with the pack through to the end. 

The last 40 miles or so were pure cycling bliss, a pack of riders on a mix of steel and carbon riding swiftly along the shorelands of the Great Salt Lake. I've always cruised alone around 15 miles an hour, perhaps having the energy to go faster but never really willing to push it; watching the group pass 20 miles an hour as we pushed towards the end was a new experience, to say the least. 

With a few miles to go, one rider broke off and set out alone. I tried to catch him, hoping that the stretch of rolling hills between mile 121 and 124 would slow him down, but the hills got me instead. He finished at 7:34. A bunch of us finished at 7:36, including the new woman's course record holder. 

My previous time on this route was 9:41. It was a fabulous group effort. 

There's a lot of riding between now and the end of the season, to say nothing of LEL. But this was a huge confidence builder. I rode with the fast people. I can probably handle LEL. I may even get some sleep. 

Thanks for reading, 

Brady in SLC

[D D]

Inspirational and well written. Thanks for the write up. You’ve come a long way since Fort Lee! 

Keep us posted. 

D in Central VA

On Apr 24, 2024, at 1:01 PM, Brady Smith <bradys...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'd been looking forward to this ride for a long time. 

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[Bill Lindsay]

"I turned 40 in the fall"

Just a baby in the Rando-community.  You've got a good 35 year career ahead of you.  ;-). 

7:36 is BLAZING, even with a speedy-group.  Tremendous work.  

Best wishes to your father.  

466 days to L-E-L!  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

#6551

[Mack Penner]

Super write-up, Brady! I rode a 200 last month in a bigger group than I'd ridden with in the past (2 instead of 1, ha!) and likewise found myself pushing when I thought it was un-wise but hanging on nevertheless, building confidence along the way.

Best of luck with the buildup to LEL!

Mack in Alberta

[Ryan]

Wow Brady; that sounds like a pretty snappy 200k to me.... hope your dad continues to do well...and you get to thank your good samaritan in person. Also happy trails on that London to Edinburgh ride!

[John Bokman]

Is this a first gen, or later roadini?  Curious: on what tires did you ride this event? Any pictures?

John

Portland, OR

On Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 10:01:38 AM UTC-7 Brady Smith wrote:

[Brady Smith]

Hi John, 

I think this is a 2020 Roadini, so the answer is probably first gen.  I bought the frame off this list. In theory it clears a 38mm tire; the biggest I've tried is 35mm. I had 32mm Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons on it for this ride, which seems to be the sweet spot for most riding I do on this bike.

I normally use a Black Mountain Cycles monster cross for randonneuring and keep the Roadini stripped down for weekend road adventures, but the weather/conditions were such that I didn't need to worry about layers or supplies or lighting on this ride, so the Roadini got the call. Great bike. 

BMS

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[Brady Smith]

Thanks, Bill. 

I'm aware of my relative youth. Two years ago, I spent the first 20 miles of our 300k listening to everyone else talk about how they got into randonneuring because their kids were grown and they just didn't need to be around that much anymore. 

It explained why it seemed like a good idea to someone to schedule that ride the day before Mother's Day. 

I was sick at the start and we had a dust storm that fouled the air for a few hours, so upon realizing that I was going to take 18 hours to finish that very hilly route, I took the DNF and got home in time to put my daughter to sleep. 

BMS

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[John Bokman]

Whatever Roadini you're riding is FAST! I want one! However, I suspect there may be something to do with the motor....Congrats.

[Toshi Takeuchi]

Nice work Brady!

I have no doubt that you will finish LEL without issues.  I look forward to hearing about your additional rides.

Toshi in Oakland, CA

[Grady Wright]

Thanks for the report Brady, great right-up. I was supposed to ride this but I had something come up with my dad who also has cancer. So many similarities, First names, age, location. But I definitely would not be as fast maybe I will see you at the next Brevet.

[Grady Wright]

*Write-up rather.