Brevet

As promised here are some quick details about the ride. I rode along the Mississippi river and then rode back home. I took some photos of the bald eagles that were resting in the trees along the banks of the Mississippi. I saw about eight eagles during the ride. The trail is paved the entire way and is a well-maintained route. The first few miles don't have a very great view because the trail runs along the outer side of the levee (I guess) wall. Instead of a view of the mighty Mississippi you see a fifteen-foot high concrete wall to your right and to your left beautiful salvage yards. It's better than nothing though and gets you out of the city fairly quickly.

In longer news, I've decided to ride a brevet in April. A brevet is an organized bicycle ride that is different a regular race. The idea is to finish a determined distance within a set amount of time rather than to finish before everyone else. For example, the brevet I plan to ride is 200 km and you have 13.5 hours to ride it. This is the shortest brevet. Other distances are 300, 400, 600, and 1000 km. There are some famous brevets such as the Paris-Brest-Paris which is 1200 km and the time limit is 90 hours.

This type of bicycle racing is called randonneuring after the French Randonneurs who started this type of riding back in the late 1800s. It's about camaraderie, testing yourself, and riding self-sustained. I think it is a sport I will really enjoy.

For now, I need to get out on my bike more. 200 km is about 124 miles, four times farther than my last ride.