A total of seven riders headed out early from the John Hall Store in Cecil, Alabama in an effort to beat the incoming cold front and the harsh weather the front was bringing. On Thursday, we briefly debated moving the ride start time up an hour or two due to the initial forecast for heavy rains beginning around 11 AM to 12 PM. Late Thursday evening, the Epic Ride Weather Forecast had shifted the incoming rain projections until around 1 PM to 2 PM. Therefore, the decision was made to leave the start time @ 8 AM. Once I arrived at the start on Saturday morning around 7:15 AM, William and Steve were already there putting the finishing touches on their gear. Shortly thereafter, Ken, Shannon and Ron arrived. All five of these riders were anxious to get started early in the hopes of beating the rain. Since all riders were present and chose to use EPP, we allowed the riders to get rolling around 7:30 AM. Bruce, Aimee and myself waited around at the start to see if additional riders arrived in time for the scheduled start. A few minutes before 8 AM Alton and pace rolled up and were soon ready to roll. Alton wished he had gotten the memo on an early start but he and Pace had a great day riding together.

Control #2

After Pace and Alton began the route, Aimee and I made drove to meet the riders at Control # 3 around mile 30. Along the route, we passed all of our riders who were making great progress on this beautiful morning.

Personally, I've ridden this route only once. I had forgotten how quiet and secluded these first 30 miles were. These miles are some of the best for cycling due to the extremely light traffic. Soon after we arrived at control # 3, Ken and Shannon rolled through and proceeded toward Union Springs without the need for a hydration top-off.

Ron and Steve were close behind followed by William. All three riders were doing great. They stopped and chatted for a few minutes before proceeding.

Since they started about 30 minutes after everyone else, Pace and Alton were a bit further behind but in great spirits and thoroughly enjoying their ride together.

After all riders were safely through Control # 3, Aimee and I proceeded to Control #5 at Old Fitzpatrick Baptist Church, about 12 miles from the finish.

The temps were very comfortable, the rain was holding off but the wind was beginning to pick up. The riders came through Control #5 in the same order as Control # 3 but a little closer in time to each other. Pace and Alton even took a voluntary detour through downtown Hardaway to earn a few extra miles.

At times, wind gusts were around 30 MPH which made for a tough ride to the finish. All riders finished in the dry. Finishing times ranged from 3 hours and 56 minutes to 4 hours and 42 minutes . It was a pleasure to see some old friends and meet new friends today. It was a special privilege to have American Explorer Award winner, Ron Alexander join us all the way from Overland Park, Kansas. For those who don’t know, the American Explorer Award is presented to any randonneur who completes a RUSA Brevet, Populaire or Permanent in all 50 states. Ron completed this task a few years ago. It only took him about 11 years. Other RBA’s are trying to convince Ron to go for a second American Explorer Award. We wish him the best and hope he becomes the first randonneur to ever earn two American Explorer Awards.

Be sure and join us at 9 AM on January 15, 2022 for the Chief Ladiga Populaire.