In the last ten years, wool cycling jerseys have become widely available in a variety styles from classic retro reissues to microlight, itch free performance merinos. I prefer my cycling jerseys to be made from a thick wool and resemble designs which date back to the 1920s (interchangeable with shirts designed for camping, tennis or …
Tag: oregon randonneurs
Archival Report: Paris Brest Paris 2011
PBP spectators in Villaines, France I just got back from the 17th edition of Paris Brest Paris, an ultra distance cycling event held every four years in France. I always say that I record and erase my memory of rides longer than 600k. I can confirm via official records that I successfully covered the 1200k …
Archival Departure: Paris-Brest-Paris
Tomorrow, I (Lesli) leave for France for Paris-Brest-Paris,”the most famous long-distance randonnée.” During the ride (which covers 12oo kilometers in 90 hours), I will be off the grid and out of communication with Archival readers. In lieu of a live broadcast, I’m providing some placeholder photographs documenting my experience. Arrival at Brest On the train …
Archival Night Ride
As prep for the night start of Paris-Brest-Paris, a small group of Oregon Randonneurs decided to do an all-night 200k on Friday. Friends Susan, Theo, Marcello, Bill and I headed out from Hillsboro, Oregon at 9 p.m. for a sub 24 hour brevet. Our route would take us out to Dallas, Oregon (about 65 miles …
Archival Countdown: Paris-Brest-Paris
I (Lesli) just formalized registration for Paris-Brest-Paris. In 70 days 22 hours 6 minutes and 3 seconds I’ll be joining 6000+ cyclists from around the world for a 1200k Grand Randonnee. The ride will take me from the suburbs of Paris to the coastal town of Brest and back. Riders will have 90 hours to …
Archival out and back
It has been a happy, hectic spring. Archival operations continue to expand. We’re now shipping out sizeable orders to domestic and international retailers. New bag styles and colorways are in the works. We’re looking for commercial space and planning to bring on a production manager this summer. In the midst of the “blooming, buzzing confusion,” …
Archival Bicycles: Brevet Bikes
Chromed Canadian custom by rider/builder Nigel Press On Friday, I head up to The Dalles, Oregon, to participate in the Oregon Randonneur’s Oregon Blue Mountains 1000k brevet. If all goes well, this will be my last brevet on The Pencil, my trusty Rivendell road bike. In September–or so–I’ll be taking delivery of a custom randonnee …
Archival Bicycles: Peg’s Pereria
Friend Peg W., PBP finisher and ten year randonneuring veteran, just took delivery of a beautiful Tony Pereria handbuilt bicycle. I got a chance to check out Peg’s Pereria during the first official brevet of the Oregon Randonneuring season, the 200k Birkie Brevet. Given how well Peg’s bike handled the rough roads and wretched weather …
Glacier Addendum
Just back from PDX to Glacier. Completed 638 miles (official route plus “bonus miles”) in 71 hours 45 minutes. Unseen stat here is my total (lack of) sleep time: less than four hours over two nights. During the brevet, I faced a number of micro obstacles which kept my focus on immediate goals rather than …