Little Switzerland North Carolina

Owls, Bears, Bicycles

In the Co-Habitant's words, our tree ended up looking "very organic," decorated with golden berries, wooden forest animals and round ornaments in shades of copper and gold. The bicycles seem to like it.

Happy holidays and enjoy your winter break!

Happy Mother's Day

Tall Boots, Zippers, and Mixte Stays

If you ride a mixte with twin lateral stays and wear tall boots with zippers along the inseams, you may notice that the zippers can rub against the stays as you pedal, which, over time, can damage the paint. This was a big problem on my vintage mixte - whenever I would wear boots like these, the entire length of the zippers would rub. On theRoyal H. this is less of a problem -either the stays must be closer together, or my feet further apart on the pedals. The zippers themselves clear the stays and only thepull tabs hit them occasionally. Still, it won't do to have metal tabs repeatedly hit parts of the frame.



I am going to try covering the pull tabs with black electrical tape or something similar. If that doesn't work, then I guess I just can't wear these boots on the mixte. Unfortunate, because I don't own that many pairs of footwear. My previous pair of tall boots had zippers along the back, but after wearing them out I was not able to find a replacement with the same design. Just a little glitch to be aware of when it comes to mixtes and tall boots!

Fritz and Misty

The "Fendi Abici Bike" in Vogue Magazine

A friend sent me this great scan from the June issue of American Vogue:



"Girls, go tell the groom that we've found the gift of all gifts to give his bride on the big day. (He does know that one's in order, right?) The Abici Amante Donna city bike now comes fitted with Fendi's luxest Selleria leather accessories. Seat, handles, thermos case, and GPS holder are all cut and sewn by hand. In front, the fully outfitted picnic basket -- which, you might tell him, doubles as a beauty case -- bears the house's signature stamp. There's also a splash catcher (he'll know this isn't its technical name, but "mudguard" is so unsexy) on the back wheel. The course of true love never ran more smoothly!"



The price of the Fendi Abici is $5,900 and the detachable travel case on the front rack is $975 extra.







This is a gorgeous bicycle and a lovely wedding gift, but is the Fendi version worth six times the price of the standard Abici Amante Donna? I guess that is a matter of personal choice and depends on how much you like Fendi. Personally, I'd rather keep the Brooks saddle. The travel case is rather nice though (any idea on the weight?).



[image from abici-italia.it]

Pictured above is the standard Abici Amante Donna in cream with original saddle and handles, and without dress guard, racks or thermos holder. I believe the cost is about $1,000 MSRP. Not being a fan of the rod brakes, I prefer Abici's Granturismo model. Still, the Amante is quite beautiful, and I think that Fendi had the right idea to add some dark warm contrasts to all that white.

Brevet Season

Over the weekend, local bike shop and cycling club Ride Studio Cafe hosted a group ride followed by a Brevet Season Kick-Off Party that lasted well into the night. Organised by the RSC and cycling legends The Blayleys, this event included food, drink, a bike show, and an information session about various aspects of randonneuring.





This event struck me as significant on a number of levels. It was a coming together of the worlds of road racing, randonneuring and casual cycling, which rarely happens in other communities. It also showed just how much local interest there is in randonneuring. The room was absolutely packed and by the time things got started it was almost impossible to move. No one expected such a turnout.






Though many beautiful and unusual bicycles were brought in for the bike show and contest, it was impossible to photograph them due to their sheer proximity to one another. Frames bearing the marks of Weigle, Vanilla, ANT, Rawland, Rivendell, Sketchy, Gunnar and Seven were a common sight, as were refurbished vintage mystery frames. The glitter of hammered fenders set the room aglow. Saddlebags swayed to the soft French music that played in the background. Map sleeves glistened. Leather saddles of at least 4 different makes flaunted their rivets and cut-outs.Light and heavy, racy and sedate, with integrated lighting and without, rando bikes filled the entire room and spilled outside. Waist-deep in a sea of lovely bikes, yet unable to photograph them... oh how I suffered! The winners of the bike contest were a stunningly crafted JP Weigle, a refurbished vintage Raleigh, and a customised Seven rando bike (this one).






Last year it took me a while to understand what randonneuring really was, and I suspect many readers might like to have it explained. French in origin, randonneuring is defined as a "noncompetitive, timed, endurance cycling sport." It involves riding in organised long distance events, with the goal to finish within a specific time frame. The rides are unsupported (no van with supplies and mechanical help to follow riders around) and take place regardless of weather conditions. Control points along the way ensure participants cover the entire route.




Official randonneuring events (aka randonnées) are sanctioned internationally by the Audax Club Parisien and in the US by Randonneurs USA. Our local organisation here in Boston isthe New England Randonneurs (NER).




The shortest type ofrandonnée (petiterandonnée?)is called the Populaire, and it is 100km - a metric century. But the prototypical randonnées are the brevets - rides 200km or longer. Local organisations will usually host a brevet series starting in spring, consisting of 200km, 300km, 400km and 600km rides spread out through the season. Hence, the Brevet Season.




Other types ofrandonnéesinclude the Flèche (a 24 hour team event, described very nicely here), and the so-called granderandonnées, the most famous of which is the 1200km Paris-Brest-Paris(for some time there was a local granderandonnéeBoston-Montreal-Boston, but sadly it appears to have been discontinued). The schedule for all the local randonnées this season is postedhere.






A number of well known local randonneurs attended the Brevet Kick-Off Party, and it was a pleasure to see them in person.






It was particularly excited to spot Emily O'Brien - a woman known for riding long distance on fixed gear, eating pickles, and making custom bicycle bags named after pickles.





I also finally met a few people whom I'd previously only corresponded with - including Cris C., who arrived on his well-loved ANT.





Presentations were given byMelinda Lyon of the New England Randonneurs, Pamela Blalock, andMatt Roy of MM Racing. Matt was at a disadvantage in that he went on last and it was already quite late. But I am so glad I stayed for his presentation, because he is an extremely engaging and charismatic speaker. At 10pm, Matt's talk made me want to immediately get up and ride a few hundred miles - whilst meticulously following his instructions of course.





While I find the idea of randonneuring exciting and romantic, I doubt that I can actually do it. The routes are hilly and challenging, and the people who do these things are extremely strong riders, no matter how much they might downplay it in conversation. Randonneurs tend to make a point of being inclusive and assuring others that "anyone can do it," and they honestly believe it. They also have a habit of describing rides in a way that makes it seem all about the scenery and camaraderie, conveniently leaving out the part about it being difficult! But in fact it is very difficult, and I am not a sufficiently strong cyclist at this stage. It is also a must that participants be able to fix their own mechanical problems, since there is no support. While I have the know-how, I cannot physically work on my bike and that presents a problem. Finally - and I hate to say this, but it's true - I am simply not committed enough. Though I ride a lot, I do it on my own time instead of planning my life around rides that take place on specific dates. When push comes to shove, personal things have priority and in the past it has been very difficult for me to commit to organised cycling events. For serious randonneurs, their lives basically revolve around the brevet season, as a great deal of commitment is required to both take part in and train for the events.



Some day I would like to take part in a brevet (or a flèche - those sound like so much fun!), and I certainly do not mean to discourage others from doing it. It's just that there has been such a tendency to romanticise randonneuring and to contrast it with racing, that the popular image of the activity does not, in my opinion, adequately reflect how challenging and demanding it actually is. It's good to go into something with realistic expectations.






As you can see, the Brevet Season Kick-Off Event has given me a lot to think about. More than anything, I am still overwhelmed by how significant it felt to be there. We could practically feel a new era dawning as more and more people filled the room (several of us mentioned that independently so I know it wasn't just my overactive imagination!). While it doesn't mean that the local population will now rush en masse to join the New England Randonneurs (though it's a great idea to support them), I do think it's indicative of a growing interest in a particular type of cycling: long rides on bikes that are fast yet practical, and without an overt competitive element. It's the kind of cycling I like best so far, and I appreciate that it is so well supported locally. More low-light pictures of the event here!

Ice Storm

A few days ago we got a bunch of rain, which basically turned into an ice storm once the temperature dropped below freezing. I really wasn't able to get out and take any pictures immediately after the storm, but I did get out yesterday back in the woods and was surprised to see a lot of ice still remaining from the storm. Yesterday was the best day for photographing the ice anyway, since it was the first day in a week that we had clear blue skies. The blue sky made for a tremendous backdrop for the ice-covered trees.

Sunset Amphitheater

The Headwall Couloir...

A team of five climbers made a strong attempt on this remote and difficult route a few weeks ago. Here are a few images from one member's website; I'll attempt to sumarize the trip. They decided not to post a report, but did share a few details with me.

The team first noticed that a major section of the Tahoma Creek Trail was destroyed below the suspension bridge/Wonderland Trail. Last fall, glacier outbursts from a heavy rain storm took out some of the westside road and Tahoma Creek Trail. The trail washout, in particular, was rather amazing. The original trail abruptly disappears into a creek bed of gravel, rock and boulders. What was once an old growth forest, moss, downed trees, dense vegatation, is now a creek bed with gigantic trees. The forest floor is buried. In all, about 1/2 mile of the trail is wiped out.

As for the climbing route... The team reported a few problem, the first significant one being a dropped set of tent poles. This would make things difficult later on. Also, and maybe more importantly, they selected a route up St. Andrews Rock that cost them a day of travel... This exposure left them more vulnerable to the changing weather. And that's what happened, wind, snow, /12 a tent, and a snow shelter... It made for an interesting night.

After losing the effectiveness of one tent, and a day of travel, the team reluctantly retreated with plans of returning. Despite not summiting, they felt the route was a go! Here is a closer picture of the Amphitheater and upper Puyallup Glacier.

For more information, see: a listing of climbs here. These photos are courtesy of Alexandre Mineev

Birthdays, Kaapse Bossen, Chestnuts and Maarten Maartenshuis

Last weekend was a busy one for me. Saturday went shopping with Blondine in Amsterdam. Had coffee at the Americain Hotel—those huge period leather armchairs in the restaurant right by the front windows are so comfy, had lunch in Caffe PC in PC Hooftstraat, then after shopping had high tea and some drinks at MoMo Restaurant, Bar and Lounge—oh, their lemon pie is really yummy, highly recommended, more like a dessert thing than a snack.

I made sure to buy a gift for brother-in-law for his birthday celebration the next day. His birthday gift request, a kitchen apron. You know, in Dutch culture it’s normal to tell close friends and relatives attending your little celebration your birthday present wish list. The Dutch are practical folks, they want to give something that the celebrant actually can use. These Dutchies obviously don’t have a weakness for surprises!

The Maarten Maartenshuis built circa 1901 is a small castle in the Kaapse Bossen in Doorn. The manor can be rented for events and is quite popular as a wedding location.



I sneaked inside and took a foto of the coat of arms hanging on the walls of the hallway.





More fotos of the manor and the terrace on the front courtyard.



Anyway, for Dutch brother-in-law birthday celebration, we all went to the forest, the "Kaapse Bossen" in Doorn. We’ve been here many times and I've blogged about this place before. It’s one of those nice (secret) places to go for a picnic because this estate has a small castle and an outside terrace in the middle of the forest. There are coffee tables and chairs on its frontyard grounds that the public can use. Moreover there is a big and open grass yard that the children can play (they played football, and later, hide and seek). The kids are almost grown up and one day they will start bringing someone called "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" to family birthday gatherings.

The little castle here is called Maarten Maartenshuis and on top of the entrance doorway you can see a sun signage. Before this manor was called what it is today, it was originally known as “zonheuvel”, in English, sun hill or maybe sunny hill.



I don't have a clue to the names of these plants (and their fruits or flowers), but surely the red olive-shaped fruit is from the pine tree family.





Chestnut season now! The prickly covering can hurt as hell so be careful when picking them and peeling the nuts away from their porcupine shells.





Autumn always has lovely colours especially in the forest. Autumn is my favorite season.





Cool fotos of the kids in the forest. They are still kids, they are very active and like to climb everywhere.





This is the koetshuis (a storage locker room of the castle) which is now a restaurant and a multi-functional place.



There was also a wine tasting event in the afternoon in the castle but by the time it started we have left for the forest already searching for chestnuts. I managed to take a peak inside the castle's lobby and hallway. I must say they have some nice antique-looking furnishings.

And, its chestnut season now! The forests are full of them! Dutchman pleaded with me using his I-can't-break-a-glass puppy look not to bring the nuts home. He said I can pick them up for the Dutch family but please please not to bring them home because he knows I will never do anything on them and just let the little brown things accumulate dust somewhere in the kitchen. Ugh, I’m such a lazy slob when it comes to these things.

Anywho, I have another Dutch birthday family feast to attend to this weekend. ‘Tis the Dutch family birthday season again stretching all the way until January . Unfortunately I will be going alone because the Dutchman is somewhere in the Caribbean right now for work, precisely in an island called Tortola.

Sounds familiar eh? I watched the Pirates of the Caribbean Movie the other week and Captain Jack Sparrow was saying something about sailing the Flying Dutchman ship to Tortola… and now... the Dutchman, my Dutchman has just flown into Tortola. You get what I mean?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the fotos above.



Visit Period: October

Destination: Doorn (Utrechtse Heuvelrug - Utrecht), The Netherlands