Richard 40,000 Blair & Manny 200 Mattis
Photo: Bob Goodison

Pritchard Plummet (200 km)
Organizer's Report
by Bob Goodison

Despite a much lower than expected turnout, the Pritchard Plummet was in many ways a great success. The low turnout was my fault - I did not realize until it was pointed out to me (and after it was too late to change it) that we had scheduled it on the Easter long weekend. While this probably only kept away a half dozen or so riders, when you have a small base of riders to start with, it makes a big dent. Another factor may have been the difficulty of the route. I didn't realize it when I rode it last August (when I was fitter) to map it out, but it has the second highest elevation gain of any 200 we have run in the Interior at 1930m, second only to the Cache Creek 200 we ran as part of the Six Pack. Yes, even more than the Logan Lake Loop.

The day started cool and overcast, and remained that way for much of the day. Winds were variable, and milder than when we had done the pre ride. Some riders reported headwinds, others claimed they had had mostly tailwinds. There was al ittle rain late in the day, but most riders stayed pretty dry. Despite the chilly weather and hilly route (the riders were warm, control workers not so much), everybody finished with a smile, including first time Randonneurs Manny Mattis and Don Cundiff. Richard Blair passed the 40,000 km milestone just over halfway through the ride. Congratulations Richard!!

Thank you to ride day volunteers Susan Goodison and Peter Mair, and to DeMilles Market for use of their parking lot and washrooms. A beautiful place to start and end a ride.

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April 22, 2014