Ride Report – Barrington to the Border and Back (RUSA Perm #4981)
Cold be damned, it’s the January’s ride for my 2025 R-12 attempt.
I have, historically, not cycled outside when it’s cold. It’s not because I grew up in Texas. It’s not because I don’t have the right clothes. It’s because once the temperature dips below about 35 degrees Fahrenheit (about 2C) I just don’t enjoy riding outside so much. Skiing? Yes. Hiking? Sure. Cycling? Well…
Nevertheless, I have set as a goal for 2025 to secure a randonneuring R-12 Award, and that requires that I get outside not only this month, but all the other months of the year, too, and complete a 200k “permanent” route.
And you know what? January’s ride turned out not to be so bad!
The Route
A quick primer for those not in the know: in randonneuring, a “permanent” is just a route that someone has set up and saved to the Randonneurs USA (RUSA) library. These routes are used for randonneuring events, but can also be ridden any time for awards credit. Any RUSA member can submit a permanent (often shortened to “perm”), so the library is growing all the time.
For January, I chose a route that was entirely new to me aside from a few short sections I rode three years ago while on a weekend bikepacking trip. The “Barrington to the Border and Back” route starts - predictably - in Barrington, Illinois, and makes a large counterclockwise loop, dipping ever so briefly into Wisconsin (thus, “to the Border”) along the way.
I chose it primarily because it gets rural quickly, and it stays rural for the majority of the ride. There are a few suburban neighborhoods to get through, but the route allowed me to successfully avoid Chicago traffic when there might be snow and ice on the road.
Thankfully, the weather was (for January) absolutely gorgeous. Nearly the entire day was bright and sunny, and the temperature peaked in the mid to upper 30s. Roads were nearly perfectly clear.
Originally, I was going to tackle this ride a week earlier, but snow on the day prior to my planned ride day led me to delay. I had been seriously questioning the decision when a lot of that snow melted, but the gorgeous weather was a (admittedly lucky) reward for patience.
Sarah Rice (one of the co-founders of Chicago Randonneurs, as well as the rider who pushed me hard until the very end of the 2024 Mishigami Challenge) accompanied me on this ride, and it was great to once again be riding in her company.
Although we weren’t trying to push any particular pace, we made pretty good time despite some positively BRUTAL crosswinds coming out of the south that thankfully calmed at least a little by the time we were turned headfirst into them.
For the most part, the route did exactly what I’d hoped: get well away from main roads and traffic so that we could just cruise whenever we wanted to and enjoy the ride as much as possible. There were quite a few higher speed roads that less experienced cyclists probably wouldn’t feel all that comfortable on, but these tended to have good shoulders to ride on. Other sections absolutely delivered on the “get me away from everything and everyone” dream.
As you can see from the total elevation change, we also managed to find some hills! Much of the course traversed fun rolling hills, the sort that rarely require any sort of sustained climbing and can be absolutely powered through if you’ve got the energy. Since we were covering 200km, we didn’t get overexcited on the hills most of the way, but with about 50k to go I did succumb to the temptation and ratchet up the effort for a little while.
The one big bummer from the day: my phone somehow stayed on camera mode after I’d pulled it out quite early in the day and burned the battery to almost nothing within the first 70k, so I unfortunately have very few photos from the day. I’d hoped to photographically document the route in a lot more detail, but that wasn’t in the cards with a phone hanging on at seven percent only a third of the way in.
The Equipment
There were a couple of particular equipment (clothing) choices that made this ride not only manageable, but actually very comfortable despite the 25-35F temperatures.
First and foremost was a new set of Bar Mitts. I had never used these before, but they’re everywhere among Chicago cycle-commuters during the winter, and it turns out that’s for good reason. Bar Mitts (or pogies, as they’re often called, though it’s a bit of a Kleenex/tissue situation) are basically neoprene sleeves that are made to fit over your handlebars and shifters so that you can reach all the controls of your bike without exposing your hand directly to the wind. It’s a simple idea executed brilliantly. Although I have thicker cycling gloves which are comfortable down to about 40F, I didn’t even need that much extra insulation for this ride. Instead, I wore some basic all-season cycling gloves (my current pair are Lizard Skins-branded) as a hedge against the ambient air temperature and kept my hands buried in their warm pogie pockets.
I also wanted to make sure I was prepared for cold emergencies, so I strapped on my Blackburn half-frame bag and loaded it with waterproof overpants and an emergency blanket, neither of which I (thankfully) needed. The frame bag also housed a repository of snacks for the day, minus a couple little hot sandwiches I grabbed at stops along the way.
Other than that, layering was the name of the game. I kept my Pactimo waterproof jacket on all day to cut the wind, layered over a long-sleeve jersey (an Isadore one I absolutely love, and was sorry to cover up because I think it’s high fashion) and long-sleeve base layer (generic Under Armour). An ear warmer headband, winter bib tights, and water resistant shoe covers completed the keep-warm ensemble.
I considered swapping to either the largest tire I currently have (47mm Specialized Pathfinder Pros) or something with a bit more tread (a set of old Maxxis cyclocross tires) but ultimately decided neither were worth the fuss. The 40mm Pirelli Cinturato Gravel Hs that I’ve been using through the fall stayed put, and they were an excellent choice for a little extra ice/snow safety that still ran quick on mostly clear asphalt roads. These have become one of my favorite fit-and-forget tire options. They’re wide enough to handle most dirt and gravel roads, but roll quick enough that I don’t absolutely have to swap them out to keep up with an beginner-to-intermediate-pace group rides. (Provided I’m in shape, that is.)
The last gear call out I’ll mention only briefly, because I want to write something a bit more in-depth about them. I have been overwhelmingly impressed with my new Julbo Ultimate photochromic glasses since I picked them up in December. On a long ride like this, the lenses adapted quickly to the full sun of midday, and then seamlessly transitioned to clear as night fell. Super cool.
Everything else equipment-wise was just “my bike” as it stays regardless of whether I’m riding road or gravel, fast or slow – Bearclaw Thunderhawk frame, ENVE AG25 wheels, Brooks C17 saddle, Lauf Smoothie handlebar, and Shimano GRX 2x11 mechanical drivetrain. I didn’t add on my aero bars since I wasn’t sure how much ice we’d be encountering, although I’d normally pop those on for a 200k as well.
Final Thoughts
I knew going into this R-12 Award attempt that January and February were likely to be the most difficult months to find a good day to ride. My anxiety about getting that first ride in was fully activated after getting snowed out since I had other commitments on many weekends in January and the Chicago weather was trending colder.
But wow, what a beautiful day of riding. Especially with the Bar Mitts added to my kit, I’m being challenged to reconsider what I think about as “rideable” during the winter. Are a pair of studded tires in my future? We’ll see. Even with the large tire clearance on my frame, snow can pretty quickly shut down what’s doable on a road or gravel bike, and I don’t have plans to buy a fat bike anytime soon. All I can say now is I’m inspired to push the envelope a little further when it comes to riding outdoors in cold weather.
The other thing that’s been on my mind is how unthinkable jumping out to do a 200k ride would have been even just three years ago. To be honest, until maybe last year it would have still been seriously daunting.
It is wild how your perspective shifts after a few seasons of pushing distance. It’s not that I’ve been a schlub lately, but the last time I rode at least 200k prior to this ride was actually the last day of the 2024 Mishigami Challenge. Consistent riding is important to tackling a goal like this, and I’ve been riding consistently since late October, but there is a mental and physiological shift that happens once you’ve ridden distances like this five, ten times or more. As I wrote back at the very beginning of this newsletter, it doesn’t get shorter, you just know that you can do it. Some of that knowledge comes from technical skills - knowing how to fuel yourself effectively over 8+ hours, for example. But some of it is simple self-confidence.
I know that I talk a lot about how I love the adventure inherent in long distance cycling. It’s deeply important to me. For others, the motivation to ride long distances may come from other sources. But for me, it’s deeply intertwined with rides just like this - spending all day on the bike exploring new roads.
This was a fun read. Glad you found a "moderate" January day for your ride says the Texan who considers moderate to be more like the mid 50s.