200K in the Rain? Oui!

I didn't think today's brevet would be worth a ride report.  I was wrong.

Acworth 200K

The Acworth 200K is a great route that our Audax Atlanta club hadn't ridden in a few years.  When the 2019 schedule was being planned last fall, Wayne, our new Regional Brevet Administrator (RBA) asked if anyone had route suggestions.  I requested that we do the Acworth 200K again.  It's in an area we don't ride in as much, and I remembered enjoying the route.

Today's forecast looked daunting even a week ago.  Sure enough, it rained.  A lot.  Surprisingly, however, it wasn't that bad.  That's because it wasn't cold today.

The weather report scared away some people, but we still had a surprisingly large group of 11.  It started raining lightly a few minutes before our 7:00 AM start.  I pulled my rain jacket out of my bike bag.  I sure am glad I put it on then because right after we rolled out, the bottom fell out.  The hardest rain of the day occurred within the first five miles or so.

The rain continued steadily for most of the day.  There was a break from about mile 55 to 70 and again after about mile 100.  That was probably the rainiest brevet I ever did.  I didn't mind, though.  I treated it as good training for PBP, which always has the possibility of rain.

Train in the rain - a double entendre (ooo!  a good French term)

Robert thought I was going to come home and say what a hard ride it was.  Sure, it wasn't as easy as lying on the sofa eating bonbons, but I've ridden a number of 200Ks that were much less enjoyable.  Like when I got hypothermia on the Gainesville 200K.  Or when I crashed on a gravelly descent on the Secret Gaps 200K, getting a mild concussion and spraining my shoulder.  By comparison, a little - OK a lot - of warmish rain is a cinch.

Also, the roads were beautiful with little traffic.  No wonder I remembered enjoying the route.  I'd love to do the Acworth 200K again, preferably in the sun next time.

Henry's

I had another good motivator today throughout my 124 miles - Henry's!  I first went to Henry's when I did the Acworth 200K in 2014.  Kevin, our RBA back then, had recommended Henry's in downtown Acworth.  When I went, I was delighted to discover it's a Louisiana-style restaurant.  I gently scolded Kevin for not passing along that tasty tidbit of information.

Acworth is a nearly two-hour drive from my house, and so I can't go to Henry's very often.  However, I've made a point to go back a few times when I've been in the area.  I really looked forward to my post-brevet visit today; it was all I hoped it would be and more.

I got a crawfish po'boy - laws!

I had the nicest young guy as my waiter.  I asked him about the relative sizes of the half po'boy and whole po'boy.  Even though I had just ridden 124 miles and was very hungry, I'm glad I got the half po'boy.  There's no way I could have eaten a whole one.  It probably would have been bigger than my head.  (The rule is never to eat anything bigger than your head.  One exception: cotton candy.)  Later when I told my waiter I was glad I got the half, he said that he rarely sees anyone finish a whole one.  He should have told me that up front!  By the way, the bread itself on the po'boy is really good.  I wouldn't be surprised if they make it themselves.

I also had fun with all the hot sauces.  The two on the left are staples at home, and the two on the right are also delicious.  I particularly liked the Cajun Power garlic sauce on my Cajun fries.  (I don't like ketchup - yeah, weird, I know.)

After I finished my po'boy and Cajun fries, my waiter offered me a free bread pudding!  As if I weren't already in heaven.  It was in honor of Chef Henry's 60th birthday!  Happy birthday, Chef Henry!  I saw the sign over the bar but didn't realize that today's the day until my waiter told me.

Chef Henry comes by his expertise honestly:

All this made me glad I had specifically chosen this post-ride shirt with Henry's in mind:

Icing on the Cake

On top of all everything else, I acquired two cool jerseys today:

Wayne gave me the Audax Atlanta jersey before the ride started this morning.  It was left over from an Audax Atlanta special jersey order several years ago, I think before I started riding with the group.  It might be a size too large for me, but I don't mind.  I think I can make it work.  Also, I'm looking forward to trying my first wool jersey.

My PBP jersey was in the mail when I got home today!  I had ordered it through Randonneurs USA (RUSA).

I'm glad for both the European French and Louisiana French parts of my day.  Oui!