Riders in the BMB randonnČe, which started August 22, faced tough conditions this year: rain began in Ludlow (150 miles) and lasted for 8 to 9 hours. Keith Krombel said "Eventually it stopped and the clearing skies with a brilliant, shadow-casting full moon over Grand Isle was the reward."

Very cold rain moved in again the third day. Some riders descending from the Killington ski area stopped and bought more warm clothes at a ski shop. One rider reported "The scariest part was dealing with two steep descents off Terrible Mountain and then Andover Pass in the rain and the dark. It took us two hours to go about 12 miles. Andover Pass had been repaved but no lines had been put down so you couldn't tell where you were on the road. Yikes, I could barely see and when a car came up I was completely blinded and had to stop. The five of us literally inched our way down, lighting each others way."

Despite the tough conditions, 91 riders finished the randonnČe out of 115 starters. Twelve riders completed the Can-Am Challenge, riding both the Rocky Mountain 1200 randonnČe and BMB only four weeks apart. Ken Bonner, 59, from Victoria, BC, Canada, a veteran randonneur compared the randonnČes: "BMB is the toughest of Paris-Brest-Paris, RM 1200, Gold Rush RandonnČe [in California] or London-Edinburgh-London. Almost 40,000 feet of climbing at BMB with some extremely rough roads and long, steep hills (with some corresponding fast and long down hills!)" Bonner finished both the RM1200 and BMB in under 60 hours and as I write, he just finished the Last Chance 1200 km randonnČe in Colorado in 59:05 (first finisher), 11 days after finishing BMB!

Rob Gray flew into Vancouver, rode his fixed gear to Kamloops, BC, rode the RM 1200 randonnČe, cycled to Boston from Kamloops, and did BMB all on his fixed. He only had two days off the bike from when he touched down in Vancouver until leaving for Britain on Monday after BMB.

The BMB randonnČe is a also RAAM qualifier. Thirteen riders not previously qualified riders will receive invitations to participate in the Race Across America. The qualifying standard for men is to finish in less than 65 hours (less than 70 hours if 50 or older) and for women to finish in less than 70 hours (75 hours if 50 or older).

In addition to organizing BMB, Jennifer Wise offers the Quad Centuries, which allow riders to enjoy the most scenic and challenging parts of the course while still getting to sleep each night. 19 started the Quad Centuries and 17 rode all four days. The riders included former RAAM directors Lon Haldeman and Susan Notorangelo, Haldeman rode the Quads on his Rivendell one-speed!

Boston-Montreal-Boston, like the other 1200 km randonnČes, is organized primarily for riders to meet the challenge of the course and conditions. Many randonneurs do strive for personal bests and some race for a top finish.

At BMB this year, Chris Grealish, 39, Boulder, CO was the first finisher in 53 hours and 48 minutes. There are two start times at BMB: 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. Grealish started at 6 a.m. and a small group immediately went off the front. Philippe DePlaix, who tied for first at PBP '99, forced the pace on the hills and shattered the group. Grealish passed DePlaix at about mile 110 to take the lead. Grealish rode the first 579 miles to Ludlow without sleep, took a one hour nap, and then finished. Grealish, who is quite gregarious, said that the hardest part was riding all but the first 50 miles by himself. Each time he stopped at a control, he'd want to talk and the official would push him to get back on the road.

Nancy Pauw, 44, Banff, AL, Canada was the first woman finisher at both the RM1200 and BMB randonnČes. She said that the hardest part at the RM 1200 was that she over-slept in a room half-way up the Icefields. She left in the pouring rain and had to ride all day by herself. At BMB the hardest part was the steepness of the climbs. One of her best memories was seeing a small black bear and then two wild turkeys on the way back to Boston.

Krombel, riding BMB a month after finishing first at Quadzilla, started at 4 a.m. and was the first rider to the Canadian border. A skeptical border guard "had never heard of BMB, wanted to see my control card and my id, and asked me more than a dozen questions about BMB, how long I was going to be in Canada, how much money I had, and 'Have you ever been arrested?' I expected the follow up to that last one to be, 'Well, you are now.' He nevertheless let me pass saying, 'That's quite an undertaking.' In contrast, my return to the US took only a few seconds with two questions: 'You with the bike ride?' and 'US citizen?'."

When I asked Krombel how he'd sum up the ride, he said "Yep, quite an undertaking." He continued "Jennifer Wise et al. did an excellent job. The control volunteers extended so much hospitality that I felt guilty not staying longer to visit. At Huntingdon [the turnaround], in particular, I felt like I was slighting them by taking only one sandwich with me as I passed through."

Complete results: Boston-Montreal-Boston website

Top RandonnČe Finishers