Just a pre-event practice to make sure my fitness was peaking
The Coffeenuering Challenge for this year includes a theme option. I chose something simple, but something that has meaning for me. It was several years ago when I first heard about Brad’s “Association of Caffeinated Wheelmen”. That was the first time I ever heard of someone combining bicycles and coffee as a “thing” in the way I thought of it. I was an early adopter of his pins, and have been supporting the Association ever since. So as a sort of tribute to Brad’s creativity, I decided to use my most recent Association of Caffeinated Wheelmen mug for each coffeeneuring control this year. Its the “same mug each time” theme.
Control No. 1
Bicycle parking on decorative iron fence, not ideal but adequate
Fortunate to kick-off this season’s challenge with my new GRANDSON!
Date: Sunday, October 4
Location: Zed’s Cafe, Silver Spring, MD
Bike: A. Homer Hilsen
Weather: Cloudy, 57F
Beverage: Double Espresso
Mileage: 5+ miles
Description: I was joined by Mrs. Pondero, my daughter, son-in-law, and new GRANDSON at Zed’s Cafe in Silver Spring, MD. This was two days before the start of the C&O Canal Towpath Tour. There was (apparently) one guy working and the place was packed. We had a couple of mix-ups of orders and payment. Maybe it was a tough, under-staffed day, but a little frustrating for our group that day. My espresso was delicious. Bike friendliness was not ideal without bike racks, but the decorative fencing allowed a lock up, and there were tables and chairs outside, so it all worked out in the end.
Theme: Same Mug Each Time
Control No. 2
Quickbeam gate lean
Date: Sunday, October 11
Location: Sullivan Road, Denton County, TX
Bike: Quickbeam
Weather: Sunny, Windy, 92F
Beverage: Bialetti Moka Pot Americano
Mileage: 14.5 miles
Description: I was sitting and sweating in the shade on a gravel roadside, waiting for my coffee to cool a bit. It was quiet because not a single person came by. Restoring order from my recent trip to Maryland, I didn’t have a lot of time. I brought a thermos of coffee brewed beforehand at home. There was a steel ranch gate located conveniently in the bend of the road to lean my bike against. So I’m calling this quite bicycle friendly. I sipped my wonderful coffee, and pondered how different things were this week as compared to last.
Mug shot
Control No. 3
Primitive campsite
Date: Saturday, October 17
Location: Primitive campsite
Bike: A. Homer Hilsen
Weather: Let me just say “perfect”
Beverage: Pour over
Mileage: Approximately 40 miles
Description: Even though I just returned from a four-day tour, Mrs. Pondero recognized that this is THE time of year for me to get out. So she released me to the woods for a coffeeneuring overnighter. Pushing a bike through the brush isn’t what must folks might call bike friendly, but I certainly had no worries about it disappearing. Overall, let’s call it bike friendly.
This event was split into two parts. My first cup was with breakfast at the campsite. After packing up to head back home, I stopped again on the lakeshore for another round. Double round coffeenering brings double the joy.
Round 1, with breakfast
Round 2, with sun sparkles on the water
Control No. 4
Quickbeam and lollygagging mat
Date: Saturday, October 25
Location: Waide Road
Bike: Quickbeam
Weather: Breezy, mostly cloudy, 64F
Beverage: Homebrew (Aeropress) in a thermos
Mileage: 3+
Description: If it weren’t for the Challenge, I might not have gone. But I was challenged to carve out some time to say, “No, I must go ride my bike and drink coffee”. I found a roadside spot for a brew-up and no vehicles went by. So it was quiet except for the leaving moving and falling. With roads this empty, it seemed like it was intended only for bicycles. Bike friendly indeed. Fortunately the challenge gave me a special gift today.
Pouring carefully
Control No. 5
New bike day!
Date: Saturday, October 31
Location: Forester Road
Bike: Ocean Air Cycles Rambler
Weather: Breezy, mostly cloudy, 62F
Beverage: Pour-over, OAC Hobo Rouleur
Mileage: 10.6
Description: It was “new bike day” for me, and extra fun to celebrate with a coffeeneuring micro-adventure. The air was again damp and cool and so refreshing. My load was carried exclusively on the front rack on this “low trail” geometry ride. The OAC Hobo Rouleur coffee is a little lighter roast than I usually buy, but I quite enjoyed the difference. New season, new bike, and new coffee. No traffic, and a handy barbed wire fence, means bike friendliness.
On task
In the weeds
Control No. 6
Grey sky, grey water, and a sunflower yellow Rambler
Date: Saturday, November 7
Location: Lake Ray Roberts, Isle du Bois State Park
Bike: Ocean Air Cycles Rambler
Weather: Windy, cloudy, 56F
Beverage: Pour-over
Mileage: 43
My kind of place setting
Description: This outing was the first time of the season that I was able to enjoy the full effect of good fresh coffee. I always enjoy the flavor and aroma, but today it was cool enough outside for the hot coffee to warm me from the inside and mitigate the windy, wet outdoor chill. Waves slapped the shoreline and textured, multi-shades of grey clouds floated by on the wind, just distinguishable against the multi-shades of grey churning water. It was delightful. Where was everyone? With picnic tables in convenient places, it was an absolutely bike friendly spot.
Control No. 7
Coffeeneurs and fascinated spectators
Date: Saturday, November 14
Location: Cogburn Cemetery
Bike: Ocean Air Cycles Rambler
Weather: Partly cloudy, SE wind, high 50sF
Beverage: Pour-over
Mileage: 50
Satisfying aroma
Description: Like last year, I finished of the Coffeeneuring Challenge with several friends Rambling in rural north central Texas. Some guys joined in the coffee brew-up activities, and some watched in fascination. We shared homemade scones, crackers, and chocolate. We swapped stories, and beamed in our good fortune. We set-up our blankets behind a natural tree grove wind block. We had a ridgetop vista of rolling ranch land, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Plenty of space to keep our bikes in sight, but it certainly wasn’t necessary. Bike friendly? Absolutely.
And so concludes the 2015 Coffeeneuring Challenge for me. I lollygagged my way to a successful finish on the last weekend. I visited one actual coffee shop with walls in Silver Spring, Maryland, two separate State Parks on Lake Ray Roberts, three rural roadsides, and one cemetery. To incorporate a theme this year, I used the same Association of Caffeinated Wheelmen mug at each outing because…well…bicycles and coffee…
Pondero 
Pondero just taught me a trick. Instead of pouring directly into the mug, you pour into a thermos to keep things fresh and allows for more volume. Good to learn from one’s elders.
Elders?!…I may not be fast, but at least I’m old.
You got a frying pan! Finally. 😉
Also I like the dichotomy between the regular clothed coffee drinkers vs the road kit and neon non coffee drinkers, waiting for “something to happen.”
Good point about the bystanders. I didn’t realize the contrast until you pointed it out. They enjoyed the break as much as anyone, and seemed fascinated by our coffee nerd ways.
Well, if by next year they aren’t dressed head-to-toe in MUSA and wrestling with an Aeropress, we know that you’ve failed. 😉
The amount of cooking and coffee paraphernalia in your arsenal just cracks me up! And exquisite place settings too. I love your style.
Thanks. I guess if I can’t be touring, perhaps I can pretend.
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