Last year after returning from London Edinburgh London and vacationing in the UK we jumped right into my favorite time of year, fall. We started planning for Bikes, Beer, Fire, camping, and our Halloween party. In the midst of all that the schedules for brevets were posted I became very excited about the 2018 season. You could say I had a big case of randonesia from LEL. Steve did not however, and he was done with rides greater in length than 24 hours. When I heard about the Mac and Cheese 1200k there was no question that it was the grand brevet I wanted to do in 2018. I didn't even research any other rides and didn't know until well into 2018 that the US held eight grand brevets this year. While location was a big draw, the biggest however who was organizing the event. Steve and I completed the MMoM (Million Meters of Milk) the previous July and knew what an amazing event Michelle could organize. She hardly misses a single detail, and if MMoM was any indication what Mac and Cheese would be, I knew I wanted to be there for the ride. Michelle, with help from Jeremy from the Detroit Randonneurs, did not disappoint. Prior to the ride the amount of information and details about the ride available to the public and riders was immense. I knew exactly what to expect at any point in the ride. The design work on the swag was pretty awesome including the finishers medal. The drop sacs are sturdy and functional. I absolutely love the musette bag and used it at pretty much every control stop along the ride and will do so in future brevets. The routes were well thought out going by historic areas and scenic locations. For the lucky few faster riders the route conveniently had numerous brewery options along the way. Like LEL one of most memorable things about Mac and Cheese were the volunteers. I don't know if every grand brevet has the amazing support of hard working volunteers at these rides or if I've lucked out twice in a row. Every volunteer I encountered at Mac and Cheese always had a big smile on their face! They were excited to see me and hear updates on my journey. They always knew the right thing to say to help me keep the momentum going. Some of my favorite moments were: 1) At the final control stop of day 1 I made the comment to Steve that I could not believe how many veterans were on this ride. Only one person out of the numerous I chatted with the whole day had been a rando rider for less than ten years! For many people this was their fifth plus grand brevet. Later I would find out I was not only the youngest rider but also the youngest rando rider. The volunteer working the control said very calmly, "everyone was once in your shoes". hmmm True! 2) The third day I came upon a control stop at a park and was getting a little nervous because I felt I was behind the timeline/schedule I had set for myself. A few events earlier in the day had derailed me a bit, including having to change my first flat tire in a non controlled environment. The volunteers could see I was tired and offered encouragement while adding water to my water bottles, airing up my tires, and offering snacks. I let them know my biggest concern about already being tired and the sun setting. I was worried about needing to pull over and take a nap and being bear/wolf/moose/mountain lion bait. A volunteer immediately pulled out his phone and said I'm the sweep vehicle tonight if you get tired give me a call you can sit in the car and take a nap. He then snapped the awesome photo above with me and my bike 3) The volunteers always knew where I was and when I would be arriving to the next control. This was especially nice for Steve so he didn't have to stay up late worrying about where I was 4) I arrived at the last control before the overnight on day 2 after midnight and the volunteers were sound asleep in their vehicles. I contemplated taking a photo and getting my card signed later because I didn't really need anything but my card signed. I hesitantly rapped on the window. The volunteers despite being sleep deprived were so cheerful and welcoming. They offered me a chair, blanket, food, and water. They again knew just what to say to keep me going for that final push home. 5) A certain volunteer not judging me as I scrapped the cheese off an entire pizza and ate the whole thing (I was hungry). 6) "You're fuckin amazing, you know that"! I didn't feel it at that point twenty miles to go on the final day but again that simple reassurance lit a fire inside me and I rocked out those last miles and forgot all about the headwind. I don't think I can thank Michelle, Jeremy, and all the volunteers enough for making Mac and Cheese an amazing experience! Thank you so much for sacrificing time away from your family and friends, and sleep to ensure the riders were safe, happy, and well feed. I appreciate every kind word of encouragement, and act of kindness no matter if it seemed insufficient at the time. Thank you! You are all amazing and I hope one day I will be able to return the favor on one of your rides!!! Pedal Dammit!