Originally Posted by
Steamer
Heh. I think we both know he was being figurative.
But I too would like to understand the point being made a bit more explicitly. Perhaps its a comment on a practice to include gratuitous amounts of climbing on randonee routes? (i.e. course routing to add more climbing just for the sake of adding more climbing) Just a guess.
She, as it happens.
And okay, this is kind of incoherent, because it's little bits of a much longer rant that I don't have time to write right now. Sorry.
It was a variety of things. One, the climbing thing -- our local site goes on and on about how much climbing there is. The rides are hilly, but now that I've ridden a few (or portions of them on other rides), most were made to sound worse than they are, IMHO.
Two -- not all basic FAQs are as encouraging, and a lot of beginner advice talks a lot about makeshift repairs and stories like that, and not about the fact that most people will have a great, no-problem, ride. Pretty much all of the ride reports are of the "epic" variety, not the "whee AWESOME" sort. And a lot of ride reports or conversations present calling for help as a "failure" to be avoided at all costs, rather than something that is possible when one is pushing one's limits.
Three, and this is going to be an artifact of how one searches and luck of the draw, but every time I looked for information on basic topics, I ended up finding forum/newsgroup discussions on how that particular topic related to whatever the really bad year for Americans at PBP was. Seriously. Looking for lights? PBP OH NO. Looking for exactly what the reflective gear rules are? PBP OH NO. Ride report or course information for a past run of a certain route? PBP OH NO. Advice on becoming a stronger climber/picking gearing for hilly routes? PBP OH NO. What some particular notation means on a cue sheet? Okay, maybe not that one, because navigating PBP is evidently easier.