Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Between the last qualifier and the PBP

In 2003, after I finished my series in early-June, there were no more rides on the schedule until the PBP in late August. I was left to my own devices to keep in shape for the PBP. This year should be a little bit better because the Alberta Randonneurs do have a small hell week on the schedule for late July, but I think that's the only event between mid-June and the PBP which I might be able to get to.

I suspect that many of us could be in the same position ... we finish all our qualifiers, riding brevets just about every weekend for 2 months .... and then .... nothing. So, I thought we might be able to use this thread to exchange some ideas of how to motivate ourselves to keep in shape during those months between our last qualifiers and the PBP.

I did several things in 2003:

-- I joined the local cycletouring club. Their rides weren't super long or fast, but I'd add to them as necessary. I recall one ride they held ... I cycled 50 kms to the starting point, rode with them for about 75 kms, had a great BBQ supper, and then cycled home. That made for a nice century and a bit. They also held an organized century which started in a more hilly area of the province, so I headed down on the Saturday, did hill repeats all day, camped overnight, and then rode the century the next day. It was nice to meet and ride with other cyclists, and their schedule helped me organize my calendar.

-- I rode the local annual century. Actually, I rode 50 kms out to the start of the local annual century, rode the century, and then rode home.

-- I contacted the members of the Manitoba Randonneurs (who I was riding with at the time) to see if any of them wanted to do some long rides in hillier parts of the province. One weekend the whole group of us headed into Ontario for a ride. Another weekend one of the other girls and I spent the weekend camping and cycling at Riding Mountain National Park.

-- I looked at the calendar, and on the weekends where there weren't interesting cycletouring club rides, or where I didn't have anything planned with the Manitoba Randonneurs, I planned my own events. On one long weekend I rode 100 miles on Day1, 100 kms on Day2, and 100 miles on Day3. Another weekend I did back-to-back centuries. And another weekend I wanted to ride a double century up to an area of the province I hadn't seen, and back, but I miscalculated the distance and nearly rode a 400K.

I am already toying with some ideas like these for this year. :)

Two nearby brevet clubs, Boston Brevets and New Horizon Sports in Western Mass are hosting brevets in June and July to maintain fitness for PBP. Personally, I'm also planning in participating in the Great Mass Getaway, a two day charity ride to raise funds for MS that's got a back-to-back centuriies option. Not the most challenging terrain, but it gets me on my bike and it's a good cause.

I've also got a couple of local touring ideas that I'm kicking around. One is a cross state ride, doing 100 miles from Boston to Lenox, meet my girflfriend for a night at Tanglewood, the Boston Symphony's summer venue, then ride 100 miles home. Another is a repeat of a short 250 mile tour I did a couple of years ago, basically riding around Massachusetts, roughly following the I-495 orbital while stopping in at various friends houses. Only difference, being that instead of doing it over the course of three days, I'd compress it to one and treat it as a 400K.

Also looking at a few weekends off the bike, crosstraining with either rock climbing or backpacking, just to keep me from burning out on cycling all the time.

I suspect that many of us could be in the same position ... we finish all our qualifiers, riding brevets just about every weekend for 2 months .... and then .... nothing. So, I thought we might be able to use this thread to exchange some ideas of how to motivate ourselves to keep in shape during those months between our last qualifiers and the PBP.
In France, all of us tend to concentrate on mountain climbing. PBP is quite hilly (10,000 m to climb over the 1250 km). So the BCMF (brevets on mountains with over 4000 m to climb over more than 200 km) are quite popular. Other possibilities are tour de France cyclo, 1000 km rides (preferably in audax groups), flèches from Paris to far away places, with good food and excellent hôtels or camping, and always, as far as I am concerned, a 1-week preparation 2 weeks prior to PBP in the mountains of Forez near St Etienne

The ACP 600 km (which I will attend, is 2-3 June. Then:

22 june to 2 July: flèche Paris-Nice

10-20 July. Trans Pyrénées

29 July: Dunwich Dynamo (just for the fun and the London Pride)

6-10 August: 1000 km of mountain-Pre-PBP commando bicycling in St Bonnet le Château (mounts of the Forez near St Etienne, with excellent cherries)

All BCMF that I could possibly fit into the calendar. The complete list of BCMF (for those of you who may want to come and enjoy) is at

http://www.ffct.org/bcmf/index.htm

Summing up, the recommendation here, over continuing logging kilometers, is to log climbing kilometers, preferably with long climbs. I am not sure, still, that mountain biking would be a good training (and what about the position?). South America seems to have lots of 4000 m+ passes on the Pacific shore. Should be a great place for training :-)

Summing up, the recommendation here, over continuing logging kilometers, is to log climbing kilometers, preferably with long climbs. A better idea is to schedule a couple of "night rides."

Simply practicing riding in the dark is the most helpful skill you can develop to prepare for PBP. If you can withstand an all-night ride, on a fully loaded bicycle with a group, so much the better.

A better idea is to schedule a couple of "night rides."

Simply practicing riding in the dark is the most helpful skill you can develop to prepare for PBP. If you can withstand an all-night ride, on a fully loaded bicycle with a group, so much the better.
Yes, riding in the dark may be unusual to most of us. Starting with the 300 km, anyone preparing for the PBP will *need to ride during the dark hours. You can always (1) test yourself with a 3 am start from home for a 300 km ending late afternoon, then (2) test yourself again with a 8 pm start from home for a 200 km ending over breakfast. When you have done that under a cold pouring rain, you can say you are ready. Nights are always cold on the return leg early morning from Loudéac, particularly at the three river crossings

The 300 km leaves usually at about 3 to 4 am: ample time to see what it is to ride in the dark outside the cities and street lighting

The 400 km always contains a full night (most popular starting time seems to be 17:00)

The 600 km also contains a full night, usually with a start at about 7:00 am

So you will have plenty of practice

PBP time is always selected for optimal moon. This year, the full moon will be on 28 august. 20 august will be a first quarter

Back to mountain climbing, you can even do both: a BCMF in one day starts at about 3:00 am also. You will ride during cool and dark hours and enjoy the sunrise on the top of the pass (say on way up to the col du Glandon after climbing the Grand Cucheron from Grenoble in full darkness save for the lights of fellow randonneurs and a few mountain villages from time to time)

I'm planning to take a 4 weeks touring trip in july from Paris to Nice (at least) and crossing as many passes as possible. All that with the camping gear of course. I generally suck at climbing so that might give me some "climbing legs".

Well, one thing I've got planned is a tour somewhere in Europe from about August 7th to the 17th before settling in near Paris. Some of it will involve train travel, but a lot of it will be cycling.

I'm still working on some other ideas.

The local cycling club seems to have disappeared, which puts a bit of a damper on the idea of riding with them.