Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Sticking a toe in and saying hello

I spend most of my time in the commuting and folding bike forums, but lately I've been trying to decide whether to tackle the new expenses, skills, and time commitments of randonneuring. I've ordered the Cyclist's Training Bible, and I'm comfortable doing my 25-mile round-trip commute and the occasional flat century, but hmm. Not sure yet about brevets.

Anyway, hello, and thanks for all the free advice I'm picking up from reading this forum. It seems clear to me that the weaknesses I'd need most to address would be navigation and mechanicking. (And then I'd need to decide whether to slowly change components on my road bike or get something better-suited out of the box. And then...and then...)

I do already own a Thermos, though.

Thermos is good!

And hey... your title shows that you have the mechanicking thing under control! :thumb:

Actually, that's quoting one of my four-year-olds, though for a while it was "the chain turns da rocket."

Ah, so your four-year-old has the mechaniking thing under control. Just drag him along in the trailer on your brevets and you're all set. :)

And I already own him, plus a spare. Hmm...

the training bible is good, but i feel like it's geared towards shorter rides, e.g. 1-3 hour races. still a good book for training, but you'll need to think about extra distance as well as what they talk about.

you should also check out the "Long Distance Handbook" or whatever it's called, i learned a lot from that one. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Long-Distance-Cycling-Confidence/dp/1579541992/ref=pd_sim_b_1

anyway, welcome to our crazy club.

And I already own him, plus a spare. Hmm...

Just teach the other one to navigate and you've got everything covered.

You might want some low gears for getting the trailer with both kids over the hills, though...

You might want some low gears for getting the trailer with both kids over the hills, though...

Funny you should mention that. There's a 25% grade in our neighborhood that's the sole reason my Xootr Swift now has a Sram Dual Drive next to the trailer hitch.

you should also check out the "Long Distance Handbook" or whatever it's called, i learned a lot from that one. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Long-Distance-Cycling-Confidence/dp/1579541992/ref=pd_sim_b_1

anyway, welcome to our crazy club.

I'm not in the club yet, just, you know, sidling backward towards the door and pretending I'm not going in.

I'll get the book, thanks!

Welcome to the coven! You realize what you're getting into, huh? You may have to drag the kids along in the trailer to make sure they see you:)

Which brings us to commitments. In order to fit in training and brevets, you'll need time management skills. I wasn't born with those so it helps to be a grandfather. I can send the kids home when the bike calls. In fact, that might be why the average age of PBP riders is 50ish!

You might find some useful info here (http://www.veloweb.ca/randopage.html).

Thanks for the link.

I'm thinking I can use my commute as training time, and my relative flexibility as a freelancer for making the randonnees themselves possible.

Not that I'm definitely doing any of this. I'm just thinking. Musing, really. Mulling, you know.

Just thinking aloud.

Daydreaming, really.

Which brings us to commitments. In order to fit in training and brevets, you'll need time management skills. I wasn't born with those so it helps to be a grandfather. I can send the kids home when the bike calls. In fact, that might be why the average age of PBP riders is 50ish!

This is so true!

I didn't get the time to spend a lot of quality time with my bicycle until after my wife and I got our daughter off to college... got myself back into college (one more class and I'll complete my master's degree)... so rides in excess of 100 miles are next on my horizon.

So yeah... I'll be 46 in a couple of months and am looking forward to trying to complete a super series next year.

I started a little late with the kids--I'm 43, with four-year-old twins. If I wait for them to leave home, I'll be 80.

Thanks for the link.

I'm thinking I can use my commute as training time, and my relative flexibility as a freelancer for making the randonnees themselves possible.

Not that I'm definitely doing any of this. I'm just thinking. Musing, really. Mulling, you know.

Being part of the club doesn't mean you have to go out and ride an S-R series or a 1200k. Some of us in the club still draw our "crazy" line at 400k.
I'll be doing a couple of my club's 100k pop's, a couple 200k, a 300k, and a 400k in the fall as the topper for my season. Currently I don't have any plans to go over 400k.

Thanks for the link.

I'm thinking I can use my commute as training time, and my relative flexibility as a freelancer for making the randonnees themselves possible.

Not that I'm definitely doing any of this. I'm just thinking. Musing, really. Mulling, you know.

Musing.. mulling? Too late you're stuck here.. I'll need some contact info so I can make sure we can meet up in Paris for PBP '11. I don't know if they allow trailers though ;)

I think commuting time if you can use it to do training can be great. I had nothing more then commuting and only a recent longest ever ~70 mile ride done before I did my first 200k. On my commuting tank which minus the laptop and other work stuff weighed in somewhere around 60lbs, with me weighing on the high end of 270.
One thing about commuting is you probably have most of the stuff you already need. To do my brevet this weekend the only thing I'll change from commuting mode is carrying a few more extra batteries for my GPS/Rear lights and carry my ziplocks with nutrition stuff in my brevet waist pack.

I think I do want to try a 200K, since it's not much more than a century, but I'll have to do some conscious hill training on the one big steep part of my commute. All the centuries I've done to this point have been pretty flat.

evblazer, that makes sense--except that my commuter is a folding bike with 20" wheels. It's an outstanding machine within its realm, but I don't want to do these kinds of distances on it, especially if I can't predict the terrain I'll encounter over the next few years. I'd rather either put new components on my Trek 1000 (an entry-level road bike) or sell it and get something meant for distance in the first place.

The Peter White Silkroad (http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/tout-terrain.asp) looks like total overkill. Maybe I'll get a second job and aim for that...

The silkroad looks like more of an off-road expedition touring bike and commuting bike than a long distance road bike, not that there's anything wrong with that.

The silkroad looks like more of an off-road expedition touring bike and commuting bike than a long distance road bike, not that there's anything wrong with that.

There's no real way I could afford it anyway. But maybe something like a used Atlantis...

yeah i think you should look into drop-bars (road bars) for the longer rides. (if not a road bike)

more hand positions = more comfort

I do have a road bike, but it's the one I bought when leaving hybrids behind, and not necessarily what I would have bought if I'd known more. On the other hand, it's a perfectly good bike, and a Nitto Noodle, lower gearing, bags, and fenders might be all I need to get it where it should be.

Oo, fenders... I've lusted after Honjo-Kokens, but they don't come in 20" and I haven't used my road bike much in the rain. But now I may be forced to get some nice ones...

Oh, another thought--I've never done a paceline. Does it matter? Will I alienate new friends even before they have a chance to be alienated by my personality?

It's been 20 years since I've done a paceline. I'll be doing my first 200k brevet tomorrow. I'll just keep a good distance back from the wheel in front of me until I get used to it again. It's not really all that hard, it just takes practice.

Just let people know you don't have experience with it and I suspect the more experienced folk will be happy to show/tell you what you need to know. The two key things are to leave plenty of space between wheels until you get experienced, and don't suddenly speed up when it's your turn to pull. Watch your speedometer when you're near the front of the line, and when you are in front, just maintain the same speed (assuming the slope hasn't changed). The usual rookie maneuver is to suddenly start pulling too hard when it's your turn to pull and you tear apart the line. That can be useful in a race, but not so much when you're trying to work together.

Also be careful not to let a gap form in front of you, or you'll have to work hard to catch back up or else cause half the line to get dropped. It's a balancing act between leaving enough room for safety and keeping that gap close enough so you still have a good draft. The key is to pay close attention.

Boy, it's all coming back to me. :)