Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - 2010 Brevets

Are you riding brevets this year ... just for fun or to increase your chances of getting into the PBP? Tell us about your brevets when you complete them. :)

March 5th, Rowan and I drove about 150 km to Lancefield and arrived here in pouring rain. We spent the evening setting up our bicycles and gathering all our wet weather gear together.

March 6th, Rowan and I rode our first 200K brevet since early 2008!! 205 km in total!!

It was a relief to see clear skies when we set off for the Start/Finish area in the morning, but we still carried our wet weather gear with us just in case. At about 6:30 a fairly large assortment of riders gathered for the 7 am start. There were rides of several distances going on ... 100K, 200K, 300K, 400K, and 600K. Rowan and I opted for the 200K.

At 7 am, we all started, and just when I was starting to settle into the ride, about 5 km down the road, I flatted!! The same thing happened on my 100K two weeks previous!! We determined that the problem was not the brand new tire I put on, but rather the rim tape which is old, worn, and out of place. Rowan fixed it as best he could and we fixed the flat and set off again. Fortunately Rowan's fix worked and I did not flat again for the rest of the ride.

Shortly after the flat we rode into an area of heavy, wet fog. We could hardly see, and our glasses kept misting up from the fog. The fog went on for kilometers ... kilometer after kilometer of white.

Finally, about 60 km into the ride, with about 40 km to go to the turn-around, we got out of the fog and into sunshine. Then it started heating up which combined with the humidity made it rather uncomfortable, and we stopped to shed some layers. From there all the way into Bendigo, it was warm and sunny.

Our control in Bendigo was a pleasant little 24-hour store where we had sandwiches and squares, and coke before heading back.

As we were leaving Bendigo, we could see storms forming in the distance ... where we were headed. As we rode, more and more clouds formed above us ... and then it started to rain. But only for 5 or 10 minutes at a time. We would discuss stopping to put on our jackets, and then the rain would stop. Then, all of a sudden it was like we rode into a fridge. One minute the temperature was fairly warm ... the next minute the temperature dropped. And shortly after that we put on the jackets.

It continued to rain on and off all the way back, with several loud rumbles of very close thunder around. We noticed hail heaped up on the side of the road, and found out when we got in that quite a number of the other cyclists had been caught in that hail. And then we found out on the news that Melbourne had a superstorm during the day and was blanketed in hail, some as large as golf balls, and waist-deep flooding in the CBD.

We stopped for a bite to eat in one little town, and when we set off again, I struggled. I felt like a hamster in a wheel ... like I was riding for all I was worth and getting nowhere. But apparently that bit of road is like that. It's a long, long gradual climb, but some of it is a false flat ... it doesn't look like anything, but it is. We had a great run out to Bendigo, but the route there came out of the highlands and into flatlands, and then we had to climb back out again. Fortunately when we finally got to the top, I was able to pick up a bit of speed again.

We rolled in after 11 hours and 48 minutes of cycling ... with 1 hour and 42 minutes before the cut off. I was really pleased with that time!!

And then, we ordered a chicken pizza to eat while watching Australian Rules Football in our room.


That was an offical 200K brevet which means that, if we wanted, Rowan and I could apply for the PBP two weeks earlier now. :)


And photos ... the ones marked 06Mar10_YMBC: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14302884@N04/sets/72157622681266839/

I'm working on my RUSA R-12 award (a 200k brevet or permanent each month for 12 consecutive months), so I'll be riding brevets/perms on occasion. I've got 4 done. And some pictures posted elsewhere on the internet.

I'm sort of planning to do a 300k this summer, but am not working on PBP other longer events at the moment. (PBP would be of more interest if it was a 12-day 1200k ride, and if airfare was free, both about equally likely).

For what it's worth, my last 200k was actually the first ACP ride I've done, so I went ahead and got my medal. Pretty cool. Don't know that I'd need to collect a bucketful of the things, though.
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z172/stephenhazelton/Miscellaneous/DSCN0298_270Proc.jpg

So far this year I've done San Francisco Randonneurs (SFR) Point Reyes Lighthouse 200k (01/23) and the SFR Russian River 300k (02/27). I'll be doing the SFR Healdsburg/Hopland 400k on 03/27. The longest ride I'd done before this year was the Davis Bike Club 200k last March. So I'm setting new personal distance records every month. I plan on doing at least a 600k this year to finish off an SR series, and I'm also hoping to do the Santa Cruz 1000k in June. I've looked at this year's brevet schedule, and it looks like I could easily do a brevet every month from January thorugh October or November, so if I do all of those, I could finish off an R-12 with just a couple of permanents. I don't know if I'll go for that this year, though. I figure doing a 1000k this year will be invaluable prep for PBP next year, and the more brevet experience of any length I can get in, the better.

Keith

I had a 200, 300 and 400k already this year. It's been -c-o-l-d-, for Florida, and the DNF's among the group have been higher than last year as a reult. I managed to get through o.k. The 200k was the worst, 40 degrees and rain all day. On the 400k, cold but dry, I was able to cut two hours off my time from last year, so I guess I'm making progress.

I did the 200k and 300k this year; missed the two local 400ks (due to arrival of kid #2; best reason ever for missing out on cycling). I'll do the 600k next month and then the local 1000k this October.

More interested in doing the brevets because they're fun than as part of the PBP qualification, though that's a nice incidental benefit. Definitely "in" for PBP in '11.

This is my second season of riding these things fixed and I'm really enjoying it, even more than I enjoyed brevets on geared bikes (and that was still a heck of a lot of fun). Will almost certainly be riding PBP fixed.

I'm a newbie: until this year my longest rides had been 50 miles in one day and an 88-mile tour in two days. This year I decided to try a 200K and, if I like it, try to do the rest of a super randonneur series. I'm aiming for the Berkshire Brevets Sheburne Falls 200K on April 24. I could do the 300K and 400K in the Berkshire Brevets series too, but I'd have to do a 600K in France or England the weekend of June 26 (there's one in Brittany that looks interesting, as well as one in Wales and one in Yorkshire).

I did the SF Randonneurs 200km in Jan ( http://www.wirewd.com/bike/blog/200km_2010_brevet/ ) as my first brevet ever. Like Machka, I did my first brevet on a mountain bike, although that's partially because it was my only bike.

Crashed but walked to the finish in time, missed the next set of SF Randonneurs brevets and am looking to get back on track and riding a 300km next.

Just finished another 200k yesterday, and I've got back to back weekends of 300k rides lined up for the following 2 weeks.

All my ride reports are on my blog: Permanent Clydesdale (http://cliftongk1.livejournal.com)

I've done the Central Florida 300 & 400 so far this year and am planning on doing the 600. I have conflicts for all of the Gainesville FL brevets, unfortunately. I'm planning on the 1000k around Lake Ontario in early July, will likely do some other brevets out of Ontario Canada before that and I'm signed up for the 1001 Miglia (1600 kms). As last year, I'll do whatever fits into the schedule.

They are running a "hell week" in early June north of Toronto, with a 200, 300, 400, 600 all in one week. I'm conflicted because it overlaps with the Shenandoah ... I'll have to make my choice soon.

Last Saturday (3/20) was the Oregon Randonneurs (and my) first brevet of 2010.

The "Birkie" (Forest Grove to Birkenfeld and back) is an ORR tradition, and this year was the first that anyone could remember that had clear (and dry!) weather all day. The day started out downright chilly: there were reports of frost and ice in the first third of the ride, but I personally didn't notice any. By the finish, temps were in the mid to upper 60s (f). All in all, quite a nice day for a ride. I finished in my usual mid-pack spot, despite having had a lot of trouble lately with sore legs and, ahem, "intestinal issues".

Up next: the ORR "3 Capes" 300k on April 3.

SP
Bend, OR
:recum:

Did my first official brevet two weekends ago - 200k.
Did another brevet last Saturday - 200k.
I'm doing another brevet tomorrow - 300k, YIKES! :eek:

This one's on familiar roads, and I've diligently studied the map and compared to the cue sheet just to make sure, you know. I really don't want anymore bonus miles on this one. :D

I'm new to brevets this year, but not that new to LD riding - just not this early in the year.

I did my first brevet yesterday, a 200k in Osterdorf, Germany. It was a great experience, I certainly learned a lot.
I was rather well prepared physically, and I had no problem finishing, but I realized I was totally unprepared for all the rest. I had no time to check the route on a map in advance, so no real idea of where we were going, and I didn't have anything to hold the cue sheet. Even then, my German is pretty bad so I am not sure I would really have understood the sheet correctly. It's sort of okay deciphering it now that I am sitting at my desk, but I would have been in trouble trying to follow it on the road.
Fortunately, this is a popular event in the region, there were maybe about 130 randonneurs at the start and I never found myself alone. I have many people to thank for guiding me!

There was quite a lot of climbing, my bike computer says 2400m, though I don't think this was quite that much. The worst was a part at 15% that was rather nasty, and another long-ish bit at 11% in the last 5km.

I've also registered for the 300k on 23.04, in Osterdorf too, and by then I will have installed a cue sheet holder and I will have checked the route in advance.

I did the San Francisco Randonneurs 400k on Saturday. It was a very, um, interesting experience. That long of a ride gives plenty of time for changes to take place. For instance, how many of you have started a ride feeling perfectly healthy and come down with a cold during the course of the ride? We started out crossing the Golden Gate Bridge Saturday at 6 am, and I felt fine for the first 40 or so miles, then suddenly my legs started loosing their strength and I couldn't keep up with the group of riders I had caught up to earlier. At the time, I figured it was the mile or so of 12% grade we had recently gone up.

I kept chugging along while noticing odd noises coming from the bike's drivetrain, kind of like a misaligned RD, but more intermittent. I figured I'd take a good look at the first control, but before I got there, the chain started completely slipping. I stopped and looked, and discovered that the chain had slipped down between my two biggest cogs. Closer examination revealed that the cogs were slipping back and forth on the freehub body because the lockring had come loose. Anybody familiar with the military term "Charlie Foxtrot"? In this case, it was very appropriate. Fortunately, I was carrying a Stein Mini Cassette Lock tool (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/stein-mini-lock/) and was able to put it back together.

As I rode the last few miles to the control, I was considering turning around and just riding back to the start because I just wasn't feeling very good and I knew from the elevation profile I had seen that there was a very significant climb right after the control. It would have been a 200k day, but I decided to stick it out. I was out here to overcome challenges, wasn't I?

At the first control, I was drinking some apple juice when I notice my front tire looked odd. Turns out it was completely flat. When I took the wheel off the bike, the reason was obvious, a very large fishhook was sticking into the sidewall. Trying to pull a barbed fishhook out of a tire is pretty much impossible without destroying one or the other. Fortunately, the manager of the store that was our control point had a pair of pliers with wire cutters, so it was the fishhook that got destroyed. By the time I was done and ready to go, I was the only rider left at the control, so I was pretty sure I was the last rider on the road. Bleah.

The big hill after that control lived up to its reputation. It is ironically named "Joy Road", and was mostly 12-15% grade, and 3 or so miles long. Hmmm, doing the math, that would be 1900 feet of climbing. It wasn't quite that much, but I do vaguely recall a few flat bits along the way. I got up it, but suffered. The descent was nice, though, beautiful forests. I suppose there were nice forests on the way up, but I didn't see anything by the pavement 10 feet in front of me on the way up. And it wasn't even very nice pavement.

There was a very nice stretch of the Bohemian Highway that followed, which was mostly 1-2% downgrade, which gave me plenty of opportunity to recover. I'd say it was the high point of the day. I pulled into the next control, the Guerneville Safeway, and saw a few riders eating, but by the time I had gotten in and out with some food, they were all in the process of leaving. I ate quickly and headed out alone again, after taking off a layer of clothing.

It was now about 70 degrees (F), and quite pleasant out, so I was wondering why my nose was still running like crazy. I understood it earlier, since it had been somewhat cold, but it was nice and warm at that point. I figured it must be an allergy, which seemed odd, since I don't have much in the way of pollen allergies. My legs still felt dead, but I slogged onward. Turning around was out of the question, since I didn't want to go back up the backside of Joy Rd.

I knew there was one more climb of similar height to Joy Rd. ahead of me, but it was on a state highway, so I hoped the roadbuilders had put sane limits on the grades. It turns out they had. It was 4-5% the whole way, including a few switchbacks. It was just as high (a little higher I think), but I could get in a low gear and spin my way up, so it wasn't nearly as bad. Just before I started the climb, I got passed by another randonneur on a recumbant, I think he had stopping for food in the town I had just passed. I passed him on the climb, which made me feel a little better. Then the course turned onto a smaller road and headed down. Then up. After a couple of miles of 6% or so climbing, I stopped at a summit to refill water bottles, and the recumbant rider caught up to me. We chatted for a few minutes, and I suggested he start first, since he would no doubt descent faster (which he did). The road went down at about 6%, then up at about 6%, then down at 6%, and so on for a while. When it finally hit flat ground about a mile from Hopland (the halfway control), I was really happy to be able to just be able to ride on flat ground. There were still a few people at the mini-mart that was the control. In the pre-ride info, we had been warned that we should expect headwinds going south from Hopland and being in a group was highly advised. So I tried to get turned around as quickly as possible. The sandwich I bought was too dry for me to eat quickly, so I stuck it in my h-bar bag for later and got ready to go with the last 3 riders.

Joining up with them was the best thing I did the entire ride. Heading south on Hwy 101 from Hopland was headwind the whole way. We took turns pulling and when I got to the front, I was so glad that I wasn't dealing with the wind by myself. I think I took pulls that were about half as long as the other 3 were doing, but I just had nothing in my legs. I figured it was just from the two very steep climbs earlier in the day. Around sunset I started noticing a familiar sound from my rear wheel, and called a stop so I could check it out and we could put on lights and reflector gear. Yes, the lockring was loose again. This was at the 150 mile point, so I had made it 100 miles since the first time it came loose. I put it back together and hoped it would make it it the 100 miles to the finish.

I had been feeling weaker and weaker, and was just barely managing to hang on at some points. One of the other riders mentioned that we had about 10 miles of rolling hills just ahead of us, and I told them that I wasn't sure I could stay with the group on rollers, so they shouldn't feel like they had to wait for me. It turns out that everyone else had been thinking that they might have similar problems. So we headed out into the darkening evening taking it nice and easy and I managed to stay with them through the rollers.

Later on though, I was having a hard time riding in the paceline on the flats. It was taking all of my concentration just to keep on the wheel in front of me, and I wasn't feeling like I could eat or drink safely or even look at my cue sheet, so I eventually dropped off the back and rode by myself. I figured I could crawl to the finish. By this time the winds had died, so being in a paceline wasn't as much of a benefit as it had been earlier. I also figured the others would be be able to finish much more quickly without me.

I was surprised a few miles later as I came to an intersection, to see a headlight coming towards me, then do a u-turn as I went past. It was one of the other riders, coming back to make sure I was OK. The other two were stopped a little ways after the turn. As I was approaching them, I was thinking of what to say to tell them to just go on without me, but never got the chance to say it. We started off again, and I got dropped again, and a while later they were stopped, waiting for me again. Sometime around Santa Rosa I drank a Red Bull energy shot, which helped a bit. We eventually made it to the next control, the Safeway in Petaluma around midnight. I was really looking forward to some hot soup because I was getting cold, but the deli was closed. I still couldn't eat the sandwich I had bought in Hopland, it was just too dry. So I bought some cold potato salad, which at least went down easily. While I was eating, I could feel that I was on the verge of shivering, even though it was in the mid-40s and I was wearing gear that had kept me quite comfortable down below freezing on my commutes. I knew we had a couple of valleys ahead of us that had been the coldest part of the trip out, and would probably be significantly cooler than Petaluma was. About then I noticed that one of the other guys was visibly shivering as well. We all put on all of the clothing we had. I had a pair of chemical toe heaters that I put in my shoes, then I put on my rain booties, my rain legs, and a windbreaker that I had in reserve. We spent over an hour in that Safeway, but eventually all of us were feeling warmer, so we headed out around 1 am.

When we had arrived at the Safeway, there were a few other riders already there who were also suffering from the cold. I think they were planning on DNFing and calling someone for a ride, but by the time we were ready to go, they had also warmed up and headed out with us. We had 4 more climbs to go in the last 50 miles to the finish, but at this point I think we were mostly worried about the cold descents. The hour long stop did wonders for me and I was actually leading on the climbs. I was very glad to have 24x26 gearing. :) We stopped to regroup at the top of each hill and pushed on. It was down around 38 degrees in a couple of the valleys, but I was doing ok at that point. The windbreaker made a great vapor barrier, although it was a bit warm on the climbs.

The finish was on the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge, which requires a final climb up from Sausalito. We regrouped at the top and rode together across the bridge to the finish at about 5:20am. I had been hoping to finish at around 22 hours, but I was certainly satisfied with being under 24 hours. Heck, I was just glad to have finished at that point. I have never been so happy to see a crock pot of hot chicken-noodle soup in my life.

This was the longest ride I've ever done, and definitely the hardest. I went home and got to bed at 7am, and woke up at noon and dragged myself out of bed. I was tired and achy, which I suppose was to be expected, but I also had a stuffed up head. At that point I started to suspect that I had come down with a cold in the course of the ride. The feeling of fatigue and aches that you get from a cold is remarkably like the feeling of aches and fatigue after a nearly 24 hour ride. Combining them is not recommended.

After a full nights sleep, I was still achy on Monday (expected), but my head was still foggy all day, which I wouldn't expect from the ride. Today I'm mostly better, but still a little achy and I can tell I'm not 100% in the alertness department, either. Plus, I still have a bit of a runny nose.

All-in-all, it was not what I'd consider to be a fun time. Coming down with a cold in the middle of a ride is not recommended. Not even realizing that you're coming down with a cold does not help. Or maybe it does... If I had realized what was going on, I probably would have bailed out, rather than suffering though it all. But on the other hand, I'm kinda proud of myself for pushing through to the end, even though I felt pretty lousy. I took up randonneuring to give myself challenge to overcome, and I did manage to overcome this one.

Keith

Last year my goal was to do the series. I got sick after the Spring 200k and missed the 300k. We left the country to travel before the summer/fall series, so I got a big FAIL on my goal.

We got back from our travels three weeks ago, and I'm trying to make up for 6 months off the bike, and being in the worse shape of my life (I'm a pretty fit 26 year old guy, so that's not saying a ton, but I am pretty out of it).

My goal this year is the same as last year, but I am going for the summer series (not for PBP, just for the challenge). It is hard right now because 1 1/2 hours at a moderate pace seems like a big workout. That wasn't even true when I started cycling, because my cardio system was in such better condition. I have a long way to go, but I am looking forward to starting the series in July!

we are running a populaire, 200k, 300k and fall dirt 200k here in burlington, vt.
information on the boston brevet series website or the RUSA calendar.

as soon as we are RUSA certified i'll have some webpages up with more information...

Posted another thread but it should have been here - I completed my first brevet two weeks ago, a 200k in Columbus OH. We were really quite lucky with the weather for late March. It was a bit cold in the morning with a bit of a headwind in the last leg, but at least it was dry! Overall it was a nice introduction to randonneuring. Next weekend is a 300k, also in Columbus. I've ridden the 200k distance a couple times before, but 300k is uncharted territory for me. I think the whole key for me is to eat enough, particularly early.

I've promised myself I'd ride a 200k and 300k. From that we'll see whether I'm interested in anything further

I've promised myself I'd ride a 200k and 300k. From that we'll see whether I'm interested in anything further

My first season I did a 200, 300 and 400. The year prior, I rode a well supported double century, so I knew I could do the 300k distance; the 400 was my big challenge. This year (2nd season) I'll be doing a 600 in the fall.
Many people are trying to convince me to go to Paris next year, but I'm into taking things at a much slower pace as far as increasing my distance. Right now, I've got no plans to do a 1200k.
I think you've got the right idea with stepping things up gradually.

Haven't done any brevets this year, the race calendar has been too full.

But I hope to do a few later this summer.

Decided not to do PBP next year, a huge weight off the shoulders. Maybe 2015? Or maybe the Cascade 1200 eventually..

Did my first 200km brevet today. first time riding more than 100k, which was 2 weeks ago in the populaire.

the ride started at 7 am in a small town called chemanius. it was frosty in the morning, but I was dressed for the expected warmer afternoon temps. needless to say my extremeties were not very happy with me, but my legs and torso were fine. I need a handlebar bag in addition to my seat wedge to hold removeable layers. (its on order)

I felt good and was riding strong, utill at about 130 k I realized the guy I had been riding with, who I had ridden a lot of the hundred k with, was much stronger than I and that it was time (more like too late) to let him go. I did, was passed by two others who soon stopped and made the decision to ride more to my pace so we could all share the headwind. there was a LOT of headwind on this ride. I wasn't feeling particularly great at the 150 k control leg wise, so I took my time loading up on calories. definetly helped me keep pace with a couple other guys with the next 30 or so, but I ended up doing the last hour or so by myself in a fair bit of pain.

I finished the ride (205km) in about 8:20. ability to walk at end of ride not so great. Would I do it again? defientely. this was a great learning experience and I hope to use it to good effect in the 300 in two weeks.

On Saturday, April 10th Rowan and I rode a 300 km brevet.

Last weekend my beautiful little blue Marinoni Ciclo, Machak, was stolen from the campground where we were staying. I have been devastated all week. Not only did the theft break my heart, but it also looked like I would not have the chance to ride a 300K brevet this weekend we had been looking forward to.

However, Rowan managed to put together a "frankenbike" for me to ride consisting of a GT mtn bike frame and gearing with road handlebars, brakes, shifters, and wheels. Frankenbike has platform pedals with toe clips ... and one of Rowan's partially broken in Brooks saddles.

After two very short test rides (one on the trainer, and one around the parking lot of the motel near the start/finish area), we started the Lingalonga 300.

6 km out from the start ... I flatted. This seems to be a very regular occurance for me on these events. Weird. On Machak the problem appeared to be slipped rim tape, this time it was a little bit of gravel shaped like an arrowhead.

Not too long after the clouds started precipitating ... mist, drizzle, rain, fog, more drizzle, a bit more rain, some mist ... and this went on, and on, and on till the 150 km point where it finally started to clear. It continued to clear, and the night ended up being clear and cool ... the sky was full of stars. Fortunately, wind was not a factor on this ride.

The route was supposed to be flat. This was partially why I wanted to ride it. And it was flat ... except for the hills. :D Flat brevets are the ones in Manitoba, Canada where you might encounter a couple overpasses in 300 km ... this was just mainly flat. The hills were generally gradual and I would have had no trouble at all on them ... if I'd been riding Machak. As it was, I wasn't used to the shifting on Frank, and ended walking a few ... which gave me the chance to stretch, so that wasn't too bad. I also had a minor crash on one. I'd stopped to get off and walk, and in trying to get my leg over the saddle, my foot caught, and over I went.

The route instructions were pretty good, but there was one notable error ... an instruction to turn left onto Creamery Road. When we got there, Creamery Road was not much more than a gravelly dirt track. We debated about riding it, but decided to continue on and find the next paved road going the right direction. That ended up being the right thing to do, but apparently one rider actually rode Creamery Road.

I was amused by the cows when we got to Shepparton at the 150 km point. They weren't any ordinary cows. You'll have to wait for the photos. :)

By the time night fell, the ride started to feel really long. We could see the taillights of the few cars that passed us ... and see them ... and see them ... and see them ... and continue to see them ... and knew that's where we'd be riding. We'd ride along a particular road ... and half an hour later, I'd feel like I was on the same road again, and an hour later I'd feel like I was on the same road again, like we were riding in circles.

I was struggling out there because I haven't been eating and sleeping well this past week, and wasn't eating at all well on the ride ... my stomach was unsettled the whole way through. This lack of food, combined with my exhaustion, triggered minor hallucinations. The way Rowan's wheels caught his light made it look like he was being followed by bunnies!!

In real life, however, we startled an owl sitting on the road, and were followed by bats now and then. That was kind of interesting.

We could see the glow from the finish town from some way off, but could not see any ground lights. Finally, after what seemed like an incredibly long time, we started encountering the occasional street light, and after some more riding, rode into the finish area.

We had 20 hours to finish the 300K, and finished it in 18:59 ... 1 hour and 1 minute to spare! I'm just pleased I made it!!

Frank did well out there. He survived the ride, handled well, and was fairly comfortable. His setup could have been slightly better for a ride of that distance ... and not only do I miss Machak, but I miss my Brooks saddle. I'm sore all over, and have a somewhat bruised butt.

-------------------------------------------
Lingalonga 300 Km brevet photos ... including the very interesting cows .. and photos of Frankenbike ...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14302884@N04/sets/72157622681266839/detail/?page=7

I rode a 300k on Saturday the 10th, as well. It was my first 300k brevet, my second brevet overall, and the first time I've ridden over 200k. It started out cold at 6 am - the forecast called for an overnight low of 36F so it was somewhere in that vicinity. My feet were two blocks of ice for the first couple hours. Later the hills popped up, giving me an opportunity to warm up :) I hooked up with a fellow BF member riding a Bike Friday, and we stayed together to the finish. We picked up another rider along the way, then a fourth at the last control, heading into the dark. It was nice to have people to chat with, and in the dark was definitely nice to have multiple lights. The afternoon segment was quite warm, and I ended up with sunburns on my legs and nose. I guess that's randonneuring - frozen feet and sunburns in one ride.

Today I did a 1 mile recovery ride on my unicycle :D

My husband and I just completed our first brevet series, consisting of a 200/300/400/600k. This is our first year of randonneuring. We live in Southern California so we've been able to get the series in, starting in January.
Having just completed the 600k San Diego brevet 3 days ago I am still recovering from the complete exhaustion, aches and pains, etc. but am thrilled to say we accomplished our goal. I've never climbed 18,600ft before and not sure I want to do it again any time soon, but it's definitely a feather in my cap.
Now it's time for some serious rest, relaxation and recovery.

So, Team Stokes, have you signed up for the Cascade 1200 yet? :rolleyes:

Anyway, I just spent 20 min typing up a nice ride report for the Oregon Rando's 3 Capes 300k last weekend, but BF logged me off before I could post it. :notamused:

Short story: other than the headwind all day, the weather was good. My finishing time was my second slowest 300k ever (after a personal best on the same course last year). Felt like grim death for the first third of the ride, but things got better from there.

Next stop: "Eden's Gate" 400k on 5/1.

SP
Bend, OR
:recum:

Is it common to have post-brevet burnout??? I did my first brevet three weeks ago (200k), then a 300k last week. I went for a 20 mile right tonight, which I typically would have enjoyed immensely, and it was.... blah. Not hard, not like I was tired, just not particularly fun. I do like the idea of pushing my limits, but if this is going to detract from my enjoyment of cycling I'm going to reconsider!

What have veteran randonneurs experienced?

Did the Central Florida Randonneurs 600K this past weekend. Fixed, running 49x18. 6.5 hours at the overnight control. Finished in 32:20. Very pretty course with interesting riding through the chain-of-lakes region of Central Florida. Dead-flat by the standards of what I'm used to up in Ohio. There was no wind (best brevet weather, ever!) so with the flat terrain I was under-geared, big-time. Looking forward to the 1000K this fall.

Completed the Eastern PA 300k this weekend. I have now been the last finisher on the Eastern PA series 2 brevets in a row. Not something I expected this year, but I've been sick and not riding that much.


Is it common to have post-brevet burnout??? I did my first brevet three weeks ago (200k), then a 300k last week. I went for a 20 mile right tonight, which I typically would have enjoyed immensely, and it was.... blah. Not hard, not like I was tired, just not particularly fun. I do like the idea of pushing my limits, but if this is going to detract from my enjoyment of cycling I'm going to reconsider!

What have veteran randonneurs experienced?
I think it's at least partially physical. I was really mentally drained after my brevet series last year. That actually lasted longer than I thought it should. I have experienced the same thing in the past after 300k+ rides. It goes away.

First Brevet this year. 200 K. Very good group to ride with and nice weather. Got to admire Robert's new S&S coupled Moots before the start. Never seen a Moots before, really gorgeous bike. I will try to do more of the Brevet series coming up in may and june. Would be nice to have a 1000 k this summer if I decide to go for PBP next year.

On Saturday, May 1, I rode my first ever 200 km brevet. This was also my first imperial century, with my previous single day record being 135 km.

The route was a there-and-back type ride. (Map (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=West+Side+Rd&daddr=HWY-1A+to:HWY-40+to:Unknown+road+to:Unknown+road+to:51.224948,-114.631691+to:West+Side+Rd&hl=en&geocode=FboeDQMdvwkt-Q;FcomDQMdeyYo-Q;FSj8CgMdM_kk-Q;FZrNBAMdJHMj-Q;Fe5JCQMdjVwj-Q;;FRUbDQMdEwot-Q&mra=dpe&mrcr=3&mrsp=5&sz=12&via=1,5&sll=51.134555,-114.632034&sspn=0.207031,0.52803&ie=UTF8&ll=50.916887,-115.000763&spn=0.832018,2.112122&t=p&z=10)) Go 101 km, turn around and come back. The ride started in Cochrane, Alberta (near Calgary) and went straight into Kananaskis Country, a beautiful, rugged section of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The mid point of the ride is 1900 feet higher in elevation than the start/finish point, which worked out well for me because there was less climbing to do when my energy wasn't as high.

The weather was surprisingly cooperative for the most part. There was a bit of a north wind, nothing major, but since the ride out was mainly south, we got a nice little boost up that net 1900 ft elevation gain. Coming back, it was a headwind, but since it was mainly downhill through Kananaskis Country, the slope balanced out the extra wind resistance. From Morley back to Cochrane, however, the wind slowed me down a bit. Prior to that stretch, my on-bike average speed was just over 25 km/h, but that last 30 km dragged me down to just under. I saw about six snowflakes on the way out, and caught a tiny bit of rain on the way back on the Trans-Canada, but no precipitation otherwise. The temperature was a little on the chilly side - too warm for my windbreaker, but a bit too cold without. I ended up riding without my jacket for most of the ride anyway.

One of the experienced randonneurs mentioned before the ride that he has a tendency to ride too fast at the beginning and not eat enough, and run low on energy at about the 2/3 point. I tried to heed the warning and took it a bit easier than what I've been doing on my training rides, and also stay hydrated and fed throughout. However, I suspect that I still didn't eat enough, and didn't eat the right foods either, as by about the 2/3 point, my stomach was growling, but stuffing it full of cheap carbs (chocolate bars from a gas station) made me feel a bit nauseous (I had forgotten some of my food at home, and settled for what I though would be quick energy picked up on the way instead). By about the 130 km mark, I was already starting to count down the kilometers. At around the 140 km mark, there was a particularly brutal little climb, and halfway up, in my lowest gear (36/25 - no granny on my bike) going under 10 km/h and wobbling, I started entertaining thoughts of giving up. I said a few choice words, put my head down and focused on just moving my legs and staying between the fog line and the edge of the pavement. Eventually, the hill was over, and I was past the worst of the ride. (After the ride, I was telling a couple of the guys that I was ready to give up at that hill, and one of them said something to the effect of, "Don't worry. We wouldn't have let you give up. We would have come up behind you and kicked your @$$ until you reached the top.")

My total time including stops was 9:30, with 8:06 of that actually spent on the bike. I had hoped to finish in under 9 hours, but since this was my first ever 200 km bike ride, I didn't really know what to expect, so I wasn't disappointed with my time. I got some helpful hints for next time (thinner tires, lose the backpack), and I think I learned a few things on my own, too (eat well, eat right). I'm pretty sure that this was the most physically grueling thing I've ever done in my life, and I doff my helmet to those who do the 300, 400, 600, 1000, and 1200 km rides and beyond.

Overall, it was a great cycling trip, and despite having many moments of wishing it would be over, in the end I felt very proud of my accomplishment. By the next day, I already felt invincible.

A few pics from the ride:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pfcaGbw_lfs/S978pMz8gwI/AAAAAAAAARI/ov70FX1xJv8/s912/03-Starting.JPG
^^^Still in the prairies but a nice view of the mountains ahead.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pfcaGbw_lfs/S978pjPbC6I/AAAAAAAAARQ/feiK29KPYdY/s800/05-ExitingHwy1.JPG
^^^About to exit the Trans-Canada highway and head into the mountains.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pfcaGbw_lfs/S978pxQzo2I/AAAAAAAAARU/S-6-OqvrxpY/s800/06-Kananaskis1.JPG
^^^Deep in the heart of Kananaskis Country.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pfcaGbw_lfs/S978w7UmJBI/AAAAAAAAARc/388-tBtMNnU/s800/08-Kananaskis3.JPG
^^^On the way back.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pfcaGbw_lfs/S978xJW0GyI/AAAAAAAAARg/4o2AswXIlTc/s800/09-Finished.JPG
^^^The obligatory picture of the bike computer to preserve the moment of this accomplishment.

Nice job! Beautiful pics as well. Although I have enjoyed my Ohio brevets, the views are not quite so spectacular ;)

I've had very similar experience with eating - in fact I'd say eating correctly has been as much of a challenge as cycling. With my first 400k only two weeks away, I'm focused as much on getting the food right as anything.

Congrats.

Groovestew - a big congrats on your first 200! Looks like it was a gorgeous ride.

Down here on May 1, Oregon Randonneurs did our "Eden's Gate" 400k. Basically a loop south through the Cascade foothills on the east side of the Willamette Valley, and back up the center of the valley. Usually, it's pretty benign for a 400, but this year the weather gods had payback in mind after the sublime conditions for our traditionally rainy 200k. For the 400, the rain was minimal, but we had stiff headwinds (~15 mph with higher gusts) for the first 200mi (320k). The winds were out of the south in the morning, and then did a quick 180 just in time for our return trip. Once the sun went down, things calmed down, but I remember riding north on Peoria Rd, which follows the Willamette River downstream, thinking, "If it wasn't for this _______ wind, I'd be going at least 20mph instead of 12!" All in all, a truly EPIC 400. And it didn't kill me, so I must be stronger!

SP
Bend, OR
:recum:

I rode the Eastern PA 400k on May 1. The route took us through some beautiful rolling back roads. There were no major climbs, but no significant flat stretches either. I was riding a fixed-gear bike, and this was my first ride over 100k since September. I chose a nice easy pace, though, and managed to finish in just under 24 hours.

Did the Central Florida Randonneurs 600K this past weekend. Fixed, running 49x18. 6.5 hours at the overnight control. Finished in 32:20. Very pretty course with interesting riding through the chain-of-lakes region of Central Florida. Dead-flat by the standards of what I'm used to up in Ohio. There was no wind (best brevet weather, ever!) so with the flat terrain I was under-geared, big-time. Looking forward to the 1000K this fall.

So you're the Octopus! Funny how you read people's posts and then "meet" them on rides and never associate the two. I rode with you for the first 200K or so of day 1. I was the guy on the grey Trek and we talked fixed gears and velodromes. Nice to meet you.

I was about 5 hrs. slower than you, but I was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy undertrained and also went over the handlebars hard on day 2. Thankfully the incessant rain made for a nice landing pad of soft, wet grass. Still have some massive bruises, but nothing broken.

The weather Saturday (day 1) was AWESOME. Nice change from the 200K.....


Dan

I completed my first 400k yesterday. Weather conditions were pretty much perfect, other than the shifting wind that provided headwinds from multiple angles (thanks Jonathan), and a few sprinkles at the end. We set out in the dark at 5:00 am and I found myself in a too-fast group, but hung with them for the light and navigation aid. Eventually I dropped off for a bio break, and backed off to a more sensible pace. I rode alone for a while, then hooked up with Stew for the remainder of the ride. At the lunch-hour control, it appeared everyone was at Subway, while Stew and I had a nice hot lunch at a local sit-down restaurant. I had, uh, three pancakes, two sausage patties, scrambled eggs, and plenty of coffee. Then I told the waitress I had a problem - my food was all gone but I was still hungry. A slice of homemade apple pie took care of that. I had prepared packets of ovaltine and dry nonfat milk to mix with water, and I found that worked well. The last 30 miles were pretty brutal for me, and got progressively worse as the miles ticked down. We picked up another rider at the penultimate control, so we had three sets of lights for the dark segment. Our elapsed time was 19 hours eight minutes, which was almost two full hours faster than I had predicted. Overall a decent ride, but I think I'll take a bike break for about a week.

Just a brief note to mention I finished my first ever brevet yesterday - a 200K ride with the PCH Randonneurs from Big Bear to Huntington Beach. We had a gradual climb up to Onyx Summit (8443 feet - starting from ~7000 feet) followed by a long descent, another short steep climb followed by what seemed like a 40 mile descent into Redlands. We were passed by several pro team trucks on the way (the Tour of California had just finished the day before).

I tried drafting a RAAM racing tandem for a while before getting dropped - mostly I rode with a couple guys who were going more my pace. We eventually picked up the Santa Ana River Trail which we followed all the way to the beach; after the final control, I did the last 35 miles solo into a pretty agressive headwind - that was the hardest part - and finished in a few minutes over 9 hours.

Contemplating a 300K on June 12th now - not sure I'm ready for it as the last 15 miles of this "easy" ride were making me short of breath and queasy...

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pfcaGbw_lfs/S978pxQzo2I/AAAAAAAAARU/S-6-OqvrxpY/s800/06-Kananaskis1.JPG
^^^Deep in the heart of Kananaskis Country.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pfcaGbw_lfs/S978w7UmJBI/AAAAAAAAARc/388-tBtMNnU/s800/08-Kananaskis3.JPG
^^^On the way back.

Congrats, and great photos, I like these two the most.

What a year it's been - already! Early this year I had a notion of giving this randonneuring thing a try. I thought I'd ride a 200k and see what it's all about, then maybe a 300k. This week I was very excited to open a package from RUSA containing my Super Randonneur medal! Somehow 300k led to 400k, which led to the cruel and heartless 600k. I won't say it was fun - nothing past 300k anyway - but it did feel like an accomplishment.

So far, so good.
Did a SR series in a week........the Ontario Randonneurs call it Devil week.
Topped that off this past weekend with a 1000km brevet from Toronto to Ottawa to Toronto.
These were my first brevets....they certainly wont be my last, though this whole endeavor may be the hardest thing I've ever done.
I'm in good shape for the PBP if I decide to go.

Cyril

So far, so good.
Did a SR series in a week........the Ontario Randonneurs call it Devil week.
Topped that off this past weekend with a 1000km brevet from Toronto to Ottawa to Toronto.
These were my first brevets....they certainly wont be my last, though this whole endeavor may be the hardest thing I've ever done.
I'm in good shape for the PBP if I decide to go.

Cyril

SR in a week?!? Not for me but wow.

On Saturday, I completed my first 300 km ride, the Alberta Randonneur's Highwood Classic. This ride starts in Cochrane, Alberta, and climbs up to the Highwood Pass, which has the distinction of being the highest paved road in Canada at 2206m/7239ft. The first 100 km of this ride were nearly identical to the 200 km brevet I did this spring (and wrote about earlier in this thread), but that one didn't reach the pass and had a lot less climbing.

There were four riders that day, one who left at 5:00 am to avoid returning in the dark, and the other three of us starting together at 7:00 am. It was a very chilly start, only a few degrees above freezing, but the body quickly warmed up as we headed west. I managed to get a couple of shots of the hills and mountains in the sunrise:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pfcaGbw_lfs/TI2pP3XEqxI/AAAAAAAAAXw/HcLZeRaH2RQ/s800/P1000549-sm.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_pfcaGbw_lfs/TI2pP8Tl1_I/AAAAAAAAAX0/QRDWFq1yCCM/s800/P1000552-sm.jpg

We quickly dispersed, having significantly different comfortable speeds, and so we all rode solo for pretty much the whole loop.

The first 70 km to the first control was relatively gentle - some rollers, some false flats, and a bit of a breeze - and I had good energy and good speed. My goal was to maintain an on-bike average speed of 25 km/h, but I knew there were some tough climbs ahead, so for this first stretch, I managed to build up a bit of a buffer, averaging over 26 km/h. The climbing became more pronounced to the second control at the 105 km point, but I was still in good shape, and still was on track to achieve my goal.

The next 20 km took me to the top of the pass. This was the most difficult section physically. I didn't actually know where the peak was; I assumed it was near the half-way point, and when I stopped for a breather at around 123 km, I started thinking I had bitten off more than I could chew, and there was no way I could do another 30 km of climbing. I was also feeling miserable thanks to the weather - light rain that started shortly after the first control, which turned into sleet in the near freezing temperatures at the higher altitudes. But I pressed on, and was relieved to discover the peak after only 2 more kilometers. This is the last picture I was able to snap before I managed to wreck my camera in the rain:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pfcaGbw_lfs/TI2pP2Os6dI/AAAAAAAAAX4/26kbPa0FEVw/s800/P1000554-sm.jpg

After some very fast descents (with a few uphill sections), there was a very nice flattish section with a bit of a tailwind (it seemed flat anyway, maybe it was slightly downhill too?). My average speed had dropped significantly on the final climb to the pass, but I quickly got it back on the downhill. The rain stopped about halfway down the mountain. I managed to get a flat tire, but not a big deal. The third control was at 210 km, but by then, there were some hilly sections again, and I was feeling pretty tired. I texted my wife to let her know I was still alive but weary, and not looking forward to the last 100 km.

The final 3rd of the loop was, in a word, hilly. Short hills, and as much descending as ascending, but enough to make me continually wonder what on earth I had gotten myself into. I was frequently in my lowest gear (36/25) going only 14 km/h up the hills. While not the most difficult part of the ride physically, it was definitely the hardest mentally. Every hill made my heart sink a little more, and the descents were little comfort. I so much wanted to give up, but my stubborn side won out. I finally finished (306 km in total) after 14 hours, 50 minutes; 12.5 hours on the bike at 24.8 km/h average, a little below my goal. It was pitch black when I finished, near freezing, and my fingers and toes were numb with cold.

I guess I'm happy with my accomplishment, but I can't say I enjoyed the ride. I was mostly disappointed with how difficult I found it, knowing that there would be no way I would be able to go another 100 km. I guess I'm not ready for the next step of randonneuring yet. We'll see what happens next year.

For anyone interested, here's a link (http://connect.garmin.com/page/activity/activity.faces?activityId=48592678&actionMethod=page/activity/activity.xhtml:userSwitcher.switchSystem&cid=234525) to Garmin data from another (much faster!) rider. The most relevant stat for me is the total elevation gain, around 9000 feet.

On Saturday, I completed my first 300 km ride, the Alberta Randonneur's Highwood Classic. This ride starts in Cochrane, Alberta, and climbs up to the Highwood Pass, which has the distinction of being the highest paved road in Canada at 2206m/7239ft.

Congratulations! That was one ride I wanted to do when I was living in Alberta, but it just didn't happen for one reason or another.

That is a very tough 300K from everything I've heard. Don't give up on the 400K because of it ... why not give the Red Deer 400 a try next spring. I designed that route, and it is hilly, but you aren't climbing a mountain pass anywhere on it.

Completed!! We have just got in from our first 200K randonnee on the tandem ... and the first ride of that distance we've done since the middle of May!! We're a little sore and tired, we experienced some challenging weather, but it was a good ride and we finished it in 11 hours 5 minutes. :)

Here in Australia, a lot of the Audax events offer multiple rides. This weekend's event, offered a 200K on Saturday and a 200K on Sunday, and a 300K, 400K, and 600K starting on Saturday. We opted to ride the 200K on Sunday, on the same route as the last 200 of the 600K, so we ended up riding in the midst of the 600K riders.

As it happens, this weekend came with predictions of torrential rains, and widespread flooding over most of Victoria ... again. There has been a lot of rain here. And in fact, Melbourne and several other places, include the place where I live, had 50-100 mm of rain. But fortunately, despite predictions, the main part of the storm did not sweep through the part of Victoria we are visiting.

The morning was quite nice, but already the wind was picking up and we were battling it in places. We had a fairly good run out to the 92 km point (first control), a town on a long spit of land out into the ocean. Unfortunately, so many trees have grown up on either side of the road that we couldn't see the beach or ocean at all. But the variety of trees and birds in this area was interesting.

We stopped once so I could step into the bush for a nature call ... and I was absolutely swarmed by mosquitoes. We had been warned the day before, but I had forgotten. All this extra rain has brought them out, and we kept any stops we had to make very short because these little vampires could detect we were there and swarm us within minutes.

Upon leaving the first control, we had a bit of a tailwind for a while, and then the wind changed and we were into it for a long time. Apparently it was about 30 km/h gusting to nearly 60 km/h. The last 5 km into the next control were tough ... right into a very strong wind. But one good thing about riding the tandem is that it handles the wind fairly well. The frontal area is the same as a single bicycle, but there are two of us providing power.

I had been really looking forward to that section of road because I thought it would be right along the beach, but again, trees have grown up blocking most of the views of the ocean. But one interesting thing along this road was a snake. It was dead, most of the ones on the road are, and the fact that there was a snake there wasn't unusual, this year there are heaps of snakes around, but this black snake was about 4 ft long ... most of the snakes out and about at this time of year are only about 2 ft long.

When we left the second control we decided it would be a good idea to put on rain gear ... and it was. We had a few spits of rain at first, but with about 25 km to go, it began to rain ... fairly lightly but steadily, and the temperature dropped, and the wind (which was a crosswind, helping us at one moment and hindering us the next) was cold. My feet were freezing! The last 5 km seemed to last forever. I can't see a computer when I ride, so I had to fight the temptation to keep tapping Rowan on the shoulder and asking, "Are we there yet?"

But we made it!! And it feels really good to have ridden that distance again. :D :D This was the last brevet of the 2009/2010 season. Tomorrow begins a new season.


PS. We were served grilled cheese sandwiches after the ride, and did they ever hit the spot!! Very, very good!!



Click photo for more ... although, I didn't get too many. We were more focussed on doing the ride:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/5130862643_a63d80bf5f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14302884@N04/sets/72157622681266839/detail/?page=9)

Saturday 20 November, Rowan and I rode the 300K option of the Cafe Au Lait event from Wangaratta.

Here in Australia, many of the Audax events allow you to choose your distance and this one offered riders 125 km, 200 km, 300 km, 400 km, and 600 km distances in a "flower petal" pattern. We all rode the first 125 km loop together. The next loop was 75 km to make 200 km, the next loop was 100 km to add up to 300 km, and then there were more loops for the 400 km and 600 km riders. I like this loop style because we come back to our van where we can make clothing changes, and stock up on food and water, etc.

The ride started at 6:00 on a chilly 9C morning so we were dressed in several layers, but we knew that it wouldn't be too long before it would start to warm up.

Our first lap headed north to the Murray River and back. It was beautifully flat all the way there and despite some wind, we kept up a brisk pace and made good time to the control. We were a bit concerned about the wind and hoped it wouldn't increase any more than it was throughout the day ... and fortunately it didn't.

After the first control, we encountered the first set of hills on the route ... a series of rollers that went on longer than we would have liked. But it was good practice for us on the tandem. There was a secret control on this section and the banana and orange hit the spot and were much appreciated.

Once we made it through the rollers we were back onto flat ground again and along there we spotted several emus in a field ... most likely being farmed, but they are found wild here in Australia too.

I was really sleepy by the time we got back to Wangaratta so we stopped at a cafe for coffee and cake which were wonderful. I needed that coffee just then! I probably needed the calories in the cake as well.

When we were sitting there, I noticed the window of a store next door to the cafe. It had a Christmas display with a decorated tree and two mannequins ... but instead of a similar display in a Canadian store where the mannquins would be dressed in red and green sweaters and corduroy etc., they were in red and green sun dresses. I'm still getting used to the idea that Christmas happens in summer!

The next loop was basically a climb out to Beechworth and a descent back to Wangaratta. 13 km of the way out was on a rail trail. We knew that there would be climbing on the rail trail but we weren't prepared for the climbing before we reached the rail trail, and we weren't prepared for the grade of the climb on the rail trail. I was thinking it would be something like a 2% grade all the way up because I didn't think trains took on anything much steeper than that, but now I want to look up what kind of train & track went up there.

That 13 km rail trail climbed almost the whole way to Beechworth, and we rode it at the hottest part of the day (28C). It was a slow climb and we made several stops to rest. During that climb, one particular spot on my left sitbone started bothering me.

When we reached Beechworth, we opted to have ice cream at a creamery on the corner rather than stopping in at a bakery. It was a lovely old-fashioned place with good service, good prices, and great ice cream. It really hit the spot.

And the we began the descent. Descending still has moments of terror and panic for me. On the back of the tandem, I can't see what's going on in front at all and travelling at 50-60 km/h on two thin tires without having any control over the situation can be frightening. But it took us no time at all to get back to Wangaratta, which was a good thing because it had taken a lot longer than we'd hoped on the way out.

We did a fast supply exchange and set off on our third loop ... back to beautifully flat roads. Unfortunately not long after we started the third loop, I reached a point where I needed to stop and change shorts. The shorts I was wearing were just not working for me at all. That spot on my left sitbone was killing me. Fortunately I had a spare pair of shorts with me, and the new shorts were quite a bit better.

We were warned about a short, steep hill around the 30 km point of this loop, and we found it and opted to walk it. Climbing with the tandem is challenging, especially climbing steep hills. The gearing on this tandem isn't really set up for steepness. But why build a road up this hill? There was flat ground all around it and yet for some reason the road goes up and over this thing!!
Darkness fell soon after the hill, but it was a bright darkness because of the fullish moon which lit up the fields. I enjoy riding on clear nights with a bright moon.

We stopped in Rutherglen to get our cards signed and have a quick bite to eat, and then began the final leg of our event, the ride back to Wangaratta.

While riding at night can be lovely, it also seems to take a very long time to get anywhere. The sense of speed and distance can be warped. So this last 50 km seemed to take a very long time.

At one point, I was in a bit of a doze, off in my own world, pedalling away quietly, when all of a sudden Rowan shouted, "GET OFF THE ROAD". I nearly fell off the back of the bicycle!! There had been a possum on the road in front of the tandem, and I suspect both it and I had quite a fright!!

With about 15 km to go we started chatting about Christmas just to see if the time would pass quicker, and it did. Next thing we knew we were coming into Wangaratta, having completed a 300 km randonnee!!

It was 12:28 when we rolled into a petrol station. The petrol station was closed, but a friendly trucker recharging the gas tank at the station signed our cards for us, and we headed for the van, and then headed to the motel for a long, long sleep!

Bouquets go to:
-- Chris - the ride organiser who produced the most accurate and well done cue sheet we've come across yet.
-- The people in the shops we encountered along the way to get our cards signed, including the trucker. They were all friendly nice people.

Click for photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14302884@N04/sets/72157625311269185/

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4125/5194806656_cc54433622.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14302884@N04/sets/72157625311269185/)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5194807336_f0b08bdc3d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14302884@N04/sets/72157625311269185/detail/)

Glad to see you're having some good success and fun on the tandem! Got a couple queries for you. ;) Are you using platform pedals? Did you put a down payment on your new tandem yet?:thumb:

Glad to see you're having some good success and fun on the tandem! Got a couple queries for you. ;) Are you using platform pedals? Did you put a down payment on your new tandem yet?:thumb:

1) Yes and no. :D

2) Not yet!! Still borrowing this one.

Did my first 200km "Brevet" yesterday (November 28, 2010).

I’ve been practicing for “la Vuelta” and this just seemed like the way to push myself a bit more, 200km! DONE!

Now to practice for 300km next month.


The day was fair, white clouds shaded the sun, a lot of breeze. I flew on the first 100km, with an average of 18mph, but on the way back the wind that helped me so much at the beginning simply turned on me…or did I turn on it?…lol

After the 150km I was thinking of riding to my parents house, imagined jumping in a car, even imagined holding a rear view mirror to speed up…did non, but thought, thought! Thought! I knew this streets, ridden them countless times, but now there’s a GOAL! Drank so many bottles of water, ate little IMO

3 bananas, 1 cliff bar, 1 sneaker, 2 sandwiches, 1 chocolate cookie, 2 Gatorades.
IMO I needed more, more often.


Started at 7:00am and finished 4:06pm. Feel proud about it!

Saturday 11 December

The "On Ya Neddy" 200K started and finished in our neck of the woods - just 70 km from where we live. It is one of the few events that does, so we decided to take a look at the event, and particularly at the ride elevation profile. I was ready to write the ride off when I saw the profile ... 1515 metres (4970 feet) of climbing, mostly in the first 50 km ... but on the way back from our event last weekend, we decided to take a little detour and see it for ourselves. It looked challenging, but we thought it might be managable on the tandem. There was only one spot along the way which I looked at and said, "We'll be walking that". I was, however, a bit concerned about some of the descending.

Rowan works a short shift early in the morning on many weekends, and because he had taken last weekend off for the event we did, he was on duty this weekend. So he was up and gone at 3:45 am. I slept in until 5 am, and we were on the road shortly after 6 am, and arrived in Mansfield earlier than expected. Lots of time to get set up and to chat with Tim who was there already.

The overnight low was 8C (43F), so the morning was chilly which I thought would be a good thing in light of the fact that the first 50 km involved a lot of climbing, and it was ... at least we weren't baking out there in the heat like we did last weekend.

We took the climb steadily and actually managed to keep up a reasonable pace. Also, although there was a lot of climbing in the first 50 km, it wasn't 50 km of climbing. There were flat areas and some downhills so we could rest a bit before starting the next bit. And we did walk the bit I thought we might walk. We just don't have the gearing on the tandem to handle anything that steep.

There were two significant descents in that section. The first took us around several switchbacks and hairpin turns with great views out over the valley and only a tiny little railing between us and that valley. The second was at the end of the 50 km, a descent into Whitfield, the first control. It didn't have quite as many switchbacks and hairpin turns, but was longer.

I am not particularly fond of descending and I am not particularly fond of speed on a bicycle. Straight descents where I can see where I am going aren't too bad, but twisty-curvy descents make me very nervous. This nervousness is enhanced on the tandem because I feel completely out of control of the situation. So, it would be an understatement to say I did not enjoy the descending.

When I am extremely nervous, panic-striken, etc., for some reason my arms go numb and tingly like they do if you sleep with an arm curled up under your head. I've had my arms fall asleep in the middle of speeches before because I was at that level of nervousness.

On the first descent, my arms fell asleep and as we hit the bottom of the descent and started to climb, I felt like I was going to faint. Everything went dark and tingly for a moment. About halfway down the second descent, my arms fell asleep ... and so did both legs from the hips down!! I couldn't feel anything and thought I was going to fall off the bicycle. Rowan told me later we had hit about 60 km/h at that point and he thought we could take it up to 70 km/h, but he slowed down and we took the rest of the descent at a more reasonable, comfortable-for-me pace.

I was so relieved when we reached Whitfield! We both thought that it was going to be touch and go arriving there within the time limit, but we arrived with about 40 minutes to spare!! Whitfield has a lovely cafe so we took a break to get something to eat and drink.

The next 50 km to Glenrowan was probably the toughest stretch of the ride. We were into a wind and the road felt like it was one long gradual climb that seemed to go on and on forever.

One of the interesting things about this section was all the evidence of flooding. There has been a tremendous amout of rain in this part of the world, and we could see debris from the floods earlier in the week caught in the fences. The ditches were still full of water, and in one place we had to ride very carefully down the middle of the road through a fairly deep area of water that had covered the road. There was some concern about a bridge in Moyhu, but when we got there it seemed to be all right and was opened to traffic again.

Glenrowan is the home of bushranger (bandit) Ned Kelly, a hero/villian of this part of Australia, sort of along the lines of Louis Riel (Canada's hero/villain), so just about everything we encountered as we cycled into Glenrowan had something to do with Ned Kelly.

We picked a place to stop, and had scones, jam, and cream ... well, Rowan had the cream for both of us, and I couldn't finish my scones. Last week, I was eating everything in sight every time we stopped. This week, I just didn't feel all that well.

While we were still in the Glenrowan area, I really wondered if we would finish the ride. We left Glenrowan with 5 minutes to the control closing time, and it was still a bit of a slog for the first 12 km or so. We weren't really gaining any time, and I was not feeling good at all.

Fortunately 12 km after leaving Glenrowan we turned, and on the next leg of the journey we had some wind behind us which helped us along, and the terrain changed to rollers so we were able to rest and lift our butts off the saddle on the downhill bits. We stopped to walk once on a gradual ascent just simply to get off the saddles. During this stretch the temperature reached the high for the day of about 23C, but I had been feeling really warm for some time.

Rowan has hooked up a computer on the back of the tandem so I can see our speed and distance etc., but for some reason we haven't figured out how to change it from miles to kilometers, so when it works, I'm constantly doing mental translations. And on both last week's ride and this ride it has ceased working partway along. This time it stopped at 54 km. But I figured out how to calculate our distance based on the time. Coming into Glenrowan we were doing 1 km every 5 minutes. Leaving Glenrowan we were doing 1 km every 4 minutes, and as we continued and the wind was working with us a bit more, we were doing 1 km every 3 minutes. Doing these calculations kept me amused.

Another good thing about the way back was that there were a number of turns ... ride 10 km, turn left. Ride 5 km, turn right, and so on. That broke the ride up for me so that I was able to get through mentally. I would focus on riding to the next turn and wouldn't think about the ride beyond that. Riding 5 or 10 or 15 km was manageable, whereas riding 90 km was not.

At Swanpool, the next control, I started to perk up a bit and feel a bit more energetic, and we had a decent run back into Mansfield. Chris, the ride organiser, came out to check up on us when we had about 15 km to go. Although we were last, some of the other riders weren't all that far ahead of us.

We finished the 209 km in 12 hours and 45 minutes.

It was a tough ride for us with more climbing in 200 km than we have done before on the tandem, but we were really pleased how well we, and the tandem, handled the climbs at the beginning of the event.

We figure that the tandem we are currently borrowing, a KHS, is good up to about 300 km, and even though we use Brooks saddles, our butts have been really suffering for various reasons including the fact that we don't stand up or move around as much as we do on single bicycles. But we are also struggling with sore hands and believe that our sore hands and butts have something to do with the aluminum frame and design of the fork.

We are looking at steel-framed tandems from St. John Street Cyclery and they will not sell tandems with forks designed to take disk brakes because it requires the forks to be over-engineered which then compromises handling and ride comfort. The KHS has a beefy fork that is designed to take disk brakes (or V-brakes as is fitted standard on our bicycle), and over roads that have heave cracks or potholes there is a lot of road shock coming through to hands and arms even though we are running only 90 psi in the tires.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5170/5253587588_dcf86c5988.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14302884@N04/sets/72157625311269185/detail/?page=2)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5287/5252977409_08b5ddbd03.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14302884@N04/sets/72157625311269185/detail/?page=2)

Did my first 200km "Brevet" yesterday (November 28, 2010).

I’ve been practicing for “la Vuelta” and this just seemed like the way to push myself a bit more, 200km! DONE!

Now to practice for 300km next month.


The day was fair, white clouds shaded the sun, a lot of breeze. I flew on the first 100km, with an average of 18mph, but on the way back the wind that helped me so much at the beginning simply turned on me…or did I turn on it?…lol

After the 150km I was thinking of riding to my parents house, imagined jumping in a car, even imagined holding a rear view mirror to speed up…did non, but thought, thought! Thought! I knew this streets, ridden them countless times, but now there’s a GOAL! Drank so many bottles of water, ate little IMO

3 bananas, 1 cliff bar, 1 sneaker, 2 sandwiches, 1 chocolate cookie, 2 Gatorades.
IMO I needed more, more often.


Started at 7:00am and finished 4:06pm. Feel proud about it!


You ate a sneaker?

Cyril

This was my first year of long distance (> 100 mi) cycling. I managed 200k, 300k, and 400k with a couple of double century finishes also. And half a dozen centuries and a loaded tour but who's counting. I am looking to complete the SR series and Triple Crown goals in 2011. Stretch goals: triple century, 1000k, and 508 (as a relay team - not solo!) and no PBP for me in 2011.

This stuff is so addictive.

Happy Holidays - Jim

Summary of the 2009/2010 Randonneuring year (the Randonneuring New Year is November 1)

These are the events we managed to complete:

November 14, 2009 - Pyrenees Magic - 100K
February 20, 2010 - Goldfields - 100K
March 6, 2010 - You Must Be Crazy - 200K
March 13, 2010 - Great Ocean Road - 150K
April 4, 2010 - Lingalonga - 300K
June 12, 2010 - Queens Royal Tour - 100K
June 14, 2010 - Queens Royal Tour - 50K
June 27, 2010 - Wandong - 100K
October 31, 2010 - Gippsland Gambol - 200K