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Bailing out of a long distance ride

Old 02-22-10, 10:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Homeyba
Danteb, are you doing Solvang???
Yes, I'll be there. Are you doing it?
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Old 02-23-10, 12:23 AM
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Originally Posted by robertkat
Don't worry yourself Patty. I think you did right. There is a loss of the fee, but you would probably hate it even more had you paid to suffer. Like Dante said, don't second guess yourself. If you aren't comfortable with wet weather, you would have been miserable. That and the wind. I know how much you hate the wind, and we had a head wind all the way from Fallbrook to Capistrano. There were a couple times I nearly pulled out myself.

I personally have never DNS'd a ride, but I have passed up on some, or I wait until the last possible minute to register if I'm unsure. I skipped on our local 300k a few weeks ago as I had a bad feeling about it. I can deal with wet and some light rain, but not what was forecasted. It was much worse than expected and over half the riders DNF'd.
That wind that you mention is the prevailing wind. When I commuted 3 times a week going north from Encinitas to Huntington Beach (69 miles each way) after 5pm it was always a "headwind". Granted sometimes it was stronger than others.

I'm probably the worst person to chime in on a thread about DNS'ing and DNF'ing a ride because of inclement weather. I did the 300km you mention in your post. I was miserable. I was soaked to the bone and freezing cold. But I am much stronger mentally for it. Yes half the field DNF'd because I just don't think people like to suffer. Bike racing is about suffering and the person who can endure more suffering prevails especially in Ultras. Sure some people wouldn't call brevets, climbing centuries and double centuries races. I say to them if there is more than one of us there and it is a timed event -- I'm racing it. People just don't like to suffer. I make myself suffer while training and many times my training is tougher than the event itself. So when race day comes I am not going to bail just because it isn't perfect weather.

I did the 2005 Butterfield double century or Butterflood as it was called because of the rains, floods, and tornadoes. Just look at the list of DNS it's appalling. I was happy with my time of 12:29. Yes it was miserable. But I wanted to test my personal limits and that I did.

I did come back in 2008 and bettered my time to 10:46 under better weather conditions.

Here is the race report for the San Diego 300km mentioned above. 12 hours was a good time considering the constant rain and cold temps at altitude. I was cautious on every descent and worked hard on every climb.



People just need to HTFU.
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Old 02-23-10, 12:55 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by DanteB
Yes, I'll be there. Are you doing it?
As of right now yes, I'll be there on the tandem. Hopefully I won't get hailed on this time.
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Old 02-23-10, 01:02 AM
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Originally Posted by Vireo
That wind that you mention is the prevailing wind. When I commuted 3 times a week going north from Encinitas to Huntington Beach (69 miles each way) after 5pm it was always a "headwind". Granted sometimes it was stronger than others....
Being a SD native, I was going to say the same thing but I wasn't at that ride. I think you guys (and gals) down there in SD are a little soft from all the good weather you normally live with. A little rain and...
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Old 02-23-10, 03:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Vireo
I'm probably the worst person to chime in on a thread about DNS'ing and DNF'ing a ride because of inclement weather. I did the 300km you mention in your post. I was miserable. I was soaked to the bone and freezing cold. But I am much stronger mentally for it. Yes half the field DNF'd because I just don't think people like to suffer. Bike racing is about suffering and the person who can endure more suffering prevails especially in Ultras. Sure some people wouldn't call brevets, climbing centuries and double centuries races. I say to them if there is more than one of us there and it is a timed event -- I'm racing it. People just don't like to suffer. I make myself suffer while training and many times my training is tougher than the event itself. So when race day comes I am not going to bail just because it isn't perfect weather. People just need to HTFU.
- but, is it really suffering if you enjoy it?
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Old 02-23-10, 10:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Homeyba
As of right now yes, I'll be there on the tandem. Hopefully I won't get hailed on this time.
Ok, I'll see you about that quick. Be sure to say Hi as you go flying by. What would Solvang be without unexpected weather, wind, rain, hail, cold or heat.
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Old 02-23-10, 10:42 AM
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Originally Posted by akohekohe
- but, is it really suffering if you enjoy it?
what do they call those people...masochists?
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Old 02-23-10, 11:43 AM
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No bucks, no Buck Rogers.
Double-centuries are a lot easier to come by than decent-paying jobs.
I'm guessing the people who think it's silly are either retired or don't have mortgages hanging over them.
I wouldn't have done it just because I could think of a better way to spend a Saturday than sitting on a squishy-wet chamois for 12 or 13 hours.


You have chosen wisely.
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Old 02-23-10, 02:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Vireo
Yes half the field DNF'd because I just don't think people like to suffer. Bike racing is about suffering and the person who can endure more suffering prevails especially in Ultras.


People just need to HTFU.
I'll keep that in mind next time we have to pull someone because they are in the early stages of hypothermia. Consider that Randonneuring is not racing and can be quite different from "ultra" events in both it's participants and it's intent. Many people abandoned because of safety concerns and that they were no longer enjoying the ride.
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Old 02-23-10, 03:49 PM
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Originally Posted by robertkat
I'll keep that in mind next time we have to pull someone because they are in the early stages of hypothermia. Consider that Randonneuring is not racing and can be quite different from "ultra" events in both it's participants and it's intent. Many people abandoned because of safety concerns and that they were no longer enjoying the ride.
If you are too cold you're not riding hard enough

I have very little body fat. All I wore was a thin long sleeve wool base layer and a thin long sleeve wool jersey -- no rain jacket, booties or any of that stuff. Yes I was cold too. But I stopped in a McD's and stood/knelt under the hand dryer to warm up. It's Randonneuring so while it's not a race a rider needs to practice independence self-sufficiency and not consider DNF'ing and SAGging in. The 300km has a 20hr limit. Since they're not "racing" they can sit in the controls and warm up and/or anywhere else for that matter and take all 20 hours to complete the 300km.
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Old 02-23-10, 08:03 PM
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Originally Posted by robertkat
I'll keep that in mind next time we have to pull someone because they are in the early stages of hypothermia...
You shouldn't even be out there if you're not prepared for the possible conditions. It's not like everyone of the people who did that ride didn't have access to a weather forecast.

Originally Posted by robertkat
Many people abandoned because of safety concerns and that they were no longer enjoying the ride.
Safety concerns because it was cold and raining??? Give me a break. The reality is they quit because they didn't enjoy the ride (the second part of your quote). That is probably the very same reason we had such a high DNF rate at PBP in 07. If you're going to be riding in inclement weather make sure you are prepared! If you're not prepared or worried about it, don't start! You shouldn't be out there.
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Old 02-23-10, 09:09 PM
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Despite what the local SoCal pansies may have told you, riding in the rain is not dangerous. That's just an excuse made by the Westside metrosexuals because they hate getting their matching frame/outfit/helmet combos all dirty. Well, one caveat -- that crowd thinks they can substitute money for skill, so all riding is dangerous to them. If that's your crowd then maybe you are right to stay home at every opportunity.

There are still Southern Californians who are interested in being competent bike riders, however. Hopefully that's your crowd, in which case you can get a few bits of rain gear and some clip-on fenders, and discover that rain rides can be delightful. I grew up in SoCal and look forward to the rare rainy days, as they completely transform the same old routes -- and I have never fallen in the rain, races excepted.

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Old 02-25-10, 03:23 PM
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My first bout with hypothermia was in 80F weather, doing a very active swimming test. And I don't think I'm the warmest weather hypothermia case on record, by a long shot.

Hardening up doesn't prevent hypothermia. Or heat stroke. It is pretty easy to end up in conditions where your body's thermostat responses can't maintain your core temperature. If you can't maintain core temperature and don't get treatment fast... you die. Heat stroke, you die because your nervous system got cooked. Hypothermia you die because you run out of fuel reserves (possibly with the fun additional benefits of freezing solid or massive shock).

Not something I'd wish on anyone else. I got through it because I knew the first aid, and got rewarmed quickly. Even the early stages of hypothermia really mess with your head. It's not a fun time, and I do not recommend it in the slightest.

And joy of joys, once you've had hypothermia or hyperthermia once... you're much more likely to develop it again. Be kind to the EMTs, don't court it.
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Old 02-25-10, 05:03 PM
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Nobody gets hypothermia in an 80 degree environment. Even in a 60 degree environment -- typical of a SoCal rainy day -- it's very easy to dress for it. I usually find myself shedding layers on rainy rides around here.

Last edited by Six jours; 02-25-10 at 08:04 PM.
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Old 02-25-10, 06:36 PM
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I'm glad I did not attempt the ride. I most likely would have DNF'd. I was tired on Saturday and the wet and wind would have done me in.

My project at work that I was worried about got finished and I got a promotion. Now I'm going shopping for a nice steel frame I can put some fenders on.
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Old 02-25-10, 08:41 PM
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Originally Posted by CbadRider
I'm glad I did not attempt the ride. I most likely would have DNF'd. I was tired on Saturday and the wet and wind would have done me in.

My project at work that I was worried about got finished and I got a promotion. Now I'm going shopping for a nice steel frame I can put some fenders on.
No need to justify it with us, you did what you thought was the right thing to do. Ultimately it doesn't really matter what we think anyway. So, you're getting fenders for the two days it rains every year in San Diego???

btw, congrats on your promotion.
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Old 02-25-10, 09:35 PM
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Originally Posted by CbadRider
I'm glad I did not attempt the ride. I most likely would have DNF'd. I was tired on Saturday and the wet and wind would have done me in.

My project at work that I was worried about got finished and I got a promotion. Now I'm going shopping for a nice steel frame I can put some fenders on.
This makes perfect sense to me
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Old 03-06-10, 12:37 AM
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You need to buy a wet weather bike!

Last edited by crock; 03-06-10 at 12:38 AM. Reason: spelling
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