tariquesani

Just finished a 300km Brevet and now want to do a 400km. Would like to hear how all you folks pace out your brevets? How much, how fast, do you take a sleep break and such.

I completed the 300km in 16:44 and it was not difficult. I was in the office after a few hours of sleep. Am a bit apprehensive about the 400km though.

Cheers

Chris Pringle

1. Continue your good training -- e.g., 2-3 fast-paced rides on weekdays and a long ride on weekend (100-150 Km) followed by a recovery ride the next day.

2. The day of the brevet, go at your own natural pace. There will be moments when you will feel strong and you might go faster, but don't overdo it. If there are riders much stronger than you, avoid the temptation to keep up with them.

3. Plan on eating two regular meals with plenty of good snacks and water in between. Watch out for anything that might upset your stomach. I found out on my first 400 Km brevet how badly those electrolyte drinks can upset my stomach.

4. Don't be afraid to rest (i.e., nap) if you get to the point that you absolutely need to. It will reenergize you without a major disruption in your ride. The plan, however, is to get mentally ready to do it without a major sleep break. Bring music to be played directly from your phone or from mini speakers if you find yourself alone late at night. It will keep you motivated.

unterhausen

I realized at the 200km mark of my first 300km brevet that I could ride as far as I wanted as long as I kept myself fed. That's when I thought, "oh, I just have 100km to go"

I have taken over 24 hours to finish a 400k, you have plenty of time. I think it's best just not to worry too much.

thebulls

+1

You have 27 hours to finish a 400, which should leave plenty of time for taking naps if you are getting seriously drowsy. Number one priority (I hope) is safety, which is way more important than finishing. Beyond that, the two sayings to keep in mind: "Relentless forward motion" and "Maximum sustainable speed." For the first saying, if you're not moving forward, you're generally wasting time. Find things you can eat while you're on the bike so that you don't need to sit around in controls. That said ... sometimes you can be faster overall taking a few minutes of break. It takes a lot of experience to know when you're better off breaking the rule and stopping. It is hard to go very wrong, though, if you minimize stoppage time! As to the second saying, if you are riding faster than your maximum sustainable speed (e.g. because you're trying to keep up with a faster randonneur) then it won't be long before you bonk and then you will typically be riding well below your maximum sustainable speed for many hours while you recover from the bonk. And if you are riding much below your maximum sustainable speed (e.g. waiting for a slower friend) then you are wasting time and putting successful completion at some amount of risk. It might still be worth wasting time and risking successful completion, e.g. because it's more pleasant to ride with a friend, or for safety's sake, particularly at night. But you should be making a conscious decision to ride slower and be aware of the trade-offs. Ideally you can find friends to ride with who are compatible with your speed.

Nick

StephenH

Normally, I don't take a sleep break in a 400k, but I don't plan on doing much the next morning, either. Ride a normal pace that you can maintain, try to keep the length of stops within reason. I normally drive to my rides, but on a 400k, it works better for me if I get a motel so I don't have to drive home when I'm all sleepy.

Carbonfiberboy 

I think the jump from 200 to 300 is much harder than the jump from 300 to 400. I pace myself with heartrate. My rule is that the highest climbing heartrate I can sustain at the end of a 300 will be the maximum I'll allow on a 400. You want to never let your effort rise above a point that's just below the onset of leg pain. Your legs should never feel strained. Spin up the little bumps instead of hammering over them out of the saddle. Ride steady. Coast the descents. Take short breaks. I never eat a full meal: a sandwich or fruit pie is plenty, then back on the bike. Remember that there is no slower speed than stopped.

tariquesani

Thanks a lot everyone for the encouraging and very helpful tips. I have about 12 weeks to my 400km. During these weeks should I focus on getting a bit faster or just keep at it with my pace. In the 300km my moving average was 23kmph. Getting faster would mean a bit more time but then only a bit more I guess...

Thanks once again.

clasher

I wouldn't worry about getting faster, if you can keep up 23km/h for 4 more hours you should be able to finish in under 20 hours no problem. That gives you 7 hours or more of time in the bank. I would try and ride some more long rides in between now and your 400K, I only had 4 weeks between mine and I didn't keep up with my fitness like I should and it made the ride a lot harder than it should have been.

Carbonfiberboy 

I'm one that does speed work in preparation for long endurance rides. During a ride of say, 25 miles, go all out at high cadence for 30 seconds, then 5 minutes of normal spinning. Repeat several times, until your legs get tired and all-out doesn't feel good anymore. That's speed work. It's not trying to ride a faster average. The other thing to do every week is hill repeats of about 8 minutes: 4 repeats of as hard a pace as you can hold for the whole 8. Other than that, ride easy or endurance pace and get some good miles in. Then taper for your last week.

DXchulo

Agreed.

To the OP, it would be tough to finish a 300k if your pacing strategy was way off, so just keep doing what you were doing. The next 100k are mostly mental.

kingston 

Our Great Lakes 400k is on Saturday, and we are expecting temps in the high 90's. Any advice for dealing with the heat other than take it easy and stay hydrated?

unterhausen

you'd be amazed at how much difference ice makes over just plain water. I would figure out some kind of anti-cramping strategy, most of us aren't acclimated to high temps just now. I use enduralytes. My LBS has some other electrolyte pills, but I haven't tried them

Cyril 

Put ice in your leg warmers, tie the leg warmers together and wear them like a scarf around your neck.
Do this in the heat of the day.

unterhausen

the downside to using ice externally is that if you get water in your shorts, it can lead to massive saddle sores. They work a lot better out west where the humidity is much closer to zero. I can live with just about anything on a 400k though.

Richard Cranium

What is the "smart cycling" approach to successfully navigating longer distances?

Well, one thing to remember, distance is hardly the only factor making one ride harder than another. In other words, its important to know how the terrain differs on the 300 and 400k routes. The longer a route is, the higher the probability of encountering hills or substandard road surfaces.

Another, --and probably the most important-- factor is that most 400k riders will finish their rides in darkness while very fatigued.

These various stresses are dealt with differently by riders with different strengths, tolerances and or weaknesses.

Some riders need to take it easy if the midday temps are too warm. Some riders have poor abilities for night riding.

So, choosing the correct pace for each part of a ride becomes a very individual preference. Strong riders finish without a nap or major stop. On other occasions inclement weather can force riders to find shelter and take a significant break.

Pace is of course very important. But knowing the brevet course - and knowing your own weaknesses is equally beneficial.

kingston 

The RBA had tube socks filled with ice at 180k at the top of a big hill in the hottest part of the day. Pretty nice treat.