sorry for the bad information. Since I dnf'ed my 600k in 2015, I didn't keep up with the registration rules and I'm stuck in 2011.
I'm only vaguely aware of randonneuring politics, but it seems that after the controversy surrounding PBP registration and national quotas in 2011, ACP more fully embraced RM. It only makes sense, they obviously want to limit PBP participation to a level that they can handle. 5000 riders is really stressing the situation.
Still looks like for flat rides, 1000km is the way to go, at least in the U.S.
Originally Posted by
Flounce
For example, my preliminary picks for brevets in my area are generally 3-4 weeks apart,
1/27 200km
3/3 300km
3/24 400km
4/28 600km
5/25 1000km
8/26 1000km (2nd chance if I DNF the 1000km)
This sound about right? You all would know better than me. Seems like one brevet would prepare me for the next one, i.e. a week or less of easy spins to recover from the brevet, 1-2 weeks to do some intensity work to maintain conditioning while maintaining base with consistent low intensity miles, followed by a taper week before the next brevet, repeat ad nauseum?
That spacing looks good to me. I suggest finding a 200k in February. I learned a lot about myself and long distance strategy riding 200k's.
My impression is that up to 300km has a positive training effect for me. 400km and 600km tear me down a little. I did too much intensity during rando season this year and I got slower over the randonneuring season. And cramps go together with over-training far too well. So once you start riding brevets, I might limit intensity to sweet spot or lower. And a 100k every weekend where you don't overdo it. Maybe try backing off your eating a little on the 100km rides to encourage your body to adapt to that. Both series I rode this year featured 2 week intervals. The first 600k was 3 weeks after the 400k. The second series was 300/400/600 spaced at two week intervals.
Look into the registration now for the 1000k's to find out when it starts. Some rides fill up quickly. You usually can get in on the waiting list, but it's better to have certainty. And most RBAs have fairly lenient cancellation policies.