Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
Agree, but aw, it doesn't get interesting until after the 10th hour. A well-planned brevet will include an 18% climb late in the ride. Not boring at all. Different strokes. Some of my fondest memories were at over a 100 miles into a ride. It's the joy of overcoming and overperforming at what one had thought was one's limit. The biggest advantage an older rider has is endurance. Those young-uns haven't suffered enough yet, don't know how to deal with it. I remember the pain and then the not-quitting on my first 300k, late in the ride after a steep hilly section. I stopped and then thought, "Screw it, I'm riding" and went on.
My moving pace on 150 mile rides like that was only 16. You'd place very well on a brevet. Rider times are published and public, a little added encouragement. It is fun coming in early, hanging out and watching the riders come in while you eat your pizza. Just a little plug for the Dark Side.
My second ever 600 was a disaster. Whilst I was an early finisher on the 400 a month earlier, a combination of wrong turns and flats resulted in me coming into the overnight on that same 400 loop well after midnight. I crashed on day 2, front end slid out on a fast curve resulting in a shredded elbow. Also whacked my head, resulting in some more confused bonus miles before the turnaround. I was subsequently late at the turnaround, but being an info control not actually timed. I considered myself out of time, so I got to a place where there was a shortcut and I took it back towards the start. Or so I thought - actually I went the wrong direction away from the start. Five miles later, realizing my mistake, I turned around and returned. At which point I used all my old man stubbornness and rode the stupid hilly route to the finish. 39:31. And with that I was qualified for PBP and the real nonsense began.