Originally Posted by Neist
Actually the Brevet routes I'm going to be doing will probably be in Texas, so it should be reasonably flat I imagine.
If the routes are not too far, and if the clubs have their old cue sheets posted, download them and try out portions of the route for your training.
My rookie mistake was assuming that my standard training routes would prepare me for brevet riding so long as I got the miles in at a good speed. I was not prepared for the hilliness of the 200K route and suffered for it. Now, I go out of my way to find hills and swap in segments from the old brevet cues.
Train for emergency repairs -- beyond the basics of fixing flats, learn to deal with broken spokes and broken chains. Train to do repairs at night and in the rain. Train for night riding. Train for night riding in unfamiliar terrain that forces you to read a cue sheet by headlamp. Learn how to eat on your bike. Learn what you like to eat on your bike. An acceptable diet on a 40 mile ride is different from one that gets you through a century, which is also different from what might get you through a 300km brevet.
For a 200K, it's best to train yourself into being a good century rider who can repair their own ride. All the other stuff abot night riding and proper nutrition starts becoming more important when you start getting into 300 and 400 lengths.