2019 Randonnees
#176
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Congratulations, that was quite a test. If PBP has weather like that the DNF rate will be epic, the trains will be packed.
#177
Senior Member
Apparently the long-term forecast for summer in Europe is another repeat of last year's heatwave. Looks like drought concerns and high night-time temperatures could make for a hot dry ride. I don't know how much stock to put in this but we've got a cooler-than-average summer in the long-term forecast right now, folks are using the term "junuary" to describe things right now. All my qualifiers this year have been cold-weather rides but there's a flat 600 this weekend and we're supposed to be getting some seasonal temperatures and sun so hopefully I can still function with a bit of heat... high is only 26C (~80F?) so hardly heatwave weather but it seems like a good place to start.
Last edited by clasher; 06-04-19 at 10:54 AM. Reason: spelling
#178
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I think a hot, dry PBP is ideal. We should all be ready for higher temperatures by then
#179
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It would completely screw with my plans to show up in full winter gear though, lol. Guess I need to monitor the situation a lot more closely, and perhaps switch plans and go with a modular approach (short sleeve jerseys with separate arm and leg warmers) to be able to handle both ends of the weather.
#180
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I did okay in 2011 with a rain jacket, arm warmers, leg warmers, a base layer and a wool jersey. Except I lost my rain jacket on the way back. I might carry a wool long sleeve jersey. More than that seems excessive. There have been colder PBPs, but I don't think down to winter levels. The big potential problem is rain, because then it can be hard to stay warm. I was in the rain for a few hours in 2011, it was relatively warm. This storm came in from the east and the 84 hour riders had gotten rained on all day but most of it missed the 90h riders. We just got the tailwind
#181
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At my hotel, the clerk informed me my prepaid room had been forfeited since I didn't show before midnight, and was occupied - as was the entire hotel. Evidently one has to inform hotels, even if a room is prepaid, of a late arrival. Dumbfounded, I said I'd just ridden 240 miles and was going to sleep somewhere. She gave me a blanket and pillow, and pointed me to a quiet area outside the conferences rooms. Without a shower, I changed into the next day's clothing, laid down on a sofa, and went lights out in about 5 seconds. Slept like a baby.
#183
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I might. But at the moment I have only a vague notion of what I'm doing this summer.
The NJ 600 tomorrow and Sunday looks like it's going to have lovely weather. It's been really nice here all week, except for a few heavy thunderstorms. Wish I were riding!
The NJ 600 tomorrow and Sunday looks like it's going to have lovely weather. It's been really nice here all week, except for a few heavy thunderstorms. Wish I were riding!
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#184
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#185
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#186
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#187
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#188
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#189
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Well I finished a 600K so I can go to PBP now. It kind of felt like "cheating" to do a 600k with only ~1400m of climbing but the wind we had on this ride made up for the lack of hills... the part of Ontario between the bottom of Lake Huron and Lake Erie is flat like a pancake and dotted with windmills, so I should have expected a bit of wind but in a way we got lucky with a strong east wind and ended up with a decent split of headwinds and tailwinds, the best being the last 120km that was 80% tailwinds. I live in an area of rolling hills so it was kind of a nice change of pace for me. I also bought a wider version of my current saddle and switched that out at the overnight stop which seemed to prevent saddle sores from coming back... wish I'd have just done that at the start in hindsight...
Still don't feel excited about PBP though, I haven't done any planning or even booked a flight so I guess I need to get on that.
Still don't feel excited about PBP though, I haven't done any planning or even booked a flight so I guess I need to get on that.
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#190
Senior Member
It was, although the wind was out of the northeast, so we had headwinds in the afternoon heat when tired both days. (It was consistent, at least; no headwinds-both-ways nonsense.) But it was a great weekend for riding.
#191
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Congrats on qualifying! Personally I prefer the qualifying brevets to be easier on those who've already preregistered for PBP, leave the tougher routes optional, so a nice and flat 600k sounds like a nice change of pace.
I haven't booked my flight yet either... but have already narrowing my choice down to a couple of airlines, I'll probably get that done by the end of the week.
I haven't booked my flight yet either... but have already narrowing my choice down to a couple of airlines, I'll probably get that done by the end of the week.
#192
Senior Member
I mapped out our upcoming 600 and the climbing is just 929 meters, which is less than our 400. The wind has been gusting to 50+ km/h most days the past month and a half, but the forecast is looking promising not that it can be trusted. The forecast for today was west 10 and ended up being 30 gusting to 45 in the afternoon. Best part of the forecast is low 20s during the day and 12 at night, heat wears me down faster than the wind.
The 200 and 2 x 300s I did this year had awful headwinds that died away just as we turned down wind. 400 was calm most of the day, then a brutal headwind made the last 52 km take 4.5 hours.
I really need to do a few rides on my brevet bike this week to check the fit. I rode my mountain bike all last week and haven't been on my touring bike since I put the new bars on.
The 200 and 2 x 300s I did this year had awful headwinds that died away just as we turned down wind. 400 was calm most of the day, then a brutal headwind made the last 52 km take 4.5 hours.
I really need to do a few rides on my brevet bike this week to check the fit. I rode my mountain bike all last week and haven't been on my touring bike since I put the new bars on.
#193
Senior Member
Congrats on qualifying! Personally I prefer the qualifying brevets to be easier on those who've already preregistered for PBP, leave the tougher routes optional, so a nice and flat 600k sounds like a nice change of pace.
I haven't booked my flight yet either... but have already narrowing my choice down to a couple of airlines, I'll probably get that done by the end of the week.
I haven't booked my flight yet either... but have already narrowing my choice down to a couple of airlines, I'll probably get that done by the end of the week.
I mapped out our upcoming 600 and the climbing is just 929 meters, which is less than our 400. The wind has been gusting to 50+ km/h most days the past month and a half, but the forecast is looking promising not that it can be trusted. The forecast for today was west 10 and ended up being 30 gusting to 45 in the afternoon. Best part of the forecast is low 20s during the day and 12 at night, heat wears me down faster than the wind.
The 200 and 2 x 300s I did this year had awful headwinds that died away just as we turned down wind. 400 was calm most of the day, then a brutal headwind made the last 52 km take 4.5 hours.
I really need to do a few rides on my brevet bike this week to check the fit. I rode my mountain bike all last week and haven't been on my touring bike since I put the new bars on.
The 200 and 2 x 300s I did this year had awful headwinds that died away just as we turned down wind. 400 was calm most of the day, then a brutal headwind made the last 52 km take 4.5 hours.
I really need to do a few rides on my brevet bike this week to check the fit. I rode my mountain bike all last week and haven't been on my touring bike since I put the new bars on.
#194
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The NJ 600 was flat and windy. Not too bad, although I did a lot of the 1st day headwinds by myself because I was too weak from eating issues to stay on anyone's wheel. I did 8 bonus miles because I got distracted and my garmin wasn't giving me off-course warnings.
I was going to leave the overnight at control closing, 5am, but got out at 4 because I woke up at 3 and felt fine. This was good, because I'm pretty sure the people that left later got to ride into more headwinds. It was a really well supported ride. A flat course and 5 am start really makes for a civilized experience. I'm not a big fan of sufferfests. I think that ride was as good a preparation for PBP as any stupidly difficult 600k. PBP is not particularly difficult at all. I think it's the easiest 1200 I have ridden. The thing that makes it difficult for Americans is jet lag, or at least that was true for me. And also, there are no Wawas in France, so foraging off of the economy isn't quite as easy as it is in the U.S. I found it difficult to adjust
I was going to leave the overnight at control closing, 5am, but got out at 4 because I woke up at 3 and felt fine. This was good, because I'm pretty sure the people that left later got to ride into more headwinds. It was a really well supported ride. A flat course and 5 am start really makes for a civilized experience. I'm not a big fan of sufferfests. I think that ride was as good a preparation for PBP as any stupidly difficult 600k. PBP is not particularly difficult at all. I think it's the easiest 1200 I have ridden. The thing that makes it difficult for Americans is jet lag, or at least that was true for me. And also, there are no Wawas in France, so foraging off of the economy isn't quite as easy as it is in the U.S. I found it difficult to adjust
#195
Senior Member
This is something I'm thinking about too, I know there are hypermarchés like Aldi, Lidl and Carrefour in the bigger towns along the way in PBP. Having peeped at their website I think I can find enough stuff at those places to supplement whatever bread and pasta I can buy at the controls/food stops. The trick will be getting to them while they are open! Most of them seem to be closed on Sunday and only open from 800-1730 during the weekdays. There's a carrefour right near the start in Rambouillet and an Aldi just east of the highway so I plan to stock up on Saturday when I'm there for the bike inspection.
#196
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I think cafes are open late, at least during PBP, and they can be quick if they want to be. Also, boulangeries are open early, as are patisseries. Small groceries are pretty nice, I'm a little intimidated by the idea of stopping at a Carrefour or the like during the ride. I figure I will stock up ahead of time though. I made it through 2011 because I stopped at the grocery in Sezun and got some chocolate.
#197
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Supermarkets in France tend to be open on sunday mornings. As are bakers, which you will find in almost every village.
#198
Senior Member
I had just checked a few that showed up along the route on google and since I don't start until Sunday evening it's not really going to be an issue, I should have enough stuff to get through the first day between what I bring, the controls and the bakeries/cafes.
#199
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Starting a tough 600k tomorrow morning. 618km with 9400m elevation gain (or at least as reported by RideWithGPS, which tends to overestimate things... but I still expect over 7000m). Trying hard not to think too much about it and concentrate on making sure I have everything packed! 😅
#200
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I just got back from the NoVa1000k. Lots of climbing. I spent a couple of hours getting another rider medical attention, I have never been as scared for the well-being of another person as when I found him lying astride his bike in the middle of the road. It was a bit of a surprise since we had been riding together minutes before.