Machka 

**How did you do? Did you meet your goals**

Got any long distance cycling goals for 2017?


Maybe something in the Randonneuring world? A 24-hour race? The Century-A-Month? A Metric CAM? The RAAM?



To refresh your memory ...

2016 goals:
https://www.bikeforums.net/long-dista...ing-goals.html

These were the 2015 goals:
https://www.bikeforums.net/long-dista...ing-goals.html

These were the 2014 goals:
https://www.bikeforums.net/long-dista...ing-goals.html

These were the 2013 goals:
2013 - Long Distance Cycling Goals

Machka 

Goals for 2017

Cycle more than 2016. 2016's total was 5760.76 km. I want to cycle more than that in 2017.

Complete Petite Year Round Randonneur. This is a challenge where we have to do a 100 km ride each month for a total of 1200 km. There is some flexibility in that we can do 50 km one month and 150 km the next to make up for it, but most of the time it should be a 100 km ride. The challenge started in November (that's when the Audax/Randonneuring year starts), so I've done 3 already.

In the past, I've done several CAM challenges (Century A Month, where I ride a 100 mile ride each month of the year), and would like to do that again, but realistically, with full-time work + university, I'm not sure I can commit to that schedule. However, I would like to do as many centuries as possible. Good training rides.

Complete Super Randonneur. A Super Randonneur is Audax/Randonneuring's standard series and the series which is required to qualify for longer rides in most cases. It consists of one ride each of 200 km, 300 km 400 km, and 600 km, each of which has to be completed within a certain time limit.

Complete a 1000 km randonnee. This might be a long-shot. However, if the 600 km event goes well, there is a 1000 km 2 weeks later.

One 1000 km month.

Cycle up Mt Wellington again.

Cycletouring.

clasher

Well last year was pretty good for me, did a full series for the first time. Didn't get a 1000km in though, but I did ride more and faster than I did in 2015. I'm hoping to get a 1000km and 1200km ride done this year, I have several options in Ontario to do so that's good for me.

bgraham111

Finish my RUSA R-12 (that's a 200k or greater for 12 consecutive months). I only have January, February, and March left. Of course, I live in Michigan, USA... so that's some cold weather.

My real 2017 goal is to do my first SR series. 2016 was my first year randonneuring, and I wasn't prepared for the digestion issues on the 600k. No trouble on the 400k... couldn't eat on the 600k.

kingston 

I didn't eat any solid food on the last 200 of my 600k last year, just sports drink, fruit and vegetable juice from the c-stores at the controls, and a mix of maltodextrin and protein powder that I carry with me.

I'm planning to attempt one SR series and one million meters of milk this year.

I don't keep track of total mileage.

seajaye

I realize I already posted in the "2017 Randonnees" thread! In any case, alarm set to register for Granite Anvil this weekend. First 1200km.

PDKL45

-Ride my first brevets (two 200 km brevets and a 300 km), as well as at least one 200 km permanent.
-Work on my own personal "brevet" route. A 200+ km ride, basically, filled with mountain passes and challenging terrain. Keep riding and modifying until I have a route I can happily share with others.
-Manage my body to try to avoid injuries keeping me off the bike.
-Ride 5000 kms or more during 2017.
-Commute for 4 days a week or more (depending on family, illness and weather)

kingston 

I'm thinking about going for Cyclos Montagnards R70. I was under or close on everything but the 600k last year, so I would have to decide to sleep less on the 600, which doesn't sound as good when I see it written down.

unterhausen

how much less sleep? As long as I can get an hour and a half, I'm good to go. I did my first 600k on no sleep. If you're fast, that's ok. I did that in less than 33 hours, which is probably not fast enough for no sleep. And I almost fell asleep on the bike. I could actually have gotten my 90 minutes of sleep, but I had my mind set on riding without any and didn't try. I have rarely been as miserable as I was at 6 am on that ride, 26 hours in. But when the sun came up, I really felt good and took off like a rocket. Part of that was I really needed to get to a bathroom

I would really like to improve my times on the SR series. It has been fine going slow these last few years, but being on the road that long has its downsides. I'm losing weight and working out more seriously than I have in years. Usually by the end of the summer I'm going pretty fast and have lost a lot of weight using my lackadaisical training style. I'm trying to be more organized about it, mostly because my weight going up dramatically in the winter isn't good for my health. I figure if I get down to my fighting weight of 170lbs. before the season starts, I can probably knock quite a few hours off of my times. I'm about 190 now, down from over 200 in November. My workouts are aimed at raising my FTP as well, that seems to be working. Although, as usual, my sprint is improving faster than anything else. Not too many sprint finishes in randonneuring.

kingston 

The R70 time for the 600k is 28 hours. I finished in 34 last year with about 5 hours of sleep, so I don't think I would be able to sleep at all unless I get quite a bit faster and more efficient at the controls.

unterhausen

6 hours is a lot of time to cut off. 28 hours is about my limit without sleep, but it's doable. I think I would rather not try to sleep. Most of us can spend less time at controls. To some degree, it's dependent on how the organizer has set it up.
One issue is that most U.S. organizers usually don't consider what happens to riders that are hitting the minimum times for the entire ride. If you are going to try this, make sure everything is going to be open, or understand what the RBA is going to want from you for proof of passage. One issue I have seen is fast riders running out of food, so that's another consideration. I think it's a worthy goal

kingston 

If I can get the R70 times pretty easily on the first thee rides of the series I may go for it on the 600. We'll see how it goes. I'd need to keep a moving average around 15 mph with around 3 hours at the controls. Certainly seems possible if it's not too windy. The R60 time of 24 hours for the 600 is completely out of reach for me unless I were riding with a group that was also going for it. That's a moving average of 17 mph with only two hours at the controls.

joewein

I want to keep extending my CAM streak which is now at 53 months. 5 years of Century-A-Month come August would be nice. For that I need to to remain safe and uninjured. Too many people I know have crashed or were hit by cars. On my last crash over a year ago I cracked a rib. So above all, I want to stay safe!

This will be the 4th year in which I try a 600 km and hence a chance to achieve SR, but realistically speaking I'm still way off that goal as by the time I reached about 330 km I've always needed hours of sleep to keep functioning and did not have the kind of time buffer to be able to do that and not DNF.

A friend of mine who usually performs similarly to me (sometimes he finishes faster, sometimes I do) last year managed to get SR, but finished his 600 with only the narrowest of margins and with no more than about 90 minutes of sleep in total over the 40 hour event.

Thinking about safety and about making SR, I don't think I want to gamble too much. It's not worth it.

I've been invited to a Fleche ride this spring. I don't want to slow down team mates but I'm considering it, as it's probably no worse than a 400, which I've finished under the time limit in 2015 and 2016.

Last weekend I did my first ride with a randonneur club other than my regular one. I think I would like to try rides at other clubs too, in other parts of the country. I might even come across a 600 with less elevation gain than my local event (5,300 m / 17,400 ft) that lets me finish under the time limit

John_V 

Last year I completed six 1,000+ mile months and ended the year riding more miles than driving my car. 9,730 miles on the car, 10,397 on the bike. Hoping to ride more in 2017 but at 70, I don't know if the old body will take it. Looking forward to my 7th MS 150 and 4th Cross Florida ride this year.

trailmix

My 2017 goal is the same as it has been for the last 3 years: complete the KY series (200,300,400,600). Failed in 2014 due to a scheduling conflict on the same weekend as the 400k. Failed 2015 and 2016 due to an intense, recurring IT band problem. We will see.

Mri G.

My partner and I are planning to ride 6000 miles across the Rockies cone end of March. We're expecting it to take about six months and will be documenting everything as we go, so hopefully others can learn how difficult it is to actually do. I think setting a goal is a great thing to do, but am starting to wonder if we should've went with a smaller one for our first trip ever...Lols

Machka 

Done!

Rowan and I cycled up today. It was a short distance when compared with the usual rides here ... only 73.4 km ... but the 1636 metres (5367.45 feet) straight up the side of the mountain made it feel exceedingly long.

Rick@OCRR

I didn't ride any doubles in 2016, took a deliberate year off since they were (kind of) dominating my life. Still ended the year with 8,529 miles and 511,443 total feet of climbing (and only 3 months over 1,000 miles).

Goal: Start riding doubles again. First one (Camino Real) is Feb. 18th. 2nd one (Spring Solvang) is March 18th and I'm signed up for both. Will re-evaluate after those two.

Haven't done any RUSA events since the California Triple Crown is my local distance cycling group but could, theoretically, get into randoneer riding again someday.

But, at 67, age may be a factor too (though I'd rather not admit it).

Rick / OCRR

OldTryGuy

I've done a number of 200 mile days on my own but tried something different this past weekend.

Bike Sebring 12/24 Hours

I officially completed my first 24 hour event, happily finishing with 307.8 miles but upset with myself because I wimped out and turned in my chip early instead of staying out for the full 24 hours. Next year I'll make sure to spend more than 22 hours on my bike.

unterhausen

wow, great job.

Flounce

My 2017 goals are:

- commute to work at least 3 days a week

- Having done a 200km and 300km, my goal for end of 2017l is to finish a 400km and 600km without any aches or pains.

- purchase the Toussaint bike as an affordable introduction to 650b and wide tires, stem shifters, and lower gearing better suited to brevets. (Currently riding racing type bike that only takes 23mm tires)

- if needed, get fitted to mid-arch cleat to help with achilles tendinitis flares (i.e. having done everything else already for it).

Rowan

The mid-arch cleat adjustment is a must. I am presuming you have tried slightly different saddle heights as part of "done everything else already".

Machka 

Goals for 2017 (there are more, but these are the cycling-specific ones) ... and my comments about how they've gone

Cycle more than 2016. 2016's total was 5760.76 km. I want to cycle more than that in 2017.
...... Check! 6365 km

Complete Petite Year Round Randonneur. This is a challenge where we have to do a 100 km ride each month for a total of 1200 km. There is some flexibility in that we can do 50 km one month and 150 km the next to make up for it, but most of the time it should be a 100 km ride. The challenge started in November (that's when the Audax/Randonneuring year starts), so I've done 3 already.
...... Check! All 12 and we went over the 1200 km minimum

In the past, I've done several CAM challenges (Century A Month, where I ride a 100 mile ride each month of the year), and would like to do that again, but realistically, with full-time work + university, I'm not sure I can commit to that schedule. However, I would like to do as many centuries as possible. Good training rides.
...... Check! All 12! And we actually did an additional 2 for a total of 14.

Complete Super Randonneur. A Super Randonneur is Audax/Randonneuring's standard series and the series which is required to qualify for longer rides in most cases. It consists of one ride each of 200 km, 300 km 400 km, and 600 km, each of which has to be completed within a certain time limit.
...... Completed three 200Ks and one 300K in BRM events + another 200K as a Permanent.

Complete a 1000 km randonnee. This might be a long-shot. However, if the 600 km event goes well, there is a 1000 km 2 weeks later.
...... Unfortunately no. Ended up with the Great Flu of 2017 instead.

One 1000 km month.
...... Two of them! March: 1002.7 km & April 1111.5 km

Cycle up Mt Wellington again.
...... Yep in February!

Cycletouring.
...... We did some hub-and-spoke style touring but that was it this year.


Edit: Also ... not part of my goals, I ended up with 58,991 metres (193,540.03 feet) of climbing according to Strava. Unfortunately, I didn't record 2 or 3 rides, so the actual total was slightly higher than that. Not too bad for a lady who seeks out flat rides.

kingston 

While I met my main goal of completing another SR series, my 600k time was quite a bit slower than my goal (31:22 vs 28:00 for the 600k). I was ahead of schedule at 400k but had a pretty slow final 200k. Temperatures dropped down to the high 30's overnight, and I wasn't really prepared for that so I spent a lot of time at the controls trying to warm up. I realized I wasn't going to make my goal time at around 500k and soft-pedaled it the rest of the way in.

The warden denied my request for a pass to attempt the One Million Meters of Milk so I missed on that one too. There's always next year. I've already started dropping hints about the Mac & Cheese 1200k.

Flounce

didn't meet my goal of commuting to work 3 days a week.

didn't meet my goal of finishing a 400km and 600km; DNF'd on the 400.

I *did* get fitted to mid arch cleat and it *did* resolve my achilles tendinitis and I *can* now ride 190 miles without achilles pain, that is huge.

I *did* get bike more appropriate for long distance, a SOMA ES fitted with 32mm tires, dynamo lights, front mini rack, lower gearing with 46/30T chainrings, 11-32 cassette.