intransit1217

I was standing by hwy 142 clapping and cheering the last stragglers of today's RAW and I wondered what happens when they reach the end.

Tired, hungry, cold maybe. Nowhere near their home some of them.

What happens next, after you cross the line, log the time.....what now?


Share your experiences, please, and

Congratulations.

Really

Machka 

RAW - Race Across The West?
RAW

I've never done it, but I have done a lot of long rides.

[HR][/HR]
"Tired, hungry, cold maybe."


For me, there's a debate. Do I change into the clothes I packed and put in the waiting car? Or do I eat? Usually shower and change comes first if that option is available. Sometimes it's not, and I opt to stay in my cycling gear (throw on a jacket) and head straight for food.


"Nowhere near their home some of them."


When I've done rides nowhere near home, I've worked out the logistics. A hotel, a rental vehicle, some idea of the trains, and stuff like that.


But there's also the let-down. There's elation, relief, joy, etc. etc. when you finish ... but a few days later, there's the let-down. The feeling of "what do I do with my life now" ... and usually I have to start planning the next thing right away.

intransit1217

I can see the addictive nature of it.

Ride Across Wisconsin

Today was the first run. Hopefully it will be an annual thing.

rando_couche

After finishing my first (and so far only) 1000k brevet, I had much the same reaction: "What now?" I'd been riding pretty much nonstop for 3 days, and I was done. Back to the "real world"? Oh please, not that!

SP
OC, OR
RUSA # 3481

Rowan

I think it all depends on what the race organisers have put in place at the finish, and much of that depends on the distance of the event -- that is, the finishing window which might be quite short for a 200 or quite long for a 1200.

It also depends on whether you have been solo from start to finish, been part of a group organised prior to the event, or whether you have hooked up with others along the way who ride at the same pace and finish when you do.

Whatever the circumstances, it's always nice to socialise to some extent, swapping a few stories about what happened along the way. Sometimes it's a case of getting some post-ride sustenance and fluids into the body. If it is cold, warming up with a hot drink and extra clothing or changing out of the damp into dry is essential. If it's been a long ride, some sleep!

And then, that's basically it. If you have finished with the time limit, it might be time for reflection and rejoicing, with some review of what worked and what might have been better. Of course, success breeds a desire for even more success, and if you haven't already got an events program mapped out, the search might begin for the next ride to do.

ThermionicScott 

Depending on whether they enjoyed the "extreme" aspect of it, they might just start considering SAGBRAW and/or GRABAAWR for next year.

unterhausen

one-way rides have their problems. My fleche route goes halfway across Pennsylvania, and getting back is a pain. Fortunately it ends in a place where we can clean up, eat and rest a little. A large group ride probably requires some outside assistance and most likely riding home in a really stinky car. But fortunately Wisconsin isn't that wide.

RR3

I'm in that lost boat of what's next lacking motivation for 350-500 mile weeks, I have the convenient excuse of having a broken seat stay to lie to myself but then again my hands are still numb from PBP.

I need a new goal and am considering

1. 1200 Grand Randonnee in Japan in April
2. 1200K Taste of Carolina in October
3. 24 hours of Sebring just to see I could qualify for RAAM on paper
4. 1200K somewhere else exciting in the world.....looking at this now.
5. Maybe pound out some permanents for a K hounddog year

Getting back to the start? Need to organize a ride.....in advance.

RR3

Maybe Transam for me but the logistics are a bit daunting

200 miles per day for 22 days seems reasonable for young 57 year old.

My doc told me today that I need a new big goal.

I'd love to do the Silk Road 1200k in Uzbekestan but a SCAR 17s weighs too much....sorry for the inappropriate reference but that area scares me. I wanted to do it but procrastination is probably my friend

intransit1217

How often do you feel beat up as opposed to just tired afterwards? Yesterday I did a measly 110 mi in about 8 hrs ride time. But 15 hrs actual out time. I felt beat up. But not more than the last time I did 80 miles. Is that adaptation? Or is it....at a certain point.....kind of thing?

intransit1217

I should mention I did it on my dual sport with panniers carrying bike lock, food, spare jersey (it was hot and humid) big jug gatorade....
I probably would have saved a ton of energy had i taken my road bike.

Rowan

One thing I didn't mention is that because we have done much of our long-distance events (as in 1200s) away from our own country, we have integrated them into bicycle tours or just travelling on the respective continents.

I know a lot of people are time stressed, and I know many Americans, for example, who arrive in France for PBP a day or two before the start, then have their flights booked out the day after the finish.

We don't, if possible. We arrive in the country well beforehand to acclimatise and do a bit of touring or travelling, and we linger and set off for more touring or travelling afterwards.

In 2007, this was really an important part of the strategy for PBP, even if we didn't know it at the time. We didn't finish; the weather was depressingly wet. But we didn't feel terribly let down by the DNF, because we had something else to focus on afterwards. The same with the last BMB that was run.

With the Last Chance, we had done a 24H race in Iowa/Illinois just prior, and drove across to Boulder. After Last Chance, we drove with a time limit to LA to return home, so we had mixed things up a bit.

With the shorter events, the SR ones, there is always another series of event to focus on, and permanents have allowed riders to pick and choose what they want to do just about every week of the year.

Here in Australia, we have the Woodrup 5000, which involves at least one SR, a 1000, a 1200 and a particular fleche (the Opperman) to qualify. It can be done over four years, and I had a lot of fun planning and participating in the required events to achieve that.

RR3

18 months ago, I did 6 miles. I was a fat, lazy tub of lard. My first ride in over a decade. Took me almost 50 minutes. I slept hours on the couch afterwards. Once I had a couple 200K Brevets under my belt, I moved to a 300K.....a big step. It is all about adaptation. It took me one year of hard work to become sort of an athlete.

Just build up slowly. No more than 15% per week, some say 10%. Take a lower volume "rest" week every 4 weeks or so.

Consistently is key.

I'd have to look at the actual dates but I went thru an 8 week stretch doing 400k and a 600K every two weeks in May and June. Never wiped. Cartefully builiding up to it. Be slow but consistent.

To answer your question more drectly.....I never feel beat up because I know I am prepared. i did make a tactical mistake on PBP changing to 44cm aluminum bars from my normal 40cm carbon resulting in nerve issues but the rest of the body is 100% fine.

intransit1217

Paris-Brest-Paris?

RR3

yes. Sorry.

Machka 

Rarely ... very rarely.

There have been a few occasions when my fitness level has dropped right off for one reason or another when I've finished a long ride and felt rather beat up. But I usually recover pretty quickly.


Hmmm ... the century I did in Feb 2003, where the temp never got above -21C (-6F), and it took me 15 hours in total to complete because of the weather and road conditions ... that one left me feeling rather beat up. Can't say I ever want to ride 100 miles in those conditions again.

And there were two attempts at a 600K in Alberta in 2005 or 2006 (I forget which year off hand). The first ended a little over 300K after riding for about 18 hours in torrential rain and howling wind. It started raining when we started, and just got worse and worse as we went along. A bridge washed out behind us ... we were pedalling down hills going into the wind ... as trucks were passing us we were half drowning in the wall of water that washed over us ... and when night fell, the hypothermia and throwing up set in. The route stopped at my home at about the 300K point, and when we got there, that was it.

On the next attempt, I did well except for one little error ... not enough electrolytes. Hyponatremia took me out of the game on that one.

I felt pretty beat up after those events.

ThermionicScott 

It strikes me as kind of a wasted opportunity to fly in, ride PBP, and fly out immediately afterward, but I suppose it's up to everyone to choose the experience they want. (Within the realm of what is available to them.)

If I was going to drag my fiancee along to France to help me satisfy this vain urge to try PBP, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that we would tack a few more days on before and after the ride to make a full vacation out of it, and allow a little time for recovery before travelling back. We got to Versailles on Aug 14th, and didn't leave Paris until the 24th. Very early on in the process, I decided that if I didn't finish the ride for any reason, my Plan B was just to spend the rest of that time vacationing with my fiancee (and sister, whom we roped into the trip about a month in advance.) That was incredibly freeing, and really helped me to enjoy the ride.

I feel like a lot of randonneurs, especially but not exclusively new ones, put excessive pressure on themselves to ride fast and get a good time, when relaxing a little would not only help them enjoy these rides but give them a better chance of finishing.

9606

It's a big tent.
My wife wants no part of my fringe activities. She has a life also.
And we take plenty of vacations together, many at her pace and whims.

RR3

This could be location specific.....definately not the case for PA Randos.

I think a quest for efficiency and doing one's best time is more deeply engrained in French riders and it was how more US riders treated Brevets many years ago, but at least from my impression, the current RUSA focus is more on having a good time rather than doing a good time. Most US PBP particiants plan for 85-90 hour finishes and certainly finishing is the objective or at least finishing PBP was my #1 cycling goal in 2015. Fewer than 10% of RUSA riders elected to start with the 80H group. In my recent 20 brevets, I can only remember two other riders going hard for a time. One fellow was from San Diego (he did PBP in 43 hours), one from DC who subsequently set a 24H record or did over 500 miles, and one other guy. RUSA riders often/usually take long stops at controls and ride side by side chatting in a friendly manner and stopping for pictures or at least that has been my observation from NE, NJ, PA, DC, NC, FL, CA, and CO Brevets. Maybe it depends on the tone set by the local RBA. Our local RBAs always publishes group completion statistics and results are listed alphabetically instead of by completion times. There have been few DNFs despite the routes being extremely hilly and challenging to navigate.

I did two Brevets earlier this year where I decided to ride with total Newbies and just go slow chatting with them. They barely finished in time owing mostly to long stops. The one rider did not know how to fix a flat. The other had never ridden more than 60 miles IIRC. This brevet was 200K in 42F rain all day. They really were not prepared even clothing wise. They did not have lighting (I had lights of course...they followed me into the last control in the dark). I suspect many new riders just do not understand that randonneuring is not like a milk and cookies metric century. Brevets are hard and it probably takes a special character to find these tests to be fun. I don't know why riders DNF but I suspect improper eating/drinking would top the list especially in the heat. I dunno. Most of the Randos in my area do 200Ks in either 11-12 hours or 9-10 hours; so, even the "fast group" is not really riding fast although we sometimes just barely break 9 hours. I just went thru the year's results and I quickly counted 5 DNFs with an overall success rate way into the high 90's percentage. Two were mechanical. One was a new rider on a 200k. Two DNFs were on a brutally difficult 600K on a very hot and humid day.

Spending too much time pondering DNFs....need to get back on the bike. But what is next.

intransit1217

How well supported are the longer brevets?

Steamer

Varies.

But a hallmark of rando is self-sufficiency, so, IMO, any outside assistance at controles should be considered gravy.

intransit1217

Copy that. How to trim down to absolute minimum and still be prepared for almost anything.

Machka 

It does vary widely.

If you're doing one in Alberta or Manitoba (like I did mine), don't expect any support. You're on your own.


That said, a couple years in Manitoba, the group of us booked a hotel somewhere in the middle of the 600K, and used it for a couple hours whenever we got there. It had a 24-hour Subway attached to it. That was pretty luxurious.

And as a ride organiser for a few years in Alberta, I specifically designed the 600s in a sort of figure 8, so that they would return to the start point somewhere in the middle. That way, if riders had a hotel or car or something, they could use it for some sleep and to change clothes or whatever.

There was never any organised support for rides under 600K.

But I think clubs like the BC Randonneurs offer a bit more support.

And a popular way of doing events in Victoria is to run a 100, 200, 300, 400, and 600 all on one weekend, out of the same start-finish point in a sort of flower petal pattern ... loops off in different directions. So everyone does the first 100K or so together in one loop, then there's another loop in a different direction to complete the 200K, and another loop in another direction completes the 300K and so on.

But that way riders return to the middle every now and then, where there are volunteers serving up soup and rolls and coffee and things. Setting it up that way is a little bit challenging for the organisers because riders are not allowed to ride the same roads in the same direction more than once, so you've got to have a location with a network of good roads for loops or out-and-backs. But as a rider, I really like this setup. There is some degree of support and it isn't so lonely.

unterhausen

I have never been to a 600k or 1200k that didn't have a staffed overnight stop. There are definitely rides run without that though, so it makes sense to read the information that the organizer publishes and ask them questions if it isn't clear.

ThermionicScott 

Yeah, for sure. It's a big tent, and clubs often develop a cohesive mentality due to who they attract/reach out to and who leaves. I know of a club within the multi-state area that has come to be dominated by go-fast people who would rather DNF than have an unsatisfactory time show up in the records, and will bail if things are going that way. That mentality sticks in my craw a little, but I'm trying not to judge. "It's a big tent..."

The other thing on my mind are the people who are new to the sport entirely, who might have done, say, 30 or 50 miles as their longest ride and are contemplating centuries or brevets. They'll post questions where it's clear that they're obsessed with maintaining X average speed, and need to be reminded to pace themselves intelligently, that just finishing ought to be the main goal before fretting about improving one's time. Success builds on success, after all, and I can't imagine that a rider who keeps burning themselves out and DNFing on their first brevets will stick around for long...

Ah, that is interesting stuff. I really only have a limited view of randonneuring outside my area.



How are those hands doing? I think the feeling is slowly returning to my left hand (but maybe I've just gotten more familiar with the amount of remaining sensation), and my knees are thankful for the break after being tweaked by fit issues on PBP. But not riding has been mentally tough, and the pounds are creeping back on...