Opinions needed
Susan Otcenas
joekr...@comcast.net
While recovery time is an individual thing, eight weeks should be enough. I completed a 1,000k on a Saturday night last July and was fine to ride a hilly brevet the following weekend. Even if the 1,000k you are planning is a difficult one, barring an injury, you should have enough time. The trick is to stay healthy through all the training you need to do to be prepared for both rides. Be careful with dramatic mileage increases. Best of luck.
Joe Kratovil
New Jersey
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Chicken Sandwich
That's a hard decision - I rode my first 1000KM ride about 7 weeks before PBP 2007 and the physical and mental scars from the 1000K had barely healed when I was on my way off to France.
I knew how tough that last 100 miles was on the 1000K and I couldn't imagine piling another 200K on top of that. I DNF'd on PBP for a variety of reasons. I have a lot of regrets about that now. I am not in physical or financial shape to go to PBP this year. Maybe 2015, who knows.
On the other hand, my 1000K was a really special ride, the legendary Portland-Glacier. It was such a life experience to do that ride, I'm not sure I would have wanted to miss it. Another rider on the 2007 PtoG commented on his blog that it had validated his decision to not go to PBP that year; that doing PtoG was enough of a bike experience to satisfy his needs.
I guess in summary, I think only you can really know your body, your experience level and your bike well enough to know if you can do both. A 1000K is a big step above a 600K. On PtoG the distances were roughly 400K-300K-300K per day. Getting up after 3 hours of sleep to ride the 2nd day was extremely tough, riding another 300K through the Palouse of Eastern Washington was killer, swinging a leg that third day was even harder, and tackling the last 100 miles in 95 degree heat followed by a chilly Montana evening took all I had.
If you think you can arrive in Paris rested and ready, then definitely do the 1000K. If you can't imagine doing a brevet the weekend after a 600K, then skip it and rest up for Paris. Focus on speed training in those last few weeks heading up to the big event.
As Dan Driscoll once said, keep your eye on the prize. In this case that prize is PBP.
Steve Rice
I am going to speak up and say that it probably isn't a good idea. Being an RBA, I have seen several people prepare for and complete their first 1200K. I've then watched these people take months to recover back to their normal riding ability. I will say that with experience, the recovery time does tend to shrink. If you had completed other 1200K or 1000K rides and knew what your body would require to recover, this discussion wouldn't be happening. There is 8 weeks between the 1000K and PBP. Let's say it takes 6 weeks until you are back to your normal riding ability. That is just in time to start winding down and getting ready to head to France. Those last 2 months are critical for your final tune-ups - both you and your bike.
One of the most important skills for a successful completion of PBP is the ability to get up, get back on the back and crank out some more miles. If you can keep moving, the time limits really aren't that much of a concern. I tend to focus on riding back to back centuries during the months leading up to a 1200K. My final tuneup is a 4 day, 400+ mile ride I put on a couple of weeks before PBP. The distance isn't that difficult, but it does require getting back on the bike every morning.
Keep your eye on your goal, if it is PBP, focus on what will get you there in the best possible shape mentally and physically.
Steve Rice
--
Keith Kohan
Subject: [Randon] Opinions needed
sekhem313
Hi Susan
I want to second what Steve said. If you don't know how your body is going to respond to a 1000k, this is not the year to experiment.
I jumped into randonneuring last year and had only owned my bike for a year before that (and hadn't been on a bike for 25 yrs). My RBA and other members of my club strongly cautioned me against over doing it and likewise shared stories of folks who over pushed the mileage, found that they couldn't continue, and had to drop out.
But I made up my mind to ride Paris this year. I rode 2 SR series and a 1200K in September of last year. I figured I needed the experience and the mileage in my legs to ride Paris well. That over training did a lot of damage - to the point that I questioned if I was going to be able to ride Paris at all. It is evident that I'm still not recovered (even tho I feel fine) - It has only been very recently that my power has started to pick up but my endurance is still crap.
My goal is to ride the upcoming 600K well but recovery and speed training are the biggest priorities.
good luck this year
(and congratulations on getting into PBP!)
Tammie
|
Don Bennett
If you have any sort of ergonomic issues on the 600k, on a 1000k they could blow up on you and you may not recover in time. I would focus on resolving any problems with comfort you may have with your hands, feet, or saddle after the 600k.
On the other hand, if you find the course particularly attractive (e.g., Portland->Glacier NP) or you need 1000k to reach some other goal, you might give it a shot, with the thought that it's a training ride, you're trying to learn something about ride strategy, but it won't be a do-or-die effort that puts the larger goal in jeopardy.
Don
--
Jim Logan
Jim Logan
joekr...@comcast.net
There is a distinction between normal recovery from an endurance event and recoverng from injury caused by doing too much in a concentrated period of time. If I decide to ride a 1200k next month, and so far I've only been averaging 50 miles per week, then, it is highly likely that the sudden increase in training, and the event itself, will lead to injuries that may take months to overcome. However, if someone is consistantly training at a high level of approximately 250 to 300 miles per week, which is adequete for a long brevet, then the recovery process should not be protracted as the stress load was appropriate to the amount of training.
A rider in my area does every 1200k on the calendar in the US and Canada each year. He's trained for that work load and is rarely, if ever, injured. Mileage increases undertaken gradually are generally tolerated well. The body can adapt and crank out amazingly high mileage if that level is achieved over a period of time.
I guess what I should have inquired of the original poster is: What has taken place in the last year of riding, before rendering any advice.
Joe Kratovil
----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Bennett" <d...@donbennett.org>
To: "Susan Otcenas" <su...@teamestrogen.com>
Cc: "randon subscribers" <ran...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 1:09:01 PM
Subject: Re: [Randon] Opinions needed
RobMnUSA
Bon Route!
Rob
trosenbauer
Rather than ride a 1000k, for the many good reasons already outlined,
I would instead try to improve upon your 600k finish time as you
complete your SR qualifiers. While you did previously complete your
other 600k with some time to spare, it would be better if you could
complete this distance with more time banked. It will typically take
you much longer to get through the 1st 600k on PBP than your local
600k. The controles tend to be very crowded with long lines, and on
top of that, things are spread out, so you'll spend quite a bit of
time just walking around. (BTW, One good way to save some time waiting
in line, is to get food either before or after the controles).
In addition to your SR qualifiers, I would recommend participating in
at least one more +24-hr event for your PBP preparation.
-Tom Rosenbauer
Eastern PA RBA
On Apr 19, 7:17 pm, "Susan Otcenas" <su...@teamestrogen.com> wrote:
> .... I have the opportunity to ride a 1000km brevet in June, 8 weeks before
> PBP. I'm wondering if I should do it. ....
joekr...@comcast.net
I'm 59 and I recover quickly.
----- Original Message -----
From: banks...@gmail.com
To: "Mark" <mhgu...@comcast.net>
Cc: "randon" <ran...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 4:48:06 PM
Subject: Re: [Randon] Re: Opinions needed
What's with the age 55 demarcation?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Debra C. Banks
banks...@gmail.com
720.933.1252
On Apr 20, 2011, at 1:35 PM, Mark wrote:
> Sounds like you know yourself pretty well, and your capacities; only
> you know if 8 weeks is enough to recover. Probably is if you're fit,
> appropriately trained and under 55. And you have plenty of confidence
> if you're even considering doing this 'double!' I'd say do it if you
> want to do it, don't worry about DNF'ing--if you get too stressed,
> there's no shame in taking a DNF. Worrying less is a key to completing
> PBP. On another note, I don't know that "ride strategies" practiced in
> the US with few riders translate well to PBP with 5000; it is a
> really, really different environment. Try to bank time early, but
> don't forget to accept how it unfolds and enjoy it!
>
> Mark
>
>
> On Apr 19, 4:17 pm, "Susan Otcenas" <su...@teamestrogen.com> wrote:
>> Several randos I respect very much have given me some conflicting
>> opinions, so I thought I'd throw this out to the group so I can
>> gather a
>> few more thoughts.
>>
>> This weekend I registered for PBP! However, I've never ridden a
>> brevet longer than 600km. I rode two 600s last year (both between
>> 37 &
>> 38 hours) and will ride another in 2 weeks.
>>
>> I have the opportunity to ride a 1000km brevet in June, 8 weeks
>> before
>> PBP. I'm wondering if I should do it. On the plus side, I see it
>> as a
>> chance to test ride strategies over more than three days instead of
>> two.
>> I also see it as a way to buld my confidence going into the even
>> longer
>> 1200 in August. On the down side, I wonder if 8 weeks is enough time
>> between 2 big efforts (though I feel like I recover very quickly;
>> last
>> year I did a 24 hour race 2 weeks after a very hilly 600K). And I'm
>> worried that if I DNF that it might kill my confidence going into
>> PBP.
>>
>> Opinions?
>>
>> ***********************************************
>> Susan Otcenas
>> Team Estrogen, Inc.www.TeamEstrogen.com<http://www.teamestrogen.com/>
Mark
you know if 8 weeks is enough to recover. Probably is if you're fit,
appropriately trained and under 55. And you have plenty of confidence
if you're even considering doing this 'double!' I'd say do it if you
want to do it, don't worry about DNF'ing--if you get too stressed,
there's no shame in taking a DNF. Worrying less is a key to completing
PBP. On another note, I don't know that "ride strategies" practiced in
the US with few riders translate well to PBP with 5000; it is a
really, really different environment. Try to bank time early, but
don't forget to accept how it unfolds and enjoy it!
Mark
On Apr 19, 4:17 pm, "Susan Otcenas" <su...@teamestrogen.com> wrote:
> opinions, so I thought I'd throw this out to the group so I can gather a
> few more thoughts.
>
> This weekend I registered for PBP! However, I've never ridden a
> brevet longer than 600km. I rode two 600s last year (both between 37 &
> 38 hours) and will ride another in 2 weeks.
>
> I have the opportunity to ride a 1000km brevet in June, 8 weeks before
> PBP. I'm wondering if I should do it. On the plus side, I see it as a
> chance to test ride strategies over more than three days instead of two.
> I also see it as a way to buld my confidence going into the even longer
> 1200 in August. On the down side, I wonder if 8 weeks is enough time
> between 2 big efforts (though I feel like I recover very quickly; last
> year I did a 24 hour race 2 weeks after a very hilly 600K). And I'm
> worried that if I DNF that it might kill my confidence going into PBP.
>
> Opinions?
>
> ***********************************************
> Susan Otcenas
banks...@gmail.com
On Apr 20, 2011, at 1:35 PM, Mark wrote:
Paul Rozelle
--How'd your 600s go? How do you expect this upcoming 600 to go? Did
you go into them confident that you'd finish? Were you more confident
on the second one? Feeling better still about the third? Did you
feel like you learned something more about your riding and yourself
with each passing one? Or were/are you wracked with anxiety, or feel
like you barely got through them, or feel like somehow doing that
distance was pushing your physical or mental/emotional limits perhaps
just a tad too far? The more anxious you are, then the more likely
the 1000K would be a benefit to quelling that anxiety. But, whether a
1000K gives you any more confidence than two or three successful 600s
is pretty debatable. I personally don't think so. But, there are
plenty of people I know who insisted on doing a domestic 1200K before
doing PBP because the only way they could be sure they could complete
1200K was, well, to complete 1200K. If you're the "I need to feel like
I did everything I possibly could" type, then ride the 1000K. If
you're the, "Heck with it. I studied enough. Time to get a good
night's sleep before the exam" type, then forget about it (unless it's
righteous and worth doing in its own right, for its own sake).
--Break down your finish times -- why were they what they were?
There's a big difference in a 38 hour ride that involves no or little
sleep and one that involves several REM cycles of sleep and 3 sit-down
meals a day. Same finish time. Very different rides.
--If you want to do the 1000K for its own sake, then do it. This
stuff is supposed to be fun, after all, and you only live once. And
(as some of you snow skiers are aware), "If you don't do it this year,
you'll only be a year older when you do."
--PBP is totally its own animal. It's massive. It's more like a
religious pilgrimage than a bike ride. No matter how efficient you
are at controls, huge swaths of time will evaporate at PBP. If your
600Ks are 38 hours and you're not using a big chunk of that to sleep
or otherwise be off the bike, my $0.02 would be to spend the time
between now and PBP focusing on increasing your rolling speed so you
can buy yourself some more cushion and increase your odds of
completing PBP. I think that would yield more dividends than doing a
1000K.
Good luck, and see you in France,
Paul
Mark Wooldridge
| I think there are really two schools of thought: 1) Gain experience with keeping on riding, learning to deal with sleep and nutrition issues over a longer period. If you have a nice comfortable hotel on your 1000k that you walk right into that isn't going to exactly be like dealing with the crowds at PBP and having either a wool blanket on a cot or a corner of a cafeteria floor, but it does give experience at getting up and going on despite soreness and sleepiness. Learning to stay focused on your basic needs despite other issues can be very important. It could also help you discover a sleeping strategy for a longer ride (is 1.5 hours enough? 3 hours?) 2) Focus on getting stronger/faster with a mix of moderately long (200-300k rides) with higher intensity rides to help deal with hills and
get a little faster cruising speed. Do you normally ride in hills or mountains? I live in a flat area, think PBP is very hilly, and have to work at getting intensity and hill training into my rides; others live in Seattle and think PBP is flat. A mile an hour faster average speed could give 1-2 more hours sleep per day. The right answer depends on you. Personally I think 2 is better; another PBP veteran I ride with a lot thinks 1 is best. With only 8 weeks between the 1000k and PBP it's unlikely that you'll recover and also get significantly stronger than you were before the 1000k. I guess you could look at what your individual weaknesses and strengths are and decide; if it's equal then flip a coin and go for whichever ;--) Either way you'll gain something, so good luck with your choice. As you might notice from my descriptions I think sleep is a key to
PBP. The racers don't sleep much, but they finish in 2 days; I have finished much later and had to figure out that if I didn't get enough sleep I eventually slowed down so much that I might as well have stopped for a break anyway. A very lovely, vicious circle. Mark W |
|
|
Randon Nerd
You didn't include that in "the big randonneuring tent" the rider is
over there in the corner with the cyclo-tourists and treats every
randonnee as a "self-paced" bike tour to be savored and not rushed.
As such, he pretty much rides them all at a "fleche pace." Not slow,
but where time allows, takes time to stop and smell the roses (and
sleep and eat and drink.)
He also is known to have ridden a 1000K (the EM1000) four days after
completing a 1200K but has enough respect for (and lack of confidence
in his abilities) to attempt to ride a 1200K a week after the EM1000.
Those who have ridden the EM1000K and EM1240 can attest to the
unpredictability of the central PA highlands and the overall
challenging terrain of the course.
Back to Susan's question, as the others have said, the 1000K that far
in advance of the ride shouldn't hurt you, although if it does, you'll
probably find that you'll experience the same on PBP. It won't make
you faster, nor should it make you any slower but, if successful,
should give you confidence in your abilities (but seeing what you have
posted on your blog, you have that "in spades" already.) As others
have said, you should not push yourself too hard, so as to do yourself
harm (good advice for any brevet, permanent, fleche, randonnee) and
use it as a shakedown to see if your PBP ride strategy holds true.
Your times for the 600K look to be a littlel= tight but if you were
able to get enough to eat and sleep, I wouldn't worry about them - the
600K I'm most proud of, and learned the most from, was the one I
completed in 39:59! It's too late for "speed" workouts but then for
some, reverting to this training strategy provides them with the
comfort they require. And as others said, you don't need to ride a
1000K and although I enjoy going out and riding a 600-1200K
unsupported ride by myself just as much as the next guy, riding the
ACP event puts just a little more pressure on me to ensure that I keep
with the allowable time - and you'll REALLY enjoy the last 400K when
you find that you now have 35 hours to ride that distance. (Resist the
urge to do as everyone else does at this point and rather than going
for a PR, see how much you can enjoy the last 400K and arrive at the
finish as close to 75 hours as you dare - I find 73 hours is a good
goal.)
It's only a hobby, and when it is no longer fun, it is time to take up
a different sport.
Bill
Susan Otcenas
responses, both on-list and off, about the idea of doing a 1000K 8 weeks
before PBP. One of you even went so far as to call me and chat, which
was above and beyond the call of duty. I appreciate the support of the
community! This is only my second season randonneuring, so I really
appreciate that folks are willing to answer my questions.
To address a few questions that were asked:
I'm 41.
Regarding my base mileage & general fitness - I ride a fair bit. I'm
near 1000 miles for the first 3 weeks of April, and over 1000 miles in
the past 30 days. I expect to average 250-300 per week for the rest of
the season. (Last season was 500-1000 miles per month.) I also run a
few days a week. I pretend to swim 1-2 times per week. :) In 2010, in
addition to cycling, I did 6 triathlons, 2 half marathons and a handful
of 5Ks and 10Ks. I am not particularly fast. I like to say that I
have a small engine, but a really big gas tank.
Regarding my 600K times - a few people expressed concerns about the
37-38 hour finish times on my 600ks. On the first, I finished in 37:09
(27:51 riding), having spent 5 hours at the overnight control at 360km.
Being off the bike for 5 hours, and getting a tad more than 3 hours of
(very good) sleep was awesome. I struggled with the weather and body
temperature regulation issues on the morning of the second day (I have
Reynaud's Syndrome quite severely), but once I got past that I felt
great and legs and energy levels were good for the rest of the ride.
My second 600K featured just shy of 22,000 feet of climbing. I finished
in 37:49 (29:33 riding). Less sleep on that one (1:45, with 3:15 at the
overnight) but I felt surprisingly good the entire second day, despite
all the climbing and relative lack of sleep. I *did* end up with sore
Achilles tendons after that one, which cleared up in a few days. I
attributed that to the climbing, some of which was quite steep.
As these were my first two 600s, I was definitely not riding them for
time; I just wanted to finish. I don't think I could have *ridden* them
much faster. I could probably have taken less time in the overnight on
the first one, but I went into it wanting to maximize my time at the
overnight. Perhaps the strategy is different on a longer ride (?), but
I guess I saw no big disadvantage to leaving the overnight with only 1/2
hour to spare before closing time. I figured getting as much sleep as
possible was the best thing I could do for myself. Would anyone care
to elaborate on their overnight strategies? Would you think it best to
maximize sleep, or should I have left myself a bigger margin of error
leaving the overnight a little earlier? I'm riding my next 600K next
weekend, so I'm open to ideas!
Given these times, do I have cause for concern on a 1200k? I've been
targeting an 85 hour finish for PBP. Does this seem realistic?
In terms of recovery: I did a half-ironman 5 weeks after the first 600K
and a 24 hour race (which I admittedly quit riding at 20 hours due to
the aforementioned body-temperature regulation issues) 2 weeks after the
2nd 600K. For the 1000K in June, I think I will wait and see how the
season goes. I feel like I recover well, and that I have the fitness to
do it, and learn a lot from the experience, but I appreciate the
suggestions that I might consider doing more shorter but faster brevets
in preparation instead.
Susan
Randon Nerd
be interested in seeing what I wrote and telling me I'm full of beans
-
Having already reached "Geezerhood", you and others your age should
savor that you've found the sport of randonneuring when you are still
young and your recovery times are still short! You can push the
envelope more than some of us older folks - but the trick comes in
knowing yourself well enough to know your limits.
Looking at you blog site and seeing the background you've provided to
the list, both on this and the previous notes, you appear to know your
limits and should be fine with whatever path you take.
Compared to some of the others on the list I'm rather new to
randonneuring but I come to the sport from a "distance events"
competitive background. I rode my first brevet and completed my first
SR series in the two months (April/May) followed in mid-July with my
first longer ride, the 1400K LEL followed by a 1200K less than a month
after. I quickly realized that like any other distance event,
randonneering was 25% physical training, 25% equipment preparation,
and 50% mental preparedness, and for me, the the hardest part of any
randonnee occurs at the starting point waiting for the ride to begin -
("Did I forget to pack anything?" "What will I encounter on the ride?"
"Gee, it appears that ALL o the other riders are on carbon fiber or
titanium bikes. Should I be worried I'm riding my overweight steel
framed steed - not to mention my overweight body?")
In looking at the excuses most provide for dropping out of the longer
events (and probably a the case for the shorter SR events) the root
cause is primarily that the during the course of the event, the riders
ran across some adversity and either could not directly address (or
face) it, or develop an alternative "work-around" to their pre-ride
plan.
For the 25% equipment preparation - I may go a little "overboard" in
the the tools and spares I carry but on the other extreme, you should
see what some folks arrive to the start of a 1200K with...everything
from bikes with missing spokes, to Tryathon bikes that include the
same rear tool bag they'd carry for an short-course event (modified
for randonneuring with a GPS who needs cue sheets.)
Regarding the proper training - An SR series is intended to provide
the necessary training to complete a longer 1200K event (at least that
is what the ACP and RUSA documents say), and the reason that it is
required for most of the longer distance rides. However as you will
find, not all series are "equal" and although one can find "easy"
series to qualify, since I HATE climbing hills - due to my "full
figured physique" - I generally find I am better prepared for some of
the more challenging longer events if I "suffer" though the SR series
that have more climbing. (Most RBA's realize this and are more than
willing to "step-up" and include this in their qualifying brevet
series.) But while this is the "accepted" training strateg, I rode
for a while with one rider on 1200K LEL whose longest ride that season
was a 20 miler and his total mileage that season up to the start of
the event did not total 100 miles. When later I saw him at a Lincoln
controle 3/4 into the ride he mentioned that he had some "contact
point issues." He completed the ride but admitted that perhaps could
have been avoided with a little more preparation.
Bill
Keith Kohan
Subject: RE: [Randon] Opinions needed
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Susan Otcenas
From: Keith Kohan [mailto:bike2wo...@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 23, 2011 12:24 PM
To: Susan Otcenas; randon subscribers
Subject: Re: [Randon] Opinions needed
Chris Heg
On Apr 23, 12:23 pm, Keith Kohan <bike2work2l...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> The ride is also a 600k plus a 400k so you can always bail out if you decide you
> can't do the 400k after you finish the 600k part. You'll be back at the start
> hotel at that point.
>
with separate control cards. You cannot do part of a 1000k and get
credit for a 600. You would have to sign up for the 600 and the 400
before the start to have the option to bail. Also, you get 10 fewer
total hours to do the 600+400 than you get for the 1000k.
Susan Otcenas
***********************************************
Susan Otcenas
Team Estrogen, Inc.
www.TeamEstrogen.com
877-310-4592
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Kole Kantner
seems that would only be true if the 400k started at the exact time the
600k ended. Otherwise you can effectively count the time(8 hours?)
after the 600k finishes waiting for the 400k to start as part of the
total time. That seems like a convenient time to eat and get some sleep.
--Kole--
Chris Heg
Chris Heg
depends on how the organizers schedule the event. However they do it
you start the second ride with no time in the bank no matter how fast
you do the first ride.
divya tate
my profile is similar to susan's and am also contemplating whether to
sign up for a 1000 in june 2 months before the PBP. the only
difference is that we finished our super rando series in feb, so while
i am still trying to ride 200+ kms /week and vary my workouts with
other acitivities, it hasn't been easy to pile up those miles without
an immediate target and of course.... the indian summer!
i have to admit that all the reasoning aside the 1000 medal is
tempting! :-)
regards
divya
Kole Kantner
Yes, that is true that you lose all your banked time at the start of the
next leg. I certainly like time and money in the bank. You never know
when it will come in handy and it is better to have it than not. On the
other hand, as a compulsive time banker I need all the encouragement
possible to avoid riding through to gain even more time. If I am forced
to stop for the night I'll certainly get some very useful rest.
--Kole--
russell...@yahoo.com
1200k. 40% of the 2007 PBP riders failed. They had all ridden a
qualifying 600k. Didn't prepare them for PBP.
I rode a 1000k in early June 2007. I tested my PBP strategy on the
ride. I rode the first 600k straight through. Same as I did on PBP
later. I knew that strategy was sound because I did it here first. I
did not leave anything up to hope and chance and luck. The final 400k
of the 1000k did not go as planned. Had to stop for a long sleep,
eat, laundry, TV break. Nice motel proprietor washed my clothes for
me. But riding the first 600k straight through and then starting the
second day was the main strategy I was testing. Turned out the second
half of PBP was ridden similar to the last 400k of the 1000k. Riding
the first 600k straight through gets you so far ahead of schedule you
no longer have to worry about time.
Old5ten
on the flip side, there were those of us whose longest ride prior to pbp was a 600k and 2007 was our first year of randonneuring...
elmar
George Swain
your ability to finish PBP. It's entirely personal, really. Riding
multiple back-to-back shorter (double century, 24 hour races) events
may have more impact. Getting faster and stronger on hills should help
too. When I rode LEL (1400K) in 2009 I had never ridden anything
longer than 600K at one time. I finished LEL strong and enjoyed the
hell out of it. Never once did the thought of DNF cross my mind. I
also went on my own and knew no other riders ahead of time. You'll
meet the greatest people. I think it helps that you spend so much
money to get there. I saw some interesting stats on the high level of
folks with support vehicles or families in warm hotel rooms and DNF
rates.
Good luck. Can't wait to read about your success at PBP.
George
http://thehudsonvalleyrandonneur.blogspot.com/
On Apr 30, 10:29 pm, Old5ten <old5t...@gmail.com> wrote:
> i strongly disagree with the implication that 40% of riders at pbp failed
> because they did not ride a 1000k first. one doesn't KNOW that one will
> finish any of the longer brevets, regardless of one's past history. there
>
> on the flip side, there were those of us whose longest ride prior to pbp was
> a 600k and 2007 was our first year of randonneuring...
>
> elmar
>
Ian Hennessey
> Riding a 1000k is not necessary at all and may have zero impact on
Physically, yes, I'd agree. However, I do remember feeling very nervous
before my first PBP (in 95), never having ridden more than 600km.
Completing a 1000 a month or so before was a great confidence booster
(this was the Great Eastern, which followed much of the English part of
LEL route, so not a terribly taxing ride).
Ian H
Audax UK
Bottle
> Ride the 1000k. It is the only way to know if you are ready to ride a
> 1200k. 40% of the 2007 PBP riders failed. They had all ridden a
> qualifying 600k. Didn't prepare them for PBP.
>
From RUSA Post 2007 PBP Survey (http://www.rusa.org/newsletter/
11-02-11.html)
It said:
There was no difference in the number of 1000k events that riders had
completed and whether they finished within time on this PBP. Those who
had previously completed one 1200k event did better than those who had
done more than one.
There's no "the best" way to prepare for PBP. It all comes down to
personal differences. However, what I learn from this survey is that
personal determination is the key to complete an event like PBP.
bottle
Don Bennett
To prepare for a ride like PBP 2007, proper training would include setting up your trainer in your shower, turning on the the cold water, then riding for, say 24 hrs, with a 1 hour break after every 4 hours.
Don
Old5ten
elmar
roadijeff
had a 15 minute break at the controls when I arrived soaking wet and I
didn't want to cool down too much before I got back out there for some
more fun in the rain. Ah, the memories. Hopefully the weather won't
be too nice this year. My pattern for my first 3 PBPs has been the
worse the weather is the quicker I've completed it.