300k BRM on an MTB?

[Shashi]

Hi all,

I'm relatively new to biking.
I'm thinking of entering this BRM on my MTB.
Is this a doable thing?
What are all the risks I might have to deal with ?

Thanks
Shashi

[Poovaiah MP]

Hi Shashi,

300k is relatively difficult. What is your prev long(est) distance ride? I suggest you try it but not take it too hard on yourself if you have less riding experience. The worst that can happen is that you will be quitting the ride and will have to take a bus to Bangalore. There are many buses frequenting that route so not a big problem.

The following link might be useful to you. 

https://sites.google.com/site/iiscrando/your-first-randonnee

-regards,

--
biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)
 
are you a part of the bicycle racing scene?
Visit www.bangalorebicyclechampionships.com for more details

--
Poovaiah MP

[Poovaiah MP]

There are helmet mount lights available in decathlon that can be useful in the dark. But personally I memorize the route for any ride so that i dont need to see the cue sheet often. It works for me.

On Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 9:49 PM, Shashi <pan...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks for the link Poovaiah. Lot's of info in there.

well, the max I've done in one stretch is around 45KM, at the end of which, I felt I could just keep on going and going.....

Anyway, I'm going to do some shorter brevets on my own and gradually progress to the larger ones.

Btw, how do you guys deal with the cue sheets in the dark? just curious.


-regards
Shashi

--
Poovaiah MP

[Gokul D]

On Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 10:17 PM, Poovaiah MP <mp.po...@gmail.com> wrote:
> There are helmet mount lights available in decathlon that can be useful in
> the dark. But personally I memorize the route for any ride so that i dont

Ah caught you! :P :) So you're one of those who not only reads the cue
sheet but also memorizes it! Just like i mentioned here -
https://groups.google.com/group/bangalore-bikers/msg/ed90c38075ea4e96?hl=en

--
My general blog http://mgokuldeepak.blogspot.com/
My cycling blog http://cycling-mgokuldeepak.blogspot.com/
My DIY blog http://diy-mgokuldeepak.blogspot.com/
My research blog http://research-mgokuldeepak.blogspot.com/

[anilk...@gmail.com]

Shashi,

If your so far longest distance is 45 kms, it is better at least do one 130 kms ride and then decide about it.

Because even though you felt really so good and you can go on and on....there are so many factors that influences when it comes to doing 300 kms....example, your endurance, strength, hydration, climbs, heat, humidity, wind, muscle soreness, nutrition, rest, average speed you maintain and of course weight of the bike (attitude....I say is also equally important).

Please give a serious thought before considering it. My intention is not to dis-courage you, help you to make an informed decision.

All the best.

Anil s kadsur

Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

---

From: Poovaiah MP <mp.po...@gmail.com>

Sender: bangalor...@googlegroups.com

Date: Sat, 10 Dec 2011 22:17:41 +0530

To: Shashi<pan...@gmail.com>

Cc: <bangalor...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Re: [BBC] 300k BRM on an MTB?

[Gokul D]

never ask others what _you_ should do ....

Just DU it :)

--

[anilk...@gmail.com]

Sorry!!!!!

Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

[Shashi]

Thanks for the link Poovaiah. Lot's of info in there.

well, the max I've done in one stretch is around 45KM, at the end of which, I felt I could just keep on going and going.....

Anyway, I'm going to do some shorter brevets on my own and gradually progress to the larger ones.

Btw, how do you guys deal with the cue sheets in the dark? just curious.


-regards
Shashi

On Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 6:56 PM, Poovaiah MP <mp.po...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Shashi]

Thanks Anil :)
I'll probably see you guys in next year's brevets.

On Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 11:26 PM, <anilk...@gmail.com> wrote:

[aman mohla]

In my opinion it is just will power that matters in a long distance
ride. Your mind will give you 100 excuses to quit but if, for once you
think about the feeling you would experience after completing the
brevet, you can go on and on without thinking about the distance. And
moreover, quitting isn't a bad thing, its a good learning experience
that help you perform better the next time.
So, just give it a try, you never know you end up completing it. But
remember it's just my view point....the final decision should be
yours :)

On Dec 11, 8:11 am, Shashi <pana...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks Anil :)
> I'll probably see you guys in next year's brevets.
>

> On Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 11:26 PM, <anilkad...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > **
> hy> Shashi,

>
> > If your so far longest distance is 45 kms, it is better at least do one
> > 130 kms ride and then decide about it.
>
> > Because even though you felt really so good and you can go on and
> > on....there are so many factors that influences when it comes to doing 300
> > kms....example, your endurance, strength, hydration, climbs, heat,
> > humidity, wind, muscle soreness, nutrition, rest, average speed you
> > maintain and of course weight of the bike (attitude....I say is also
> > equally important).
>
> > Please give a serious thought before considering it. My intention is not
> > to dis-courage you, help you to make an informed decision.
>
> > All the best.
>
> > Anil s kadsur
> > Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

> > ------------------------------
> > *From: * Poovaiah MP <mp.poova...@gmail.com>
> > *Sender: * bangalor...@googlegroups.com
> > *Date: *Sat, 10 Dec 2011 22:17:41 +0530
> > *To: *Shashi<pana...@gmail.com>
> > *Cc: *<bangalor...@googlegroups.com>
> > *Subject: *Re: [BBC] 300k BRM on an MTB?

>
> > There are helmet mount lights available in decathlon that can be useful in
> > the dark. But personally I memorize the route for any ride so that i dont
> > need to see the cue sheet often. It works for me.
>

> > On Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 9:49 PM, Shashi <pana...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> Thanks for the link Poovaiah. Lot's of info in there.
>
> >> well, the max I've done in one stretch is around 45KM, at the end of
> >> which, I felt I could just keep on going and going.....
>
> >> Anyway, I'm going to do some shorter brevets on my own and gradually
> >> progress to the larger ones.
>
> >> Btw, how do you guys deal with the cue sheets in the dark? just curious.
>
> >> -regards
> >> Shashi
>

> >> On Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 6:56 PM, Poovaiah MP <mp.poova...@gmail.com>wrote:
>
> >>> Hi Shashi,
> >>> 300k is relatively difficult. What is your prev long(est) distance ride?
> >>> I suggest you try it but not take it too hard on yourself if you have less
> >>> riding experience. The worst that can happen is that you will be quitting
> >>> the ride and will have to take a bus to Bangalore. There are many buses
> >>> frequenting that route so not a big problem.
> >>> The following link might be useful to you.
> >>>https://sites.google.com/site/iiscrando/your-first-randonnee
>
> >>> -regards,

> >>>  On Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 8:50 AM, Shashi <pana...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >>>>  Hi all,
>
> >>>> I'm relatively new to biking.
> >>>> I'm thinking of entering this BRM on my MTB.
> >>>> Is this a doable thing?
> >>>> What are all the risks I might have to deal with ?
>
> >>>> Thanks
> >>>> Shashi
>
> >>>> --
> >>>> biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)
>
> >>>> are you a part of the bicycle racing scene?

> >>>> Visitwww.bangalorebicyclechampionships.comfor more details

[anilk...@gmail.com]

No doubt makes sense....

Also remembers me of a quote what I read by sportsmen, "pain is temporary, quitting is not"

Anil s kadsur

Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

[Shankar Shastry]

@Aman, no offense meant but 300 after a 45 is just way too much in my humble opinion. I'd be glad to be proved wrong.

@Shashi : Absolutely not. Doesn't make sense at all. Anil was right the first time. Don't do it. Don't listen to Aman when he says its just about willpower and mind and loads you up with some super awesome motivational statements only to writhe in pain and quit cycling prematurely later. Unless you're a superfit guy who is amazing at every other fitness sport apart from cycling, picking up a bike one fine day after doing a 45km ride sometime in the past and riding 300km at a stretch is definitely NOT recommended. Even if you finish it, you won't enjoy any bit of it. Just because lots of people ride hundreds of kms on a cycle, don't assume that everyone can do it without preparation and get away with it. If you ride distances this long without proper planning, training or cross training,  you can seriously hurt yourself and even quit cycling quite sooner than you'd want to for reasons beyond your control. Of course, as Aman said, the final decision is yours. Also as poovaiah said, you can still try it but please keep the option open to take a bus back. I'll probably drive down to cheer for you guys from the start point or at the end :)

Good luck to all the riders. I'll join you in the next season.

[anilk...@gmail.com]

Very well said Shankar!!!!

Even if you finish it, you won't enjoy any bit of it.-----Absolutely!!!!

Anil s kadsur

Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

---

From: Shankar Shastry <shan...@gmail.com>

Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:02:38 +0530

To: <anilk...@gmail.com>

Cc: aman mohla<aman...@gmail.com>; <bangalor...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Re: [BBC] Re: 300k BRM on an MTB?

[Basker Ramachandran]

I completely agree with Anil & Shankar.. The first time I got on the bike nearly after 20+ years of gap, I could easily ride for about 12 kms (From the shop to my home) and felt super about it.. The very next weekend, did a ride up to the BIAL (A distance of 50+ kms) and the next two days was walking like a penguin !! :))

On a serious note, that night I was tired and hit the bed early only to wake up few hours later with chills and high temperature.. I popped up a pain killer + paracetamol and got up just fine the next day.. I surely did enjoy that "long ride" (If I may call it so) but the idea of having to take a pain killer and/or paracetamol tablet to get better from the ride doesn't impress me so much.. I now am focussing on gradually scaling up my riding distance and thereby acclimatizing my body for these rides.. My yardstick is are you able to lead your normal life just like any other day after the ride? If so, you are riding within your limits/boundaries or else, you are pushing your body beyond what your body can take..

Basker
(Basker Ramachandran)
rba...@gmail.com,
+91 9945602485

[Shashi]

I completely agree with you Shankar.
As a matter of fact I'm a runner and can easily run 5k distance.
May be because of this I felt like going on and on.....

But I'd rather take it easy and build my capabilities gradually and  ride with you guys in a month or so.

[RT]

+100 to Shankar

@Shashi: General rule of thumb - 10% increase in distance per week is
a good way to scale up. FYI, it isn't so much your muscles you should
be worried about but your tendons and ligaments which take much much
longer to heal when injured. There will always be people who can do
amazing things from the get-go, but, in the end, by trying to imitate
them, you could pay the price. I won't mince words - 300 after 45 is
just plain ridiculous! Remember, anyone who cheers you on to 'suck it
up and push the barrier' isn't going to be holding your hand while you
go through months of physio. Just check bikeszone and you'll find out
how many people have been landing up with knee injuries thanks to this
obsession with long distances off the bat. My two cents - take your
time, enjoy the ride, remember what it was like as a kid when you rode
your cycle hard dreaming of one day graduating to a motorcycle, smell
the flowers and, over time, keep challenging your own body (don't
bother about other peoples' performance). Keep doing that and you'll
find yourself riding PBP some time :)

Cheers,

Rahul

On Dec 13, 10:30 am, Shashi <pana...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I completely agree with you Shankar.
> As a matter of fact I'm a runner and can easily run 5k distance.
> May be because of this I felt like going on and on.....
>
> But I'd rather take it easy and build my capabilities gradually and  ride
> with you guys in a month or so.

> On Dec 13, 2011 12:02 AM, "Shankar Shastry" <shanka...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > @Aman, no offense meant but 300 after a 45 is just way too much in my
> > humble opinion. I'd be glad to be proved wrong.
>
> > @Shashi : Absolutely not. Doesn't make sense at all. Anil was right the
> > first time. Don't do it. Don't listen to Aman when he says its just about
> > willpower and mind and loads you up with some super awesome motivational
> > statements only to writhe in pain and quit cycling prematurely later.
> > Unless you're a superfit guy who is amazing at every other fitness sport
> > apart from cycling, picking up a bike one fine day after doing a 45km ride
> > sometime in the past and riding 300km at a stretch is definitely NOT
> > recommended. Even if you finish it, you won't enjoy any bit of it. Just
> > because lots of people ride hundreds of kms on a cycle, don't assume that
> > everyone can do it without preparation and get away with it. If you ride
> > distances this long without proper planning, training or cross training,
> >  you can seriously hurt yourself and even quit cycling quite sooner than
> > you'd want to for reasons beyond your control. Of course, as Aman said, the
> > final decision is yours. Also as poovaiah said, you can still try it but
> > please keep the option open to take a bus back. I'll probably drive down to
> > cheer for you guys from the start point or at the end :)
>
> > Good luck to all the riders. I'll join you in the next season.
>

> >> > >>>> Visitwww.bangalorebicyclechampionships.comformore details

>
> >> > >>> --
> >> > >>> Poovaiah MP
>
> >> > > --
> >> > > Poovaiah MP
>
> >> > >  --
> >> > > biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)
>
> >> > > are you a part of the bicycle racing scene?

> >> > > Visitwww.bangalorebicyclechampionships.comformore details

[S Chidambaran]

these rides.. My yardstick is are you able to lead your normal life just
like any other day after the ride? If so, you are riding within your
limits/boundaries or else, you are pushing your body beyond what your
body can take..

</snip>

If you ride a long ride of the sort in a brevet,or race in a competitive
ride, or run a marathon, et cetera, you can't expect to be normal after
the ride. Your body will take a beating and you have to recover. If you
are conditioned well, you will recover fast.

Regards
Chiddu

[aman mohla]

@ Shankar : No offense taken ;)

I just shared my view point, that's why i said, that the final
decision should be that of Shashi himself.

[Gokul D]

On Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 12:08 PM, aman mohla <aman...@gmail.com> wrote:
> @ Shankar : No offense taken ;)
>
> I just shared my view point, that's why i said, that the final
> decision should be that of Shashi himself.
>
>
> On Dec 13, 11:26 am, S Chidambaran <chi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> these rides.. My yardstick is are you able to lead your normal life just
>> like any other day after the ride? If so, you are riding within your
>> limits/boundaries or else, you are pushing your body beyond what your
>> body can take..
>> </snip>
>>
>> If you ride a long ride of the sort in a brevet,or race in a competitive
>> ride, or run a marathon, et cetera, you can't expect to be normal after

I guess punishing your body is a personal choice. People like Dipankar
et al probably never thought about feeling fresh after the ride. Nor
do anyone in the TDF or RAAM feel good after the ride. It is not
required to do this. I wouldn't right now... after the June brevets
right now i only feel like relaxing on pleasant short rides for a
little while.
Of course it depends on your riding style, preferences how much you
love your body that you want to keep it safe...
Everyone has their own styles and preferences and i guess no single,
universal rules for all....

It is personal choice and I leave it entirely upto sashi.

You don't have to be crazy.
But it helps. :P

>> the ride. Your body will take a beating and you have to recover. If you
>> are conditioned well, you will recover fast.
>>
>> Regards
>> Chiddu
>

> --
> biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)
>
> are you a part of the bicycle racing scene?
> Visit www.bangalorebicyclechampionships.com for more details

--

[Sreepathi Pai]

On Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 12:40 PM, Gokul D <mgokul...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I guess punishing your body is a personal choice.

I don't think you quite get it. Injuring your body and being forced to
sit out is no fun.

Pain is one thing, injury is quite another.

--
Sreepathi Pai

[Gokul D]

yeah... injury is not nice. The knee is a common victim. Push
safely... listen to your body's feedback.

>
> --
> Sreepathi Pai

[Opendro]

First question people would ask you is "what is the maximum distance
you have done before?" and don't let this question bog you down.

When I wanted to do Blr-Mysore-Blr on the same day in 2010 (before
brevet days, it was one of the BBC group ride), people were writing
off as almost impossible. I had never done a 150 by that time and I
had done only two 100s and a 50. It does not even matter what cycle
you have. I started with a heavy BSA and was on an MTB all those while
before I saw a BTwin sports 1 at 15K.

Just go at the pace you are comfortable and I believe that is
definitely more than 15Kmph. Whether you can do or not is node decided
by the bike, it is decided by you.

All the best.

[Gokul D]

On Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 1:46 PM, Opendro <ope...@gmail.com> wrote:
> First question people would ask you is "what is the maximum distance
> you have done before?" and don't let this question bog you down.
>
> When I wanted to do Blr-Mysore-Blr on the same day in 2010 (before
> brevet days, it was one of the BBC group ride), people were writing
> off as almost impossible. I had never done a 150 by that time and I
> had done only two 100s and a 50. It does not even matter what cycle
> you have. I started with a heavy BSA and was on an MTB all those while
> before I saw a BTwin sports 1 at 15K.
>
> Just go at the pace you are comfortable and I believe that is
> definitely more than 15Kmph. Whether you can do or not is node decided
> by the bike, it is decided by you.

Me too.
I became super randonneur with only some previous couple of 100k rides
and one single 200k muthathi .

The 300k, 400k, 600k were all my first times. One month after the next.
Yes after the ride my body felt like ???. But i loved pushing and finishing it..

Actually I used to be agnostic (or even dislike) sports because
physical prowess is not my playing field...
But i love cycling. Somehow, it clicked.
Cycling has a geeky machines side to it and it appealed to me.

PS: Take care of your knee that's usually wrecked by many who use high
sustained pedalling forces at low cadence and push carelessly. But
usually when you push _carefully_ disasters are over hyped. Take it at
your own pace ... the pace is determined by _listening_ to your body
while you push.
Always learn to _listen_ to the feedback of your body. And push. It
rarely goes bad that way.

>
> All the best.
>
> On Dec 10, 8:20 am, Shashi <pana...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I'm relatively new to biking.
>> I'm thinking of entering this BRM on my MTB.
>> Is this a doable thing?
>> What are all the risks I might have to deal with ?
>>
>> Thanks
>> Shashi
>

> --
> biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)
>
> are you a part of the bicycle racing scene?
> Visit www.bangalorebicyclechampionships.com for more details

--

[Opendro]

True. Some level of care should always be there. If you are careless
or very ignorant of basics, then there is even danger of getting
injured while climbing down the stairs.

And very true that "it rarely goes bad". Our mind, no matter how
strong it is, rarely allows to kill ourselves. It mostly gives up
before that threshold :)