600K??? are you crazy?
Admitedly, you have to be a little crazy to be a randonneur. There's just too much involved in it to not be a lemming following the pack. I've succeeded so far this season in 200K, 300K, 400K and a wild century through Death Valley. Now comes an attempt at the "peak" of my cycling season. The "Litmus Test" according to the RUSA handbook is used to describe the 600K. I think it is in many ways.
The ride was split into two sections, a 400K loop and a 200K loop. This would allow for an overnight or cleanup stop at the 400K mark. I went ahead and booked a room for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. I knew from my 300K and 400K experiences two things about the hotel. Have a room for after the ride, it's nice to take a short nap and clean up before a long car ride home. It's also nice to sit down and have a meal and good nights sleep if possible too.
I took off both Friday and Monday as transit days. This time I was able to leave well before noon and drive out to Grove City. Once again I enjoyed having everything loaded into the trunk for the 7 hour drive out.
The trip out was fast, having decided to skip the evil Pennsy turnpike and take I68 to Morgantown and then I79 up to I70 in PA and onward again through WV and into Ohio. I made much better time coming home from the 400K and found the same for both directions on the 600K.
For what it's worth I put a lot of planning and strategy into the ride. I had thought of all of the things within my control and also, how I might feel at certain critical times. Different plans depending upon what time and enrgy level I had at the 400K mark would decide overnight sleep, a quick cleanup and ride or something in between.
"Going into a brevet is like going into battle." Planning and being prepared. I had my 400K change of clothes, change of batteries and extra snacks ready to go.
I even had all of my first morning things ready for a quick ready and ride. Good thing too, half the night I was yelling at drunks and trying to sleep, finally at 1:30 AM they gave it up and went to bed. Arrrgh.
I got to the Motel 6 about 6:30 and checked in, took my time to prep the bike too. It was nice being ready to ride by 7:30. Registered, cue sheets in hand, map, and brevet card. I even ran into Alan from the 400K, we would ride along together later on Saturday and Sunday.
Note the new cue sheet holder is mounted and loaded. This thing was GREAT on the road. I wish I had made this thing a long time ago.
I grabbed the pasta from Pizza Hut for dinner and washed it down with a Sprite. Watched some TV and worked on the payment and registration system for the Mid Atlantic Bent Event. About 9:30 I called home and went to bed. Dealt with the loud drunks until 1:30 and woke up at 4:00AM a little tired but I have started long rides with a lot less sleep.
Here at 5:00AM 14 randonneurs begin a long day on the road.
Unlike the 400K three weeks before, I am the only bent this time. This never bothers me, I am quite used to this being the case. Also unlike the 400K, the sky is clear as we head out. The first 20 miles is pretty flat, a few small climbs early in the ride that are short but very steep, I take my time to save energy.
The sunrise was really cool!
The route had a detour on the cue sheet from two years prior but the detour is cleared and there should be no problems. Well, before the first control we encouter this:
Oops, I guess this is why the route should be checked in advance of the brevet. It took me 15 minutes to cross this as safe as I could. Technically I could have taken a detour that would have added no distance but removed the worst road I have been on in my life. About a mile past the bridge was Mainsville road and it was thick chipseal that was broken and lots of short steep hills up and down. A very dangerous road.
I ran into another "obstacle" when crossing this bridge. Let me take a moment to mention dogs. I love dogs, they are great creatures, Sadly some are outright mean and chase cyclists. I have been attacked by a few and fended them off with tree limbs and yelling, threating to run the chainring into them. Most dogs either ignore you or stand on a porch and bark. Some however, refuse to hold still for a picture.
I took me three tries to get him to hold still. He trotted alongside of me for almost a mile until I went down a fast hill and disappeared from site. He was really freindly and wanted to go along.
After dealing with Mainsville road I arrived at the first control before 10:20. Over 80 minutes of cushion. Had I detoured I would have been in probably 30 minutes sooner. hmm... I will use that in the future, it's perfectly legal and a smart move. I was at the control for about 20 minutes, had a sandwich, a coke, some Gatorade and reloaded my water bottle and gatorade bottle for the next 100K section.
Here is the New Lexington control;
The next 20 miles was pretty pleasant, a few long gradual climbs but nice enough. Then the route turned into Apalachia and there was a lot of climbing. Here is the century mark picture.
It was hot and about 10 miles from the 200K control I ran out of water. The good news is that I was on the outskirts of town and in "the burbs" and a nice lady filled the one bottle for me and I road into Marrietta. About 4 miles from the control I see another cyclist and as I got closer I caught a glimpse of Alan's 2007 PBP jersey. We road together into the 200K control at the Subway.
I believe Alan was having some stomach trouble and even suggested getting a hotel room. We had 90 minutes at this point and after a meal we hit the road. The ride out of town was nice and the roads were rolling with some longer climbs but no killer hills. Off in the distance we could see dark clouds rising. Never a good sign.
About 20 miles up the road the lightining was getting closer and Alan stopped to put on his rain jacket, then I looked around. We both looked at each other. There was a store about 20 minutes up the road, my hopes were to get there before the storm. It was not to be, several nearby lightning strikes had Alan asking a nice couple for use of their porch until the lightning passed. We changed into rain gear, had some food and drink and rested. The storm did not stop for quite a while, eating up our cushion and then some.
Once we felt it safe to ride again, off we went. Sadly as we watched the distance and the rain falling, the clock expired. We got to the next control 24 minutes too late. My goal was to be there about 9:30, we got there at 11:27, 24 minutes too late. DNF'd by the one thing I could not control, lightning. Arrgh. Had I detoured ealrier, I might have made it. That 30 minutes of bridge and bad road would have made it close.
Alan and I fueled up at the control and he asked around about a hotel for the night. I was into the idea, no sense in pushing on when the ride was over. We could have a nice ride back on Sunday.
Sadly there is nothing near by, we decide to push on towards Grove City and the Motel 6. After another 15 miles we find a pavillion and get out of the weather. I had a coke from the machine across the street, and sit on the picnic tables. It's damp and cold, we decide it's safer to spend the night sleeping on the picnic tables. The town drunks are racing up and down the street in thier exhaust system free rice burners. We make the best of it and get a restless sleep on the tables.
About 6:00AM we wake up and get back on the road. Nothing is open for miles. We get to a point on the cue sheet where there is a turn from the state road onto about 9 miles of "scenic" road. Scenic to an RBA means, chipseal, lots of hills and generally poor riding conditions. You can only enjoy these roads from a car. Here I have a good cell signal and dial in the gps and maps. It turns out a short run on the state road takes us back to New Lexington and we skip the cue sheet from here. We use the Google maps to bring us home on good quality roads.
In New Lexington we found a local bakery with great apple fritters and coffee in ceramic mugs. The fare is wonderful, we relax not worrying about the clock and enjoy knowing the road surface from here on will be half decent. The 21 mile stretch into Lancaster was fast. We cover it in 70 minutes. Several long grades but blacktop lets the bike move quickly.
We stopped in Lancaster at a Marathon station and change from long sleeves to short, put on sunscreen and ride off to Lithopolis and on to Grove City. We got into the Motel 6 and I called home about 1:00 and I headed for a short nap.
I felt great and wished there was time for the 200K loop. Too bad the lightining killed the ride.
Not many finished this ride, the storm ate the clock!
I feel a 600K is within my grasp and will try again soon, weather depending. I think I have all the other parts solved. My next attempt will be on a flatter route in a few weeks. It has a 10:00PM start so hopefully evening storms will have passed (hopefully no storms) but with it being flat, I should be able to build a large cushion of four or five hours in the first 200K.
Admitedly, you have to be a little crazy to be a randonneur. There's just too much involved in it to not be a lemming following the pack. I've succeeded so far this season in 200K, 300K, 400K and a wild century through Death Valley. Now comes an attempt at the "peak" of my cycling season. The "Litmus Test" according to the RUSA handbook is used to describe the 600K. I think it is in many ways.
The ride was split into two sections, a 400K loop and a 200K loop. This would allow for an overnight or cleanup stop at the 400K mark. I went ahead and booked a room for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. I knew from my 300K and 400K experiences two things about the hotel. Have a room for after the ride, it's nice to take a short nap and clean up before a long car ride home. It's also nice to sit down and have a meal and good nights sleep if possible too.
I took off both Friday and Monday as transit days. This time I was able to leave well before noon and drive out to Grove City. Once again I enjoyed having everything loaded into the trunk for the 7 hour drive out.
The trip out was fast, having decided to skip the evil Pennsy turnpike and take I68 to Morgantown and then I79 up to I70 in PA and onward again through WV and into Ohio. I made much better time coming home from the 400K and found the same for both directions on the 600K.
For what it's worth I put a lot of planning and strategy into the ride. I had thought of all of the things within my control and also, how I might feel at certain critical times. Different plans depending upon what time and enrgy level I had at the 400K mark would decide overnight sleep, a quick cleanup and ride or something in between.
"Going into a brevet is like going into battle." Planning and being prepared. I had my 400K change of clothes, change of batteries and extra snacks ready to go.
I even had all of my first morning things ready for a quick ready and ride. Good thing too, half the night I was yelling at drunks and trying to sleep, finally at 1:30 AM they gave it up and went to bed. Arrrgh.
I got to the Motel 6 about 6:30 and checked in, took my time to prep the bike too. It was nice being ready to ride by 7:30. Registered, cue sheets in hand, map, and brevet card. I even ran into Alan from the 400K, we would ride along together later on Saturday and Sunday.
Note the new cue sheet holder is mounted and loaded. This thing was GREAT on the road. I wish I had made this thing a long time ago.
I grabbed the pasta from Pizza Hut for dinner and washed it down with a Sprite. Watched some TV and worked on the payment and registration system for the Mid Atlantic Bent Event. About 9:30 I called home and went to bed. Dealt with the loud drunks until 1:30 and woke up at 4:00AM a little tired but I have started long rides with a lot less sleep.
Here at 5:00AM 14 randonneurs begin a long day on the road.
Unlike the 400K three weeks before, I am the only bent this time. This never bothers me, I am quite used to this being the case. Also unlike the 400K, the sky is clear as we head out. The first 20 miles is pretty flat, a few small climbs early in the ride that are short but very steep, I take my time to save energy.
The sunrise was really cool!
The route had a detour on the cue sheet from two years prior but the detour is cleared and there should be no problems. Well, before the first control we encouter this:
Oops, I guess this is why the route should be checked in advance of the brevet. It took me 15 minutes to cross this as safe as I could. Technically I could have taken a detour that would have added no distance but removed the worst road I have been on in my life. About a mile past the bridge was Mainsville road and it was thick chipseal that was broken and lots of short steep hills up and down. A very dangerous road.
I ran into another "obstacle" when crossing this bridge. Let me take a moment to mention dogs. I love dogs, they are great creatures, Sadly some are outright mean and chase cyclists. I have been attacked by a few and fended them off with tree limbs and yelling, threating to run the chainring into them. Most dogs either ignore you or stand on a porch and bark. Some however, refuse to hold still for a picture.
I took me three tries to get him to hold still. He trotted alongside of me for almost a mile until I went down a fast hill and disappeared from site. He was really freindly and wanted to go along.
After dealing with Mainsville road I arrived at the first control before 10:20. Over 80 minutes of cushion. Had I detoured I would have been in probably 30 minutes sooner. hmm... I will use that in the future, it's perfectly legal and a smart move. I was at the control for about 20 minutes, had a sandwich, a coke, some Gatorade and reloaded my water bottle and gatorade bottle for the next 100K section.
Here is the New Lexington control;
The next 20 miles was pretty pleasant, a few long gradual climbs but nice enough. Then the route turned into Apalachia and there was a lot of climbing. Here is the century mark picture.
It was hot and about 10 miles from the 200K control I ran out of water. The good news is that I was on the outskirts of town and in "the burbs" and a nice lady filled the one bottle for me and I road into Marrietta. About 4 miles from the control I see another cyclist and as I got closer I caught a glimpse of Alan's 2007 PBP jersey. We road together into the 200K control at the Subway.
I believe Alan was having some stomach trouble and even suggested getting a hotel room. We had 90 minutes at this point and after a meal we hit the road. The ride out of town was nice and the roads were rolling with some longer climbs but no killer hills. Off in the distance we could see dark clouds rising. Never a good sign.
About 20 miles up the road the lightining was getting closer and Alan stopped to put on his rain jacket, then I looked around. We both looked at each other. There was a store about 20 minutes up the road, my hopes were to get there before the storm. It was not to be, several nearby lightning strikes had Alan asking a nice couple for use of their porch until the lightning passed. We changed into rain gear, had some food and drink and rested. The storm did not stop for quite a while, eating up our cushion and then some.
Once we felt it safe to ride again, off we went. Sadly as we watched the distance and the rain falling, the clock expired. We got to the next control 24 minutes too late. My goal was to be there about 9:30, we got there at 11:27, 24 minutes too late. DNF'd by the one thing I could not control, lightning. Arrgh. Had I detoured ealrier, I might have made it. That 30 minutes of bridge and bad road would have made it close.
Alan and I fueled up at the control and he asked around about a hotel for the night. I was into the idea, no sense in pushing on when the ride was over. We could have a nice ride back on Sunday.
Sadly there is nothing near by, we decide to push on towards Grove City and the Motel 6. After another 15 miles we find a pavillion and get out of the weather. I had a coke from the machine across the street, and sit on the picnic tables. It's damp and cold, we decide it's safer to spend the night sleeping on the picnic tables. The town drunks are racing up and down the street in thier exhaust system free rice burners. We make the best of it and get a restless sleep on the tables.
About 6:00AM we wake up and get back on the road. Nothing is open for miles. We get to a point on the cue sheet where there is a turn from the state road onto about 9 miles of "scenic" road. Scenic to an RBA means, chipseal, lots of hills and generally poor riding conditions. You can only enjoy these roads from a car. Here I have a good cell signal and dial in the gps and maps. It turns out a short run on the state road takes us back to New Lexington and we skip the cue sheet from here. We use the Google maps to bring us home on good quality roads.
In New Lexington we found a local bakery with great apple fritters and coffee in ceramic mugs. The fare is wonderful, we relax not worrying about the clock and enjoy knowing the road surface from here on will be half decent. The 21 mile stretch into Lancaster was fast. We cover it in 70 minutes. Several long grades but blacktop lets the bike move quickly.
We stopped in Lancaster at a Marathon station and change from long sleeves to short, put on sunscreen and ride off to Lithopolis and on to Grove City. We got into the Motel 6 and I called home about 1:00 and I headed for a short nap.
I felt great and wished there was time for the 200K loop. Too bad the lightining killed the ride.
Not many finished this ride, the storm ate the clock!
I feel a 600K is within my grasp and will try again soon, weather depending. I think I have all the other parts solved. My next attempt will be on a flatter route in a few weeks. It has a 10:00PM start so hopefully evening storms will have passed (hopefully no storms) but with it being flat, I should be able to build a large cushion of four or five hours in the first 200K.