Around The Bay 2006

[Darryl C]

I am surprised at the lack of discussion about Around The Bay. Is
anybody doing it?

I am doing it for the first time and had hoped there would be some
postings on pacing, terrain, road surface, feeding and drinking,
ferries, etc but there has been nothing (or is my newsreader selectively
deleting these posts?).

So, how about some advice for the virgin attempting the 210/250 km rides?

€ The 250km is scheduled to start at 0530 and the 210km at 0600. Is it
an orderly start or chaos?

€ How is the ride conducted? - Self-paced bunches? Individuals?

€ Do people try for minimum time or maximum enjoyment - or that plus
everything in between?

€ How do I pace myself for the distance? Are there any hills to be wary
of?

€ Are riders confined to one lane of multi-lane roads or are roads
closed to cars in the direction of the ride?

€ Do people just stop to buy food and drink or take everything they need
from the start?

€ What spares to take - is there any support on the road? Does the ride
pass near any bike shops?

€ Is the ferry first come = first on?

Any advice appreciated.

thanks,
Darryl

 

[Bleve]

Darryl C wrote:
> I am surprised at the lack of discussion about Around The Bay. Is
> anybody doing it?

Most active posters have done it several times, if they're melb people.

> I am doing it for the first time and had hoped there would be some
> postings on pacing, terrain, road surface, feeding and drinking,
> ferries, etc but there has been nothing (or is my newsreader selectively
> deleting these posts?).
>
> So, how about some advice for the virgin attempting the 210/250 km rides?

All you have to do is ask.

> € The 250km is scheduled to start at 0530 and the 210km at 0600. Is it
> an orderly start or chaos?

Pretty orderly. Get there a bit early. For a lot of people, this is
their first big bunch and they can be a bit ... erratic. It's safest
at the front.

> € How is the ride conducted? - Self-paced bunches? Individuals?

Self paced bunches.

> € Do people try for minimum time or maximum enjoyment - or that plus
> everything in between?

Of the thousands of people doing it, who's to say why each is?

> € How do I pace myself for the distance? Are there any hills to be wary
> of?

Depends on which way you're going. There's a hill after Geelong up to
Leopold (and
back the other way, obviously) - there's Mt Martha and the rollers
around Frankston. Apart from that, it's flat.

The golden rule is 'eat early, eat often'. And, take it easy. Rest
when you need to, hide from the wind, and beware of gumbies in bunches.
If you have a HRM, and understand HR zones, stick in E1.

> € Are riders confined to one lane of multi-lane roads or are roads
> closed to cars in the direction of the ride?

Roads are not closed at all.

>
> € Do people just stop to buy food and drink or take everything they need
> from the start?

Unless you carry a big backpack, expect to go shopping. The lunch is
insufficient. Carry high sugar foods too (snakes, gels, wankerbars etc)

>
> € What spares to take - is there any support on the road? Does the ride
> pass near any bike shops?

Whatever you think you might need. There's no support, and not many
open shops. Sunday mornings ...

>
> € Is the ferry first come = first on?

Yes.

 

[AndrewJ]

I don't do it anymore. I'm proceeding a bit slower these days. Also I
see the Premier is riding it, so obviously this is way too popular an
event for somebody like me to be involved with I think I did it
four times. Once got heat exhaustion, but finished. Another time
actually finished strongly, but that tailwind sure helped.


Advice #1 : if you find yourself riding in a big group of people that
you don't know, either speed up or slow down. If you are used to riding
on your own then ride on your own.

Advice #2: ride your own pace. It is way too easy to sprint out of the
starting blocks and burn out. It's a long event.

Advice #3: wind. It'll wear you down. Hop in the back of a pack if you
find yourself riding 100km into a headwind of 60km/hr. Nobody can do
that easily. Hey, why do you think Lance had a <team> ?

Advice #4: eat,drink. I'd eat something every hour at least. Take small
amounts of food and eat early, eat often. Don't rely on the support
alone. Also, I take a drink from my water bottle at every traffic light
( a bit extreme, but if its hot you'll have to do similar).

Advice #5: take a jacket for on the boat. You'll get cold. That's not
good.

Advice #6: it's mental. If you think you'll collapse at the side of the
road, you will. Stick to your own pace and be confident that you'll
finish. But at the same time, don't subscribe to the "mind over matter"
school - if you are really hurting then stop.


Good luck!


Darryl C wrote:
> I am surprised at the lack of discussion about Around The Bay. Is
> anybody doing it?
>
> I am doing it for the first time and had hoped there would be some
> postings on pacing, terrain, road surface, feeding and drinking,
> ferries, etc but there has been nothing (or is my newsreader selectively
> deleting these posts?).
>
> So, how about some advice for the virgin attempting the 210/250 km rides?
>
> € The 250km is scheduled to start at 0530 and the 210km at 0600. Is it
> an orderly start or chaos?
>
> € How is the ride conducted? - Self-paced bunches? Individuals?
>
> € Do people try for minimum time or maximum enjoyment - or that plus
> everything in between?
>
> € How do I pace myself for the distance? Are there any hills to be wary
> of?
>
> € Are riders confined to one lane of multi-lane roads or are roads
> closed to cars in the direction of the ride?
>
> € Do people just stop to buy food and drink or take everything they need
> from the start?
>
> € What spares to take - is there any support on the road? Does the ride
> pass near any bike shops?
>
> € Is the ferry first come = first on?
>
> Any advice appreciated.
>
> thanks,
> Darryl

 

[Tamyka Bell]

Bleve wrote:
>
> Darryl C wrote:
<snip>
> > ? How do I pace myself for the distance? Are there any hills to be wary
> > of?
>
> Depends on which way you're going. There's a hill after Geelong up to
> Leopold (and
> back the other way, obviously) - there's Mt Martha and the rollers
> around Frankston. Apart from that, it's flat.
>
> The golden rule is 'eat early, eat often'. And, take it easy. Rest
> when you need to, hide from the wind, and beware of gumbies in bunches.
> If you have a HRM, and understand HR zones, stick in E1.
<snip>

If you don't have a HRM, your breathing should be relaxed
and you should be capable of holding a conversation without
panting. If you start to feel like you're working really
hard, ease off, or stop if you need to. And as Bleve said,
'eat early, eat often'.

T

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on 8 Oct 2006 22:02:25 -0700
Bleve <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> The golden rule is 'eat early, eat often'. And, take it easy. Rest
> when you need to, hide from the wind, and beware of gumbies in bunches.
> If you have a HRM, and understand HR zones, stick in E1.

Is this also advice for most longer rides?

Being a) old and b) unfit, I find I'm spending a lot of time in E3 on
the commute... say about 1/3 of my time is there, and most of the rest
in E2.

Is the idea to keep cycling till you spend most of the time in E1?

Zebee

 

[Bleve]

Zebee Johnstone wrote:
> In aus.bicycle on 8 Oct 2006 22:02:25 -0700
> Bleve <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > The golden rule is 'eat early, eat often'. And, take it easy. Rest
> > when you need to, hide from the wind, and beware of gumbies in bunches.
> > If you have a HRM, and understand HR zones, stick in E1.
>
> Is this also advice for most longer rides?

Yep. ATB is just a long ride, not a race. If you ever make it down to
do the Alpine, you'll see all the people who push too hard early
blowing up halfway up Falls Ck or the second time up Towonga gap. It's
amazing to watch ... quite sad for a lot of them. Pacing yourself is
pretty important in a long ride.

> Being a) old and b) unfit, I find I'm spending a lot of time in E3 on
> the commute... say about 1/3 of my time is there, and most of the rest
> in E2.
>
> Is the idea to keep cycling till you spend most of the time in E1?

As a general guide, I'd be suggesting you spend most of the time in E1,
ie: slow down.
you're looking at it backwards

You'll recover better and be able to ride further, and you'll be
suprised at how quickly your fitness will improve. Once you have a
month or two of E1 in your legs, then start to think about intensity
intervals. Flogging in E3 when you're not really ready for it is of
little benefit, and E2 is a sort of no-mans land. It's too hard to
recover from quickly, but not hard enough to provide any benefits from
high intensity work.

 

[MWP]

Stretch when you can. It reduces lactic acid build up.

AndrewJ wrote:

> I don't do it anymore. I'm proceeding a bit slower these days. Also I
> see the Premier is riding it, so obviously this is way too popular an
> event for somebody like me to be involved with I think I did it
> four times. Once got heat exhaustion, but finished. Another time
> actually finished strongly, but that tailwind sure helped.
>
>
> Advice #1 : if you find yourself riding in a big group of people that
> you don't know, either speed up or slow down. If you are used to riding
> on your own then ride on your own.
>
> Advice #2: ride your own pace. It is way too easy to sprint out of the
> starting blocks and burn out. It's a long event.
>
> Advice #3: wind. It'll wear you down. Hop in the back of a pack if you
> find yourself riding 100km into a headwind of 60km/hr. Nobody can do
> that easily. Hey, why do you think Lance had a <team> ?
>
> Advice #4: eat,drink. I'd eat something every hour at least. Take small
> amounts of food and eat early, eat often. Don't rely on the support
> alone. Also, I take a drink from my water bottle at every traffic light
> ( a bit extreme, but if its hot you'll have to do similar).
>
> Advice #5: take a jacket for on the boat. You'll get cold. That's not
> good.
>
> Advice #6: it's mental. If you think you'll collapse at the side of the
> road, you will. Stick to your own pace and be confident that you'll
> finish. But at the same time, don't subscribe to the "mind over matter"
> school - if you are really hurting then stop.
>
>
> Good luck!
>
>
> Darryl C wrote:
> > I am surprised at the lack of discussion about Around The Bay. Is
> > anybody doing it?
> >
> > I am doing it for the first time and had hoped there would be some
> > postings on pacing, terrain, road surface, feeding and drinking,
> > ferries, etc but there has been nothing (or is my newsreader selectively
> > deleting these posts?).
> >
> > So, how about some advice for the virgin attempting the 210/250 km rides?
> >
> > € The 250km is scheduled to start at 0530 and the 210km at 0600. Is it
> > an orderly start or chaos?
> >
> > € How is the ride conducted? - Self-paced bunches? Individuals?
> >
> > € Do people try for minimum time or maximum enjoyment - or that plus
> > everything in between?
> >
> > € How do I pace myself for the distance? Are there any hills to be wary
> > of?
> >
> > € Are riders confined to one lane of multi-lane roads or are roads
> > closed to cars in the direction of the ride?
> >
> > € Do people just stop to buy food and drink or take everything they need
> > from the start?
> >
> > € What spares to take - is there any support on the road? Does the ride
> > pass near any bike shops?
> >
> > € Is the ferry first come = first on?
> >
> > Any advice appreciated.
> >
> > thanks,
> > Darryl

 

[EuanB]

Zebee Johnstone wrote:
> In aus.bicycle on 8 Oct 2006 22:02:25 -0700
> Bleve <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > The golden rule is 'eat early, eat often'. And, take it easy. Rest
> > when you need to, hide from the wind, and beware of gumbies in bunches.
> > If you have a HRM, and understand HR zones, stick in E1.
>
> Is this also advice for most longer rides?

Yep. ATB is just a long ride, not a race. If you ever make it down to
do the Alpine, you'll see all the people who push too hard early
blowing up halfway up Falls Ck or the second time up Towonga gap. It's
amazing to watch ... quite sad for a lot of them. Pacing yourself is
pretty important in a long ride.

> Being a) old and b) unfit, I find I'm spending a lot of time in E3 on
> the commute... say about 1/3 of my time is there, and most of the rest
> in E2.
>
> Is the idea to keep cycling till you spend most of the time in E1?

As a general guide, I'd be suggesting you spend most of the time in E1,
ie: slow down.
you're looking at it backwards

You'll recover better and be able to ride further, and you'll be
suprised at how quickly your fitness will improve. Once you have a
month or two of E1 in your legs, then start to think about intensity
intervals. Flogging in E3 when you're not really ready for it is of
little benefit, and E2 is a sort of no-mans land. It's too hard to
recover from quickly, but not hard enough to provide any benefits from
high intensity work.

Wot he said.

I used to run, I ran for eight years before I started using a HR monitor properly. In six months of training properly, i.e. spending two runs out of three at sub 70%, my resting heart rate droppped from 65 to 55.

It feels like you're not working hard enough to be getting fitter at 70% but your body's lying to you 'cause endorphins are addictive. If you're getting that endorphin high and you're not planning on a hard ride, you're working way too hard.

 

[EuanB]

I am surprised at the lack of discussion about Around The Bay. Is
anybody doing it?

There's plenty of ATB discussion at http://www.bv.com.au/forums

 

[Bleve]

MWP wrote:
> Stretch when you can. It reduces lactic acid build up.

Who on earth told you that?

Stretching has zero effect on blood lactate, and blood lactate buildup
is a function of intensity, not duration.

Stretching *may* have some benefits, but clearing blood lactate is not
one of them.

 

[Tamyka Bell]

Bleve wrote:
>
> MWP wrote:
> > Stretch when you can. It reduces lactic acid build up.
>
> Who on earth told you that?
>
> Stretching has zero effect on blood lactate, and blood lactate buildup
> is a function of intensity, not duration.
>
> Stretching *may* have some benefits, but clearing blood lactate is not
> one of them.

And um, stretching in the middle of exercising, particularly
if it's because your muscles feel tight, is very likely to
bring on a full-on cramp. Welcome to the stretch reflex.

Tam

 

[Marx SS]

I got my ‘race’ number for the 240kms legends [never been to St Leonards before].
My first was ’96, so this one should be cause for celebration – well it always is for the big 200mt sprint at the end if you still hanging with mates.

Bring lots of naughty munchies, plan for a big finish & drink alittle bit every little bit of time.
Funny bunches out on that day: people drop things, ride in odd formations & brake when you don’t want to. Climbing might involve passing less established KOM riders on the wrong side of the road.

Rest stops are about 30kms apart which is pretty handy, but you might roll past a few early on.
Don’t get lost in Geelong, some people have & are still there.

 

[Michael Warner]

On Mon, 09 Oct 2006 05:00:17 GMT, Darryl C wrote:

> I am surprised at the lack of discussion about Around The Bay. Is
> anybody doing it?

I came over from Adelaide with some to do it last year with a team, and it
was great - pity I couldn't manage it this year and try the 250. The 200
was easier than I expected, because it was pretty flat, there were plenty
of good groups and there was a nice long break at half time

My only complaint is that the jersey was badly made of crappy fabric,
and was far too big for its claimed size. Apparently the size problem is
even worse this year, and the organizers have been deluged with
complaints, about which they intend to do absolutely nothing.

--
Home page: http://members.westnet.com.au/mvw

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on 8 Oct 2006 22:36:21 -0700
Bleve <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> As a general guide, I'd be suggesting you spend most of the time in E1,
> ie: slow down.
> you're looking at it backwards

Geez! I'd never get to work!

From home to work (and back again, I take a different route but there's
no way around the hills) I go up enough bumpy bits that if I was
aiming for E1 I'd never leave the house.

I am getting better - when I started I had to do most of them in the
granny gear and there was one hill I nearly threw up on, but now I'm
in the lowest gear or 2nd gear on the middle ring and my speed on the
upwards northbound bit of the Harbour Bridge has gone up from about
12kmh in the small ring to 16kmh in the middle ring.

Flats are not a problem to keep in E1, it is just that there aren't many
of them....

Zebee

 

[rooman]

well...no matter how much planning I would like to do for this year's ATB , it has all been sabotaged, have to go to Sidderknee and Cahnbra this week, get back on Friday then the BA bike show on Sat and hanging out at BFA meetings and then the BA dinner till late...


so up early Sunday and the 210 klms anti-clockwise is going to be a great time...good points going for our organising tho!. We have our own team of 30, all staying together, all in one uniform, gatekeepers keeping out the also rans and well practised in the arts of defensive manouvers, we opted not to use the BV boat system and have our own charter ferry and our own support vehicle too, so if we need to sag we can (if probably will have to hold the broom). When we get back we have a lunch ready and masseurs...will feel like being on a Pro-Tour event, just no podium girls ..darnit!

all I ask is that the weather forecast gets a little better and as the week goes on it seems to be doing that from a full long term forecast a few weeks back, of total rain to now a finer day and little chance of rain which should have cleared on Saturday..

OK... bring it on...flat bar roadies and BMXers keep your head up, dont drop your bananas and keep left in single file ...pleez?

 

[rdk]

When we get back we have a lunch ready

I'm hoping to make it back for dinner, maybe supper

 

[Bleve]

rooman wrote:
> well...no matter how much planning I would like to do for this year's
> ATB , it has all been sabotaged, have to go to Sidderknee and Cahnbra
> this week, get back on Friday then the BA bike show on Sat and hanging
> out at BFA meetings and then the BA dinner till late...
>
>
> so up early Sunday and the 210 klms anti-clockwise is going to be a
> great time...good points going for our organising tho!. We have our
> own team of 30, all staying together, all in one uniform, gatekeepers
> keeping out the also rans and well practised in the arts of defensive
> manouvers, we opted not to use the BV boat system and have our own
> charter ferry and our own support vehicle too, so if we need to sag we
> can (if probably will have to hold the broom). When we get back we have
> a lunch ready and masseurs...will feel like being on a Pro-Tour event,
> just no podium girls ..darnit!

Why bother with doing it on the same day? You're not really doing the
ATB, you're doing your own ride, that happens to coincide with it.