Ryan Cousineau wrote:
>
> In article <
[email protected]>,
> David Ryan <
[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > The roadbike doubles were no trouble. I once did three on a three-day weekend. The triple (500k
> > - 311 miles - 21:03), I only got tired the last couple hours. 175 of it was a one-way club ride.
> > Then I rode around 135 home. I came close one other time with a 400k randonee, finishing first,
> > plus 25 miles or so round-trip to the motel. (There was a 600k randonee too, but it was split
> > 400-200 with a mandatory overnight stop.)
>
> What kind of lame brevet was that? I'm not making fun: I did two metric centuries this year, and
> that's about as long as I want to be on the bicycle at any one time. What I'm curious about is a
> 600 km ride (which is PBP-qualifier distance) that has a mandatory sleepover.
You still had the official 40 hours from start to finish (4am day-1 to 8pm day-2), but there weren't
any officials willing to man checkpoints in the open overnight. It was 400km out-and-back from a
park cabin the first day and 200km on a different route the next. Some people were not back until
nearly next morning and several of them abandoned. It was in June. I finished the first day at
8:50pm, the only one to get back before sunset.
You remind me of the local racing team that showed up just for the 200km brevet. I paced one woman
racer almost to the turnaround. (There was a big climb there.) I stopped for a few minutes and then
just meandered back. About 25 miles from the end, while I was sitting in a parking lot sucking on
some Gu, the racing team (which also allegedly cut the course) blew by me through the lot (cutting
the proper corner). I finished the Gu and tossed the pack in the dumpster before taking out after
them. I was riding with them having a conversation when one went off the front. After an "Excuse
me", I went after him. Turned out after more than 100 miles, they really didn't have it for a race.
From there I time trialed it, dropping two off my wheel on the low risers and finishing six minutes
ahead over the last 10 or 12 miles. Like they say, whatever.
(You just reminded me of the story, not the attitude.)
When you are long hours on the bike, your butt hardens, leg cramps happen farther and farther out. I
rode metric centuries almost every day of the week after work except Mondays, meeting the rest of
the team, and two or more mile-centuries on the weekend. I enjoyed being on the bike. A lot of my
"centuries" were closer to a century-and-a-half, as I would ride to and from club centuries.