Hooray! You did it! Doesn't it feel freakin' awesome?! :D
Veronica
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Hooray! You did it! Doesn't it feel freakin' awesome?! :D
Veronica
Wow. Just wow. Susan, you rock!
That's amazing! You are a strong, brave woman. While slowly moving up a hill Sunday, I was passed by a man wearing a Boston-Montreal-Boston 1200K jersey. It made me shudder.
Wow! Good for you for sticking with it! Thanks for sharing your story with us!
Sarah
Wow, that was a great read. It will be easier to get on the bike this morning because of you!
I agree; what a great read! I made a beeline to my computer this morning with the hope that you'd posted the second installment....and I was not disappointed. :D
I am so glad you stuck with it and that conditions improved such that you could finish the ride more comfortably. What a fantastic effort. You have my utmost respect and admiration!
Great read!!
Congrats on pulling through your low moments - it's tough not having the right gear with you, etc. Been there (not on my 600). Anyway, in future you might consider getting a trash bag from a store, gas station or restaurant. Put it under your outer jersey or vest so it doesn't act as a sail.
and you're not crazy for thinking of PBP. I was thinking about it as well right after mine. I still occasionally consider it, but the logistics/cost of the trip are more daunting to me just now. If you can do it, give it a try! You will be able to qualify for sure - you need to stick a 400k in there somewhere, but they don't have to be sequential I don't think.
wow, great story. And you were able to do a really important thing. SLEEP.
i think you could do the 1200km ride. you've got the stuff.
Wonderful story! You did good.
Nicely done, Susan. You should be proud of yourself and gloat deservedly. It's an amazing accomplishment.
And here's to the Steve's of the world; those who come outta nowhere, don't know us but help us along down the road, changing our tires, fixing our dropped chains and whatnot, or just givin us enough words of encouragement to give a gentle lift to get us over the hill.
Here's a beer to you both.
<beer> (why don't we have a beer emoticon?)
Cheers!
That was mahhhvelous. :cool:
I did a triathlon in numbing cold like that and it was MISERABLE...I can imagine trying to do it when sore and tired. GOOD FOR YOU!!!
Congrats and enjoy the recovery!
My husband and I did our ride in that same rain/ice storm that almost did Susan in...it was MISERABLE for us and we were warm and fresh when we started.
That girl definitely has a will of steel! :)
Well written report, Susan. Thanks so much for sharing it with us!
Thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by maillotpois
I might have stopped somewhere, except we were in the middle of nowhere. The 24 miles between Hwy 101 and the town of Siletz has not one single commercial business. There were a few homes and if I'd been more on the edge, I might have stopped and begged for mercy.
The other thing about not having the right gear in hand is that it's personally very embarrassing for me, given what I do for a living. I realize it was an error in judgement, and not that the gear I own is poor or insufficient, but nonetheless it's very embarrassing. :o
That said, I *am* going to do a post about some of the AMAZING pieces I wore that were comfortable and appropriate for so many miles in the saddle. More than one person has asked me how my butt survived the trip and were shocked to hear that I wasn't saddle sore! It's one of the reasons I think maybe I *could* do PBP. My legs were sore Monday, but my butt was fine and could have survived another day in the saddle.
BTW, I have YOU to partially thank for that. Several times I remembered your wise words - something that hurts now may not hurt later.Quote:
Originally Posted by maillotpois
SO true!
Susan, your lack of sore butt AND your ability to sleep are why I think you could do the PBPQuote:
Originally Posted by Susan Otcenas
Susan, you are a rockstar! :D:cool:
The guy I rode with from mile 110 to 140 said he was going to ride straight through because he found it impossible to get any rest when he stopped. He would just toss and turn if he tried to sleep, so now he doesn't bother to try.Quote:
Originally Posted by Biciclista
Not me. I went out like a light.
Still, though, when I think about doing DOUBLE what I just did, on completely unfamiliar roads, it's very intimidating. I felt like the familiarity with the terrain was a huge advantage.
Great story! So glad you stuck in there and finished. You probably would have kicked yourself for the DNF. Hooray for convenience store espresso machines. ;)
Congratulations. Recover well!
1) Steve, my savior
2) Wine country
3) My trusty Sweetpea
4) Proof
5) One tired, but happy, Susan
1) Roger, Steve, Ken
2) Jeff brought me flowers. Major bonus points. :D
3) Looks like I got a few extra bonus miles.
Nothing like a brevet ending at McMenamin's in Forest Grove, which is high on jobob's list of Happiest Places on Earth. :cool:
Susan, you are amazing. Congratulations! I'm speechless!! (Great write-up too!!!)
I forgot to comment on this, but you are so right. A friend of mine has used the 1000 words for snow/rain analogy on me. Once, we traveled to San Francisco together, and it was semi-raining on and off, what I'd call drizzle and showers, not a downpour or anything. She would say, "it's raining" and I would say "it's not really raining... it's more of a drizzle." We'd go outside later, and I'd say "see, it's barely raining, more like a mist" and she'd reply "it's raining." Eventually it did start to actually rain with some effort, and I said "see, these drops are big, now it's raining" and she'd reply "it's POURING RAIN now, what's wrong with you people." ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Susan Otcenas
Wow- thanks for sharing your epic adventure. It's a remarkable accomplishment.
You are awesome, Susan! Aren't you glad you did it? Congratulations and thanks for sharing.
Precisely! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by colby
The fact that you can sleep will protect you somewhat from the biggest problem that faces people that do these long rides, inattentiveness due to fatigue. You were talking about how you of all people should have worn the right gear... but you like any one else become vulnerable and can make bad decisions when you are sleepy..
So what you need to do is develop methods to insure that you will not "drop balls" - forget important gear or be in a position to make critical decisions while your critical decision maker part of your brain is out to lunch. I won't pretend i do long rides myself, but I have watched my husband (who is by nature a true scatterbrain) develop routines that he uses for his big rides, (like pre packing and using lists) that have really saved his butt. On the other hand, too many times I have seen the best of them make really stupid little mistakes (like leaving their brevet cards with the candy wrappers and then throwing it all away).
You do have what it takes, Susan. sure, it was easier because you knew the territory. But as you do more of these rides (and I know you're going to) you'll develop confidence. There's a reason you have to qualify before you do the PBP.. ;)
I'm so happy you finished with a smile on your face! You're an inspiration!
I read through your post yesterday and have thought about it on and off today. What an accomplishment! I am so amazed at your mental strength. Your ability to get it done, and you listening to Steve when he was helping you at a low moment - right place, right time, right words..karma...
Congratulations!
Susan,
My thinking is that if you completed the 600k last weekend you can do PBP. That 600k route is by no means easy. Remember the Arch Cape climbs? Remember the rain? Remember the climbing on the second day? And you did all that with two and a half hours to spare.
That's what I love about Randonneuring the most. The time limits are challenging but reasonable, and it doesn't matter when you finish as long as you finish within the time limit. It's not a race. Which is great because we get enough of that locally with Race Across Oregon and the Ring of Fire.
For my son Alex and I we did a rather relaxing pace because Alex was having difficulty with nutrition, got our seven hours of sleep in Lincoln City and finished maybe a half hour after you did.
We got rained on too on Sunday but not nearly as bad as you did. But you recovered, learned from it, finished the ride with time to spare and, I'd guess, along the way became even more hopelessly addicted to this wonderful crazy sport. Like I am.
Yep, if after that you're still thinking about PBP then you're probably ready to tackle it.
Keith Kohan
Hi Keith,
Thanks for the reply! I saw you and Alex come in just after our little posse finished up.
Seven hours sleep! I'd like to be you when I grow up. :) Hope Alex was feeling better when you finished. I never got behind in my nutrition (I'm really careful about eating enough) but I certainly had my moments when my stomach was not thrilled (mostly between 11pm & midnight on Saturday). I have some friends who seem to have cast irons stomachs. They can push and push and eat anything in sight without trouble. My friend Richard worked his way through 2 pounds of salami on Race Across Oregon a few years ago. I was his crew chief and while everyone else was looking for bland oatmeal in the middle of the night, he was chowing down on salami on artisan bread. :eek:
Thanks for your words of encouragement. I'm planning to do the full summer series, finishing up with the MacKenzie-Aufderheide 600K. That one looks to be a fair bit harder than the Oregon Coast 600K, so if I survive THAT, then I'll probably sign up for PBP.
Susan
I wanna be YOU when I grow up. Never mind the fact that I'm way older than you, and I don't really wanna grow up ever! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Susan Otcenas
Hard to believe a year has passed.
So, this year I am the ride organizer for this brevet, which will happen this coming weekend. As such, I did the pre-ride for the event this past weekend. Solo. :eek: I wrote up a ride report, with lots of photos of the route, if anyone is interested. It's a very pretty course. And I had mostly sunshine this year! Woot!
http://susanotcenas.blogspot.com/201...de-report.html
Solo! Wow. Can't believe you had to do a 600 pre-ride on your own. I know it's happened before but still....sheesh. Glad you had the sun!
My husband Chris has qualified for PBP and tells me you post a lot on a rando thread, so I knew you were training for it too. Hope you guys meet when you're there! I'll be there too but just for the museum/cafe part. :)
Wow - a solo 600k. Impressive. When I did my last one I was solo during the day but hooked up with a group for the 9 pm to 5 am stretch and was SO relieved about that. My 600k is 5/21-22 and I have a group of 3 others lined up to ride together. That midnight to 4 am stretch would be pretty grim alone.
I can't wait to read your report - I have to get dressed for work right now, though!!
hhahahahaha i like where you say you're out of shape and then proceed to finish a 600 kilometer ride.
great ride and great reporting too.
Yeah; I LOLed at that, too. Great accomplishment (among your many), Susan. I'm always in awe. Great ride report, too. DH and I spent a bit of time--not enough--on the Oregon Coast last year; what a gorgeous place to ride 600k!Quote:
Originally Posted by Biciclista
From one Oregon chick to another - you ROCK! I want to grow up to be like you (newby here). Nice job all around.
Wow Susan- just wow. I think my longest ride to date is 73 miles.... not even close to 373! I enjoyed your blog post.