Brevets, ultracycling, etc.

[betagirl]

Hiya

Is there anyone here who participates in brevets or other long distance events? I did my first crazy distance ride last summer when I did RAIN. That was 152 miles of pure enjoyment I came in in the top 20 for women riders, and I took some decent breaks. Once I realized I was going to ride against the clock (started out more casual in my mentality) I know I could have shaved 45 mins to an hour off my time. I'm coming to the realization that I'm more of a distance person than a short/sprinter. I want to start racing this summer, and would like to try distance rides. Anyone do this and have any pointers?

Any help is appreciated!

[Dianyla]

Nanci has been doing randonneuring.

[betagirl]

I saw that Veronica and maillotpois just finished a double century. Hopefully they have some tips too

[Veronica]

I'm not racing, just planning on finishing.

For me these rides are about managing my heart rate and eating and drinking enough. I was amazed at how good I felt when I got off the bike - couldn't (and still can't) stop talking about it.

For the first 140 miles I kept my HR in my medium endurance zone, about 10 beats below my anaerobic threshold. For the last 50 miles I was in my long endurance zone, about 30 beats below the AT. I didn't plan to do that. I was watching my speed and it was higher than my average, and I decided I didn't need to push harder than that. Plus I wanted to be sure I had something left for the last climb.

I'm really rigid about eating. It's hard for me to eat a lot while I'm riding, so I make myself eat a little bit every 30 minutes and I drink every 15. I use Sustained Energy in my water bottles so I get more calories with that too.

Most of my training during the week has been hard intervals with a long, hilly ride on the weekends.

Good luck!

V.

[maillotpois]

Sorry - didn't see this post before.

Brevets sound pretty amazing. I have a friend who started riding them, and now I can't stay with him on doubles. Nanci's got some great stories - she should have a ride report coming out on her next brevet after this weekend.

I've done 4 double centuries, and probably 10 - 12 rides over 120 miles, including the Death Ride/Tour of the California Alps a couple of times. I don't know that what I might tell you will apply to you, but maybe you can take something from this, who knows?

- Start with a double metric. That's a pretty fun distance and there are a lot more of them out there than brevets and doubles.

- I find my energy level and enthusiasm cycle up and down all day. Sometimes (not always) this is food dependent. If I swig a gel, I feel pretty happy in about 10 minutes! If I feel tired, I know that it's a long day and I will come out of it soon. Be ready for cycles of up and down energy - physical and mental. This is especially true in tough doubles with a lot of climbing.

- I try to keep my cyclo computer set on time - time of day, not elapsed time, and I only let myself switch it over to miles every hour or so. I don't want to focus on how many miles I have ridden or are still to go.

- I try to eat on the bike as much as possible. Time off the bike is dead time - you aren't moving forward. About 5 miles from a rest stop, I start making my mental checklist of things to do: clothing changes, mechanical inquiries (is my tire low?), food and water stock ups, do I need a bathroom? Then I run over this list in my head tile I get there to remember evey thing I need to do and go about it as efficiently as possible. A lot of the doubles/longer rides I do have time cut offs, so efficiency is key.

- I don't follow HR monitor training or anything. I know it is very effective and works for a lot of people. It hasn't really been effective for me, so I don't bother with it. For my training and events, if I feel good, I ride fast. If I don't, I back off. That said, I take climbs very easy on doubles and long rides. I know when I am going anaerobic and for a double, I simply try not to.

- Remembering to drink enough, especially in the cold, can be difficult. Looking at your clock, maybe remind yourself to take a swig every 15 minutes. Same with food - try to schedule it in.

- If you're doing double centuries, you may not need to ride with lights. For longer brevets you will for sure. Get used to this. I usually start my harder doubles or Death Ride in the dark, so I finish before sunset. I try to think about the miles I rode in the dark in the morning as dream miles - like they didn't count. I try to pretend that I just started riding when the sun came up.

- Go to the UMCA and RUSA websites and get some of their materials. Join these clubs. They are a tremendous resourse, especially for longer than double distances (which I haven't yet done!). Their articles are great. You might also check out the Furnace Creek 508 website - they have some good articles on there, too.

It sounds like you want to try faster riding in addition to upping the distance. It's definitely possible and fun to do a fast double century. But you want to be sure you're staying within your comfort zone. My first double was Davis last year and we rode pretty aggressively (DH and I) - it is still my fastest double over all in terms of on the bike time (over 17 mph). I was borderline comfort zone at times, and was a bit nervous. But it turned out okay. For a fast double, you'll want to work with other riders. I think for brevets you can't, but I don't know.

Have fun! Let us know how it goes.

[betagirl]

Thanks so much for the pointers! I've been checking out the websites, etc. to see what's going on around my area. I felt pretty good after doing RAIN, better than I certainly thought I would. I think I'll try a double century this year.

I really appreciate it!