BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

man. i gotta make a point to do this kinda stuff.

i'd love to get a blog post up about this soon

If you can ride 50-75 miles, you can ride at least a 300K. Trust me on this...it's just a matter of pacing yourself, not of superhuman conditioning. (400s and 600s get a little hairier, 'cause they add sleep deprivation to the mix unless you're F A S T.)

The 300K and 400K will be awesome. The 300 passes Kentuck Knob on the way to Ohiopyle and the climb up Sugarloaf; the 400K has all that, plus Mt Davis, Frostburg, some fun gravel roads, and passes right through the wind farm at Meyersdale on the return leg.

Next year, we'll have a full series of 200/300/400/600K brevets, so as to help people who want to qualify for the Paris-Brest-Paris 1200K in the fall of 2011.

Is there a map for the Thrift Drug? I know there's a cue sheet but I'd like to see where it goes.

Thanks!

I will continue the tradition of the BikeFest populaire as Bike PGH charity event this year, likely for 14 August.

Wait wait wait.

600k without sleep? You know what, a wise man once said, "640k ought to be enough for anybody."

@mayhew: see here for last year's overview. I think the final leg from Evans City to North Park was adjusted a bit, but the concept remains the same. Noblestown, Potato Garden, 151, Rt 30, Rt 68 all the way to Evans City, back to town via North Park.

On the scout this Saturday, I'm planning on checking out Shaler-->Woodville-->Kearns-->etc. as an alternative to Greenleaf for coming off Mt Washington; skipping the West End construction and picking up Noblestown further down seems like a worthwhile possibility.

@joeframbach: Yeah, 640K megabucks is enough dollars for one po' white boy selling software.

I haven't done a 600 without at least a couple of hours nap...me no have that kind of fortitude. I have found that roadside powernaps work frickin' wonders when you're wiped out.

Thank you so much for posting this reddan it's exactly what I've been looking for. Any tips you could offer would be welcome (tried linking out of the PR site for past ride details but only got error messages). After reading RUSA rules I was a little uncertain about one rule: are one or two lights each required for the front and rear? Thanks for your help, hope to see you at a ride. Michael

@ 88MS88: Tips? I can run on for hours...

Gear and prep:

--Get comfy (poor bike fit will kill ya after the first 100 miles). If you haven't done a lot of long distance, it's worth getting your bike fit checked, as little teeny-tiny irritations turn into major pain over time.

--Carry more spare clothing layers and food than you think you'll need (until you get some experience under your belt, at which point go with whatever works for you).

--Make sure your bike is in good shape, and/or carry enough tools, parts, and expertise that you can deal with likely mechanical failures.

Strategy:

--The classic "drink before you're thirsty, eat before you're hungry" is pretty key.

--Minimize time off the bike; it's better to keep pedaling slowly than to spend lots of time with your feet up and have to push hard to make time. Controles can easily be time sinks; it's good to be in and out in less than 10 minutes, but it's easy to blow half an hour chatting and messing around.

--Ride your own ride; while you can and should pace others for company and to keep your own motivation up, listen to your body and slow down when needed to keep from burning out.

--Understand that it really is mostly mental. Some minimal physical conditioning is required, but it really boils down to telling yourself that you can keep going regardless of what goes wrong. When you hit the bad spots, and want nothing more than to just give up and lie down for a while, remember that it really will get better, if you just keep going.

--Have fun. Take pictures, chat with people you meet or people you're riding with, and enjoy doing something on the bike that many people would find unthinkable.

If you want to read some ride reports, check here, especially in April, May, and June. It's got most of my ride-related mind dribblings since I started randonneuring in 2008.

As far as lights, it depends. One each is absolutely required; some events, like PBP, require spare bulbs and suchlike. I recommend redundancy on lighting systems; one each on bike and helmet works well, so long as they're all of good quality. Especially with the headlights; whether on bike or helmet, make darn sure they're powerful enough to see the road at decent speed; dinky little be-seen headlights will not cut it.

BTW, we've got our season-opener 200K coming up in a couple of weeks...I assure you that this one will be significantly easier than the one scheduled in June

Thanks for the feedback. I've done some solo centuries, and was hoping to start doing more distance more often with like minded folks. If I can get my withered form back into shape in two weeks I hope to make the April 3rd ride. I'll be sure to give your blog a going over. Thanks a million (or at least 200K)!

reddan If you can ride 50-75 miles, you can ride at least a 300K

I respectfully beg to differ here.

There are a few times I've done over 70 miles in a day. Getting there for me required both pacing and some serious conditioning prep.

After 70 miles in a day, even another 10 would be an exhausting extension. Another 50 miles would be a helluva lot - even if it is the next day.

300K is 186 miles. When I'm conditioned to do one 70 mile day, that isn't even close to being a 2 day trip.

It's a great thing to do, but IMO, it is more akin to crushing the commonwealth than to doing a 50-75 mile day trip.

I'm curious about the rules - would you be disqualified if you pushed your bike up Sycamore St?

Mick

I suppose there's some degree of general fitness that is required, but my experience backs up Dan's assertion--I rode a 200k, with over 10,000 feet of climbing, with a longest prep ride of about 50 miles. In fact, my first 200k was more than a 200k because apparently no one in my group could read a cue sheet, made a wrong turn, and added about 15 miles to the final tally.

Pacing is key, as is riding with a few other people. Oh, and food and drink. Learn how to eat real food while you're riding. I had a full package of fig newtons, PB&J sammiches, a bag of nuts, and a few energy bars in my handlebar bag. I ate everything, plus half a turkey hoagie and a tube of Pringles at various controles.

@Mick: Nah, pushing/carrying the bike is fine. The general consensus in the rando world seems to be that you have to finish with (at least most of!) the bike, but there's no reason why you can't walk it when necessary.

I've been on plenty of brevets where people have indulged in full-fledged hike-a-bike for the steep hills.

[edited to add:] Brian's point about eating on the bike is right on, by the way. Makes things much simpler to just keep the pedals turning over whilst you refuel yourself.

i love eating on the bike.... some day i will put my giant front bag and endless nights coding till sunup nerd skills to use and ride for like 2 days straight... i hope that day(s) is the crush the commonwealth soon

Bumpity-bump.

The spring 200K is this Saturday, for those who shan't be Tweed-encrusted.

Due to a sudden attack of mercy on the part of the RBA, the initial climb up Sycamore has been removed from the route. So now there's no excuse...

Registration on the day of is certainly allowed, but RSVPs to Jim are never a bad idea.