Riding a local 400k Brevet

This was probably the slowest brevet I've ridden. I finished the ride in 25 hours 30 minutes. I'm not happy that it took me that long to finish. OUCH. The same loop will be used for the first day of the upcoming 600K, so that means I won't get any sleep ( ??? ) If this ride is any indication of what to expect – then the 600K won't be any fun.

Now back to our original programming. I got out of the house late. I have to take care of dad before leaving the house and the day's chores took longer than expected. When I arrived at the ride start I had 15 minutes to get signed up and get my stuff together. I wasn't ready when the main group rolled out. I couldn't find one of my lights and spent extra time tearing the car apart to find it ( under the front seat )

The first section of the ride was an easy downhill to the beach. Yipee. At mile 11 I couldn't find the turn. Crap – I'm on the wrong street ( Alicia instead of Avery ). I dig out the cell phone and use the Google map program to figure out a course correction. I get myself back on track and start worrying about making it to the first control before it closes. So I rode low tempo pace to the first control. Part of the route was on the shoulder of the freeway. That was a blast. It felt like the wind generated by the fast moving cars just helped me ride faster.

I get to the first control and everyone was gone. That was expected. Still, I was a bit disheartened. I get controlled and move out. It turns out there was another person at the control – I just didn't see him. John and I move out to the next control. John's an interesting guy, but I'm not sure I'd ride with him again. He's just that much slower that me to make it annoying. He likes to spend time to rest at controls, I'm not ready to do that so early in the ride. He is very observant and really appreciates his surroundings. So while riding with him, I felt this nagging conflict. One part of me felt the need to ride at a faster pace and finish the ride in a timely manner. Another part of me wanted to take in the views and explore the world around me. I never did get that resolved. I always felt too far behind to take in the views.

John and I rode along for a while. The roads were nice. I was amazed the such roads existed in Orange County. They don't - most of the ride took us through the less populated areas of San Diego and Riverside Counties. Anyhow, we crossed this old bridge, rode over some dirt roads with gargantuan potholes, and finally made it out to the next control. I spent a luxurious amount of time at the next control just waiting for John. At mile 70 the road tilted upward, John slowed down and I pedaled ahead. A few miles from the next control was a downhill. Phew. I was getting tired and needed this break. But.... where's the next turn. Crap. I realized I made a wrong turn. Okay, back uphill to the next control. As I cross the intersection where I made the wrong turn John catches up with me. We ride on to the next control. A few miles later we're there. I was glad to take a break. We met up with three guys from San Fernando ( I'll call them the SF Gang of 3.)

Around mile 110 I get a call from Dad. My brother hasn't shown up. Crap. So there's about an hour of worrying and numerous phone calls and recriminations. I can't get a hold of my brother. I worry that I'll have to stop the ride. Finally dad calls to say that he's there. Phew... Around the same time I enjoyed an absolutely stunning sunset at Lake Paris. At mile 135 we're at the next control. It's dark and we're only half way through the ride. John and I get controlled. I'm ready to pull out when another rider pulls up.

Ruth had just taken an hour long nap at a friends house and was very glad to find others to ride with. Ruth and I rode on ahead, John promised to catch up with us. We only had a one hour time buffer, so Ruth and I decide to keep rolling, minimize stops ( ...umm except for cofee which Ruth felt she really needs ) and try to build up a larger time buffer. The next sections of road were mainly downhill and it was fairly easy to make up lost time. Navigation was easy – this was Ruth's neighborhood and she knew where we were going. Near the next control we saw the SF Gang of 3 eating dinner, but rolled on.

Ah... yes... and then came the dull and dreary Santa Ana river trail with its arcane on-ramps and trail entrances. Thank goodness for Google maps on the cell phone. Conversations with Ruth make the ride interesting. I enjoyed riding with her.In Corona we stopped to get some coffee. As we're pulling out the SF Gang of 3 show up. So now we're a group of five rolling on through the night. At the next control we catch up with two more riders who are just pulling out. They roll out while we get controlled, chat for a bit and roll on. At his point navigation is easy – this is my neighborhood. We catch up with the two riders 10 miles later ( they got lost ) So now we're a group of seven. One of the riders ( Shaun ) is on a fixed gear - wow !!

At mile 217 we're at the next to last control on the coast highway. It's a gas station. The restrooms are closed and the guy can't let us in. I know there's a grocery store half a mile away; we ride away to check it out. It's closed. At this point everybody decides that the bushed look thirsty and need to be watered. We head back to the control and buy small snacks from the gas station attendant safely ensconced behind a thick glass curtain. It's 2:00 AM, everybody's tired and dreading the uphill climb back to the start.

And then we're off. The bike path is locked. We navigate around to another entrance and recollect at the bike path exit. Where's Ed? We wait two minutes, then five minutes. Anyone see Ed ? We decide to roll on. A bit later the rod tilts upward again. I ride on with Ruth and Shaun while the SF Gang of 3 fall behind. I'm having a very hard time staying awake. We're struggling up the hill and I'm falling asleep. At the mouth of the Canyon, I pull off and tell the other I need some coffee. They follow and we each get some coffee. We spent a surreal, calm 15 minutes staring into space, chatting and drinking coffee. Of all the things on the ride, this break left the greatest impression. Fundamentally, that break allowed me to finish the ride. It was time well spent.

15 miles later we're near the end. Ruth and I are pedaling uphill to the organizer's house when we hear Shaun yell “hey guys it's down here” Apparently we're so tired and used to going uphill.....

Things I need to fix:

  • Give myself more time in the morning to take care of dad
  • Make sure I've got all of my stuff packed the night before ( I wasted time finding the light that had rolled under the front seat of the car )
  • I'd like a different set up to hold the rout sheet ( perhaps with a magnifier ) that would make reading the route sheet easier. I rode an extra 22 miles because of my navigation errors.
  • Be clear about goals. I spent so much time riding with John at a much slower pace because I wanted some company. Yet I wanted to keep a 12 mi/hr pace. I couldn't do both. It was silly to be bothered by this. Make a decision and stick with it. Perhaps it would be better to ride my own pace in the daylight and get together with a group in the evening.
  • As I was riding up the really hilly section from miles 70 – 120, I almost ran out of energy. I would have been smarter to stop at an intermediate point to refuel. The power meter really shows how my pace dropped off at this point. Be smart – keep the energy levels up.
  • I can't rely on my brother to take care of dad. When they start arguing, it's all over. I need to find a different solution. That's just not going to work when I go to Alaska.