Randonneur/Brevet newbie question?

[nm87710]

Here's the scoop...Have an opportunity to do a 600k brevet w/25k climbing for fun this summer since it's basically a big loop that goes around my house. I'm looking for thoughts/comments about what I'd really be getting myself into. :crap:

I've never done anything like a brevet before although my background is p12 road racing with long races my strength. Riding solo and knocking out 100-125 miles in the AM is no problem but 360 in 40hrs sounds kinda fun and interesting with all the nutrition/endurance challenges. I've been told by several people that a brevet is NOT a "race"...but since it has rules, is officially timed and can be used(1200k) to qualify for RAAM I'm a right to think about it like a long TT?? Or is that "USCF Type A racer" personality just going to get me in randonneuring trouble? What differences are there between a 200k brevet and a 200k road race?

Seems like their are plenty of experienced randonneur/brevet riders here on the forum so if you don't mind please share your thoughts for a potential newbie. :beer:

Thanks,
John

[Too Tall]

John you sound like a perfect candidate to knock this out. Racing at your level is a decent predictor you've got something special goin' on :) Also, you said the magic words "Riding solo and knocking out 100-125 miles in the AM is no problem " this tells me you have some seriouis fitness and speed both contribute to a good outcome. If you can get the logistics of navigation in the dark and stay ontop of your nutrition it should be no problem. I've seen very fit athletes ride a frightening amt. of tempo for this distance. Once you get into a groove it just keeps rolling...if you eat, drink and have the good sense to back it off when you feel bad.

The climbing is pretty stout but again I've done the similar and am certainly not in your league.

Def. you can do this. Let me know what I can do to help. A typical scenario for a fast 600k might include one fast clothing change at a hotel where you can send pre-measured bottles etc. Just sayin' ;)

PS - If you crack 24 hrs. I want to be the first to congratulate you.

[wanderingwheel]

It all depends on how you want to ride it. For the faster riders, there are really tow options. First, ride it straight through for the lowest possible time. Second, ride 60% or so the first day, pull in somewhere for a nice meal and full night's sleep, and finsh up the following day. Personally, I prefer the second approach. It will be a race for about 5 guys who ride through the night, but they are not necessarily the fastest riders out there. Sure, it can be a long TT, or it can be a fast tour.

Your main issues will probably be nutrition, and figuring out how to carry all the junk you need (or what's the minimum you can get away with). I go stupid light, carrying little more than I would for a normal spring ride. Do you want to carry all your fuel with you, or will forage along the way? How much clothing do you need when you expect to be riding?

[chuckred]

... there are really tow options.

I know I'd be looking for that kind of option!

[dauwhe]

The best thing about randonneuring, in my opinion, is the camaraderie. The fact that it's non-competitive is important. Results are always given in alphabetical order, and everyone gets the same medal. In practice, people are very supportive, and try to help each other any way they can. Drafting is allowed (unlike RAAM, etc.) and many people ride in groups not just because it might be faster, but because it's more social and more fun. I haven't raced in 25 years, but brevets feel nothing like the local training rides. Nobody's trying to drop anyone. Of course some people are much faster, and many people try to finish with a fast time. Other people struggle to make the time cut-offs. There's lots of ways to enjoy the ride--I remember stopping for a full breakfast (with French Toast) at a sit-down restaurant, after riding all night in below-freezing temperatures. Yum!

It's a big tent. Everyone from racers to bike commuters in tennis shoes. 15-pound bikes and 50-pound bikes (I'm not kidding!). But we all face the weather, the distance, the darkness, and that common ground brings us together, whether we're averaging twenty miles an hour or ten.

Have fun!

Dave

[palincss]

Here's the scoop...Have an opportunity to do a 600k brevet w/25k climbing for fun this summer since it's basically a big loop that goes around my house. I'm looking for thoughts/comments about what I'd really be getting myself into. :crap:

I've never done anything like a brevet before although my background is p12 road racing with long races my strength. Riding solo and knocking out 100-125 miles in the AM is no problem but 360 in 40hrs sounds kinda fun and interesting with all the nutrition/endurance challenges. I've been told by several people that a brevet is NOT a "race"...but since it has rules, is officially timed and can be used(1200k) to qualify for RAAM I'm a right to think about it like a long TT?? Or is that "USCF Type A racer" personality just going to get me in randonneuring trouble? What differences are there between a 200k brevet and a 200k road race?

Seems like their are plenty of experienced randonneur/brevet riders here on the forum so if you don't mind please share your thoughts for a potential newbie. :beer:

Thanks,
John

Have you done much riding at night, and is your bike equipped for it? I don't think it's possible to do a 600k brevet and avoid night riding.

[issixtoomany]

Or is that "USCF Type A racer" personality just going to get me in randonneuring trouble?

My first 400k brevet was Boston in 2002. I had done the 200k and 300k in NJ, Quadzilla (600k+) seemed like a good idea, but there was no 400k in NJ, 2002 being NJ's first year too.

So off I went to Boston. I'm no racer, it was my first real night riding, a lot of nervous energy before the start. I rode pretty well, but midway through I found myself completely alone. At least until a strong rider came up, he let me draft for a while, we started talking, I did a short turn on the front. He was a local Cat 1(2?) racer, he said someone had told him racers sucked at brevets, he'd never finish the series, so he was out riding that year to see if that was true. My turns on front were at least 3 or 4 mph slower, he pretty much pulled me in the last 40 miles or so at 20mph, waiting for me at the top of the endless rollers. :beer:

I was very proud of my time on that first 400, no need to tell anyone I sucked wheel for the second half. :banana:

If you combine a little common sense with your race training and Type A personality brevets should be no problem at all. Are you planning on riding the 200/300/400 first?

[Too Tall]

Actually what Dauwhe says is so true. I remember vividly all the 600s I've ridden...all memorable...one stands out. A pal who I raced with wanted to do his first 600 so we rode straight thru with the intention of a sub 24 hr. finish. It was EPIC!!! Similar amt. of climbing too. We only took one wrong turn and I pulled the entire night shift...his eyes were weak at night no worries. We could not have done this as well as we did without working together to call out turns etc. Yeah, that's alot of fun. Hmmm.

[nm87710]

Thanks guys for the info and insight. Keep it coming.

No night riding for me - too dangerous even w/lights. Also not able to do any other brevets in the series. If this were a 200/300k event it would be a no brainer. 600k takes more thought/planning before I'll decide to tackle it or not. It's in NM late June so long daylight hours will help plus I know and train on all the roads. I figured it's 220-240 to my house on the course - nothing better than sleeping in your own bed and getting a home cooked meal! With a 6am dawn start and 8pm sunset I figure 220 is doable especially with lower air resistance at altitude. I've done solo 120/6+hr L3 training rides on the same roads including the major climbs. As always i travel pretty light. In the mountains it's just the basics(phone, rain jacket, tubes, tools, money). Leave next morning at 6am for final 140 which should have me finishing early/mid afternoon. As long as I just keep turning the pedals over maybe ~34hrs elapsed/24hrs ride??...but then I could crack, implode or just bail at any mile marker too and crawl into a bar while waiting for my wife to come scoop me up :)

Hmmmm...

[Louis]

but 360 in 40hrs sounds kinda fun and interesting

Yet more proof that insanity abounds ... ;)

Good luck John.

[goonster]

I figured it's 220-240 to my house on the course - nothing better than sleeping in your own bed and getting a home cooked meal! With a 6am dawn start and 8pm sunset I figure 220 is doable especially with lower air resistance at altitude. Leave next morning at 6am for final 140 which should have me finishing early/mid afternoon.

Sounds like a decent plan, but:

1. Double check the control closing times. It's not enough to do the overall distance in the forty hours, you also have to check in at each control before it closes. Sometimes this screws up a good plan, and it's one of the challenges unique to brevets.

2. Do you have a plan B? What if there is a freak storm? What if you get caught in the dark, somehow?

I've always seen racers do extremely well on brevets. Go for it!

[Volant]

Being alone in the dark, while trying to keep a fast pace, has a way of screwing with you - even with good lights, you're just not as sharp - mentally (which, can add on unexpected distance with those unmarked country roads that you just happen to take a wrong turn on (or, went straight, but the right thing was to veer-off...and that just kind of zaps your morale ...), sorry, I digress).
One note to add to the other posts is that the controls have OPENING times as well as closing times - so, you may not be able to go as fast as you'd like. (I seem to recall that max allowed speed is 20.6 mph or so- but, that may only be ACP events, I'll have to double-check that - having never threatened that threshold myself, I didn't have a need to pay attention to it. Perhaps that's the pace they set for opening of controls...again, I'd need to check).
As somone alread pointed out, Randonneuring is more about the camaraderie and experience than a race. But, if a LD TT is what you're after, it sounds like a great opportunity being in your backyard.
Good luck!

PS - You can get more information at www.rusa.org

[RudAwkning]

Start doing some night riding. Get a couple decent front lights and get used to riding in the dark. Descending takes some getting used to. I found it quite useful to have a pair of headlights AND a helmet light. Initially you may have a tendency to want to turn your lights towards where you want to view. Bad idea when they're attached to your steering mechanism :D A helmet light makes things easier and also allows you to quickly check your route sheet in the dark.....which is when you're most likely to make a wrong turn.

Also, for your own safety, buy yourself a Planet Bike Super Blinky tail light. Best tail light on the market. http://www.biketiresdirect.com/productdetail.asp?p=PBBSF&i=2

I've only done one brevet (a 300k) so I'm not the most experienced randonneur, but I ride with a lot of brevet folks who've done several of the series and stuff like PBP. The best advice they gave me was to "ride your own ride". And remember to have fun. Anxiety is the number one enemy. I think the one thing that helped my friend and I get through the ride was being able to laugh at how stupid it was to jump aboard a brevet 2 days before the event (I'd never ridden above 119 miles prior to).

I also brought way more gears than I typically ride with. I had a triple with a 26/36/46 and an 11-27 in the rear. When I started cramping at mile 120, spinning was the only thing that allowed me to stay on the saddle (I typically ride a 53/39).

The social comaraderie on these rides is amazing. You'll have a great time and make a lot of new friends.

[Birddog]

Hey NM87718, PM me the dope on this, I've been looking into doing one too, although I thought I'd start with a 300. I'd be verrrrry interested in doing this if it works out with my work, or lack of.

Birddog

[R2D2]

Thanks guys for the info and insight. Keep it coming.

No night riding for me - too dangerous even w/lights.
Hmmmm...

Even if you don't ride at night your bike will need to be equiped with proper headlight(s) and taillight(s) for any event that's 300K or longer.
You'll also need proper reflective gear.
It may seem silly BUT safety is always a concern and you could have a problem that forces you to finish after dark.
www.rusa.org will list requirements.

Also with long distance your body gets tired but so does your mind. You can make really dumb descissons that seem to make sense at the time.

[mschol17]

Laniseptic... 30+ hours in the saddle requires something stronger as I came to discover on my ill-fated 600k

[Too Tall]

Bro, you can ride 400k in daylight. Trust me. Why do they start the event so late? They should begin at 4am, use lights to get rolling as a bunch it's much safer. OK so no night riding for you than it's duck soup.
Thanks guys for the info and insight. Keep it coming.

No night riding for me - too dangerous even w/lights. Also not able to do any other brevets in the series. If this were a 200/300k event it would be a no brainer. 600k takes more thought/planning before I'll decide to tackle it or not. It's in NM late June so long daylight hours will help plus I know and train on all the roads. I figured it's 220-240 to my house on the course - nothing better than sleeping in your own bed and getting a home cooked meal! With a 6am dawn start and 8pm sunset I figure 220 is doable especially with lower air resistance at altitude. I've done solo 120/6+hr L3 training rides on the same roads including the major climbs. As always i travel pretty light. In the mountains it's just the basics(phone, rain jacket, tubes, tools, money). Leave next morning at 6am for final 140 which should have me finishing early/mid afternoon. As long as I just keep turning the pedals over maybe ~34hrs elapsed/24hrs ride??...but then I could crack, implode or just bail at any mile marker too and crawl into a bar while waiting for my wife to come scoop me up :)

Hmmmm...

[Redturbo]

Let's go do this instead. ;) www.tour-of-arkansas.com No lights!

[dauwhe]

Riding at night during a brevet is magical. You're usually in the middle of nowhere--I've gone hours without seeing a car. The silence can be incredible. Our 600k happens during firefly season--there's nothing like seeing those tiny flashes of light off in the fields. Your sense of smell gets stronger... you notice things you never would have noticed during the day. Everything feels bigger, and more mysterious, at night. It's a real adventure.

Don't avoid the night. It can be the best part!

Dave

[Tom]

I wasn't ready for the March 30th one locally but I have to say I've been thinking about the ones going out of Schuylerville for some time now. It does sound like a blast, and much more to my liking than scaring the water out of my shorts in cat 5 fields.

[RABikes2]

Riding at night during a brevet is magical. You're usually in the middle of nowhere--I've gone hours without seeing a car. The silence can be incredible. Our 600k happens during firefly season--there's nothing like seeing those tiny flashes of light off in the fields. Your sense of smell gets stronger... you notice things you never would have noticed during the day. Everything feels bigger, and more mysterious, at night. It's a real adventure.

Don't avoid the night. It can be the best part!

Dave
If you've got decent lighting and the 600k coincides with a full moon ... wow. Dave gets it. ;) The best part as everybody has said ... the camaraderie and enjoying the experience.
Have fun!
RA

[goonster]

Riding at night during a brevet is magical.

It's a real adventure.


+ 1.

Plus, our 600's are held at the height of the mid-Atlantic summer, often with temps in the mid 90's and very high humidity. It's a tremendous relief when the sun goes down.

[Birddog]

Josh and Stu, eat your hearts out. John, I'm pretty sure I'm in. I'd like to get out there and pre-ride some of the stuff on the S end. Jeez, I can bail and or sleep right at my place too, how convenient is that? I did a 280km with 15,000' of climbing in Germany a few years back, so this is about double that in 40 hours, very doable I think.

http://www.nmbrevets.com/id20.html

Birddog

[willy in pacifi]

I have completed an entire brevet series that past 4 years & PBP last year. The 400k and 600k's are my favorite since there is more night riding. It really is magical at night when there is no one else out on the roads.

A couple hints and tips.

You will get sleepy around 4am but once the sun comes up you will get rejuvinated.

Never mix coffee with Vibruim. You will wish you could throw up.

Different from racing, most riders on brevets will pull for a few miles then wait until someone comes up to relieve them rather than pull for a minute then fall back.

The better the lights the faster you can travel at night.

If you are riding on unfamiliar roads you may have to use a smaller gear at night on hills. You just do not know how long it is or how steep it might get.

When riding at night at 20MPH your computer will only show 15MPH. You will be able to recover a bit at night as everything tends to slow down.

Eat too much and you will get the Bloat. Eat too little and you will bonk. But if either happens you can take a break and recover.

If you have never riden more than a 200k you might want to do a test run to see how your saddle feels after 400k, 500k.

I always wear two pairs of shorts. It adds cushion and in the morning you can switch them and it is almost like putting on a new pair. Seriously.

On any ride 400k or longer I always try to have a sit down meal but never before you have gone more than halfway.

Put a light on your helmet to see the route sheet and in case you get a flat at night. If you ride in traffic put it in flash mode so cars will notice you. Plus you can see road/street signs just by looking at them.

Get a decent sized bag to hang off of your seatpost rather than a camelbak.

If you want to go fast you will need some liquid food like Hammer's Sustained Energy or Perpetuem.

If you really get into brevets you can justify a bitchin new bike.

Any others?

willy in pacifica

[Orin]

I have completed an entire brevet series that past 4 years & PBP last year. The 400k and 600k's are my favorite since there is more night riding. It really is magical at night when there is no one else out on the roads.

A couple hints and tips.

You will get sleepy around 4am but once the sun comes up you will get rejuvinated.

Never mix coffee with Vibruim. You will wish you could throw up.

Different from racing, most riders on brevets will pull for a few miles then wait until someone comes up to relieve them rather than pull for a minute then fall back.

The better the lights the faster you can travel at night.

If you are riding on unfamiliar roads you may have to use a smaller gear at night on hills. You just do not know how long it is or how steep it might get.

When riding at night at 20MPH your computer will only show 15MPH. You will be able to recover a bit at night as everything tends to slow down.

Eat too much and you will get the Bloat. Eat too little and you will bonk. But if either happens you can take a break and recover.

If you have never riden more than a 200k you might want to do a test run to see how your saddle feels after 400k, 500k.

I always wear two pairs of shorts. It adds cushion and in the morning you can switch them and it is almost like putting on a new pair. Seriously.

On any ride 400k or longer I always try to have a sit down meal but never before you have gone more than halfway.

Put a light on your helmet to see the route sheet and in case you get a flat at night. If you ride in traffic put it in flash mode so cars will notice you. Plus you can see road/street signs just by looking at them.

Get a decent sized bag to hang off of your seatpost rather than a camelbak.

If you want to go fast you will need some liquid food like Hammer's Sustained Energy or Perpetuem.

If you really get into brevets you can justify a bitchin new bike.

Any others?

willy in pacifica

Lots of good advice above.

There is a writeup of a 600k I did a few years back here:

http://www.redmondcyclingclub.org/Newsletters/2002/jul02.pdf

Note that this was at the beginning of June and I needed gloves, jacket and booties in the mountains at night after stripping down to almost nothing the day before.

The above newsletter also has the infamous article "Brevet Nutrition: Ah, Fried Rabbit" - a must read for all randonneurs.

I have one overriding rule for randonneuring: "You're going too fast, slow down!" Another useful one is "Don't go anaerobic"... especially useful for SIR brevets when you don't know the course... there's always another hill around the corner and it's much worse than you expected.

Orin.

[goonster]

If there is one cardinal rule of randonneuring it is this:

Never, never quit until after you have had a bite to eat and taken a ten minute nap, atmo.

[dauwhe]

Not just a bite to eat--an apple fritter!

[willy in pacifi]

A couple hints and tips.

Never work that hard on the uphills.
Never work that hard on the downhills
And never work that hard on the flats.

If you ever get the thought in your mind that you may be going too fast....slow down.

willy in pacifica

[goonster]

Not just a bite to eat--an apple fritter!

So picky!

The second rule of randonneuring is "Eat continuously whatever will stay down."

That reminds of the frenchman on the PBP DVD who joked about his EPO regimen . . .

Eau, pastis, olives. :banana:

[Too Tall]

Josh and Stu, eat your hearts out. John, I'm pretty sure I'm in. I'd like to get out there and pre-ride some of the stuff on the S end. Jeez, I can bail and or sleep right at my place too, how convenient is that? I did a 280km with 15,000' of climbing in Germany a few years back, so this is about double that in 40 hours, very doable I think.

http://www.nmbrevets.com/id20.html

Birddog
Dooooh! Shhhhh, don't let the secret out. NM high plains is on par for it's spectacular riding and scenery with the Blue Ridge Mtns. And at the right time of yr. the smell of roasting.......OMG

[nm87710]

Let's go do this instead. ;) www.tour-of-arkansas.com No lights!

Hmmm, but why take 4 days to do what can be done in 40hrs?? Although I do like the no-lights part, follow vehicles, prize-lists, feed zones, nice meals, hot showers, beds and and watching TV at night!! Racers are such wimps :rolleyes:

[fiamme red]

I just had a nightmare last night about coming to a 600 km brevet completely unprepared: I forgot all my Clif bars, Gu, tools, and extra tubes at home, and my helmet light stopped working just before the ride. And I arrived at the sign-in just as everyone was pedaling off into the morning darkness.

I'm signed up for a 1200 later this year, so this will probably be the first of a recurring series of bad dreams. :crap:

[nm87710]

Josh and Stu, eat your hearts out. John, I'm pretty sure I'm in. I'd like to get out there and pre-ride some of the stuff on the S end. Jeez, I can bail and or sleep right at my place too, how convenient is that? I did a 280km with 15,000' of climbing in Germany a few years back, so this is about double that in 40 hours, very doable I think.

http://www.nmbrevets.com/id20.html

Birddog

BD, Yep. That's the E Ticket Brevet Ride I was thinking about. I'll be up mid June - mid Aug. You know the area and roads. Would you ride around there at night lit up like a xmas tree or opt for a daylight only brevet assualt? I'd assume a very, very small group doing this - maybe a dozen?

[nm87710]

Even if you don't ride at night your bike will need to be equiped with proper headlight(s) and taillight(s) for any event that's 300K or longer.

Hmmm, RUSA differs?

Article 10
For night riding, vehicles must be equipped with front and rear lights attached firmly to the vehicle. Lights must be turned on at all times during hours of darkness or other low-light conditions (rain, fog, etc.).

[issixtoomany]

Hmmm, RUSA differs?

Article 10
For night riding, vehicles must be equipped with front and rear lights attached firmly to the vehicle. Lights must be turned on at all times during hours of darkness or other low-light conditions (rain, fog, etc.).

Most likely there will be a bike inspection at the start and you will have to have adequate lighting, could be just a Cateye micro and a blinky, but you will need something.

"for night riding" suggests an absolute reason you need the lights, rather than a specific time (night). Anyway, there is the "other low-light conditions" stipulation that you have ignored.

[dauwhe]

Most brevet organizers require lights for all rides of 300k or longer, and for 200ks depending on circumstances. I think the idea is that if there's any chance of darkness for a rider that uses all the time available, then lights are required for all.

I always have all my lights on my bike.

Dave

[jbay]

I don't think it's possible to do a 600k brevet and avoid night riding.Well, I'm going off on a tangent, but there's always the Daylight 600 in Scotland! But aye, ya will have a couple of hours of roaming in the gloaming even in that.

-- John

[Birddog]

You know the area and roads. Would you ride around there at night lit up like a xmas tree or opt for a daylight only brevet assualt? I'd assume a very, very small group doing this - maybe a dozen?

In order, yes I would ride at night lit up like a Christmas tree, maybe even brighter than that. I am more concerned about clothing for the night. The temps on the Taos side could easily be in mid 80's and night time temps in the mtns could be low 30's. That's a pretty big range to be prepared for. Then there's the afternoon rain that could appear. For you and I, we could pretty easily do the the first 2/3rds and sleep in our own beds (pending control times), then do the southern section and finish, and the whole thing would be daylight.

I ride here in OK in the AM (dark) 3 times a week, so I'm sort of used to it. I would definitely upgrade my lights though, but that's in the cards anyway. The thought of doing SOME of this in the dark intrigues me, but then I think about my bed and.......

I was guessing maybe a dozen also, probably no more that 20, but I don't have a good handle on the NM rando scene.

I think that my not quite built up CX bike would be just the ticket for this. I'll put fenders on that sucker if I have to. I also know where I could pick up an old RB2 and make that into a rando bike. What do you veterans think?

Birddog

[R2D2]

Hmmm, RUSA differs?

Article 10
For night riding, vehicles must be equipped with front and rear lights attached firmly to the vehicle. Lights must be turned on at all times during hours of darkness or other low-light conditions (rain, fog, etc.).

What the others say.
If there's any chance you will ride at night the organizers require you have lights and will inspect the bike at the start.
In fact if you finish in darkness and your lights don't work or you are seen riding at night w/o lights you get a DNF.

In addition you need reflective vest/sash and reflective ankle bands for both legs.

Now on the pratical side, if you don't plan to ride in the darkness, just get some cheap LED light for front/rear.

Just trying to help ..............

[nm87710]

What the others say.
In addition you need reflective vest/sash and reflective ankle bands for both legs.

Now on the pratical side, if you don't plan to ride in the darkness, just get some cheap LED light for front/rear.

Just trying to help ..............

Thanks for the help!

Are reflective vest/ankle bands usually required to be worn at all times?

Just trying to figure out the minimum reqs. if I do it as 2 back-to-back loooong 180+ daylight training rides.

[fiamme red]

Thanks for the help!

Are reflective vest/ankle bands usually required to be worn at all times?

Just trying to figure out the minimum reqs. if I do it as 2 back-to-back loooong 180+ daylight training rides.No, you don't need to wear relfective vest/ankle bands during daylight hours.

Just get the lights atmo. You're bound to ride in the dark at some point. You may even enjoy it.

[issixtoomany]

You only need to wear the reflective clothing at night.

Most 600K rides include one or more bag drops that might help with the logistics. Might not want to rely on that though at your anticipated speed you could be waiting for the van to arrive with your stuff.

[GregLR]

Are you planning on riding the 200/300/400 first?
I think this question is a key one. It's pretty risky to ride a 600km ride without having built up the endurance in a structured way, so you know how your body, butt, mind, bike, etc, will handle the much longer time in the saddle, not to mention the things like nutrition that you mentioned in the original post.

I'm a longtime cycletourist, not a racer, and I've ridden 7 x 600s, 1 x 1000 and 2 x 1225 (both PBP). I was just reading an article in the January issue of UK "CyclingPlus" about last year's PBP, in which the following comment was made:

"...Those from a racing background may scoff at the generous allowance on average speed, but not even the hardened racer can cruise through the unavoidable, hammering exhaustion accrued over such distances, for most participants. "

Granted, the author is talking about 1225km, but those who participated had already done at least the series up to 600km to qualify. If your longest distance thus far is around 200km, there is a lot to learn in doing a 600.

My 2c...

Greg

[shoe]

i think my favorite part of doing the 600 k was being done...it was my least favorite in the series i did but really just the timing...allergy season and was totally flat....sounds like you will be fine for the event..if you keep a good pace and get tired slow it down or hook up with others. i think it is listening to your body and being smart(energy nutrition)...but know that you can make bad choices when you are tired...try to be organized and thought out and know that there can be changes to your expectations...i did a whole brevet series last year and i pretty much road one day a week to train and did it with one gear....i don't recommend that but it was fine and the 200 and 300 k's were a good lead in to the 600...but the 600 is it's own ride comparatively...i used a decent cat eye head lamp which wsa inexpensive...if you need more miles do it at night and pick an easy pace...i enjoyed the night rides..especially when it wasn't raining. i think your caloric intake and a reasonable balance of that is important...i am a fan of real food but would take cliff bars as well...to much sugar or food processing my body wasn't a fan of on the longer rides....everyone is different and there are alot of ways to get through it. what is the worst that could happen - being a type a competitive personality you don't finish the ride and hate yourself knowing that a bunch of people that ride slower than you finished...it is a great challenge... i feel the same things trying to race that i felt doing the series...well i'm sure other people are suffering right now as well so you just forge on...one of the stories that always sticks out in my mind was on the train after the sign up for the pbp we are talking to this guy and he says he is doing the pbp as well... we all are feeling anxious as to what to expect and have no real concrete ride plan .. sort of winging it a bit like all our others...figure just ride and let the ride and the day dictate..well we are asking this guy pointers since he has done it before...take in his advice and ask him how long he thinks it will take him...he calmly says around 50 hours.. i think it took us another 30 and something when it was all done and said....so i always figured if he can do it in that time than i can atleast do it in 85 hours or whatever our time cut off was...granted i think he may have been in better shape than us...let us know how you make out...the training rides can be interesting and revealing as well...and good luck....dave