As of last night, I'm averaging 200K per day for 2011.
Thanks, everyone, for the brevet advice. As promised, here's the
report.
The forecast was for rain all morning, SE wind 5-15 mph in the
morning, rain stopping and wind dying down in the afternoon; almost
ideal for an out-and-back that went northeast for the first half. I
was worried about being cold and wet, so I packed up an extra pair of
socks, a pair of gloves, and an spare wool undershirt (those Ibex
woolies are *fantastic*). I also brought rain pants. I planned to wear
an Ibex wooly undershirt, a jersey, a rain jacket, polarfleece tights
over shorts, and wool socks with booties over them. For food I brought
some brownie bites with peppermint patties in them, and a meat pie,
plus a flask of gel.
I overslept yesterday morning, so I had to rush to get out of the
house. Luckily, I'd packed up everything the night before. In the
rush, though, I probably didn't eat enough breakfast.
I arrived in plenty of time, with a good chance to check out the other
bikes. I didn't see any other Rivs, though I think there may have been
an orange one I missed. Several riders had beautiful Steve Rex bikes.
Several riders were using Rivish canvas handlebar bags, some with
decaleurs. Oddly, about a third of the riders didn't have fenders,
even though rain was predicted and it was in fact raining.
Since it was raining steadily at the start, I donned the rain pants. I
stopped a couple of times near the start of the ride, so ended up
riding alone, but with a tailwind that didn't matter. The rain tailed
off after about an hour, and the wind picked up. I was zipping right
along, not working too hard. What a delight it was to ride an empty
Highway 1.
I stopped for a pitstop and snack just north of Pigeon Point, maybe 30
miles in, but didn't eat very much. Between Pescadero and San Gregorio
I was catching up to a tandem. I had visions of that tandem being my
new best friend on the way back into the wind, but then at the base of
the hill just north of San Gregorio, I was feeling a little bonkish so
I stopped for a peppermint, and I didn't see the tandem couple again.
That hill is pesky-- it's only about three or four hundred feet, but
it always seems more difficult that I think it should. Perhaps it
always comes at a difficult time in a ride-. Usually I approach it
after having climbed Page Mill, Haskins Hill and the two little hills
on Stage Road, so I'm tired. There are three ways to climb it, and the
one I was doing, north on Highway 1, is the easiest. Still, I was glad
to summit and ride the rollers to Half Moon Bay. After Half Moon Bay,
it was only a few miles to the turnaround.
I reached the turnaround four hours in, feeling strong, and took the
last parking spot at the end of the line-up of bikes stretched out
along the wall of the market. I was hoping for hot soup or a tasty
sandwich, but the convenience store had only nasty-looking premade
sandwiches and no soup. I had a chocolate milk, a banana, a brownie
bite and a couple of bites of meat pie-- not really enough. The people
still left at the rest stop when I was ready to go looked strong, like
I wouldn't be able to stay with them, so I headed out alone.
It was tough. That happy dream of the wind dropping was a
weatherliar's fantasy. The wind continued just as it had been all day,
with whitecaps out on the ocean, only now I had to ride into it. I
figured on stopping every fifteen miles on the way back. The first
stop was a random beach, where I was the only one enjoying the cold
windy picnic tables. I didn't linger, and again I didn't eat enough.
My second stop was at Gazos Creek. I had just leaned my bike against
the wall to go in the convenience store when I noticed a group of
cyclists passing. I jumped back on the bike and with my last strength,
bridged to join them. The benefit was obvious; I could sit in for a
while and stop fighting the wind I'd been fighting for thirty miles.
The cost became clear; I needed to eat and to get more water, but I
didn't. But three angels riding Steve Rex bikes babysat me for the
rest of the route, as I got weaker and weaker. We stopped in
Davenport. One of the angels handed me a Coke. I slurped it down, but
I was still draggling as one of my angels escorted me, slowly, to the
end of the ride, ten and a half hours after I started.
Reflections:
The ride was harder than I expected, and the challenge was different.
I expected to be cold and wet, but in fact it rained only for about
the first hour, with a few sprinkles near the end. But the wind was
tough. The main problem, though, was my (stupidly unrecognized at the
time) lack of food. I didn't drink enough, and I didn't eat nearly
enough. My stomach was hurting for the last twenty miles, and if I had
had two brain cells to rub together I would have remembered *it always
hurts when I have low blood sugar.* One problem was not having a setup
where food was easily available when I was riding. With gloves on, I
couldn't reach under my jacket into my jersey to get pocket food, and
the rest of the food was in the saddlebag where I couldn't get it.
The group consensus to fender the Roadeo was exactly right. It was the
perfect bike for the task. My non-touring Atlantis seems like the
obvious brevet bike, since, for example, it has a dynamo, and of
course fenders, but right now I have the riding position on it set up
more upright than I think optimal for a brevet. We have wind around
here! So I need to fiddle the bikes around somehow.
My clothing selection was perfect. I never wore the spare dry clothes,
but if it had been rainier I would have, so in the same situation I'd
bring them again.
I used two Planet bike headlights mounted on the handlebar, a 2 watt
and a half watt. They were fine-- but I was only in the dark for about
three quarters of an hour, with no significant downhill, in a built up
area with plenty of ambient light. For a brevet with more darkness,
I'd use a dynamo.
My Carradice saddlebag worked well, but I need something up forward to
hold food so I can reach it while riding. It's a conundrum. I use a
handlebar bag when touring, but I'm not a fan of the handling of the
bike with a handlebar bag and not much else. Plus the bag blocks the
light. I might make a banana bag, then use a dynamo light mounted at
the fork crown.
The brownie bites with peppermint patties inside turned out to be
inviting-- I should have eaten more of them. The meat pie was also
appealing, though I need to fix the crust so it's not so crumbly. Both
of those foods will come with me on my next brevet. AND NEXT TIME I'LL
EAT THEM.
--
-- Anne Paulson
My hovercraft is full of eels
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