On Jan 25, 6:24 pm, Chris Lampe <clampe1...@yahoo.com> wrote: > I recently got interested in Randonneuring as a very long-term riding > goal and during my research I found a story a guy wrote about an event > that included himself, Jan Heine and another guy. Jan ended the trip > fine, the other guy had to be carried home and the author of the story > ended up in the hospital. I hope that situation is an anomaly in the > sport but it certainly made me lose interest.
The event those three were riding was a unique event--a Cyclos Montagnards Challenge (http://cyclosmontagnards.org/WhatAreCM.html). It's not even something recognized by RUSA. Regular brevets, populaires, and permanents all over generous finish times so that someone moving along at a steady and constant pace can finish. With the club I ride with, OR Randonneurs, there are riders from across the spectrum. This will be my fifth year of randonneuring and I've never trained in the sense of doing preplanned workouts, intervals or even charting my build-up to events, I just ride my bike. I do usually taper off and don't ride so much in the late fall early winter but then just pick up the mileage riding longer and longer. It's been weird, after not really riding for 2 months I started 2012 with a 200k permanent on 01/02. That was great fun and I was surprised I finished it feeling so well. It got me all fired up about riding this year and since that ride I've done 2 other 100+ mile rides, the second one yesterday. I don't think I ever really pushed my heart rate, I just kept pedaling. At one point it started raining and I took shelter and ate a sandwich I brought with me. My main reason for doing the ride was to go check out some new roads and just spend time on my bike, something I love. If I were to limit myself to short rides I wouldn't see anything. I'd be stuck noodling around Multnomah County and wouldn't ever get to ride the road less travelled or see the things like the herd of elk that I saw yesterday. I don't drive so driving out to start rides further (farther?) outside the city limits isn't an option. I absolutely love randonneuring and what's it done for how I see cycling and the distances I can manage. To tell you the truth, a 100 mile ride really isn't that big a deal any more. Because of my work schedule I'm often off on weekdays while my wife is at work it's not difficult for me to find the time for a 6 to 10hr ride. I love the solitude and I love the way I feel on the bike, it's just not something that's replicated on shorter rides. I realize this type of riding isn't for everyone or that people simply don't have the time. I doubt I'll always have the time for it so I'm doing it now while I can. For anyone considering radonneuring don't be deterred by the comment that it's nothing more than racing. That's simply not true. While there are fast riders who blast off at the start, there are plenty of folks who just roll down the road chatting and enjoying each others company and the scenery. As people have said in the past, randonneuring is a big tent, there's room for everyone. That's not to say that it's without stress. My first 300k I overpacked and perseverated on the distance in the days building up to it but was pleasantly surprised how smoothly it went with good company, some breaks, and an easy pace. --mike -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
