When is a 300km ride feasible? - Oops

vernon said:

Sorry folks - wasn't paying attention when I posted the original
message. Here's a second attempt to tidy things up a bit:

Im thinking of having a go at a 300km Audax this year. It will
probably be a permanent through the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire
Wolds. 100km rides are not a problem and I managed a 200km last
year. How will I know if I am up to a 300km ride? I'll have around
2000km worth of Audax ridng under my belt by the time I make an
attempt in July. I suspect that my head will fail me before my legs
do...
The leap from 200km to 300km seems immense.

With 2000km in your legs this year and a LEJOG last year, you won't have a
problem.

vernon said:

Sorry folks - wasn't paying attention when I posted the original message.
Here's a second attempt to tidy things up a bit:

Im thinking of having a go at a 300km Audax this year. It will probably be
a permanent through the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire Wolds. 100km rides are
not a problem and I managed a 200km last year. How will I know if I am up
to a 300km ride? I'll have around 2000km worth of Audax ridng under my belt
by the time I make an attempt in July. I suspect that my head will fail me
before my legs do...
The leap from 200km to 300km seems immense.

Don't do a perm, do a calendar event so you have the company of others,
controls etc. It will help your head. Last year I jumped from 200s to
300s with one intermediate of 270km in between. My first 200 was
February, 2nd in March, first 300 was in May. I think of it in terms of
hours not kilometres. After the first 200s last year, i felt like a
truck had driven through me and i approached the 300s and 400s with
confidence, excitement and a little apprehension. After two two hundreds
I was confident that I could ride for ever, it wasn't going to get any
worse. I was riding every day, doing a 100km ride the day before or day
after a 200. It did make a difference, the times I did an easy 100
before a 200, the 200 was much easier than when i didn't do the 'warm
up'. How do you know if you are ready ? Don't know, I didn't know if I
was ready, I roughly followed a training plan which said it would get me
ready, it worked and I completed my first 300 well within the time limit.

Quoted message said:

Don't do a perm, do a calendar event so you have the company of others,
controls etc. It will help your head.

The local calendared events are too soon, I think, for me. I won't have any
150 and 200 km rides under my belt before Butty's Brid Trip and Everyone
Rides to Skeggy.

As for riding in the company of others - I usually end up as lantern rouge.
Last weekend was the exception.

Quoted message said:

Last year I jumped from 200s to 300s with one intermediate of 270km in
between. My first 200 was February, 2nd in March, first 300 was in May. I
think of it in terms of hours not kilometres.

Funnily enough I've been looking at the ride in hours instead of distance
which makes it look a stronger possibility than the enourmity of 300km.

Quoted message said:

After the first 200s last year, i felt like a truck had driven through me
and i approached the 300s and 400s with confidence, excitement and a
little apprehension. After two two hundreds I was confident that I could
ride for ever, it wasn't going to get any worse.

My 200km ride last year was a little bit of an ordeal. Looing at the brevet
card I made it to the check points with 10 - 15 minutes to spare until
towards the end when I managed to claw back some time with my co-rider.
It's been the only Audax ride that i''ve done where i've had a constant
companion. I remember aching a lot on the final approach to York. CAn't
remember how sore I felt in the following days.

I was riding every day, doing a 100km ride the day before or day

Quoted message said:

after a 200. It did make a difference, the times I did an easy 100 before
a 200, the 200 was much easier than when i didn't do the 'warm up'.

I feel very fresh after a 100km. This weekend will be my first 150km and
I'm likely to slot in my first 200km ride in the next two weeks.

Quoted message said:

How do you know if you are ready ? Don't know, I didn't know if I was
ready, I roughly followed a training plan which said it would get me ready,
it worked and I completed my first 300 well within the time limit.

Plans - I'm bloody useless at them. My slimming plan is a prime example :-)

vernon said:

How will I know if I am up to a 300km ride?

Based on your ride reports, I think you are probably there or
thereabouts already. I mean, if /I/ can manage a 300, I'm sure /you/ can.

Maybe it would be beneficial to do another 200 first by way of a
warm-up, but when I did my first 300 last year, I hadn't done anything
longer than a 100 in the 8 months leading up to it.

Quoted message said:

I'll have around 2000km worth of Audax ridng under my belt
by the time I make an attempt in July. I suspect that my head will fail me
before my legs do...

This is one of those occasions when you have to let the heart rule the
head. The head will tell you that riding 300km for fun is a mental thing
to do, but if your heart is telling you that you really want to do it
you'll only regret it if you don't.

Quoted message said:

The leap from 200km to 300km seems immense.

It is! The biggest difference is that you /know/ you will be spending at
least a few hours riding in the dark. A 200 can be done in daylight, but
not a 300 - not unless you are very fast.

If you are not used to riding at night, it could be a big mental hurdle
to overcome, especially if the route is on quiet, unlit country lanes.
But it's really not that big a deal, and night riding can be very
enjoyable if you are adequately prepared (ie proper lights, warm
clothing). These days, I /love/ riding at night.

d.

davek wrote:

A 200 can be done in daylight, but

Quoted message said:

not a 300 - not unless you are very fast.

It depends what time the start is - some of the 300s actually start at
night so obviously you need lights at the start.

MSeries and I did the Wigginton 300 last year and didn't need lights.
We had lights with us of course, but didn't need to use them. The ride
started at 5am though.

In article <[email hidden]>, vernon ([email hidden])

Quoted message said:

Sorry folks - wasn't paying attention when I posted the original message.
Here's a second attempt to tidy things up a bit:

Im thinking of having a go at a 300km Audax this year. It will probably be
a permanent through the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire Wolds. 100km rides are
not a problem and I managed a 200km last year. How will I know if I am up
to a 300km ride? I'll have around 2000km worth of Audax ridng under my belt
by the time I make an attempt in July. I suspect that my head will fail me
before my legs do...
The leap from 200km to 300km seems immense.

It is a big step. yes, but I suspect that much of it is mental rather
than physical. In 2003 I did the Dunwich Dynamo and back - about 370 km
by the route I took - on a diet of 27 km of daily commuting and the odd
recumbent race. The only disbenefit afterward was the reinforcement of
the belief that the Body on which Specialized Body Geometry shoes are
modelled has a radically different Geometry from mine. I agree with
davek about getting in a 200 (or two) prior to doing a 300. I got five
in last season before going on to a 300 and 400 on consecutive weekends.

Echo also what davek said about riding at night. Bring it on :-)

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Hoc ardur vincere docet.

davek said:

vernon said:

How will I know if I am up to a 300km ride?

Based on your ride reports, I think you are probably there or
thereabouts already. I mean, if /I/ can manage a 300, I'm sure /you/ can.

Maybe it would be beneficial to do another 200 first by way of a
warm-up, but when I did my first 300 last year, I hadn't done anything
longer than a 100 in the 8 months leading up to it.

I'd agree, be confortable with 200s, then do a 250km ride to bridge the
gap, I had done only two 200s plus my 270, plus many 100s in the 4
months leading up to my first 300. The 300 was easy after that, I was
very familiar with the last 60km so it made it easier.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'll have around 2000km worth of Audax ridng under my belt
by the time I make an attempt in July. I suspect that my head will fail me
before my legs do...

Quoted message said:

This is one of those occasions when you have to let the heart rule the
head. The head will tell you that riding 300km for fun is a mental thing
to do, but if your heart is telling you that you really want to do it
you'll only regret it if you don't.

Quoted message said:

The leap from 200km to 300km seems immense.

It is! The biggest difference is that you /know/ you will be spending at
least a few hours riding in the dark. A 200 can be done in daylight, but
not a 300 - not unless you are very fast.

You flatter me, I don't consider 20kph for a 300 to be very fast. The
Wiggy 300 took us 15 hours, finished at 20:00 in May, daylight :-) .

Quoted message said:

If you are not used to riding at night, it could be a big mental hurdle
to overcome, especially if the route is on quiet, unlit country lanes.
But it's really not that big a deal, and night riding can be very
enjoyable if you are adequately prepared (ie proper lights, warm
clothing). These days, I /love/ riding at night.

d.

Night riding is great, I really like it, you can pactice this too
before the big event. To the OP, do everything you can to prepare
yourself and make it easy. Familiarise yourself with the route, get
used to riding at night, team up with someone for moral support. It all
helps .

My first Audax ride was a 300.

I did the Mildenhall 300 in 1998 having done nothing over 100km since 1996.

You can do it!

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

In article <[email hidden]>,

MSeries () said:

You flatter me, I don't consider 20kph for a 300 to be very fast. The
Wiggy 300 took us 15 hours, finished at 20:00 in May, daylight :-) .

Right, Dave, I'll hold him and you hit him...

I suppose it depends on the ratio of riding:cake:p+nct+r+s though.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
God was my co-pilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I had to eat
Him.

MSeries said:

You flatter me, I don't consider 20kph for a 300 to be very fast. The
Wiggy 300 took us 15 hours, finished at 20:00 in May, daylight :-) .

Well, that's certainly a fair bit quicker than I could manage a 300, and
I suspect less time than Vernon should allow for his 300. My first 300
was completed at an average /riding/ speed of slightly over 20kmh, but
including stops it took me 17 hours, ie under 18kmh overall.

Quoted message said:

Night riding is great, I really like it, you can pactice this too
before the big event. To the OP, do everything you can to prepare
yourself and make it easy. Familiarise yourself with the route, get
used to riding at night, team up with someone for moral support. It all
helps .

Indeed. Just trying a few short local rides at night should at least
help to get used to the feel of night-time riding.

d.

davek said:

MSeries said:

You flatter me, I don't consider 20kph for a 300 to be very fast. The
Wiggy 300 took us 15 hours, finished at 20:00 in May, daylight :-) .

Well, that's certainly a fair bit quicker than I could manage a 300, and
I suspect less time than Vernon should allow for his 300. My first 300
was completed at an average /riding/ speed of slightly over 20kmh, but
including stops it took me 17 hours, ie under 18kmh overall.

Quoted message said:

Night riding is great, I really like it, you can pactice this too
before the big event. To the OP, do everything you can to prepare
yourself and make it easy. Familiarise yourself with the route, get
used to riding at night, team up with someone for moral support. It all
helps .

Indeed. Just trying a few short local rides at night should at least
help to get used to the feel of night-time riding.

d.

My first 300 was about 17 hours IIRC, that was only a week or two before
my 15 hour one and we did do the last hour or so in the dark. It started
at 06:00 whereas the faster one starter at 05:00

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My first Audax ride was a 300.

I did the Mildenhall 300 in 1998 having done nothing over 100km since
1996.

You can do it!

I suspect that I can but prefer to deal with certainties :-)

I cope with the unknown better than the known i.e. my ignorance of a route
sometimes is to my advantage as was the case with the 150km Ron Kitching
ride last year - had I known how hilly it was, I'd have never entered it.
I'm looking at a June/July slot for an attempt and will be cycling in the
Lincolnshire and Yorkshire Wolds to recce a route. Once I have a few 200km
rides under my belt, I have reasoned that I'll only have another six or
seven hours to add to the riding time of a 200km ride to see off a 300km
ride.

What has surprised me is my willingness to contemplate riding such a
distance.

vernon said:

The local calendared events are too soon, I think, for me. I won't have any
150 and 200 km rides under my belt before Butty's Brid Trip and Everyone
Rides to Skeggy.

Give the Skeggy ride a go, unless its windy you won't find an easier
300. There's plenty of 200s that I've found harder and there's still
time to get a 200 in before then.
There's also a couple of train bail out options (Skegness and Lincoln)
that will get you back to within 14 miles of the start (Derby)
The first time I did it, I decided to ride to Skeg, then decide whether
to ride to Lincoln and then choose if I was going to finish. I did 😉

vernon said:

I feel very fresh after a 100km. This weekend will be my first 150km and
I'm likely to slot in my first 200km ride in the next two weeks.

Are you doing Oakham? See you there then!!

Tony B
silver Dawes Audax

"vernon" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My first Audax ride was a 300.

I did the Mildenhall 300 in 1998 having done nothing over 100km since
1996.

You can do it!

I suspect that I can but prefer to deal with certainties :-)

Ummm... completing any ride is *never* a certainty...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"vernon" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My first Audax ride was a 300.

I did the Mildenhall 300 in 1998 having done nothing over 100km since
1996.

You can do it!

I suspect that I can but prefer to deal with certainties :-)

Ummm... completing any ride is *never* a certainty...

Prehaps I phrased that badly....eliminating impediments external to my
physical and mental self e.g.. unforseen badger attacks and mechanical
failure I like to embark upon a ride with the certainty that *I* am up to
it.

"Tony B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

vernon said:

I feel very fresh after a 100km. This weekend will be my first 150km and
I'm likely to slot in my first 200km ride in the next two weeks.

Are you doing Oakham? See you there then!!

Yep. I'll be there.

I''l be riding a well used black Dawes Galaxy. I'll be sporting a Camelback
Mule and my best Aldi blue winter cycling jacket. Looking at the route
sheet I've notied that it's a 160. I might bring the 200 ride forward into
next week if the weather's conducive.

Dave Larrington said:

Right, Dave, I'll hold him and you hit him...

If we can catch him!

Quoted message said:

I suppose it depends on the ratio of riding:cake:p+nct+r+s though.

Yes! - I notice from my computer that although I took over 19.5 hours to
finish the Dean 300, my actual riding time was just under 16 hours, so I
must have spent more time not moving than I realised. I didn't have any
p+nct+res but there were quite a few minor stops for other mechanical
needs, eg tightening the bolt on my map holder before the whole thing
fell off. Five minutes here and there soon adds up...

I've just had the routesheet through for this year's Invicta 300 and I
see that the scout hut at the finish is only booked until 5.45pm, so
extra incentive to ride faster.

d.

In article <[email hidden]>, davek

() said:

I've just had the routesheet through for this year's Invicta 300 and I
see that the scout hut at the finish is only booked until 5.45pm, so
extra incentive to ride faster.

(Counts on fingers)

14:45 for a 300? Looks like I'll be getting changed in the back of the
car then...

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Drugs are good, except when they kill you.