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I'll be 53 in August, I am out of shape, overweight, and without the funds necessary to complete the 2007 Paris-Brest-Paris Cycling event. So why do I pursue this unlikely goal? The more one reads about the “granddaddy of them all” the more one will understand why I intend to give it a go. Every avid cyclist would like to ride the PBP. The showstopper comes with the reality of job, money, conditioning, family, and time preventing the majority from attempting this ride. I feel I am more fortunate than most, because only conditioning and money stand in my way.

This becomes even more intriguing when one looks at the history of this magical event. To my knowledge, only one American has completed this ride on a Trike; Robert Kobliska did it under the VS category in a homemade fully faired velocycle in 1999. If correct, 2007 provides an opportunity for the first American to complete the ride in the TC category. After this year, the next opportunity will be in the year 2011. As Barack Obama weighs his chances for the President of the United States, I weigh mine for the qualification for the PBP. Frankly, I like my chances better.

The purpose of this journal is to track my progress; however, posting my goals in public might make it too embarrassing to back out. I also hope to pick up some well-needed advice from readers. Please drop me a line if you are so inclined.

The Randonneurs USA (RUSA) describe PBP as follows:

First run in 1891, the 1200-kilometer Paris-Brest-Paris, or "PBP" as it is commonly called, is a grueling test of human endurance and cycling ability. Organized every four years by the host Audax Club Parisien, the Paris-Brest-Paris Randonneurs is the oldest bicycling event still run on a regular basis. Beginning on the southern side of the French capital, it travels west 600 kilometers to the port city of Brest on the Atlantic Ocean and returns along the same route.

Today's randonneur cyclists, while no longer riding the primitive machines used a hundred years ago over dirt roads or cobblestones, still have to face up to rough weather, endless hills, and pedaling around the clock. A 90-hour time limit ensures that only the hardiest randonneurs earn the prestigious PBP finisher's medal and have their name entered into the event's "Great Book" along with every other finisher going back to the very first PBP. To become a PBP ancien (or ancienne for the ladies) is to join a very elite group of cyclists who have successfully endured this mighty challenge. No longer a contest for professional racing cyclists (whose entry is now forbidden), PBP evolved into a timed randonnée or brevet for hard-riding amateurs during the middle part of the 20th century.

Ride Plan

One must successfully complete a 200K,300K,400K, and 600K brevet in the year of the PBP to qualify for the Paris ride. There will be over 375 sanctioned brevets in over 45 locations around the United States to complete this task. I will attempt the brevets below:

Qualifying Brevet Series (revised 12 March)

6 Jan	200K	Gainesville Fla
17 Mar	300K	Bonifay Fla.
28 Apr	400K	Bonifay Fla
26 May	600K	Atlanta Ga.

Fun Rides

Feb	100K	Cotton Country Cruise
Feb	100K	Biking Bleckley
Mar	160K	St. Pat Century
Mar	160K	Azalea Century
June	160K	Blood/Sweat& Gears

The ride plan will change as I gather more data but if the PBP were to take place tomorrow this would be the riding plan. Sixty-Six hours actual riding time, ten hours sleeping, and 14 hours at the control points. I would average 8 mph climbing hills (38 hours), 13 mph on the flats (11 hours), and 18 mph on the downhill’s (17 hours). I do not plan to sleep at the control points; instead, I will sleep along the route.

PBP Route

Control	Distance	Time Allotment
Perche	141K	7 hrs 30 min
Juhel	81K	4 hrs 24 min
Fougeres	88K	4hrs 42 min
Tinteniac	55K	3 hrs
Loudeac	86K	4 hrs 38 min
Carhaix	77K	4 hrs 6 min
Brest	86K	4 hrs 38 min
Carhaix	92K	5 hrs
Loudeac	77K	4 hrs 6 min
Tinteniac	86K	4 hrs 38 min
Fougeres	55K	3 hrs
La Juhel	88K	4 hrs 42 min
Perche	82K	4 hrs 24 min
Dreux	80K	4 hrs 22 min
Guyancourt	69K	3 hrs 42 min

EQUIPMENT

What kind of equipment will I need? This is perhaps the toughest question of them all. At this point, it is my desire to attack the ride the way a true Randonneur would have done it in the days gone by. I plan to ride non-supported. No drop offs by RUSA and certainly no crews to pamper me along every control. This means either it’s on the bike or I’m living off the economy.

The first hard trade off comes when considering lighting? Americans always pack the biggest and brightest but I think I will opt for the South Georgia option and go with two nine-dollar cat-eyes and a couple of spare bulbs. The plan will be to carry enough batteries to get me through the first night, dump them in the morning, and pick up more later that evening. I'll be taking several night rides in the upcoming weeks to field test this concept. I will also carry a 1.2-pound bivy sack and sleep along the route. To those who are not familiar with a Bivy, it is an extremely lightweight alternative to traditional tents. Very popular among climbers and minimalist campers, a bivy sack at its barest is a thin waterproof fabric shell designed to provide 5 to 10 degrees of insulation and form an effective barrier against wind and rain. The Bivy will provide me a warm, dry sleeping sack for when I get tired. I will not have to rely on facilities at control points. I’ve read in many journals that the controls are time consuming and not sleep conducive.

Of course, the most prominent piece of equipment is the vehicle itself. I will travel on a Catrike Speed trike, weighing 29 pounds and sporting a tail fairing. I question the aerodynamic effect of the sock on performance, but the increased visibility of the fairing is a welcome addition. As depicted in the photo, the tail sock offers a great platform for advertising and potential sponsors. Unfortunately, AARP was not suitably impressed and declined the offer. Aleve is still considering the request. Wouldn’t a “Catrike.com” logo fit like a glove? If nothing comes through, I think I will put the Statue of Liberty with the words “Liberte” on the fairing.

Update: An e-mail from an experienced ancien has mentioned that advertising on the tail sock could result in disqualification as per the rules. This works out very well for me, as I can now avoid the fact I cannot find a sponsor and simply say it wasn't allowed.

I am set in clothing. I will wear a custom-made hot-weather mesh Catrike Jersey with a long sleeve Underarmor under layer and custom-made light-weight pants. These pants roll up in the daytime to form shorts and roll down to provide warmth and rain protection at night. I will also carry leg warmers and seal skin socks to ensure dry feet. Rain gear will be determined by the weather forecast at the time. If the weather forecast is for a typical week of August French weather I will roll the dice and carry the “Hefty” brand rain gear ensemble, if rain is imminent a serious upgrade will be in order. I will carry additional socks and two additional pairs of underwear. The plan is to simply dispose of (properly) the old pairs to lessen the load as I go. Headgear will consist of a cool max Catrike riding hat.

Training

My training plan is neither technical nor spectacular; I’m just going to ride when I can. The first Brevet is 6 January in Gainesville Florida. This will give me a very good idea of where I have to go concerning conditioning. After this the following Brevets come very soon after and when one adds the other planned rides, I suspect I will be riding 30-60 miles a day with a hundred plus ride thrown in once a week. April and May will be my hill climbing time where I will focus on the steepest hills I can find. The June Blood Sweat and Gears ride in North Carolina will be my final readiness indicator. At this point, assuming I have qualified and am satisfied with my BSG performance, the remainder of my training centers on speed drills. I will spend the majority of my time doing speed sprints around the local track.

Nutrition is another area in which I need more experience. I have a rough time consuming enough liquids without getting indigestion. Sports drinks don’t cut it after one bottle. This chocolate milk thing seems to be working well on 40-70 mile rides. I will continue to experiment with this during the Florida 200k Brevet. The other energy boost I am working with is straight bread and honey. It seems to provide a high octane charged boost without causing gastrointestinal difficulties.

5 January Prep for 200K Brevet

I'm headed to Gainesville without the training miles I intended on getting in, Only 350 miles for the month of December. I did get in 150 miles in the last three days and feel pretty good. The six pounds gained over the holidays are gone. During my bike inspection last night I discovered a quarter inch cut in my back stelvio tire. It’s too late to find a replacement tire now, so I put some shoe goo on it and will hope for the best. My RUSA membership is in hand and registration complete. The weather forecast is improving and with a little luck it could be a dry ride. I am ready to go. I'll let you know how it goes.

7 January 200K Ride Report

I took the first small step in completing a qualifying PBP Brevet series on January 6 in Gainesville Florida. As a rookie randonneur, I did not know what to expect and was very apprehensive at the start of this 200k ride. It had rained the entire day before and the forecast called for rain on the ride day. I felt prepared for rain, cold weather, and darkness in case I was still riding after sunset. Just prior to my departure to Gainesville, I discovered I was riding on a rear tire with a quarter inch slash and it was too late to find a replacement. As it turned out, this would become a great Brevet to get my feet wet. After it had rained all night, the skies cleared at sun up, it was a perfect day, 63 degrees at the start of the ride and in the low 80’s towards the end. The Randonneur Gods took pity on this rookie, they made it perfectly clear that I was unprepared for rain but benevolent enough to let me know with a freebie; meanwhile, another act of kindness, the tire would hold. Lesson number one: check your equipment while you still have time to do something about it. Lesson number two: it’s time to upgrade my rain gear.

During the ride administrator's last minute instructions my first mechanical malfunction occurred, those wonderful, knee-saving Speedplays would not click-in to the pedals. Brevets do not wait on Gomers to clip-in; the ride started promptly at a leisurely pace through town at 07:32 hours. I guesstimate about 75 riders, one on a trike. I had little choice -- off I began, hoping to get clipped in down the road. This hope lasted the entire ride; I was never able to clip-in. I love the float Speedplays provide the knees but unless I can find the cause of this clip-in problem and correct it, I cannot afford to use temperamental Speedplays on randonneuring events. Lesson number 3: dump Speedplays and go back to the old reliable SPD’s.

Meanwhile, the pace picked up slightly as we came to the outskirts of town and by mile number eight I was riding solo. I have no idea where all the riders went, but they were gone! This created another problem in that I had no idea where I was going. I had stuffed my route sheet deep into my pockets. One must understand, I cannot see a lick without reading glasses so a route sheet does not do me much good while moving. This compounded the time problem even more because I had to stop at every junction to check my route. By the end of the ride, I had developed a technique in which my reading glasses were at the ready stuck in the air vents of my helmet while my queue sheet was readily available in my shirt pocket. I gained a valuable skill of how to read your queue sheet while moving. Lesson number 4: Need more pockets and clip rings on my custom-made riding shirt and one must memorize the route the best you can prior to the ride.

Nutrition was not a problem on this ride. I drank three 16-ounce bottles of chocolate milk, one bottle of water, and ate one PBJ sandwich. I turned in my Brevet card at the final control nine hours and two minutes after starting the 125-mile ride. Lesson number 5: I have much more to learn but I can do this. Bring on the next Brevet.

Night Riding

The 200k is nothing more than a memory and now I am tidying up the things learned from this ride. I have added loops on my riding shirt so glasses can be attached. Thanks to a great tip from a reader, I have resolved the clip-in shoe problem. He suggested that I loosen the bottom screws and when I did the shoes clip-in very easily. This is a great thing to know, as I really do like the float the Speedplay cleats gives the feet. Now it’s time to move on to the next step, the art of night riding.

My cat eye el 500 light set came in and I have since logged 7 night hours and over 80 miles of riding time with it. The light itself does not provide a great amount of light but it is adequate for my needs. I can see how this light will not satisfy those desiring a bright field of light nor the very fast rider but I am neither. Being an old Combat Engineer I am use to operating in low light conditions and this light is several steps beyond that. The key will be battery life. So far, it is still going strong after hour number seven. This light is looking like a keeper, for the qualifying Brevets anyway. The major problem is, at the time of this writing, the PBP does not allow LED lights as the primary light source. The plan is to wait the issue out and see what more experienced riders use during the upcoming Brevets. I am toying with the idea of waiting to buy one of those light-spin sets when I get to France.

Night riding is certainly a different experience than day riding. It is very enjoyable, as you seem to glide along the road effortlessly. That is until the dogs are alerted. One rather large black k9 with red eyes use to cause me great fear, as he would attack making horrible guttural sounds as if I were going to be his next breakfast. I nicknamed this fellow Satan, and really did fear him, as he would come with inches of me snapping all the while. We finally came to an agreement, I would pedal as fast I could by his place and he would merely escort me beyond his turf. Apparently, Satan only considers this a daytime truce. Hearing a jet-black, 100 plus pound dog in the dark, growling within inches my throat is an experience that sticks with you for a while. Oh well, I’ve heard the French dogs are better behaved, I certainly hope so. Time will tell.

I’ve had enough of the night riding experience. I have concluded that night riding is beyond the risk factor I am willing to take; plainly speaking it is just too dangerous! I have selected lightly traveled roads for my training but have found it is still not worth the risk. When riding at night there are times when the triker can rely on nothing but faith the approaching vehicle sees them. In the daytime a triker has the chance to see an inattentative vehicle and can take evasive action. At night the vehicle lights blind the trike rider for about two seconds during the most crucial part of the passage. At this time the trike can only hope the vehicle avoids them. Riding on the killing fields is dangerous enough without giving up your ability to take evasive actions. Since RUSA has informed me LED lights are allowed in this years PBP it makes choices and logistics for lighting much easier. Therfore, my night riding is over except for the remaining brevets and the actual PBP.

Time sure flies when you're wasting it

A month has gone by since the first Brevet. It seems like I am missing every goal I have set. Lighting solutions are not finalized, especially the reflectors and such, while my back seat storage compartment is still in the conceptual stage. I am nearing 1,000 training miles for the year, but I do not seem to be improving much. I am stuck in the 13-14 mph cruising range unless I can find a hill to fall down. I have become obsessed with speed, not because I would like to go fast but, because a faster pace will provide me a cushion if in fact I qualify for the PBP. Mathematics says my cruising speed will make the distance but I suspect the PBP is not about mathematics.

After the euphoria of a successful first Brevet, I have finally returned to Earth. My times are at the cusps of failure; my knees are telling me I am over-training and 1200 kilometers is a long, long way to ride a trike. Right now, the diamond frame wedgie looks much more sensible than the Trike. Simply rub a pound of Chamois Butt'r on your rear-end, jump in a 20 mph pace line and draft all the way to Brest and back. Heck, if things go right for the two-wheeler you might not even have to take a turn up front!

Through the various organized rides, it has become painfully obvious there will be no pace lines for the triker. The different cadence style between the diamond frame and three-wheeler is just not conducive for this sort of thing. This will be a long, isolated journey along side a mass of racing rabbits. Two separate worlds sharing the same thin gray line. Hence, my lust for speed, a simple headwind, flat tire, or wrong turn will have me racing in order to make the next control. If I can increase my cruising speed by even half a mile an hour, it will provide me the self-assurance that I can make it to the next control and then to the next. So there you have it, another classic Tortoise and the Hare adventure. I accept the challenge and hereby christen my Trike 'La Tortue'. One will easily recognize me as I proudly bear the "La Tortue" emblem on my trike. Therefore, if per chance you are at any of the upcoming rides, as you pass give a bit of encouragement. I will certainly need it!

The 400K Brevet is coming up soon and I am getting ready. New tires all around and I have finalized my light set. I will use 2 Cateye lights, an el 500 and the new el 530. Together these will provide me enough light for my cruising speed and not leave me stranded if one were to fail. My plan is simple enough that I should not have problems remembering it. I will ride till I drop, simple as that, 250 miles with probably two bonks somewhere after mile 160. I have removed my tail fairing in order to get the La Tortue logo placed on it. Seems I may have been pulling a parachute as I have seen a slight increase in speed without the tail fairing. If this proves true it will be a tough decision, but I might have to jettison this diaper. I like the style and it does provide visibility, it is going to be an interesting call.
I am going to try the Spitz formula for nutrition; several are claiming it is the magic pill. When I found out that perhaps as much as half of the PBP roads were chip seal construction my morale went into a freefall. Rough roads have a significant impact on my 16-inch wheels. Much more so than the standard wheel sizes on a typical touring bike. This can make as much as 2-3 mph difference for me. At my current speeds this could mean not making the control times and a DNF. Thank you readers for pointing this out, I now plan to use the wider scorcher tire to help reduce the chip-seal handicap.
The internet is a wonderful thing. I have received so much help from experienced Randonneurs who have read my site. It is amazing how many are willing to help a pilgrim like me. This says volumes for the sport; it is truly a special group of people. If I were to fail, it can never be said it was from a lack of information. They are helping me to understand what I have got myself into. Now it’s Nike time—just do it.

Change of Plans

Spring has finally arrived and I am seeing improvements in my riding times Training is going well; I have logged 2,000 miles since the first of the year. A typical ride consists of 30-40 miles of 12-13 mph pedaling through the Georgia countryside. I have several circuits that will give me rides varying from 20 to 100 miles depending on my frame of mind. I use country stores as my SAG stops. They all carry chocolate milk, the drink that seems to work magic for me. This is really becoming a lot of fun as my endurance improves. The once seemingly unthinkable 100-mile mark is no longer the daunting distance it once appeared to be. I completed the Biking Bleckley 64-mile ride in exactly 4 hours. Not fast by cycling standards but this is a personal best for me and more importantly, I was not left in the dust within the first five miles of a ride. In fact, I was able to hang on for twenty-three miles before the peloton drifted away.

When I planned the route to Paris, I knew I would have to be flexible and it looks like I was finally right about something. Changes are now in order. I chickened out of the 400K Brevet in Florida and did not go for a couple of reasons. None is acceptable but this is my story and I’m sticking to it. The primary reason is I am not ready for a 250-mile journey especially in the rain. The other reason is financial. The Gainesville Brevet will cost more than other 400k’s. The costs for training and participation in the PBP is a great deal more than one would first expect. I estimate around $7K for this little adventure. This may be chickenfeed for some but it is a major hurdle for me. I over-planned for Brevets and fun rides. I am now going to attempt to use the Brevets as training rides to reduce the cost. I had planned to ride in the Dublin, Georgia, St. Patrick’s Day Century on 17 March. Instead, I am going to knock out my 300K brevet requirement in Bonifay, Florida. It is not much, but there is a small savings involved and I have to start putting away some cash for the PBP in case I actually qualify. Next step--Bonifay 300K, March 17. Target time--15 hours or under.

300K Brevet

On 17 March 19, 2007, I participated in the Northwest Florida Brevet Series 300 kilometer event. This is a well run series run by Joe Arnold who puts a lot of effort into the program. I was very excited about this event for several reasons. It would be the farthest I had ever ridden in a day and it was going to require night riding -- meaning I could test my lighting system. In addition, I would have the opportunity to test a newly designed luggage compartment for my trike. One of the first things many trikers do is place a rack and panniers on the back of their trikes to carry gear. I have never liked the idea of placing a rack on the back of what I consider a very sporty designed trike. It just breaks up the curves and is like using a racehorse to pull a plow. Granted, the motor on this trike isn’t exactly a racing motor, but if I suck in my belly real tight it can still look fast in the parking lot. The rack blows all the cover. Anyway, my plan was to make a luggage area inside the 2-inch space behind the seat where it wraps around the frame. I would use a mesh bag tied to the frame and then buckle the seat around it.

The ride was going to very interesting. It was actually a two in one; there was a 300k and a 400k ride going on simultaneously. Everyone was to ride the same route but when they reached the end of the 300k, the 400k riders had an additional 100k to go. I thought this was a great benefit for me since I now had more riders to follow and some had to go 100k farther than I did. Perhaps they would be a bit slower because of this. Based on my performance in my last metric century ride, I was confident this was the ride where I could participate in some pace lines. This Brevet was getting easier already.

At 4:45 am Joe gave some last minute instructions, completed the bike inspections and we were promptly off at 5:00 am. Approximately 20-30 two wheelers and exactly one Trike were on the way. The first turn was seven-tenths of a mile up the road and I was already the last rider. Up front, I saw a red flash scoot across the road. Some rookie rider hadn’t secured his lights properly and it had fallen off his bike. My lights, of course, had been both tightened and taped to ensure this would not happen. The agility of the Trike enabled me to swing by the grounded flashing light and sweep it into my gloves without slowing down. I then presented it to the now stopped rider without losing hardly any forward progress. Ah, one rider picked off with more to follow. I saw the peloton making a left hand turn and I would catch up shortly. Upon reaching the turn, it was an all too familiar scenario -- they were gone! I swear, aliens had captured them. I heard a swoosh and then saw the peloton in front of me again. No, this was a false alert, “light boy” was passing after he had put his light back on. He to would soon be taken by the aliens.


The sun came up just prior to the first control and the temperature was a brisk 36 degrees. This is somewhat cold for Florida standards, but a good training experience for me. It required I store my cold weather gear in the new luggage compartment as the temperature moved into the sixties later in the day. The traumatic event of the day occurred when I heard the sound of a tail light coming apart as it hits the highway. I looked back just in time to see my back-up tail light disintegrate on the highway. By some remarkable action unbeknownst to me, this taillight worked its way to the top of the pocket and jumped out onto the highway all on its own. I was able to complete the ride exactly on my target goal of 15 hours. The storage system worked very well (except for the suicidal taillight). I was able to carry everything needed for this ride with room to spare. I have no doubt it will be adequate if I qualify for the PBP. During the 187-mile ride, I consumed two advils, two sixteen-ounce bottles of chocolate milk, sixteen-ounces of water, three fig newtons, half a turkey sandwich, two diet cokes, and two pieces of bread with honey. It seems to be working. Two Brevets down, two to go.

Musings while Cruising

March has been a long month. I've ridden my trike over a thousand miles during this period. I have spent a lot of time on the rural roads of Georgia reflecting on how I got myself into this mess and interrupting buzzards eating road kill. It was barely four months ago I was a sedate, over-weight, middle-aged ole coot, satisfied and happily enjoying the life of a couch potato. Now I'm riding distances I once thought were impossible, no I actually thought anyone who rides like this is a lunatic. I never intended to ride in the PBP. The plan was to encourage those young 'in shape guys' to enter since no one has ever done it on a Catrike. Now, I'm traveling out of State to ride in these 'Bre-vay' things so I can then pay thousands of dollars to torture myself on a four day ride in France. By the way, isn't late August the middle of riot season in Paris? They tell me this is going to be a very good year for rioting. Meanwhile, the airlines just announced they are doubling the price to transport bicycles across the Atlantic. Gee, this sounds great! Sign me up Ethel.
So, where am I at now? My knees are absolutely shot but my rear end loves the mesh seat on my trike. I suffer no wrist, neck or back pain and I can go a long way if given enough time. Time of course is the problem. I am slow, very slow, and this is what has me most concerned. I can go a long way if I have the time, but what happens to my 12 mph pace after 40 hours of riding in the French countryside? I have devised a plan to find out. First, I must actually qualify and that means completing 400K and 600K Brevets before the middle of June. The target plan is the Bonifay 400k on 28 April and then it will get interesting. From there, I proceed directly to Atlanta where I will assist my brother to deliver a car to Utah. Of course, there's a catch. He will dump me out in central Wyoming where I will ride my trike back unassisted 1000 miles through Nebraska, Iowa and into Illinois. This little training excursion should resolve a few questions. One, my ability to maintain an adequate pace and two, what equipment works and what doesn't. If all goes as planned, I should return to Georgia just in time for the Atlanta 600K ready and willing.
This brings me back full circle where I query if this whole thing is preposterous. What am I thinking? Yes, this may be silly and perhaps I'll never even qualify, worse yet I may be headed straight for a DNF in Paris. But then again, I am wearing trousers two sizes smaller than I wore in October and today I retrieved some cycling shirts from the attic that had been long since retired and forgotten due to my ever-expanding aero belly. They fit once again - I must say it feels good.

and...the beat goes on

I continue to train, train and train some more. In addition to my local routes this weekend, I rode in the “Ride Like the Wind” fun ride in Thomaston, Georgia. This is a host city for the start of the second leg of the Tour De Georgia, next Tuesday. The RLW ride offers 20, 40, and 70-mile routes. I selected the 70 miler. The viewing highlight for "Ride Like the Wind" is the Auchumpkee covered bridge. Thomaston advertises this ride as a strenuous challenge, with the highlight being “Trice’s Terror”, a series of six climbs patiently waiting for you at the last eight miles of the course. This ride did not disappoint, I was looking for a hilly course and I found it. I would be curious to know how this ride compares to the hillier stages of the PBP.

I was surprised that there were only about 50-60 riders participating (one trike and one two-wheeled recumbent). It was well organized, a good route, with adequate rest stops. Someone mentioned it had been a few years since the last running of this ride; I suspect it will grow into a much larger ride if they make it an annual affair. I was pleased with my performance. I never struggled but I do wish I could climb faster. The 71 miles took 4 hours and 56 minutes to complete. I am also a bit pooped the day after the race. This lets me know I am nowhere ready for the Randonneuring style of riding. The 250-mile Brevet on the 28th will tell me more. On a side note, I used the Scorcher tire as opposed to my normal Stelvio tire. The wider Scorcher tire really helped on the shake and bake portions of the course. Although slower, these tires are looking like the solution for the French chip-seal roads.

The 400K out of the way

The 400K is now history and I understand why I have been dodging it for so long. This was a difficult ride for me. In hopes of improving my cruising speed, I purchased a Catrike 700 just prior to the ride. In theory, the 700 is a faster, sleeker trike than my Catrike Speed. Unfortunately, I did not have much time to get familiar with the yellow 700 or shake out any quirks that sometimes come with a newly assembled steed. To compound the problem, “Old Yeller” arrived without a headrest. Without the headrest, using this trike on the 400K would be a no-go. Fortunately, Catrike, the trike manufacturer responded way above the call of duty to get a headrest delivered to my house in time for the ride while, “the Bike Store”, my LBS in Warner Robins got the trike assembly right the first time. Having those two players as a support team is a great asset indeed. As a result, Old Yellow performed flawlessly while my performance was, let’s say—less than flawless.

Charles, "The Bike Store Manager" delivering Ol Yeller

The ride starts in Bonifay, Florida, as do all rides in the Northwest Florida Region. Joe Arnold, the Regional Brevet Administrator (RBA) had added a new 600/400 K route and we were going to be the first group to ride this route. The 600K group would travel through Georgia, Alabama, and return to Florida while my group, the 400K, would journey through Southeast Alabama and return back to the Sunshine State. It sounds flat enough, right. Think again, this was a hilly course. I would love to hear comparisons concerning elevation from those who have ridden both the PBP and the route between Abbeville and Troy, Alabama. If the PBP is tougher, “Houston we have a problem”. I have more than a little bit of work to get prepared. There must be a million miles of climbing there.

On Saturday morning 28 April, thirteen 600K and three 400K riders lined up for two days of cycling seeking the thrill of victory and the agony of de feet. These were seasoned Randonneurs. I have no doubt I was the only greenhorn in the lot. I started really well. The split point for the 600/400 group was at mile 20.3 and old yeller allowed me to stay with the main pack for my first time ever in a Brevet. I crossed this milestone under cool temperatures and smooth roads without any strain as watched our 600K brothers split for Georgia while our group sped towards Alabama. I reached the first control point at mile 64 along hi-way 95 in Alabama with a two-hour cushion. This two-hour “chip” would prove invaluable later in the journey. The next leg of the journey wanders north parallel to the Chattahoochee River slowly gaining elevation as you go. This part of hi-way 95 has to be one of the worst shake and bake roads I have ever tested a trike on. As I bounced along I knew Old Yellow was going to get baptized by fire today. This seems strange since this road goes by the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Power Plant. One would think a road leading to an active nuclear reactor would be well maintained. Later that day a local gave me an interesting perspective. According to him, it would be silly to waste good money on a road that no one can use once the reactors start to leak! Hmmm, I guess there’s some logic in that? Yeller didn’t seem to mind but it was good I had backed up all my accessory connections with tape, a lesson learned from the last Brevet. The road smoothed out some at Columbia and even with the rough road slowing us down we reached the mile 100 mark and the second control point with most of our two hour chip still in the pocket.

Up to the task

The next two controls were only 20, and then 30 miles away but this was the hilliest part of the route. Meanwhile, the hot Alabama sun and a head wind had joined us on the ride. The bad part about Brevet control points are they do not take into consideration the difficulty of the route when calculating closing times. A mile is a mile time wise whether you are going uphill or downhill. This is where my problems began. Ten miles from Troy Alabama (mile 150), my extra chip time was now expended and I was in jeopardy of a Did–Not-Finish (DNF). The good news is the heat and wind subsided but the bad news is I was riding in the dark. I had hoped to be well beyond Troy before sunset, instead I was in a serious race to get to the next control point before it closed. As I was racing through Troy I became lost. A man in civilian clothes pulled me over and introduced himself as the Captain of the Troy City Police Department. He wanted to know if I was here with the carnival and told me not to ride the trike in the streets. I explained I was part of a bicycle Brevet passing through town. He had an expression of horror as he asked, “Please tell me they aren’t all riding on these things”. Fearing I would be grounded if he knew I was the only trike, I responded “no sir, not all of them”. I was not actually lying but giving him the impression if he stopped me now, his police force would be busy all night chasing trikes. He told me I shouldn’t ride them at night, that they weren’t safe. I explained that I was 100 miles from home and didn’t have many options at this point but if he would be kind enough to point me to S. Brundage Street I would get out of town and his hair as fast as I could. Luckily, I had just over-shot Brundage. He shook my hand, turned me around and I was on my way! I made it to the Holiday Inn control in Troy Alabama 15 minutes short of closing and had made a new friend in the Troy Police Department.

I stayed much too long at the Holiday Inn Control but I was able to eat a sandwich and hydrate. I left the control about an hour in debt but the major climbs were behind me. The plan was to hammer it to the next control at mile 200, then restock, relieve, and recover. I left the Hotel with two water bottles and 2 hammer gels. This was a big mistake! I approached this last control before the finish and to my dismay; it was not open, locked up, as in nobody home! The clock inside the locked BP station showed it was now 2:18 Sunday morning, 6 more minutes and I would have earned a DNF. I had 51 more miles to go with half a bottle of water, a hammer gel and nowhere to restock. Not carrying a watch worked in my favor since the fear of running out of time kept me focused on hurrying and not on how tired I had become. This could easily been a DNF. I completed the ride in 25 hours and 27 minutes, 1 hour and 33 minutes under the 27-hour time limit.

During the ride I consumed 48 ounces of water, 16 ounces chocolate milk, 3 ensures, 2 hammer gels , 2 paydays, 1 fig bar, 1 ham sandwich, 24 ounces gator aid, and 10 ounces grape juice. Diet is not a problem, but making sure you restock apparently is.

Light weight, water proof, sleeping facility

Even though I successfully completed the ride, the performance was not good enough. I was forced to ride straight through without sleep to make the control times. Had this been a longer ride I would not have been successful. My target goal for the ride was 20 hours. I missed this by almost six hours. Old Yeller is capable of getting the job done. The web storage bag is the perfect equipment carrier. I had carried my bivy sack with the intention of building up chip time and testing my concept of sleeping along the route. Unfortunately, time did not allow, perhaps I can try again during the upcoming 600K. I am now headed West to do more training. I hope to be better prepared for the upcoming 600K. Time will tell. Essayons.

Click here for page two and the Wyoming Gambit