You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
So I think I just found my holiday plan/challenge for 2019 a nice hilly(almost 10K) Audax of 600 km.
What would Singletrack do? prepbook a bed around the 400k mark? Would you consider that a good idea or cheating?
I have done some distance riding but nothing like this on the road.
Done a couple of 200 k's in 8- 10 hours and once very very long ago in 5h30(TTT)
Did a 250K 5000m climbing in 2014 in under 12h but thats different as you can go close to full tilt and just collapse at the finish. Not likely to be as fit as that year as well.
Only thing similar effort wise I did was a mountainbike ride/race 19h on the bike 3 hour sleep 20 hours on the bike 4 hour sleep and another 15 h to the line. But I did get to sleep in a bed(a very comfty one the first night) and not so keen to drag sleeping kit all over the mountains together with my 13 stone of mountain goat frame 😉 .
Only in five months time....
Is a 600 not "just" Saturday morning to Sunday evening?
You won't need a bed - but shutting eyes for a few minutes in a semi-random location might make sense.
(Note: I've only ever ridden for 24hrs non stop and helped at the final control on a 600km audax.)
PS: Audaxers hang around here -> https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=17.0
I have to say, that sounds horrific LOL. Good luck !
IM(limited)E: What Crispin said. It’s doable straight through, but at some point in the early hours you’ll have a bit of a shutdown. Depending on your route and preferences, that might mean a few hours in budget hotel, a sheltered bench, or riding it out with a series of coffee binges at petrol stations.
Get a good night's sleep so you are safe to be on the roads.
Don't they offer village halls for a cup of tea on this kinda thing? If so, pack a lightweight sleeping bag & curl up in a corner in the hall for a few hours, say midnight - 6am.
Some people will ride a 600 straight through, but most riders will get a few hours of kip at some point. I'd contact the organiser to see what the arrangements are for the event. For a 600, it's quite common to have a sleep stop set up for the night stage (typically a village hall with air beds or similar). I wouldn't bother arranging accommodation for a 600, because it gives you flexibility to stop at different controls, depending on how you feel and who you are riding with, and you are likely to only be stopping for a few hours.
Have fun, overnight Audax is great!
600 event with 10k+ climbing last summer, I drank coffee at 11pm and 2am, rode through and had 3in1 coffee powder and cold water shakes next morning. Pretty dozy around 10-11am but was ok once it passed. Had a couple of sat on kerb type meal stops. Glad I did it but would get a short kip at the right point next time. Not sure I'd be much less sleepy overall but why not, now I know the time limits would allow it based on past pace.
Have ridden 400 to 450 solos with a short kip and felt more consistent overall, would recommend it, not a big fan of this sleep dep thing in long distance riding tbh. Not sure I'd pre book, keeping options open is good (as is comfort!)
If the organiser has a village hall available I would aim to get a few hours sleep in the middle (on the floor with a blanket or something). I found as the night progressed I was becoming a risk on the road, but a few hours recovery and a good feed means you're good to go again at dawn.
Not done a 600km, done 500km straight through, was OK, but not sure i'd have done the extra 100km with that amount of climbing without a kip.
As above on an event like that, i would be surprised if they haven't laid on somewhere to put you head down for a few hours, worth contacting them?
Only advise would be to have a large dose of protein and stay hydrated as you put your head down and try to take your actual cycling kit off for a few hours and sleep in merino top and long-johns or similar.
What would Singletrack do? prepbook a bed around the 400k mark? Would you consider that a good idea or cheating?
Hotels aren't cheating, up to you whether you decide it'll be beneficial or not. I prefer to just find convenient places to grab a hour or so. Means I can adapt my schedule on the fly, rather than having to stop at an arbitrary point if I'm feeling good, or soldier on if feeling particularly bad.
It's a PBP year, so you should have plenty of people out to take cues from.
Great stuff guys lots of interesting info.
Not so keen on going straight through I might try that if I would do the MTB race again. But its a ride and I would like to remember some of the scenery and my own name at the finish line ;).
As sais higher its indeed saturday morning to sunday 40 hour time limit think I should be able to manage 20 average for the moving time. But will adapt sleeping time on progress and leave a bid of headroom for surprises.
I know its PBP this year but multiple injuries meant I didn't do any official ones last year.
Wondering about the number of participants as. The Audax I took a liking too is on an island so a bit less practicall to get too and would think most would pick the flatter once. I just have this itch to scratch and never visited this mediterranean island so could be a nice double itch.
I hate pre-booking hotels and things on those kind of events (or even on multi-day tours) as it introduces yet another variable into the mix.
If you're having a shit day, the weather is bad, you've been plagued by mechanicals etc you're not going to make your pre-booked accommodation (at least, nowhere near when you said you would). Premier Inn type places tend to be a little more accepting of late arrivals as they usually have 24hr reception. Equally if you're on a really great day, there's been a nice tailwind or you're in a decent little group you may find that your pre-booked place comes far too soon and you'd rather just push on.
Common one amongst Audax riders, long distance touring etc is to stop mid-afternoon, work out where you'll be by sunset (or whenever you want to stop) and then start looking on booking.com to find somewhere in that sort of area but obviously that relies on having a mobile signal and on being somewhere with a reasonable density of accommodation (and on it not being mid-season when everything is booked up!). I did it a few times in Scotland - once arriving in Inverness at 8pm and sitting in a pizza place while I found a B&B online. Booked it and rocked up 20 minutes later. 🙂
A friend rode TransCon in a similar way - sometimes sleeping rough, sometimes finding a hotel and booking it there and then.
Does no-one do it with an old army blanket and a groundsheet or a phone box anymore?
a phone box
Showing your age there.......... 🚴🏻 🚴🏻 🚴🏻 🚴🏻
Easier to stretch out in a bus shelter, or under a hedge and why would you bother carrying a blanket?
Planning to do a BRM SR this year to get me into PBP. The Bryan Chapman will be my 600. Last year I rode until midnight and had a miserable hour in a bus shelter and then grabbed a couple of hours at the Dollgellau YHA. Doing it a second time I'll have a kip in the control at the halfway point to avoid being tired mid control. This strategy of course depends on the route itself. If you're doing a route on a Mediterranean island in nice weather Is be tempted to ride until you collapse as if the weather is nice you can doss down anywhere, right? 🙂
kcr
Easier to stretch out in a bus shelter, or under a hedge and why would you bother carrying a blanket?
Natrix pointed out I'm showing my age here. 🙂 Didn't have many comfortable bus shelters when I used to do rides like that.
As for the blanket, I've been snowed on in August - but I do live in the lumpier and northern part of this country.
Not Corsica is it?
I wouldn't wish that on a broke-dick dog
The coast road is OK , and was a TDF stage . rest of the Island is pure mountain goat territory and hard going . Haute Corse area gets a fair amount of snow as well .
Not Corsica is it?
Oops that's the one its in june though.
At 13 stond and over 6 feet I must count as a climber? I know its gona be hard the 265k ride in 2014 had 5000 m of climbing.
The mountainbike race in 2017 had 8500 m in the first 375k's which took me about 40 hours on very rough african terrain.
I believe in stupid enough too enter stubborn enough to finish.
I do realize its gonna be very hard so not wanting to ad a phone box experience to it.