Brevets are officially non-competitive, though it's hard for many of the riders to avoid being at least a little conscious of their placing. A few do ride the event like a race, and some like a relaxed tour; most somewhere in between. Brevets are based on time; there is an overall time limit, and the controles (checkpoints) have time windows. Arriving early means waiting, and arriving late means a DQ. The times are based on an average speed of only 12.5mph or so (complete average speed, not on-the-bike). Although not a typical club or race pace, it's not a slow as it sounds when factoring in distance, weather, fatigue, and the various other complexities randonneuring offers. Any official finisher qualifies for the same medal, regardless of placing. For the stats, I finished 19th of about 70 riders. I rolled out about 7:15am, and signed in at about 3:25pm. So just over 8hrs total for 200km, and a little less than 1hr total off the bike.
The 200k course ran from Urbana, south to Waynesville, and offered just under 6000ft of cumulative climbing. Brevets are always out-and-back, so you climb every decent, and vice-versa. There were some short abrupt climbs early in, then mostly gentle rolling OPEN farmland until Yellow Springs, then more hilly terrain between there and Waynesville. Probably only 3-4 larger climbs, the longest right at 1/2 mile in length, and a few at 3-4 tenths. I am still constantly amazed at how much gentile climbing adds up when riding solo. Most riders spend the bulk of a brevet riding alone (one of the challenges), since the more fatigued you get, the harder it is to ride either faster or slower than is comfortable for you. I can do many faster and hillier group century rides and feel less spent that from a moderate-pace brevet. Never having any time to sit on a wheel or draft a group adds up. It's very much like the 2-2 1/2hr climb of Mt Mitchell after 70 miles of climbing beforehand. You don't go anerobic, like in jumps and bridge efforts. There's just this toothache-like fatigue that builds up from the constant effort. Tack on a 4hr return push into a 15-20mph headwind, and the mental game also becomes a fatigue factor.
Navigation is another challenge brevets offer. Since detailed maps for long, out-and-back courses would be impractical, navigation is done by que sheet. Assuming your computer matches the ride directors closely, you still need to keep very close tabs on location and direction. There are road markings, except within towns, but those are easily missed. Any diversion from the established route requires returning to that point to resume, not finding the shortest way back on-course, even if your total mileage would still be higher than the official distance. This can become a real factor riding at night. Riders must also be self-sustaining. Again, most riders spend a lot of time riding alone. Not only do you need the skills to effect repairs, but the tools or parts. On the longer distances, it's not uncommon to carry an extra tire, cables, maybe even a set of cleats. There is no sag to assist or bail you out. And you may need the gear available to handle wide temperature and precip conditions, on-bike food, plus batteries and lights for night riding if you can't finish the distance by dark.
Although you see nearly everything on two wheels, the most appropriate bike is not exactly a touring bike. Touring bikes are usually too heavy and slow-handling. Bikes for brevets are often fairly light and spritely handling like a racing bike, but capable of handling fenders, slightly larger tires, and maybe a small rack. Comfort, decent speed, and reliability are the priorties. Every riders finds the balance of good preperation and minimal gear. I saw a guy drop out at the turn-around checkpoint; his Velocity pre-built, paired-spoke racing wheels had broken a spoke. Truing options are pretty much nil for those, especially with a low-clearance frame. Light and aero are nice, but usually not at the expence of function.
The hillier terrain on the southern portion was actually rewarding. Once north of Yellow Springs, that OPEN farmland offered nary a stinkin' tree to slow the northish winds down. You get to know your bar and saddle pretty well after a few hours of that. And these distances are considered short. I can't complain about the weather overall. Great temps and dry.
The 300k in two weeks offers about 11000ft of cumulative climbing. We start in Waynesville this time, for more hills. It starts at 6am. I've done sub-12hr double centuries, but in better fitness and flatter terrain. The 1999 300k from Lancaster had similar climbing, and I just barely finished by dark (although I started almost an hour late). So 14hrs or so will be the goal.
JMS
