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I reckon the sleep thing might become a major issue for me if I'd ever attempt a 400 or so. Also it pretty much rules out a 400 or so in winter, unless you plan sleep stops carefully, no?
How does sleep deprivation affect the road awareness and being alter in traffic? Don't you guys find that a bit difficult?
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I reckon the sleep thing might become a major issue for me if I'd ever attempt a 400 or so. Also it pretty much rules out a 400 or so in winter, unless you plan sleep stops carefully, no?
How does sleep deprivation affect the road awareness and being alter in traffic? Don't you guys find that a bit difficult?
400s in winter aren't common at all. The earliest this year is April.
Many people say that 400s are more difficult than a 600 exactly because of the sleep problem. The ride isn't long enough to build up enough time to get a worthwhile sleep in (unless you're fast).
Sleep stops aren't easy to plan, you may not feel tired, you may feel tired earlier, the people you're riding with may not be stopping there. You just need to learn to adapt and grab it when/if necessary.
As for doziness. You just have to get good at recognising the symptoms (harder than you may think when you are dozy) and do the right thing of stopping and having a nap. I had a 15 minute nap on a bench outside Penrhyndeudraeth (right here: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=52.940741,-4.06109&sll=52.940741,-4.06109&sspn=0.00213,0.004823&ie=UTF8&ll=52.940746,-4.061087&spn=0.001065,0.002411&t=h&z=19) on the Bryan Chapman 600 at about 5am. That was enough to get me through the rest of the ride (I finished just before 11pm that evening).
On the Severn Across I got dozy at about the same time (5am) somewhere near Goring (it's all a blur). I pushed on to Henley where we made a detour to a petrol station with a cafe and a large coffee sorted me out.
You'll get an idea how your body reacts to sleep dep and tiredness as you build up through the longer rides. Never had a problem in traffic, unless you really push it too far your body will always find enough energy to keep you alert enough.
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I reckon the sleep thing might become a major issue for me if I'd ever attempt a 400 or so. Also it pretty much rules out a 400 or so in winter, unless you plan sleep stops carefully, no?
How does sleep deprivation affect the road awareness and being alter in traffic? Don't you guys find that a bit difficult?
Don't ask other people about dealing with sleep dep. What works for one is unlikely to work for another. Find out what works for you. Most people though, will be pleasantly suprised at what they can push themselves through.
Firstly do a night ride to see how you cope with riding at night though. It's not about sleep deprivation but how you perceive things in the absence of a normal input for long periods of time. Dealing with this first is important before you try to cope with sleep dep.
I will say this though. Sleep dep and fatigue will do strang things to you and your brain will make a lot of effort to get you to stop doing what you're doing. It will tell you that you are too tired, that it's too far. It will tell you that you hurt and that things are wrong. It will tell you that the normal noises of your bike are symptoms of it's imminent demise to cast you into a bloody heap on the ground. You'll get mild visual disturbances. When this happens, it is best to stop, take stock, be calm and rational. Set yourself a short distance to complete and see how you feel after that. Repeat as necessary.
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Thanks for the time break down for BRM rides, that is really helpfull I was wondering what the difference was between the various ride classifications.
I just put in my entry for the Dean. I was putting it off because of accomodation and transport, I have yet to decide what Im doing about that but I didnt want it to get in the way and be an excuse for not entering. I would have regretted it because ive been thinking about it a fair bit.
Hopefully ill be able to hold myself together and complete it inside the 20hours. If all goes to plan I may enter the Severn Across at the end of next month. I think I should just take it one step at a time though. PBP would be a nice thing to aim for though, the people I have spoken to that have ridden it have said it is something really special to be part of.
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Dragged my fat carcass up Birdlip Hill on Saturday, I am definitely not in the shape I was last summer. Looks like I'm going to have to do some work to get ready for the BCM.
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Based on comments on the KVR and the YACF forum, I would guess at least 60, if not more. It's the first BRM of the season and central for southerners.
I sit corrected...
Organiser quoted as saying there are about 60 entrants so far, and he's ordered 90 Brevet cards. Looks like it's going to be a great turnout.
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My guesstimation-fu is strong.
Looks like he's also taking in late entries so there's still time for forumengers to sign up.
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Just been working on an audax route for my club. [ame="http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/399459"]This
%22%5DThis route here[/ame], going clockwise. Hope to be able to launch it in August. I'll keep you posted.
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I'll throw the route into a mapping system that does climbing but don't expect much. It's OK most of the way from Swindon to Wotton Under Edge but from there you've got the Nailsworth and Stroud valleys across the grain easily pushing 10-15% climbing and descending. After Cowley the jog through Withington and Compton Abdale is going to be pretty rough as well. Once you've cleared Bourton on the Water you have a nice flat section but it just leads into a double pass of The Ridgeway. I can't see many people doing this on fixed.
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Elevation profiles tend to look terrible on Bikely. I use bikemap.net now--much better elevations.
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I went and tested part of the route yesterday. I was into my 32x25 gear coming up this. It says 10% at the top but this is a thin tissue of lies and deceit.
I have to conceed I wasn't in the best form yesterday suffering from a bit of a cold, but I can't see this making the hill much easier and there are four more like it to follow, three in quick succession.
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I might take up that challenge. :)
I wouldn't expect less.
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shit, come down with a cold over night. I'm out for this one. gutted.
Oh, man!
I hope you'll get better soon.The ride was actually gorgeous. I am so surprised how many people were there.
Nice weather, a bit of challenging hills and loads of fields.
Definitely a ride for next year. Perhaps, the 200k ( :) )I rode on 74gi again as my mechanic was closed. However, my knees+ancles are totally fine, I assume I got used to the gear.
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Dubious weather for the first 100k but really picked up after that. second 150 was quite a bit faster than the first so shows what a good tail wind can do.
I'd highly recommend the Dean, clearly a classic.
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The_Seldom_Killer
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About
Audax rides
Posted by
@Fixedwheelnut
BRM limits are based on 15kph of the base distance (i.e. 300km for a 307km ride). You don't get any extra time for the slight bit of overdistance on a BRM. There are two exceptions to the flat 15kph rule; 200km rides are defined as 13h30m and 400km rides have a 27h timelimit. No idea why, but it comes from ACP. So:-
BRM 200: 13h30
BRM 300: 20h
BRM 400: 27h
BRM 600: 40h
BRM 1000: 75h and a bit (it drops to 13.3kph above 700km)
BRM 1200: 90h
1300km to 1899km: 12kph (so 1400km of LEL gives 116h40)
1900km to 2499km: 10kph
2500km+: 200km per day
BR rides (i.e. still Randonnees but not validated by ACP or LRM, only by AUK) can have a 14.3kph minimum average speed (up to 700km where it follows the same minimum average speed as BRM). So that gives near enough 14h for a 200km ride and 28h for a 400km ride, but the overdistance portion counts too, so a 405km BR ride will have 20 odd minutes more time than a 400km BR.
As an example, the Bryan Chapman 600 (2004 route) is 619km.
BRM you'd get 40 hours.
BR you get 619/14.3 = 43h17m.
The reason for the BRM/BR differences is that BRM rides are required for qualification for the other big foreign rides (Paris-Brest-Paris 1200 mainly). Most of the rides this year are BRM for this reason.
You'll never get less time than the BRM timelimits, so if you keep those in mind then treat any extra time as a bonus.
Below BR you have Brevet Populaire (BP). Which is used for the sub-200km rides where the organiser can set any limit they like. There's a BP version of LEJOG with a 3kph minimum average speed for example, but BP rides don't qualify for points as they aren't completed fast enough to be considered a Randonee. The BR version of LEJOG (with 1400km distance) is 116h40m although the actual figure depends on the controls you nominate.
As for sleep, it all depends on the ride. I've done some with a 10 minute doze on a table: http://lh3.ggpht.com/_91QslVU2iAc/ShJNLQd7MJI/AAAAAAAADhw/jGX0EYDx_8g/IMG_2592.JPG
The Severn Across 400 a couple of years ago I had a 45 minute nap in the cafe upstairs at Membury Services. No sleeping bag required, just find bit of floor and lie down. If I'm tired enough I can sleep on icy gravel. A warm carpet floor is luxury. I sometimes carry a lightweight silk sleeping bag liner (130g or so) but I've never needed to use it.
On LEL I slept at various controls (on the floor mainly) but had an attack of the dozies coming back through Brampton at some stupid time in the morning so I broke out the space blanket and had an hour's sleep in a church porch.
I did the Dun Run as a DIY 400 Audax last year by starting in Dorking, riding to Dunwich and then cycling back home to Putney afterwards. I got to Dunwich at about 6am, had breakfast in the cafe, turned the bike around and cycled back. No sleep at all during that ride.