Indeed, what next? I’ve done a 200K ride, and while it wasn’t a sanctioned brevet, it was comparable. I did it within the overall time limit and arrived at control locations when they would have been open. In short, I achieved the first goal that I set myself over the holidays: train for a brevet series. And I did, unofficially at least, the first element in the second goal: attempt the series.
I probably could have tried the 300K yesterday, though the weather was nasty enough that I’m content not to have done so. I’ve learned over the course of the spring, though, that my unsystematic training “regime” was not ideal for riding brevets. I got the miles in, and my long weekend rides prepared me for the distance, but I didn’t work systematically on speed and hill climbing. As a result, I didn’t ride as fast on the 200K as I had wanted, and the hills took more out of me than they should have. I did figure out what works for me nutritionally.
The $64 question is whether I continue. I don’t think I can afford the time required to ride brevets this summer, except maybe a 200K in late July or early August if it’s not too far from Oxford. I might see about a 200K back in the States in the fall, but the Berkshire Brevets isn’t doing one, so it would mean traveling.
If I continue to ride 30-75 miles on most weekends, plus shorter rides during the week, I can maintain the base required to train for and ride a series in 2011. That might be a more reasonable goal, perhaps with the Great River Ride 170K and another century in the fall to keep on top of long-distance riding.
In that case, I’ll work on speed and hills this summer. It looks like I can ride 3 miles from my Staverton Rd. flat to Wytham and then climb a serious hill. I could even stop at the Trout for a pint on the way home! Of course I should also be working on losing a little weight, which suggests that the pint might not be such a good idea….
I’ll keep posting occasional updates and ride reports here, just in case anyone is reading (though mostly for my own sake).
