Iām planning on doing a full brevet series this year as part of my training for LEL in August. I like riding down in Olympia and so it was up at 5am to head down for an 8am start from just near Evergreen. There were about 30 people riding and my plan was to ride with Yonnel for as long as I could and see how that went as I reckoned he’d be the fastest one there.
We started out pretty hot for a 200k (22/23mph over rolling terrain) and were soon wittled down to about 6 people. I’d had enough after about 10 miles and decided a slightly slower pace and less surges on the climbs would make my day more enjoyable so dropped off what was now a group of four other people and watched Yonnel, Travis, Matthew and a rider on a fixie vanish up the road. I eased back a bit and after another 10 miles or so Adam caught up to me and we rode together for a while. We caught up with the fixie rider who’d dropped off the front group and the three of us rode together until about mile 40 when they too drifted away from me on a hill.
Reckoning I could well be solo now for the rest of the day I settled in to a steady rhythm and started ticking off the miles. As the day was heating up I stopped to take off my jacket and the crest of another hill. As a side note, most of the climbing, 15 climbs in total, was front loaded in the first half of the ride. Most of the climbs were only 2 minutes or so and all very comfortable at a non race pace.
As I started rolling again I saw a rider behind me so sat up to let him catch me. It turned out to be Matthew who had also been dropped from the front group and had then stopped at a gas station in Shelton. It later emerged that both Adam and the fixie rider had stopped there too and I’d unknowingly passed them too.
So from mile 50 or so Matthew and I rode the rest of the ride together. He’d thought he’d be by himself today and had aero bars on his bike so was able to get in them and do some great work on the front. I’d like to say I contributed to the effort but apart from moral support I basically just sucked his wheel for the rest of the ride.
It was a great sunny day for April, perfect conditions and I’m in decent shape but it felt unusually difficult to just stay on his wheel for 4 hours or so. The pace wasn’t too high and my effort levels were fine so a lot of it was mental I think and the lack of long rides so far this year. With 50 miles to go I really wanted to just let his wheel go and ease up a bit but just kept telling myself that the efffort wasn’t too bad and ultimately I’d be way better off and faster if I stayed on. I’m pleased with getting through the mental hurdle and sticking with it.
I was also trying a new fueling strategy this ride with Meuten 360 in both bottles for carbs. I think I missed my usual electrolye stategy as I had cramps threatening for the later third of the ride and will probably just keep that fueling strategy for shorter races instead and try to eat more on the ultra rides instead.
There was a welcome manned control at a state park at 67 miles which was my only stop for the day (apart from pausing to fix a quick mechanial issue for Matthew on the road). These manned controls are always appreciated, both for the friendly faces and a chance to refill bottles, down a coke and eat a couple home baked brownies.
Ultimately we finished in 7 hours and 15 minutes (just over 7 hours riding time) and averaged close to 18 mph. That’s a decent pace for a 200k for me these days and my best time in about 3 years so I’m happy enough with my form. Yonnel and Travis finished nearly an hour ahead of us and averaged 21 mph so I made the right call as that would have been a greuling day for me at that pace.
Matthew was great company on the road and we enjoyed a nice burger and beer at the finish before heading back to our respective homes.
For the upcoming 300k I think I’ll throw my aero bars back on my bike and rely on electrolyte mix and real food to stay more hydrated and keep energy levels up during the ride. You’d think I’d have this all worked out by now!