2015 Begins! The Festive 500 Season Opener

While I still need to sit down to design a detailed training plan for 2015, I do know that it will begin with volume. I also know that 2015 starts for me on December 24 with Rapha's annual Festive 500 Challenge. This will be my fourth time completing the challenge and each year I've found it to be a remarkably exciting way to kickstart the season ahead. In 2011, I was even a finalist in the competition for the Trek Madone 6.9. I completed the challenge in 2012 and 2013 as well, but my wrap-up posts were apparently a bit less comprehensive. You can see my individual Festive 500 posts by searching with the keyword Festive 500 in the search bar to the right.

Admittedly, riding 500 kilometers in one week is not a huge deal for the experienced randonneur. What makes this challenge so special, though, are two things. First, it comes at a particularly dark and cold time of the year. The weather around the winter solstice in the Northeast can be pretty grim, yet marshaling the discipline to complete this challenge despite the elements (while thinking of the warmer and brighter times ahead) is downright uplifting. 

The second reason the Festive 500 is so amazing is because of just how, well, festive it is. Over the past several years there have been tens of thousands of participants from around the globe joined together with a single purpose: to ride at least 500K in nine days. Sure there are the young guns in the southern hemisphere whose goal is to climb the leaderboard with thousands of kilometers, but most folks seem to be just scraping by in hopes of finishing. I've made friends I keep to this day through the Festive 500. How cool is that?

The Festive 500 rules really encourage community as all participants must upload their GPS tracks to Strava in order for them to be applied to their challenge total. While on Strava, it's easy to follow other riders and read posts about their accomplishments and setbacks along the way. Lots of folks also post updates to Twitter and Facebook so it really feels like a global event unfolding in real time across thousands upon thousands of miles. While I may look down my nose at participants in the southern hemisphere, it's nice to read about what they're up to if only as a foil to my own suffering.

So join me, whatever 2015 holds in store for you. Log onto Strava today to register. It's free. With 9 days until the start, there are already 34,012 other riders in the mix. All mileage logged between December 24 and 31 counts. And, if you finish, you earn a patch. Sounds almost like randonneuring, right?

The Ronkonkoma 200K: A New Brevet Series is Born

Route designer Mordecai and Patrick at the start

Today marks the inaugural event in the new Long Island Brevet Series and what an event it was! The Ronkonkoma 200K takes in some of the most lovely countryside in Eastern Long Island along the famed southern shore and lesser known northern shore. In between the two, riders are treated to two short ferry crossings and a quick (4.5 mile) ride across Shelter Island, a lovely, quiet barrier island that lies between the two forks at the easternmost end of Long Island. NJ Rando stalwart Mordecai S. created the route as a permanent some years ago and RBA Paul M. has taken it over to use as the inaugural ride in his new brevet series.

There were about 30 riders at the start on a beautiful spring morning. All but two of us had pre-registered, but I decided to come down at the last minute when my plans to ride the Westfield 200K fell through on Saturday. I slept in the guest room on Saturday night and set the alarm for 4:50am in order to make it to the start 2 hours and 20 minutes from my home without waking anyone up in the process.

The sea glistened as we rode through the Hamptons.

After a few suburban miles, riders travel through wooded areas en route to the sea. There's still a fair amount of farmland in eastern Long Island, although much of it has been commodified for the tourist industry. It seems that high-end country farm stands are more common on the southern shore while wineries dot the northern coast. In other words, there are plenty of spots to stop along the way for just about anything a randonneur might like to fuel the engine. If, like me, you try to keep stops to the absolute minimum, the first control offered a wonderful assortment of baked goods and fresh, hot coffee. Tempting as these treats were, I decided to forgo food in favor of an early boat connection.

Waiting for the next boat.

While ferry crossings are not unheard of on brevets, this was my first experience and, boy, was it a thrill. I arrived at the first ferry just as the gate was closing and was nearly tempted to pedal harder in hopes of making an Evel Knievel-style leap to the ferry's main deck. There were children watching so I figured I should model appropriate law-abiding behavior and so waited for the next boat. In the meantime, five other randonneurs arrived and we sailed together across the short stretch to Shelter Island. The sea was a most appealing shade of blue on this gorgeous, warm spring day. I even texted my wife a photo, which based on her response turned out to be a fairly mean thing to do. OK, looking at these pictures again, I can see why she might have been a little annoyed. What a day!

Once on the Shelter Island, it's a quick 4.5 mile ride to the second ferry. One could take much longer to explore, but we had a schedule to keep and so hopped on the second ferry and returned to the main island via Greenport. The boat schedule served to create greater distance between riders, so once this group of six was formed, we stayed together for much of the second half of the ride.

Farmland and wineries dot the course.

The first 90 miles of the ride were flatter than some pancakes I've made, but just as I'd settled into serious confidence about the energy I had left in the tank, the route began to get choppy. There's nothing dramatic in these hills, but a series of continuous rollers serves to keep riders engaged and alert. While I don't recall much of a tailwind on the ride out, we suffered from a somewhat blustery headwind that tore out group apart at a few times on the return. Those with more miles in their legs predictably fared better than others. By the info control at mile 115, though, we had reassembled and settled into a comfortable pace for the final shot to the finish. All of us were grateful to see Paul standing outside of the pizza shop at the finish and happier still when he announced that the first slice was on him! So, despite ferry crossings and headwinds, we still finished in a respectable 9:02. I guess this stands as the course record, though one that will be broken as soon as the ride is repeated, no doubt.

Up next: the Westfield 300K - Bash Bish Falls edition.

The NYC 200K: Wrapping it up!

Originally, I had offered to volunteer at this early fall edition of the NYC 200K, but as my chances of completing a full SR series began to fade, Jon (the organizer) and Katie (the RBA) were most agreeable and understanding of a last minute change of plans. As a result of their generosity, I was able to bag a required ACP 200K and with it, one of my major goals for 2012. At the start of the season, I wasn't quite sure I still had it in me. Would I be able to ride 400K and then 600K without debilitating pain after the accident? I could only answer this question by riding. As it turns out, I was able to complete a pain-free brevet series without too much trouble. 

Riding with Laurent and Leroy, RBAs emeriti

Early Saturday morning, I was off the front and feeling great as we crossed the George Washington Bridge as grey storm clouds began to form. Missing a critical turn within the first five miles of the ride, I found myself descending and then re-climbing over 800 ft of unnecessary hill. The silver lining, though, was a chance to ride with a few old friends along the way. I sure hope that I'm riding this strong when I'm 85 years old! Heck, I hope I'm able to ride, period. Leroy is a legend, there's really no other way to say it. Would you look at those legs? That's right, people, 85 years old!

Leroy!

So with this brevet, my 2012 cycling season has officially kicked into low gear. Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, comes at such a great time. As the school year begins, the days grow shorter and the evenings cooler, and it's a time of reflection on the year behind and hope and goal setting for the year ahead. Next year, I plan to push this recovery one step further and add a 1200K to the line-up. Wish me luck. I eagerly await the 2013 calendar of events due out within the next month.

2010 Goals 2.0

It all seemed so simple back in December when I laid out my goals for the 2010 season. Problem is: a few things have happened along the way to change my plans. Most notably, the ACP in Paris issued their 2011 PBP brochure complete with pre-registration details. As anticipated, they announced that preregistration priority will be granted to riders based on the distance of their longest single 2010 event. Those who complete a 1000K will be able to hop onto the registration line on April 3, 2011 while those with only a 600K under their belt will not be able to register until April 17, 2011, etc. The thought of hundreds of riders getting a two week jump on me makes me nuts, so a 1000K event this summer it is!

 

In early July, I’ll be riding in the Lap of the Lake 1000K which starts and ends in a small town near Rochester, NY. We’ll pass the Thousand Islands, the city of Toronto and Niagra Falls on our counter-clockwise spin around Lake Ontario. This self-supported brevet with two border crossings will build my endurance and test my logistical abilities and prepare me for PBP. It should also be a whole lot of fun.

Of course, this change has the knock-on effect of bumping a few other things around. Since I’ll be pedaling around the lake on the second weekend in July, I won’t be able to race in the Saratoga 12/24 as I had planned. In addition, we’ve recently firmed up family vacation plans which will have me out of the country during the weekend of Quadzilla. Ah well, easy come easy go. My primary goal for 2010 remains the same:  prepare in all ways for PBP 2011.