The Shifting Sands of the Randonneuring Calendar

Getting long-distance cycling events on the calendar is always a remarkably complex task when you have (at least) one full-time job and a family with children living at home, but this spring has been more hectic than most. In fact, I'm quite sure it's been my busiest spring ever. The months of April and May are always a blur when you work in a school and as a principal the events really tend to compound at the end of year. Since I'll be starting a new job in July, the past few months have been especially busy as I work to get up to speed with the demands of my new position. Add to this the leadership program I run and the key role I play in my wife's end-of-year dance concert and you'll understand why my head has been spinning more than my wheels.

This year, scheduling the 400K has been a particular challenge. All possible weekends for easily accessible rides were ruled out early on by either family or work commitments so I widened my search radius. I had hoped to get up to ride in the Central NY 400K again this year. It was a bunch of fun in 2012, with gorgeous views from smooth, low-traffic roads throughout the Finger Lakes. At the last minute, though, I had to pull out to take care of a few family needs. While I was able to squeeze in a nice 200K last Sunday, I still need to find a place for this 250-mile piece of the puzzle.

Through a complex set of negotiations, it looks as though I'll be able to ride in the VT 400K at the end of the month. I had originally written this one off, since I'll be away from home for the three preceding days at a residential conference. When I pointed out to my wife that swapping an early September 400K with this one would provide us with another weekend at the beach she was more than happy to embrace the plan. It was one of those rare win-win family calendar negotiations where everyone leaves the conversation feeling as though they've had gained something special.

So I'm off to New England at the end of the month. I've yet to ride one of the VT events, but I've heard nothing but good things. Time to get these climbing legs in shape!

Up next: VT 400K on June 29.

Time to Plan 2012!

I feel a bit like Steve Martin in the The Jerk when he runs around screaming "the new phone book's here, the new phone book's here . . ." because today is one of my favorite days of the year. I've been checking in on the RUSA calendar ever since we slid into October and was very pleased to find out this afternoon that the complete 2012 calendar of events is now live. I immediately set about combing through the schedule of rides within a 5-hour radius of my house and adding anything interesting and not in conflict with my existing commitments to a Google calendar. There's always some disappointment when I realize that a perfect event is in direct conflict with something I can't move, but there are lots of options living within two hours of four brevet series. It going to be a great year! Take a look and see what's in store for you.

Planning for next season: the RUSA 2010 calendar is live.

October is truly a magical month in the Northeastern U.S. The leaves are majestic and, when we’re lucky, the air is crisp and fresh. Another great thing about October is the release of the upcoming brevet schedule. Last week, the official 2010 calendar appeared on the RUSA website. After realizing that the calendar was live last week, I immediately began the process of entering all potential rides into my on-line Google calendar. Superimposed over family and school commitments, I'm now beginning to see the possibilities and the shape that my upcoming season will assume. Since my main long-term goal is to participate in PBP in 2011, I want to make sure that my events correspond with and support the evolving requirements set out by the French organizers.

At the moment, it appears that:

• NATIONS will raise their total rider allotment through the total number of events ridden during 2010 by all riders.

• INDIVIDUALS will be able to register according to deadlines associated with the highest total distance event they complete in 2010.

Today, the weather was marvelous and I enjoyed riding more than I have in weeks. The wonderful beauty and warm air all around me started me dreaming of next year. So check out the new calendar and see what’s in store for you . . .

Making the Commitment

Today was a good day. I registered for two spring rides and bought a round-trip ticket to London. As I dropped the two envelopes in the mail and clicked the “make this payment” button on the airline’s website, I felt a noticeable level of clarity and focus; things were really falling into place.

Guys have a bad rap for avoiding commitment but this has never been the case for me. I’ve been happily married since I was 29 years old, have two wonderful kids and I love to get cycling events nailed down on the calendar. It’s a relief, in fact. No more “well maybe this one, maybe that one” or “if this one, then that one” thinking. Now I have some specific goals with firm dates that the family and I can plan around. While I registered for LEL in 2009, shelling out the cash for the airline ticket made it much more real.

So at this point, I have my first brevet (the Saratoga 200K on March 29), my first race (the Connecticut River Double Century on April 19) and my largest event (LEL – July 26-30) all lined up and ready to go. My training is becoming more focused and specific as I end the base and enter the build phase. Spring is officially two weeks away, Daylight Savings begins on Sunday and the weekend forecast calls for temps in the upper fifties. Maybe this winter will end after all.

Calendaring the season

It all begins with goals. As we all know, much of the success in endurance cycling resides in one’s head. Visualizing the entire season early in the year is a critical first step. This is followed by securing the dates of important events on the calendar, carefully planning second tier events and mapping out appropriate training. As a father of two young children (9 and 12) who works a full-time job with a wife who owns her own business, it is impossible for me to be successful without careful and deliberate planning.

In the late fall, when I'm pretty exhausted and ready for some rest, RUSA and UMCA publish their event calendars and I begin to build a structure for the season ahead. First, I add the dates of all of the events that are remotely possible for me to ride into my personal Google calendar. If you do not use this free web-based calendar system yet to organize your rides, you should check it out. After creating an account, you can add individual events or upload existing calendars to your profile. The software allows users to create and overlay multiple calendars simultaneously so I have one for brevets, one for training, one for family events, one for work commitments, etc. Using this function, it is easy to spot conflicts and made adjustments.

After entering all possible events, which in my case involves brevets and races within a 2-5 hour radius, I subtract those in conflict with birthdays and other family and work commitments and begin to look for patterns to optimize my training. As an ultracyclist, I will ride centuries and 200K permanents all throughout the year, but need to start working rides of longer distance and greater intensity into the plan starting in March.

For a successful riding season, a randonneur should:

1 Identify the main events and negotiate to get them onto the family calendar as early in the season as possible. What events do you want to build your season around?

2. Train in a progressively more challenging manner. What other events do you want (or need) to use to prepare for your main events?

3. Develop a careful training plan based on the principles of periodization. What training will you need to do on a regular basis to be in top physical and emotional condition for your big events?

For me this year is built around the London-Edinburgh-London (L-E-L) 1400K randonnee. Getting this onto the calendar was no simple matter. The cost and the time away from home was something that my (incredulous) wife and I needed to think through carefully. After she graciously gave me the green light, I registered and began identifying the other events and training volume that would allow me to be in peak form in late July.

Luckily for me, unlike for P-B-P, there is no formal qualification needed for L-E-L so while I will ride more than the equivalent of a full SR series, the particular events are mine to choose, so they will include sanctioned brevets, permanents, solo training rides and ultra races. Other important events in my calendar include the Connecticut River Double Century (April), the Saratoga 12-hour race (July), and two laps of the Adirondack 540 course (275 miles) in September in addition to various brevets and permanents along the way. I will repeat some this year, like the Westfield 600K and ride others for the first time (perhaps a brevet or two with Eastern PA Randonneurs). Living where I do in the Mid-Hudson Valley, we are blessed with several great options within a 1-3 hour drive.

I am also very excited to ride the new 600K brevet Doug and I are designing to follow Henry Hudson’s 1608 route from the Battery in Lower Manhattan to Waterford, NY just north of Albany and back sometime this spring. Sadly, I will be unable to join the Fleche-tones on the New England Fleche in May due to family obligations.

In all, I hope this will be my best year yet. I will ride longer and harder than ever before and I hope to achieve more than seems possible as I type this post in my warm January bed.