| NJ Brevet Series 200km
April 13, 2002 |
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| This was my first ever brevet, and my first ride longer than fifteen miles this year. The series is organized by Diane Goodwin and Sandiway Fong. A 300 km brevet is also offered this year, and next year there are plans to run the entire series, in preparation for PBP. I didn't count, and the results haven't been published, but I'd say there were about thirty riders at the 7 am start. I don't know how many of them were there for the brevet or the 80 mi. option. There had been intermittent rain, but the last available forecast seemed to indicate a very low risk of precipitation, so I left the fenders on, but brought no raingear except for a PI Zephrr jacket, which I ended up never using at all. My only geared road bike is a '91 RB-T with 50/40/28 Sakae triple, 13-28 7sp. freewheel, barcons, fenders, Avocet slick 28's. Thirty-six spokes front and rear. I filled the Carradice Boxy up with food, tools, wallet and camera. A spare tire, tube and levers were toe-strapped to the saddle in a Riv burrito. Thank goodness for that granny gear. There were 6500+ ft. of climbing, with two hills approaching 20% grade. There was one gentleman on a green Riv, with banana bag, Ritchey cranks, Schmidt/Lumotec lighting system and hammered Honjo fenders. I did not get a chance to talk to him and I don't know if he's on this list. I think I saw at least two other banana bags. The pace started out quick. Not crazy fast, but still quicker than I wanted to start. I got sucked into that, not wanting to read cues, but fell off the pace of the fast group around the thirty mile mark. I was at about this point that I broke a rear drive-side spoke. This happened while clumsily shifting into the bailout gear under load. There was a "twang!" and I looked down to make sure the chainstay was still connected to the bottom bracket, but couldn't spot the wheel problem right away. I had met up with iBOB Andy Brenner at the start, and it so happened that we were both comfortable with about the same pace, so we ended up riding the entire brevet together. He was even wearing the exact same jersey as I, a long-sleeved green NZ merino Swobo. It so happens that the only other time I've met another iBOB for a ride, he was also wearing that same jersey. So if there is an unofficial iBOB uniform, it is that! The first control was at Freeman's bike shop in Frenchtown. I walked in with the wheel and David (baseball cap, apron, tattoos) sent me back out with a replaced spoke, a perfectly true wheel and a $5 charge in under a half hour. Magnificent! The next fifty mile section had most of the tough climbs. Thank goodness for the secret control, which offered a much-needed chance to refuel. A chilled bottle of Starbucks mocha did the trick. We finished with an official time of around 10.5 hrs, with roughly an hour off the bike. A typical leisurely control stop took fifteen minutes for refilling, eating, stretching, bathroom etc. |
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| Lessons Learned: Two large bottles of water are not enough for a forty mile brevet section. I drank regularly, never felt thirsty and never quite ran out, but I only emptied my bladder once (near the start) and took a full day to rehydrate. When I consider that there was no heat and no direct sun, I've got to budget double the water for future brevets. Time to dig out the camelbak. I was not happy about the way the bike handled with the loaded Boxy bag on wet roads. Twice my front wheel skidded in turns and I did not feel confident in fast descents. The fact that the frame is on the small side (it's a 59 and I should probably have a 62) and I'm using a stem with rise may (or may not) exacerbate this effect. I think the weight should be lower and closer to the headtube. That said, I Iove the convenience of storage up there, and I plan to keep using the bag. I'm still experimenting with food. I've had problems with bonking in the past, so I've got to eat regularly during the ride. I've found granola bars at Aldi discount groceries that are dirt cheap ($1.69 for a box of 10), taste great, are just the right size (100 kcal, about half the size of a Clif bar), not sticky, and come in five different flavors to stave off boredom. I plan to keep using these. A lot of people (Sandiway Fong, Henry Kingman) enthusiastically endorse GU, so I'll switch to that for the end of the next brevet. I've always entertained romantic notions of sitting down for hot meals during brevets. I'd still like to do that, but during the ride there is a feeling of pressure and competition, more like a desire for efficiency, that does not seem encourage the long meal. You want to get back on the road and not muck around. Perhaps more advance planning and a group of like-minded randonneurs are required. I have not abandoned this idea. After close to 3000 miles, I've decided the Brooks Pro is too narrow for me. Time to switch over the B-17 from the fixie. The Avocet 28's were fine, but I think I'd like to give Pasela 32's a try. On a brevet I prize the feeling of security. I might pursue other avenues of weight reduction (starting with my midriff), but I don't think wheels can be too strong. Forty-hole Phil hubs perhaps? Freeman's bikes has a gorgeous lugged Columbus SL Serotta (early 90's?), Campy Chorus Ergo double, 700c Mavic wheels with 7 sp. freewheel, 47 c-c, 51 tt, not new but very low miles. Might be worth a trip if you're in the market for this kind of bike. I was considering it for my wife, but it is too long for her on top. Overall, I thought the brevet was well organized and executed, with a good, challenging route. A tip of the cap to Diane and Sandiway. For more information about this series, go to www.dianegoodwin.com Goon Koch North Wales, PA |
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