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Comment by ambimb on May 6, 2012 at 3:06pm

I'm with Adam. The last 40 miles yesterday were probably the hardest miles I've ever ridden. What a day!

Comment by Scott Stelzer on May 6, 2012 at 9:21am

I learned a lot about myself on this 300k ride - mostly that my limits are further out than I thought.  I also got some valuable lessons from some old hands about proper lighting and clothing.  In fact, a gracious randonneur from Cincinnati helped light my way back after the Edgerton control,  since my headlight was as useless as firefly resin in the pitch black.  In turn, I broke up some of the awful nighttime headwind by riding in front.  What an awesome group of people!

Comment by Adam Z on May 6, 2012 at 7:27am

Wow. The 200k brevet kicked my ass. I definitely have some work to do.

Comment by Kevin C Dormant on May 4, 2012 at 1:13pm

Bonne route, dudes & dudettes!

Comment by Jim Kreps on May 4, 2012 at 11:34am

Sleep, who needs sleep, well, technically, it is a good thing. As Eric put it, a little sleep every couple 50, 75 or 100 miles will rejuvenate most.
Regarding getting rest before getting behind the wheel to drive home.....PLEASE DO REST.....or follow some of the tips below....GLR does not want anyone driving home unrested.
1) hotel lobby, if you can sleep while noise of other riders come in during the pre dawn hours of the day.
2) book a room thru till sunday, yes this cost more money, but if 3 or 4 of you split the cost, it might not be so bad.
3) if, BIG IF, there is the conference room, but we will not know until the day of the ride departure, carpetted floor, is sometimes available to us. I usually call the hotel 3 days prior to the brevet to determine the status of this conference room for us. Since we do not techinically pay for it, we do get bumped now and then. I already know that the June 16th brevet - we will not have it.
4) sleep in your car before you drive away?

Remember the super 8 has been extremely gracious to us over the years, they have seen Randonneurs sleeping in the lobby chairs, front outside sidewalk (me, several years ago), and like indicated above, for a few hours in the conference room, if we have it.

Also, a reminder to all, if you dont stay at the super 8 for at least one night, park your car in the Piggy Wiggly lot across the street. They have permission for this, and it helps the hotel's other paying guests for parking availability.

Jim
Chicago GLR RBA

Comment by Adam Z on May 4, 2012 at 4:55am

Looking forward to tomorrow, fellow GLR'ers.  Accuweather says a chance of showers in the morning and mid-day.  Pretty good considering i was running around in the hailstorm last night trying to rescue my plants!

Comment by Eric Peterson on May 3, 2012 at 2:28pm

Personally I do better if I get some rest. So typically when I get back to Super8 I have eaten, taken a shower, and gotten a few hours sleep. Then I check out, and if a 600K ride the 200K portion. Of course the later you get in, the harder it is to follow that plan. Some keep the room for Sunday as well so they can get some rest/cleanup after the 600K.  Or you could try and sleep in the car. When I was in better shape I could complete the 400k by midnight or so, which worked out pretty well.

If you are on the 600K and up against the control time limits, it's probably better to get on the road and catch catnaps along the way when you can. It's amazing how short naps can rejuvenate you.

Comment by dana on May 3, 2012 at 2:26pm

hey people, good luck to everybody on the upcoming brevets!  i did my first one 2 years ago on the east coast (the princeton 200K, www.njrando.com) and i've been hoping to get into longer rides out here.  glad to find this group... i've been dealing with a back injury but i'm working my way back up to brevet distances.  hope i meet some of you on a ride sometime.

Comment by ambimb on May 3, 2012 at 10:47am

Planning question: How do you sleep *after* the 400 and 600k rides? I mean, it seems likely I'll finish in the middle of the night (in the early morning hours) for both of these rides and I'll be way too tired to drive anywhere so getting a room at the Delavan Super 8 sounds great, except... what if I take the full amount of time to finish each ride? That would mean I finish and need to sleep at 9 a.m. or noon -- not times when hotels want you checking in. How the heck does that work? Any thoughts from experienced riders would be most welcome. Thanks! 

Comment by Scott Stelzer on May 2, 2012 at 2:49pm

Thanks for the encouragement.  I'm usually a solo rider so not having anyone to draft off will be ok. I'll watch my pace and try to actually coast down the hills (I like dive-bombing them normally, LOL).  2 weeks later, I'm doing the Arcadia's Brute, so I'm using this 300k to see where I am, to help me decide if I should do the 150k or 200k Brute.  Last year I did the 150k Kickapoo Kicker, it kicked me :)  but I completed it in time.  Thought about getting a triple crank afterwards for next time, but I still am using the compact.  I'll find you and say hi, and thanks!

About that pavement, at the end of the ride my saddle-sore ass will not welcome the pavement cracks but now I'll know to expect it!

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