Pacing yourself

[yello]

In a sense, this is a completely stupid question because the answer seems an obvious one, BUT...

How do you pace yourself on longer rides?

I'm about to step the ride mileage up to 300km. I KNOW I can't ride it like I ride a 200 but I am hopeless at slowing myself down. Not that I knock myself out but I reckon I do ride, shall we say, swiftly.

Now, do I just continue to do that and crawl the last 50-100km or is there anything I can do to sensibly pace myself. Tips, hints, ideas, anything!

Or will I just have to try and do the obvious, i.e. slow down and take it a little more easy!

 

[ASC1951]

That's where you need a computer with an 'under or over average speed' function. Most of them have that.

Of course if you just ignore it and and go off at race pace, you are going to have to adjust the bit between the ears. Only you can do that.

 

[yello]

So what you're suggesting is working out an average time & speed in advance and trying to stick to that. That's certainly one suggestion.

I guess I could take my avg 200 time and add maybe 75%.... something like that.

 

[paddy01]

So what you're suggesting is working out an average time & speed in advance and trying to stick to that. That's certainly one suggestion.

I guess I could take my avg 200 time and add maybe 75%.... something like that.

You'd be better off with an average speed to aim for, easier to deal with monitoring it.

I've no experience of those kinds of distances but 200kms pace minus 3 or 4 mph mind seem reasonable?

 

[gavintc]

HR monitoring. You get to know at what HR you can sustain a long one and then keep religiously to it - trying to avoid it rising into your danger zone.

 

[ASC1951]

So what you're suggesting is working out an average time & speed in advance and trying to stick to that.

Yes, although the ride is the thing, not the time, so you don't want to be taking a slide rule to it. 75% of 200k pace* sounds about right to me for 300k.

You will soon know what pace you can sustain over the longer distance. I don't do 300k rides, but I regularly go for 200k and normally do pretty much the same pace all the way round, depending on terrain. If you find it uncomfortable to slow down, you could just have more or longer stops. That doesn't work for me - I would normally only stop once on a >100k ride and not at all below that - but it might for you.

I agree, there are few things more dismal than having to drag yourself the last 50k of something where your legs have already decided 'sod this'. It always seems to rain then, too.

[*I've re-read your post. I don't really do arithmetic: adding 75% for the final third is a much smaller drop than my "75% of 200k pace". That might be ok on a flat route or if you really are a superstar, but on the two rides I have done over 200k I found quite a drop off beyond about 230k, so you might still find it a bit brisk.]

 

[Greenbank]

There's not much difference between my 200km pace and my 300km pace (or my 400km or 600km pace for that matter). I just go round, eating little and often and failing to drink enough.

An average Audax (i.e. 1000m climbing per 100km) I'll have a moving average of 22kph.
Hillier and it'll drop to a moving average around 19-20kph (19.4kph on last year's Elenith).
Flatter and it's gone up as far as a 25kph moving average.

For a 200 a 20kph average gives me over 3 hours of time to faff and eat at controls. Nice and leisurely. I stopped for almost 4 hours on the Elenith and finished with 15 minutes to spare (I was never worried I wasn't going to make the finish in time).

The longer rides tend to be slightly slower, but that's probably more due to carrying an extra couple of kg of stuff in the bag compared to a small seatpack on 200.

I don't bother thrashing round short rides in an attempt to get a quick time. My fastest 200 was a slightly less than averagely hilly 200 (the Muswell Hills) which I did in a shade under 11 hours. I don't ride a 200 any differently than if I was riding a longer ride. I could have turned around after that 200 and done the whole thing again (if it weren't for the torrential rain).

 

[jimboalee]

This is a tricky one.

Yes, the pace is similar across 200 to 600 km rides because the average speed requirement is the same at 15 kmh.

I tend to slow the pace on 300s and longer, but there is the dreaded P*****re.

Ride TOO slow and get a multiflat; and you have to speed it up and continually worry about another blowout and not meeting the control times.

Calculate out your speed requirement taking into account 30 minutes to repair the flat tyres, ( if they happen ).

22kmh rolling average is about, nigh on correct. The resultant average for a 50 km section will end up being 18 - 19 kmh after some photos and drinks stops.

The last thing you want is to be on a 19 kmh overall average riding the final section and both tyres suddenly deflate. It will be a sprint finish to save the whole days efforts.


"Always expect the worst. Anything better will be a bonus".

 

[yello]

Today's 200 was more audax like. I deliberately plotted a hillier route (2047m) and the weather kindly threw in a 20kph southerly to keep me company. That made like difficult at times and my average dropped to just over 22kph. I stopped for just over 45 minutes all told so my elapsed time was around 9:45.

I think I will try a longer stop strategy since I do think I'll find it difficult to slow myself. I was thinking of doing a 250 but I think that if I can do that I can do 300, so I'll probably just go for it. The first time is always a learning experience!

 

[Nuncio]

Is this Audax we're talking about? Have you ever had problems getting back inside the time limit? I'd guess not given what you say about your speed and times. So why worry? Why not just avoid looking at your computer and just enjoy the ride? If you find you're struggling in the last 50km, take a quick break, top up with fuel if necessary, and get going again.

Personally, I would avoid the longer stop option. It's stopping which causes the average time to plummet rather than the slowing down a bit thing.

And, personally speaking again, I would avoid starting off with an average speed in mind, unless I were prepared to jetison it almost straight away without it disturbing may equanimity There are just too many variables involved (weather, traffic, terrain, mechanicals, navigation, just having a day 'sans') over which you have zero or limited control.

Oh, and good luck with the 300. Which one is it?

 

[jimboalee]

I would have stopped for six 15 minute breaks, making my ET 10:40 ish.

That's based on a 21.5 kmh riding average, and a 24 kmh cruising speed ( on the flat ).

Shorter stops prevent cooling too much.

There is another bit of cycling 'folklore' ( you won't be surprised to hear ) which says that if you stop for longer than 25% of the previous riding time, the next section can be considered a seperate ride.

eg, 2 hours riding followed by a 30 minute stop followed by another 2 hour riding constitutes seperate rides.
In this case, proper warm-ups are required before the re-start.

As a matter of fact, I do stretches at every control. And visit the lavvy to dry my ass.

 

[yello]

Is this Audax we're talking about?

No.

I tend to ride as I ride, without looking at the computer, no regard to average speed, etc etc etc. That's the point. Having not ridden 300 before, I'm not sure that my 'no strategy' approach is best suited to getting me through a longer distance. But as I suggested in my last post, only one way for find out!

 

[yello]

There is another bit of cycling 'folklore' ( you won't be surprised to hear )

I'd be deeply disappointed if there wasn't

which says that if you stop for longer than 25% of the previous riding time, the next section can be considered a seperate ride.

I could go for that. In fact, I think my approach to doing a 600 would be to consider it 2 rides!

And visit the lavvy to dry my ass.

WAY too much detail!

 

[jimboalee]

Luckily for the members of Audax UK, the E2E is possible in three varieties.

1/ Straight off.

2/ 7 x 200km days.

3/ 14 x 100km days.

I chose option 2/.

Unfortunately on the other hand, the LEL and the Three Caps are not multiples, ie seperate days of 200 each. They are well over 1000 and you get the 1000 BR medal or patch.

Riders take a handful of hours sleep between sections, so they are effectively seperate rides but the clock is ticking.

I am going to attempt a 400 this year, 280 km in 16 hours in the summer daylight, a couple of hours sleep and then the remainder through the early morning dawn.
I will aim for 17.5 km overall.

 

[Greenbank]

Luckily for the members of Audax UK, the E2E is possible in three varieties.

It's just been modified slightly, more details here:- http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=13905.msg307656#msg307656

1/ Straight off.

This option remains. Must be a minimum of 1400km. Since it's a BR (Brevet Randonneur) event you get 4 days and 20 hours and 40 minutes regardless of how long your route is over 1400km.

2/ 7 x 200km days.

This one has changed slightly. It'll still be 7 seperate 200km days (at BR standard). With a maximum of 3 rest days. If you want to take longer than that you'll have to enter each day as a separate DIY ride.

Also: "By the end of this year, the 7x200 option will stipulate fixed controls, but for now the route is free."

3/ 14 x 100km days.

This option has been removed. It is now replaced with a full Brevet Populaire version that is a minimum route of 1300km in a maximum of just over 18 days (so, in some ways, it's a bit easier than the old 14x100 event). 3kph minimum average speed! Of course, since it's a BP event you don't get any points for it.

Any questions then the E2E Perm organiser would be happy to answer them.

Unfortunately on the other hand, the LEL and the Three Caps are not multiples, ie seperate days of 200 each. They are well over 1000 and you get the 1000 BR medal or patch.

There's nothing stopping you entering a series of DIY rides with your own listed controls. I did London to Edinburgh as a DIY 300 (Putney to Thorne), DIY 200 (Thorne to Alston) and DIY 200 (Alston to North Berwick) on consecutive days this way earlier this year. There's nothing stopping me using the same controls to make it into a DIY 1400!

For a true 200km minimum a day ride, at Brevet Randonneur standard, you have to do a route of more than 2500km. So Trafalgar to Trafalger 3100, Calais to Brindisi 2600, the Scottish Star 2600, Great Triangle 3315, the Orient Express 4014km (London to Istanbul) or the Transamerica Trail at a mere 6800km.