by Paul S. Kramer
I amazed myself at finishing a very hilly 400K yesterday. My legs and general fitness deserve at least some of the credit—and are really the source of my amazement, given that the longest ride I had done previously in 2018 was 190K back in April, and the longest in 2017 was a 300K—but most of the credit belongs (in even shares) to Steve B. from Maine, and technology.
Steve and I rode the entire route together, and his faster pace forced me out of my comfort zone and kept me ahead of the clock; just as important, his positive nature and confident attitude were constant buoys for my sinking spirits.
And I also want to tip my hat to technology, and reflect on some of the ways it prevented a certain DNF:
The ride started and finished at Pete D.'s house on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, north of Rochester, New York. Pete (RUSA #25), RBA for the Central New York region, designed this 400K as PBP prep and so he starts it at night—reflecting back to when everyone started PBP that way.
The weather Friday was unseasonably hot—even for the last day of summer—as I prepared to drive to the start from Buffalo, where I was visiting my in-laws. But shortly before I was to leave I received an email from Pete saying there was a severe squall predicted to pass through his area at 7pm, and that he was delaying the start until 9pm. Were it not for the weather radar, we would have shoved off into a calm summer evening, only to be stopped in our tracks an hour later by near-hurricane conditions that would have required waiting-out for an hour. Given that I made the 27-hr time limit by only 45 minutes, I would have certainly DNF'd had he not postponed the start. This delay alone (made possible by technology) saved my ride before it began.
Another time saver was the Spot tracker I carried on my bike. In the old days I would have stopped every so often to call my wife to let her know I was safe; a call every 50 miles means four calls during a 400K—and at 5 minutes each, minimum, that's at least 20 minutes I saved by having my wife track my progress online via the FindMeSpot app.
A lot of time used to be spent standing at intersections, looking at signs, looking at the cue sheet, looking back at the signs, scratching my head, and trying to figure out which way to go—to say nothing of the time wasted going off-course and finding my way back again. These days—thanks, technology—I upload the route to the ridewithgps app and simply follow the voice commands spoken to me via a bluetooth earbud. While I do keep my eye on the cue sheet as well, I never miss a turn, thanks to the app.
Since becoming a randonneur back in 2005, technological advances have continued to act as a counterbalance to my diminishing speed. Brighter LED lights, the Spot finder, GPS and the ridewithgps app, advanced weather radar apps, among other high-tech apps and gadgets, have contributed to shaving many minutes from overall times—minutes desperately needed as my body ages and slows down, and my times on the bike grow longer—and I couldn't have completed this 400K successfully without them!
Steve and I rode the entire route together, and his faster pace forced me out of my comfort zone and kept me ahead of the clock; just as important, his positive nature and confident attitude were constant buoys for my sinking spirits.
And I also want to tip my hat to technology, and reflect on some of the ways it prevented a certain DNF:
The ride started and finished at Pete D.'s house on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, north of Rochester, New York. Pete (RUSA #25), RBA for the Central New York region, designed this 400K as PBP prep and so he starts it at night—reflecting back to when everyone started PBP that way.
The weather Friday was unseasonably hot—even for the last day of summer—as I prepared to drive to the start from Buffalo, where I was visiting my in-laws. But shortly before I was to leave I received an email from Pete saying there was a severe squall predicted to pass through his area at 7pm, and that he was delaying the start until 9pm. Were it not for the weather radar, we would have shoved off into a calm summer evening, only to be stopped in our tracks an hour later by near-hurricane conditions that would have required waiting-out for an hour. Given that I made the 27-hr time limit by only 45 minutes, I would have certainly DNF'd had he not postponed the start. This delay alone (made possible by technology) saved my ride before it began.
Another time saver was the Spot tracker I carried on my bike. In the old days I would have stopped every so often to call my wife to let her know I was safe; a call every 50 miles means four calls during a 400K—and at 5 minutes each, minimum, that's at least 20 minutes I saved by having my wife track my progress online via the FindMeSpot app.
A lot of time used to be spent standing at intersections, looking at signs, looking at the cue sheet, looking back at the signs, scratching my head, and trying to figure out which way to go—to say nothing of the time wasted going off-course and finding my way back again. These days—thanks, technology—I upload the route to the ridewithgps app and simply follow the voice commands spoken to me via a bluetooth earbud. While I do keep my eye on the cue sheet as well, I never miss a turn, thanks to the app.
Since becoming a randonneur back in 2005, technological advances have continued to act as a counterbalance to my diminishing speed. Brighter LED lights, the Spot finder, GPS and the ridewithgps app, advanced weather radar apps, among other high-tech apps and gadgets, have contributed to shaving many minutes from overall times—minutes desperately needed as my body ages and slows down, and my times on the bike grow longer—and I couldn't have completed this 400K successfully without them!
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