200KM in the Bag

Hello,

I finished the Seattle International Randonneurs 200KM "Chili Feed" brevet on Saturday in 8 hours, 35 minutes. I cut an hour off of my best time from last year, but finished well behind my target time. I either seriously underestimated the course, or seriously overestimated my fitness. Probably both. Still, I am pleased with my improvement over last year and with my numeric result of being the 13th rider in out of 118 who started. Even if you remove half of those other riders from the formula (as noodlers), I feel pretty good about my result.

The key is "pretty good". I am not satisfied with my fitness or my time. This ride really showed me that it is time to start the next phase of my training. I will now work on continuing to increase my endurance while really focusing on leg strength. My aerobic condition was above average, but I suffered on the climbs. I was dropped by two guys riding in a pace line and I didn't want to be dropped. I tried to stay on their wheel, but I couldn't. The lead rider commented that it took them a long time to catch me, but they caught me and I was dropped. I did hold my own in a six-rider pace line, taking my turns on point and, if anything, upping the pace when it was my turn. But I got dropped on that climb and I didn't want to get dropped because I knew a control was coming up and I wanted to hang with them until the control. And I got dropped.

Back on the bike.

Namaste,

Jim