...More than a year into this project and I ( the skinny silhouette in the middle ) still don’t really think of myself as a 'randonneur' – funny how self-applied labels seem hardest to relinquish. I’m not sure about the others but I have always thought of myself – inwardly and secretly liked to define myself - as a bike racer…which feels a little comical now that it is down on the page, as I haven’t really raced on the road ( that is, real massed start racing ) for more years than I’d like to think, and I wasn’t particularly good at it when I did. I guess it’s ok to admit that out loud these days as there is little need to prove much - except maybe just to myself.
Ok, with sheer pride at stake I have ripped my insides raw at the odd multisport time trial or mountain bike event as part of a team...but I seem to have lost count of feeling the Autumn change. A distinct moment at the end of each February - like a switch has been flicked to ‘cool weather’ and the morning air feels wetter and works its way noticeably past collars and into the toes of shoes - it signals the start of the racing season in the Southern Hemisphere, and each time I sense it I promise to myself that, this year, I am going to get fit enough to ride. And then I never seem to really make the effort to get beyond a quick jaunt to work morning and night.
What exactly have we been doing then this past 18 months ? Before I’d finished a few ( and I do think the other guys feel this too ) the thought of 200 in a day seemed pretty simple. A bit of a case of take it easy, roll along, eat a few bars and surf a tailwind home. Reality has proven both flattening and exhilarating at the same time. Depending on the day, the terrain, and how you are feeling, 200 is a pretty long way, even if you are relatively fit. But this is just a little bit of quiet bragging, and not really tackling the issue bubbling away in the back of my mind.
Put simply, at what point will I / we be randonneurs ? Will I then cease to be a racer ? Do I really need to label what we are doing anyway ?
Since October 2009 we have been collecting regular miles in order to register an entry to Paris-Brest-Paris. If you are reading this, chances are that you probably well know the requirements of the country quota and ACP qualifying series. This is accumulation of miles plain and simple, to be completed within a cut-off time; but for us, always with a reasonable lunch stop and coffee along the way. It has been a wonderful way to spend hours on the road with friends, encouraging, sheltering and testing each other. I guess this sort of experience is embedded in the spirit of randonneuring - exploring back roads by bike in good company.
And yet I still consistently find myself drawn to the stories from an earlier time when Paris-Brest-Paris – the oldest of cycling events and the inspiration for the TdF – was a competition. PBP = Ride 1200 Kilometres in the fastest time. Hmmm…in the fastest time.
I had known about this oldest of events because of Oppy ( and an obsession with biker journals ) for many years, but didn’t learn until recently that the 1901 winner of PBP was also the first TdF winner in 1903. These early exploits, including Tarront's inaugural win in 1891 and Maurice Garin’s ride, must have literally electrified the collective public imagination of France at the time
Obviously a man of great stamina, patience and focus, Garin handlebarred his way across the European continent revelling in the longest, hardest road events. Putting aside the self-conscious facial hair, heavy metal tights and dainty winners sashes, there is absolutely no questioning the athletic and mental hardness of character required to push a single speed - at speed - over dirt ‘roads’ for days straight. However, noting Maurice is ( mostly ) just a slightly transparent ploy to add a little historical graphic content. But thinking about the conditions faced by riders of this first boom era, and the personal qualities required of them, really underlines a train of thought.
And this is mostly the point - stamina, patience, and focus underpin both road racing and long distance riding.
Each are needed in equal measure – perhaps it is just that the motivation in each situation is different. I’m set on this track a little because of a recent post by Bill Strickland – quoting Jean Bobet. I’m also interested in understanding some of my own motivations and their potential for defining outcomes. Bill / Jean describe the sensation of cycling as La Volupte, explained as something along the lines of ; speed and ease, force and grace. With that little gem down, I’ll come back to Jean ( and probably Bill as he writes so evocatively ) another time, as it is yet another very eloquent distraction to the argument that I am having internally.
Stamina goes without saying – racing 80 or 150, or riding 400. Patience is always required - impetuous behaviour always leads to a collapse with the finish line in sight. Focus is more nebulous, but there is no doubt that sitting in a bunch of 50 riders requires committed thought processes. However, commitment is also needed to complete the final 100 of 600 after 20 odd hours on the road and 2 hours sleep.
Each are needed in equal measure – perhaps it is just that the motivation in each situation is different. I’m set on this track a little because of a recent post by Bill Strickland – quoting Jean Bobet. I’m also interested in understanding some of my own motivations and their potential for defining outcomes. Bill / Jean describe the sensation of cycling as La Volupte, explained as something along the lines of ; speed and ease, force and grace. With that little gem down, I’ll come back to Jean ( and probably Bill as he writes so evocatively ) another time, as it is yet another very eloquent distraction to the argument that I am having internally.
Stamina goes without saying – racing 80 or 150, or riding 400. Patience is always required - impetuous behaviour always leads to a collapse with the finish line in sight. Focus is more nebulous, but there is no doubt that sitting in a bunch of 50 riders requires committed thought processes. However, commitment is also needed to complete the final 100 of 600 after 20 odd hours on the road and 2 hours sleep.
Working together out on the road we have found ourselves fairly evenly matched. What seems to work for us on rides are a series of jambs to milestone stops, with a pause to refuel then continue. Speed coupled with conservation is the order, and this has, at times, lead to a rather interesting leap-frog game with other riders more intent on maintaining an average speed all day with very few stops. There are shades of Jock Boyer at RAAM in this thought process – again, a topic for another day.
Given our previous interests and background, is it a matter of discovering that ; ‘ racers race, a randonneur tours’ ?
Given our previous interests and background, is it a matter of discovering that ; ‘ racers race, a randonneur tours’ ?
Where am I going with this ? I’m not going to try to define an answer today. My intention is to raise a whole bunch of emotion and then leave you hanging. Rather, I’ll come back to this little pet project as the year unfolds. There are many inter-related stories to be told - some I've hinted at, others we've not lived yet. Perhaps after PBP I’ll decide where I sit in the middle of all this. Or perhaps I'll just return to pre-season dreaming...
Bon Chance.
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