Giving up caffeine for PBP

[Greenbank]

A couple of questions to anyone who has given up caffeine in order to make it have a useful effect on long rides (PBP, LEL, BMB, etc).

How long before the event did you give up caffeine?
Did subsequent caffeine hits have a useful effect on the big ride?

I had plans to do it for LEL and never got around to it. I then suffered from the dozies on the 3rd night and could have done with the 4 pro-plus I took having any kind of effect.

Although I'll miss the occasional nice filter coffee every once in a while, I don't have too much of a coffee habit (3 or 4 cups a day). I happily drink instant and don't even mind drinking decaf instant.

I'm trying to get an idea of how long before PBP should I have switched to decaf...

[border-rider]

How long before the event did you give up caffeine?

2 months

Did subsequent caffeine hits have a useful effect on the big ride?

Yes.  The espresso on the first night banished the dozies; I only had a few cups during the event, and they all worked far, far better than when I'm in my usual state of caffeination

[urban_biker]

Its in my plan. May be the toughest part of my PBP training however.

[Andrij]

How long before the event did you give up caffeine?

2 months

   I agree with urban_biker — that could be the toughest part!
 
Never mind, there are plenty of other obstacles to overcome before late June.
 

[red marley]

About 9 months (and subsequently I've only really drunk caffeine on audaxes or in polite company). I've no idea what the minimum time would be to be effective.

During PBP I guzzled the coffee available at controls in the huge soup vats and this certainly had an effect. It allowed me to go for three days without sleep, which I had never done before or subsequently. I plant to be a bit more balanced about my sleeping next time, but will maintain the caffeine free lifestyle until then.

[vorsprung]

I have tried giving up caffeine before 400+ rides when staying awake is a problem

It works in two ways

First, once you have got over the initial couple of days kicking the addiction you will sleep better.  This will reduce sleep debt

Second, when the event comes round any caffeine you do then take the stimulant effect will be greater

I have given up caffeine for a month before an event.  It worked.  I have given it up for a week before an event.  It worked just as well.

The sleep debt reduction thing will work for PBP and it is possibly worth doing for that reason alone

The stimulant effect could be a bad thing on PBP.  Say you are in the 90 hour group and on the second night at around 10pm as it gets dark you start to flag.  So you take a caffeine tablet, whoosh you are off.  What if you don't get to the control before the caffeine wears off?  There is a price to pay and you will suffer and slow up.  Taking caffeine during the first night at 3am and it having a "fantastic" effect could be a bit of a problem a few hours later.

I'm not being terrifically convincing about this but basically, PBP is a longer ride than a 600 or a 400
If you depend on stimulants to get through the first couple of nights then the ones after that could be a bit rough

[Exit Stage Left]

I've never bothered laying off caffeine, there comes a point when you want to close your eyes, whether you've had coffee or not and no amount of pro plus or stay alert gum is going to help, then you've got to stop and close your eyes for 45 minutes and you'll be alright.
I'm thinking of doing the whole of PBP on the US Army First Strike Ration, designed for intense combat missions of 72 hours.

    YouTube
        - Stay Alert® Caffeine Chewing Gum & FSR (First Strike Ration)
 

[Manotea]

I've tried some of the stay alert gum. I think it mainly works by testing something awful. It works as a stimulant OK but not quite in the way you thought it would.

[Greenbank]

I've never bothered laying off caffeine, there comes a point when you want to close your eyes, whether you've had coffee or not and no amount of pro plus or stay alert gum is going to help, then you've got to stop and close your eyes for 45 minutes and you'll be alright.

I don't want to use it too keep me up for days and days. I'd be looking to use it to keep me up until I next get a chance to stop should I get the dozies unexpectedly. My PBP plan doesn't include relying on caffeine to keep me going at any point. I'm lucky that I'm able to deal with sleep deprivation better than many people I saw on LEL, although I didn't get through LEL without dozy incident.

If I'm beyond the point where coffee/pro-plus can help then I will just stop and find somewhere to have a quick nap, but I'm hoping I avoid this by planning properly, not wasting valuable sleeping time (like I did on LEL) and giving caffeine a better chance of carrying me through to the next control by laying off it for before PBP.

[Greenbank]

I might just go for switching to decaf when my current supply of coffee at work is exhausted (I couldn't pass up on the "Manager's Special" of two 200g jars of Nescafe for £6 in the local Sainsbury's the other day). That's about 4 months time I reckon. That should give me a chance to see how that changes things whilst riding the qualifiers.

[Hummers]

I found that giving the todger a rub kept me awake in 2007 and have offered this as a service on subsequent events to weary riders.

Then again, I do have a large frontal area to power ratio.

H

[AndyH]

I found that giving the todger a rub kept me awake in 2007 and have offered this as a service on subsequent events to weary riders.

Then again, I do have a large frontal area to power ratio.

H

I can see that this PBP thing is a major undertaking and one that needs to be taken seriously. It may require lifestyle changes, and will probably take over the majority of my 2011. Giving up caffeine looks like a good idea. What about beer (which may reduce both frontal area and also weight, which may not be so good depending on the prevailing wind)?

Not so sure about todger rubbing from fellow entrants, though. Is this a free service, and do you wait for said weary riders?

[Swarm_Catcher]

I gave up coffee a month before LEL.  During LEL, I didn't once fancy coffee and drank lovely cups of tea instead.   

I'll give up coffee again for PBP, but just because its part of the ritual, the psychological preparation.  It goes together with drinking less alcohol and going to bed in good time.

[Greenbank]

Giving up caffeine looks like a good idea. What about beer?

Steady now, there's no need for that kind of silly talk.

I have no plans to cut down beer intake. I teeter around the 28 unit a week mark and am losing weight by eating properly and doing more cycling. The longest time I have spent without a single drink in the last 15 years was probably the 5 days of LEL.

[urban_biker]

I have to admit, my stomach really struggles with coffee on audaxes anyway. Tea is the thing that really works for me. I guess that will be in short supply in France. Maybe I should take some teabags. Is there ready supplies of hot water at the controls?

[Karla]

I have no plans to cut down beer intake. I teeter around the 28 unit a week mark and am losing weight by eating properly and doing more cycling. The longest time I have spent without a single drink in the last 15 years was probably the 5 days of LEL.

But ... but ... Thorne had a bar in the control!

[Greenbank]

I have no plans to cut down beer intake. I teeter around the 28 unit a week mark and am losing weight by eating properly and doing more cycling. The longest time I have spent without a single drink in the last 15 years was probably the 5 days of LEL.

But ... but ... Thorne had a bar in the control!

Not being the fastest rider it was closed both times I got there.

The stubby bottles of beer at Traquair were tempting but it was a bit too early in the morning for me.

I did buy a 4 pack of Kronenbourg 1664 in St Neots on the way back and lugged them all the way to the finish (much to the amusement of the Belgian rider that joined our group).

[Ian H]

Giving up caffeine looks like a good idea. What about beer?

All this talk of self-denial - it's not a race you know.

[Deano]

I don't intend on giving up caffeine or booze - least of all during the ride.

[EdinburghFixed]

I really want a photo of myself sipping wine for breakfast with 1,000km behind me. That would be something to stick on the wall...

[Bairn Again]

Giving up caffeine looks like a good idea. What about beer?

I teeter around the 28 unit a week mark

That's teetotal in Audax Ecosse

[MSeries]

You've got to try it for yourself. Everyone is different. I prefer to ride fast enough to make time for sleep and not have to rely an artificial stimulants. 

[simonp]

I gave up coffee a month before LEL.  During LEL, I didn't once fancy coffee and drank lovely cups of tea instead.   

I'll give up coffee again for PBP, but just because its part of the ritual, the psychological preparation.  It goes together with drinking less alcohol and going to bed in good time.

I've upped my beer, coffee, tequila and vodka intake.

[border-rider]

I really want a photo of myself sipping wine for breakfast with 1,000km behind me.

In  2003 I stopped at Mortagne on the Thursday night and had a bottle of wine with dinner.  I did share it

[border-rider]

I prefer to ride fast enough to make time for sleep

So do I, but even doing that I can get dozy after a day's riding.