Author Topic: Controls + Distances  (Read 28629 times)

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #25 on: 20 August, 2019, 09:02:54 am »
Also, a few people are showing as having passed through Carhaix twice but without visiting Brest in-between  ???
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

telstarbox

  • Loving the lanes
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #26 on: 20 August, 2019, 09:04:11 am »
For those of you who've done it before (or if you're out there reading this now!), do you actually enjoy the second half or is it more a case of gritting your teeth and finishing the job?
2019 🏅 R1000 and B1000

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #27 on: 20 August, 2019, 09:13:21 am »
For those of you who've done it before (or if you're out there reading this now!), do you actually enjoy the second half or is it more a case of gritting your teeth and finishing the job?

Depends how much time you have in hand!

In 2003 I was on the rivet all the way back and didn't enjoy it much.  In 2011 and 2015 I paced myself better on the outbound leg so that I could stop off at more of the informal feeding spots along the way and thoroughly enjoy the ride.  The only part I never enjoy is between Fougeres and Villaines, which just seems to drag on and  on and on.
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #28 on: 20 August, 2019, 09:15:42 am »
Fiona is really taking it easy. She made it to Brest with only 34 minutes to spare (assuming you get 40hrs to reach Brest), seems to have enjoyed a proper night sleep.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #29 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:05:05 am »

Dunno how it's working, several riders I'm following have either made it to Brest in more than 40 hours, or are over 40 hours and haven't made it yet. Ivo being one of the later.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Zed43

  • prefers UK hills over Dutch mountains
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #30 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:16:22 am »
41 hours 5 minutes official cut-off for Brest.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #31 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:18:32 am »
41 hours 5 minutes official cut-off for Brest.

Ivo has 4 minutes to get there...

One friend I'm following is showing as 41:17. I hope they let that slide...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #32 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:22:16 am »
41 hours 5 minutes official cut-off for Brest.

That's quite generous. But you should be cycling, not posting stuff on yacf  ;)

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #33 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:26:22 am »
41 hours 5 minutes official cut-off for Brest.

That's quite generous. But you should be cycling, not posting stuff on yacf  ;)

He made it to Brest in 34:37, and to Carhaix-Plougher in 40:00:50. So He can allow him self 5 mins to update us lot :p

On a semi related note, during the TCR, a number of tweets along the lines of "stop tweeting and get cycling" really fucked with my mental state, it really isn't good form to send such messages to people doing events like this. if you're spending time doing something like posting here, or reading twitter, it's usually to get your mental state back on form ready to get back in the saddle.

Keep going zed43, you're doing amazing!

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #34 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:29:01 am »
For those of you who've done it before (or if you're out there reading this now!), do you actually enjoy the second half or is it more a case of gritting your teeth and finishing the job?

Depends how much time you have in hand!

It really depends how much time you have in hand  :)

All three times I've done it, it's been a complete and utter stressfest - [which has it's own retrospective reflective kind of enjoyment, but most definitely not at the time!!] - losing a little bit of time between each control and watching the cut-off guillotine get ever nearer means you enter 'gritting teeth' territory. But if you're a slowy like me then that's what happens. Par for the course. The main issue is sleep really. Riders in the mid-range ability - faster than me, but not really quick - can afford to knock off a few hours and drab a kip. This makes such a huge difference, meaning you can relax a tad, stop here and there coming back to Paris and savour the experience a bit more.

Personally for me, saying goodbye to Loudeac for a second time is most welcome. That run up to Tinteniac is a nippy section.
Garry Broad

Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #35 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:29:59 am »
41 hours 5 minutes official cut-off for Brest.

That's quite generous. But you should be cycling, not posting stuff on yacf  ;)

He made it to Brest in 34:37, and to Carhaix-Plougher in 40:00:50. So He can allow him self 5 mins to update us lot :p

On a semi related note, during the TCR, a number of tweets along the lines of "stop tweeting and get cycling" really fucked with my mental state, it really isn't good form to send such messages to people doing events like this. if you're spending time doing something like posting here, or reading twitter, it's usually to get your mental state back on form ready to get back in the saddle.

Keep going zed43, you're doing amazing!

J

I'm sure it depends on the rider, it's probably less likely to be harmful than posting that your friend was out of time though!

Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #36 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:32:34 am »
Quite a few overnight packs, it seems. Headwind and rain pushed the average speeds down significantly.

Is that so? Must admit,  I haven't been paying much attention to the forecast - there was talk of good weather predicted for the whole week. Things can change!
Garry Broad

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #37 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:34:18 am »
I'm sure it depends on the rider, it's probably less likely to be harmful than posting that your friend was out of time though!

a) The friend who was 15 mins over time isn't on yacf, and isn't mentioned by name. They have left Brest, and are moving. By not mentioning any identifying details, I was curious if any previous riders would contribute things like "they aren't that harsh with cut offs" or "they may be more generous cos of the headwinds"

b) Ivo isn't reading yacf while riding.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #38 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:35:49 am »
For those of you who've done it before (or if you're out there reading this now!), do you actually enjoy the second half or is it more a case of gritting your teeth and finishing the job?

Half & half.  Some of the climbs, particularly after resting a while in Brest, were painful, others were OK; descents were delightful, particularly from Le Roc'h Trevezel.

In 2007 the last approach to Guyancourt was hilarious, sprinting between traffic lights with a bunch of chortling Dutchmen and complaining bitterly every time the light turned red.

I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #39 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:36:26 am »
@QG: I'm quite sure that Zed43's mental state is sufficiently resilient to take my comments on him posting here during PBP.

About Ivo: his tracker still shows him at Loudeac, which seems to imply that there is something wrong with his tracking device or that he's "abandon".

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #40 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:47:03 am »
@QG: I'm quite sure that Zed43's mental state is sufficiently resilient to take my comments on him posting here during PBP.

Yeah, you and zed43 have known each other long enough for it to probably be ok. It's just a pet hate of mine, and I don't want people who perhaps aren't as familiar with each other to get the idea it's acceptable. Slogging up a mountain, turning on your phone and getting a barrage of messages of "you're too slow" "you're stopping too much" "you're paused time is shocking". All of which seemed to have ignored the previous tweet I'd sent saying "taking an early nap in the hottest part of the day, will push through the night", to explain the high paused time...

I may have an axe to grind here. I've been trying to write a blog post about it since I scratched from the TCR, I've started with "Dear Dotwatchers, be better" and I've deleted everything I've written a couple of times...

Quote
About Ivo: his tracker still shows him at Loudeac, which seems to imply that there is something wrong with his tracking device or that he's "abandon".

Yeah, I've been pondering the merits of a text message asking if he's OK.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #41 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:49:13 am »
I have been following a few people who i know usually complete 400/600km well within time, and i would consider them stronger riders than myself.
But i see that many are on 39+ hrs at Brest, some will even be over the 40hrs.  Is there something about this event that make it extra hard ? Do people faff around too much at the controls... perhaps brutal head winds ?




Regards,

Alan

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #42 on: 20 August, 2019, 10:51:31 am »
I have been following a few people who i know usually complete 400/600km well within time, and i would consider them stronger riders than myself.
But i see that many are on 39+ hrs at Brest, some will even be over the 40hrs.  Is there something about this event that make it extra hard ? Do people faff around too much at the controls... perhaps brutal head winds ?

Based on messages I'm seeing on twitter and instagram lots of moaning about the wind, and it would appear to be hillier than expected.

For the full value riders they are going to have a light headwind on the way back too...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

S2L

Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #43 on: 20 August, 2019, 11:05:42 am »
and it would appear to be hillier than expected.

Surely in this age of ubiquitous geo-topographical information freely available, it is a rider's failure to prepare?

Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #44 on: 20 August, 2019, 11:06:54 am »
I have just gone through the regulations for 90hrs group and its closing at 11.21am in Brest (20/8) for a 17:15 start (18/8) - this equals 42h06min for 610km.

Thats gives some of them a little more time than i thought - Should be interesting to see how they all get on, wouldnt like to cycle 600km with 1 or 2 hours
to play with (after already 600km into head winds and hills)
Regards,

Alan

cygnet

  • I'm part of the association
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #45 on: 20 August, 2019, 12:52:28 pm »
I have been following a few people who i know usually complete 400/600km well within time, and i would consider them stronger riders than myself.
But i see that many are on 39+ hrs at Brest, some will even be over the 40hrs.  Is there something about this event that make it extra hard ? Do people faff around too much at the controls... perhaps brutal head winds ?

Looking at the map, the timing point is on the way out of Brest. So they will already have controlled and maybe even slept.
I Said, I've Got A Big Stick

cygnet

  • I'm part of the association
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #46 on: 20 August, 2019, 01:04:22 pm »
Also, a few people are showing as having passed through Carhaix twice but without visiting Brest in-between  ???

As above, the time check is about 1km after the control according to the map. If they didn't return to the route exactly where they left it they might have missed it.
I Said, I've Got A Big Stick

Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #47 on: 20 August, 2019, 01:16:29 pm »
And the first riders are back in Paris, fastest time I can spot is 44h47 by Robert Coquen. That would be the slowest "winner" since 1971. Or am I missing someone?

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #48 on: 20 August, 2019, 01:28:53 pm »
Also, a few people are showing as having passed through Carhaix twice but without visiting Brest in-between  ???

As above, the time check is about 1km after the control according to the map. If they didn't return to the route exactly where they left it they might have missed it.

I wouldn't rely too much on the map. That horrible school will be the control - it'd be daft to have them a klick further on.  The check-in will be clearly-enough signposted and that's what they'll be looking for as soon as they get there.  In 2015 I was knackered when I got there and I found it, so it has to be easy.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Controls + Distances
« Reply #49 on: 20 August, 2019, 01:31:49 pm »
And the first riders are back in Paris, fastest time I can spot is 44h47 by Robert Coquen. That would be the slowest "winner" since 1971. Or am I missing someone?

One of those toasted-torpedo things A velomobile did it in 43h49:47
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight