84h start times - the good, the bad and the ugly

[jack_your_body]

I've chosen 84h slot as logically it seems more sleep efficient to start early in the morning. However, psychologically I think I might struggle with being at the back of the bunch and I'm considering trying to swap.
What is good about the 84h start times? What is bad and what is bloody awful?

[Ivo]

Most will depend on your personal bodyclock.
How do you ride at 5am, are you fresh and wide awake, or do you barely keep your eyes open? The 84 hour start is very good for people who prefer waking up and starting out early. For those who love the night, it's hell.

[Lightning Phil]

Depends, unless staying close to start, you’ll likely leave your accommodation around 4am maybe earlier, which means you’ll probably be up around 3:30am. Which probably means you won’t have had that good a sleep before you start.

[Frank9755]

What is good is more riding in daylight. 

Bad is the controls are mostly on their last legs when you get there - no food left, exhausted volunteers, etc.  Also bad is starting tired.  Adding to Phil's point, I never sleep well the night before an early start so was pretty tired to begin with when I did an 84h start.

Also bad is no razmatazz at the start - it's more like a normal audax, not a big event as the Sunday starts are.

For me, the biggest factor was the bombed-out controls - but really, none of it is that big a deal.

[Deano]

There's a previous thread here: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=110863

[Wycombewheeler]

What is good is more riding in daylight. 

Is this really true though? It feels like it should be true because you have 4 days and 3 nights, instead of 4 nights and 3 days but there is a bit more than 3 days as you have Sunday evening and Thursday morning riding the 90hour waves

I could split the 1200 into 350,350,300,200 on the 84 hour start and finish in time, on this type of schedule there would be very little riding in the dark, but intermediate control times don't allow it.

I reckon with an early Sunday start wave, I could ride through the first night, stop around sunset on monday, and do must of the rest between dawn and dusk as long as I am not fussed about setting a good time.

a 6pm start 90hours has 50 hours of daylight between start and finish
a 6am start 84 hours has 53 hours of daylight between start and finish

in each case intermediate control times restrict minimising night time riding, so an analysis of where you need to get to before sunrise each day is required.
very little difference.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Most people ride faster in daylight than they do in the dark, for a variety of reasons. Fast riders can do the 84hr start with virtually no need for lights at all, other than the beginning of the first day.

[Wycombewheeler]

Most people ride faster in daylight than they do in the dark, for a variety of reasons. Fast riders can do the 84hr start with virtually no need for lights at all, other than the beginning of the first day.

Loudeac is 448km and they will need to be there by about 8am on Monday. They are very fast if they can make Loudeac by sunset on Monday. 5 am start, 9pm sunset. = 16 hours 448km + stops. That's 28kmh average including stops

Having made Loudeac it should be possible to ride dawn to dusk for the rest of the course. 13.5 hours moving, 300km a day means monday 450, tuesday 750, wednesday 1050, thursday 1200 which should keep within control times

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Most people ride faster in daylight than they do in the dark, for a variety of reasons. Fast riders can do the 84hr start with virtually no need for lights at all, other than the beginning of the first day.

Loudeac is 448km and they will need to be there by about 8am on Monday. They are very fast if they can make Loudeac by sunset on Monday. 5 am start, 9pm sunset. = 16 hours 448km + stops. That's 28kmh average including stops

Having made Loudeac it should be possible to ride dawn to dusk for the rest of the course. 13.5 hours moving, 300km a day means monday 450, tuesday 750, wednesday 1050, thursday 1200 which should keep within control times

Sunlit riders tend to sleep a little before Loudeac and finish it off before breakfast or do an hour or so in the early evening to Loudeac.

[Ivo]

Most people ride faster in daylight than they do in the dark, for a variety of reasons. Fast riders can do the 84hr start with virtually no need for lights at all, other than the beginning of the first day.

That's partially dependent on the person, partially on specific training (night riding and night shifts at work) and the weather. During a heat wave, it can be good to ride more at night and less during the afternoon.

[αdαmsκι]

I did the 84 hr start in 2015

Good points

Roads and controls are pretty empty until beyond Loudeac.

Easy to break it into "days" without the need to ride through the night. For me

Day 1 to Saint-Méen-le-Grand (around 400 km)
Day 2 to Brest & back to Saint-Méen-le-Grand (around 400 km) - this was my latest finish at about 3am
Day 3 to Senonches (around 300 km)
Day 4 to the finish (around 100 km)

Good to catch 90 hr riders on the way back to Paris and chat with folk

Bad points
You'll start in the dark. (5am in French is equivalent to 4am in the UK because of the time difference)
Not the atmosphere at the start
Controls will have already dealt with a lot of people before you arrive, tho I don't remember this being an issue
You may be bouncing along near the time limits, but this didn't bother me.

[Ian H]

The main positive, as I remember, is the less frenetic start, compared with either the 90 or the 80hr.   

[Wycombewheeler]

The main positive, as I remember, is the less frenetic start, compared with either the 90 or the 80hr.   

I loved the fast start. I loved the big bunches in the early evening, I loved racing through towns in a peloton in the dark. I loved passing riders from earlier start waves.

[jack_your_body]

Seems like they had problems with the process of releasing unregistered slots at midday but they are available now

[thing1]

Thanks! Forgot all about this.
I swapped to 5:30 Y group, as I know a few people in that group (and don't want too early a start) .. although X is nicer aesthetically 🤣
Midday packet pickup Sunday.

Who else is 84H  this year?