[OrRando] [Fwd: Re: [SIR] young, naive rider seeks advice from wiser randonnneurs and randonneuse]

[Michael Rasmussen]

All,

This advice cannot go unrepeated.  If you are planning on riding further than you
have before these words from Kent (one who's been further than you're planning)
not only speak great truth, they speak great overlooked truth.



-------------------------------- Original Message --------------------------------
Subject: Re: [SIR]  young, naive rider seeks advice from wiser randonnneurs and  
randonneuse
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 06:29:49 +0000, "greta olson"
<gretasonaus _A_ hotmail.com> said:

> Alright, the rookie has another question. This one might seem a little
> ridiculous but how do I get faster? In my "training plan" I am suppossed
> to ride brisk on Wednesdays.

OK this is the second time you've asked about getting faster and
at least the second time you've expressed anxiety about sticking
to your training plan. My question to you is this: Was your
training plan handed to you on stone tablets or did a voice from
a burning bush set forth exactly how much thou shall and shall
not ride?

Only you can really know if you are training or slacking. I
know people who have ridden a full series where their longest
non-brevet ride has been 30 miles. I know a guy who rode
PBP while sick as a dog subsisting on soda crackers and
flat Sprite. I also know many folks who've quit brevets
and many others who've stuck it out.

Most DNFs come not from a lack of speed but a lack of
conviction. If you think you're not prepared, the odds
are much greater that doubt will overwhelm you. Nobody
KNOWS they can ride a given brevet on a given day. We
think we can. We ride the brevets to find out if we
are right.

My advice is this: Think less about training and
more about preparation. Miles don't count as much
as knowing what your body does on those miles. A
perfectly tuned racecar doesn't go anywhere without
gas in the engine and air in the tires. Do you know
how to fuel your engine? Do you know how to fix
flats? Do you know how your bike handles in the rain?
Do you know what it's like to ride at night? Most
importantly do you have a flexible mind, can you
deal with that which you didn't anticipate?

I can tell you this: your brevets will probably
not go as planned. They might, but that's not the
way to bet. Be ready to make new plans and execute
those.

You seem to be freeking out that your training isn't
meeting some plan. Get past that freek out. Adapt.
Make new plans. That's what you'll need to do on
the road anyway.

A disproportionate number of randonneurs are
fans of the Grateful Dead. I have no idea why that
is but I think I'm right about this. I also think
Robert Hunter was right when he wrote:

"There is a road, no simple highway,
Between the dawn and the dark of night,
And if you go no one may follow,
That path is for your steps alone."

and

"If you should stand then who’s to guide you?
If I knew the way I would take you home."

Kent Peterson
Issaquah WA USA
http://kentsbike.blogspot.com/
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-- 
   Michael Rasmussen, Portland, Ore, USA
  Be Appropriate && Follow Your Curiosity
        http://www.patch.com/words/