Paris-Brest-Paris 2023?

[CruzinCambridge]

Against all reason and better judgement, starting this thread here. Anyone else training for PBP? If I read the message boards right we'll all be starting in Group F (unless there's an 84 hr specials group too) so it would be great to get to know the peloton. @Tor Hovland thanks for your videos to serve as inspiration. I'm probably 50/50 on getting a spot (my longest ride last year was 300K) and sameon qualifying (300K was my longest ride ever)... so maybe this is a bit premature.

I set PBP as a goal four years ago. I was well on my way with a 200K ride in 2020 and plans to extend my longest ride every year, but then back problems sidelined me for most of 2021. Labor Day of 2021 I got a rare used S30 (thanks @pravacon) and was able to get in like 100 miles in 2021. I got the Cruzbike hooked up to a trainer and spent some of the winter on it getting fitness back. I wasn't able to make most of the early Randonneuring seasons work as I was still learning to get comfortable on the Cruzbike on the road. I did half of the New England Randonneurs 400K from Boston to Portland, Maine, the PMC (which is 190 miles over two days) and a late season 300K to Newport Rhode Island.

Between PT, physiotherapy and chiropractics, I was able to get on my DF bike for some rides in the fall, but haven't wanted to push my distance beyond 100K... and why bother when you own a Cruzbike, amiright? So, I'm planning out my calendar for 2023. I'm looking at the NER 200K, I have a conflict for their 400K, but I see there's one in New Jersey (which is super flat!), and then finishing it out with the NER 300K and 600K, both of which are pretty extremely hilly. Anyone else planning on those rides? I have a lot going on this Spring, so I'm getting anxious about training. I'm going to try to do some high intensity ftp work in January and February and then maintain that with endurance work in March and April in between some travel I can't avoid. I feel pretty confident about the 400K, but the 600K has me a little worried.

On to the gear talk! I'm planning to order a dynamo wheelset from Hunt and get it wired up from Peter White. I have a T-Cycle Fastback double century bag which I really liked for no-worry hydration (I did a 200K in 95 degrees and it came in handy) and some small gear and food storage, and a Scarab bag that I've never put on. I have to figure out if I can get enough gear in the Scarab or if I need to consider putting on a rear rack.

 

[bsmcguire]

My V20c arrives this week and I want to use it for the rando series. My DF buddy is trying to convince me to do PBP 2023, so I too am seeking knowledge of how to setup the bike.

Do you happen to have any photos of the T-cycle FastBack Double Century Hydration Pack attached to your CruzBike? Are you planning to use the Fastback in addition to the scarab bag and how would they both fit on the bike?

Interested in where and how one stores/attaches a battery for their GPS on a V20c?
Like @Tor Hovland , I am interested in doing the 360 degree camera setup. Would be great to know how to deal with the length of recordings and battery life for rides of many hours. Does one swap out memory cards and batteries on the camera or run a charge cable along the selfie stick from a battery pack to the camera?

Here in Phoenix, AZ area we have a complete rando series between Jan - March, so those will serve as training rides.

 

[CruzinCambridge]

Do you happen to have any photos of the T-cycle FastBack Double Century Hydration Pack attached to your CruzBike? Are you planning to use the Fastback in addition to the scarab bag and how would they both fit on the bike?

Interested in where and how one stores/attaches a battery for their GPS on a V20c?

Here's a few photos of my jury-rigged FastBack... it's supposed to go lower on the seat like the banana bags but for the life of me I couldn't figure out how the straps were supposed to work so I set it up high and used a velcro strap to attach the top to my neck rest. With the bags higher there's no risk of the mouthpiece flopping into the spokes. You'll see I feed the tube through a zip tie on the neck rest and then clip it to a magnet on the side of the seat when not in use. With the bag higher there's plenty of room for the scarab bag. The other thing I've thought about is trying to get it to work as intended lower down and adding a radical design seat bag. I think they're similar volumes... it would involve a trade-off of higher center of gravity but easier access. I'd welcome any thoughts from experienced cruzbikers.

On the "action shot" you'll see I rode this year with a regular sling bag. You can see the USB cord running from my battery in the sling bag up the frame and onto the handlebars where I could use it to charge both my GPS and my phone.

 

[Frito Bandito]

For multi day trips on my V20, this is my setup.

The 6L Doppelganger bag now has a 2.5L Osprey Hydraulics bag with a handsfree bitedown tube inside, but I will switch to a 3L this Summer. I use powdered Pocari Sweat, which is similar to Gatorade, and adjust the amount of ice added to the bag according to expected temperatures to cool me down since this is worn on my chest. Not only does it cool me off very well on hot days, but I have found that when combined with my 6L Rixen Kaul bag behind my head my CdA (aerodynamics) is better than with a single bottle behind my head. My 10,000mAh battery charger, iPhone cable, and 2 other cables for my SRAM AXS batteries, Lezyne 700 XL light, Lezyne tail light, GoPro, the SRAM charger, and a small AAA powered light that clips onto my helmet to point directly at cars pulling out from the side, as well as 3 spare AAA batteries and the charger all fit in the Doppelganger bag's other pockets. I also have a battery case on my iPhone 13 that will extend the use time by at least 100%, and some of them well over 200%.

With the single bottle behind my head set up like this pic below, my CdA is about 0.230-0.236 without the Doppelganger.


With the Rixen Kaul bag and the Doppelganger on my chest my CdA drops to about 0.200-0.210 with the same wheels as pictured above.


My hexkey set, spare tube, patch kit, Chapstick, a CO2 canister and nozzle, small hand pump, spare core for my tube, core tool, spoke tool, and 32g WD40 can all fit in my Moose bag.

I can fit a few clothing articles in the 6L Rixen Kaul bag as well as light rain gear in the netting on top, all covered with the Rixen Kaul's rain cover.

I haven't needed a tent, sleeping bag or sleeping mat yet, but if I did, then I would likely stick them under the seat via the 4 bottle cage mount holes in the OEM seat or in elongated bags attached with Velcro to keep my CdA as low as possible.

 

[chicorider]

Here's a few photos of my jury-rigged FastBack... it's supposed to go lower on the seat like the banana bags but for the life of me I couldn't figure out how the straps were supposed to work so I set it up high and used a velcro strap to attach the top to my neck rest. With the bags higher there's no risk of the mouthpiece flopping into the spokes. You'll see I feed the tube through a zip tie on the neck rest and then clip it to a magnet on the side of the seat when not in use. With the bag higher there's plenty of room for the scarab bag. The other thing I've thought about is trying to get it to work as intended lower down and adding a radical design seat bag. I think they're similar volumes... it would involve a trade-off of higher center of gravity but easier access. I'd welcome any thoughts from experienced cruzbikers.

On the "action shot" you'll see I rode this year with a regular sling bag. You can see the USB cord running from my battery in the sling bag up the frame and onto the handlebars where I could use it to charge both my GPS and my phone.

@CruzinCambridge Your S30 can also accept a rear rack, giving you the option to use (and easily remove) regular panniers. I went with the Tubus Airy Ti because I liked it's low weight, high strength, and more minimalist, tucked in profile. It is a bit pricey for a rack, but I tend to take a hell-you-only-live-once approach to bikes and parts, it should outlast me, and if I ever sell this bike, it could be a selling point. I did need to do a wee bit of trimming (nothing major) to create enough space for the suspension travel, and I made the aluminum strut that joins the front of the rack to the rear brake bridge. I used this initially for commuting to and from work. Now that I'm retired, this will be my go-to bike if I ever take up multi-day touring.

 

[Bill Wightman]

With the Rixen Kaul bag and the Doppelganger on my chest my CdA drops to about 0.200-0.210 with the same wheels as pictured above.

How are you measuring this CdA?

 

[Frito Bandito]

How are you measuring this CdA?

There is an app called "MyWindSock". It's not so expensive but it calculates the weather, elevation, your power and a few other things. I think it is pretty accurate in the general sense, but it isn't as accurate as a windtunnel but we don't ride in a wind tunnel with consistent winds. I have been using it for well over a year and if I didnt plan on making any changes to my V20 setup I'd probably cancel my subscription, but I have some storage ideas I'd like to try out to see how they affect my CdA. I am pretty sure they are going to make my CdA worse, but I want to know by how much.

 

[CruzinCambridge]

@CruzinCambridge Your S30 can also accept a rear rack, giving you the option to use (and easily remove) regular panniers. I went with the Tubus Airy Ti because I liked it's low weight, high strength, and more minimalist, tucked in profile. It is a bit pricey for a rack, but I tend to take a hell-you-only-live-once approach to bikes and parts, it should outlast me, and if I ever sell this bike, it could be a selling point. I did need to do a wee bit of trimming (nothing major) to create enough space for the suspension travel, and I made the aluminum strut that joins the front of the rack to the rear brake bridge. I used this initially for commuting to and from work. Now that I'm retired, this will be my go-to bike if I ever take up multi-day touring.

Looks good. I've seen earlier threads where someone's fitted a front low-rider rack to the rear of an S30 as well. I was thinking for PBP I wanted to minimize cargo/weight, but that rack looks like it addresses a lot of those concerns (note, cost wasn't one of them). I may still stick with a more "bikepacking" bag setup.

 

[chicorider]

Looks good. I've seen earlier threads where someone's fitted a front low-rider rack to the rear of an S30 as well. I was thinking for PBP I wanted to minimize cargo/weight, but that rack looks like it addresses a lot of those concerns (note, cost wasn't one of them). I may still stick with a more "bikepacking" bag setup.

One thing I like about Cruzbikers is that they are resourceful and find their own way that works best for them and what they're doing. This makes sense, since it takes some bravery and independence of thought to diverge from the DF paradigm in the first place.

We look forward to updates as you prepare.

 

[Frito Bandito]

Same here Chico, I love to see the inventive ways CBers come up with to solve their problems either on a budget or going so far as to using modern technology with near production grade oneoffs.

CruzinCambridge, I think the S30 is going to punch well above its weight in the PBP and it would be great to see how you set it up according to your goals. Please please please post some pics during the build and the setup you intend to have at the starting line, and if possible at the finish with your thoughts on what you liked, needed, didn't need and what did or didn't live up to your expectations.

 

[vipere noire]

Hi,
for those of you traveling to Europe for PBP, why not consider extending your stay and participate to the world championships which will be held in Austria on the 11th to 13th of August (a week before PBP).
https://hpvwm2023.org/
Feel free to pass on the info on other recumbent forums you know

All the best for the "brevets"

 

[ed72]

Against all reason and better judgement, starting this thread here. Anyone else training for PBP? If I read the message boards right we'll all be starting in Group F (unless there's an 84 hr specials group too) so it would be great to get to know the peloton. @Tor Hovland thanks for your videos to serve as inspiration. I'm probably 50/50 on getting a spot (my longest ride last year was 300K) and sameon qualifying (300K was my longest ride ever)... so maybe this is a bit premature.

I set PBP as a goal four years ago. I was well on my way with a 200K ride in 2020 and plans to extend my longest ride every year, but then back problems sidelined me for most of 2021. Labor Day of 2021 I got a rare used S30 (thanks @pravacon) and was able to get in like 100 miles in 2021. I got the Cruzbike hooked up to a trainer and spent some of the winter on it getting fitness back. I wasn't able to make most of the early Randonneuring seasons work as I was still learning to get comfortable on the Cruzbike on the road. I did half of the New England Randonneurs 400K from Boston to Portland, Maine, the PMC (which is 190 miles over two days) and a late season 300K to Newport Rhode Island.

Between PT, physiotherapy and chiropractics, I was able to get on my DF bike for some rides in the fall, but haven't wanted to push my distance beyond 100K... and why bother when you own a Cruzbike, amiright? So, I'm planning out my calendar for 2023. I'm looking at the NER 200K, I have a conflict for their 400K, but I see there's one in New Jersey (which is super flat!), and then finishing it out with the NER 300K and 600K, both of which are pretty extremely hilly. Anyone else planning on those rides? I have a lot going on this Spring, so I'm getting anxious about training. I'm going to try to do some high intensity ftp work in January and February and then maintain that with endurance work in March and April in between some travel I can't avoid. I feel pretty confident about the 400K, but the 600K has me a little worried.

On to the gear talk! I'm planning to order a dynamo wheelset from Hunt and get it wired up from Peter White. I have a T-Cycle Fastback double century bag which I really liked for no-worry hydration (I did a 200K in 95 degrees and it came in handy) and some small gear and food storage, and a Scarab bag that I've never put on. I have to figure out if I can get enough gear in the Scarab or if I need to consider putting on a rear rack.

I'll be doing the NJ 400k, the route has not been released yet but the two 400k routes in south nj are flat and very nice on a bent whereas a less commonly used route into Pennsy is a bit hilly much like PBP. With a 300k, you will get in. Actually nobody has ever been turned away. Personally, I would also be concerned about the NE 600k on a bent due to really crappy roads and really steep ascents. Pete Dussels 600K in Northern NY is an option perhaps. I would plan your 600k with a contingency, meaning there is another 600k at a later date that could be used for registration.

My best advice is make sure you are equipped for cold weather. In my three times, the warmest overnight was 45 and twice it was in the 30's and dewy. This is warm for riders from Scotland or Norway but I don't know about you but in July/August all my rides are 90-100F and those temps feel very cold to me at that time of year

 

[CruzinCambridge]

Nice to meet you Ed! Hope to ride together. Thanks for the vote of confidence on my registration. When I was a teenager I did a metric century through the Pine Barrens which was pancake flat, so I'm hoping to do that as a 400K. We'll see as they firm up their calendar works out for me as they have a 300/400 and 400/600 on the calendar currently. The NER 600K goes up the Kankamangus Highway. The good news is that it's at about 250K so I'll hit it relatively fresh... but you're right, it will be a knee buster on the Cruzbike, and I don't think I can get a lower gear on the bike without a major drivetrain change. I have the NER 200K on my calendar which includes Mt. Wachusett, should give me a sense of my ability to get up a grade like that. I've already been searching about for a backup plan in the event of weather, illness, mechanical. I see there's a 400K in DC that's relatively late.

Meanwhile posting this helped stimulate me get my ass in gear on training. The weather in Boston is not great for outdoor riding so I've been focused on doing intervals on zwift to raise my ftp and give me some speed headroom and trying to ramp my Sunday ride from 3 to 5 hours. I've already blown through Ozark and am starting on Peaky Blinders.

I have good clothes for the cold... but need to figure out a storage solution for longer rides. I've had a bigger issue with the heat - I did a 200K and 300K when it got into the 90s this summer and had a hard time getting enough fluid in and had to pause 0:30 to cool down and massage out some cramps. Also, managing fueling for longer rides. I was on top of consuming like 300 calories per hour, which is usually fine for a century, but on the 300K but I totally bonked at about 250K, so I'm trialing some higher carbohydrate beverages in my trainer sessions this month.

 

[ed72]

Nice to meet you Ed! Hope to ride together. Thanks for the vote of confidence on my registration. When I was a teenager I did a metric century through the Pine Barrens which was pancake flat, so I'm hoping to do that as a 400K. We'll see as they firm up their calendar works out for me as they have a 300/400 and 400/600 on the calendar currently. The NER 600K goes up the Kankamangus Highway. The good news is that it's at about 250K so I'll hit it relatively fresh... but you're right, it will be a knee buster on the Cruzbike, and I don't think I can get a lower gear on the bike without a major drivetrain change. I have the NER 200K on my calendar which includes Mt. Wachusett, should give me a sense of my ability to get up a grade like that. I've already been searching about for a backup plan in the event of weather, illness, mechanical. I see there's a 400K in DC that's relatively late.

Meanwhile posting this helped stimulate me get my ass in gear on training. The weather in Boston is not great for outdoor riding so I've been focused on doing intervals on zwift to raise my ftp and give me some speed headroom and trying to ramp my Sunday ride from 3 to 5 hours. I've already blown through Ozark and am starting on Peaky Blinders.

I have good clothes for the cold... but need to figure out a storage solution for longer rides. I've had a bigger issue with the heat - I did a 200K and 300K when it got into the 90s this summer and had a hard time getting enough fluid in and had to pause 0:30 to cool down and massage out some cramps. Also, managing fueling for longer rides. I was on top of consuming like 300 calories per hour, which is usually fine for a century, but on the 300K but I totally bonked at about 250K, so I'm trialing some higher carbohydrate beverages in my trainer sessions this month.

Oh, the two times I did 600k in NE, it want west from Concord over the Berkshires and then North and then East over the Green Mountains and then back to Concord. I almost think the White Mountains would not be as bad in terms of broken pavement and steepness although overall elevation gain might be worse from my recollection of riding up there.

WRT bonking, there are three factors. Ability to assimilate exogenous carbs, pace, and ability to burn fat. My suggestion if you wish to hear would be to do at least one long ride per week at a lower pace, don't think about FTP, just a steady pace that you can hold. Success in randonneuring isn't so much about FTP to be honest, it is more an energy conservation and eating contest. You can have a huge FTP and lousy ability to burn fat. On a 1200, you want to ride at a pace where you are not only burning glycogen. The beauty of a fast bent is you can cruse the flats at low power and pretty decent speed, conserving energy for the climbs and more importantly the flats are good places to eat/drink.

Figure the rain out. Keep it out of your eyes. Maybe just me but that was a big adjustment from an upright due to higher speed and different angle of the face, it felt like I was being pelted. I use a helmet with visor and clear cycling glasses underneath. The inside of the visor is spray painted at the horizon level to act as a sun visor. Unfortunately, I don't see the sky on brevets unless I look up but the sun does not hit my eyes, it is sort of like the visor in your motor vehicle in theory. Some use a billed hat visor under their helmet.

 

[xtalbike]

Are you doing PMC this year? I'm in Newton. I think we may have communicated through the CB FB group? If you want extra miles we start PMC on Friday in West Stockbridge for an extra 90 miles with plenty of hills. I also usually do a 1 day ride from home to Lenox at some point in the summer which is 145 miles with 10000 ft of vertical. I've never done any of the NER rides but might be talked into it. If you ever ride with the Arlington Cycling Club there are a couple of people there who are pretty involved with NER and others who often do >100 mi on a weekend day.

 

[ed72]

Send Tor a PM for storage advice or search the site here, he might have posted his gear setup. I can't remember, he kept his bike in my room before the start and I seem to remember he used Radical Designs Banana bags. Something back there is all I remember. I think his water bottle was off the headrest and another on the front. I have a set of the racer version, they are nice and for me more than big enough. The larger normal size ones could be used for touring. There are tailboxes but then check luggage fees can become a cost depending on airline and class of service. One nice aspect of some tailboxes is they act as a fender and are waterproof. I mostly use a tailbox. I am going to try to ride an upright this year if I can do the full series, otherwise, will do the bent again.

 

[CruzinCambridge]

Are you doing PMC this year? I'm in Newton. I think we may have communicated through the CB FB group? If you want extra miles we start PMC on Friday in West Stockbridge for an extra 90 miles with plenty of hills. I also usually do a 1 day ride from home to Lenox at some point in the summer which is 145 miles with 10000 ft of vertical. I've never done any of the NER rides but might be talked into it. If you ever ride with the Arlington Cycling Club there are a couple of people there who are pretty involved with NER and others who often do >100 mi on a weekend day.

Yes. That's me. I'm planning to ride the PMC though I've been dithering on registering, thinking about how much time and $$ I can spend on biking this year... but Sturbridge will close soon so I need to get on it. I'm coming from Boston so likely not going to make it out to the Stockbridge start. I was thinking it might be good night riding training for PBP to leave Boston Friday at 10:00PM and arrive in Sturbridge at 3:00AM in time to nap, register, and get back on the road at 5:30AM.

I've done the Farm to Fork Fondo in the past and have loved riding *around* the Berkshires... but never ridden *to* the Berkshires. I'm looking at possibly doing the Berkshire Brevet 200K from Springfield on March 25th:

Berkshire Brevets 2023

www.newhorizonsbikes.com

NER has organized good rides... with a decent crowd. Last year I enjoyed the Boston-Portland-Boston 400K which I did as a 200K as it was my first long ride on the Cruzbike and then had a great lunch and drive back from Portland. It's super flat and scenic along the coast on the way out. I'm likely doing their 200K, 300K and 600K. I've ridden with some folks from Arlington and the Ride Studio folks in the past but not in the CBE.

 

[CruzinCambridge]

WRT bonking, there are three factors. Ability to assimilate exogenous carbs, pace, and ability to burn fat. My suggestion if you wish to hear would be to do at least one long ride per week at a lower pace, don't think about FTP, just a steady pace that you can hold. Success in randonneuring isn't so much about FTP to be honest, it is more an energy conservation and eating contest. You can have a huge FTP and lousy ability to burn fat. On a 1200, you want to ride at a pace where you are not only burning glycogen. The beauty of a fast bent is you can cruse the flats at low power and pretty decent speed, conserving energy for the climbs and more importantly the flats are good places to eat/drink.

Figure the rain out. Keep it out of your eyes. Maybe just me but that was a big adjustment from an upright due to higher speed and different angle of the face, it felt like I was being pelted. I use a helmet with visor and clear cycling glasses underneath. The inside of the visor is spray painted at the horizon level to act as a sun visor. Unfortunately, I don't see the sky on brevets unless I look up but the sun does not hit my eyes, it is sort of like the visor in your motor vehicle in theory. Some use a billed hat visor under their helmet.

Yes... my long ride I'm doing at zone 2. I'm trying to extend the time before my heartrate starts drifting up. My thought on ftp is to give myself some headroom so that my sustainable pace is fast enough that I can sleep. I realized on my 300k fueling is something I have to actively work on for these longer rides.

Planning for rain is a great pointer. I try to avoid it, or when I'm caught in the rain I'm rarely more than an hour or two from home. I'm planning to get a front fender and maybe a rear one too... but it sounds like I should think about trying to get some face protection too... I wonder if Gore makes a buff?

 

[ed72]

Yes... my long ride I'm doing at zone 2. I'm trying to extend the time before my heartrate starts drifting up. My thought on ftp is to give myself some headroom so that my sustainable pace is fast enough that I can sleep. I realized on my 300k fueling is something I have to actively work on for these longer rides.

Planning for rain is a great pointer. I try to avoid it, or when I'm caught in the rain I'm rarely more than an hour or two from home. I'm planning to get a front fender and maybe a rear one too... but it sounds like I should think about trying to get some face protection too... I wonder if Gore makes a buff?

The NJ400 and 600 routes are now posted, they are not the flat southern NJ routes; rather, they start in the North and go into NY and a touch of CT. Terrain is rolling to hilly much like PBP. I'd say bent friendly, I did part of those routes on NY-Montreal-NY. The road surface in NY is about as good as Massachusetts.

 

[Andreas]

FYI: I'm in now. Group F, Sunday 5:15 p.m.