Regular readers of this blog will read in nearly every post for the next month something about the Flèche. This post is dedicated to describing what it is, and the hours necessary to develop a Flèche route for a team. The Severna Park Peloton has fielded three teams of five riders per team. I’m team captain for “Chain Reaction”.
The Flèche is a team 24-hour ride usually held near Easter in which at least 3 riders and no more than 5 riders are required to cover a distance of no less than 360 km (or about 225 miles). Flèche teams all start at different locations but complete the ride at a common finishing point. Flèche (French for “arrow”) is part of Randonneuring, and is actually an event which takes place around the world. There are a list of specific rules for the Flèche, including no stops of over 2 hours, no part of the route may be ridden in the same direction more than once, and a minimum of 25 k must be ridden in the last 2 hours … just to name a few. Careful attention to the rules is necessary for proper route planning.
Our first task was to determine our rough path. We are coming off a peninsula so our starting options are somewhat limited. Polling our team members (selected based on riding style, speed, familiarity, strengths, and ability to ride without whining) we settled on a jaunt to Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. The first part of the route planning then involved some very rough calculations to obtain the proper distance from our start to Three Mile Island and to the southern end of the Key Bridge in Arlington, VA (the finish). We could get the requisite miles if we headed north out of Baltimore, moved toward the Susquehanna River following it to around Three Mile Island, travel west to Carslile, PA, then south through Gettysburg, Frederick, Gaithersburg, Georgetown, and across the river.
This is about the time the real work began on the route. The Flèche, like other randonneuring events requires the shortest safe distance by bicycle between key points. Those points are called controls. They make certain that by passing through them, you are traveling the shortest distance and not taking short cuts. Placing these controls is critical. They need to be near places where the route changes directions, they need to be spaced a reasonable distance apart, and they require a stop to obtain proof that you were there (like a receipt). The use of a mapping program like Ride With GPS is essential. The program allows one to drag parts of the route to new and different roads, to determine the shortest and safest route. Not only did I have to learn the quirks of the interface, but there were times when it was easy to lose some work because of glitches. Ride with GPS also creates an elevation profile, so there was work to keep the climbing to a reasonable amount.
After hours of tweaking and fine tuning the planned route, it was time to drive it. Driving the route helps us locate controls, hazards, landmarks, and the like. Mike B and I went out early on a Saturday to drive most of the route. Another team member took another part of it. The drive was quite informative. We discovered impassable dirt and gravel roads. We found intersections where considerable attention was necessary. We found good controls. We discovered that some climbs seemed to be less than what was depicted on the map and others that will be monsters. We had great views. We traveled through blighted city, horse farms, dairy country, crop farmland, orchards, small towns, Civil War battlefields … quite varied scenery. Between maps on our phones and GPS units, we re-routed where we needed to and marked persistent hazards like RR tracks and blind corners.
Another few hours was spent compiling this information and developing a cue sheet for the ride. A cue sheet is what we carry on the bike to give us directions and distances to route changes. It is the primary source of navigation information. After some time, all was done and the route was submitted to the organizer of the Flèche for review and final approval.
We are still waiting for the review and any changes that will be necessary.
Once the route is approved, I’ll give you an overview of where we are going, all 232+ miles of it.
(Two days worth of updates)
This has been a busy couple of days.
Sunday, I mapped out my tentative riding schedule to prepare for the Flèche in April. It is designed to help me claw my way back into sufficient fitness so that the Flèche is neither an embarrassment nor a failure.
Monday, I rode about 22 miles with four others on the regular 5:45 am route. We are enjoying the daylight this week, because with Daylight Saving Time scheduled to begin on Sunday morning, we will once again be riding in darkness for the whole route. It is nice to finish after the sunrise. I stretched it out a little on Monday, choosing to begin some hill work even before the Dr. formally released me to full activity. There was only a small twinge of pain, even standing in the pedals. Working these hills will be critical to my improving fitness levels. Later in the morning, I went to Physical Therapy and worked hard. I was shown how to tape my foot to reduce the pain I’m experiencing. Then, after a short break, off to the podiatrist. Recovery is going well. She made an adjustment in the orthotic to relieve some pressure on the ball of my repaired foot (the source of some of the pain). I’m now released to full activity, including running if I so desire. My excuses can no longer be physician restrictions.
Today I rode about 20 miles, something short of my goal. We were again 5 riders and the temperatures were such that no one really wanted to press it hard. I had little enthusiasm for the ride either, and so chose to bail close to home rather than the extra couple of miles I often do at the end of the ride. We’ve been honked at twice both these mornings. It is hard to tell what it means. A driver in a silver Volvo station wagon we meet on B&A lays on the horn for a long honk. The second honker today was Mike B, who tapped out “Shave and a Haircut” in greeting. We tried to get him to buy us a coffee at Big Bean, but he was content to simply make excuses for his commute to work via 4 wheels.
So, I’ve been out. It just wasn’t much fun at 25° F this morning. I’m starting to really look forward to spring.
These Rides: 41.7 miles
Month: 102.3 miles
2012: 396.7 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 14231.4 miles
This Ride: 40.6 miles
Month: 60.6 miles
2012: 355 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 14189.7 miles
What a difference a day makes. Today was 20° colder than yesterday morning.
What a difference a week makes. Stretching the distance for me last week was 28 miles. Like last week, I had to stop early to get to Physical Therapy and put in 40 miles. The leg muscles are responding quicker to a fitness level than the cardiovascular system, but at least I’m seeing progress. The foot has been painful the past couple of days, but a little magic from the physical therapist and some tape, and that problem is resolved for now.
This morning’s breakfast ride was a ride where it is nearly impossible to tell how many of us were riding. It changed every few minutes. I think 5 of us started at the rusty bridge, we picked up two at the Ranger Station, added one on Jennngs, added one on the trail, chased down another on the trail, two split off on Old County Road, lost four before trail’s end, lost one before the Naval Academy Bridge, leaving only three together into Annapolis where we saw one and ate with another. Did you catch all that?
Bryan flatted on the trail, and changed his tube while the rest of us harassed him. (At least we asked him first if he wanted help or harassment. He said, harassment.) A mile later, Bryan flatted again. Three other riders stayed with him for repaair #2. Later, Ravi’s left shifter broke, and he returned home with his tail between his legs since he did not believe he could negotiate the Naval Academy Bridge with his limited gearing.
When we arrived in Annapolis and met up with Dan, we teased him that it was our Flèche team that remained intact this morning. It was his team that was having problems and had to abandon the ride. After a good breakfast, we mounted up and rode back to Severna Park. I extended it a bit after dropping Mike C off at the bridge. I didn’t push it. I’m mindful of simply getting the miles in to strengthen the legs. As long as I manage my heart rate, that will come too.
We are now about 6 weeks away from the Flèche. It occupies my mind quite a bit as the date approaches. I’m pulling together my training plan for these remaining 6 weeks.
This Ride: 20.1 miles
Month: 20.1 miles
2012: 314.4 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 14149.1 miles
With temperatures hovering around 55° F at the start and about 1.5 inches of rain yesterday, I should have been prepared for the fog this morning. Most of us weren’t. I did make the decision to wear my bib shorts with nothing between my knees and my socks. It was quite pleasant.
I didn’t ride yesterday. The forecast was sketchy for the morning and my legs needed a rest. I’ve also been battling a cold. The day off the bike was well-timed, and my legs felt fresher this morning. I have fewer cold symptoms this morning also. The fog in darkness impacted our ride in several ways. As I was making a turn from Earleigh Heights Road onto Jumper’s Hole Road, I missed the edge of the road, dropped down several inches into mud, and negotiated about 5-10 feet in that mud before I could regain pavement. I was surprised I stayed upright. As we moved down Jennings Road, visibility was very low (fog, wet pavement, dark) and one rider missed a left turn forcing another rider into a driveway. No one crashed, but it close. Our pace was relatively easy, and we opted to return via the trail rather than B&A Blvd because of the fog. Something about the fog befuddles me too. Near the end of the ride, I turned my head to the left just as I unclipped and suddenly the bike started to tip toward the clipped in foot. I got my right foot down under the bike and was barely able to prevent a spill. I have a chain tattoo, but other than that, the incident was unremarkable.
Chip was out this morning on his birthday. We sang … poorly.
The big news for the morning was that the “peepers” have started to sing. It was just a few of the heartiest tree frogs, but these early harbingers of spring are ready for some friskiness. It is good to hear them again.
This Ride: 19.8 miles
Month: 205.7 miles
2012: 294.4 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 14129.1 miles
The habits are resistant to breaking.
There were plenty of reasons to avoid riding this morning. It was a short night. I didn’t sleep well. It is sooooo early. I have meetings scheduled all day and getting a little extra work done early in the morning is quite attractive.
I’m glad my brain doesn’t really engage until sometime mid ride. That was true this morning, and it was a nice morning. I worked hard. I pushed through the heavy legs and pounding heart. I conveyed some helpful advice for a friend. I rode with Jeff who was out with the group for the first time since crashing and breaking his clavicle. I watched a nice sunrise.
The meetings still happened. I didn’t get work done before them. It was early, but that’s when the ride begins and the sun rises.
It was a good start to a busy day.
This Ride: 19 miles
Month: 185.9 miles
2012: 274.6 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 14109.3 miles
The amount of fitness and leg strength I lost to my six weeks off the bike sucks … plain and simple, it sucks.
I’m doing my best to keep up on a “Mosey Monday”, avoid the hill on Old County Road (as much for my foot as my reduced fitness level), and still the only reason I’m not dropped is because the guys are taking pity on me. A reasonable pace has me breathing hard and my heart rate spiking. I know it will come back, but I like rides that maintain my fitness level better than I like rides that work at increasing my fitness level. But I’ve got to do it. I’m quite a ways away from being able to do a 200k, and less than 2 months to the 360k ride. I’ll keep plugging along.
No, I'm not slacking.
This Ride: 26.7 miles
Month: 148 miles
2012: 236.7 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 14071.4 miles
It has been 7 weeks since I rode with SPP to breakfast on a Friday morning. In fact, the last time was the day of my surgery … much to the displeasure of my doctor. It was absolutely great to be able to do it again. The ride felt good. The company was fantastic. The light rain at the start quickly tapered off to nothing. The morning was exhausting. I see now that it was a series of events that lead to my exhaustion.
I’ve resumed a restricted calorie diet attempting to drop some weight before the Flèche in 7 weeks. I made a poor breakfast food choice, with no real protein. I rode strong at the upper end of my heart rate zone, and it was my longest ride this week. I showered quick and got to Physical Therapy 30 minutes after the ride. Those therapists worked me hard. In fact, as I was leaving after an hour, one of the therapists commented that I looked beat. I came home, sat down to read the news, and fell asleep within a few short minutes. Napping at 10:00 am! Wow! I didn’t see that coming. An hour later, I was up and reluctantly working on the “Honey Do” list.
I do recall as I started riding a couple of years ago that when I rode beyond my usual time, I’d be very tired later. But you see, my mind still thinks I’m a regular rider. I had hoped to get in 50 miles today. My body has enough experience to compensate. But this was a perfect storm of events to cause me to “crash”, and do it hard. I’ll have to ease into this more than I thought.
With the Flèche looming on the horizon, I’ll need to strike the careful balance of regaining fitness and not overdoing this causing an injury. It is a delicate dance.
This Ride: 19.2 miles
Month: 121.3 miles
2012: 210.0 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 14044.7 miles
It was a good ride this morning. It was nearly 50° F, almost 25° warmer than two mornings ago. A couple of the guys were in shorts. As we started out, Chip rounded a curve and broke a spoke, locking up his wheel. We stopped to offer assistance, then the ride got fast. Jim K and I resolved to ride together. We stayed on the trail to the end, then continued back on the regular route. I was interested in a “fitness test”. The little hill on B&A Blvd that I use for the test is one I was able to increase my speed from about 16 mph to over 21 mph last summer/fall. Today, I was once again in the 16-17 mph range. I didn’t want to stress the foot much, but my heart rate was pegged pretty high at 16 mph. It just gives me a benchmark for increasing my fitness. Jim repeated a couple of times that I was riding strong. It felt good to be out. My average speed for the hour and a quarter was about 16 mph.
Yesterday, I read an article about how to make something a habit, and realized that I had been doing everything right in making my riding habitual. There is a cue-response-reward loop described in the article. My cues for riding have been laying out clothes the night before. The response was piggybacked onto my morning routines, so that I get up, and get dressed right away in combination with other normal morning functions. The reward is simple but layered. There is a social reward for getting to the bridge on time, and logging the ride by way of this blog and the riding log I keep in a spreadsheet helps to reinforce the accomplishment.
The habit is so persistent that last night I still set out the clothes even though as I went to bed I thought I might sleep in. I’ve had two very very long days at work back to back. (Yesterday was 15 hours non-stop.) When the alarm rang this morning, the cue was there and my brain anticipated the rewards, and I got up, and was out the door without giving it a second thought. It helped that it was so warm, I must admit.
Here is a link to the article. It has enough varied information in it to make it very interesting. (In fact, there is so much varied information you will likely think the article is about something completely different than I describe. Keep reading.
Since last I posted on February 4th, much has happened. I’m taking the opportunity to catch up (way 1) with the posts here.
When the Doctor said I could ride the trainer, but needed to be careful, I took her advice and rode relatively low gears and high cadence. I could only drag myself to the trainer about 3 times a week. Some of it was boredom. Some of it was schedule. All of it was attitude. I tried intervals to make the trainer more interesting, and it kept me riding for about 30 minutes. I accumulated about 38 miles in those 2 weeks. I also began physical therapy. (They had me riding on a stationary bicycle for 10 minutes as a warm up. Resistance was kept low, so spinning at a 90 rpm cadence got my heart rate up to about 85!)
Then came the big day! I rode a hard 30 minute trainer ride the morning of the Dr. appointment. At the appointment, the Doctor was pleased with my recovery and tentatively said yes to nearly full activity, including taking the bike outside. Everyone cautioned me to take it easy, and gradually move back into riding, suggesting starting at 30-45 minutes and slowing adding minutes. Well, it was a nice day, just shy of 50 degrees and a light breeze, so I pulled on all the garb and took the Kona out on the B&A Trail. It felt great! It also was a challenge. I discovered that I can’t yet stand and pedal. Moving out from a stop is painful. I avoided hills so as to avoid excess pressure on the foot. I logged 16.3 miles in one hour of riding. My heart rate was higher than I wanted it to be, and that’s where I’ve got some catching up to do (way 2).
I set out my riding clothes for the Tuesday morning ride with the Severna Park Peloton, and announced by email I would be there. I set my alarm (only 15 minutes earlier than I had been getting up through this 6 weeks of restriction).
When morning came, it was colder than it had been in quite some time. Temperatures were in the mid-20° range. I had not yet tried on my winter riding boots and was pleased with how easily they went on, even with the foot’s reduced flexibility. I was out the door, feeling good. When I got to the rusty bridge, I waited, and waited. No lights were visible at 5:45. I was concerned that either something had changed or I would be forced to ride alone. But then, in a flash, three riders came from one direction, and another 3 from down the trail, and after some quick greetings, we were off.
The group was willing to ride cautiously with me, slower than the afternoon before, and sticking to the trail. It was good to catch up (way 3) on the news and what was happening in everyone’s life. Much of the conversation centered around the upcoming Fleche (April). On the way back from the end of the trail we did take B&A Blvd, as I was feeling pretty good. The small rollers were ok. At home, the riding shoe came off easily. My electric toe warmers did not work, and it was like having ice on my foot for the 19 mile ride.
In roughly 25 hours, I logged 8.3 miles on the trainer, 16.3 miles outdoors on Monday, and 18.8 miles on the Tuesday morning ride. Not bad for easing into outdoor riding again.
Today was Ash Wednesday, and with a church service to conduct at 6:30 am, I did not ride. I’ll be back out tomorrow.
In the last 6 weeks:
- The sunrise has moved considerably earlier. There is some daylight riding now at the end of the ride.
- Two sections of the trail have been repaired, making the trip to the rusty bridge easier.
- A really bad spot of B&A Blvd has been repaired. I was tight in a paceline and couldn’t figure out why no one was avoiding the obstacle ahead. When I dropped back and veered off, I saw it was fixed.
- I’m really out of shape, and my foot hurts if I put too much pressure on it, so I’ve got some more catching up to do (way 4) but I’m not as slow as some of our newbies, so I haven’t lost it all.
Watch for more activity on the blog … if work cooperates. Physical therapy 3 days a week eats up a good amount of time, and it presses me in completing what I need to at the church.
Current February miles = 102.1. That’s not bad at all, considering!
Wednesday, I visited the Doctor.
Thursday I climbed aboard the “Beast of Satan” and took a relatively easy spin. I learned some things.
- I need to have a relatively low gear so that I’m not pushing hard on my foot.
- The low gear means that I’m needing to spin at a fairly high cadence in order to get any cardiovascular value from the workout.
- I hate the trainer, but I’m going to embrace it for the 20 days necessary.
- These rides are critical for my training for the Flèche.
I rode for 21 minutes, logging a disappointing 5 miles, some of that in a much higher gear than was smart.
Friday I once again jumped on and simply spun in the lower gear that seems right. I managed 6.3 miles in 30 minutes.
Saturday (today) feeling more comfortable with the gear selection, I opted for some interval training, using only cadence as the determining factor for the difficulty of the ride. Two minutes warm up, one minute very high cadence (read bouncing or just short of it), two minutes easing to normal 80-90 rpm, one minute VHC. I kept that up for 30 minutes, then increased the cadence for the last 15 minutes as I pressed on to get 10 miles on the computer. Sweat was dripping steadily off my face those last 15 minutes. I would have rather been out riding with friends on a 200k today. That will come.
16 days … and you better believe I’m counting!
Rev Rider 