Editor's Note: I had the great pleasure of riding several brevets with two newcomers: Caroline Atkins and Wes Johnson. Both completed a full series and both exhibited remarkable energy, endurance and enthusiasm, traits that are key to success in our sport. I watched them suffer through many of the same rookie mistakes I made, and I was part of their unabashed celebration when each successively longer distance marked a new milestone in their riding careers. In an e-mail Q&A, Caroline and Wes described their cycling pasts, the paths that brought them into randonneuring, and the highs and lows of their first series. One bit of background: On our local series, several riders, including myself and riding buddy Rich Bruner, make sport out of the "county line sprints." It's a point of honor to win them, and as you'll see from Wes' account, he took the final two contests as the three of us headed back to the barn on our 600K A quick study indeed.
—Mike Dayton
Wes Johnson
Q: How long have you been cycling? Describe a bit about your cycling background.
A: I decided back in 2001 that I wanted to ride the week-long Cycle North Carolina. I just decided to go buy a touring bike that summer and just started riding all the time. I've done some week-long loaded tours on the Blue Ridge Parkway and all around N.C.
Q: How do you learn about randonneuring — and what got you interested in trying it?
A: Some of the folks I was riding with talked me into doing the brevets. So last year I rode the 200k and this year my plan was to finish the 2, 3, 4 and 600k rides. I really wanted to use the rides to push myself and see how I did.
Q: What was your most pleasurable moment during the brevets?
A: Winning the final two county line sprints against Mike and Rich on the 600k. Unfortunately I suffered the last 10 miles of the ride because of the sprints.
Q: Which event (200/300/400/600) did you find to be the most challenging — and why?
A: The 400k was really tough. It was pretty warm and the climbs weren't easy. My feet ended up going numb and it took about 3 weeks to return to normal.
Q: What was your biggest "rookie" mistake? Drinking Gatorade for the first couple rides. My stomach was really messed up for the 2, 3 and 400.
Q: Were there any surprises or revelations during the ride?
A: Flat roads are the devil. Not being able to coast for 600k is really painful. I'll take the climbs and descents any day.
Q: What did the brevets teach you about your physical or mental abilities?
A: With each longer ride the previous distance was a little easier. So the first 200k of the 300k was easier then the 200k. I am actually getting stronger.
Q: Did you have any mental tricks to share that got you through the hard times?
A: I was just trying to get to each turn on the queue sheet. I just kept looking to see us moving down the list of turns.
Q: Is there anything you wish you'd done differently on the rides?
A: I'm going to eat differently on the bike, more real food instead of Clif bars and stuff. I'm also going to know where the county lines signs are.
Q: Will you be back next year?
A: Yep, I'm going to get a generator and some fenders for my touring bike and I'll be ready to go.
Caroline Atkins
Q: How long have you been cycling? Describe a bit about your cycling background.
A: I started cycling in an obsessive, maniacal way in 2001. Prior to that, I was a long-distance runner and dabbled in triathlons.
Q: How do you learn about randonneuring — and what got you interested in trying it?
A: Mike Davis, proprietor of the Bicycle Inn in Bakersville, N.C., completed many brevet series, BMB, and PBP. Knowing someone personally who has achieved this sparked my interest to read more, and I was attracted to the challenge of long distances, plus the camaraderie amongst randonneurs.
Q: What was your most pleasurable moment during the brevets?
A: Riding at dusk—between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. during the summer months. There's something magical about that time—everything looks beautiful, and the light is constantly changing.
Q: Which event (200/300/400/600) did you find to be the most challenging — and why?
A: The 400 was the toughest for me. I went out too hard, and failed to fuel properly as the sun went down, leading to some dizzy night riding!
Q: What was your biggest "rookie" mistake?
A: See above. Primarily, going out too hard. Also, I packed WAY too much, loading my bike down with about 20 extra pounds, on the 300k.
Q: Were there any surprises or revelations during the ride?
A: I was surprised that I could maintain a decent speed while keeping a relatively low HR, too. One can conserve a lot of energy without the speed- up, slow-down of crits and road racing!
Q: What did the brevets teach you about your physical or mental abilities?
A: The brevets taught me that I'm physically capable of much more than I'd ever imagined. Being able to tap into these capabilities depends heavily on one's mental abilities.
Q: Did you have any mental tricks to share that got you through the hard times?
A: I have a couple. First, the practical: I apply something that I teach my Spin class—to keep a running tape loop in the back of my mind: Relax my facial muscles, soften the back of my neck, drop my shoulders down away from my ears, surrender my weight to the saddle and take it out of my arms and legs, loosen the grip on the handlebar, unweight the pedals (no stomping), pull up with my knees, scrape the mud off the balls of my feet at the bottoms of the pedal strokes, and back to the beginning, over and over. Bottom line for mental toughness is a positive attitude. Also, for this particular event (600k), I made a personal commitment/dedication to my brother, who in the 2-3 weeks prior to the event was diagnosed with colon cancer and was about to undergo a 10-12 hour surgery the next day (Monday). I decided that if he could withstand such mental, emotional, and physical trauma, I could certainly pedal a bike for 600k! He continues to recover
Next, I personally need to keep a focus outside myself, also. Whether it involves a spiritual faith, an appreciation of the natural beauty I'm riding through, being thankful for the health, strength, and determination to ride, or focusing on the love of my spouse, family, and friends, I've found it very important to focus on something much larger than my own little internal world.
Q: Is there anything you wish you'd done differently on the rides?
A: 1) I wish I would not have gone out so hard early on a few of the rides.
2) I look forward to dialing my riding setup in further.
Q: Will you be back next year?
A: YES!!