I started this year's brevet calendar by registering for the Linköping 200 brevet, organized by CK Hymer. This was going to be my second appearance at the event and I was hoping to be better. What the event did was to show me exactly where I was, in terms of fitness and preparation, for such long rides.

This year, I was more loaded than last year ; I had a big handlebar bag with my pasta lunch, bananas, recovery drink for after the ride, and tools, all totaling just under 3kg. I was also carrying my hydration backpack with 2+ litres of water.

The weather was cold and gloomy, and within a few minutes of starting, there was a strong and persistent drizzle that started. My idea was to try and stick with the rest of the group for as long as I could, before having to drop back. In this aspect, this year was more disappointing than last year. Within the first 17 km, when we got to the first big rise, I didn't use proper technique, and found myself dropping right back while the rest continued without even dropping pace. I took the organizer's phone number for emergencies, and watched as they disappeared, never to see them again for the entire ride.

Riding a brevet alone is quite challenging; one needs to stay motivated and keep pushing. On a ride with lots of climbing, a rider like me, with trouble climbing will need extra mental strength. The cold was hard to shake off, and stops made it worse. I also had an issue with the handlebag which was sliding onto the front tire from time to time, so this too needed a few inspection stops. I decided that I'd finish my lunch at the first checkpoint at Ringarum, thereby reducing the weight of the handlebag and hopefully preventing further contact with the tire. Stamping and lunch done, I moved on at a slower pace as I didn't want to push hard immediately after my meal. In hindsight, rather than the big pasta meal, a couple of peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches would have been lighter, faster to eat and wouldn't have made me lethargic. The second checkpoint at Valdemarsvik was only about 20km away, and I disposed of that quickly, bringing me to the 83km stint to Rimforsa, with a bulk of the climbing in this stint.

The cutoff time to make the Rimforsa checkpoint was quite generous ; I'd crossed Valdemarsvik at 1315, and had till 1930 to make it to there, and that was doable, headwinds, climbs and everything else, but I knew that I needed close to three hours for my last stretch from Rimforsa, back to Linköping, and the final cutoff time was 2130. If I reached Rimforsa later than 1800, my chances of finishing in time would be slim or nothing. As I continued plowing on, I was feeling less and less sure of myself. Now, I wasn't tired or anything, but I was holding back from pushing harder, for the fear of burning myself out. I guess this was the consistent theme of the ride which I must say, I grossly underperformed. Maybe it was because this was the first time I was riding with a lot of performance metrics (cadence, heartrate, and power) and I got overly technical; the fact that I didn't push myself at all on this ride is underlined by the fact that I seem to have nearly 40% of this ride done in the 'active recovery zone', as far as my heartrate is concerned! The cold weather also made me feel quite lethargic and miserable. With some better weather, I think I could have pushed more. As I continued closing in on Rimforsa, I started to think about the prospect of three more hours of this nightmarishly cold ride and the diminishing chances of finishing the ride on time. The more I thought, the less sure I became, till I decided to retire, after reaching Rimforsa.  Claus, the organizer gave me a call when I was about 8 km away from Rimforsa, asking me me whereabouts. I reported my position and told him I'd be quitting the ride at Rimforsa.

Having announced my decision to quit the ride, the pressure of making the finish in time went away, and the best part? The sun started peeking out!  At 1800 hrs! The rays of the sun brought much joy, and I rode the next five kilometers at a fairly quick clip.  Now, with Rimforsa just a few more revolutions away, I started with the math again. I was indeed late, but not as late as I'd feared earlier. I was going to be able to finish the stamping formalities at Rimforsa, before 1830, which would give me a full three hours to make the last fifty kilometers back to Linkoping. There were only two big climbs and several smallers ones, but nothing overly threatening, so an average of 16 kmph ought to be very much possible. I called the organizer again, immediately after I got the stamping done; this time, I spoke to Martin, and told him that I'd already got stamped at Rimforsa, and that I believed I could make it back, just in time.  He too thought I could make it, and I quickly gave up my ride retirement plans and started planning for the sprint. I still had two bananas; I ate one and with the remaining water in my backpack, I refilled my waterbottle and dropped an electrolyte tablet into it. I was set!

I knew that the climbs would really take a toll on my average, so I started pushing as much as I could on the flats and every downhill that I got. I was now thinking through my gear changes and optimizing further.  The threatening fifty kilometers went away bit by bit, till I reached the start/finish point, with just over 15 minutes left on the clock! I had overcome the temptation to quit, ridden the distance, and had now qualified for the medal! To say that I was happy would be an understatement.

Critical self evaluation Pluses: I had consistently spun at higher than usual cadences, and ended up with an average of 82 RPM. This ensured that I didn't have knee pain. I wasn't exhausted at all, at the end of the ride. I learned a lot of lessons from this ride. I was able to write a whole post about things I learned: http://prashanthchengi.livejournal.com/74480.htmlMinuses: My clothing; I really should have dressed warmer for this ride. I was miserable and cold for most part of the ride and it definitely affected both performance and morale. I should have pushed more.  For most part, my heartrate was only 80-85% of my maximum.  I was actually concentrating on my %FTP, and keeping it between 80-90% and indeed, achieved 83% of my FTP as my ride average, but maybe I should have aimed higher.

Ride details on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/547493985