2008 has seen some days already but I want to share some of my plans for this year.
Biking:
My goal is to do 8.000 - 10.000km this year and do the superrandonneur again. If I will have some spare money and time in August I would love to try another 1200km ride again. The one I am aiming at is in Russia Vologda - Onega - Ladoga. But I guess that is depending on a lot of things and will be decided quite late.
Each month I'll post my summed kilometers of that month.
Dancing:
Well, I want to do some project. But I am not decided yet what and how. Video would be something. I should start looking out for some good, not too expensive DV-cam.
Maybe I'll contribute to the "Nacht der Klänge" again. That has been quite some fun.
Other:
There are many plans. You'll get to know when things are actually moving.
Mittwoch, 23. Januar 2008
Donnerstag, 13. Dezember 2007
That has been 2007, but I still have to do one ride this year
The months pass by and cycling and other activities were low. Regarding cycling I think I should do at least one bigger ride this year. 100km will be enough, but the weather is shabby and time is short...
But since the year is on its edge I should do a short review and draw a quintessence of this year - cycling wise.
Well, in the beginning of the year I heard the first time about randonuering. I decided to do that myself.
I started my rides in March, after the first longer ride since a long time I started the qualifiction brevets (BRM) for Paris-Brest-Paris.
The first BRM (200km) was hard.
The second BRM (300km) was much better.
I improved my equipment a lot.
The third BRM (400) km was gorgeous (I will not forget that lovely xycling during the night with the full moon and total silence - great!), but hard (I used that BRM for nutrition experiments)
The fourth BRM (600) km I failed. It started really nice, but after some hours the weather turned awfully bad and I abandoned. Until this brevet the weather was brilliant. After this brevet the weather didn't sustainable recover the entire summer.
I repeated the 600 km BRM some weeks later and finished it in about 34.5 hours.
After that I did a vacation in Italy and rode abot 1000km along the Adria.
Fitness was good in mid August when Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) was scheduled.
But during PBP the luck was not entirely with me and I didn't rode the entire distance, but unly 3/4 of the route. Anyway, it was great and I rate it a personal success.
Since PBP I did only two ~100-120 km rides for fun.
All in all I think it was quite a success, not finishing PBP was a bit sad, but I was quite close. Randonneuring developed to be not only a flash in the pan, but something that will last, that I will continue.
Anyway looking forward to 2008 now. That year will bring some changes and I will post my plans in early January.
But since the year is on its edge I should do a short review and draw a quintessence of this year - cycling wise.
Well, in the beginning of the year I heard the first time about randonuering. I decided to do that myself.
I started my rides in March, after the first longer ride since a long time I started the qualifiction brevets (BRM) for Paris-Brest-Paris.
The first BRM (200km) was hard.
The second BRM (300km) was much better.
I improved my equipment a lot.
The third BRM (400) km was gorgeous (I will not forget that lovely xycling during the night with the full moon and total silence - great!), but hard (I used that BRM for nutrition experiments)
The fourth BRM (600) km I failed. It started really nice, but after some hours the weather turned awfully bad and I abandoned. Until this brevet the weather was brilliant. After this brevet the weather didn't sustainable recover the entire summer.
I repeated the 600 km BRM some weeks later and finished it in about 34.5 hours.
After that I did a vacation in Italy and rode abot 1000km along the Adria.
Fitness was good in mid August when Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) was scheduled.
But during PBP the luck was not entirely with me and I didn't rode the entire distance, but unly 3/4 of the route. Anyway, it was great and I rate it a personal success.
Since PBP I did only two ~100-120 km rides for fun.
All in all I think it was quite a success, not finishing PBP was a bit sad, but I was quite close. Randonneuring developed to be not only a flash in the pan, but something that will last, that I will continue.
Anyway looking forward to 2008 now. That year will bring some changes and I will post my plans in early January.
Freitag, 31. August 2007
I was singing in the rain
Oh, it has been wet. It has been so awfully wet!.
That is really the most important and lasting impression from PBP.
Also it is to note, that I only rode 918km and not the entire
distance. This was mostly due to some healthy problems, but the
weather and some technical issues (my gear shifter cable broke and I
had to go more than 80 km without a working shifter) wre not really
helpful. But anyway, I got the taste of PBP. Loving it and hating it
was so close together. And I learned a lot about fighting against
sleep. When you have nobody to talk with it is okay to just sing to
keep you awake. Surprisingly that works not too bad. So I was singing
in the rain...
It has been quite some experience.
Maybe 2011 I'll repeat that, but luckily that is not to decide today,
but in four years.
I wrote a German report about my ride at my website
Enjoy!
Donnerstag, 16. August 2007
Getting off to Paris
The countdown for PBP is close to zero now! Slowly I am geting nervous and
excited. The weatherforcasts shape up a bit for the ride. Currently
the forecast is announcing wind from northern directions, rather low temperatures,
rare sun, but also rare rain. If it keeps like that it'll be fine.
Most important is *no* thunderstorms!!
Many PBP veterans are reporting you won't come back as the guy you left. I am wondering what these changes might be. I'll see.
Also I like to thank all supporters who had warm words or such. I
appreciate that. If you want to track me during the ride you can do so
on http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/EN/index.php?showpage=64 - search
for frame number 3642. Also if you like to send me some warm words
during the ride you're welcome to send sms to my mobile.
All things are packed, bike is okay. I'll leave tomorrow to get a car and will go to Paris on Sunday. If everything works out the way I want to, I'll return on Saturday from Paris.
Cheers!
excited. The weatherforcasts shape up a bit for the ride. Currently
the forecast is announcing wind from northern directions, rather low temperatures,
rare sun, but also rare rain. If it keeps like that it'll be fine.
Most important is *no* thunderstorms!!
Many PBP veterans are reporting you won't come back as the guy you left. I am wondering what these changes might be. I'll see.
Also I like to thank all supporters who had warm words or such. I
appreciate that. If you want to track me during the ride you can do so
on http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/EN/index.php?showpage=64 - search
for frame number 3642. Also if you like to send me some warm words
during the ride you're welcome to send sms to my mobile.
All things are packed, bike is okay. I'll leave tomorrow to get a car and will go to Paris on Sunday. If everything works out the way I want to, I'll return on Saturday from Paris.
Cheers!
Montag, 13. August 2007
Nice tour along the Adria
It has been a nice tour along the Adria. The distances were not too much, the landscape nice and the weather quite hot. All in all it has been very nice. The training effect is estimated as "good". But the tour was training *and* holiday.
The originally thought route to Croatia and Slovenia was abandonned, the Ferries didn't wanted to transport bicycles. But Italia is nice and now I know the mountains of the Abruzzo.
Now I am looking forward to P-B-P next week and I must confess I am a bit excited!
The originally thought route to Croatia and Slovenia was abandonned, the Ferries didn't wanted to transport bicycles. But Italia is nice and now I know the mountains of the Abruzzo.
Now I am looking forward to P-B-P next week and I must confess I am a bit excited!
Freitag, 13. Juli 2007
Vaccation with bike
It is summer vaccation time and again the summer vaccation is with the bike. But this time the tour is not as closed as last year's BCN-NCE or FCO-NCE of 2004 but more open. The flight goes to VCE and leaves again from VCE.
In the meanwhile the bike will cycle to Slovenia (Bohinj - a short hike is planned there) and maybe to Croatia. But this is not known yet, it will be a spontaneous decision. It will be no "eat kilometers" ride, but shall be pure recreation.I hope the weather will be fine and it will be a great time. Will take a lot of photos. See you in August.
In the meanwhile the bike will cycle to Slovenia (Bohinj - a short hike is planned there) and maybe to Croatia. But this is not known yet, it will be a spontaneous decision. It will be no "eat kilometers" ride, but shall be pure recreation.I hope the weather will be fine and it will be a great time. Will take a lot of photos. See you in August.
Dienstag, 3. Juli 2007
Superrandonneur!
I needed a 2nd chance for the 600 km Brevet and took that chance in Hamburg. The tour went from Hamburg to the Lüneburger Heide via Vorpommern to the Baltic Sea and returned then to Hamburg.
Start was Saturday (23-06-2007) at 7:00, I reached the finish on Sunday (24-06-2007) at 17:20. Pure riding time was something about 24 or 25 hours.
The tour was not too difficult, there were 11 controls, the weather bad but not too bad (on Sunday it was even a bit sunny). Most of the distance I joined a small group of 9 ppl (7 men, 2 women). Their pace was nice to follow, the speed was 27-29 km/h. During the night I really appreciated the group, because they knew the way. Also it was quite nice to have a dinner together with them. We all ate some pasta. I was surprised how easy eating was this time. At evening there was a little dispute how to manage the slipstream-driving. I thought it would be okay if we all agree on one rule and follow that rule strictly then. Well, the rule was not followed strictly...
In the middle of the night we came to a control where a party was running. Quite strange when some tired cyclists who already did a good 300 km and still have to face close to 300km are entering a party scene where the ppl drink and smoke. Most ppl declared us to be stupid or at least nuts - I guess they have a point somehow...
With the progressed night I became a bit tired. But talking with others keeps you awake. Watching the horizon, which never became toatlly dark, helped to stay awake. The rain was annoying, but also good against sleep. The speed got reduced.
A bit before reaching the baltic sea, we had a bit longer break at a control point and I took my first brief sleep of 15 minutes. After this break the group was split up and I rode mostly alone or in loose conjunction together with some other guy. But he was a tad faster than me, so we fell apart several times, but met at the controls again.
A while before I was a bit disappointed by reaching the Baltic Sea: The control was at some nice hotel and I thought of meeting th erest of the group again and taking a good breakfast there, having beautiful views of early sun over the sea. But the hotel offered no breakfast at that early time and instead of sun it was raining. What a pity - it could have been so nice... I just left that place w/o waiting for the others, having a small breakfast at the next town and coninue to Plön.
The day came and the last 200km were progressing rather slowly, I took another short 10 min sleep in a bus stand which was surprisingly refreshing.
Then the rain stoped and the weather bettered. Together with my cycle mate of these last 200 km we took a wrong way at somewhere behind Plön, lost a lot of time and gained some additional kilometers. But the way was nice.
About noon I got really tired and took my third brief sleep in another bus stand and was happy to realize that the distance left was less than 100km. I mobilized last energies and went on. This time alone. At the last control I met my cycle mate from the last 150km again. He and three others were there for a while already, I just took a quick drink and the last kilometers we rode together again.
At the finish us 5 "superrandonneurs" (four men, one woman) had a big cold beer and some sweets. About an hour after we reached the finish the rest of the group (the one I was going with earlier) reached the finish as well. I was quite surprised that they were still behind me and we all gave us gratulations to be "superrandonneurs" now. Then after about one and a half hour I left that place to return to my staying place and was happy to take a shower.
Hope to see them all in Paris.
Some notes: eating/drinking was okay this time. the dinner was very welcome. Also I ate whenever possible. The energy drinks were good, too. I guess I drank a bit too less, but not much too less.
The route was fairly easy (no big mountains). The brief sleep breaks are surprisingly effective. Anyway, for a longer distance they are not sufficient I guess. A real sleep break of a couple of hours will be good then.
I got some nice support by some nice ppl via sms. This time the ride was not too hard, but when you are dead-tired and have absolutely no energy left, these motivating messages can bring you back into the saddle and push you forward.
I really hope my registration for Paris-Brest-Paris will be successful (well, I am late!) and I am sure it'll be a hard, but great time in France.
Start was Saturday (23-06-2007) at 7:00, I reached the finish on Sunday (24-06-2007) at 17:20. Pure riding time was something about 24 or 25 hours.
The tour was not too difficult, there were 11 controls, the weather bad but not too bad (on Sunday it was even a bit sunny). Most of the distance I joined a small group of 9 ppl (7 men, 2 women). Their pace was nice to follow, the speed was 27-29 km/h. During the night I really appreciated the group, because they knew the way. Also it was quite nice to have a dinner together with them. We all ate some pasta. I was surprised how easy eating was this time. At evening there was a little dispute how to manage the slipstream-driving. I thought it would be okay if we all agree on one rule and follow that rule strictly then. Well, the rule was not followed strictly...
In the middle of the night we came to a control where a party was running. Quite strange when some tired cyclists who already did a good 300 km and still have to face close to 300km are entering a party scene where the ppl drink and smoke. Most ppl declared us to be stupid or at least nuts - I guess they have a point somehow...
With the progressed night I became a bit tired. But talking with others keeps you awake. Watching the horizon, which never became toatlly dark, helped to stay awake. The rain was annoying, but also good against sleep. The speed got reduced.
A bit before reaching the baltic sea, we had a bit longer break at a control point and I took my first brief sleep of 15 minutes. After this break the group was split up and I rode mostly alone or in loose conjunction together with some other guy. But he was a tad faster than me, so we fell apart several times, but met at the controls again.
A while before I was a bit disappointed by reaching the Baltic Sea: The control was at some nice hotel and I thought of meeting th erest of the group again and taking a good breakfast there, having beautiful views of early sun over the sea. But the hotel offered no breakfast at that early time and instead of sun it was raining. What a pity - it could have been so nice... I just left that place w/o waiting for the others, having a small breakfast at the next town and coninue to Plön.
The day came and the last 200km were progressing rather slowly, I took another short 10 min sleep in a bus stand which was surprisingly refreshing.
Then the rain stoped and the weather bettered. Together with my cycle mate of these last 200 km we took a wrong way at somewhere behind Plön, lost a lot of time and gained some additional kilometers. But the way was nice.
About noon I got really tired and took my third brief sleep in another bus stand and was happy to realize that the distance left was less than 100km. I mobilized last energies and went on. This time alone. At the last control I met my cycle mate from the last 150km again. He and three others were there for a while already, I just took a quick drink and the last kilometers we rode together again.
At the finish us 5 "superrandonneurs" (four men, one woman) had a big cold beer and some sweets. About an hour after we reached the finish the rest of the group (the one I was going with earlier) reached the finish as well. I was quite surprised that they were still behind me and we all gave us gratulations to be "superrandonneurs" now. Then after about one and a half hour I left that place to return to my staying place and was happy to take a shower.
Hope to see them all in Paris.
Some notes: eating/drinking was okay this time. the dinner was very welcome. Also I ate whenever possible. The energy drinks were good, too. I guess I drank a bit too less, but not much too less.
The route was fairly easy (no big mountains). The brief sleep breaks are surprisingly effective. Anyway, for a longer distance they are not sufficient I guess. A real sleep break of a couple of hours will be good then.
I got some nice support by some nice ppl via sms. This time the ride was not too hard, but when you are dead-tired and have absolutely no energy left, these motivating messages can bring you back into the saddle and push you forward.
I really hope my registration for Paris-Brest-Paris will be successful (well, I am late!) and I am sure it'll be a hard, but great time in France.
Abonnieren
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