Conference noted::bicycle

    
    	OK, list me as a possibly interested rider.  Could probably
    scrounge up my own support crew.  Red tape "qualifying" formalities
    seem the biggest deterrent at first reading.  How "sanctioned" do
    the qualifying rides have to be ?, etc.
    
    Reg		[Looking for something different this year anyway, long
    and slow will probably do, was thinking about trying 1,000_mile_in_a_week] 

    Support crews will probably be allowed only at the checkpoints
    as in Paris-Brest-Paris.  The theory of randonees is that riders
    are self-sufficient.  Of course, the reality is that this isn't
    possible so crews are allowed to give riders support at the
    designated checkpoints where other riders can also get what they
    need.
    
    Our intent is not, at least for this year, to make the qualifying
    rides a major deterrant.  What we're trying to avoid is the mass
    dropout rate that Americans experienced in Paris-Brest-Paris when
    the constant hills, rain and cold, and plain wear of the 750 miles
    got to people.  The most difficult requirement was a 600km 
    qualifier for that.  To avoid it we want people to do something
    with significantly higher quality.  There are a number of ways it
    can be done.  Probably the easiest is to rider the series of
    qualifiers around Boston which are already tenetively scheduled
    for weekends in May and June.  They climb in distance to let 
    people get into shape as they go: 200km, 300km, 400km, 600km and
    1000km.  Other sanctioned rides like the RAAM Opens will also
    be automatically allowed.  Informal qualifications will probably
    be allowed on a case-by-case basis but I think that Charlie is
    pretty firm on the 500 miles in 45 hrs qualification.  This 
    requires a significant time and effort investment so doing it at
    an organized ride is recommended.
    
    Its good stuff.  I highly recommend it for masochists.

    
    Put me down as tenative also....  This sounds like it could be a
    blast!! 
    
    Are you going to post something here about the preliminary rides????
    
    Stew
    

                                                                    
    A little background.  Paris-Brest-Paris is held every four years.
    The series of qualification rides was held last year in about
    15 cities in the United States including Boston for the first 
    time.  Even though PBP will not be held again until 1991 some of
    those cities will have qualifiers again this year and Boston is
    one of them.  
    
    Courses for the qualifiers are not set except for probably the
    300km (because we love that course).  The dates that were send
    to the US International Randonneurs office are as follows:
    
                 200km   May 7
                 300km   May 21
                 400km   June 11
                 600km   June 25,26
                1000km   July 23-25 (we may not hold this one)
    
    Time limits for the rides are pretty generous due to the nature
    of the organization which sponsors them.  For the rides up to
    1000km I believe that the overall pace needs to be 15km/h though
    it is not linear.  That is, the closing times for checkpoints
    early in the ride require a pace somewhat faster than the overall
    pace.
    
    The courses which were used last year were approximately these:
    
                200km - Leave from Newton MA, get out to route 119
                        (I don't remember exactly how we got there),
                        up through rolling hills to just across the
                        NH border (though Townsend, etc) and back
                        via 117 I think.
    
                300km - Leave from Newton again, cut across to Rt. 
                        117, 117 out through Sudbury, Maynard, Stow,
                        and Lancaster to rt. 70, across to route 62
                        up through the Princeton hills, continue on
                        62 to Barre, loop the Quabbin Resovoir on
                        122/202 to Amherst, get on Rt. 9 back to
                        Barre and then back the same way.  A total
                        of about 190, a great course.
    
                400km - Was Newton-Provincetown-Newton last year.  
                        Because of the extreme heat, humidity and 
                        traffic of last year it will probably be
                        changed.
                        
    We did our 600km in Syracuse last year and did not hold a 1000km.
    Neither course is designed but both will be challenging at a
    minimum.
                     

As Russ already knows, this is definitely on my to-do list for the 88 season.
If any Nashua area riders are interested in getting together to train for this 
event, lets get together.

Kevin

dtn 264-9281

    	Ya gotta be part mountain goat to do that 300 km loop!  While
    a recumbent would be fine for all the hours on the bike, the hills
    would kill you.  Ergo, not for me.  - Chris

    It's likely that I'm capable of doing it, but I'm undecided if that
    extended a distance would be enjoyable or not.  The 2, 3, and 400 km
    wouldn't be a problem, but I've never ridden further in one day.

    The decision will actually be whether I should emphasise fewer quality
    miles and other activities this year, or to really go crazy with
    cycling...

    - Jim

    Yeah, do it!  If I can possibly get into shape in time, I will 
    definitely be interested.  
    
    Let's see if I start training now.....
    
    Keep us posted!
    
    Regards,
    Denis

    Another me too reply...
    
    I would especially like to do the qualifiers.  For people interested
    in moderately long 90 - 130 rides which are fast I hope to have
    some news this spring of a bike club which does this type of activity.
    
    
    Joe

    
    	Well, OK if its mostly out of Newton/Boston for the qualifiers,
    I just don't want to have to hoof it across the country to ride
    in the John Marino thing.  Any news on cost estimates yet ?  What
    chance of a cost split with support crews (check point and travelling)
    getting credit points ?
    
    	Re .6	Yup, hills is hills.  Ain't that the "content" ?
    
    	Reg
    

    The 300km course is a blast.  The hills are good for you.  Besides,
    that is pretty minor compared to the beating you'd take during BMB,
    which should be mostly hills for the 1200 (that's the intent at
    least).
    

    
    	OK, its starting to get to me.  I've been running all winter
    (injuries permitting, or do I mean "notwithstanding" ?) but I'm
    probably not going to make it this year as a "Boston Bandit", so...
    
    	Time to get the rollers out on the driveway in the mornings
    again, its already light enough in the mornings to ride into work,
    almost light enough for a quick dash home at night, but its still
    slippery out there.  Ahhhh I dunno, see how the snow, ice and salt
    are in another week I guess.
    
    	This is going to be a four day LSD (long steady distance) ride,
    so that's how I'll prep for it, lots of double and triple hard days
    back to back too I guess.  No short cuts, weight benches, Nautilus,
    Nope, its just a mileage thing and endurance is all I'll need. 
    Of course, I might need a bigger cog on the back for some of the
    hills, rumor has it that Vermont ain't flat.
    
	Dunno about the pace, it *_SEEMS_* aweful slow, but I've never
    tried four double centuries back to back, maybe I'll need to pace
    myself down a bit, though I feel that I'd like to ride faster and
    rest longer.....  Bah, decisions decisions...  I'll probably just
    ride til I drop, rest and start again, the low tech approach to
    planning has so little to go wrong with it.

    	Then there's the question of lights, I'd hoped to ride only
    in daylight, i.e. less than 13 hours each day, (750/50 = 15) but
    that's the pace question again....
    
        ....and no rain date either, gasp !
    
    
    	Reg
    
    		better to burn out than to rust out 
    

    

< Note 517.12 by MENTOR::REG "It was 20 years ago next May" >
           -< Random mumblings or, "do I REALLY want to do this ?" >-

Reg,

    
>	Dunno about the pace, it *_SEEMS_* aweful slow, but I've never
>    tried four double centuries back to back, maybe I'll need to pace
>    myself down a bit, though I feel that I'd like to ride faster and
>    rest longer.....  Bah, decisions decisions...  I'll probably just
>    ride til I drop, rest and start again, the low tech approach to
>    planning has so little to go wrong with it.

   You're mumblings have probably been mumbled by everyone contemplating their 
first ultramarathon bike ride/race.  I'm mumbling those same thoughts right 
now...I haven't the foggiest idea how fast I should try to ride this thing.  
I've only done one century (@5:27 a rather quick one!) so I don't have much to 
go on.  We've got 4 or 5 qualifiers to figure out, or blunder into, a strategy.
I hope that works!

Kevin

        re .13	Thanks Kevin, I guess that's reassuring :-(
    
    	If it weren't for the qualifiers I'd  "just go do it",  my usual
    style, but all this prep and jumping through hoops on schedule bugs
    me a bit.  
    
    	"Oh, I can't do such_'n_such on whatever week_end 'cos there's
    a brevette; and we all know its gonna rain; but I can't put off
    this big training ride and take vac days to do it monday and tuesday,
    'cos its gotta be 'official'. "

    	I KNOW the organizers motivation, they have to convince themselves
    that the dnf rate is going to be low, i.e. zero due to lack of training
    and prep., its also going to be great to know that, having done
    the qualifiers, our chances of dnf'ing will be essentially zip,
    OK.  It's just that I like to be and feel responsible for my own
    training and my own self.

    	Reg	[ Well, of COURSE I really want to do it ]
    

< Note 517.14 by MENTOR::REG "It was 20 years ago next May" >
            -< Let's you and I try for a 30 KmPH pace throughout ? >-


I found it reassuring that others had the same doubts/thoughts as I, but still 
plan on doing the ride.

re the qualifiers...I hope they help me train for the event, by giving goals 
to achieve along the way to the big goal.  Without the qualifiers, I wonder 
how adequately I'd train.  They should also provide some commaraderie, which I 
would appreciate.  All the qualifiers all held on a Saturday, which would 
allow for postponement to Sunday for bad weather (I doubt this would happen), 
and, more importantly, to allow us to get in a long ride the next day... 
interested?

As far as your 30kmph (18.6mph) goal, do you mean average for riding time, or 
average INCLUDING rest?  I might be able to make that as an average for riding 
time, but forget it if you're including rest.  How are you planning on riding 
this?  RAAM style, or touring style?

Kevin

    Yeah, I think Kevin has it right.  The qualifiers will give you
    an idea what you need to do.  The big jump for me is from a 2
    day event to 3 day.  Two days is no problem.  You get 2-3 hours
    sleep, get up and ride.  However, when you start pushing the
    no-sleep thing it starts getting much tougher.  Falling asleep
    on the bike tends to be a major concern for the last portion
    regardless of your pace (unless you are only riding daylight
    hours and sleeping at night *-) ).
    
    Lights will definitely be required, probably at all times.  
    Since the start will probably be 4am you'll need them.  Other
    thing which starts taking a lot of time is eating.  After the
    first day you pretty much use up your reserves.  After that
    you may need to eat 8-10000 calories per day (30 calories per
    mile or thereabouts right?).  For me at least it became 
    difficult to do that.  It required serious time and effort to
    get the requisite food down (and to keep it there).
    
    The motivation certainly is to keep the dropout rate low,
    especially the first year where entrants will be limited.  To
    give you an idea, about 35% of US entrants dropped out at
    Paris-Brest-Paris last year.  Granted, it was cold and raining
    for a good deal of it.  However, Boston-Montreal-Boston will
    have nearly as difficult a course and heat may be a major
    factor during the day.  The 600km qualification just didn't
    mean anything.
    
    Now I have little doubt that you two guys (Reg and Kevin) can
    handle it, especially if you take training seriously.  Still,
    you may be suprised just how tough it is to ride for that long.
    
    Me - I can't wait.  Its going to be painful.  BTW, the record
    for Paris-Brest-Paris is something like 44 hours.  A friend of
    mine who is TOUGH did it in 61 hours.  
    

    I forgot to respond to the question about rain days.
    
    Are you guys serious??  Rain days??  There is no such
    thing.  Maybe if there's a hurricane.  Maybe.  If its
    raining, you just say "Boy, this is going to be even MORE
    painful - all right!!".  
    
    Seriously though.  It was raining for the first 4-5 hours
    of the 600km in Syracuse last year and rained throughout
    Paris-Brest-Paris.  You just have to handle it.
    

    
    I feel the qualifiers are pretty important for this.  The longest
    I've ridden in a day is about 180.  I was bushed afterwoods.  The
    next day I got on the bike again and my ass felt like it had been
    belted with a hammer!!!  Needless to say, I'm counting on the 
    qualifiers to do some of the training!!
    
    If the qualifiers are on a saturday, we should be out again on 
    sunday for a *long* one!!
    
    Stew
    

Russ,

    Can you tell us the start time Thursday and the end time on Sunday for 
BMB?  It will be useful to know for planning purposes.  Also a general 
starting time for the qualifiers, if you can.

BTW, what are you're time/speed goals for the event?

Kevin

    BMB has a 90 hour maximum.  I'm not positive what the times are
    but tenitively it will start at 4am on Thursday and end at 10pm
    on Sunday (that's 90 hours right?).
    
    The qualifiers will start in the 3am-5am range.
    
    I'm not sure what my goal for BMB will be until I get through the
    qualifiers and see what kind of shape I'm in.  Around 70 hours
    though.  Roughly, I'd like to do 7 hrs for the 200km, 12 hrs or
    less for the 300km, 16-17 hrs for the 400km, 28 hrs for the 600km
    and 45 hrs for the 1000km.  All of these are to be refined based
    on what kind of shape I'm in, how good I feel that day, the
    conditions, etc.
    
    

    
    	Hi Kevin, I'd just sort of thrown out 30 KmPH as an idea, as
    a riding time average to get enough off the bike time.  IF I could
    maintain it that would make ~40 hours in the saddle, if I drop off
    the pace, well its nice to know there's a bit of slack in the schedule,
    though it could be tough to resist falling back on it.  I'd like
    to start the qualifiers around 43 x 17, see how that works out and
    adjust from there, how about you ?
    
    	Reg
    

    This one is out of my range.  
    
    But one question.  Why are fenders recommended?  Why are they required
    at PBP?

< Note 517.21 by MENTOR::REG "It was 20 years ago next May" >
                       -< Aiming for min time in saddle >-

Well, I haven't really thought too much about too much, and I doubt if I can 
plan this thing anyway.  But here's were I think I'll start, for planning 
purposes.

  - Aim to ride at 6 hour century pace...16.67mph.  Therefore, it will take 
  45 hours to ride 750 miles.  Which leaves 45 hours for rest, and still be an 
  official finisher.  Now, how does one break this up?  I'll disregard, for 
  now, external factors like daylight vs. night time, etc.

    1 - Ride 100 mile segments.  This means 7 1/2, 6 hour riding segments, 
        and 7, 6:25 rest segments.

    2 - Ride 150 mile segments... 5, 9:00 riding segments, 4, 11:15 rest 
        segments.

    3 - Ride 200 mile segments... 3 3/4 12:00 riding segments (3 x 12:00, 
        1 x 9:00), 3 x 15:00 rest segments.

Plan 1 seems a bit impractical.  The riding segments look easy.  I think the 
rest segments would give me a problem since I don't think I could sleep that 
often, especially early in the ride, and resting without sleeping seems like 
it would produce a lot of anxiety.

Plan 2 looks pretty good.  9 hours of work followed by extended rest and the 
rest is not too frequent to be useful.

Plan 3 looks good, too, similar to plan 2.

Of course, I want to finish in less than 90 hours.  70 would be great, but I 
have no idea if that's possible.  If I hold riding time steady, that would 
mean 20 hours less rest.  That makes plan 2 and 3 look better. 

Plan 2 would be 5 x 9:00 riding, 4 x 6:15 rest.

Plan 3 would be 3 x 12:00 riding, 3 x 8:20 rest, 1 x 9:00 riding.

I think I'll seriously consider plans 2 and 3.

Kevin

    First, on .22, fenders ARE required at PBP.  I think its mostly
    due to the tradition of the race.  However, when riding in the
    rain (and we often were) you thank the organizers for making that
    guy (or 20) in front of you use them.
    
    On the Kevin/Reg planning:  I hate to tell you this guys but if
    you think you can plan without taking into consideration the 
    fatigue factor it won't work.  You have to use the first day to
    make considerable headway.  I'd suggest the following:  From the
    long qualifier (800km) decide how much sleep you can get away
    with the first night.  Add another hour or 2 for the time it t
    takes to sign in at the appropriate checkpoint, eat and get to
    sleep.  Then work backwards from sunrise.  The idea is to ride
    until, say 2am and then wake up when its getting light.  It
    tricks your body into thinking its time to get up.  That way,
    you don't waste daylight hours also.  Now, for me, this has 
    only worked for the first night because after that plans go out
    the window.
    
    Figure doing somewhere in the neighborhood of 250-300 miles on
    the first day (around 4am to 2am) and then starting to ride again
    between 5am and 6am.  You probably won't be able to do the saem
    on the second day - but then again you may.
    
    Alternatively, you could try to ride straight through to Montreal
    and perhaps beyond but simply not sleeping the first night.  You
    will definitely slow down during the night hours, its unavoidable.
    However, if you can do without sleep for a night and get to the
    daylight you may be able to get a big jump before sleeping, maybe
    as much as 500 miles (not me!).  You will be dragging if you try
    this.
    
    

< Note 517.24 by DEBIT::HOLDEN >
                 -< Planning is easy, execution is impossible >-

Russ,
  
   I agree with your title.  I imagine the planning is merely an intellectual 
exercise, tho I am intrigued with my plan and may give it a try during the 
qualifiers.  I'm the first one to admit I have no idea how I'll respond to 
riding in this style, but we will find out, won't we?!

Kevin

    
    	Yeah, well, not being an intellectooooal.  I like Kevin's plan
    	3 the best.  
    
    	I'd thought of it as a 4 day event with 3 nights of sleep to
    cover 1200 Km. (right so far ?)   It seemed that 300 Km a day would
    enable me to conserve reserves, though the anxiety factor of having
    to rest before I'm absolutely pooped would probably cause me to
    run over plan, at least the first day.  The "go for first day mileage"
    approach is more in my nature than "ration time and distance", but
    I tend to do better if I make modest plans and exceed them.  Its
    all a silly mind game with oneself I guess, but I'll probably plan
    for 350 Km each of the first three days and a short last day to
    keep some slack.  I'll probably ride more than that and get the
    boost of exceeding the set goals.

    	Re  "straight through to Montreal the first day",  hmmmm, I doubt
    that I could do it, even at 30 KmPH its 20 hours in the saddle,
    NO REST !  The psychological boost would be undeniable though, half
    way done in a quarter of the available time, I always KNOW that if
    I can finish the first half of something..... etc.

    	Against that theres the demoralizing effect of seeing one's
    overall average speed droop, I always have trouble handling that.
    
    	I'm going to see how the qualifiers go before making any definite
    plans, once sleeping arrangements are made its going to be impossible
    to decide on another 100Km or so for the day, i.e. no chance to
    change the plan in real time.
    
    	Reg
    

    I'm going to see how far I can make it thru the qualifiers, but do
    have real doubts about being able to handle *4 days* of ultramarathon
    exercise in a row.  An earlier comment about having no reserves left
    after the second day was perceptive.  It will be necessary to plan
    seriously about what to eat during the ride.

    From what has been written about events like RAAM, I understand that
    quality miles (quite a few of them of course) are more important than
    lots and lots of LSD.  Also, it may be best to ride as far as possible
    on the first day or two, since you do have reserves then, and this
    will provide a buffer for the end when really deep fatigue sets in.

    Too bad the event didn't have a little more time for rest... then one
    could do one of those ride-to-the-death and hit the next gourmet
    restaurant type rides  :-)

    - Jim

    Re: PBP requirements a few notes back -

    I saw some guys out on their road bikes Sunday, looking like they
    were finishing up one of the spring classics.

    I was still pretty clean after my hundred...

    - Jim [quich-eater]

    Well, I did a century yesterday also.  I was a mess when I got
    back.  There were puddles everywhere.  Fenders would have 
    helped a lot.  Still, I personally hate them.

    I just discovered this entry and have read through it.  Any
    of you have an estimate of expenses for the BMB?  Sounds like
    a bit of a challenge at any price.
    
    As far as training for this goes, have Lifecycle workouts
    helped any of you?  Are they a reasonable substitute for
    winter riding?
    
    Kevin
    

    Plans for the 1988 Boston-Montreal-Boston are proceeding very
    smoothly and on schedule.  The course has been changed somewhat
    from the original description.  Now it will cut across the
    Middlebury Gap in Vermont over toward the Lake Champlain area
    on the way up and return the same route.  Its a lot prettier
    and safer than the original route but still tough.
    
    Most checkpoint locations are now known and we're in very good
    shape there though volunteers are still needed.  Locations have
    been confirmed in Barre MA, Ludlow VT, Bristol VT, Sherbourne VT,
    Rouses Point (NY?) and Montreal itself.
    
    There are currently about 15 riders who have sent in deposits
    and quite a number more who have said they would shortly.  In 
    addition, Charlie Lamb's BMB write-up appeared in the UMCA
    (Ultra-Marathon Cycling Association) newsletter this month and
    in the ride schedule (as did the qualifying brevets).  
    
    Applications are available as is more detailed information about
    the ride.  Let me know if you want either.
    
    All systems are go.
    

    Well, gentlemen, I feel like a wimp.  I'll be participating in BMB'88
    by sitting in a car in Rindge N.H. for the better part of Saturday
    night.  I think you all should opt for the plan that gets you through
    the checkpoint either early or late, so you don't catch me napping
    :-)
    
    So now you've got my name, and I'll have your midnite munchies.
    I'll be plugging for you, and I wish you happy miles.
    
    Elaine

    Well folks, tomorrow's the big day.  I suppose some folks would
    show up for this except for the early start so I would offer to
    make an exception to the rules so that Reg can start at 8 am if
    he wishes.
    
    As far as I know there are 3 DECies attempting this course: myself,
    Jim (CADM::) Roth, and John Lee (SHALOT::) Ellis.  There are 3
    women (non-DECies) that I know of: Linda Bousquet, Amy Regan,
    Pam Blalock.  There are 14 other souls who fall into neither
    of the above categories.
    
    The checkpoint in Rindge, NH, at 119 and 202, closes at 2:43 pm
    Sunday.  Any folks who would like to come out and meet the
    surviving BMB riders before that time would be welcome indeed.
    
    ed

    		Go for it guys....wish I was going with you.
    Wait till next year.  Good Luck.
    					Jerry

    BMB report, brief version:
    
    The ride started, the sun shined, we rode, the sun burned, we
    rode, the sun shined, we climbed hills, the sun shined,
    we finished.
    
    Yeay,
    ed
    

    The women should be proud of themselves - not one dropped if I'm
    correct.  And I think they cruised into the finish ahead of their
    riding partners to boot!

    Charlie sure knows how to put on a tough ride.

    If all goes well, I'll have some digitized photographs online before
    too long (probably for the vt340 and GPX - maybe the LJ250 if I can
    get one to test my software on.)

    - Jim

[ This is a piece I wrote for the local Charlotte bike club newsletter.  -john ]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                        Boston-Montreal-Boston 1988

                
August 11th at 4am -- twenty cyclists start out from a parking lot in
Wellesley, Mass., for the inaugural Boston-Montreal-Boston (BMB) ride.
Four days and 762 miles later, 17 or 18 of them finish, vastly exceeding
the expectations of the organizer, and to the exhausted pleasure of all.

BMB was to be a counterpart of the quadrenniel Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP)
ride - PBP is a round trip of 750 miles (1200+ km).  But there are some
big contrasts: BMB included 4 states (MA,NH,VT,NY), 1 province (Quebec), 
2 countries (USA and Canada), and two languages (Yankee and quasi-French).
PBP stays in one country, one language.  BMB crossed a range of mountains
(the Green Mountains)... and don't think this went unnoticed by the riders!
PBP is over rolling to flat terrain.  BMB '88 had 20 starters; PBP '87 had
a couple thousand.

And BMB was ridden in stages (PBP is pretty much free-for-all).  The stages
were (1) Wellesley MA to Middlebury VT (NW Vermont) - 228 miles; 
(2) Middlebury VT - Montreal - Rouses Pt. NY (US border) - 208 miles;
(3) border to Ludlow (central VT) - 160 miles; and
(4) Ludlow to Wellesley MA - 160 miles.

So the first day was hilly to mountainous, culminating, after being worn
down with "minor" Vermont climbs such as Andover Ridge and Terrible Mountain 
(true name!)... by Middlebury Gap, breaching the Green Mountains.  The second 
day was rolling hills (Burlington VT) then flat-as-a-pancake and windy in Quebec
(punctuated by speed demons on arrow-straight roads... "Eh? Excusez-moi!
I thought the sign said 90mph, not 90km/hr!").  The third day was mountainous
Vermont again; the fourth was only hilly (starting with Terrible Mountain at 
4am) but by then the slightest incline began to look Alpine to everyone... and,
it was humid, in the 90's, good SC summer weather.

As promised, the scenery and the terrain were more beautiful and more
challenging than PBP's.  The point of BMB was not competition between riders,
but challenging oneself against the course.  I think everyone took it that
way, and they helped each other out, usually riding in small groups of 2-6 
people.

All the riders were competent and capable.  Some were PBP veterans.  Some had
completed RAAM qualifiers.  Some had done both.  All were in that class.
They came from as far away as Toronto, NYC, Cary NC, Fort Worth TX, and, yes,
Charlotte.  I was proud to ride with these guys (including 3 women).

Interested for next year?  Check the UMCA newsletter, or contact BMB's 
creator, Charles Lamb, at 28 Hurlbut St #6, Cambridge, Mass 02138-1634
... or check with me for more details.

-John Lee Ellis  (UMCA #484)

    Wait a sec here.  PBP is over "rolling to flat" terrain??!!  Not
    the PBP I was in!
    

>< Note 517.40 by CREDIT::HOLDEN >
>               -< I guess I was in worse shape than I thought! >-
>
>    Wait a sec here.  PBP is over "rolling to flat" terrain??!!  Not
>    the PBP I was in!
    
Sorry, just the impression I'd gotten, based on ignorance, I'm sure.
What was the course's terrain like?  

    I missed Paris-Brest last year, but some of the riders at BMB said there
    was more climbing the first day than all of PBP put together...

    - Jim

>< Note 517.42 by CTCADM::ROTH "If you plant ice you'll harvest wind" >

>    I missed Paris-Brest last year, but some of the riders at BMB said there
>    was more climbing the first day than all of PBP put together...

Wow...  Ed Fisher, can you comment?

    I think PBP had lots of short steep climbs and winding descents.
    I had the flu so much of that was a fog.  There were some long
    climbs that I never got to see near Brest.
    
    ed

    In PBP the 100 miles from Paris either way were relatively flat
    but the remaining 550 miles had virtually no flats.  Its true,
    there were no major climbs in PBP (though the 6-7 mile winding
    uphill followed by the climb up the "mountain" above the treeline
    against a 35 mile an hour wind near Brest wasn't a joke) but
    the hills were constant and many were quite steep.  I wasn't
    trying to claim PBP was easier than BMB but the PBP course was
    a bear (and one of the reasons that about 40% of Americans
    ended up dropping).
    
    

    Of 19 riders to begin BMB, 12 finished the entire 765 miles. 6
    others finished most of the 765 miles with a lift here or there.
    
    A lot can be said for the excellent support provided on a small
    budget and the help that this provided to keep some of us weaker
    souls from dying in that incredible heat.
    
    I turn mellow as I reflect upon it now that the season is almost
    over.
    
    ed

	RE: .-1 <Ed Fisher>

	So are you planning to do BMB '89?  What advice would you
	give someone who'd like to do BMB?  (BMB '89 will likely be 
	a bit different, of course - a bigger event, perhaps more
	support to take care of more entrants, that type of thing.)

	Yes, BMB '88 was very well organized and executed, especially
	given their resources.

	"Mellow" is an interesting reaction to four days of baking,
	climbing, and eating pasta... but maybe you're right!  -j

    Charlie asked me to post this.  BMB '88 retrospective plus
    initial 1989 qualifier and BMB information.
    
    ----------------------------------------------------------
    
        
    		      Boston Montreal Boston 88
 
Back in 1987, even before we had ridden the Paris Brest Paris, some
friends and I thought it would be neat to have a sister event on this
side of the ocean.  The Boston Montreal Boston was born as a
1200km in 90 hours randonnee to be run every four years in between
PBP's (i.e. in 1989 and 1993).  As a trial run, we did one in August
1988.
 
Why have such a ride?  We had several reasons.  First, it helps to
better prepare North Americans for randonneuring (a French term for
the type of cycling done in PBP).  Not that the Canadians need any
preparation -- by all accounts, they seem to have the technique down
quite well.  The sport is somewhat new to the US though, and so we are
relatively inexperienced in it.  Secondly, it attracts new riders to
the randonneuring scene.  One of the problems with randonneuring in
the US is that there is little incentive to participate in randonnees
during the non PBP years.  With rides like PBP and BMB, there is more
incentive to stay in shape and participate on a more frequent basis.
Finally, it encourages the exchange of ideas between the international
cast of participants.
 
By all accounts, BMB 88 accomplished all that I had hoped for.  Among
the riders who had ridden PBP '87 and BMB '88, there was general
agreement that the BMB course and ride were tougher and that it gave
participants excellent preparation for the '91 PBP.  This had been a
goal when I designed the course -- to be as close as possible to the
PBP course, only tougher.  There were many hills (which most Americans
were surprised to find in Paris), and many flat spots in which the
wind was a factor.  It was a good mix of terrain which challenged all
the skills of the participants.  In addition, we did attract several
new riders who successfully completed the ride and intend to come back
for more randonneuring next year.
 
The one difference between BMB and PBP was that its small size
necessitated a "near audax" style.  This meant that riders were given
a schedule for the 764 miles and 90 hours and that they tried to stay
as close to that schedule as possible.  What this meant for the
organizers was that the checkpoint staffing requirements were
simplified.  I hope that next year this will not be necessary and
riders will be able to ride as far as they want on any given day as
long as they maintain the minimum overall speed for the course.  Note
that the schedule given this year proved to be quite challenging for
everyone involved and there was general agreement that any faster pace
would be significantly more difficult.
 
The daily schedule was 232 miles, 206 miles, 164 miles, and 162 miles.
The decreasing difficulty was both a physical and psychological boost
for riders.  They were freshest on the first day, and therefore best
prepared to do the longest distance (and hardest terrain, too).  After
they had completed the hardest day, they could rationalize that the
days only got easier from then on.
 
If the whole course (out and back) were divided into thirds, the first
and last thirds were the hilliest, and the middle third the flatest.
The first third headed west from Boston and cut off the southwest
corner of New Hampshire where riders met the first of the major climbs
(see the elevation chart below).  Similar to PBP, the first control
station was located about 160 kms from the start, in the southeast
corner of Vermont.  From there on, the controls were placed every 90
to 100 kms apart.  The rest of the course for the first day was spent
climbing the hills of the Green Mountains, with at least four more
major climbs at Andover, VT, Weston, Killington, and Middlebury Gap.
The Gap seemed to be a fitting end for the first day as it was the
toughest climb on the course.  Note that although the gap isn't all
that high, it is quite steep.  It starts out with a gradual incline
and evolves into a grade which is over 13 percent!
 
The second day consisted of short hills between Middlebury and
Burlington, scenic flats through Grand Isle on Lake Champlain, and
flat farmland (the biggest hill was a 10 foot dip in the road) from
Rouses Point, NY (the border crossing) up to Montreal.  Since it is
difficult to access Montreal on bicycle, the turnaround was located
just across the St. Lawrence River in St. Lambert, mile 382.  The
remainder of the day was spent returning to Rouses Point where most
riders spent the night.  Day 3 took the riders back over the Gap to
Ludlow, VT, leaving the remaining climbs for the shortest and last
day.  On the fourth and hottest day, most riders finished in the late
afternoon or early evening.
 
The group was quite diverse.  On one end of the scale was Martin Heath
from Toronto.  Martin truly embodied the randonneur spirit by carrying
his espresso maker (stove and all!) with him in his knapsack the whole
way and mixing up a cup of brew at several of the stops.  Jeff Vogel
from NY also brought randonneuring experience to the field.  Jeff
finished the tough '87 PBP in 61 hours, and although he did not
attempt the same pace for BMB, he led the group by completing the
course in 81 hours.  All three women (Pamala Blalock, Linda Bousquet,
and Diane Owens) finished the course in good time.  Diane was the only
one in the whole group who didn't think that it was hot (she's from
Texas).  In the neophyte category Matt Britton stood out.  Matt had
never ridden more than about 70 miles when he showed up at the first
200km qualifier back in May.  In fact, he never really thought that he
could finish the 200km.  Instead, he finished all the qualifiers, and
went on to finish the BMB, vowing to return next year.  Although some
would not approve of such fast paced training for future randonneur
greats, Matt is an example of how a ride like the BMB can be turned
from a seemingly impossible task to an accomplishment to be proud of.
 
Overseeing the ride throughout was a small but efficient crew.  Each
of the checkpoints was staffed, and many of them had large quantities
of food on hand.  The technical support vehicle supplied by 10 Speed
Spoke's Pierce Gafgen (randonneur and crew chief for Nancy Reposo in
the 88 RAAM) was a valuable addition to the team.  It seems certain
that the job of the crew was almost as difficult as that of the
riders.  In any case, they were an essential part of the event.
 
The motivation for having a crew was threefold.  First, I wanted to
have BMB look as much like PBP as possible.  Hence, the control
stations had facilities for sleeping, showering, and eating whenever
possible.  Second, by supplying these services, and discouraging
personal crews from attending (in fact, those crews were only allowed
to support their riders at the checkpoints and not on the course), I
was able to reduce congestion on the roads and at the checkpoints.  It
was important to have the flavor of the ride be as close to PBP as
possible.  This had the additional benefit of allowing all riders to
participate on an equal basis, whether or not they had a crew along.
Finally, since the towns along the course are mostly closed down at
night, it would be near impossible for riders to complete the course
without the services provided by the crew at the stops.  Although
several people assumed that they could get through without using the
facilities and supplies provided by us, this notion was quickly
dispelled.
 
The success rate was quite high.  19 started the ride, and 12 finished
the whole event without being sagged.  Of the seven who were sagged,
the distances that they rode ranged from 100km to 1100km.  I do not
believe that the presence of the crew had any bearing on this rate.
 
Overall, the event was a success and will go on next year.  It is
scheduled for August 10 through 13, 1989, and will be open to anyone
who has ridden the qualifiers in the specified time limits.  The
course will be similar to this year's except that it will be closer to
1200 km (750 miles), and will have some improvements made where we
feel we can improve on the safety of the riders.  If all goes as
planned, we will eliminate the daily schedule so that riders are free
to pace themselves as they like.  Of course they will still have to
meet minimum speed requirements concurrent with the 90 hour time
limit.
 
 
Anyone wishing further information on the Boston Montreal Boston ('88
or '89), or the qualifers for it should contact 
 
Charles Lamb
Box 721
Burlington, Mass 01803-5721
uunet!odi!cwl
[email protected]
 
 
Boston Qualifier Schedule:
 
200km		May 6, 1989
300km		May 20, 1989
400km		June 10, 1989
600km		June 24, 1989
BMB '89		August 10 - 13, 1989
 
Approximate Elevations along the route:
 
  .                     *    *
  .                     *    *
  2000'                 *    *
  .                     *    *
  .                   * *    *
E .                   * * *  *
L .                   * * *  *
E 1500'               * * *  *
V .                   * * *  *
A .                   * * *  *
T .           *   *   *** ** *
I .           *   *   *** ** *
O 1000'       *   *   ****** *
N .           *   * * ****** *
  .           *   * * ********
  .           *   * * ********
  .           *   * * ********
  500'        *   * * ******** *
  .           *  **** ******** *
  .           *  **** ******** *
  .           *  **** ******** *  *
  .     *     *  **** ******** *  *      *    *
  0     *     *  **** ******** *  *      *    *
        0....5....1....1....2....2....3....3....4
             0    0    5    0    5    0    5    0
                  0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 
    (Boston)       M I L E S               (Montreal)


-- Charlie Lamb

	Are BMB-veterans (finishers) required to do the qualifiers
	for BMB '89?

	-j

    Everyone must requalify each quadrennium for PBP, likewise for BMB.
    
    PBP always had a facility for riders to certify at least some of the
    qualifying distances in unofficial events.  For example, to get
    witnesses like the UMCA rides.
    
    There are qulaifying brevets in Raleigh, also.
    
    ed

     The following article (copied without permission) was included as a

     sidebar to "The Longest Ride," an article in BICYCLING GUIDE (Volume

     7, No.  2).  "The Longest Ride" is about Paris-Brest-Paris.



                                   ==========



                              An American Warm-Up



     There is an unwritten law in Paris-Brest-Paris that if you decide to

     embark upon this extraordinarily difficult ride, you damn well better

     finish it.  No one take this credo more seriously than the ride's

     French organizers, who were horrified when a whopping 46 percent of

     the 230 American entrants in 1987 failed to finish (the overall

     dropout rate, judged higher than normal, was just 19 percent).  Soon

     after, the angry organizers decided to double the qualification

     requirements for American riders in 1991.



     Charles Lamb, a 28-year-old computer software engineer from Cambridge,

     Massachusetts, was among the chosen few who finished in 1987.  After

     hearing of the backlash against the U.S riders, Lamb decided to create

     a Boston-Montreal-Boston (BMB).  "I did it for two reasons," says

     Lamb.  "One was I liked PBP so much I thought we should have one here.

     The other was it would help [American] riders do better in the

     future."



     First run in 1988, BMB may not have the cultural and historical cachet

     of its European progenitor, but it certainly equals PBP in distance

     and difficulty.  "It's a tough course," says Lamb.  "People who have

     done PBP say mine is tougher." Indeed, considering that the mountains

     of northern New England loom in the middle of the BMB course, riders

     must be prepared for climbing--an underrated skill in PBP, according

     to Lamb.  "One of the problems in Paris was that no one was expecting

     any hills," says Lamb, referring to the rolling terrain of Brittany.

     "This will prepare them."



     The ride is run in the same basic format as PBP, with checkpoints at

     various points along the way, and a ban on full-time support for

     riders.  The ride has roughly doubled in size each year, with 26 of 31

     riders finishing last year.  The participants are a varied lot, from

     tourists, to former racers, to hardcore "randonneurs." A prime example

     of the latter, according to Lamb, was Canadian Martin Heath.  "The

     randonneuring spirit is that you be self-sufficient, ready for

     anything," says Lamb, "and Martin was.  He had a ton of stuff on his

     bike, as well as a knapsack.  At one of the breakfast stops we asked

     him if he wanted us to carry the sack in a van and he said no.  Then

     he pulled an expresso machine out of it and started brewing some

     coffee.  He was great."



     But for Lamb, the most satisfying aspect of the ride is seeing

     beginners through the four-day odyssey.  "I have a handful of riders

     each year who think attempting something like BMB is insane, and they

     don't see how they can possibly get through it," he says.  "So I sort

     of take them through the qualifiers and show them how it's done, and

     it's not as bad as they think.  These are people who have never ridden

     more than a century, and a lot of them get through BMB looking great.


                                                                Page 2





     I like to see that."



     The success of BMB has earned the recognition of the PBP organizers,

     who have included the upstart ride in their tough new qualification

     requirements for Americans.  "They have strongly recommended that

     Americans do the ride so they'll have the necessary experience for

     PBP."



     For information on BMB, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to P.O.

     Box 721, Burlington, MA 01803-5721.



                                   ==========





     Scott

    	Latest Bicycle Guide (Volume 8, Number 3) contains a
    	response to an article entitled "Pushing the Limit,"
    	which was about BMB. The response was written by Amy
    	Regan of Hollis, NH. She tells why she (and others)
    	ride in the ultra-marathon ride like PBP, BMB, etc.
    
    	Scott