What an event!
I've had my share of 24 hr rides, completed BAM a couple of times, but this did little to prepare me for what BMB would be like. I thought with my previous events times that a 60 hour finish should be a good conservative time to shoot for. However, riding unsupported at this distance changes everything.
I'm sure most of you have checked out the finishers and times posted on the web pages. Unfortunately, this simple list does little to detail the complexion of the ride. What we really need is a "box score" like in baseball so you can see who did what and when. More on that later.
For those that have not done the event, the course is wonderful. Others have complained about bad roads. I heard that there were improvements in the surfaces from last year, but I found the roads to be delightful. For such a lengthy course, very little of the route was "rough". The scenery is magnificent and as an architect, I often had to remind myself to ride the bike and stop sight seeing. It's a course I'll have to do sometime on a touring bike.
Friends that had done the ride in the past prepared me with the best information they could, but this is no substitute for seeing and knowing the conditions you'll encounter on the course. I started with the 10:00. It was a decision that I debated for quite some time prior to the start. My goal of 60 hr was on the border of what is considered a "fast" ride & I didn't want to wait at Montreal for a checkpoint to open. In retrospect, waiting for that checkpoint to open might have not been so bad.
Weather was my biggest concern and I prepared as well as possible for poor weather conditions. I was not to be disappointed. The day before the ride presented us with rain, but cleared for the start. While the start found us with mild temperatures, I would encounter just about every weather condition imaginable. It was very cold the first night. I ride poorly in the cold and used every bit of clothing I could get my hands on during the first night. The second night brought rain. I can only be thankful that the temperature was up a bit, otherwise, my completing the course might have been in question. I had no idea which checkpoint I had stored my heavy rain gear.... Winds plagued us both days and spoiled the little flat land riding there was. As a Midwest flatlander, I had hoped to use this time to makeup for my inexperience in the hills. Ah... the best laid plans....
I had worried about the 8 lbs. extra weight in the fanny pack, lighting and CamelBak that other 10:00 starters didn't seem to have. It's amazing what even crew can do for a rider even on an "unsupported" ride. I rode the first few miles of "Midwest" size hills with the lead group just fine. Then we hit the first sizable climb of the day and - "boom" - the "lightweights" were off the front of the group. (Time to lose some more weight...)
This was by far the most climbing I've ever done in my years of cycling. Strange thing is, I had the time of my life. I loved the hills. I wasn't so much struck by the up part of the hills, but just enthralled by the downhill. I've never had the chance to run in the past. For several minutes of 50 mph running on the downhill side, I'll do any amount of climbing! In the Midwest, a few seconds and your downhill runs are over... Next year I'll bring a high beam bulb for the downhill run on Middlebury, but I didn't let that stop me this year.
I could have / should have made my 60 hour goal. (Heard that one before?) After the ride several of us decided that the parameters of the ride need to be changed. For many of us this was not a 750 mile ride. Rather how many miles can you do between Boston and Montreal within a 90 hour time limit. Going off course seemed to be a required part of the ride. This is where one needs the "box scores". While Tom Buckley posted a time of 53 hr., he also needs credit for the 796 (that's correct, Tom?) mile ride he did! Yup, almost a full 800 miles. 5 hours off course. How many other riders over the years have had a sub-50 hour ride end up like this? I managed 765 miles myself.
The lack of crew also affected my pace in unplanned ways. A crew will put you back on the bike on schedule. However, after the BMB staff woke me from my 2 hour sleep break, it was much too easy to lie there and "stretch" for another half hour. Then there was Map Reading 101. I found myself just miles from the end - tired and not wanting to get lost - riding from intersection to intersection, pausing and searching for several minutes for non-existent arrows to point me home. Yet more lost time where a crew would have just pointed me down the road and said, "Ride."
I've always liked unsupported riding and this event is probably the most challenging one of it's type. Just come prepared for anything.
- - Aaron Rumple
a_rumple@inlink.com