By Karen Zielinski
I have been suffering from "1200k burnout."
Years of Brevets, two BMBs and two PBPs did me in. In a 1200k event, I was always riding, riding, riding to get into each checkpoint, then allowing myself only 15 minutes breaks, sleeping one to three hours, usually on a hard surface, after 230-miles or 30 hours in the saddle. I actually thought about giving up randonneuring. I needed something to rekindle the desire for Randonneuring. I thought I'd ride the "Quads."
It was the answer!
I was fortunate to meet and ride with Holly from Atlanta and Nick from South Carolina. They showed me how a 200k ride is done. You stop mid-morning at a "cafe" for coffee and danish, then continue down the road to the local hotdog stand for another bite to eat. At first it was strange to have 45 minute breaks, but before long I got the hang of it.
The BMB staff were great, especially Nancy Raposo who filled my bags with tasty snacks for on the road, Chris Tompsett who tightened up my "hoofs" at each contrôle and Pierce Gafgen who did not need to perform miracle repairs to my bike (as he has done in the past) but for his medical advice that really works!
I realized sometime on Saturday that riding the Quads, made all the difference. It was a pleasure to have the time ride at any pace, to eat all the special foods and to socialize with the great people who keep it all going.
Because of the wonderful experience I had on this ride, I have regained my love for the sport of randonneuring and am considering doing BMB again...
My thanks to Holly, Nick and the BMB staff. No more burnout. I am cured!