Failure to Plan is a Fan of your Planer ... or Something Like That

Some randonneurs plot out their longer brevets in extreme detail, to the level that they know by 10 am they will be thru the first control, stopping for lunch at the second control by 1 pm, yadda yadda yadda. I'm not that fast, or certainly not that organized, but I do have a plan for the Rocky Mountain 1200. Here it is.

What I'm Bringing

Ultracyclist extraordinaire Jeff Bauer, who I crewed for on this year's RAAM (he was part of a two-man team that rode it in eight days, four hours, 21 minutes FIXED (!?!)), told me to make a checklist. He recommended I organize the list according to what I'm bringing on the bike, what I'm bringing on the plane, and what I'm leaving in drop bags. So, that's what I did. If I DNF on this ride, it's now all Jeff's fault.

Plane Stuff

This is stuff that I'll bring on the plane but leave at the hotel in Kamloops.

• chain lube
• street clothes
• laptop computer
• magazine
• electric razor
• leg-shaving razor (vanity, though name art Rando Boy)

Drop Bags

I'll have drop bags at the Jasper and Golden controls. Here's what I'll cram into them.

• one pair bib shorts (Louis Garneau, ooo-la-la)
• one pair tights
• one pair knee warmers
• one pair arm warmers
• one short-sleeve wool jersey
• one short-sleeve lycra jersey (in case it gets warmer)
• one undershirt
• one pair gloves
• one pair glove liners
• one pair socks
• one small trash bag (to put the dirty stuff in)
• one Ruffy-Tuffy tire
• two inner tubes in a sock, with a pair of surgical gloves in the sock, too
• 5 small zip ties
• 5 large zip ties
• one medication pack (see list below)
• two ear plugs
• one sleep mask
• toothbrush & toothpaste
• mouthwash
• ice pack
• four packets Lantiseptic (best stuff ever to wipe on your butt before an ultracycling event)
• two pairs of surgical gloves
• one small ziplock with toilet paper
• one packet handi-wipes
• one tube sunscreen
• four bug-repellent wipes
• five Raspberry Cream PowerBar Gels (0 mg caffeine)
• five Tangerine PowerBar Gels (2 mg caffeine each)
• four Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews
• package of sugar-free gum
• 10 lemon drops
• package of eight AA batteries
• package of four AAA batteries
• spare bar-mountable headlight
• spare iPod headphones
• 4 pint zip-lock bags
• 4 quart zip-lock bags
• 2 gallon zip-lock bags
• cell phone charger
• iPod charger (AC variety)
• light sleeping bag (Golden only)

Hard to believe all of this fits into a small gym bag, but it does. It's even kind of roomy in there.

On the Bike

With the exception of the sleep mask, ear plugs, toothbrush/toothpaste, ice pack, spare tire, and the chargers for the cell phone and iPod, I'll start with most of what I would be putting into a drop bag. I'll start with a wool jersey if it's cold, but otherwise I'll begin with lycra. Later the weather is supposed to be colder, and I'll be exhausted to the point that generating body heat will become an issue. In addition, I will start with (and hopefully finish with) the following:

• rain jacket (lightweight with zip-out sleeves, so it converts to a vest)
• thick wool socks (to wear over other socks if my feet get cold)
• knee warmers
• arm warmers
• triple tube (wool head sock thingy)
• cycling cap with a bill (for rain, headlight blockage, etc.)
• helmet (duh)
• cycling sandals (nerdy, but good for walking around and they drain well in the rain)
• sunglasses with swap-out lenses (dark, amber, and clear)
• mirror on sunglasses (nerdy, but handy)
• tire levers
• patch kit
• tool kit
• frame pump
• boot
• FiberFix Kevlar Spoke
• electrician's tape (around seat post)
• cushy seat cover
• 2 Zefal Magnum water bottles
• Busch and Miller Headlight on handlebar
• Cateye headlight on quick-release bolt
• camera
• iPod
• iPod charger (uses AA batteries)
• wallet
• passport
• cell phone (Blackberry, so I can hopefully post to this during the ride)
• brevet card
• small notebook with pencil (so I can write a note to my loved ones as a bear eats me)

And, of course, the bicycle.

Better Biking Thru Chemistry

My medication packs are made up of

• 20 Ibuprofen
• 10 Tums
• 10 Rolaids
• 10 Zantax
• 10 Immodium A-D
• 1 tube Boil-Ease
• 2 packets Aloe
• 5 BandAids (assorted sizes)
• 2 Moleskins

How I'll Do It

My plan for the ride is pretty basic. I'm going out with the 90-hour group, of course, which starts at 10 pm Wednesday evening. If I can manage to sleep thru most of the day Wednesday, I should be fresh then. Hopefully I can thus ride thru the night, and all day Thursday, and get into Jasper a little after nightfall. I will then check in at the control, get my stuff, and go to the Athabasca Hotel, where I have a lovely room reserved. Hopefully, I'll get to sleep a few hours in it.

Friday I hope to leave Jasper about 2 am, refreshed and frisky, and do another 18 hours in the saddle to Golden. There, again, I'll collect my drop bag, but this time I'll grab a quick nap snuggled away in my light the sleeping bag, and then change my clothes and ride on. At the Best Western Glacier Park Lodge, a few miles further, I have a room reserved. There, I will hopefully get some better sleep.

Saturday morning, after dawn, I will then be able to enjoy the descent down the mountain and do the final 400 kilometers of my journey. With any luck, I should be back in Kamloops at my hotel before dawn Sunday, hours before I have to be.

This is the plan. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, I will not be ruefully reviewing this plan, laughing at my foolish hubris.