Making The Best of What I Have

Fact: I am not a fast rider

I have been finishing my Brevets in the bottom 25% for the last year and a half. I know I will never be fast but I would really like to be average. Comparing may '07 200k to my '06, both run on the same course, I was about 45 minutes faster this year. And on my 300k I was about 1:15 faster. I have been training hard on 20 to 40 mile rides during the week, attacking the hills and keeping a high speed on the flats. Hopefully this will translate into slightly faster pace on my Brevets.

I am also down about 6lbs since I started really training in early March. Trimming down the gear I carry on a brevet has also helped to lighten the bike a bit.
I have been doing a lot of reading on how to be an efficient rider and how to set up an efficient bike. My major goal this year was to improve my time in and out of the controls. I have probably cut my time in half over last year saving 10 to 15 minutes a control.
Yesterday I received a package that contained 7 Bicycle Quarterly's and two Grand Bois tires. Jan Heine has concluded that these tires could save the average rider 2 to 3 hours on a PBP over the Ruffy Tuffy tires I have been riding. The Grand Bois are on the bike and ready for this weekends 400k.

Someday if I keep training, loose a little more weight and continue to refine my techniques, maybe I can be average.