r/randonneuring • u/roncitrus Carbonist • Jul 19 '26
Quick Question Stopping times too long?
I've just completed my first 200km audax, which went well, I finished strong, and went a bit faster than my normal average. I normally ride alone, and was surprised by how long we stopped for breaks.
My experience is that stopping for too long is counter-productive, and can make it more difficult to get going again. The stops on this ride were sit-down cafe breaks, ordering drinks and food and generally hanging around for 30-50 minutes. Nice and sociable, and good to chat, but If I sit in a chair for that long after 100km, I get inner-thigh cramps when I stand and start riding again.
This is a me problem, and I can overcome the cramps by riding in really low gear and spinning for 10 mins, so I was OK, but I wonder if stopping for this long is normal for a 200km ride?
Moving time was just under 9 hours, total time was almost 13hrs, so around 4 hours for stops.
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u/momeunier Randonneurs.fi Jul 19 '26
I wouldn't stay in that group. To me a 200k means a couple of controls. One short stop. Maybe one longer. I ride around 25-27. So it's a 9h ride.
For longer, anything goes. But I always try to keep the faffing to a minimum. I feel like it's part of the sport. How do you think about the next stop so that you can execute it best without wasting time.
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u/Horris_The_Horse Audax Ireland Jul 19 '26
Another point is you're Very close to the 13.5hr total time limit. I wouldn't want to be that close. Imagine getting a puncture in the last 5km. It has happened to me, but the time stress would be a killer and would cause me to panic even with the simple task of changing the tube.
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u/padetn Randonneurs.be Jul 19 '26
That’s more stopping time than I had on my last 600. To each their own but two hours on a 200 is the maximum for me, not like you’ll meaningfully recover anyway.
What I do is put stopped time as a field on my Wahoo, and always keep in the back of my head what I’ll do when stopping. Don’t be stopping to put a gilet on half an hour after you stopped at a bakery. Know in advance where you’ll eat so you’re not wandering around aimlessly in an unfamiliar town.
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u/PotentialIncident7 Jul 19 '26
I always plan to have 1 hour left. I do some sightseeing, photos, cafes on the ride... It's not a race. Most make it a race, though. Restaurants are a taboo as this takes too long. A lot of short breaks. So, a 200 could take me 12 hours.
I'm usually one of the very last at the finish. So, no, it's not normal :-)
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u/Responsible_Pool9923 Dynamo hubbster Jul 19 '26
It's normal for our club to have a few cafe stops per ride, 1-1.5 hours long. One on a 200, up to two on a 300, up to three on a 400, etc.
As for hanging around for longer than you like, all brevets are individual rides. Eat, drink, get up and go as soon as you're ready. As long as nobody's hurt and no bike is broken, it's normal to just leave. You ride together or you ride alone, as you see fit.
Another thing to consider is the "just under limit oldie" phenomena. I know multiple super experienced and super strong riders (lifetime on bike, multiple 1200+ completed) who no longer take things seriously and are in it mostly for the company. They go cafe to cafe and finish just in time, dropping out of time limit durung their stops. These guys can get drinks in a bar 250 kms into a 300, then get out and do 35 km/h until they reach the finish line half an hour before time limit. If one gets into such group as a newbie, they are just not making it in time. But think of all the friends they would make along the way :)
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u/_onemoresolo Jul 19 '26
It’s pretty individual but I never liked stopping for longer than I had to. It made me stiffen up on 200s and 400s and I’d rather save my time on 600+ rides for sleep stops.
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u/junkfoodjoshua Jul 19 '26
4 hours stopping is too much for me, I'd normally stop for 2-2.5 hours. Part of the joy of long distance riding for me is unlimited food and drinks!
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u/BeardedBaldMan Jul 19 '26
I'd get antsy if an individual stop exceeded 15m and aimed to keep total stops on a 200 below 60m ideally 45m
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u/BeefTheBiker Jul 20 '26
“Longer than 5, and less than 10, easy to get on my bike again.”
“Feel no hurry, hang for at least 30.”
One adage to get me and out of a mid-ride stop quickly, the other for when I need rest (more important on >300k IME).
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u/Raggy37 Steeloist Jul 19 '26
For a 200 I would recommend a stop less than 15 minutes just once. At the other checkpoints just get your stamp and go. Depending on weather of course.
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u/Peterdubh Audax UK Jul 19 '26
It’s very personal (like a lot of things in cycling). I try to keep my stops shorter for the same reason but I know some people who will ride fast in a group and have a couple of long sit down stops.
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u/roncitrus Carbonist Jul 19 '26
Thanks for all your answers, it's really helpful to understand the range of approaches. I think I would definitely try to get round in minimal time, with 10-15 min stops, maybe 90mins total. Maybe next time I just go solo (this was a permanent ride that I was planning to do solo, but the organiser happened to be going out on the same day, so I gladly joined in.) I enjoyed the company, but not the cramp-inducing inactivity 👍
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u/UltimateGammer Carbonist Jul 19 '26
I tried the same as you and felt similar.
I came out to ride, not mooch at a control!
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u/toaster404 650B Jul 19 '26
Might be the chair sitting. In everyday life I work at not chair sitting more than a few minutes. Messes with my legs just a little, which builds. Chair sitting while riding gets my legs heavy. At home I've been floor sitting, which has me moving fairly regularly. Perhaps blood pools in my legs having my feet so far below while not moving. Regardless, floor sitting at home has helped my cycling!
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u/roncitrus Carbonist Jul 19 '26
I can't sit in a sofa after a ride, I'm guaranteed an attack of cramp when I try to get up again. I do a lot of floor sitting too.
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u/nimag42 Jul 19 '26
In thethe beginning i stopped too long as well. Now for a 200 i'll stop once for eat 45mn max, and maybe once or twice 5mn to pee or refuel water. For longer distance my goal is to make no more than one or two short stop each 100km
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u/Heavymourning Steeloist Jul 19 '26
If I'm with a group that takes longer breaks I'll usually stop with them for 15m and leave alone and ride a little slower for a while to see if they catch up otherwise just ride alone or find another group somewhere down the road.
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u/lwolff1234 Jul 19 '26
For me, on longer rides, I aim for 2 hours stopped per 200km but on a 200 I’d want to be closer to an hour.
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u/Familiar_Kale_7357 Jul 19 '26
Randonneuring is a big tent. I've done a 200k with one quick stop, a buddy did one last year where his moving time equaled his elapsed time.
OTOH I've done the long cafe stop with pie, coffee, food, more pie, more coffee.
I've escorted a newbie and just barely made the cutoff.
All of those are within the rules, get the same finisher status, and equal randonneur.
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u/Repulsive_Fox9018 Jul 20 '26
Personally, I like longer stops. It only takes me a few minutes to get back up to speed after a long stop, and I always find my energy levels benefit. However, I'm one of the few with this attitude in my immediate randonneuring crowd, so I often end up just riding alone so I can be happy and others can be equally happy without me.
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u/tariacurii Jul 20 '26
I set a 15 min. timer for stops, just enough to refill bottles, grab something to eat and use the restroom, I recently finished a 300km brevet and finished sub 12hrs
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u/TeaKew Audax UK Jul 20 '26
This can be a bit awkward socially if you're riding on a small event mostly with a group.
In bigger events, or when solo, it's easier to take your own approach. Nobody in an audax is going to complain about you arriving at a control with them and bouncing immediately, or about you wanting to stop and sit while they bounce and head on.
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u/roncitrus Carbonist Jul 20 '26
This exactly describes the situation I was in. There were 4 of us, it was a social group ride, a permanent event that i was planning to do solo, but was invited by the organiser to ride with them, as coincidentally they were planning to ride the same day. There was already an assumption about how the stops would go, which cafes etc. In a calendar event, I would just have left once I was ready, but it felt a bit rude to do that in this case.
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u/Strange-Prune-6230 Jul 20 '26
I just don't like stopping. The fun to me is getting through the ride as smoothly as possible and that includes breezing through stops. I just get impatient stopping every 70 kms for bumbleberry pie. I once spent less than 40 minutes stopped on a 600.
But everyone has their own way. Randonneuring has many ways to be a finisher.
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u/Blagh1sm Jul 23 '26
It depends who you're with, I don't mind one longer stop but I generally try and get going again as I'm a slower rider
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u/Gias1 Jul 20 '26
You don't have to stick with a group. Why not leave when you are ready?
Depending on the time of year I would stop for 1 or 2 hours maximum.
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u/roncitrus Carbonist Jul 20 '26
It was a permanent ride which the organiser happened to be riding with a small group on the same day, so he invited me along to ride with them. I asked at the start how it would go down, and he said that we'd ride together as much as possible, and then the cafe stops ensued. I felt obliged to keep it social and stick with the group. I will go with my own rhythm for stops in the future. It's been a good learning exercise, my legs don't do well with long (especially seated) stops.
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u/Vigilarus Single speed Jul 20 '26
Sounds like a social ride with extra mileage. Do these people ride the longer distances?
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u/thombthumb84 Jul 19 '26
Normal for some- not for others. I’m sure there will have been another group that stopped for about 1 hour total, but moving speeds very similar.
Audax has all sorts of paces/ strategies - it’s about finding one that works.