When I first learned about randonneuring rides that exceeded 100 miles, it sounded crazy. Bike tour days of 50-75 miles are typical full days. The local bike club would zoom off on 60-mile rides. A long charity ride might reach 100 miles. I'd always considered a century THE big distance in cycling. Going 120, 180, or 250 miles in a day sounded, well, downright scary. Anyone knows that you need to carry a tube, a pump, a multitool, and some food in a small seat bag or in your jersey pockets if you are going out for a while, but what do you need for these sorts of rides? How do you get ready for a ride that goes from sunup to sundown? To late in the evening? To the next morning?
My first year of permanents and brevets included a lot of overpacking. Better safe than sorry, I thought! I carried food for the entire ride, assuming I would never see a store or restaurant. I packed and carried baggies of PB&J, beef jerky, and bananas around New York State, but most of them came home uneaten. I was so unconfident in a bottom-bracket rebuild that I carried all the tools and parts needed to rebuild it roadside during the Coureur de Bois. I focused on the wrong things at the wrong times, but I learned how to prepare for a long ride so I had what I needed and didn't carry too much extra.
Get the bike ready...and ride it
That story about carrying tools to rebuild the bottom bracket happened because I decided to repack the cup-and-cone bearings shortly before I left for that 1000k. After riding it around the block, I found a little more wiggle in the bearing and needed to tighten it more. I worried that the locknut would come loose in the middle of rural Quebec, so I brought everything but the kitchen sink to address my fears.
For the most part, a brevet shouldn't put you in a position where you need to do that level of repair on the road. Be ready to fix a flat, tighten any bolt, adjust anything a smidge, but you shouldn't really need to bring shop tools to make major repairs. After riding the bike for a week, I gain confidence in it and don't feel compelled to prepare for disaster. Over the years, I've settled on a bag with several repair parts and tools that are light and small enough that the space and weight penalty seems offset by the peace of mind they bring, but it doesn't include large tools.
If my fenders need to be installed, I make sure that they are as rattle-free as possible, and that I can shift through all my gears. I have found that sometimes a bolt for the rear fender protrudes through the dropout and interferes with the chain when shifted to the smallest cog. A different bolt or a spacer washer ensures I don't encounter this for the first time on a descent.
Start a checklist...and evolve it
I've made a checklist of items that I want to bring, and it's evolved over time from this list. I don't bring beef jerky or use a 3x5 card to convey my emergency contact info today. Still, I kept the idea and swapped those ideas for electrolytes and an identity bracelet.
The main thing to know is that there are just a lot of items to remember to bring, and I don't trust my brain. Curating and using a list prevents me from leaving without an important charging cable or tool and being caught with my pants down.
Look at the route...and make some notes
I've gone out with a route freshly loaded onto my GPS and just "followed the line," and I've had a few realizations about how I should have been more prepared for the ride's structure. Some routes have the climbing evenly distributed throughout the day. Some front-load the climbing, and others leave it for the end. Sometimes a quick glance at the elevation profile will make it obvious, but not always. Am I going to be cranking through endless small rollers that suck the will to live out of me for the last 30 miles? The visuals can be deceptive, and I've learned to do more investigation.
I don't carry a detailed map of the route in my map pocket, but it can be disorienting to look at that small map on my head unit, as it doesn't give me the big picture. It gives me a good picture of the miles right ahead, but it probably isn't my favorite way to see where I am in the big picture. I can, and have, pulled out my phone, but the paper map and a schedule are just part of my routine for getting ready, especially if I've never ridden the route.
I often make a cheat sheet I can reference along the ride that lists the distance along the route to controls, other towns, and food stops, along with when I plan to reach them based on a conservatively slow average speed. I don't typically account for the hills in these calculations. Still, knowing whether most of the climbing is behind me or ahead of me helps me gauge my progress. Maybe I'm a little behind on my own schedule at the halfway point, but I've done 2/3 of the climbing and the winds will be favorable. That's good to know.
Look at the forecast...and keep it in mind
Just like I like to know where the hills are on the route, I want to know when I'll hit headwinds on the ride. Ever since I heard of RandoPlan, I've used it to get a sense of where the wind and rain will be, and what temperatures I'm going to encounter, which lets me show up with the right layers and expectations for the day. Keep looking as the ride approaches.
Prepare navigation...multiple ways
Like most everyone else today, I rely primarily on my GPS to show me the route while on course. Preparation might include downloading a map set for my head unit for a ride in a region I don't typically ride in. Depending on the GPS I use, I may need to break the route into multiple segments so my GPS can manage the file size. Newer head units don't seem to have this problem.
A head unit can fail, so I keep a downloaded version of the route on my phone as a backup. I don't assume I'll have cell phone data coverage throughout the route, so I make sure I can use the phone-based navigation offline. I bring a power pack and a charging cable and test that combination to make sure the phone can stay on all day if I need it. I have definitely had a full battery and a cable from the pile that didn't work at all, so now I test it.
I also print and carry cue sheets for unfamiliar routes. If I use a bag with a sufficiently large map case, I won't protect the paper cues. However, if not, I'll clip them to my handlebar. I will probably want the sheets "laminated", usually encased in strips of clear packing tape to stiffen them a bit and to protect them a bit from weather.
Get familiar with the route...personalize the cue sheet and map
I'd say I am "ok" at using cue sheets, but it's a muscle that weakens without use and practice. Even if my GPS is working fine, I still enjoy following a cue sheet as I ride a new route. I've noticed a variety of practices in how route designers from different regions prepare their cues. Some cue sheets note every major street crossing or road name change, while others don't. Reviewing the cues and making my own notes help ensure I understand them when riding. The same thing goes for the annotations on the GPS track itself. Sites like OnRouteMap, RWGPS's highlights layer, and close reads of Google Maps have helped me spot parks, cemeteries, stores, and other helpful spots for water, a quick nap, or a snack. I add these points of interest to my maps, cue sheets, and cheat sheet. If there are large sections of the route without services, the RBA will likely call it out at the start of the ride. However, I do my own due diligence when reviewing the route.
If a supplied cuesheet looks like it has a lot of local information, I use it. But if I can, I either make my own or mark up an existing one and make it mine. By tracing the route myself, I can see when I go under a bridge or go by a landmark. Google Street View lets me see much of what I'll see on the course. It's a good way to spot a control or familiarize myself with tricky navigation sections.
Charging devices...and their cables
When riding through the night, or maybe two, I want to know I'm leaving the house with my GPS, phone, a couple sets of head and taillights, an occasional SPOT tracker or camera, and an external battery, all fully charged. If any of them need AA or AAA batteries, I make sure I have enough spares on hand and packed. If my devices require different cable types to charge, I make sure I've tested the cables and packed them.
Plan sleep...and follow it
I tend to stay up late, but I need enough rest before I set out on a long ride, especially if it goes overnight. I've noticed longer rides tend to start earlier, sometimes as early as 4am. Planning for time to get ready, drive or ride to the start, and eat means I need to finish all the other preparations early in the evening. Starting a ride knowing I have had a good night's sleep gives me extra confidence that I will finish.
Stage everything "by the door"...and make a short checklist
This sounds simple enough, but I need to remember a lot of tasks to finish a long ride. A frame pump, water bottles, my shoes, helmet, gloves, glasses, bags (all packed can be put in the car, or in a pile by the door). However, not everything will be in that pile. Undoubtedly, some devices will still be charging; I'll need to remember my wallet and my phone, etc. I make a Post-it note checklist for those last-minute items I have to remember.
Don't wait until the last minute
Preparing for a long ride like a long brevet is "part of it." I've come to enjoy the preparation as an integral component of the event. I believe it's just as important as my nutrition on the ride or my fitness level. I've been on brevets with randonneurs who've forgotten an important piece of their kit, been unnecessarily confused about the route, been caught unawares about long stretches without services, brought the wrong clothes, and shown other symptoms of not allocating sufficient time and effort into preparation. I've been one myself.
So, how long does this take me? I prepare my bike days in advance and make short trips to test. I review the route and make my annotations and cheat sheets well in advance. A couple of days before the ride, I go through my checklist and make sure I have packed everything on it. The day before, I charge devices, pump tires to the right pressure, fill containers with my favorite drink mix, stage my gear by the door, and make my "short list" of items to grab before heading to bed. When I wake up, my sleepy eyes know to follow that short list and head out confident that I've done all I can to have a successful ride.