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Sunny spring days are an inspiration to get outside and stretch the legs.

Some might do that by hopping on a bike; and a handful might stay on their bike and pedal it 120 some miles, just to see if they can.

At least a handful did last weekend, anyway.

Eight people showed up for the first North Kenai Peninsula 200 Kilometer Brevet bike race Saturday.

A brevet, also sometimes called a randonne, is a long distance race that strays away from the common imagery of professional competitions.

Distance wise, brevets begin where the elite road races end.

For comparison, the longest stage of the 2009 Tour de France will only top this weekend's ride by about 15 miles. And a 200km race is the shortest ride that constitutes a brevet. Some go more than 800 miles.

Racers don't typically compete in a large pack, or peloton, but often ride solo. They're competing against themselves and trying to finish the race within a set time limit.

For a 200km race, that limit is 13.5 hours.

Throughout the race, riders go through check points where they have a "brevet card" signed to show they've completed the course as specified.

The checkpoints are set up so riders can't make short cuts.

The North Kenai course started in the Safeway parking lot in Kenai, headed north on the Kenai Spur Highway to South Miller Loop, hung another right on Holt-Lamplight, rejoining the Spur and continuing north to Captain Cook State Recreation Area. Riders than turned around and headed back to Kenai on the Spur, hanging a right on Bridge Access to Kalifornsky Beach and following the road south to Kasilof, where they swung a 180-degree turn back north on the Sterling Highway to Soldotna.

After coming down the hill from Skyview High School, they veered right on Funny River Road to the road's terminus, doubled back to Soldotna and crossed the intersection, taking K-Beach back to the Safeway in Kenai.

The riders were on their own and had to carry clothing and equipment to make it through the entire ride. While they're allowed to buy food and water, the distances between towns is great enough that they must have the means to make it from one place to the next.

Ruth Dickerson, of Homer, was riding in Saturday's race. She said she's dreamed of having a road bike since she was 15, but waited until she was 50 to finally get one.

Now at 53, she recalled a saying her mother had about road bikers when she was young that went something to the extent of bikers being strong in the legs but weak in the head.

Others might agree with Dickerson's mother about anyone who would go about on such an endeavor just to see if they can. Often enough, however, that really is the goal of most the riders.

Jamie Nelson, of Kenai, for example, only logged 97 miles of training in preparation for Saturday's race, but said, "You know, I just want to finish."

Nelson actually has competed in several long-distance races and rides in Alaska and Outside. Not only does he enjoy the super long rides, but he prefers to ride alone and not "draft," or follow in the lee of another rider.

"It's just amazing the difference between nondrafting and drafting," he said.

He explained that by following closely behind at least one other cyclist, a rider could cut down on their energy expenditures. While Nelson said he sees the appeal to working with other riders to conquer a long course, he also likes to test himself.

"It's kind of seductive to your inner strengths to see if you're actually capable of doing it," he said.

This type of riding definitely appeals to the individual athlete, he explained. Then there's the appeal of being out on the open road.

"After you get over 100 miles, you just sort of forget about everything else in your life."

Nelson cut his teeth by doing long rides in the Midwest.

The long straight roads sent riders headlong into the wind for hours on end.

Instead of thinking about the fact he might have 80 miles to go at the equivalent of a crawl, he'd focus on the short term, breaking up the mileage. He doesn't declare war on the entire ride, but breaks it up into battles he knows he can win.

He talked about his experience the first time he rode the Fireweed 200, a 200-mile race that goes from Sheep Mountain Lodge to Valdez.

"That's something that surprised me the first year I did it, because you'd see a big mountain or a hill, and you'd think, OK I can do that, I can see the top, it's not a big deal. Then it's done, and the next mountain comes up and it's the same thing.

The next day, seeing all the hills on the drive back, I didn't even remember all of them" he said.

Nelson was using Saturday's ride to help him train for this year's Fireweed 200.

While mental strength is important, so is raw energy.

Joe Martin, of Homer, said there's a few ways to make sure the fuel tank doesn't hit the "E" mark. A cyclometer lets riders track their speed and the distance they've covered so they can gauge how hard they need to push themselves to finish within the time limits while not burning themselves out. He said others use heart rate monitors. Martin prefers to monitor himself.

"Eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty, because if you reach that point it's too late, and you're playing catch up all day," he said

Riding in Alaska, it was extra important to stay hydrated, he said.

"Today it's cold, so you're not going to feel that dehydration."

He downed water even if his body didn't demand it.

Pacing also is key, he said.

Martin said he finds the most comfortable gear for the terrain and wind and puts just enough energy into the pedals to hold his speed.

Nelson said he downs a gel or energy bar every hour and guzzles down powdered energy drinks.

He said plain water's good, but the protein and sugar added to the drink mix gives him a noticeable boost.

Like Nelson, Martin's goal was to finish. He said he copes with the unpleasantness and occasional pains of riding by reminding himself it's all temporary.

"The body will fix itself," he said.

And for all the pain and heartache, there's always the reward at the end of the day.

"I got rid of high blood pressure by riding," he said.

He's working on weight, as well.

He's also planning to do the Fireweed 200 next year.

Martin ended up riding about half the total course Saturday before two blown spokes convinced him it was time to call it a day.

Standing in the Safeway parking lot, he had no grievances and pointed out that he'd still put in a great ride on a great day.

For Nelson, one of the greatest satisfactions of riding so far for so long is knowing he can chow down on whatever he wants when the ride's over.

Often times, that's pizza.

"I love just burning as many calories as you do so you can eat whatever you want," he said.

Then there's the euphoria of completing such an endeavor. You'd think that after riding all day, the racers would pass out cold as soon as they had some food in their stomachs.

Not the case. All that exercise pumps them up with an overload of endorphins.

Nelson said after he finished his last Fireweed, he ended up lying awake until the early morning hours before his body finally came down from its high.

"For me, anything over 100 miles is real tough to come back down from," he said.

The riders weren't the only ones feeling a little euphoric as the race wrapped up this weekend. Kevin Turinsky, of Anchorage, who organized this year's Alaska brevet series, said he wanted to hold a few of the 200km races outside the Anchorage area this spring and included Homer and Kenai on the list.

"I'd love to start the season off with these two rides all the time," Turinsky said. "I think these courses are just beautiful, and the traffic is really good for the riders."

He said he thought turnout was moderate. He also noted that area drivers seemed "very accepting" of the racers.

I would have liked to have seen more Kenai riders, I'm sure they're here, they've got to be," he said.

Turinsky is hopeful, as well, that next year others will be motivated to check it out.

Dante Petri can be reached at dante.petri@peninsulaclarion.com.