Planning a very long ride - 8 hrs - Page 10 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

06-11-2004, 06:39 PM

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:45:34 -0400, Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

>On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:22:38 -0400, David Kerber <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
>wrote:
>
>>In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
>>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] says...
>>>
>>> I'm toying with the idea of doing a long ride this fall, after a summer of
>>> 400 mile/months, and I'm interested in some ideas as to pacing. Here's
>>> something I've been thinking about:
>>
>>How long is "long" (mile-wise, that is)?
>
>I'm not too worried about the mileage, although I would hope that after 8
>hours of well-spaced riding that it would be around 100 miles.
>
>>> Ride for three hours, then 30 min rest (and take a shower?), eat, then ride
>>> for 2 hours, repeat rest, then ride for an hour, repeat rest, then ride
>>> final 2 hours. Does that seem like a good scheme? 3-2-1-2?
>>>
>>> People who do touring and stuff ride about 8 hours a day for like 2 weeks.
>>> 'Course they're sightseeing so it's more fun. It would probably require a
>>> "support crew" to bring food and change of clothes and stuff. If you were
>>> gonna do it how would you break it up?
>>
>>I'd probably put the first rest stop well before the 3 hour point, and
>>space them more evenly. Maybe 1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5, or 2-2-2-2. Also,
>>30 minutes might be too long of a break; it might give your muscles too
>>long, so that you would need a long warm up again when you start back up
>>YMMV a lot on this, and will probably depend on the weather (temperature
>>particularly). More frequent, shorter breaks work well for many people,
>>such as 5 to 10 minutes every hour.
>
>Oh, I forgot to mention that. I find that a 2 min rest every 10-15 miles
>helps a lot, and I plan to incorporate that in addition to the other rest
>stops.
>
>I like the idea of the first segment being around 3-4 hours, b/c I have
>that much motivation, initially. Then knowing I'm 1/3 to 1/2 way there
>helps with the last part. But I like your plan of 2 hours and a 10 min
>break after that. As I said, I'm anticipating that the major hurdle will be
>80-90% mental. ;-)
>
>-B
>

Well, at the beginning of the day, mental can be a major hurdle. But
if you use up your glycogen stores, mental stuff gets real hard. A
brain without energy is a very unhappy brain, and things can get very
ugly.

This might be one of the major physical differences between 3 hours
and 8 hours. In 3 hours you might push the reserves down to zero, but
it's ok. In 8 hours, you have to add new reserves as the day goes
along.

Plan on eating throughout the day. Nothing worse than bonking in the
last half hour before the night's camp ground or final destination.
Those have been the worst times I have had when touring- being 5-10
miles from the night's destination, and being completely beat and
empty.

>>> I'm sure some here would say 'just ride for the 8 hours, what's the big
>>> deal', but that would be OK for those who have ridden a lot (like frequent
>>> 3-4 hour rides), but my longest ride has been 3.5 hours, and only did that
>>> once. I'm hoping to get some posts on others who have done something like
>>> this, and their experiences vs the initial expectations.
>>>

Doing one day of excessive miles is actually quite easy. It's the next
day to watch out for!

06-11-2004, 07:03 PM

>I'm not ready, in regards to what? Are you saying I could -not- do this
>ride at my current level of training by, say Oct?
>
>Bet me $500, and I'll do it tomorrow, big guy! ;->
>

Why do you enter a newsgroup, ask for advice from knowledgeable people, and
then argue with the advice?

Just read and absorb and make your own decision!

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
(Colorado rental condo)

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
(Family Web Page)

06-11-2004, 07:03 PM

>I'm not ready, in regards to what? Are you saying I could -not- do this
>ride at my current level of training by, say Oct?
>
>Bet me $500, and I'll do it tomorrow, big guy! ;->
>

Why do you enter a newsgroup, ask for advice from knowledgeable people, and
then argue with the advice?

Just read and absorb and make your own decision!

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
(Colorado rental condo)

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
(Family Web Page)

06-11-2004, 07:03 PM

>I'm not ready, in regards to what? Are you saying I could -not- do this
>ride at my current level of training by, say Oct?
>
>Bet me $500, and I'll do it tomorrow, big guy! ;->
>

Why do you enter a newsgroup, ask for advice from knowledgeable people, and
then argue with the advice?

Just read and absorb and make your own decision!

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
(Colorado rental condo)

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
(Family Web Page)

06-11-2004, 07:03 PM

>I'm not ready, in regards to what? Are you saying I could -not- do this
>ride at my current level of training by, say Oct?
>
>Bet me $500, and I'll do it tomorrow, big guy! ;->
>

Why do you enter a newsgroup, ask for advice from knowledgeable people, and
then argue with the advice?

Just read and absorb and make your own decision!

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
(Colorado rental condo)

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
(Family Web Page)

06-11-2004, 07:03 PM

>I'm not ready, in regards to what? Are you saying I could -not- do this
>ride at my current level of training by, say Oct?
>
>Bet me $500, and I'll do it tomorrow, big guy! ;->
>

Why do you enter a newsgroup, ask for advice from knowledgeable people, and
then argue with the advice?

Just read and absorb and make your own decision!

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
(Colorado rental condo)

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
(Family Web Page)

06-11-2004, 07:33 PM

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 18:39:08 -0700, Dan Daniel <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

>On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:45:34 -0400, Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
>wrote:

>>
>>I like the idea of the first segment being around 3-4 hours, b/c I have
>>that much motivation, initially. Then knowing I'm 1/3 to 1/2 way there
>>helps with the last part. But I like your plan of 2 hours and a 10 min
>>break after that. As I said, I'm anticipating that the major hurdle will be
>>80-90% mental. ;-)
>>
>>-B
>>
>
>Well, at the beginning of the day, mental can be a major hurdle. But
>if you use up your glycogen stores, mental stuff gets real hard. A
>brain without energy is a very unhappy brain, and things can get very
>ugly.

Yeah, I imagine, but I've never really pushed myself to see where that
point is. That's why I'm planning to do it close to home first to get an
idea. I'll certainly ride slower than normal (but not much) and will eat on
the ride.

>This might be one of the major physical differences between 3 hours
>and 8 hours. In 3 hours you might push the reserves down to zero, but
>it's ok. In 8 hours, you have to add new reserves as the day goes
>along.

Well I must have a pretty high bonk threshold, b/c I hadn't really eaten
any obvious carbs the previous week, and didn't eat on the ride itself,
when I did the 3.5 hour ride a month or so ago. (famous last words, heh...)

>Plan on eating throughout the day. Nothing worse than bonking in the
>last half hour before the night's camp ground or final destination.
>Those have been the worst times I have had when touring- being 5-10
>miles from the night's destination, and being completely beat and
>empty.

Right. I'm a fan of adventure racing, although never done it and have been
reading up on that kind of stuff. Probably go all liquid with the diet that
day, or at least 'soft', like pnut butter and bananas and soforth.

>>>> I'm sure some here would say 'just ride for the 8 hours, what's the big
>>>> deal', but that would be OK for those who have ridden a lot (like frequent
>>>> 3-4 hour rides), but my longest ride has been 3.5 hours, and only did that
>>>> once. I'm hoping to get some posts on others who have done something like
>>>> this, and their experiences vs the initial expectations.
>>>>
>
>Doing one day of excessive miles is actually quite easy. It's the next
>day to watch out for!

I believe it. Thing is I do a lot of weight training and even on rides that
I think will be excessive, I don't have any pain in the legs or anything
the next day. Only thing that might be a bother is I tend to get some
cramping either in the hands or the feet, but it passes. Guess I'll be
making sure to get the potassium and calcium supps and so forth.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply!

-Badger

06-11-2004, 07:33 PM

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 18:39:08 -0700, Dan Daniel <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

>On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:45:34 -0400, Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
>wrote:

>>
>>I like the idea of the first segment being around 3-4 hours, b/c I have
>>that much motivation, initially. Then knowing I'm 1/3 to 1/2 way there
>>helps with the last part. But I like your plan of 2 hours and a 10 min
>>break after that. As I said, I'm anticipating that the major hurdle will be
>>80-90% mental. ;-)
>>
>>-B
>>
>
>Well, at the beginning of the day, mental can be a major hurdle. But
>if you use up your glycogen stores, mental stuff gets real hard. A
>brain without energy is a very unhappy brain, and things can get very
>ugly.

Yeah, I imagine, but I've never really pushed myself to see where that
point is. That's why I'm planning to do it close to home first to get an
idea. I'll certainly ride slower than normal (but not much) and will eat on
the ride.

>This might be one of the major physical differences between 3 hours
>and 8 hours. In 3 hours you might push the reserves down to zero, but
>it's ok. In 8 hours, you have to add new reserves as the day goes
>along.

Well I must have a pretty high bonk threshold, b/c I hadn't really eaten
any obvious carbs the previous week, and didn't eat on the ride itself,
when I did the 3.5 hour ride a month or so ago. (famous last words, heh...)

>Plan on eating throughout the day. Nothing worse than bonking in the
>last half hour before the night's camp ground or final destination.
>Those have been the worst times I have had when touring- being 5-10
>miles from the night's destination, and being completely beat and
>empty.

Right. I'm a fan of adventure racing, although never done it and have been
reading up on that kind of stuff. Probably go all liquid with the diet that
day, or at least 'soft', like pnut butter and bananas and soforth.

>>>> I'm sure some here would say 'just ride for the 8 hours, what's the big
>>>> deal', but that would be OK for those who have ridden a lot (like frequent
>>>> 3-4 hour rides), but my longest ride has been 3.5 hours, and only did that
>>>> once. I'm hoping to get some posts on others who have done something like
>>>> this, and their experiences vs the initial expectations.
>>>>
>
>Doing one day of excessive miles is actually quite easy. It's the next
>day to watch out for!

I believe it. Thing is I do a lot of weight training and even on rides that
I think will be excessive, I don't have any pain in the legs or anything
the next day. Only thing that might be a bother is I tend to get some
cramping either in the hands or the feet, but it passes. Guess I'll be
making sure to get the potassium and calcium supps and so forth.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply!

-Badger

06-11-2004, 07:33 PM

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 18:39:08 -0700, Dan Daniel <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

>On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:45:34 -0400, Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
>wrote:

>>
>>I like the idea of the first segment being around 3-4 hours, b/c I have
>>that much motivation, initially. Then knowing I'm 1/3 to 1/2 way there
>>helps with the last part. But I like your plan of 2 hours and a 10 min
>>break after that. As I said, I'm anticipating that the major hurdle will be
>>80-90% mental. ;-)
>>
>>-B
>>
>
>Well, at the beginning of the day, mental can be a major hurdle. But
>if you use up your glycogen stores, mental stuff gets real hard. A
>brain without energy is a very unhappy brain, and things can get very
>ugly.

Yeah, I imagine, but I've never really pushed myself to see where that
point is. That's why I'm planning to do it close to home first to get an
idea. I'll certainly ride slower than normal (but not much) and will eat on
the ride.

>This might be one of the major physical differences between 3 hours
>and 8 hours. In 3 hours you might push the reserves down to zero, but
>it's ok. In 8 hours, you have to add new reserves as the day goes
>along.

Well I must have a pretty high bonk threshold, b/c I hadn't really eaten
any obvious carbs the previous week, and didn't eat on the ride itself,
when I did the 3.5 hour ride a month or so ago. (famous last words, heh...)

>Plan on eating throughout the day. Nothing worse than bonking in the
>last half hour before the night's camp ground or final destination.
>Those have been the worst times I have had when touring- being 5-10
>miles from the night's destination, and being completely beat and
>empty.

Right. I'm a fan of adventure racing, although never done it and have been
reading up on that kind of stuff. Probably go all liquid with the diet that
day, or at least 'soft', like pnut butter and bananas and soforth.

>>>> I'm sure some here would say 'just ride for the 8 hours, what's the big
>>>> deal', but that would be OK for those who have ridden a lot (like frequent
>>>> 3-4 hour rides), but my longest ride has been 3.5 hours, and only did that
>>>> once. I'm hoping to get some posts on others who have done something like
>>>> this, and their experiences vs the initial expectations.
>>>>
>
>Doing one day of excessive miles is actually quite easy. It's the next
>day to watch out for!

I believe it. Thing is I do a lot of weight training and even on rides that
I think will be excessive, I don't have any pain in the legs or anything
the next day. Only thing that might be a bother is I tend to get some
cramping either in the hands or the feet, but it passes. Guess I'll be
making sure to get the potassium and calcium supps and so forth.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply!

-Badger

06-11-2004, 07:33 PM

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 18:39:08 -0700, Dan Daniel <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

>On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:45:34 -0400, Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
>wrote:

>>
>>I like the idea of the first segment being around 3-4 hours, b/c I have
>>that much motivation, initially. Then knowing I'm 1/3 to 1/2 way there
>>helps with the last part. But I like your plan of 2 hours and a 10 min
>>break after that. As I said, I'm anticipating that the major hurdle will be
>>80-90% mental. ;-)
>>
>>-B
>>
>
>Well, at the beginning of the day, mental can be a major hurdle. But
>if you use up your glycogen stores, mental stuff gets real hard. A
>brain without energy is a very unhappy brain, and things can get very
>ugly.

Yeah, I imagine, but I've never really pushed myself to see where that
point is. That's why I'm planning to do it close to home first to get an
idea. I'll certainly ride slower than normal (but not much) and will eat on
the ride.

>This might be one of the major physical differences between 3 hours
>and 8 hours. In 3 hours you might push the reserves down to zero, but
>it's ok. In 8 hours, you have to add new reserves as the day goes
>along.

Well I must have a pretty high bonk threshold, b/c I hadn't really eaten
any obvious carbs the previous week, and didn't eat on the ride itself,
when I did the 3.5 hour ride a month or so ago. (famous last words, heh...)

>Plan on eating throughout the day. Nothing worse than bonking in the
>last half hour before the night's camp ground or final destination.
>Those have been the worst times I have had when touring- being 5-10
>miles from the night's destination, and being completely beat and
>empty.

Right. I'm a fan of adventure racing, although never done it and have been
reading up on that kind of stuff. Probably go all liquid with the diet that
day, or at least 'soft', like pnut butter and bananas and soforth.

>>>> I'm sure some here would say 'just ride for the 8 hours, what's the big
>>>> deal', but that would be OK for those who have ridden a lot (like frequent
>>>> 3-4 hour rides), but my longest ride has been 3.5 hours, and only did that
>>>> once. I'm hoping to get some posts on others who have done something like
>>>> this, and their experiences vs the initial expectations.
>>>>
>
>Doing one day of excessive miles is actually quite easy. It's the next
>day to watch out for!

I believe it. Thing is I do a lot of weight training and even on rides that
I think will be excessive, I don't have any pain in the legs or anything
the next day. Only thing that might be a bother is I tend to get some
cramping either in the hands or the feet, but it passes. Guess I'll be
making sure to get the potassium and calcium supps and so forth.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply!

-Badger