Planning a very long ride - 8 hrs - Page 12 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

06-11-2004, 07:41 PM

On 12 Jun 2004 02:03:39 GMT, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Denver C. Fox) wrote:

>>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!

Not I did -not- ask for advice. I asked for those who had done something
like that and to recount their experiences.

I'm -absolutely- sure I could do this tomorrow with no more prep then the
last 5 months training of two and three-a-day rides, and having ridden
every day since last August. Especially since I recently did a half-century
on a 45lb beater bike and felt completely fine. We're not talking the
Ironman here, ya know.

I'm not arguing with the advice either, I'm just asking for clarification.

-B

>
>
>[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, 09:52 PM

Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> I've read stories (admittedly of younger riders) only training for a year
> to do some touring and then actually get in shape during the tour. Of
> course they were riding with a group and stuff.

fwiw, i did a 3 month solo tour of 85 miles/day on a 2.5 year base of mostly
commuting (before that i'd taken a few years off cycling) ~ 25-34 miles/day
3 to 5 days/week 8 months of the year. about a month before i left i did
two longer rides (62 and 75 miles) and felt okay afterwards (the first one
taught me to hydrate, btw .. i got minor flu like symptoms) so i hit the
road. the first week felt good and it only got better from there.

if you're ready it's my belief you know it. the leap from 30 to 85 or even
100 isn't the hard part. the hard part is from 0 or 10 to 30 *DAILY*. my
routine was pretty consistent .. up at the crack of 10am (i'm a night person),
eat a big breakfast, ride 40 miles or so, eat a big lunch and ride another 30
or so, eat an afternoon snack and ride the remainder, then eat a big dinner.
eat, eat, eat and i still lost 15 pounds.

as long as you're riding 30 or so miles daily the hump is probably much more
mental than physical.
--
david reuteler
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

06-11-2004, 09:52 PM

Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> I've read stories (admittedly of younger riders) only training for a year
> to do some touring and then actually get in shape during the tour. Of
> course they were riding with a group and stuff.

fwiw, i did a 3 month solo tour of 85 miles/day on a 2.5 year base of mostly
commuting (before that i'd taken a few years off cycling) ~ 25-34 miles/day
3 to 5 days/week 8 months of the year. about a month before i left i did
two longer rides (62 and 75 miles) and felt okay afterwards (the first one
taught me to hydrate, btw .. i got minor flu like symptoms) so i hit the
road. the first week felt good and it only got better from there.

if you're ready it's my belief you know it. the leap from 30 to 85 or even
100 isn't the hard part. the hard part is from 0 or 10 to 30 *DAILY*. my
routine was pretty consistent .. up at the crack of 10am (i'm a night person),
eat a big breakfast, ride 40 miles or so, eat a big lunch and ride another 30
or so, eat an afternoon snack and ride the remainder, then eat a big dinner.
eat, eat, eat and i still lost 15 pounds.

as long as you're riding 30 or so miles daily the hump is probably much more
mental than physical.
--
david reuteler
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

06-11-2004, 09:52 PM

Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> I've read stories (admittedly of younger riders) only training for a year
> to do some touring and then actually get in shape during the tour. Of
> course they were riding with a group and stuff.

fwiw, i did a 3 month solo tour of 85 miles/day on a 2.5 year base of mostly
commuting (before that i'd taken a few years off cycling) ~ 25-34 miles/day
3 to 5 days/week 8 months of the year. about a month before i left i did
two longer rides (62 and 75 miles) and felt okay afterwards (the first one
taught me to hydrate, btw .. i got minor flu like symptoms) so i hit the
road. the first week felt good and it only got better from there.

if you're ready it's my belief you know it. the leap from 30 to 85 or even
100 isn't the hard part. the hard part is from 0 or 10 to 30 *DAILY*. my
routine was pretty consistent .. up at the crack of 10am (i'm a night person),
eat a big breakfast, ride 40 miles or so, eat a big lunch and ride another 30
or so, eat an afternoon snack and ride the remainder, then eat a big dinner.
eat, eat, eat and i still lost 15 pounds.

as long as you're riding 30 or so miles daily the hump is probably much more
mental than physical.
--
david reuteler
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

06-11-2004, 09:52 PM

Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> I've read stories (admittedly of younger riders) only training for a year
> to do some touring and then actually get in shape during the tour. Of
> course they were riding with a group and stuff.

fwiw, i did a 3 month solo tour of 85 miles/day on a 2.5 year base of mostly
commuting (before that i'd taken a few years off cycling) ~ 25-34 miles/day
3 to 5 days/week 8 months of the year. about a month before i left i did
two longer rides (62 and 75 miles) and felt okay afterwards (the first one
taught me to hydrate, btw .. i got minor flu like symptoms) so i hit the
road. the first week felt good and it only got better from there.

if you're ready it's my belief you know it. the leap from 30 to 85 or even
100 isn't the hard part. the hard part is from 0 or 10 to 30 *DAILY*. my
routine was pretty consistent .. up at the crack of 10am (i'm a night person),
eat a big breakfast, ride 40 miles or so, eat a big lunch and ride another 30
or so, eat an afternoon snack and ride the remainder, then eat a big dinner.
eat, eat, eat and i still lost 15 pounds.

as long as you're riding 30 or so miles daily the hump is probably much more
mental than physical.
--
david reuteler
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

06-11-2004, 09:52 PM

Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> I've read stories (admittedly of younger riders) only training for a year
> to do some touring and then actually get in shape during the tour. Of
> course they were riding with a group and stuff.

fwiw, i did a 3 month solo tour of 85 miles/day on a 2.5 year base of mostly
commuting (before that i'd taken a few years off cycling) ~ 25-34 miles/day
3 to 5 days/week 8 months of the year. about a month before i left i did
two longer rides (62 and 75 miles) and felt okay afterwards (the first one
taught me to hydrate, btw .. i got minor flu like symptoms) so i hit the
road. the first week felt good and it only got better from there.

if you're ready it's my belief you know it. the leap from 30 to 85 or even
100 isn't the hard part. the hard part is from 0 or 10 to 30 *DAILY*. my
routine was pretty consistent .. up at the crack of 10am (i'm a night person),
eat a big breakfast, ride 40 miles or so, eat a big lunch and ride another 30
or so, eat an afternoon snack and ride the remainder, then eat a big dinner.
eat, eat, eat and i still lost 15 pounds.

as long as you're riding 30 or so miles daily the hump is probably much more
mental than physical.
--
david reuteler
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

06-11-2004, 11:43 PM

Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>. ..
> 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
>

When I do a century, I mentally break it down into four 25 mile
segments, and I don't think beyond the current segment. 25 miles goes
by fairly quickly, and I find that it doesn't seem too long before I'm
finishing the third segment, and have only 25 miles left to go. If
boredom is a problem for you on long rides, see if you can find a
friend who rides at a similar pace (a club is a good source for riding
friends) who can ride at least part of the way. Also, if you can
select a visually interesting route that you aren't really familiar
with, it might make it more interesting. Should be lots of visual
stimulation in Virginia Beach, though! :-) Also see if you can select
your route so that there are minimal stops and starts, such as traffic
lights, cross streets, etc. The constant stopping and restarting can
really wear you down after a while.

The important thing is to condition your legs to spin for many hours
at a time, and short rides of less than 15 miles or so aren't really
going to help very much. If you can do a couple rides a week in the 30
to 40 mile range, it will help a lot, along with at least one day a
week off the bike for recovery. Your muscles get stronger on the days
that you rest, not the days that you ride.

Have fun!

Jonathan Quist

06-11-2004, 11:43 PM

Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>. ..
> 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
>

When I do a century, I mentally break it down into four 25 mile
segments, and I don't think beyond the current segment. 25 miles goes
by fairly quickly, and I find that it doesn't seem too long before I'm
finishing the third segment, and have only 25 miles left to go. If
boredom is a problem for you on long rides, see if you can find a
friend who rides at a similar pace (a club is a good source for riding
friends) who can ride at least part of the way. Also, if you can
select a visually interesting route that you aren't really familiar
with, it might make it more interesting. Should be lots of visual
stimulation in Virginia Beach, though! :-) Also see if you can select
your route so that there are minimal stops and starts, such as traffic
lights, cross streets, etc. The constant stopping and restarting can
really wear you down after a while.

The important thing is to condition your legs to spin for many hours
at a time, and short rides of less than 15 miles or so aren't really
going to help very much. If you can do a couple rides a week in the 30
to 40 mile range, it will help a lot, along with at least one day a
week off the bike for recovery. Your muscles get stronger on the days
that you rest, not the days that you ride.

Have fun!

Jonathan Quist

06-11-2004, 11:43 PM

Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>. ..
> 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
>

When I do a century, I mentally break it down into four 25 mile
segments, and I don't think beyond the current segment. 25 miles goes
by fairly quickly, and I find that it doesn't seem too long before I'm
finishing the third segment, and have only 25 miles left to go. If
boredom is a problem for you on long rides, see if you can find a
friend who rides at a similar pace (a club is a good source for riding
friends) who can ride at least part of the way. Also, if you can
select a visually interesting route that you aren't really familiar
with, it might make it more interesting. Should be lots of visual
stimulation in Virginia Beach, though! :-) Also see if you can select
your route so that there are minimal stops and starts, such as traffic
lights, cross streets, etc. The constant stopping and restarting can
really wear you down after a while.

The important thing is to condition your legs to spin for many hours
at a time, and short rides of less than 15 miles or so aren't really
going to help very much. If you can do a couple rides a week in the 30
to 40 mile range, it will help a lot, along with at least one day a
week off the bike for recovery. Your muscles get stronger on the days
that you rest, not the days that you ride.

Have fun!

Jonathan Quist

06-11-2004, 11:43 PM

Badger_South <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>. ..
> 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
>

When I do a century, I mentally break it down into four 25 mile
segments, and I don't think beyond the current segment. 25 miles goes
by fairly quickly, and I find that it doesn't seem too long before I'm
finishing the third segment, and have only 25 miles left to go. If
boredom is a problem for you on long rides, see if you can find a
friend who rides at a similar pace (a club is a good source for riding
friends) who can ride at least part of the way. Also, if you can
select a visually interesting route that you aren't really familiar
with, it might make it more interesting. Should be lots of visual
stimulation in Virginia Beach, though! :-) Also see if you can select
your route so that there are minimal stops and starts, such as traffic
lights, cross streets, etc. The constant stopping and restarting can
really wear you down after a while.

The important thing is to condition your legs to spin for many hours
at a time, and short rides of less than 15 miles or so aren't really
going to help very much. If you can do a couple rides a week in the 30
to 40 mile range, it will help a lot, along with at least one day a
week off the bike for recovery. Your muscles get stronger on the days
that you rest, not the days that you ride.

Have fun!

Jonathan Quist