Planning a very long ride - 8 hrs - Page 13 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

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

06-12-2004, 04:11 AM

On 12 Jun 2004 04:52:19 GMT, David Reuteler <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>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.

Thanks for relating your experience. If you don't mind my asking, where did
you tour? Road condition - flat, gentle rolling, etc.?

As to the mental vs physical, yeah I think that's the main issue.

My brother, 155lbs, and 5'6" has only been riding (and somewhat
sporadically at that) since March on a MTB rode 31 miles with me earlier
this month in Va beach. That's on a base of about 60 total rides since he
started. He's a bit of a 'fussy' person, complaining about leg pain and
stuff, but not so much recently, and he had zero complaints after the ride.
In fact it wasn't even a big deal to him.

If I had to pick a physical 'barrier', I'd say excess body weight and maybe
getting your system tuned so you get over the 'cramping' that can occue.
That's the main reasons I'm targetting it for Oct-ish. I plan to be about
20lbs lighter by then. I'm already feeling the 'big engine/small(er) body'
thing happening since losing the 40lbs since end of Feb. this year!

But who knows, since I'm heading back to the beach on July 17th, mebbe
we'll get psyched watching the TDF and gopher it!? ;-p

-Badger

06-12-2004, 04:11 AM

On 12 Jun 2004 04:52:19 GMT, David Reuteler <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>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.

Thanks for relating your experience. If you don't mind my asking, where did
you tour? Road condition - flat, gentle rolling, etc.?

As to the mental vs physical, yeah I think that's the main issue.

My brother, 155lbs, and 5'6" has only been riding (and somewhat
sporadically at that) since March on a MTB rode 31 miles with me earlier
this month in Va beach. That's on a base of about 60 total rides since he
started. He's a bit of a 'fussy' person, complaining about leg pain and
stuff, but not so much recently, and he had zero complaints after the ride.
In fact it wasn't even a big deal to him.

If I had to pick a physical 'barrier', I'd say excess body weight and maybe
getting your system tuned so you get over the 'cramping' that can occue.
That's the main reasons I'm targetting it for Oct-ish. I plan to be about
20lbs lighter by then. I'm already feeling the 'big engine/small(er) body'
thing happening since losing the 40lbs since end of Feb. this year!

But who knows, since I'm heading back to the beach on July 17th, mebbe
we'll get psyched watching the TDF and gopher it!? ;-p

-Badger

06-12-2004, 04:11 AM

On 12 Jun 2004 04:52:19 GMT, David Reuteler <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>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.

Thanks for relating your experience. If you don't mind my asking, where did
you tour? Road condition - flat, gentle rolling, etc.?

As to the mental vs physical, yeah I think that's the main issue.

My brother, 155lbs, and 5'6" has only been riding (and somewhat
sporadically at that) since March on a MTB rode 31 miles with me earlier
this month in Va beach. That's on a base of about 60 total rides since he
started. He's a bit of a 'fussy' person, complaining about leg pain and
stuff, but not so much recently, and he had zero complaints after the ride.
In fact it wasn't even a big deal to him.

If I had to pick a physical 'barrier', I'd say excess body weight and maybe
getting your system tuned so you get over the 'cramping' that can occue.
That's the main reasons I'm targetting it for Oct-ish. I plan to be about
20lbs lighter by then. I'm already feeling the 'big engine/small(er) body'
thing happening since losing the 40lbs since end of Feb. this year!

But who knows, since I'm heading back to the beach on July 17th, mebbe
we'll get psyched watching the TDF and gopher it!? ;-p

-Badger

06-12-2004, 04:11 AM

On 12 Jun 2004 04:52:19 GMT, David Reuteler <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>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.

Thanks for relating your experience. If you don't mind my asking, where did
you tour? Road condition - flat, gentle rolling, etc.?

As to the mental vs physical, yeah I think that's the main issue.

My brother, 155lbs, and 5'6" has only been riding (and somewhat
sporadically at that) since March on a MTB rode 31 miles with me earlier
this month in Va beach. That's on a base of about 60 total rides since he
started. He's a bit of a 'fussy' person, complaining about leg pain and
stuff, but not so much recently, and he had zero complaints after the ride.
In fact it wasn't even a big deal to him.

If I had to pick a physical 'barrier', I'd say excess body weight and maybe
getting your system tuned so you get over the 'cramping' that can occue.
That's the main reasons I'm targetting it for Oct-ish. I plan to be about
20lbs lighter by then. I'm already feeling the 'big engine/small(er) body'
thing happening since losing the 40lbs since end of Feb. this year!

But who knows, since I'm heading back to the beach on July 17th, mebbe
we'll get psyched watching the TDF and gopher it!? ;-p

-Badger

06-12-2004, 04:11 AM

On 12 Jun 2004 04:52:19 GMT, David Reuteler <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>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.

Thanks for relating your experience. If you don't mind my asking, where did
you tour? Road condition - flat, gentle rolling, etc.?

As to the mental vs physical, yeah I think that's the main issue.

My brother, 155lbs, and 5'6" has only been riding (and somewhat
sporadically at that) since March on a MTB rode 31 miles with me earlier
this month in Va beach. That's on a base of about 60 total rides since he
started. He's a bit of a 'fussy' person, complaining about leg pain and
stuff, but not so much recently, and he had zero complaints after the ride.
In fact it wasn't even a big deal to him.

If I had to pick a physical 'barrier', I'd say excess body weight and maybe
getting your system tuned so you get over the 'cramping' that can occue.
That's the main reasons I'm targetting it for Oct-ish. I plan to be about
20lbs lighter by then. I'm already feeling the 'big engine/small(er) body'
thing happening since losing the 40lbs since end of Feb. this year!

But who knows, since I'm heading back to the beach on July 17th, mebbe
we'll get psyched watching the TDF and gopher it!? ;-p

-Badger

06-12-2004, 04:20 AM

On 11 Jun 2004 23:43:59 -0700, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Jonathan Quist) wrote:

>
>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

Hey JQ, good thoughts. Since I'm on a 'streak' I probably won't take any
days off, but I can certainly schedule an 'easy' day. I'm now doing 30
miles per day, a couple times a week, and the other days I'll do that much
total, but broken down into 15 mile segments about 4 hours apart.

I'm planning to look into group rides, and I'll see if I can find a loop in
Va beach that has less stopping and starting. For those that might be
interested, I got the '135 miles of bike trails' off of a map that is
available in the ranger station at Seashore Natn'l Park. THey have one on
the wall, and the folder is at the desk (it's blueish on the cover - note
these are not continuous miles, but broken up and coded as to type of
route.

I plan to do at least one half-century a month (July, Aug), and a metric
century in Sept. I'd like to do the metric without stopping (except to swap
out water and hit the rest-room, etc.)

Hey, cool name! Jonny Quist... ;-p

-B

06-12-2004, 04:20 AM

On 11 Jun 2004 23:43:59 -0700, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Jonathan Quist) wrote:

>
>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

Hey JQ, good thoughts. Since I'm on a 'streak' I probably won't take any
days off, but I can certainly schedule an 'easy' day. I'm now doing 30
miles per day, a couple times a week, and the other days I'll do that much
total, but broken down into 15 mile segments about 4 hours apart.

I'm planning to look into group rides, and I'll see if I can find a loop in
Va beach that has less stopping and starting. For those that might be
interested, I got the '135 miles of bike trails' off of a map that is
available in the ranger station at Seashore Natn'l Park. THey have one on
the wall, and the folder is at the desk (it's blueish on the cover - note
these are not continuous miles, but broken up and coded as to type of
route.

I plan to do at least one half-century a month (July, Aug), and a metric
century in Sept. I'd like to do the metric without stopping (except to swap
out water and hit the rest-room, etc.)

Hey, cool name! Jonny Quist... ;-p

-B

06-12-2004, 04:20 AM

On 11 Jun 2004 23:43:59 -0700, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Jonathan Quist) wrote:

>
>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

Hey JQ, good thoughts. Since I'm on a 'streak' I probably won't take any
days off, but I can certainly schedule an 'easy' day. I'm now doing 30
miles per day, a couple times a week, and the other days I'll do that much
total, but broken down into 15 mile segments about 4 hours apart.

I'm planning to look into group rides, and I'll see if I can find a loop in
Va beach that has less stopping and starting. For those that might be
interested, I got the '135 miles of bike trails' off of a map that is
available in the ranger station at Seashore Natn'l Park. THey have one on
the wall, and the folder is at the desk (it's blueish on the cover - note
these are not continuous miles, but broken up and coded as to type of
route.

I plan to do at least one half-century a month (July, Aug), and a metric
century in Sept. I'd like to do the metric without stopping (except to swap
out water and hit the rest-room, etc.)

Hey, cool name! Jonny Quist... ;-p

-B

06-12-2004, 04:20 AM

On 11 Jun 2004 23:43:59 -0700, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Jonathan Quist) wrote:

>
>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

Hey JQ, good thoughts. Since I'm on a 'streak' I probably won't take any
days off, but I can certainly schedule an 'easy' day. I'm now doing 30
miles per day, a couple times a week, and the other days I'll do that much
total, but broken down into 15 mile segments about 4 hours apart.

I'm planning to look into group rides, and I'll see if I can find a loop in
Va beach that has less stopping and starting. For those that might be
interested, I got the '135 miles of bike trails' off of a map that is
available in the ranger station at Seashore Natn'l Park. THey have one on
the wall, and the folder is at the desk (it's blueish on the cover - note
these are not continuous miles, but broken up and coded as to type of
route.

I plan to do at least one half-century a month (July, Aug), and a metric
century in Sept. I'd like to do the metric without stopping (except to swap
out water and hit the rest-room, etc.)

Hey, cool name! Jonny Quist... ;-p

-B