Planning a very long ride - 8 hrs - Page 2 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

06-11-2004, 10:20 AM

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:09:19 -0400, "Roger Zoul" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

>Badger_South wrote:
>:: 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:
>::
>:: 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?
>
>Why not start doing long rides on the weekends, but increasing them by 10%
>every other week or so. You can work on speed during the week, but do your
>endurance riding on weekends.

Oh, I plan on doing more long rides, and want to have several more three
hour rides, and maybe a four hour ride. I seem to do pretty good on 3-a-day
rides of 60-90 minutes right now - no pain anywhere the next day, etc. I
think trying to slowly ramp up to 8 hours would involve just too much
boredom. (I have to get pretty psyched to do 2.5 hours, but I know I'm just
a noob, so I'll suspend that opinion a bit.)

>Personally, I don't like the "killer" riding events like you mention since
>you're on the road with cars and need to be 100% all of the time, and you
>have no base developed. Also, you don't give your butt and muscles time to
>adjust with your plan. Chances of injury seem too high to me....

Well, I'd take exception to the 'no base developed'. I'll have been riding
for a year, every single frikin' day, and many, many two-a-day and a lot of
three-a-day rides. I know it can take up to 10 years to really develop your
base, but sheesh. <g> I'm pretty sure I could go out today, given
sufficient motivation and do 4 hours on the road. (I'm not counting
distance, just time, although I would hope the total distance would add up
to around 100miles at the end.)

I find that unless I'm nearly 'ready' to do a long ride like this, I don't
start contemplating it. I did the 50 miler after kinda having the idea pop
into my head a few days prior, (at the time my longest ride was 22 miles,
and 9 months of riding) and thinking 'why not'. It was -way- easier than I
thought it would be, and it was on the 45lb beater bike. Had I been paying
attention, I'd have tacked on the extra miles later that day to equal a
metric century.

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.

>:: 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'm thinking the mental aspect would be the most difficult. Gonna
>:: try and get the family interested in it to help with that.
>::
>:: 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.
>
>Build up slowly...

That's a good idea, but I'm going on the thought that in jogging, you can
run middle-of-the pack races pretty well on a 25 mile per week base (for a
year) and the longest run 1/3 that of the total distance. For instance my
first 10 miler I did on a few months of 30miles/week, and doing a 10K race
every couple weeks. My longest jog was about 6.5 miles. I had no negative
sequelae after the race, and resumed my training post, no problem.

Thanks for the input, though, Rog. How's the new wheel holding up? ;-)

>::
>:: I plan to start the ride early in the AM, like 5-ish, or first light.
>
>That's what I do..
>
>:: o 5:30-8:30
>:: o 9:00-11:00
>:: o 12:-1
>:: o 2-4pm
>::
>:: TIA,
>::
>:: -Badger
>

06-11-2004, 10:22 AM

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)?

> 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.

> I'm thinking the mental aspect would be the most difficult. Gonna try and
> get the family interested in it to help with that.
>
> 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.
>
> I plan to start the ride early in the AM, like 5-ish, or first light.
> o 5:30-8:30
> o 9:00-11:00
> o 12:-1
> o 2-4pm
>
> TIA,
>
> -Badger
>
>
>

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

06-11-2004, 10:22 AM

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)?

> 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.

> I'm thinking the mental aspect would be the most difficult. Gonna try and
> get the family interested in it to help with that.
>
> 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.
>
> I plan to start the ride early in the AM, like 5-ish, or first light.
> o 5:30-8:30
> o 9:00-11:00
> o 12:-1
> o 2-4pm
>
> TIA,
>
> -Badger
>
>
>

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

06-11-2004, 10:22 AM

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)?

> 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.

> I'm thinking the mental aspect would be the most difficult. Gonna try and
> get the family interested in it to help with that.
>
> 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.
>
> I plan to start the ride early in the AM, like 5-ish, or first light.
> o 5:30-8:30
> o 9:00-11:00
> o 12:-1
> o 2-4pm
>
> TIA,
>
> -Badger
>
>
>

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

06-11-2004, 10:22 AM

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)?

> 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.

> I'm thinking the mental aspect would be the most difficult. Gonna try and
> get the family interested in it to help with that.
>
> 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.
>
> I plan to start the ride early in the AM, like 5-ish, or first light.
> o 5:30-8:30
> o 9:00-11:00
> o 12:-1
> o 2-4pm
>
> TIA,
>
> -Badger
>
>
>

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

06-11-2004, 10:22 AM

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)?

> 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.

> I'm thinking the mental aspect would be the most difficult. Gonna try and
> get the family interested in it to help with that.
>
> 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.
>
> I plan to start the ride early in the AM, like 5-ish, or first light.
> o 5:30-8:30
> o 9:00-11:00
> o 12:-1
> o 2-4pm
>
> TIA,
>
> -Badger
>
>
>

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

06-11-2004, 10:34 AM

Badger_South wrote:

> 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:
>
> 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?

Why not just do an organized, supported ride? They typically have
rest stops every 1.5-2 hours apart. It's a great place to find out
about pacing and fueling, and there's sag if you need it. Try a 100k
to see if you like it. If that was too easy, try a 100-mile.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

06-11-2004, 10:34 AM

Badger_South wrote:

> 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:
>
> 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?

Why not just do an organized, supported ride? They typically have
rest stops every 1.5-2 hours apart. It's a great place to find out
about pacing and fueling, and there's sag if you need it. Try a 100k
to see if you like it. If that was too easy, try a 100-mile.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

06-11-2004, 10:34 AM

Badger_South wrote:

> 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:
>
> 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?

Why not just do an organized, supported ride? They typically have
rest stops every 1.5-2 hours apart. It's a great place to find out
about pacing and fueling, and there's sag if you need it. Try a 100k
to see if you like it. If that was too easy, try a 100-mile.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

06-11-2004, 10:34 AM

Badger_South wrote:

> 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:
>
> 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?

Why not just do an organized, supported ride? They typically have
rest stops every 1.5-2 hours apart. It's a great place to find out
about pacing and fueling, and there's sag if you need it. Try a 100k
to see if you like it. If that was too easy, try a 100-mile.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]