Training for long distances without cycling long distances

[DrBorque]

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for training for long distance riding without actually doing any. This might sound a bit weird, but i have planned a one off journey of 154 miles on the 21st of may but unfortunately i cannot do any long distance training because i haven't really got enough time. It is not a race or anything, i plan to do it in about 10 hours. So far i have been doing rides of about 30-40 miles at a fairly high pace because i figure that my legs will become more fatigued with higher power output in a shorter time and will effectively simulate a long distance, calm ride. I've a feeling that this is a load of rubbish though. I have noticed as well that the major problem is not my legs getting fatigued but i'm becoming extremely saddle sore, is this because of the higher paced riding or can i expect to become saddle sore in the same amount of time no matter how i cycle?

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

DrBorque

 

[Doctor Morbius]

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for training for long distance riding without actually doing any. This might sound a bit weird, but i have planned a one off journey of 154 miles on the 21st of may but unfortunately i cannot do any long distance training because i haven't really got enough time. It is not a race or anything, i plan to do it in about 10 hours. So far i have been doing rides of about 30-40 miles at a fairly high pace because i figure that my legs will become more fatigued with higher power output in a shorter time and will effectively simulate a long distance, calm ride. I've a feeling that this is a load of rubbish though. I have noticed as well that the major problem is not my legs getting fatigued but i'm becoming extremely saddle sore, is this because of the higher paced riding or can i expect to become saddle sore in the same amount of time no matter how i cycle?

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

DrBorque

If you've been training to increase your MAP and LT, then a long slow ride at submaximal non-race speed may be possible.

If your saddle is hurting on 30 - 40 milers it's going to be murder trying to do 150 miles. I have the same problem and have found that after trying 13 different saddles in 2 years that some were better than others but all of them hurt after 3+ hour rides. As a result I gave up on the long distance stuff as it just wasn't worth the pain.

 

[Hypnospin]

one rule of thumb, do not expect to double your daily mileage on any given and feel comfortable, keep an avg speed, and not reach the dreaded bonk.

i find if i ride 40, for instance i can swing 60+, but if previous rides feature only some 20 mi. rides i may be hurtin.

for the century rider, do at least some 50 mi. rides. this way you can finish strong.

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for training for long distance riding without actually doing any. This might sound a bit weird, but i have planned a one off journey of 154 miles on the 21st of may but unfortunately i cannot do any long distance training because i haven't really got enough time. It is not a race or anything, i plan to do it in about 10 hours. So far i have been doing rides of about 30-40 miles at a fairly high pace because i figure that my legs will become more fatigued with higher power output in a shorter time and will effectively simulate a long distance, calm ride. I've a feeling that this is a load of rubbish though. I have noticed as well that the major problem is not my legs getting fatigued but i'm becoming extremely saddle sore, is this because of the higher paced riding or can i expect to become saddle sore in the same amount of time no matter how i cycle?

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

DrBorque

 

[DrBorque]

Thanks for the advice guys, i really appreciate it. I have decided that i am going to shorten it to 103 miles and get the train the rest of the way, i will probably go the whole hog later in the summer when it is a bit warmer and when i have had a chance to do some more training. I went out for a 64 mile ride yesterday and realised that i had no chance of doing 150+ in just over 3 weeks time. I have found that once the saddle sawness reaches a certain level it doesn't really get any worse than that, so i guess that is something but if you have any particular brands to recommend then i would appreciate that, becuase although it doesn't get any worse it is still really uncomfortable. I have been thinking though, i am not really a long distance rider, i spend most of my time riding around town usually sprinting away from lights and not really cycling very far, if i train for long distances am i still going to have the same amount of power for pulling away from lights or will it drop? Because it seems a bit silly to train for long distances for a one off ride and become really **** at what i do all the time as a consequence, if you see what i mean.

Thanks again,

DrBorque

 

[tehpr3chr]

i have a selle italia gel flow seat and nalini bib shorts for the long ones...no pain here

 

[ricktoon]

i have a selle italia gel flow seat and nalini bib shorts for the long ones...no pain here

Are you using Chamois cream of any kind? Putting some Chamois butt'r, Assos, or even bag balm on will significantly extend your ride times without hurting. It helps lubricate things and keeps any chaffing from getting worse.

Ricktoon

 

[dhk]

Thanks for the advice guys, i really appreciate it. I have decided that i am going to shorten it to 103 miles and get the train the rest of the way, i will probably go the whole hog later in the summer when it is a bit warmer and when i have had a chance to do some more training. I went out for a 64 mile ride yesterday and realised that i had no chance of doing 150+ in just over 3 weeks time. I have found that once the saddle sawness reaches a certain level it doesn't really get any worse than that, so i guess that is something but if you have any particular brands to recommend then i would appreciate that, becuase although it doesn't get any worse it is still really uncomfortable. I have been thinking though, i am not really a long distance rider, i spend most of my time riding around town usually sprinting away from lights and not really cycling very far, if i train for long distances am i still going to have the same amount of power for pulling away from lights or will it drop? Because it seems a bit silly to train for long distances for a one off ride and become really **** at what i do all the time as a consequence, if you see what i mean.

Thanks again,

DrBorque

Agree you're smart in shooting for 103 miles as a first goal. 154 is a lot further, even for those of us comfortable with the century distance.

My experience has been that it just takes a few long rides to toughen the skin and numb the butt, regardless of what brand of saddle or shorts you've got.

I'll second that chamois cream is important to prevent chaffing. As Lance said on OLN TV last year: "don't leave home without it".

You shouldn't lose any fitness for sprinting away from lights as long as you continue to do your intown rides. Unless you're doing the long rides on totally flat terrain, you'll have plenty of intensity if you get out of the saddle for climbing. Getting out of the saddle every 15-20 minutes is a great way to ease saddle pain on a long ride too.

 

[tehpr3chr]

i open my fat mouth and my crouch and butt killed me today, and i only rode like 11 miles...maybe i'm just tired..i'm gonna take a day off friday, and then do my group ride saturday to see how much i've improved over the past little bit..i've ridden like every day since last thursday or friday though, which i guess isn't the best thing in the world to do...

 

[DrBorque]

I have never considered using any sort of 'lubricant', it is an interesting thought though. I do not really have a problem with chaffing, it's more the pressure of having my body weight acting on the small area of the saddle. I went out for a ride yesterday and i think i may have found a way to make it easier. I did my usual 36 mile ride only this time i tried to keep my average down very low and i found that when i got back my crutch was still hurting but my legs felt as though they hadn't done anything at all! which is great! I also usually get back feeling starving hungry, yet this time i wasn't very hungry at all, which will come in very handy as i need all the mpg (cycling equivalent) i can get. Hopefully i'll get a chance to do some more training this week, see if i can train my rear end a bit too. I'm sorry to hear about your ass tehpr3chr, i still don't know what to do about the saddle sorness, i might just take the saddle off and put a lazyboy in its place, the one with the built in fridge .

Thanks guys,

DrBorque

 

[DrBorque]

I don't know if you guys are interested or not but i did my ride in the end, 154.95 miles, took 11 hrs and 10 mins. It took longer than expected because of a stupid headwind and the odd storm here and there. The saddlesorness didn't do a lot in the end, i found that my back was more painful because i was hunched over the handlbars for so long. If anyone is thinking of doing this then i recommend that you take a lot to drink, i had lots to eat but i found that when i drank some lucozade or something my legs just seemed to spring back to life again. The biggest killer was in the cities when you have to stop and start all the time at traffic lights, and whoever said that Britain was small is an idiot!

DrBorque

 

[ricktoon]

I don't know if you guys are interested or not but i did my ride in the end, 154.95 miles, took 11 hrs and 10 mins. It took longer than expected because of a stupid headwind and the odd storm here and there. The saddlesorness didn't do a lot in the end, i found that my back was more painful because i was hunched over the handlbars for so long. If anyone is thinking of doing this then i recommend that you take a lot to drink, i had lots to eat but i found that when i drank some lucozade or something my legs just seemed to spring back to life again. The biggest killer was in the cities when you have to stop and start all the time at traffic lights, and whoever said that Britain was small is an idiot!

DrBorque

I will be doing a 157-mile one day ride in June. This is the Montana RATPOD and includes a 1500 foot gain in the first 20 miles and another climb from 25 to 35 miles into the ride. Total gain is about 2,000 feet then a general downhill run to the finish. Any advice on doing this ride. I plan to keep the pace a little slower at first and hope to maintain 14-15 for the ride and finish in 10-11 hours of riding. I do several centuries each summer and have a couple 60+ mile rides in this year. Should I do a century in the next couple weeks or plan to ride several days of 40+

 

[Doctor Morbius]

I don't know if you guys are interested or not but i did my ride in the end, 154.95 miles, took 11 hrs and 10 mins. It took longer than expected because of a stupid headwind and the odd storm here and there. The saddlesorness didn't do a lot in the end, i found that my back was more painful because i was hunched over the handlbars for so long. If anyone is thinking of doing this then i recommend that you take a lot to drink, i had lots to eat but i found that when i drank some lucozade or something my legs just seemed to spring back to life again. The biggest killer was in the cities when you have to stop and start all the time at traffic lights, and whoever said that Britain was small is an idiot!

DrBorque

Congrats! Well done.

Just curious how you went about training for this 155 mile event. Did you ever get up to the longish distances or did you stick with shorter distances and train your MAP and LT? Just curious. What was your longest training ride before the event and how many times did you do these longer rides?

 

[dhk]

I don't know if you guys are interested or not but i did my ride in the end, 154.95 miles, took 11 hrs and 10 mins. It took longer than expected because of a stupid headwind and the odd storm here and there. The saddlesorness didn't do a lot in the end, i found that my back was more painful because i was hunched over the handlbars for so long. If anyone is thinking of doing this then i recommend that you take a lot to drink, i had lots to eat but i found that when i drank some lucozade or something my legs just seemed to spring back to life again. The biggest killer was in the cities when you have to stop and start all the time at traffic lights, and whoever said that Britain was small is an idiot!

DrBorque

Good for you. Your average speed sounds right to me for your longest-ever ride.

Sport drinks with plenty of electrolytes and 6% CHO are great for long rides. I alternate them with plain water. Plus a little bit of solid food every hour or two.

Did you ever do the 103 miles first, or just go right into the "full monty"?

 

[DrBorque]

Thanks guys, i'm really proud of it, it really is not my sort of riding at all. My longest training ride before i attempted it was 56 miles (i didn't bother with the 103 mile ride in the end), i did that one week before and that last week i just did small rides and basically ate loads so i had a few calories to burn on. Before that last week though i just went out and did about 14-15 miles everyday with a 30-40 mile ride every sunday, i usually alternated between slow and fast riding every other day. I did this not to train as such, just to get my crutch used to the saddle a bit. I think you should be alright doing several 40+ mile rides ricktoon, although i am no expert, although i did 154 i was aching for several days afterwards and if i had attempted a century a few weeks before then i might have ached a bit less. I think you should be fine at 14-15mph though, i only do about 3000 miles a year and i managed 13.9 with a headwind, i cannot stress enough though the importance of energy drinks, after i had a bottle of lucozade it was almost as if i hadn't done any riding at all, it makes your legs feel as good as new.

DrBorque

 

[Orange Fish]

Are you using Chamois cream of any kind? Putting some Chamois butt'r, Assos, or even bag balm on will significantly extend your ride times without hurting. It helps lubricate things and keeps any chaffing from getting worse.

Ricktoon

What do you think about Body Glide as compared to all the other chamois creams/buttes out there?

 

[stormer94]

I will be doing a 157-mile one day ride in June. This is the Montana RATPOD .......

Ricktoon, I'm in Montana. What's a RATPOD? Where is it?

Thanks,
-Bob

 

[ricktoon]

Ricktoon, I'm in Montana. What's a RATPOD? Where is it?

Thanks,
-Bob

Sorry I haven't checked the thread in a couple days. Here are some updates.

The Ratpod is a one-day 157-mile ride around the Pioneer mountains on June 25. The ride is Ride Around the Pioneers in One Day and benefits Camp Mak-A-Dream. The ride starts in Dillon and goes through the Big Hole Valley of southwestern Montana. It includes three mountain ranges. Full details at www.ratpod.org.

So far my longest ride this year has been 63 miles. I have done some other 50-mile rides. I plan to do 70-80 miles on either Saturday or Sunday and then 60 miles next Saturday. I anticipate dropping my distances the week before the big event on June 25. Right now my left knee is hurting from a mountain bike ride last weekend so I am babying it along hoping it will feel better soon.

As for the question on chamois creme or body glide. I have used the body glide for shorter trips, spinning, etc. It seems to help keep chaffing down. For the longer, multi-hour rides the chamois creme really helps. It provides a general lubrication that doesn't go away quite so quick. I figure anything that improves comfort on the bike translates to more speed and longer distances.

Hope that brings all the questions up to date. I will let you know how the training worked once I have completed the RATPOD. I plan to ride with a small group and the keys will be helping each other by drafting and pace line and working not to ride too hard early in the day so we have energy for a strong finish.

Ricktoon
Helena, Montana.

 

[OCRoadie]

Sorry I haven't checked the thread in a couple days. Here are some updates.

The Ratpod is a one-day 157-mile ride around the Pioneer mountains on June 25. The ride is Ride Around the Pioneers in One Day and benefits Camp Mak-A-Dream. The ride starts in Dillon and goes through the Big Hole Valley of southwestern Montana. It includes three mountain ranges. Full details at www.ratpod.org.

So far my longest ride this year has been 63 miles. I have done some other 50-mile rides. I plan to do 70-80 miles on either Saturday or Sunday and then 60 miles next Saturday. I anticipate dropping my distances the week before the big event on June 25. Right now my left knee is hurting from a mountain bike ride last weekend so I am babying it along hoping it will feel better soon.

As for the question on chamois creme or body glide. I have used the body glide for shorter trips, spinning, etc. It seems to help keep chaffing down. For the longer, multi-hour rides the chamois creme really helps. It provides a general lubrication that doesn't go away quite so quick. I figure anything that improves comfort on the bike translates to more speed and longer distances.

Hope that brings all the questions up to date. I will let you know how the training worked once I have completed the RATPOD. I plan to ride with a small group and the keys will be helping each other by drafting and pace line and working not to ride too hard early in the day so we have energy for a strong finish.

Ricktoon
Helena, Montana.

When you do your 157 mile ride, put some chamois creme in a tiny travel size lotion bottle. A re-lube around the century mark will be like heaven.

 

[ricktoon]

I did the Ratpod ride in Dillon Montana on Saturday. There were 380 riders - not all doing the entire 157-mile ride, but a good majority were.

Started the ride at 5:30 am and had a gentle climb for the first 8-10 miles. Then two pretty good climbs - one from 5000 to 6500 feet, then a downhill and another climb from 6000 to 7400. Felt good at that point and was moving along. Had breakfast at mile 47. A group of us then cranked along in a pace line for the next 30-plus miles. The speed averaged 20-21 mph which is a little fast for me. I did fine for a while, but dropped out about 7 miles from the water stop and struggled a bit to get there. I rehydrated and took a break and clipped along to lunch at mile 104.
After lunch managed to ride another 16 miles before getting caught in a terrible thunderstorm. There was lots of rain, gusting winds, lightening, etc. I decided to sag into the afternoon pie stop and found tons of other riders huddled under tarps waiting out the rain. Many decided to call it a day at that point. The weather did clear a bit and I ended up riding out the last 13 miles with a friend who was on the ride. The road was terrible - either because of the storm or recent work and there was lots of gravel on the road. At least 12 riders had flats in the final 7 miles into town. There was also piles of hail alongside the road.
I ended up doing 133 miles with a total saddle time of 8 hours and 32 minutes - average speed for the trip of 15.6. Felt OK, but also felt like I did all I could for the day.
In retrospect, I should have had more to drink during the second 50 miles and pushed my energy gels. The other thing would have been to find a slightly slower pace line where I could have held the speed better and not run my heart rate too high. I think I ran over 95 percent too much of that ride and ended up at Lactic threshold and bonked.

 

[ricktoon]

BTW, found the chamois creme really helped. My butt was sore following the ride, but no major chaffing. I also had a pain in my hand even with changing hand positions often.

For future rides I think it will be important to find riders who ride about the same speed. Going 21 was just a bit fast for me, but going slower was hard for some of the riders in my pace line. A pace of 19 would have been great and saved some energy for the afternoon.

It would really help to watch the pace in the first half and not overdo it. I think pushing after breakfast cost me in the long run.

Hope this is helpful
Ricktoon
Helena, Montana