180 Miles in a day.



whuppingboy

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Feb 22, 2010
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I cycle every day to work and sometimes at weekends go out too.
I do rides throughout the year ranging from small sprint races to sportive rides.
I have done a few 100 mile + rides and so my latest challenge is to do a ride to the coast and back.
180 miles (289Km) this is to be completed in one day.
How hard can it be? With the correct pace, proper nutrition and preparation it shoudn't be too much of a task.
The max miles i have done was 132 Miles and that was hard but not overly hard.
Suppose im just nervous about doing it and certain people saying to me that i cannot do it have spurned me on to attempt it.
Has anyone got any words of advice or encouragement or even tales of long distance rides to share.
Look forward to your comments.
WB
 
I don't believe my posterior could handle it even if my legs and lungs could.
 
Cold rain, flat tires, early darkness, difficult motorists, bad sections of road. Lots of issues beyond your control can make it a very difficult time.

But in the best of all worlds you get going early, warm up easily, eat and drink on time, take a break at the shore, and have a tail wind on the way back.

And remember the ride home is easier than the ride away from home.
 
My most epic ride happened last year. I have told the tale before on this site but I suppose I can repeat a bit of it.

June of last year I had planned to ride with some friends on a 2 day 150 mile charity ride. They are less avid riders than me, so I planned to ride to the start from my home the day before. The route is 130 miles or so and more or less flat until the end. I have done the ride the year prior so I knew I was capable.

My plan was to ride up on a Friday, the weather reports leading up to the day were bad - the forecast ended up being spot on. I left at 4:00 am Friday morning in the middle of a thunderstorm. The temps were in the 60s to 70s. It never stopped raining. The rain would let up a bit, and then be followed by heavy downpours. The wind was probably NE, my route for the first 2/3 was due north.

I had anticipated bad weather and dressed appropriately, I thought. I had on long tights, shoe covers, full finger gloves, helmet rain cover and a rain proof jacket. I put my cell phone, ID, credit cards and some cash in a Ziploc bag. I put the Ziploc bag was put in my jacket pocket. I had lights mounted on my bike and the front and rear of my helmet. I also carried a cheap plastic poncho, food, spare parts and tools.

The ride was hard, but not miserable for the first 50 miles or so. When I got to the point where I should have crossed the interstate, the overpass was closed. The paved detours were many miles back, and I wasn't confident on the route. So I ended up on some dirt roads, that degraded into a muddy mess. I ended up walking several miles until I came upon some train tracks that passed underneath the interstate. I walked along the tracks and took a short beak from the rain underneath the interstate. Walking farther along the tracks, I found that I had to jump a small creek and a field of tall grass to get back on route.

A few minutes after getting back on the road, my rear tire developed a leak. A downpour was beginning at the same time. I limped my bike to a gas station and got to work changing the tire. Here I noticed that the air felt a bit cooler, but I was still feeling good. After changing the tube, I was able to hop on a trail (Willard munger) which I would follow to my destination.

Fast forward 20 miles, I stopped to have a food break in a small town. I decided to call my wife and noticed that my phone was wet, the screen no longer worked. My waterproof jacket was pretty much soaked through. Take note, baggies are not completely waterproof. With a bit of fumbling I was able to dial out and let her know I was OK.

I stopped again in another 20 miles. After eating and getting back on the bike, I noticed that the air felt quite a bit colder. The air temperature was dropping fast and the wind was picking up. I had not counted on this. I pulled out the plastic poncho, which became a parachute as I rode. Using orange duct tape, I wrapped it around the poncho to hold it tight to my body.

I could feel the fatigue building up, I must have bonked but I did not want to stop because I would have become too cold to continue. My route turned due East which was now directly into the wind.

I reached a park shelter and took my final break. I wrung out my wet clothes and was beginning to shiver. The temperatures had dropped to the 40s. I cut the break short and made an effort to build up some heat. After a few miles into a state park forest, my route diverged from the trail; however, I found that the path I had picked was not paved and not as direct as it appeared on google. I traveled probably 4 miles on foot.

When I got back to the pavement an out of the forest. I was greeted by gale force winds and sleet. I was nearing my end, but the route became quite hilly as I approached Spirit Mountain in Duluth. My face was stinging from the driven sleet as I struggled to pedal downhill into the wind. At this point, I could see a few other intrepid cyclists struggling against the wind on the service road on the other side of the highway.

Slow mile after slow mile, I made it to the base of the mountain. The final climb was about 600 feet and steep; but that also blocked the wind which was good.

I finally made it to the chateaus where I would spend the night at 4:00, cold and soaked through. I put my bike on the porch, stripped my clothes, took a warm shower and put on some dry clothes. Shortly after my buddies showed up in the shuttle, we went for dinner. Afterward, I came back armed with WD-40, canned air shop towels and lube. I cleaned up the bike, watched some TV, slept and headed out early the next day into fair weather with a tailwind. The next 2 days were a cakewalk in comparison.

In spite of the struggles, I did enjoy myself and would do it again. Riding in inclement weather provides an new perspective and an extra adrenaline rush. Its also very hardcore and the ladies love it.

The ride could have turned out much worse. I did not leave my house anticipating a solo 12 hour battle against the elements. In retrospect, I was a bit under prepared for the conditions and though I had researched my routes, I should have had alternates available and/or had a map on hand other than the printed google map.

Takeaways:

- Check the weather forecast all along the route on the day of the ride
- Know your route and obstacles. Have alternate routes or at least have a fairly detailed map.
- Ziploc baggies are not completely waterproof
- Waterproof clothing is not completely waterproof
- Bad weather makes you hardcore
 
Which coast are you riding too? North Sea, somewhere near Skeggy?

If you are then don't forget that going home there'll be more uphill than down and the prevailing winds will mean a cross/headwind too, all of which will just add to the fun. Unless you pick one of those days where the bonechilling wind blows in from eastern Europe across the north sea - in which case all the cafes in Skegness will be closed and you'll be chilled to the bone with nar a cup o' tea in sight.

If you're a real hardman you'll be going through Wales taking in the bwlch y groes on the way out and back. At least you'll likely get the tail wind home and you'll discover why the bwlch is also known as Hellfire Pass. ;)

If some numpty like me can manage 200 miles in the high mountains in a day, chilled to the bone and then rained on, hailed on and dusted with snow, then I don't see why you can't make a day of it and do this ride.
 
Its from Nottingham to Skegness. On the way we will go through Horncastle for a little bit of up and down but we haven't yet planned the route back yet, we have a good idea but we'll see how we feel on the day.!
 

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