Training ON tour?

[blackbird05]

Hello folks! Got a training question, but for touring. Doing a loaded bike tour of Europe next summer (4 months!) with a friend (we're both ladies). Sleeping in hostels and tenting, that kind of thing. We've got the equipment, and have done a couple of shakedown rides (not long, a couple of days at 60 km a day) this summer. Here's the question. If I give us two to three weeks of easy biking (in northern France) at the beginning, think we can manage getting fit ON TOUR? Thing is, we're both hard-core students (graduate school hopefulls), and biking for hours every week before the tour and during exams is pretty much out of the question - I'll be able to manage only a couple of hours a week, before exams hit. So what do you think? Is a goal of 40-50 km/day, 3 days on/1 day off for the first week and a half, then a gradual increase in distance, do-able? Is it too little? Anyone done it? Did you have any problems? Pray tell... I'm worried about this, don't want our grand adventure to end before it's begun!

 

[DarrenT]

Hi,

I did a long trip 2 years ago with four others. Two of the group weren't able to train much before the trip and suffered tendonitis type injuries. One started having problems within about 2 days and the other after about 7 days. Both were very fit, but hadn't conditioned their bodies for long rides each day towing loaded trailers. Still, both recovered by the 8th or 9th day and managed to finish the trip.

Apart from the lack of training, the key difference is that we weren't able to start with short days. We rode long distances with hills right from Day 1. Your plan to start slow & short with regular rest days should make all the difference, so I'd give it a go. I think you'll be fine.
P.S. - Take advantage of rest whenever you can. Don't stand when you can sit, and don't sit when you can lie down.

Have a great trip.

 

[simsi]

Hello folks! Got a training question, but for touring. Doing a loaded bike tour of Europe next summer (4 months!) with a friend (we're both ladies). Sleeping in hostels and tenting, that kind of thing. We've got the equipment, and have done a couple of shakedown rides (not long, a couple of days at 60 km a day) this summer. Here's the question. If I give us two to three weeks of easy biking (in northern France) at the beginning, think we can manage getting fit ON TOUR? Thing is, we're both hard-core students (graduate school hopefulls), and biking for hours every week before the tour and during exams is pretty much out of the question - I'll be able to manage only a couple of hours a week, before exams hit. So what do you think? Is a goal of 40-50 km/day, 3 days on/1 day off for the first week and a half, then a gradual increase in distance, do-able? Is it too little? Anyone done it? Did you have any problems? Pray tell... I'm worried about this, don't want our grand adventure to end before it's begun!

I did a 7 week tour of NZ with full camping gear a few years back with no training. I spent the first few days taking it easy, but quickly built up fitness. After 2 weeks I had a day where I did 180 km, but suffered badly the next day. Fortunately, I was in Hanmer Springs and spent a lot of time soaking my weary body in the hot pools there. However, after this I regularly rode 100 km+ a day without any detrimental effects. By the end of the 7 weeks I was able to tackle anything.

So, yes it can be done and as long as you don't go crazy early on, you'll get fit while riding.

Ian

 

[blackbird05]

Folks, your help is super-appreciated -- now I'm more confident about this trip. I wish I'd discovered these forums sooner . Thank you!

 

[EmmCeeBee]

>>> ... think we can manage getting fit ON TOUR?

Short answer: Yes. Just wanted to add my experience to the list.

In 2001 my wife and I rode 2000 miles, from Oregon to Yellowstone and back, in 6 weeks. I commute on my bike every day -- between the two of us, that was the only training we did. It was a loaded, self-contained tour, so we knew what we were getting into, and we planned accordingly.

The first 4 days were tough, increasing gradually from 25 to 60 miles. Mostly sore neck muscles, sore shoulders, sore backside. And quick lessons learned in keeping hydrated and fueled -- looking back on it, that's one mistake I won't make again, most of the physical discomfort was from not drinking and eating enough. If you have to, force yourself in the first few days.

By the 5th day, we both felt we were in transition. More energy, less complaints By the 6th or 7th day we were in the Rocky Mountains, and we were in the groove -- I'd say we were 95% of what we had achieved by the end of the 6 weeks. A lot of that has to do with adapting into your routine: handling traffic, communication on the bikes, setting up and breaking camp, knowing when either one of us needs ice cream. When you're forced to adapt to a strange routine, even small physical discomforts loom big. I discover this revelation every time I tour: the "training" needed comes in the first week, when the tent/spokes/pedals/food/water/maps/gears/bakeries/climbs and descents all meld into one and you don't want to live any other way.

So in my book, training 'per se' isn't necessary for a good tour. The biggest exception is when you're in a group of disparate abilities or fitness. Then, the least fit will suffer. As long as both of you are healthy, you know your bikes, and you've practiced a couple of times (you did good with the shakedown rides!), you'll be good. Headwinds will grind, ascents will turn your legs into rubber, heat will suck the life out of you (yeah, we survived!!), but it's your attitude and mental preparation that get you through. Your planning already shows that.

-- Mark

 

[DarrenT]

>>> ... think we can manage getting fit ON TOUR?

-- looking back on it, that's one mistake I won't make again, most of the physical discomfort was from not drinking and eating enough.

I'd have to agree with EmmCeeBee, although I still remember plenty of other physical discomfort. Most riders are aware of the need to drink regularly, but I underestimated the need to eat regularly. In training, I can manage a 2-3 hour ride without eating. On the trip, the day-in day-out slog seemed to reduce the energy stores. It's probably related to the reduction in body fat. After a week or two, I found I was starving after 1 to 1.5 hours, despite eating twice what I would usually eat for breakfast.

To make regular eating less inconvenient I found that a handlebar bag was extremely valuable. I didn't think I'd need it, but changed my mind 3-4 weeks into a 6 week trip. I wish I'd listened in the beginning.

The regular eating issue raises another point. Don't underestimate how much food you will need to buy (extra dollars) and carry (extra weight). Depending on where you're travelling, the cost of bottled water increases proportionally to any decrease in availability. I found that I badly underestimated how much I would eat and drink, as well as some inflated prices. The result was a badly blown budget. Have any other readers found this to be true, or was it just me???

 

[debubowman]

A four month tour with no prep should be no problem unles you're way out of shape. A more likely problem would be mistakes made due to lack of riding time. For example, if you're not used to riding in trafic (I've done all my tours in Japan where trafic can be a problem in cities) and you encounter lots of trafic you might not know how to deal with it. Also, if you're not used to riding a loaded bike, this could be a problem. It's much more important to prepare by spending a couple hours a week riding a loaded bike than twice as many hours getting your body in shape.
By making costly mistakes that will likely result in knee surgery I've learned the following:
First, I must say that distance is really a poor judge of what your body has been through in a day's ride. There are many more important factors such as wind, the ammount of weight you are carrying, terain, and weather. even what goes in and what comes out (or doesn't come out) of your body has a bigger effect on your ability to continue a tour than the distance that you pedaled the day before. I've had days that i felt terrible after a previous day of 60km, and I've had other days that i felt great after a previous day of 200km.
day 1: you'll feel great to begin with, but don't let the exitement get to you. I hate planned tours, but it's a good idea to plan an end point for the first day and stick with it.

day 2: your butt will hurt a bit unless you have a really great saddle and suspension system (i didn't). your legs and upper hips and lower back will be a bit tight, but you'll feel great again after the first 45 minutes. it'll feel like a ride in the park, but you'll wanna actually decrease the milage a bit.

day 3:your butt will hurt even if you have a good saddle. especially if you haven't ridden much before you started the tour. if your shoulders/upper back start hurting a lot you need to adjust your riding position a bit to make your arms less extended and elbows bent more. sheldonbrown.com has some good articles about riding positions.

day 4 and 5: these days will suck no matter what you do. don't drink too much caffine on these days or you'll think you're better than you really are. always do light stretching. light. and if your hands start to go numb make sure you concentrate on keeping your elbows bent when you ride. don't ride with locked elbows. stop a lot and take lots of pictures and enjoy the scenery ^_^. if you're a determined person make sure to turn off that part of your brain. take it easy.

day 6,7,8: if your knees are going to cause you probablems this is when it will happen. keep your stroke straight. don't move your knee closer to or further from the center of the bike when you pedal. if your knee swings a lot when you pedal, the inside or outside tendons will start to hurt. also, as a rule of thumb, if the front of your knee hurts raise your saddle a little. if the back or your knee hurts lower the saddle. there are too many possible reasons for knee problems for me to even think about. these are just general ideas. a little knee pain isn't terrible, and it will probably go away by day 10 or so. but it's best to call it quits for the day if you feel constant knee pain, even if you've only pedaled a few km. if you let your knee rest it will usually feel good the next day, but if you push it too hard it could take months to heal, or maybe it won't heal on its own (like mine). I've taken a few friends on tours and most of them feel slight to considerable knee pain around this part of the trip. just take it really easy. oh, and never ice your knee if you plan on riding the next day. keep it a little warm.

day10 you'll probably feel pretty good around day 10. you might go through a high and a couple days of low before you finally hit your grove.

since i've already written much more than i planned on, i might as well include my top 10 list. or maybe i'll call it the biker's worst enemy list.

1. wind. (i rode by the ocean a lot). it stops your momentum. momentum is everything on a heavy bike.
2.tunnels
3. tunnels with trucks
4. narrow tunnels with trucks coming from both directions
5. steep, twisting decents in the rain with loaded bike and cheap brakes (this caused our worst accident. i was touring with my brother).
6. wheel berring problems due to lots of rain riding. if you spend money on anything spend it on decent hubs and brakes.
7. wet socks (if you are putting on the socks wet this jumps to #1 ^_^).
8. walking into an air-conditioned grocery store when you are soaking wet.

the best:

1. meeting lots of nice people especially when you depend on them to be able to continue the tour.
2. wind. if it's behind you.
3. freedom
4. the best sleep ever. even in a tent every night.
5. no tv. unless....
6. great time with touring partner.
7. any food tastes very good.
8. you learn lots about yourself and other stuff and other people. i ended up a changed person.

i guess i'm assuming that you are novices at touring even though you may not be.
if you're not sure whether or not to bring something, don't bring it. and if your bike feels too heavy after three days, it is too heavy, so start throwing stuff away. of course, if you were touring in a very rural area i might not suggest this.
take it easy.
david

 

[blackbird05]

Mark, DarrenT and David, thank you so very much for your replies! I've gotten a wealth of information far beyond what I'd imagined -- and every bit of it useful! I appreciate it immensely, thanks again! Getting REALLY excited about this trip .