View Full Version : To all the cyclists/fitness people......
Pretty much, i need to be able to ride my bike for 125 miles by the end of august (its a charity thing work are doing) currently i hardly ever cycle and wouldn't say im the fittest of people.
So i ask you, what would be the best way to build up to this distance in the time given?
Cheers!
Ash.
Erm....good luck matey. 125 miles is a very long time to be sat in the saddle. Last summer I was riding at least 35miles offroad every saturday in attempt to build up for a south downs way attempt. We did one 70mile ride and that killed me...and since then I've not done anything major...and got fat!
In all honesty just over 2 months isn't a lot of prep work. If you cycle at least 10miles per day offroad that will build you up fast. Off road is much more strenuous than on road.
wow that is a long way and a very short time to train in.. perhaps get yourself to your local gymn and ask them to help you build a training program.
you need to start now, and just add 5-10 miles on each time,
you also need rest days, its do-able, but its not going to be easy.
see if you can do 20 miles then just keep adding to it
first you need to find out how fit you are, if you can only manage 5 miles, i would forget the idea
fizzwheel
15-06-09, 07:08 PM
As Hovis says start with short journeys and build up, ideally you'd be looking to increase milleage by 10% each week and also ideally you want to have done or be able to do 80% odd of the milleage in one go prior to the event.
I did 95 miles in one day last year and it killed me, not physically but emotionally it was really difficult to keep pushing myself along to get to the finish.
Prior to the big ride I was doing 20 miles per day and also fitting in 60 - 70 mile ride on a weekend and then using Sunday as a recovery ride.
You need a rough training plan and you need to eat sensibly and the right food. You also need to think about your bike and how you fuel yourself whilst during the ride.
I'd suggest you put a post up here
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=40011
and also have a read on there and you'll get more specific advise there.
What sort of level of fitness are you at now, whats the furthest you've ridden, its not unahievable, but your going to have to put a serious amount of effort and dedication in.
yeah, i realise how hard its going to be, im planning to go out tomorrow and see how far i can ride and they build on it each week, im guessing i will need lots of carbs in my diet then? although i do have abit of body fat to get rid of also.
Will check out that website, cheers, also the off road tip is something i hadnt thought of!
My bike is an mountain bike jobby but is fairly light, and tbh will have to make do as im not forking out for a road bike!
Target tommorow is 12 miles, ill let you know how it goes!
ivantate
15-06-09, 07:28 PM
Yep, the only way is to get some miles covered.
Get out atleast 3 times a week and keep uping the mileage. Probably do a longer ride every other weekend and have a rest on the other one.
Eat well, sleep well and be fairly selfish about it. Dont forget to rest, two weeks of really hard work and then a week ill isnt good training.
hang on......... is this in one go, as i guesstimate thats 10 hours in the seat?
speedplay
15-06-09, 08:17 PM
Get a turbo trainer.
You can train harder and longer on the bike you are going to be riding and not even need to leave home.
I train in one of the spare bedrooms with the Ipod on.
Theres no traffic to distract me and I dont have to worry about getting the bonk on the way home. :cool:
125 miles in one go what are they pro athletes at your company i could'nt do that and i cycle every day nearly.
fizzwheel
15-06-09, 08:23 PM
My bike is an mountain bike jobby but is fairly light, and tbh will have to make do as im not forking out for a road bike!
if you havent get some slick road type tyres for it, it'll make life much much easier if you are riding on the road.
Turbo trainer is quite handy, but IMHO its not substitue for getting out there and putting the miles in on the road.
Your going to spend alot of time in the saddle, so you also want to think about clothing, if you havent got some get some cycling shorts.
I did my 95 miler in just under 7 hrs so even if you are sitting at a decent pace, your IMHO looking at 10 - 12 hrs of cycling.
that kind of riding is akin to completing a marathon, so that'll give you some idea of how much of a mountain you have to climb.
rick0361
15-06-09, 08:23 PM
My bike is an mountain bike jobby but is fairly light, and tbh will have to make do as im not forking out for a road bike!
Is the route you are doing road or off road - if it is on the road and you have off road tyres on it is going to be hard. If it is on the road I suggest you invest in some road tyres as a minimum. It will make it easier and safer as knobblies on the road can be a bit difficult to control if the weather is crappy
that kind of riding is akin to completing a marathon, so that'll give you some idea of how much of a mountain you have to climb.
i would think its much harder than a marathon.
give your bike a good service beforehand too i suspect that trip's gonna strain it a bit brake's and cable's all that sort of stuff.
hang on......... is this in one go, as i guesstimate thats 10 hours in the seat?
I think an inexperienced cyclist on a mountain bike with off-road tyres would probably average about 10-12 mph over that sort of distance, depending upon terrain - I think 10 hours will be fairly good going.
Some good advice already, however it will be an epic effort to do 125 miles in a day. As Fizz said, you will need a good supply of drinks/energy bars/syrups etc to avoid the bonk - also, your knees will probably take a bit of a hammering, your wrists/arms will ache (get some mitts and bar end extensions if you do not already have them) and your back will be killing you.
Get some road tyres - they will make a big difference, get some spare tubes and a pump/tools (if you do not have that already covered with a support van).
Other than that, pace yourself on the day - do not set off too quick - aim to average 10-12mph, no more, as after 2/3 hours you will be knackered. Keep the liquids and foods up throughout the day - you will probably need up to 1 litre every hour, especially if it is hot.
My wife and I did 66 miles last year, mostly off road. She does very little cycling so I spent most of the time pacing her - we averaged about 11mph (there were some big hills though!), and at the end of it she was knackered - really proud of her though, and we raised about £400 for charity.
Worse case is, make a whole day of it, have a couple of breaks if needed and enjoy it.
Good luck!
Well, just done exactly 12.5 miles in 52 mins, didnt find it too bad but doubt id have managed another round as hills were becoming very very difficult and my legs are abit jelly like now lol. Will be doing it again Thursday and hopefully upping the distance next week.
Will take your advice on the road tyres too, anythign to make it easier lol.
I've just started riding again and am getting back in the groove. Miles are important, as are rest days. Don't overdo it at the start..... build up gradually.
What sort of terrain and ground is your trip, i.e. hills or flat, roads or cycle paths/trails? As others have said, the right tyres for the conditions will give you a significant boost. Deffo get road tyres if you're going on tarmac :thumbsup:
I found when I started that I could ride a long way quite quickly on the flat but it was the hills that killed me. And there's a lot of them round here! I found that I needed to "calibrate my brain" for the hills, and tell myself that it is perfectly acceptable to go slowly up hills - set a pace/cadence that you are comfortable with and don't try to keep up with the quicker guys at the front.
Also, make sure that your bike is set up for you - seat height & position, bar height, etc. as that will make a huge difference to how far you can go. Set your seat height with your heel on the pedal so that your leg is almost straight at the bottom of the movement with your toes on the pedal.
I've bought a cycle computer from Halfords (wireless 12-function jobbie). As well as telling you how far you've gone, speed, etc, it has a "pacer" function which tells you if you're currently going faster or slower than your average speed. just a thought.
Oh, and clothing...... you don't want your bits chafed :-(
fizzwheel
17-06-09, 07:48 AM
Well, just done exactly 12.5 miles in 52 mins,
Thats pretty reasonable IMHO so you must have some level of base fitness, so you need to start to rack the miles up and keep building on it.
But as Jabba says you need to build some recovery / rest days into your schedule.
You can either have a duvet day and do nothing or do a recovery ride, which is a ride where ride for a shorter distance and that you do it slowly and just spin the pedals round in a relaxed / gentle manner, this is often quite good as it helps to work the stiffness out of your leg muscles.
Two things.
1. GEL SEAT get one NOW.
2. Pedal clips. The thing with cycling is all effort is on the down push on the pedal. This means you are only cycling with 50% efficiently. Pedal clips means you can exert effort on the upstroke as well as the down stroke.
Bluewolf
17-06-09, 08:05 AM
1. GEL SEAT get one NOW.
:winner:
Seriously dude.
Yeah the only parts that hurt today are my shoulders and my **** so a gel seat is on my shopping list along with some road tyres!
Jabba - i found that even the slightest hills were a struggle yesterday so need to work on those!
Yep today is my rest day from cycling and will be out again tomorrow.
Cheers for the advice guys, really is appreciated.
Ash.
fizzwheel
17-06-09, 08:34 AM
Yeah the only parts that hurt today are my shoulders and my **** so a gel seat is on my shopping list along with some road tyres!
Of course the more you cycle the more your posterior gets used to it. My saddle isnt GEL and I am quite comfy on an all day ride. Its about getting a saddle that fits your anatomy rather than just getting any old GEL saddle.
Get down to your local bike shop and have a word with them if you can find one that sells teh specialised body geometry saddles ( I'm not sure thats the correct name, but the bike shop will know what you mean ) they come in different widths and you can get one that will fit you perfectly so your sit bone is correctly positioned and you are supported properly you wont ache so much or be uncomfortable.
have a look at www.wiggle.co.uk if you are after tyres, they normally have a good range and a pretty good on price....
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