How hard?
Lily Angie
Posts: 5
Has anybody rode London to Reims in France? I'm doing it on road on a mtb for the heart foundation and i'm affraid i'll be out of my league and struggle. I've been riding hard for the last few mths... i'm not exactly young or in shape but i'm trying!!! Can anyone let me know if they have done it and whats in store please....................... Do i sound desperate?
LA
LA
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Comments
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Surely if you take it easy you should be fine? Just keep telling yourself you are on a MTB and its going to be harder
What speeds you get on the MTB on average when riding hard?0 -
When riding hard for a long duration i would say average 19Mph, if riding hard for a short while 23Mph> ?0
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Lily Angie wrote:When riding hard for a long duration i would say average 19Mph, if riding hard for a short while 23Mph> ?
Hard for long distance on a MTB? 19mph would be awsome surely? On my road bike I have only managed almost 20mph average just over 11 miles, over 106miles with one 25% short gradient climb and some smaller ones I averaged 16.7mph and if I could do that on a MTB I'd be extreamly happy with myself.0 -
If you can _average_ 19mph, then you don't need to worry -- you'll be in Reims a full two days before everybody else
Most people on rides of that kind and length average about 11-12mph.
Are you absolutely sure about that 19mph figure?0 -
I wouldn't be able to keep that up for 11miles.... I'll go on a ride tonight and do 1Hr and check my average? By the sounds of things though i should'nt worry too much then??
Thanks for the boost and advice0 -
Lily Angie wrote:I wouldn't be able to keep that up for 11miles.... I'll go on a ride tonight and do 1Hr and check my average? By the sounds of things though i should'nt worry too much then??
In my experience, the problem with these long rides for `leisure cyclists' like me is not the pace, but the number of hours on the bike. To do 250 miles (which I think is how long that ride is) in 4.5 days means 50-60 miles per day. At an average pace of 11-12 mph that means 4-5 hours on the bike each day.
Of course, at a faster pace you'll spend fewer hours on the bike, but that will create problems of its own.
I would suggest you try a couple of 60 mile rides (if you haven't already) to get a feel for what you'll be letting yourself in for on a 250-mile tour
For what it's worth, a friend of mine who is over 40 and not very fit recently cycled from London to Paris in three days, which is about the same kind of pace as you would need. She managed perfectly well, apart from the saddle sores
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Thanks for the advice...... Thinkin abot it i might of over estimated my average mph? I really appreciate the advice though and i'm doing 40+ miles in about 4 Hrs so i just need to step it up a bi more and i sholud be fine :?:0
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Lily Angie wrote:Thanks for the advice...... Thinkin abot it i might of over estimated my average mph? I really appreciate the advice though and i'm doing 40+ miles in about 4 Hrs so i just need to step it up a bi more and i sholud be fine :?:
Do you have a speedo?
If not I would suggest getting one and calibrating it correctly.
But if you are averaging 20mph over 40 miles that is really good I mean thats on a MTB too!0 -
40 miles in 4 hours is an average speed 10 mph.
That's a far more credible speed for a long-ish run on a mountain bike that 19mph
At that pace you'd have to expect to be in the saddle 5-6 hours a day for the 4.5 days of the whole ride. If you can manage that, you're set.
On the other hand, if you can beg, borrow, or steal a road bike, you'll quite possibly find your average speed is up by 2-3 mph without any extra effort. And that means half an hour less in the saddle each day.0
