480 miles in one week - Do I need to do much extra training?

richard36

Hi

I'm hoping to spend 6.5 days travelling in Scotland sometime next May. I'll be staying in a B & B each night and will have the full day (about 10 hours) to do about 80 miles a day. I have a reasonable level of fitness - I walk and cycle often - and wonder whether I need to be doing much in the way of extra training. Particularly I want to know whether I need to be doing longer rides. At the moment the most I've done in one ride is about 40 miles over 3.5 hours.

Given that I have about 10 hours each day to do 80 miles is there any need to do long cycle runs or will my general fitness see me through.

I'll be using a hardtail MTB with slicks.

Thanks

Richard

ForumNewbie

I'm no expert but if it was me I'd want to see how comfortable I was doing a couple of say 50 mile rides on consecutive days on a couple of weekends. If you struggle with that, then you know you need a bit more training. I don't think you should just assume general fitness will mean you can do 80 miles a day for 6 consecutive days.

Even if you legs are up to it, 10 hours in saddle for 6 days in a row may be a bit sore on the old backside, especially if you are not used to it.

richard36

Forumnewbie

Thanks for your reply

You may be right. However unless I did a trial run of 6 days at 80 miles per day I'm not sure that doing one or two weekends is going to give me any indication of whether I'm going to manage when I do the actual trip.

Assuming on the trip I do have 10 hours available for cycling each day that equates to about 8 miles an hour which is hardly pushing it. I was working on 10 miles an hour which I think would be comfortable with 2 hours for rest interspersed throughout the day.

Richard

crossborderreiver

I'm not saying it isn't possible but I think you are pushing your luck and risk injury that could stop you cycling for a while. When touring, you need to look at practical places to stop. They are not necessarily 80miles apart. You cannot rely on predetermined miles per hour. Scotland isn't flat. You have to take the terrain and weather into account. Hills, head on wind and rain will not only slow you down but tire you. Also, May is early in the year. Have you thought about how you are not only going to maintain your current level of fitness but build on it over the winter?
Why the need to go round Scotland in such a short time? Why not take a bit of time to appreciate it for what it is ie a stunningly beautiful country?

nickcuk

Plan where you're going to get all those calories you'll need to consume !

priory

one or a couple of 80 mile days may not test you like the full week, but if you have real problems with even that then you know you need to get more miles in before the big trip.
Actually 8mph through the highlands is not that slow, depending on how much luggage you've got, the wind and the bigness of the climbs.

Do not push the pace on your trip. If you hurt your legs with a burst of enthusiasm it can make the subsequent 3 days slow and painful. Stop for lots of tea and cake and bacon baps but I prefer brief stops so that there is plenty of time to ride .Consider walking up steep and big hills to look after your quads for the rest of the miles .As the trip goes on you will find out what you can get away with.

It should be very enjoyable.

Terry J

toshmund

Seems quite a jump to go from a 40 mile one-off ride, to 6 days in succession (in Scottish terrain - which will presumably be more rolling to what you are used to?) with a 80 mile a day target. Think you might need more than a good pair of shorts.

richard36

Thanks to all those who have replied - your comments are appreciated

I plan on doing a fair bit of cross training over the winter and come March I'll reassess things.

I only have 6 days in which to do the ride. I'l be travelling very light and hopefully I'll pick the one week in the year when we get really good wind free sunny weather!

Richard

pneumatic

when I was preparing my first long tour from a similar base of experience, I did a couple of very long day rides just to prove to myself that I could ride over those distances. I learned quite a lot about what happens to your legs and fuel system when you do 10 or 20 miles more than you have ever done before. It can be quite a shock to the system. However, having done it once or twice, it did seem to push my tolerances for the next time, not to mention the confidence of knowing I could do it.

When you are actually on tour, you've got all day and nothing else to worry about, especially if you have booked accommodation ahead. That makes it easier to take your time and enjoy the ride.

Agree with the advice above never to push yourself too hard too early on long tour; you'll pay for it for days afterwards.

Bodhbh

Just come back from a week with similar distances and managed reasonably confortably, however spent the previous couple of weekends doing some minitours including my first 75 and 100miles. I would really recommend doign something like this, to give you some confidence on how much you can reliably do in a day, make things much easier, get some feelign for refueling and first experience of bonking (or what you call it) and where your body might start playing up (in my case my left knee).

Couple of years back and ramped up my milage hiking in a similar way to what your planning and knackered the tendons or whatever at the bottom of my foot. It didn't bother me till 2 days after finishing walking, after which I felt as fresh as a daisy otherwise. Was unable to walk 100yards without been in agony and had to take a cab to work 2-3 weeks. I'm a bit weary of these connective tissue injuries, which creep up on you and you can't always feel them after that.

richard36

Pneumatic and Bobhbh

Thanks for your replies. Very helpful.

I will, as you suggest, do several long day rides and see how it goes.

Richard

stevec205gti

As already mentioned - get out and spend at least one day riding the kind of distances you'll be planning on doing in a day to get used to feeding yourself. There's a great leap in doing the 50 miles to 80+ and you'll be really surprised about how much extra fuel you'll need to consume just to make sure you keep feeling remotely fresh.

richard36

Steve

Thanks for your reply

I'm planning to do a long weekend of cycling nearer the time after hopefully spending the winter doing lots of general training

Richard

Tim Farr

Richard you've talked about general training and cross training during the winter. By cross training I assume you mean swimming or running or working out in the gym not cyclo cross. What's wrong with riding your bike in the winter particularly in daylight hours. If you do have some easily accessed quiet roads you can ride in the evening as long as you have lights and plenty of high visibility clothing.

If you work a regular five day week then Saturday and Sunday are your opportunities to get in the miles. To do 80 miles day after day in Scotland,without too much of a struggle, you need to be cycling fit.

My tip for the actual riding on tour is 'don't hurt your legs' - don't race it. Good luck.

psmiffy

i would say not too much of a problem if you are "reasonably fit" and travelling "light" and you only do the 480miles in question

I am not that good a cyclist, not that young, ive been ortorpedically challenged in the lower limbs all my life, rarely ride more than 40 miles during non-tours - ive done two tours this year one of about the same daily mileage for 21 days the other of 10 days - an easy tour of 70miles a day and i travel heavy

main thing is to be sure that it is only 480miles - i normally add 10% to all my calculated distances when i am planning if it is doable, eat well and be prepared to put the hours in. The cross training is good idea -particulaly upper body arms, back, neck and shoulders - I find the areas that makes me decide to stop at the end of the day is not that my legs have had enough but shoulders and contact points

zonc

Interetsing - lots of good advice posted before. do yu want to enjoy this experience or are you just going to eat miles?

Scotland is ;

hilly/mountainous
remote
erractic weather wise
beautiful
stunning
and
a big country to travel by bike

Consider all these things and then...

think about escape routes...


it is a fantastic place to work and live and to tour too...do not rush it. maybe do sections
instead - Station to station west coast/Islands/ Northern, East and borders
....welcome to my country!.

zonc isle of islay

richard36

Zonc

Thanks for your reply

I too live in Scotland - in Newton Stewart, Dumfries and Galloway - hence the wish to cycle from JOG to NS. The plan is to go from JOG to Durness to Ullapool to Inverness to Oban to Claonaig over to Lochranza to Brodick over to Ardrossan then to NS.

There are several escape routes but hopefully I won't need them.

I was on Islay several years ago. I was staying in Clachan and cycled around Kintyre. I went to Gigha and also Islay. It was a horrible day weather wise and I think that has put me off Islay for life - though I'm sure it's a beautiful island!

Richard

zonc

Hello Richard,

Islay can be like that ..and is today - but yesterday it was fantastic!

Ride with all you heart and soul and enjoy. Do not push yourself too much and there is no shame in resting up - better to be a live coward in my book. (This is learned by hard experience and too many epics in the past)

have a look at
www.thewashingmachinepost.net

to see what we do here...

We are coming over for the Braveheart Ride - maybe see you there?
Slainte

Zonc/Jez

richard36

Zonc

No I won't be at the Braveheart ride. Hope you do well.

The website looks interesting. I'm sure Islay is a great place to cycle but all I can remember is getting to the island and within 10 minutes it started to rain and I was wet through. Even though I knew there wasn't another ferry until the afternoon, and from P Askaig, I still cycled to P Ellen in the desperate hope there was one back to Kennacraig. There wasn't and instead I spent about 2 hours in a cafe eating a toasted sandwich and then cycling back to P Askaig to catch the afternoon ferry. It rained all day and was windy. All in all a very miserable day!

Regards

Richard

zonc

Sounds like a usual day to me...

seriously though I am sorry for you. It is not always like this...promise!


ride well. keep in touch

zonc

Tim Farr

Other posters surprise me concerning the weather on Islay. We had two three week family holidays there - 1987 and 1988. The weather was superb. The following year we stayed on Kintyre, in that static caravan site on the east coast just north of Campbeltown - and it rained nearly every day for a fortnight!! My received wisdom was that the clouds tend to drift over Islay and then drop on Kintyre. Are there any statistics on rainfall for Islay and Kintyre??

Athough the weather was glorious, the sea was freezing. Only my eldest - she was 15 in 1987 - actually swam!! I had a lot of admiration for the schoolmistress in Bowmore who in her summer holiday was teaching kids to swim in the sea!! Perhaps there's an indoor pool today?

Limited roads for cycling on Islay but I do hanker to return, if only to see the Kildalton Cross again. Yes, a lot of good memories of Islay.

zonc

The weather on Islay is VERY different to Kintyre. It is windier here but alot less rainfall. It seems unfortunate that folks have one day here and it is pouring down.
It is not always like that! That being said we do have a sportive here called

Ride of the falling rain
www.rideofthefallingrain.net


Thanks for the words of encouragement. enjoy!

zonc

Tim Farr

Zonc - you intrigue me! A cycling sportive on Islay what a lovely idea?? What's the course and distance?? There can't be fifty miles of public roads??When?

zonc

have a look at

www.therideofthefallingrain.net

it is 100miles long, no marshalls, no signs, just turn up and ride. Lunchtime control is Ardbeg distllery! Party afterwards in Port Charlotte. Next year the sag wagon will be a tandem trike! Come and join us.

have a look at

www.thewashingmachinepost.net

Zonc

Cycling Dave

I reckon in may you should be fine. That's when we have our summer.

I have no idea how fit you are, but I managed a tour this year on a diet of commuting to work.
None of the riding days were under 60miles.

If you're travelling light then maybe just do your 40-50mile training ride with your panniers, and do a couple a week.

Just mind that it aint a race, scotland is lovely so enjoy it, and eat plenty of cake.

Cycling Dave

Just read that you're from newton, Lovely part of the world and some great cycling. Have had a couple of drunken nights in the riverside club. Good times. Happy touring bud.

richard36

Dave

Thanks for your replies

The Riverside is no more. It was knocked down to make way for an Aldi store!

I agree NS is a great place to live. Lots of nice cycling!

Regards

Richard