240 Miles non-stop
rodgers73
Posts: 2,626
I'm setting off Friday lunchtime to try and get from here (Doncaster) to Narberth in South West Wales.
The plan is to ride non-stop for 24 hours (well, I will be stopping for food and drink and toilet stops etc) or thereabouts as the total distance is 240 miles.
I'm hoping it will go well....
The plan is to ride non-stop for 24 hours (well, I will be stopping for food and drink and toilet stops etc) or thereabouts as the total distance is 240 miles.
I'm hoping it will go well....
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Ouch!! That is a lonnnnng way! Good luck and hope the weather is kind to you!0
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if you get there early will you ride around until the 24 hrs is up?
Realistically average 10mph should be fine-- the endurance bit is going to be strange, longest ive done was just over 15 hrs, 190 miles, was glad to stop, but was great for fitness for weeks after, muscles went to another level-- if you stop for no more than 15 minutes you should be fine, feeding a d drinking is the crucial thing--- good luck !!0 -
I managed 170 about 3 weeks ago so I'm reasonably confident. That was dawn til duck though rather than through the night so it's sleep deprivation that I'm most concerned about.
Sadly, the forecast is for almost non-stop rain. So, riding through central Wales in pitch black and pouring rain is probably going to lower morale a little!0 -
Very achievable if you're used to long-distance cycling. A 400km audax (and 240 miles is slightly less than that) has a time limit of 27 hours - but most riders will finish around the 24 hour mark.
If you've done the 170 miles without too many dramas or discomfort - you should be fine - it's a good jump up in distance (300ish km to 400ish km), but very doable.
Sleep deprivation will be the tough part, if you're happy with your comfort. You need to have not developed a sleep debt before going into an event - so early nights etc. in the week before an event (bit late now!). If you get the dozies - don't try and push through them, it doesn't work, you will get slower and slower and also become very dangerous (it IS possible to fall asleep on a bike and it's bloody scary). Stop, eat, sleep for 20 minutes in a cyclist's hotel (bus shelter). You will be faster for it.
Make sure you know where you are going to be able to get food once you get into the night sections (and remote welsh sections). If you're not sure, make sure you have enough rations to get you through.
I am sure you know all the rest - keep your pace steady, don't go crazy on the hills and tire yourself out, move your hands around on the bike a lot, drink often, eat often, be time-efficient every time you stop (in the 5 miles or so before you stop, make a list of everything you have to do (toilet, fill water bottles, change any clothing, sort out that rattle, whatever) - there's nothing worse than having to stop again because you forgot to do something at a stop).
Best of luck.0 -
there is more oxygen in the air when its raining, andy wilkinson broke the 24 hr record under storm conditions a few years ago, its wind thats your enemy/friend,but the night stretch will be testing, are you using quite roads,but in the middle of the night it can be a great feeling on your own -- --i think your mental strength will carry you anyhow, by the sounds of things--- what is your proposed route ?0
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marcusjb wrote:Very achievable if you're used to long-distance cycling. A 400km audax (and 240 miles is slightly less than that) has a time limit of 27 hours - but most riders will finish around the 24 hour mark.
If you've done the 170 miles without too many dramas or discomfort - you should be fine - it's a good jump up in distance (300ish km to 400ish km), but very doable.
Sleep deprivation will be the tough part, if you're happy with your comfort. You need to have not developed a sleep debt before going into an event - so early nights etc. in the week before an event (bit late now!). If you get the dozies - don't try and push through them, it doesn't work, you will get slower and slower and also become very dangerous (it IS possible to fall asleep on a bike and it's bloody scary). Stop, eat, sleep for 20 minutes in a cyclist's hotel (bus shelter). You will be faster for it.
Make sure you know where you are going to be able to get food once you get into the night sections (and remote welsh sections). If you're not sure, make sure you have enough rations to get you through.
I am sure you know all the rest - keep your pace steady, don't go crazy on the hills and tire yourself out, move your hands around on the bike a lot, drink often, eat often, be time-efficient every time you stop (in the 5 miles or so before you stop, make a list of everything you have to do (toilet, fill water bottles, change any clothing, sort out that rattle, whatever) - there's nothing worse than having to stop again because you forgot to do something at a stop).
Best of luck.
My preparations seem to be ok. I had a bike fit a month ago so my position etc should be fine.
I'm taking a small rucksack (15l) to hold some spare rations, survival bag (big plastic sack) and a few bits and bobs for when I'm in the B&B at the end/on the train ride home.
I'm mainly concerned about ensuring sufficient water supplies during the midnight-6am times when I cant just stop and buy some. I'll stick a bottle in the rucksack but doubt that will be enough to keep me at 500ml an hour, even with 2 x 750ml bottles on the frame. Any ideas??0 -
dylanfernley wrote:there is more oxygen in the air when its raining, andy wilkinson broke the 24 hr record under storm conditions a few years ago, its wind thats your enemy/friend,but the night stretch will be testing, are you using quite roads,but in the middle of the night it can be a great feeling on your own -- --i think your mental strength will carry you anyhow, by the sounds of things--- what is your proposed route ?
Very roughly its -
Doncaster-Chesterfield-Matlock-Ashbourne-Uttoxeter-Stafford-Shrewsbury-Knighton-Builth Wells-then directly SW on A Roads through Camarthen and on to Narberth0 -
Water at night can be tricky - pubs can be a saviour (take 10 mins off the bike and have an orange juice and lemonade and ask them to fill your bottles) - you just have to be prepared to deal with the locals and their incredulous looks when you tell them you've ridden 200 miles today and you've still another 50 to go!
Without delving into your schedule too much, there will be 24 hour garages obviously - there's services at Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury (which I guess you'll hit sometime around midnight as it's just under 200km to that point). Can't remember what's there - but it's definitely 24 hour. Can't think of anything in Knighton off the top of my head and the garage in Builth isn't 24 hours (has a little chef and burger king) - but you'll probably hit there too early for it to be open yet.0 -
I guess some garages will have an outside tap available even if they're closed...0
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after telford, you should be ok with your 750ml bottles and spare on oyur back, thats 2litres best part of four pints, church yards often have an outside tap especially more rural ones.0
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dylanfernley wrote:church yards often have an outside tap especially more rural ones.
This is true - but run the water for a bit - they don't get used often.
Also hanging around graveyards at night? Not my preferred option! 0 -
I never would have thought about churchyards. Although, the chances of me finding the tap in the dark is a bit slim. At least a garage forecourt is likely to be lit.0
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Bit late now but I wasn't sure what sort of carb-loading/pre-ride nutrition I should be taking in. I've been eating as many calories as possible, but not really thought about what sort. I had pie and chips yesterday, plenty of cakes and a Ginsters today. Not a great strategy maybe but dinner was noodles at least.
Any tips for next time?0 -
Hopefully you made it?
How was it and how was the weather?
I did an overnight 60 miler with some friends - warmest night ride ever!0 -
It absolutely threw it down in north wales last night, how was the ride ???0
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great effort, hope you made it ok. a bit late now but for anyone doing a similar thing get a head torch on the helmet so you can read road signs and your speedo etc.0
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I made it ok! Hellishly hard and I got rained on for 50% of the journey while the rest of the country baked.0
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Chapeau!
Sounds like tough conditions.
240 miles in 24 hours is a tough challenge - especially solo. So, really good effort!
Ever considered riding audax? If you enjoyed the suffering and mental anguish this ride poured upon you, there's hours more suffering available to you here - http://aukweb.net/events/
There are not any more long events this year (daylight getting less and less rapidly!) - but there's always next season (and if you are feeling really in need of suffering, there's always London-Edinburgh-London next year as well)0 -
top man rodgers73, a great achievement, you will reap the benefits in the coming weeks, as ever a steep learning curve them type of things, unless you do it, there is no way of comprehending the struggles involved. tres bien0
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I was pretty hard going at times.
I got rained on not long after leaving Doncaster and this meant I was wet from the word go. I had gillet and waterproof (and later arm warmers and leg warmers) on after then to lessen the wind chill factor but, having said that, I suspect the accumulated sweat would have left me just as wet anyway due to the "boil in the bag" effect of waterproofs.
The rain was off and on all afternoon, quite heavy at times too but at least the temperature was high. It eased up around early evening and I reached Shrewsbury about 10ish (115 miles). I was feeling quite low at that point as I was tired and hungry and had never really been in that situation before as it was now pitch black and I wasnt even at half distance.
I found a bench next to a roundabout that was partially covered by overgrown greenery and had a bit of a nap. I was very surprised at the effects this had as I was immediately feeling much better. A mile or so down the round was a 24hr garage where I topped up on water and food and was on my way feeling great.
Next stop was Craven Arms. This stretch was my first riding on unlit roads but my Magicshine lamp was amazing - I had the confidence to go at normal speeds given the visibilitty this thing generated! Had another nap at Craven Arms, where some local drunks must have thought I was crackers laying down in a bus shelter.
Then on to Knighton - a lovely B road stretch where you couldnt see your hand in front of your face if you stopped and switched off the light. I'd thought this would be a bit spooky but in fact it was very calming, especially as my bike was making very little noise, so it was like riding in complete silence.
Had another nap at Knighton on a bench in the town square - completely empty at 2am. Then on to Llandridnod Wells, where there were some climbs to tackle but nothing too serious. I stopped at LW for another sleep (some lovely Welsh bus shelters are brick built and quite enclosed, meaning they're windproof and very dry inside - perfect!) and when I set off the sky was just starting to lighten.
I'd hoped dawn would raise morale but it actually lowered it as the rain came again. It had been dry and quite pleasant all night, but now it was grey and depressing and the scenary was quite dull too. I slept again somewhere on the road to Llandovery (A483), which seemed to take an age to get to (more climbing involved) and again at Llandeilo. This was about 10am and I was starting to wonder if i was going to run out of steam altogether.
I was sick of getting rained on, I was sleepy, physically worn out and my stomach was churning from eating too much sugar. I was surprisingly revived though by a cup of tea at a burger van a few miles short of Carmarthen, which seemed to power me on to just short of Narberth. Then in the last 5 miles were 2 or 3 nasty hills (they merge into one dreadful climb by now!) for a real sting in the tail.
On the plus side the rain had ended not long after the stop at the van and I made it into Narberth in bright sunshine. It was fantastic to finally get off the bike when I sat down to have a bag of chips in the town square (the woman in the chip shop went a bit boggle eyed when I told her what I'd done to earn them!) and they were made even better by some knackered looking locals on a club event passing right in front of me while I ate.
That was about 1pm and after the longest shower of my life I spent most of the next 24 hours sleeping or eating at the B&B, then on trains home all day Sunday.
I'm quite sold on this sort of distance (or longer) but I'll need a few days to recover before I seriously think about doing anything similar again in the future!0 -
marcusjb wrote:Without delving into your schedule too much, there will be 24 hour garages obviously - there's services at ... Shrewsbury (which I guess you'll hit sometime around midnight as it's just under 200km to that point). Can't remember what's there - but it's definitely 24 hour.
You were right - that place was a blessing!0 -
marcusjb wrote:be time-efficient every time you stop (in the 5 miles or so before you stop, make a list of everything you have to do (toilet, fill water bottles, change any clothing, sort out that rattle, whatever) - there's nothing worse than having to stop again because you forgot to do something at a stop).
Best of luck.
This was the best tip I think - I had very little to think about anyway but being focused when I stopped really helped me to avoid any unecessary balls-ups0 -
It's not important, but I did this on a 2010 Spesh Secteur Sport (£580) with a triple and an 11-25 rear cog. Nothing fancy about it - my only upgrades run to putting some Shimano RS10s on and swapping to Conti 4 Seasons tyres.
I did wonder at times though whether a carbon bike would have saved my arse from the pounding the alu frame gave me!0 -
What a fantastic post, loved reading that and what a great achievement too!
Cheers, Michael.0 -
rodgers73 wrote:I made it ok! Hellishly hard and I got rained on for 50% of the journey while the rest of the country baked.
Now you've had a chance to think about it, would you do it again?0 -
Oh absolutely yes. I'm finding this sort of ride (i.e. Audax style stuff) suits me better than the sportives I've been doing until now. I like the challenge of having no support and the long distances, as well as the navigation which I think made the ride a lot more engaging than just following arrows.
So, I would love to, just not for a little while as my hands are still sore! :-)0 -
Love the write up , but you bottled it. You only did half the ride and gt the train home !
Seriously well done , splendid effort.
Would concur, there is something rather surreal and calming riding in the wee small hours , with just the stars for company. Memories.
I know youve mentioned it but get into audaxes. Plenty of rides like this up and down the country with like minded people. There is quite a community out there and most of them hang about on here,http://yacf.co.uk/forum/ if you haven't come across that site before.constantly reavalueating the situation and altering the perceived parameters accordingly0 -
Thanks for that. I tried an audax back in February and while it was a fine route and I enjoyed the different atmosphere it was only a short one (120km) so it ended up feeling like a slightly lonely sportive.
Are the longer ones attended by many? I'd imagine its a smallish turnout (which would be fine) but I wondered what the chances of bumping into other riders on the way were? I'd have loved to come across another cyclist on that night section.0 -
rodgers73 wrote:Are the longer ones attended by many? I'd imagine its a smallish turnout (which would be fine) but I wondered what the chances of bumping into other riders on the way were? I'd have loved to come across another cyclist on that night section.
The turn out on most of the longer distance events (300km+) is lower.
For example the most popular 600km event in the UK, the "Bryan Chapman Memorial" which is held in mid May and goes from Chepstow to Menai Bridge and back had 86 finishers this year. You will find a very different atmosphere in the night sections of these longer rides. Everyone is pleased to see another rider and often small groups form for chat, sharing lights and looking out for the route.
Next year the "National 400" is in Devon and I'm involved with the planning. We are expecting approx 100 entries0 -
Thanks for that.
I think it's the way to go for me. I'm guessing its a pretty close-knit group who do this sort of thing? Lots of familiar faces at rides etc?
Is there much advantage to joining AUK?0
