London - Paris....advice please

surfatwork

Hi, I am fairly new to proper cycling, but signed up to a London-Paris charity ride next Sep. Any tips much appreciated. A few questions that come to mind...
1. Training program: I am just starting out, so how would you suggest I work my way upto being able to do 80-100miles in a day, and for 3 days consecutively?
2. Any suggestions on bikes would be welcome: will a £650 range or less road-bike do, or do I need a £1000 one or something even more pricey? Of course, I completely realize that the best bike is only as good as the engine.....so
3. I am currently banging away on an old MTB - my idea being that if I can do 30-40miles on an MTB, I should be fit enough (i.e. have the strength and stamina) to ride 80miles on a road bike. What do you guys think?

thanks

grechzoo

1. definitely need a few 60-80 mile rides under you belt. and in quick succession. but bear in mind. on the ride, with everyone around you. it will be easier to push yourself past your limits and hit 20+ miles over your average.

2. as long as the bike is comfortable and and feels nimble and fast under you, then price has no bearing. get to shops and test ride as many as possible.

3. thats too much of an increase. its true road bikes give MUCH less percieved effort than a mtb, but you would probably get away with another 10 miles or so, not more. in my opinion, the overall fatigue of a long ride on a road bike compared to a mtb is a massive difference, but it wont double your distance.

surfatwork

thanks, @grechzoo

smidsy

Train on the bike that you intend to do the actual trip on (so get it sooner rather than later) as this will mean you get comfortable on that machine and sort out positioning etc.

If you can ride 80 miles you will be able to manage the last 20, but the key is your recovery rate as you need to do this on consecutive days, so do 3 days at 80 miles a day to make sure you body can do that.

Oh... and learn to like horse meat and snails!!!!

str1ker1212

Well done for taking up the challenge.

As above, buy your bike asap so you can train on it and shape your arse to the saddle!

Just an idea for you, as i am training for an 8 day JOGLE in June next year. With regards to getting some miles in your legs, we are going to ride 120 miles to somewhere, stay in a travelodge and cycle the 120 miles home the following day. This will prepare us (at least a little) for the 100+ miles every day for 8 days with no rest. It will be a massive shock to the system but will definately help.

Maybe give it a go, time permitting!

smidsy

str1ker1212 wrote:

With regards to getting some miles in your legs, we are going to ride 120 miles to somewhere, stay in a travelodge and cycle the 120 miles home the following day.

Why not just ride 60 miles away from home and back in the same day and then do that again the next day. Save on hotels??

Buckie2k5

smidsy wrote:

str1ker1212 wrote:

With regards to getting some miles in your legs, we are going to ride 120 miles to somewhere, stay in a travelodge and cycle the 120 miles home the following day.

Why not just ride 60 miles away from home and back in the same day and then do that again the next day. Save on hotels??

the mrs is at home moaning

smidsy

If you want an excuse for a bevvy and a night out with the boys do not flower it up in some kind of training coblers :-)

robertsims

smidsy wrote:

If you want an excuse for a bevvy and a night out with the boys do not flower it up in some kind of training coblers :-)

Quite the opposite. Think this is genius! Obviously we know it's all totally unnecessary but to the Mrs...perfect!

graemematheson

I did L2P a couple of years ago over 3.5 days. IMHO you'll need a couple of days of 80+ miles under your belt. As has been previously said you're rate of recovery is as important as anything else. My legs were fine on day 2 but day 3 was a bit brutal.

Buy & use chamois cream, consider getting proper road SPD shoes & pedals.

Get your bike soon as you can and get used to spending lots of hours on it. Ignore the nonsense about slammed stems, saddle vs bar heights. Get a position that works for you and stick with it.

Are you doing it as part of a group? If so, make sure that the route is either signed or one of you has a GPS. I wasted lots and lots of time following a very badly waymarked route on day one of my ride.

Finally, enjoy it. The french roads are generally very good, and the drivers could teach most in the UK a thing or two about courtesy to cyclists. We had an HGV follow a small group that I was in on day three, he sat behind us for 1/2 a mile until he could see he was clear to pass, gave us loads of room and a friendly shout of Allez Allez on the way past. I can genuinely say I've never experienced that with HGVs in the UK!

I have GPX files somewhere for the route I followed, if you want them drop me a line. I think most groups follow largely the same routes.

divingrob

I did L2P with little training, the thrill and adrenaline will get you there.

nick1972

I'd love to do L2P but the charity rides I've seen require guaranteed sponsorship of £1400.00.

Enjoy the ride

surfatwork

thanks everyone, loads of good info. I did manage to pick up a used 2011 Scott S30 for a very good price over the weekend, so will make sure I spend lots of time on it. As i read somewhere, I am sure it can be done with not much training, but I suspect I will enjoy it more if I train and am prepared.
@nick - if you register directly with the British Heart Foundation, you need to raise just £500 - more is of course better. http://www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/even ... cycle.aspx
thanks, Graeme - PM'ed you with my email for the GPX files.

str1ker1212

Buckie2k5 wrote:

smidsy wrote:

str1ker1212 wrote:

With regards to getting some miles in your legs, we are going to ride 120 miles to somewhere, stay in a travelodge and cycle the 120 miles home the following day.

Why not just ride 60 miles away from home and back in the same day and then do that again the next day. Save on hotels??

the mrs is at home moaning