Reasonably long charity ride

scrumpymonkey

Hi everyone,

Just looking for some general thoughts and ideas regarding a charity bike ride I'm doing later in the year. I'm participating in the RM350 http://www.rmctf.org.uk/event/554/RMRIDE350/ which will be raising funds for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund [urlhttp://www.rmctf.org.uk/][/url]. My aim is to complete the ride in under 24 hours, preferably 23.
I'm pretty happy with my training and nutrition having lost over 2 stone so far and aiming for another stone off in the next couple of months :shock: .I've been debating whether to invest in a new bike and can't decide whether it's worth the investment. I'm currently running a Raleigh Airlite 400 which I picked up cheap from Wiggle Christmas 2012. It's done me well and I've upgraded the wheels to Shimano RS31's which are fine if a little flexible when stood on the pedals, and the BB bearings to Hope Ceramics to give them a bit more longevity. The bike weighs in at about 10.5kg and I'm struggling to justify forking out for another bike to save a few more kilograms as my weight loss has been the most significant factor in improving my performance. It's pretty comfy and I've spent up to 4 hours non stop on the bike with no major discomfort issues.
What I'm looking for are any ideas, thoughts and comments from anyone who has undertaken long distance endurance rides about their experiences and bike thoughts. All comments welcome, thank you.

drjohnson84

Food:
Eat and drink - little and often. Do not rely solely on energy foods/gels as they will turn your stomach - so try to involve some 'normal' food. After 10 hours on the bike eating and drinking sugar, a ham and cheese sandwich will look like a full roast dinner

The most important thing is to trial all the food you are planning to eat before the event - you don't want to leave anything to chance.

Bike choice:
for long distance, fit and comfort on the bike is the most important thing. If your bike is set up comfortably then leave it be and don't faff about buying something new. Maybe spend some money on a good pair of tyres with decent puncture protection and low rolling resistance like Vitorria Pave's.

Wirral_paul

Well that certainly looks an epic ride you are planning - so good luck with that.

To be honest - i think you would be better looking at ensuring you and the current bike are as comfortable as possible rather than spending £1000+ on a new bike to save maybe 3kg. Maybe look into a bike fit if you havent already, good quality shorts and shoes, decent lights etc. Also, if your frame will take them then some decent 25mm tyres will help on the comfort and handling stakes - having gone to 25mm tyres myself I am really happy on them.

marcusjb

That's a great challenge and far from easy (and I say that from a background of long distance cycling).

If the bike is comfy - stick with it, just make it more comfy! On every long ride you do, think about the bits that hurt - and take steps to make them not hurt. Wider tyres with slightly lower pressures are going to be a big help in ironing out road buzz. Think about even a tiny niggle in your shoulders (or wherever) - if that's a tiny niggle at 100 miles, it could be agony at 200, and too much at 300.

As drjohnson84 says - food and drink - so many people end up packing on long rides due to digestive issues. Work out what does and doesn't work for you. Most people can not handle energy gels for such long periods, so try and focus on real foods - flapjacks, dried fruits, sandwiches, whatever. Find out what they plan to serve at the rest stops. Keep hydrated - it's very easy to become dehydrated on long rides, and once it starts, the downhill trajectory can be steep - you will become unable to eat anything, stomach cramps will cripple you etc. I use Nuun tablets to keep on top of salts etc. (and because they taste nice, I drink more), one bottle plain water, one Nuun.

Finally - sort yourself out mentally - have no doubts that you're going to finish, know what you're going to do in the event of a mechanical (I have seen even a puncture cause people to unravel and fall to pieces), know when to put on extra layers etc.

Break the ride into smaller chunks (NEVER focus on the end mileage - it can be very destructive to have ridden hard for 100+ miles and then to think "I've still go XXX miles to go". You're only ever riding smaller chunks - 50 miles or whatever between feed stops. Your brain can better cope with that idea of a few hours riding before a cup of tea etc.

As you approach any stop, make a list of things you need to do - I need to sort out that squeaky chain, have a dump, put on my arm warmers etc. - there's nothing worse than setting off from a stop and suddenly realising you didn't do something (actually there is; someone else realising they didn't do something and the whole group stopping because they are a f***wit).

Training - find local Audaxes - not only will you get used to big distances (at a slightly more leisurely pace than the main ride you are planning), but you'll meet people who have masses of experiences in big distances and will be able to advice on pretty much anything and everything.

scrumpymonkey

Many thanks for all the replies, they all have great value to me. I'm hoping this will the first of many endurance events for the future. If anybody would like to keep track of how I go, I've got a Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/monkeybikeride
Thanks once again.

marcusjb

I wish you all the best as it is a genuine challenge.

We're hopefully enjoying a mild spring - so keep on getting the miles in, big miles. Clocks go forwards soon as well - more time on the bike in the evenings.

Do look at some Audax - 300s start at the end of this month, 400s in late April, 600s in mid-May. To be on target, you need to be taking 12 hours for 300s (180 miles), but you may be a little behind schedule, but remember you are navigating yourself (if your 350 mile ride is way-marked and you'll have to stop at a cafe/shop/garage for food on an Audax (rather than a road-side feedstop ready and waiting for you) - so don't get too down if you don't quite make that target.

http://aukweb.net/events/

scrumpymonkey

That's fantastic, thank you very much.

meanredspider

I did the Rat Race Road Trip last year and noticed that a lot of the guys who were doing the 440 miles in two days were suffering from tight Achilles. I did the 4-day version and my left Achilles was a little tight too so I asked The Bike Whisperer (who did my bike fit) if there was any specific reason for all these Achilles tightness issues. His response was that it would have been good to do some Achilles strengthening exercises ahead of the event - the usual sort of thing: standing with toes on a step and lifting a lowering yourself. Your ride is pretty epic by any standards so you might want to consider this as a specific exercise as well as getting the bike fit. You might also consider getting a couple of different pairs of mitts for the ride to change any pressure points that might build up. Great shorts are going to be important too. Good luck - it's a challenge befitting the charity.

scrumpymonkey

Thanks, that's another issue I was not aware of. Achilles exercises added to the list.

northpole

Not much to add to the earlier comments, merely reiterate:
- Bike - stick with what you have;
- Bike - obvious point, but make sure all mechanicals are in tip top shape to reduce chances of gears/ chain/ brake problems, etc.
- Bike fit - because you'll be in a pretty much fixed riding position for pretty extreme time periods, chances are you'll benefit greatly from a good bike fit session. That fixed position means that even a slight irregularity in cleat positions can very slightly throw your balance out. Nothing you'll notice on medium to long rides necessarily, but the repetitive nature of pedaling for 350 miles will exacerbate any flaw. Two folks I know have just completed the London - Cannes MIPIM ride (1,500km in 6 days). One of them has picked up tendon problems; the other has muscle problems above one knee. They are both very strong riders - just not used to the distance and both cursing that they didn't have a good bike fit before the off!
- Clothes - pay attention to this as it can make a huge difference - good quality shorts and mitts are vital, as is a decent fitting helmet. The other aspect is to make sure you have the right layers available to suit the weather.
- Food - as others have said, you can't rely solely on energy bars and drinks - you'll pay a heavy price long before the end. What works for me are rolls with decent ham and cheese nibbled at from time to time rather than eaten quickly - too much food in the belly is not a good thing when riding!
- Sun cream - last but not least - yesterday, middle of March and I managed to get burnt to a crisp riding down to Brighton. Didn't think for a moment that the sun would be strong enough to require cream - don't make my mistake!!

Good luck!

Peter

scrumpymonkey

Many thanks once again to all the posts. Going to get booked up for a bike fit with a (reasonably) local cycling physiotherapist. I'm going to look at different bits and bobs, shoes, shorts, mitts and my bloody helmet has got to go. Irritated the hell out of me this morning after half an hour on the bike as I was trying to focus on anything that niggled and that was the only thing apart from squeaky/ clunky pedal.
I'm trying to do a single longer ride each week and have got to point where I need to add additional nutrition into the rides so will have an experiment with what works.
Thanks once again to all the posters and I'll let you know how it goes.