Long distance mountain biking for charity?

theoallen

Hey guys,

I am looking to do a sponsored bike ride next summer for charity, but I'm unsure as to where to ride. I would like to do a long ride, maybe around the 1000 Mile mark and I'd like to do it over a week, maybe a bit more, I'm open to suggestions.

I'd preferably like to keep it off road although I know I may have to hit the roads at some point.

Any suggestions? One I did last year was cycling to a number of football grounds over a period of 2 weeks!

Cheers

kajjal

I would try a few practice runs. 1000 miles on a road bike in a week will be painful, if a lot of that mileage is going to be off road be very careful, as mountain bikes are slower even just on road and riding off road is a lot slower.

Angus Young

140 odd miles a day off road, for a week solid? I hope you're good. Very good...

njee20

Off road LEJOG is the obvious one.

paul.skibum

1000 miles? In a week? Off Road? You are basically talking Lands end to John O'Groats distance wise (its actually a bit more) - http://www.ctc.org.uk/article/cycling-guide/off-road-end-to-end

Definitely sponsorable as its a proper effing challenge but is it proper effing do-able for you?!

rockmonkeysc

You best be seriously fecking fit to do 140 miles a day for a week. Most fit riders couldn't manage much more than half that.

paul.skibum

140 miles a day on road would be do-able for sure. Still would hurt most riders. Off road I am not sure who would be up for that. Even on easy/moderate terrain you are looking at 10 miles per hour average, maybe up that a bit if you pick sustrans style gravel path over variable bridleways. So lets say 8-11 hours a day in the saddle.

One 8 hour day would have me bleeding into my chamois pad like a menstruating hippo. Seven days of it and I reckon I'd have worn away the flesh to expose everything from my nuts to my tail bone. Not that it would ever come to that as my legs would have dropped off before then.

mattyfez

I quite like the idea of doing a coast to coast ride Whitehaven, through the lake district, across the dales then across the North York moors finishing in Whitby.

Maybe doable in 3 days but more likely 4 for me!

Not as far in distance but very hilly. Reckon you could stick to bridal ways/singletrack for most of it with some careful planning.

guilliano

That would be a hell of a challenge for a pro to do it in a week. I wanted to take a hammer to my bike after I did the Ridgeway both ways last year and that took 4 days for 176 miles total.

End to end sounds like a good bet but wouldn't even consider 1 week to do it.

njee20

Meh, it's very doable (admittedly needs comparatively high fitness levels), and it's supposed to be achallenge.

bob6397

With careful route planning I might do this on-road in a week. On my MTB? Why would I do that to myself? I know it's for charity, but there is a difference between "Hard and worthy" and "D@mn near impossible for the average human being"

Unless you have exceptional fitness, try to limit yourself to planned 6 hours in the saddle a day. Excluding stops for food (You'll need a lot), Water and the inevitable barrage of punctures that come your way when on the really long rides.. Then when you have an issue you won't be out whilst it's going dark with any luck..

bob6397

Angus Young

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19731959#p19731959]njee20[/url] wrote:

Meh, it's very doable

140 miles a day, off road, for 7 days straight? That's "meh" and very doable?

bob6397

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19731993#p19731993]Angus Young[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19731959#p19731959]njee20[/url] wrote:

Meh, it's very doable

140 miles a day, off road, for 7 days straight? That's "meh" and very doable?

Indeed. I wouldn't do it (I probably couldn't).

I do cycling for fun. That doesn't sound like fun to me - I'd much rather do 20 slow, really technical miles in a day than 140 on a mtb. That's what the road bike is for... Right tool for the job..

bob6397

The Rookie

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19731993#p19731993]Angus Young[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19731959#p19731959]njee20[/url] wrote:

Meh, it's very doable

140 miles a day, off road, for 7 days straight? That's "meh" and very doable?

Dropping the levels of fitness caveat?

This years winner of Mountain Mayhem (solo) did about 320 miles in 24 hours (erm, single speed and rigid as well) and that has some moderately tech features, on fire road type tracks it would be easier, so yes, if you are fit enough it is possible, but its far from easy.

RAAM, PBP, LEL, all on road I know, but much further in any given 24 hours.

njee20

Yes, the fitness caveat is significant, and I'd not want to do it, but plenty of folk do more - check out Tour Divide and so on. Reckon on 15+ hour days on the bike id say, and I'd want to plot a comparatively flat route, but it's not beyond the wit of man.

People saying they'd be in tatters after 8 hours probably wouldn't get it!

The Rookie

On road I know, but a riding friend did a 600km in 48hrs when he was 16.

Ride at the right pace without going 'into the red' and as long as your arris holds out you can ride pretty much forever if fuelled and watered and able to plan the rest breaks, it's no different to walking.

njee20

I did a 23 hour (21 hours riding)/300 mile road ride in June, was boring riding slowly, but otherwise fine. Plenty of people do the South Downs double non stop in under 24 hours which is not-flat 200 mile.

With a LEJOG there'll be plenty of NCN type routes and lots of fast tracks, it's not going to be like 140 miles riding up and down Snowdon.