Do you stop on a long ride ?

doog442
doog442 Posts: 370
edited September 2008 in Road beginners
Dear roadies

Ive got a tricross so will never be a proper roadie despite sticking road tyres on it,wearing lycra and using it for long rides...which brings me to the question did i buy the wrong bike?

no seriously....

When you set out on a decent ride (50 miles plus whatever )is your intention to do it non stop or do any of you stop halfway look at cows / rolling fields etc and have a cuppa. (and recover :wink: )

You read posts on 'my first 50 / 100 miler etc ' however there must be a hell of a difference between someone who does 20 miles stops, 10 then stops and 10 then another stops etc, compared to a ride from A to B without stopping. The former can virtually be done by most people the latter by far fewer I expect.

The reason im asking is that im a runner and like most runners I would never consider stopping on a 10 miler for example and I find that im taking that mentality into my road riding...is that what everyone does?? am I doing the right thing or should I be a wuss , stop after 20 miles for a 2 min break etc or just hammer on at a steady pace where I can.

Go easy on me Im quite new on the road thing (and loving it by the way)

Comments

  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,695
    Depends what I'm doing. If I fancy a fast/hilly one, I'll barely take anything, and will probably stop half way for some food and to fill my water bottle, as this keeps me light (I hate getting into a tuck with things in my back pockets or climbing with extra weight). On the other hand, if I'm just doing base miles, I take food and plenty of water with me and will only stop if it's hot or really long and I need more water.
  • Mettan
    Mettan Posts: 2,103
    doog442 wrote:
    The reason im asking is that im a runner and like most runners I would never consider stopping on a 10 miler for example and I find that im taking that mentality into my road riding...is that what everyone does?? am I doing the right thing or should I be a wuss , stop after 20 miles for a 2 min break etc or just hammer on at a steady pace where I can.

    On longer Solo training rides, in general, it seems sensible to briefly stop when your body tells you to - in a similar vein, on the recent Manchester 100 miler I had a small number of literally 30-90 second stops at the road-side - that's standing over the bike, quick shake/stretch of the legs/arms, lift your head up, quick swig, and then back on it. For a moderately trained individual I'd doubt you'd "need" anything longer than that.
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    I don’t think it matters how often or at what intervals one stops provided it’s not too regularly. In essence it’s the same principle which applies to running (and other activities like hiking) – any stops should not be too frequent otherwise rhythm and stamina aren’t developed. Easily giving in when slightly challenged leads to more frequent stops, although hammering on when physically depleted or mentally not happy would be wrong too.

    If it’s any guide, most organised rides of the sportive/etape type have feeding stops at separation distances of 25-50 km, and so the organisers of these events clearly think many riders like a pause after intervals of 16-32 miles. At these, for how long riders stop varies, depending on how they feel and how competitive they are - it might be anything from just seconds, to 10-15 mins.
    I find, when club members train together, depending on their mood and the distance intended to be achieved, the stops turn out to be also at about these intervals, and their duration usually 5 mins.

    When alone I often ride 50-70 km without any stop, not because my intention is to do it non-stop but because I don’t feel the need. However, 'no stop' isn’t always the case - occasionally, especially evening rides after work, I find I need a brief 1-2 min stop after just 10 km in order to get ‘into things’ properly, maybe having a quick bite of an energy bar I have with me. So there’s no set rule.

    As a runner, your already-developed mental endurance should pay dividends, but I’m not so sure you’re right in saying most runners would never consider stopping on a 10 miler, unless you’re talking about a race or about those who can manage 10 miles in less than about 1-20. When training, slower and inexperienced runners will usually occasionally briefy stop (i.e. they walk) if trying to do this distance.
  • FCE2007
    FCE2007 Posts: 925
    I have the weakest bladder in the world so will stop 3 or 4 times on a ton ride.
    Still manage to hit the shoes, too :oops:
    Powered by Haribo. Zwift convert P.aul Laws [x]
  • neeb
    neeb Posts: 4,467
    A couple of my favorite rides (about 70km) are more or less "there and back again", and end at quite scenic spots. I always stop for a 5 minute contemplative rest and nibble at the far end before heading back, but I never stop on the way (unless you count junctions / traffic lights!)
  • loz*
    loz* Posts: 25
    I have the weakest bladder in the world so will stop 3 or 4 times on a ton ride.
    Still manage to hit the shoes, too Embarassed

    i seem to spend more time behind hedges in fields than on the saddle on some rides!!
  • I don't normally stop on rides less than about 50 miles, unless I am visiting someone. On Saturday I went on a 126 mile ride over the Gospel Pass (from Cheltenham. I stopped for about 10 minutes at Peterchurch, near Hay on Wye to buy food. At the top of the pass I stopped for about 15 minutes to admire the views and ring home. Ideally I would have rested longer having gone 65 miles to get there but I was pushed for time. I had another 15 minute break at my usual rest stop, the Bell Inn, Skenfrith.
  • I think it depends on if im training for an event or just riding. If im doing 100 mile events with no stops thats how i train. If im leading begginners club runs ill split it in half with a coffee break or there would be no enjoyment for them. A lot of 'new' roadies have been inactive and dont know how to feed and monitor their bodies(ie to them mild iscomfort from exertion can feel like hell). You wont have that issue as a runner so do what you feel but dont be afraid to stop if the mood takes you.
  • My wife and I usually stop for lunch on a Sunday ride, even if it means stopping 10 or so miles from home - simply because there's no one else at home to cook for us. If we do 50-60 miles, then shower and get food we're not got time to do anything else, so we stop for lunch, tear home in the big ring for the last 10 miles then have the rest of the afternoon to do something else.
  • Oh dear !! I have just bought my first road bike, being a mountain biker so far, and was looking forward to doing longer rides from my door to some cafe in the distance where I could enjoy a nice bacon and egg barm and a mug of coffee ! sounds like I may be barking up the wrong tree having read all the above! :roll:
  • i sometimes stop once or twice depending on how long the ride but thay are normally 90 sec stops at max, just to get a quick drink and wiggle you fingers and toes for abit
  • I generally try to stop as little as possible and so tend to take a fair bit of food/drink with me on longer rides; the little extra weight doesn't really bother me (I'm no lightweight to start with), and when I'm eating I'll put in virtually no effort so I get a little bit of a break anyway. I'm sure there's nothing to be gained from this approach, but like the OP I'm a runner too and never, ever stop when doing that (no point anyway - there's no shops on the fells!), so seem to have carried this approach over to my cycling.

    To spondonchris: I shouldn't worry, I reckon I'm the weirdo for not stopping at cafes when out and about! On one of my typical rides out into the Dales I'll see more bikes outside cafes than on the road, and I'm sure many of the area's tea shops would go bust if it weren't for the lycra brigade!
  • Oh dear !! I have just bought my first road bike, being a mountain biker so far, and was looking forward to doing longer rides from my door to some cafe in the distance where I could enjoy a nice bacon and egg barm and a mug of coffee ! sounds like I may be barking up the wrong tree having read all the above! :roll:

    That's what I do to be honest. If I'm doing a 3-4hour+ ride I make sure i'm stopping in the middle for a good feed. I can't survive on nibbles, bananas and lucozade. I need cake at some point :lol:
    "A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"

    PTP Runner Up 2015
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    Never stop on solo rides as I carry what I need and I have a target to achieve normally. On our sunday club run its normally out and back with a cake stop half way(normally 30 miles) which is fine as I go for the social aspect of cycling.
  • I'm glad I'm not the only one who stops. :D
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    My girlfriend and I take a jetboil, cups, tea, coffee and cake (she is very much into tea and cake!); we ride for pleasure and stopping in a beautiful quiet spot in the countryside for a cuppa is all part of it. That's at the weekend, during the week we ride more seriously trying to approximate something like training, but all to help us ride further and more easily at the weekends. Ultimately it is all about enjoyment first, fitness second, for us, anyway, but of course the fitness is a welcome side-effect.
  • Love stopping for coffee and cake in the winter or ice cream and a smoothie in the summer. On a long ride we stop for as long as half an hour!! All part of the enjoyment for us!
  • The only time I stop (other then pee stops) is when I'm on a club ride. When I'm on my own I never stop, unless nature calls. The only other times I stop is when I come up to a red traffic light.

    The longest I've gone (virtually) non stop is 82 miles.
  • i never stop , but there again i never go for more than 2 hrs .
  • bigjim
    bigjim Posts: 780
    I'd love to know where these areas in the UK are where you can cycle without stopping for 50miles+. If it is not some idiot pulling out in front of you it is a roundabout or a set of lights that stop you. Plenty of time at the lights to attack the water bottle or pull an energy bar out.

    Jim
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    I don't like to stop unless I absolutely have to on any ride, regardless of the length.
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    On longer rides 50 miles+ I literally have to stop to take on water from a local store or
    whatever. And as long as I'm off the bike I'll do a power bar or something of that nature.
    It's not like I must not get off the bike under any circumstances. Usually anything over 50
    and I start needing food of some sort and eating energy bars while riding is kind of a
    pain so I stop for a bit. No big deal.

    Dennis Noward
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    I ride for enjoyment more than anything and I enjoy it more if I can stop for lunch, a pint, a flapjack, to look at the view, whatever. After 30 miles I start getting properly tired and possibly bored, sore or annoyed, and look forward to the stop in the middle as much as the ride itself. But then I'm not training for anything - if you are then clearly your training needs have to be taken into consideration.
  • only occasionally stop on long rides, and then usually if with mates, and the pub or tea rooms are calling.
    If I'm on my own, I'll occasionally stop for a coffee somewhere, but otherwise, eating drinking and peeing are all done on the move..
  • Aidanw
    Aidanw Posts: 449
    I take the same view as I do when hill walking, that is never to stop to rest except at summits...


    ... however it is encouraged to pause to take photographs whenever you want :)