Hardest thing(s) you found from endurance events?

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taztaylortaz
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2017 4:10 am

by taztaylortaz

The best piece of equipment that helped me through my first century was a heart rate monitor.

It's easy to get too enthusiastic during the first hour or two, especially if you hook up with a group of fitter riders. Stay out of the anaerobic zone so you can maintain a good pace throughout the ride. You have to learn to let faster riders go and drop back if the group you're with is pushing you - even if you feel really good. There's always a group behind that you can hook up with. By being diligent at staying in my aerobic heart rate zone even when my head was telling me to go harder, I was able to finish the century comfortably (besides the last hour boredom and saddle fatigue).

After you get experience with distance rides, you'll have a better idea of how much energy/recovery it takes to complete a particular distance.

Also, charity rides are sketchy at the start. Don't use a bunch of energy going with the front group, but also be alert and get away from less experienced riders.

Finally, don't change your bike or your fit on the bike during the last week-2weeks before event. You want to be comfortable and also *trust* your bike without thinking about it.

Hope this helps...

RussellS
Posts: 916
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:31 am

by RussellS

Boshk wrote:
Fri Jan 19, 2018 12:02 pm
I'm thinking about this charity event next year 2019 which is an endurance ride of around 340miles/550km+
Unlike almost everyone else responding to this question, I actually have real life experience riding distance events. You are planning for a piddly 550km event a year and a half in advance? Planning for a 1200km event a year and a half in advance does make sense. But not a measly 550km ride. Your fascination with equipment in your question is typical of the vast, vast majority of new stylish riders. On PBP every four years, 1200+km, hundreds of people ride the hilly terrain on fixed gear bikes with fenders and generator lights and big saddle bags. So obviously equipment is as meaningless as the bug in the ditch.

1. Ride many centuries and a few 200 mile events before hand. Work on speed. Its better to train by racing a 60 mile ride than to slog through a 120 mile ride. Dedicate yourself to getting faster. On short 60 mile rides and longer 120 mile rides. Always focus on speed.
2. For events of 300km and above, food matters. Your digestion will give out long before anything else. If you puke and can't eat and drink, you are dead. Tired muscles are easy to fix. Just stop and rest a few minutes every few miles. But if you're puking, you're done. Your stomach cannot recover in one hour like your muscles can. On 300km and above rides I usually used powder mixes. Mix them in your water bottle and get several hundred calories. Can't remember which one I used other than it was chocolate flavored. And I mixed in some protein powder too. Gave me several hundred easily digestible calories and a little protein too every hour and the water its mixed from. Carried several extra Ziploc bags of the powder to mix along the ride. Juices, gels, simple easily eaten food is also good. But after 12 plus hours of riding exercise, your stomach stops working. And I love to eat food. In excess all the time. I love food and eating. But I am affected in the stomach on long, long rides.
3. Mental. After you get in strong, good, fast shape, mental tends to be less important. If you are riding strong and fast, then you don't really doubt your ability to finish. But keep a strong mental focus and always go forward with conviction. Be a mean SOB and finish.

After PBP there are various surveys done about why people failed. In only a few cases is equipment the reason. Yes there are a few who break wheels and cannot get a replacement. But its a small number of the hundreds and hundreds of failures. Being a slow rider and not meeting the time deadlines is a big reason for failure. Stomach troubles and not being able to eat and drink is another huge factor. Lack of sleep and exhaustion is a reason for failure but this is closely associated with being a slow rider and having to ride non stop always and not sleep for four straight days. So lack of sleep is really just being slow.
Last edited by RussellS on Sat Jan 20, 2018 7:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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yinya
Posts: 229
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:06 pm

by yinya

I would recommend working on your back/neck muscles. Good fit, etc. will help of course.


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Boshk
Posts: 462
Joined: Wed Jul 19, 2017 2:59 am

by Boshk

AJS914 wrote:
Fri Jan 19, 2018 4:29 pm
Is this charity ride a multi-day ride? People that I've know who have done this sort of thing have had a blast.

Just get in some proper training and mileage this year. At least once a week, try to poke past your longest ride to get your time in the saddle up to at least the longest day you'll do on the ride.

Another strategy is to string together 3 or 4 days into a mini training camp - like 3 hours on Friday, 4 hours on Saturday, and 6 hours on Sunday. if you do this once every couple of months it will bring your fitness to a higher level each time. By the time you do the charity ride, the distance and time in the saddle won't seem daunting at all.
No, single day. Starts at 6am in Manchester UK and finish down in London....

Thanks for all the advise, tons of stuff to think about.

As I've said, 500km is alot, I know some of your guys do 1000km, I actually can't even comprehend that, at an average of say 30kph.....it would take me 16hrs to complete... Heck...i can't even stay awake for 16hrs straight without getting drowsy at some point during the day let alone cycle constantly for 16hrs minus pit stops

If I was reading it correctly, I think the fastest guy/girl for the 2017 event was over 12hrs and slowest 18hrs+
3 pits stops in between.

bilwit
Posts: 1526
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:49 am
Location: Seattle, WA

by bilwit

964Cup wrote:
Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:18 pm
Don't go too fast, ever. If you go into the red it will hurt you for the rest of the ride.
This x100. You can do 1-2 hour rides every day for years and still not really know how important this until you go on longer rides. Every effort you make in the red will cost you later.

AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

Boshk wrote:
Sat Jan 20, 2018 5:35 pm
No, single day. Starts at 6am in Manchester UK and finish down in London....

Thanks for all the advise, tons of stuff to think about.

As I've said, 500km is alot, I know some of your guys do 1000km, I actually can't even comprehend that, at an average of say 30kph.....it would take me 16hrs to complete... Heck...i can't even stay awake for 16hrs straight without getting drowsy at some point during the day let alone cycle constantly for 16hrs minus pit stops

Are you sure you want to do this? Personally, I'm bored after 80-100 miles in the saddle. I couldn't imagine 300 no matter what the training I've done.

RussellS
Posts: 916
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:31 am

by RussellS

.
Last edited by RussellS on Sat Jan 20, 2018 7:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

RussellS
Posts: 916
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:31 am

by RussellS

Boshk wrote:
Sat Jan 20, 2018 5:35 pm
Heck...i can't even stay awake for 16hrs straight without getting drowsy at some point during the day let alone cycle constantly for 16hrs minus pit stops
A lot of new distance riders have this funny concern. Its not a problem. Sleep deprivation does not affect you until you have been awake for at least 48 hours straight. No one falls over asleep at 24 hours. And the 48 hours of not sleeping also requires you to be physically beaten down and mntally exhausted from riding non stop almost and worrying your mind about meeting time cutoffs. No one abandons 750+ mile PBP until well after the halfway point in miles and time (90 hours total for 750+ miles).

I rode the first half of PBP without sleeping. Paris to Brest, 375 miles. In about 26 hours total elapsed time. Plus I was awake 6 hours before we left at 7 PM. And I was awake 1 hour after getting to Brest to eat and shower. So I was awake about 33 hours or so. And when I went to sleep after this it was not because I was sleep deprived and ready to fall asleep instantly. It was because I knew I had several hard days ahead and physically needed to rest my body. I made myself go to sleep. I was still mentally awake and up and racing in my mind when I told myself to go to sleep.
Last edited by RussellS on Fri Aug 24, 2018 3:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

dim
Posts: 596
Joined: Fri Oct 13, 2017 11:25 am
Location: Cambridge UK

by dim

first thing, is to get a bike that fits properly for long distance .... this includes the saddle, bar width, cleat setup, and general bike setup

once this is right, you are on your way to do long distance, as long as:

you train properly ....

many say that what you ride in a week, you can ride on a day .... so start increasing your distances, and do some long quality rides that involve some steep hills .... it does not have to be far rides , but they need to be fast rides with high cadence

start experimenting with nutrition (what to eat and when to eat), aswell as hydration (don't drink enough and you will have constipation and cramp the next day)

dress warm, and have decent lights if you are going to ride in the dark ...

when you are tired, equate your ride to things such as : 'I only need to ride another 50km today .... that is easy as it's only 4 times to work and back' (that works well with me)

other to that, it's up to you .... what you put in, is what you will get out ... so start pedalling 8)
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Miyata One Thousand

DutchMountains
Posts: 103
Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2016 9:16 pm

by DutchMountains

500km in 12 hours, on public roads and including three pitstops, I find that hard/impossible to believe. In fact, I think 18 hours is an excellent time. If that's what the pace is going to be and your "longest is only about 2hrs of relaxed riding" at the moment then you'll have a hard time to say the least.

My first >200 was 18 months ago, a 400km brevet that started at 9pm in the dark. Most important lesson: don't leave the spare batteries for your GPS on the kitchen table! I finished in 19 hours sharp, estimated 17 hours in the saddle. (my cycling history is loaded touring, never raced)

As for training: schedule a 4-5 hours ride every weekend. And ride, no matter what the weather is. Tempo should be low, mid-D1 preferably. Sweet spot interval training may be more efficient time-wise, but these long rides will allow you to find if your bike setup (position of saddle etc) needs small adjustments, will get your butt get used to long hours in the saddle (and find whether your bibs are good enough), lets you experiment with what food you can/like to eat when riding and generally lets you get a feel what it is like to ride for hours on end. These rides are not just physical training but mental training as well, especially when the weather is pouring down on you... Supplement with interval training (on an indoor trainer preferably) and workouts to improve your core stability. On the latter: find something that you like (or at least not hate) doing. I considered stronglifts 5x5 but ended up doing Pilates twice a week.

Equipment wise: tri-bars make you a little faster and more comfortable. It does take practice though (stretching your hamstrings, back muscles) and/or adjusting your saddle. Mount the widest, most supple tyres you can afford; again, these increase speed and comfort (the 35mm Compass Jon Bon Pass are wonderful and probably fit on your Diverge). Bibs are a very personal thing of course, but I did find red white to be excellent, actually more comfortable than the Assos shorts I own.

As to my credentials: in 2017 I finished 3x 600km, 1x 1000km and London-Edinburgh-London within the allotted time. Speaking of LEL, isn't the wind prevailingly from the South(West) in summer? And you're going from Manchester to London... (I hope you don't go through the Fenlands like we did)

Last but not least: Audax UK organizes many long-distance rides in the UK, it's a lovely way to get some experience and meet the nutters who like doing distance. And the yet another cycling forum has a very active board on long distance (audax).

Boshk
Posts: 462
Joined: Wed Jul 19, 2017 2:59 am

by Boshk

DutchMountains wrote:
Sat Jan 20, 2018 10:00 pm
500km in 12 hours, on public roads and including three pitstops, I find that hard/impossible to believe. In fact, I think 18 hours is an excellent time. If that's what the pace is going to be and your "longest is only about 2hrs of relaxed riding" at the moment then you'll have a hard time to say the least.

My first >200 was 18 months ago, a 400km brevet that started at 9pm in the dark. Most important lesson: don't leave the spare batteries for your GPS on the kitchen table! I finished in 19 hours sharp, estimated 17 hours in the saddle. (my cycling history is loaded touring, never raced)

As for training: schedule a 4-5 hours ride every weekend. And ride, no matter what the weather is. Tempo should be low, mid-D1 preferably. Sweet spot interval training may be more efficient time-wise, but these long rides will allow you to find if your bike setup (position of saddle etc) needs small adjustments, will get your butt get used to long hours in the saddle (and find whether your bibs are good enough), lets you experiment with what food you can/like to eat when riding and generally lets you get a feel what it is like to ride for hours on end. These rides are not just physical training but mental training as well, especially when the weather is pouring down on you... Supplement with interval training (on an indoor trainer preferably) and workouts to improve your core stability. On the latter: find something that you like (or at least not hate) doing. I considered stronglifts 5x5 but ended up doing Pilates twice a week.

Equipment wise: tri-bars make you a little faster and more comfortable. It does take practice though (stretching your hamstrings, back muscles) and/or adjusting your saddle. Mount the widest, most supple tyres you can afford; again, these increase speed and comfort (the 35mm Compass Jon Bon Pass are wonderful and probably fit on your Diverge). Bibs are a very personal thing of course, but I did find red white to be excellent, actually more comfortable than the Assos shorts I own.

As to my credentials: in 2017 I finished 3x 600km, 1x 1000km and London-Edinburgh-London within the allotted time. Speaking of LEL, isn't the wind prevailingly from the South(West) in summer? And you're going from Manchester to London... (I hope you don't go through the Fenlands like we did)

Last but not least: Audax UK organizes many long-distance rides in the UK, it's a lovely way to get some experience and meet the nutters who like doing distance. And the yet another cycling forum has a very active board on long distance (audax).
My bad, I was giving out false information, no idea where I got the 310miles/500km from.....

I just rechecked their website on the information for this year, it’s 220miles/350km...still Manchester to London
Apparently the hardest part is the first bit up into the Peak District, wet, wind, cold....then the last 30miles where people are in the ‘red’ .......

Still daunting to me, but will start training.
I did think about joining it this year, but figured as a new cyclist, I should take it easy and I can’t consistently training due to work etc
Last edited by Boshk on Sun Jan 21, 2018 4:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

Boshk
Posts: 462
Joined: Wed Jul 19, 2017 2:59 am

by Boshk

RussellS wrote:
Fri Jan 19, 2018 8:52 pm
Boshk wrote:
Fri Jan 19, 2018 12:02 pm
I'm thinking about this charity event next year 2019 which is an endurance ride of around 340miles/550km+
Unlike almost everyone else responding to this question, I actually have real life experience riding distance events. You are planning for a piddly 550km event a year and a half in advance? Planning for a 1200km event a year and a half in advance does make sense. But not a measly 550km ride. Your fascination with equipment in your question is typical of the vast, vast majority of new stylish riders. On PBP every four years, 1200+km, hundreds of people ride the hilly terrain on fixed gear bikes with fenders and generator lights and big saddle bags. So obviously equipment is as meaningless as the bug in the ditch.

1. Ride many centuries and a few 200 mile events before hand. Work on speed. Its better to train by racing a 60 mile ride than to slog through a 120 mile ride. Dedicate yourself to getting faster. On short 60 mile rides and longer 120 mile rides. Always focus on speed.
2. For events of 300km and above, food matters. Your digestion will give out long before anything else. If you puke and can't eat and drink, you are dead. Tired muscles are easy to fix. Just stop and rest a few minutes every few miles. But if you're puking, you're done. Your stomach cannot recover in one hour like your muscles can. On 300km and above rides I usually used powder mixes. Mix them in your water bottle and get several hundred calories. Can't remember which one I used other than it was chocolate flavored. And I mixed in some protein powder too. Gave me several hundred easily digestible calories and a little protein too every hour and the water its mixed from. Carried several extra Ziploc bags of the powder to mix along the ride. Juices, gels, simple easily eaten food is also good. But after 12 plus hours of riding exercise, your stomach stops working. And I love to eat food. In excess all the time. I love food and eating. But I am affected in the stomach on long, long rides.
3. Mental. After you get in strong, good, fast shape, mental tends to be less important. If you are riding strong and fast, then you don't really doubt your ability to finish. But keep a strong mental focus and always go forward with conviction. Be a mean SOB and finish.

After PBP there are various surveys done about why people failed. In only a few cases is equipment the reason. Yes there are a few who break wheels and cannot get a replacement. But its a small number of the hundreds and hundreds of failures. Being a slow rider and not meeting the time deadlines is a big reason for failure. Stomach troubles and not being able to eat and drink is another huge factor. Lack of sleep and exhaustion is a reason for failure but this is closely associated with being a slow rider and having to ride non stop always and not sleep for four straight days. So lack of sleep is really just being slow.
Thanks, I’ll give less thought to equipment and more to getting myself on the saddle and pushing it each time for more distance, speed and power.

And the distance I gave was wrong.....it’s only 220miles....but as I said, that concept of cycling for 12-16hrs.....is new. I actually thought of during it in sept this year but figured I know nothing about riding long-ish distance and to be very honest, passed 2hrs, I do start to get uncomfortable on the saddle, actually starts to hurt which was why I asked about bibs, fit and saddle type. I know some say you have to live though that pain to ‘condition’ your sitbone area....then it all goes away??

Anyway, appreciate your suggestion/information. Thanks.

TobinHatesYou
Posts: 12456
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

Oddly I find that my sitbones/pelvis are the least of my worries on long rides. It's all relative, so I tend to feel more discomfort in all my glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves and even hand on hilly gran fondos (115mi 11500ft elev) while not feeling as much in my pelvis/sitbone area.

Boshk
Posts: 462
Joined: Wed Jul 19, 2017 2:59 am

by Boshk

You guys who regularly do long rides, especially those who do 300 to 1000km or more in a day, (180miles+) my biggest admiration to you.... :thumbup:

Today I set off to do a 100km....from my threads, you know my most was 50km.
I failed. My legs just gave up. I managed 81km.
Took me 3:22hrs average speed 24.4km/h (15.2mph), mainly loops with some hills at max 6%.

Came home, try as best I could to cool down by stretching etc.....in the end, I actually fell asleep for an hour.

You guys who 'just' go for a 100mile ride....your endurance is inspiring.
Such a long way to go before I can even think about this 350km charity ride. :unbelievable:

JackRussellRacing
Posts: 243
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 4:32 pm
Location: USA

by JackRussellRacing

Boshk wrote:
Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:17 am
You guys who regularly do long rides, especially those who do 300 to 1000km or more in a day, (180miles+) my biggest admiration to you.... :thumbup:

Today I set off to do a 100km....from my threads, you know my most was 50km.
I failed. My legs just gave up. I managed 81km.
Took me 3:22hrs average speed 24.4km/h (15.2mph), mainly loops with some hills at max 6%.

Came home, try as best I could to cool down by stretching etc.....in the end, I actually fell asleep for an hour.

You guys who 'just' go for a 100mile ride....your endurance is inspiring.
Such a long way to go before I can even think about this 350km charity ride. :unbelievable:
YOU. WILL. DO. IT. Every big ride begins with a single turn of the crank. You rode 81km. Next time, shoot for perhaps 95km. Go with some friends, be sure to have a bit of conversation along the way... and mostly, adjust your computer/Garmin to *not* display the distance. I bet you'll be surprised how far you go (and how much more fun you have)

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