42 miles...Should I?

[lovelygamer]

So, I was hoping to enter a tour sometime this winter or possibly next spring depending on my advancing in cycling. I have never done one.

A fella who is working on the bike lane initiative with me has a tour coming up in two weeks, in support of his late wife. The smallest route is 42 miles.

I am considering trying to do it. Am I crazy? My longest ride has been 16 miles. I want to do more but I'm new and the heat has been too much for me to get out there.

Is 42 miles too much? If I got out and did a couple of 20+ rides before then, could I do it?

It's on July 22nd, a Sunday. It has SAG stops and starts at 6:00 a.m.

P.S. I have a hybrid bike, not a road one. Is that okay for doing short tours?

Advice is welcome. Thanks.:D
Heather

[Sky King]

of course you can, and no your aren't crazy. Starting at 6 am will be a big help with the heat. Just take your time, stop when you need to, spin as opposed to hammering on your gears.
Don't depend on the SAG stops for your fuel - take the food you are used to and the electrolyte replacement you are used to. Don't want to have stomach issues on your first big adventure.

Of course, continue to push your miles between now and the 22nd as it will be more about your fitness level than the distance.

[Kathi]

Where is the ride and what is the terrain like? If the terrain is similiar to what you're used to riding it's possible. Try ridng 30 miles and see how you feel. Keep riding the next couple of weeks but don't kill yourself.

How many people are signed up? Realize, if it's a small group and the riders are faster you may be the last one on the road at the end of the day. OK if someone is watching out for you.

Do not spend a lot of time at the sag stops, no matter how bad you feel, it will cause your muscles to stiffen and make it harder to get on the bike. Do take food with you, it's amazing how sag stops seem to be lacking in good, sustainable snacks or you start bonking in between stops.

Also, don't think of the ride as 42 miles. Break the miles up, ie, 10 miles till sag stop #1, 15 miles until sag stop #2, etc.

[Tri Girl]

of course you can do it!!! I would say to just get in as many rides as you can between now and then. Even if they aren't especially long, if you ride some every day (resting when needed), you will have built up some endurance.
Go for it!! My motto is always: don't wait- do it!

[lovelygamer]

Terrain is flat, like I am used to. I think it may be a small ride though and I am super slow. I'd be alone in the back, for sure. I really would like to support the effort though. It's a great cause.

The more I think about it, the more I think I would be better off to try for one this fall...like the Seagull Century in October. That's in my home town and has a 62 mile option. I hear those SAG stops are the bomb. I would have a few months to prepare for that one.

Some of my concerns besides physically being able to last the tour are that I don't have all the necessary gear yet for longer rides, such as padded shorts and/or a cambelback. My bike only carries one drink. I shoved one in the back of my jersey yesterday.

You can register up until the night before the event. I think I'll amp up my riding and see if I can get some more gear and wait until that last night before the ride to commit.

[PamNY]

Perhaps you could ask how fast the group is likely to travel? I'm a (happily) slow cyclist, which keeps me away from some group rides.

As far as shorts with a chamois, are you comfortable without it? Some people don't need padding.

Regardless of what you decide, it's nice that you have choices.

[withm]

I have ridden many of those roads, the ride should be lovely. It's flat, but will likely be windy, but that's the nature of the terrain here. 42 miles - sure why not, but just to be realistic, consider a few things.

What is your average speed? If you can maintain 15mph, you have under 3 hours of saddle time. But say you average 10mph, it will be over 4 hours of sitting in the saddle. Longer with stops. If your derriere can take it, go for it. As a new rider whose longest ride has been 16 miles, you have to ask yourself why you stopped at 16 miles (heat notwithstanding), and how you felt at the end. Did you still have energy at the end to go farther?

I don't know how many riders this ride attracts, but you must expect and be prepared for many long and fast pacelines whizzing past. Be careful not to make any sudden moves, keep to the right, and be sure there is not one bearing down on you if you need to veer to the left to avoid other cyclists, road debris, potholes, etc. If there are any left turns on the route, be sure the area is clear before you turn. Do you have a mirror? Most of the really fast riders will probably be on the 100 mile route, but if the routes overlap you'll have to deal with this.

The route is posted online so you can familiarize yourself with it either by car, or go and ride portions of it prior to the event. You might want to plot out a shortcut if you think you might be unable to complete the entire route.

"Sag" means different things for different rides. It may be any combination of food, rest area, or porta-potties; or not. It may be someone handing out Cliff bars from the back of his truck. Be sure to find out when each station shuts down - there is nothing worse than dealing with a flat tire, or getting lost, and finally arriving at the rest stop only to find everyone gone. SAG It may mean mechanical help in the event of a flat tire or other breakdown, or not. But you may be waiting a long time for assistance. It may mean a ride back to the start - but usually that's only in the event of an unfixable repair, not for a tired rider. Be sure to bring your cell phone, and have a back up plan.

Riding with a group will enable you to go farther and faster than usual; you'll have incentive to keep up with your riding companions, and the social nature of the beast keeps boredome at bay. This ride will be more fun for you if you are riding with someone who is at your level. It can be someone you meet that morning or a friend. But many can be easily discouraged by the racers flying by at 25mph.

Have fun, and be sure to let us know how it was.

[Cynedra]

If you really don't think you can ride which you probably could, maybe you can volunteer to work at one of the SAG stops instead. You would still be helping and supporting the cause without overdoing it on your bike. Maybe you could ride your bike to the SAG stop they put you at.

[7rider]

The more I think about it, the more I think I would be better off to try for one this fall...like the Seagull Century in October. That's in my home town and has a 62 mile option. I hear those SAG stops are the bomb. I would have a few months to prepare for that one.


This 42 mile event would be excellent training for the Seagull.

Not sure how large this ride would be (the Seagull is ridiculously huge), but chances are you may have folks to ride with. If you could do 20-25 miles solo, you could certainly do 42 with support and others around you. And, if you feel totally zonked and you feel you bit off more than you can chew - the ride is supported right? (confirm the SAG support, as Withm recommended) Flag down a SAG vehicle (or wait for one at a rest stop) and grab a ride to the end. That's what they're there for - and it's not like no other cyclist has ever taken a SAG to the end before (cough, cough...been there, done that).

Good luck. Have fun.

[emily_in_nc]

I think it's time to get some real bike shorts, too. :)

[Kathi]

This 42 mile event would be excellent training for the Seagull.

Not sure how large this ride would be (the Seagull is ridiculously huge), but chances are you may have folks to ride with. If you could do 20-25 miles solo, you could certainly do 42 with support and others around you. And, if you feel totally zonked and you feel you bit off more than you can chew - the ride is supported right? (confirm the SAG support, as Withm recommended) Flag down a SAG vehicle (or wait for one at a rest stop) and grab a ride to the end. That's what they're there for - and it's not like no other cyclist has ever taken a SAG to the end before (cough, cough...been there, done that).

Good luck. Have fun.

It depends on the ride. Most rides and tours discourage sagging unless you have a major break down or health issue. If you cannot physically do the route you shouldn't be there. Small rides have limited funds and can't afford to have sag drivers picking up people and running them to the end of the route. Sometimes volunteers will pick you up but often they don't have any way transporting your bike.

Since the ride is in your area you could have a personal sag who would pick you up if you feel you can't make it. If you chose to do this please have the personal sag use an alternate route.

And, yes, I have sagged but only in cases of emergency, like an asthma attack.

[Jiffer]

Here's my two cents. I think you most likely "could" do it. But I also think you might be happier waiting to do the 62 in October.

I basically agree with your idea to get in more miles and see how you feel right before the event. There's a lot to be said for "base miles". The more you get in before a long event, the easier that event will be. You might be able to do the 42, but it might be unpleasant (or it might not be). Maybe you don't care about unpleasant, though, and rather love the idea of accomplishing it one way or the other.

I had done a century on a tandem and almost a year later was training to do my first century on my own bike. As I amped up my miles, I was having a hard time. I did a 60-ish mile ride a few weeks before and was pretty miserable. I decided to ditch the century idea and do the metric (about 62). I was SO much happier doing that ride, which I was more physically prepared for. And using that ride as a training ride I ended up doing a full century three weeks later.

As a side thought, after that miserable 60 miler, I also had my bike professionally fit, which made a huge difference in my comfort and riding ability.

Anyway, it's good that you have flexibility and options. When it's closer to the event you can better determine if you are ready. If not, you can keep getting in miles and probably do the Metric in October just fine.

[Jiffer]

By the way, you mentioned you had one bottle cage. Is there not space to put a second?

[indysteel]

It depends on the ride. Most rides and tours discourage sagging unless you have a major break down or health issue. If you cannot physically do the route you shouldn't be there. Small rides have limited funds and can't afford to have sag drivers picking up people and running them to the end of the route. Sometimes volunteers will pick you up but often they don't have any way transporting your bike.

Since the ride is in your area you could have a personal sag who would pick you up if you feel you can't make it. If you chose to do this please have the personal sag use an alternate route.

And, yes, I have sagged but only in cases of emergency, like an asthma attack.

As someone who has driven a SAG vehicle, I totally agree with this. I've had to drive people in who arguably shouldn't have done the ride in the first place or who made some bad choices along the way (like not stopping for food at any of the stops and then bonking). Yes, the SAG drivers are there to help, but it should be limited to mechanicals and medical issues. When a SAG driver is busy driving somebody in who was simply undertrained, then they are unable, oftentimes, to deal with other distress calls.

[murielalex]

Get out there next weekend and see if you can do 30 miles without too much struggle. If that's fine, I say go for it.

[lovelygamer]

Thank you everyone, for your knowledgeable feedback. I can't say what is going to happen with the ride in two weeks but I'm pretty sure I want to do the metric at the Seagull Century this year. I hope some of the others here in Maryland will come down and do it as well. :D

[goldfinch]

I did my first long ride as a charity ride with a group after riding about five/six months. It was 48 miles. I also used a hybrid bike but put slick tires on it. I worked up to it, my longest ride was about three weeks before the charity ride, at 37 miles. It was a tough ride for me and I ended up riding alone most of the time because I am slow. Having the rest stops with food and water helped tremendously. The ride was flat and there was almost no wind, which also helped a lot. I also was helped by the fact that there was a 25 mile group that started after my group so there were plenty of people around and it wasn't like I was the last person to the rest area, coming in late and discovering that all the food was gone. My ride had a recommendation that you be able to average at least 12mph, otherwise you might not finish before the rest areas closed. I wasn't quite averaging that speed before I did the ride. But riding a group ride does make you faster so I averaged above 12mph, actually close to 13mph.

My rear end got a bit sore and I certainly was glad to have bike shorts.

I am much older than you and totally lacked any fitness when I started biking . So, for me I seriously doubt that I could have ridden 40 plus miles without having ramped up slowly over several months. I think a younger person who is more fit might be able to bully there way through such a ride. Or not. You might end up being just too uncomfortable on the bike with that length of time in the saddle. I agree with those who suggest trying out a 30 mile asap and see how it goes. It is simply too hard for us to guess whether the ride makes sense for you. I remember that you had problems with the fit of your bike only a few weeks ago and your bike isn't quite the right size. That might also be a limiting factor for you that could show up on a longer ride.

Training for the metric is a great goal! I did my first metric this June and was in good shape for it. It made the ride a lot more fun than my ride last fall.

[marni]

in addition to all of the good advice you have had so far, and regardless of whichever ride you decide to do, bear in mind that once you have the right shorts, the right fit a way to carry adequate hydration and nutrition, it's all about TITS time. Build up the time that you can spend in the saddle between breaks. This should also, obviously, lengthen the distance between stops. Depending on the speed you can achieve, this can mean the ability to ride 20-30 miles at a shot between stops. Sometimes the saddle time is almost as important as speed.

[withm]

Thank you everyone, for your knowledgeable feedback. I can't say what is going to happen with the ride in two weeks but I'm pretty sure I want to do the metric at the Seagull Century this year. I hope some of the others here in Maryland will come down and do it as well. :D

I've done the Sea Gull a few times and it can be a great ride.

You can count on WIND, and since it's held at the tail end of hurricane season, there is a very good likelihood of severe weather. Which is not so much fun.

That said, there will be 6,000-8,000 of your closest friends riding with you.

At a minimum you need to be comfortable with group riding, and be able to check behind you before ever passing someone. The speeds at which some of the long pacelines pass you can be intimidating. (Imagine yourself in the middle of the peloton at the Tour de France).

There are always some people on heavy hybrids, and they seem to be perfectly happy with the situation. I would suggest that you'll be happer if you have done some 50 mile rides by then, and are able to carry 2 water bottles (or a camelback). Bike shorts for sure, and by Oct you may need a jacket, or arm warmers.

Get some friends to sign up with you, it's a fun event for a group of similarly paced cyclists to do together.

[kamikazejane]

Go for it girl!!!!!!!! Just keep the pace you feel most comfortable doing, remember to hydrate and fuel. You will do great.