First 30 Mile Ride - Things To Know?

I am going to meet a friend on a nearby island where it's all flat farmland, and going on a 30 mile ride. I have never gone that far before. It will be 70 and sunny, which seems like a miracle since we've had one of the wettest Aprils in years. This island is very popular with all levels of cyclists due to the terrain and the scenery, and I imagine a lot of cars for folks going to the beach there. There are no bike lanes and no shoulders, however the locals and folks who travel to the island are aware of the heavy bike traffic and are generally courteous to cyclists.

So I will wear my cycling shorts, technical fabric tee short, "Tahoe" bike shoes, and of course a helmet. I will likely have my flashing headlight and red rear taillight on. I have an Arkel pannier that I plan to carry my tools, spare tubes, etc. in as well as water and snacks. I may or may not use/bring sunscreen, as I would like a little color.

So am I missing anything? I plan to bring my camera and take pictures and will surely post to the weekend ride thread. What else would you bring, do or wear?

Take rest breaks. Stop and smell the flowers - or at least take pictures of them, or the scenery. We want to see pictures from the ride! ;):p

A 30 mile ride can be a series of 10 mile rides. The pace can either be a 30 miles in the shortest time possible, or it can be a leisure ride, with stops along the way for coffee, photos of the scenery.

And somewhere along the way, if you're drinking enough, you WILL need a bathroom break. Do your ride mates know where there's a bathroom? Or is there a remote enough spot for a "nature break?"

Check the weather before you go. Will you need rain gear? Since you have paniers, you might want to stuff a jacket in there. Put the sunscreen on before you ride. Avoid early season sunburn.

Hi Beth. Thanks for the suggestions. My friend, who is much older, although more experienced cyclist, did this ride a few weeks ago. She knows where there are "port-a-pottys" around the island. There are cafes, although I doubt they want cyclists to just stop in to pee! ;) There are convenient "stopping spots" with tables, etc. Definitely will check the weather prior to departing. I have to drive a ways to get there, so want to be prepared.
We will be cycling a ride called the PetalPedal in June and we've chosen the 30 mile route, so in part, this is practice. Our goal is not to go our fastest, but just to do it and have a good time and take in the scenery.

You won't need lights if it's 70 and sunny. You'll need 2 water bottles. You may want a drink with electrolytes in one of the bottles.

I wouldn't bring a pannier (I'm not saying you shouldn't, just that I wouldn't ;)). My flat kit fits in my saddle bag, and my snacks go in my jersey pockets. I travel light. If I knew there were stores that I had to buy something in in order to use the bathroom, I might not even bring much to eat, maybe just a bar or some dried fruit. The only other things I always ride with are my cell phone, id, and a credit or debit card.

You're going to have a great time!

I agree bring plenty of water with electrolytes, also eye-wear and as a deterrent to accidents I suggest to also carry the medical insurance card, sort of like bringing the umbrella so it won't rain :)

I do not yet have a cycling jersey, a saddle bag (no room on handlebars for bag there), and no bottle cages (don't want too much cr@p attached everywhere). So drinks, snacks, patch kit/tube, optional clothes are in the relatively small pannier. I've been riding only 6 months and am still buying things. I need some sporty sunglasses with the rubber on the nose- I have long lashes and they rub against the lenses!
Thanks and I will post photos tomorrow. Hope you're all out having safe rides.

If you don't have water bottle cages on your bike, how do you drink enough on your rides? Do you wear a Camelbak instead? The longer your rides get, and the warmer the temps get, hydration becomes VERY important! If you have to stop and dig through your panniers every time you need to drink - and please note that you need to drink frequently and before you get thirsty, you will wind up not drinking enough.

You must be referring to Sauvie Island. It as flat as it can get for cycling, and you are right, the motorists are locals who are aware of the cyclists. You don't need the lights. All you need are water bottles and an energy bar of some type and the other regular bike stuff.

Be sure to get some practice on short hills and rollers over the next few weeks as the Petal Pedal is not on flat terrain, even the short route that you will ride. It is flat terrain for an experienced cyclist, but for a beginner, some of the small rollers can look like Mt. Everest.

You will have fun. Sauvie Island is a fun place to ride the bike. There may not be too many cyclists tomorrow on Sauvie Island as May 1 is the first metric century of the season with the Salem Cycling Club, from Salem to Champoeg Park and back, and where I will be with my training group and another cycling friend as will over a thousand other local cyclists.

You might think about signing up for the short route of the Pioneer Century on June 4 with the Portland Wheelmen out of Canby. The route will go over similar terrain as the Petal Pedal. I can also recommend the Vine Ride out of Newberg in August; the short route is quite hilly but gives a beginner cyclist a goal to aim for so as to ride the hills and get stronger to be able to do the ride.

[QUOTE=Velocivixen;570643]Hi Beth. Thanks for the suggestions. My friend, who is much older, although more experienced cyclist, did this ride a few weeks ago. She knows where there are "port-a-pottys" around the island. There are cafes, although I doubt they want cyclists to just stop in to pee! ;)

I make it a policy to always buy something, even if it is only a pack of gum, wherever I stop to pee. This is especially appreciated in small out of the way gas stations.

I would think the same thing would apply to restaurants even if it is only a cup of iced coffee to go.

I would keep the sunscreen with me as that much exposure as a first exposure could be chancy, or if it gets warm and you sweat it off.

I third eye protection.

@Catrin, so to answer question, I haven't gone on anything longer than a 15 mile total, in town, with a stop at Starbucks in the middle rides, so I don't carry water thus far. I'm happy you've told more about the importance of water. I guess I just didn't realize it was important. I drink a ton of water each day (like a gallon), but typically don't while exercising - usually before and after. So I'll take water. It will be in the pannier for now, so I'll have to stop, which is fine, since this is a scenic ride.
@ Darcy, I've ridden my bike from the flatlands of Beaverton up and down the hill to the Oregon Zoo, so I'm comfortable with hills (with the breaks on coming down).
I definitely agree to buy something if I use a cafe's toilet - just common courtesy.
I tried on some Tifosi sunglasses but didn't buy any today. I have just generic sunglasses I could use.

Thanks for all the input.

Just enjoy! You will be great!

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Originally Posted by Velocivixen

@Catrin, so to answer question, I haven't gone on anything longer than a 15 mile total, in town, with a stop at Starbucks in the middle rides, so I don't carry water thus far. I'm happy you've told more about the importance of water. I guess I just didn't realize it was important. I drink a ton of water each day (like a gallon), but typically don't while exercising - usually before and after. ...

Thanks for all the input.

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There are some really good threads here in hydration, it would be good to check them out. Especially as the temps warm we do sweat a lot more on the bike than we are aware of - a combination of wind and wicking material - and dehydration can hit pretty easily if we aren't on top of it. I wasn't speaking about your ride that is coming up, just to the over-all importance of it. This was one of the lessons I learned the hard way last year. I learned a lot of cycling lessons the hard way last year :)

Of course all of our bodies are different, but it is important that it be on your radar screen :) It sounds like a fun ride, have a great time!

I also support eye protection (seems like you have that figured out already) but since no one mentioned it I would also add: gloves. You may not have a pair yet, but as you start riding more (and especially around lots of other cyclists) you may want to be sure that the delicate tissue of your hands is protected.

In a simple fall on a bit of gravel, a pair of fingerless gloves can make the difference between standing up, dusting yourself and keeping going, or enduring weeks of excruciating hand pain because of road rash and encrusted micro-pebbles.

And, yeah, for your next long ride, a water bottle cage + water bottle on the bike will allow you to drink much more often. If there isn't room for two bottles, you can always just refill the one you have at frequent stops. I find that if I drink large amounts at a time I need to pee and pee and pee. If I sip away every 5 minutes my body manages its water better and I need to go only once or twice during a full day ride.

But above all: HAVE FUN!

@Catrin, that's a good reminder regarding the wind and wicking materials and maybe not feeling that you're sweating. I have my eye on a Camelbak day hike pack either the Trinity or the Helena for overall hydration. They're not "bike specific", but women's specific design hiking packs.

@Grog, thanks for the suggestions too. I forgot to mention that I have Specialized Gel gloves (fingerless) that I just bought.

Yes, there is a lot of equipment one should have and since I've never really cycled as much as I do, I am gathering items slowly. ;)

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Originally Posted by Velocivixen

@Catrin, that's a good reminder regarding the wind and wicking materials and maybe not feeling that you're sweating. I have my eye on a Camelbak day hike pack either the Trinity or the Helena for overall hydration. They're not "bike specific", but women's specific design hiking packs.

@Grog, thanks for the suggestions too. I forgot to mention that I have Specialized Gel gloves (fingerless) that I just bought.

Yes, there is a lot of equipment one should have and since I've never really cycled as much as I do, I am gathering items slowly. ;)

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Personally I don't use water bottles, but I do have the cages on my bike and for long rides I do have bottles mixed with Accelerade to supplement my Cambelbak. I have't learned how to use the water bottles while riding, but I would never drink enough from them. The hydration pack is so much easier - and in the summer it is nice to have it full of ice water :)

You might also want to consider cycling specific Camelbacks, they have several versions for women that are designed to fit us better on both where the straps fit and how it fits our backs. I am short, so this is perhaps more of a concern for me - I don't want the top of the pack to hit my helmet. I have this one in the "smokey grape" color, it really is more of a lilac.

There is a ton of storage space - which is great for both mountain biking and long road rides. The 2011 bladders have a different design from previous years, and of course you don't have to keep 100 oz of water in it unless you need it. I ride a lot of places where there are no chances to get more, so I have to keep that in mind. I have a smaller 2010 Aurora, but I did run out of water last year a few times with only 50 ounces, and the strap hit me much lower on the chest than with the Luxe.

Thanks Catrin on that suggestion. I just looked at that hydration pack and it looks like REI has one at their Portland store, so I might try it on. I think riding and drinking from a water bottle sounds like it involves a lot of coordination! I like to stop for "water breaks" and actually, stop, get off the bike, sit or stand and rest, have a drink and snacks, etc. My pannier is an Arkel "Bug" and has bilateral, outside mesh "pockets" designed for water bottles. I would still have to stop to pull the water bottles out, but that's fine for me now. I think as I get to riding more I will have a better sense of how I want to transport things and what I want to carry.
The camelbak day packs I was considering are WSD, and I watched their video on the new bladder system and it looks nice. My DH has an older camelbak and it's different.
I will keep you posted on what I decide on. It won't be purchased right away, as I'm still "catching up" on a lot of other purchases. ;)

I admit water bottles take practice, but you should put at least one rack on. I use it to carry beverages purchased "on the road" ie. soda, smoothies, ice coffee.

I add Nuun tablets to my water--they are zero calorie but have electrolytes. Tablet makes it easy to refill bottle/camelbak and drop another in (absolutely necessary in the heat).

I'm not sure what your eventual "goal" distance is, but it takes a camelbak and two water bottles to be self-supported on our 60 training rides for a century. On new routes, we can't be sure of finding a gas station or restaurant. It's better to be safe than sorry. (DH has also missed rest stops on organized rides and needed what he had to get through. I've shown up at a rest stop and they were out of water and only had blue gatorade--it was nice to have my own).

And of course, you learn what a jersey is for. I use the pocket to carry my cell phone, camera and jelly beans/gu (I can open while riding). Handlebar bag is also accessible while riding (takes practice). Your setup is fine for now, but one day you will be racing the weather (heat, wind, rain) and won't want to dismount every time you need something. I've also discovered that on longer rides, stopping too long just makes my legs tighten up.

PS. Saddle bag hangs under your seat for emergency supplies--tube, air cartridge, multitool, small first aid kit, etc

Have a great ride:)

I did the ride last sunday and it was good-only 25 miles. However the roads were rough. I have 700x32c tires which are smooth and I felt every bump. Since that ride I bought Blackburn stainless steel water bottle cages and installed them. Now I need some nice stainless steel water bottles. ;) I wore sunglasses and they were fine and glad I did, since we had a headwind.
Instead of a saddlebag right now I think I'm getting a trunk. My Dh has the Arkel Tail Wind and it's really nice. I still need room to carry more than just repair tools/tube, so the trunk bag is smaller than the pannier. Eventually I'll likely get a saddle bag too as well as a bike specific jersey.
Thanks for all the great suggestions. Keep them coming, and I'll post updated info.

I also carry small packs of chamois buttr in my pocket. Just saying.

marni