Newbie distant questions

[J-hawk biker]

I have only been riding for a few months so I would appreciate some advice from all of you veterans.
When you ride long distances, do you take breaks and get off the bike? If so, how often? Can you do a metric or regular century ride without being in an organized event? Small town smack in the middle of Kansas here and not much in the way of cycling events, so I don't have any idea what to do.

[Grog]

Yes to all your questions!

I am a break-taker. I love to stop to walk around and eat about once an hour. If I ride a scenic route, it may be more often. If I am riding with others, it may (or may not) be more often, and if it's cold and/or wet, it's definitely less, because every time I stop I get cold and it takes me a while to re-warm up again.

I ride metric centuries by myself or friends or my club once in a while. I don't do anything special for these rides (except have more food, two bottles of water/energy drink, etc.) except if I'm going to be riding in deserted areas for a while (in which case I will take an extra tube and even more food). If riding by myself, I will make sure someone knows where I am going and when I'm going to be back.

I very rarely ride 150 km by myself, but the same as above (deserted areas) applies when I do.

welcome to TE! Enjoy the sport!

[Nanci]

Hi, yes, I like to take breaks, _especially_ when I am riding on my own and don't have a clock to watch- then it is about every hour or so. At the halfway point, I like to sit down, eat a snack or lunch, take off my helmet and shoes and gloves, and relax. Oh, but on organized rides, I used to be all worried aobut making the cut-offs, so I wouldn't stop at the sag stops, but then I got a little faster and now like to stop and get some snacks and refill Gatorade and visit the Portapotty. It's more fun than not stopping.

I ride long distances on my own quite a bit- up to 140 miles, but usually more in the 60-100 mile range. I like to be out in the country more, so I have a trunk bag that I can take snacks and drinks in, and often I ride from one tiny town to the next, so I can stop at convenience stores. On those rides, the convenience stores are a good place to stop and rest, every hour or two.

Are there state parks or rails-to-trails anywhere near you?

Nanci

[Dogmama]

Yes, I stop briefly every hour or so. I find if I stop for a long time, I get stiff & it is hard to get going again (could be age, I'm 51). I'll eat half of a power bar & stretch my back and get moving again. Never longer than a couple of minutes.

I prefer to ride alone. I get amazing "aha's" about life -- or like the other day -- I remembered the password to my checking account on line. It's all relative.

[J-hawk biker]

Thanks for all the help!
Nanci - There are no state parks or rails-to-trails within biking distance, but there are lots of low traffic paved county roads which are great!

[Nanci]

I'm so excited- I just made a copy, on our color copier (how cool- it just works, and stuff looks exactly like the original!!) of the two map pages out of the giant all-Florida map book which cover just about anything I can reach riding from home, in extreme detail- all the country roads, what the terrain is like, etc. _Much_ better than Mapquest or the cycling club maps. Now I can just go out and do an ad lib ride and never get lost!! I think I am going to ride over to the Suwannee River on a road I haven't ridden out there before, then come back on my road. That's one good thing from the brevet series- I've ridden _tons_ of the country roads around here, so I know all the cool little connectors.

Nanci

[RoadRaven]

I don't do endoro rides myself, although it is a goal, is not a priority for me.

However, some of my training partners regularly do organised centuries (metric and imperial). They often stop about halfway through for a stretch and a "comfort stop". One stops about every 1 1/2 hours like Dogmamma - briefly, for a stretch.

My partner does 3-4 metric centuries (between 90km and 150kms) a week as part of his training and my eldest son joins him for one of those (about 120km). They only stop if they need a "comfort stop" - but they usually average about 35km/hour for each ride, so they are moving a fair bit faster than my female training partners mentioned above.

But one thing I have seen/heard people do is get themselves to the top of a hill and then stop for a break. Don't do that. Get to the top of the hill, then move your legs down the other side (even at no resistance). This helps to disperse the lactate that has built up... have a break if you need one at the bottom of the hill.

[Geonz]

It is sort of a "different strokes" thing, though - some people don't like to stop, at least not for very long at all. I like to get off and do some stretches and get a drink (and I drink while I"m riding, too), but if I'm by myself then I'll "rest" by just slowing down for a while. Reckon it does nice things to that built-up stuff Road Raven wa stalking about ;-)

[latelatebloomer]

I prefer to ride alone. I get amazing "aha's" about life -- or like the other day -- I remembered the password to my checking account on line. It's all relative.

you made me do the snort-laugh!:

[Prairiedog]

J-Hawk I live in the country and I always bike starting from my own driveway. I can ride for miles and miles and miles and do. I always ride by myself because I ride during the day when my kids are at school. It's hard to find partner's to ride with you during daytime hours.

If you won't be passing through towns (or towns that have stores at least) then be sure to pack food/drinks for the length of your ride. Take a cell phone for emergencies and let someone know the route you are planning on riding that day.

What I generally do for longer rides like that is plan my route so that I go to a town with a restaurant where I will stop and eat a light lunch about mid way through the ride. I don't mind riding in the rain but I get a little freaked out if it's lightning...and will then layover somewhere until the worst of the storm passes. This is why the cell phone is so important! So you can let people know if your ride is going to be longer (time wise) then you originally planned.

Enjoy your bike and your cycling time. I'm sure there are many of us solo rider's out there who don't let the lack of cycling partner's keep us at home.

[Starfish]

I'm sure there are many of us solo rider's out there who don't let the lack of cycling partner's keep us at home.

Yep, I'm one of those. I do enjoy riding with people, but it just doesn't work out that way most of the time. I think the longest ride I've done alone is 70 miles, but lots and lots of 50-60 milers. And, one of my favorite rides has a stretch about 40 miles or so without any towns.

Just go prepared. On one of those earlier long rides, I did have a blowout and tire-cut way out there, and my CO2 cartridge failed (or, I failed it, I think ). And I had a tiny little mini-pump that was NOT helpful for good tire pressure. It takes a lot longer to ride 20-40 miles on a booted, mushy tire/tube than at 125 psi, LOL! Anyhow, long story short, I limped slowly home, but was out there LOTS longer than I thought I would be. After that, I got a bigger, dorkier pump (but I can pump to full pressure), I carry sunscreen (even if I applied it in the morning), and I take more food and liquids than I think I will need. I don't like the feel of Camelbaks on my sweaty back, so I had a third bottle cage mounted below my down tube, and I start long rides with 3 bottles of my own liquid in the cages, plus a bottle of store-bought liquid in my back pocket.

Oh, and I take my cell, but there are quite a few areas on my long route that don't get coverage, so it's good to go prepared.

Have fun!

[Grog]

Starfish made me think...

I take one bottle of energy drink and one of clear water. The plain water comes in handy to wash off a bit of road rash in case of a crash. I used it once on myself. Of course if it's from a water bottle it's not the CLEANEST water but it's certainly better than leaving all that grit from the road in there.

[Starfish]

Grog, good call on the plain water. I haven't had to use it like that, but for me, if I get urpy or overheated, etc, there is nothing like plain water rather than Accelerade.

[Bike Goddess]

I agree with Grog. Bring a bottle of plain water. Also bring extra sports drink (I carry mine in a plastic bag). That way you can make more sports drink in the designated bottle.

If I am not going to be able to find a restaurant, I will pack a peanut butter and jam sandwich for extra nourishment. I also take along LunaBars, salt, ECaps and Sports Beans(they help keep you hydrated). Plan your route so that you can get water somewhere along the way. This will be enough for me to do a metric century. To do a century would require more sandwich kind of food, etc. and I would definitely want to find a place to rest on the way.

Re bike pumps- I use the Turbo Morph bike pump by Topeak. It's easy and has a gauge on it! Works like a floor pump!