Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - How to I start long distance cycling?

Hi,
I am a keen cyclist, though as of yet, I have never attempted a long distance journey. I am very eager to start but I have no experince of long distnace cycling, or navigation and map reading and I don't have a clue about how I would be able to link my start to my destination with cycle-friendly routes.
How can I get started planning my ride??
Thank you!

What do you mean by long distance? Map reading and navigation are straight forward, but you can get a book on them or find info on how on the net.
Have you done any supported rides?
Find the website "Crazy guy on a bike".
Read some of the writeups here by Koffee Brown or Maika (sp?)
For bicycle specific trips Adventure Cycling will help.

Hope this gets you started.
Joe
:beer:

Go ride your bike all day. See where you are when you finish.

Go ride your bike all day. See where you are when you finish.


:beer:



or...... ride a little longer each week. Then you can ride home too. :) That's all it takes.

Join a bike club that is not a racing club, there will be a community of people to help you. Others here are correct, set a goal and work progressively to reach it. I also agree with looking at the advice Machka gives on her website http://www.machka.net

Thanks for the response.
The trip I am planning is from Nottingham (England) to nearby Lincoln. I think the distance is roughly 40-50 miles, though this a complete guess that needs checking out. I have chosen this route as I have friends in lincoln and i would like to visit them too and the countryside in between is great. I am just worried about losing my way in between the two points!!
I would like to join a bike club but I am already fairly involved in other sports and students groups and I don't think I have the time to commit myself to another group. I was looking to complete this particular journey alone, so I need to plan a route in advance though I'm no map reader!

You're on an island, it'll be hard to get that lost. hehehe.

Seriously, just get a good map and you're all set to go. Better yet, check with the local tourist board to see if there are any bike paths along the way. Good luck!

Most of us got into long distance cycling by just riding ... and riding ... and riding ... and riding .... :D

And what you want are Ordinance maps ... they are detailed enough so you won't get lost.

Thanks for the response.
The trip I am planning is from Nottingham (England) to nearby Lincoln. I think the distance is roughly 40-50 miles, though this a complete guess that needs checking out. I have chosen this route as I have friends in lincoln and i would like to visit them too and the countryside in between is great. I am just worried about losing my way in between the two points!!
I would like to join a bike club but I am already fairly involved in other sports and students groups and I don't think I have the time to commit myself to another group. I was looking to complete this particular journey alone, so I need to plan a route in advance though I'm no map reader!
Check and see if there's a Sustrans route on the National cycle network that runs between the two places. I did a tour in England back in 2003 following their routes. Their maps are easy to follow and there are posted signs along the way. Failing that, there are excellent regional maps which get pretty good detail which you should be able to use with no problem (and if you do, you should probably take a map reading class before you embark on long distance journeys ;) )

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/

Thanks for the response.
The trip I am planning is from Nottingham (England) to nearby Lincoln. I think the distance is roughly 40-50 miles, though this a complete guess that needs checking out. I have chosen this route as I have friends in lincoln and i would like to visit them too and the countryside in between is great. I am just worried about losing my way in between the two points!!
I would like to join a bike club but I am already fairly involved in other sports and students groups and I don't think I have the time to commit myself to another group. I was looking to complete this particular journey alone, so I need to plan a route in advance though I'm no map reader!


BTW - I've done a bit of riding around Quorn ... approx 500-600 kms of riding, as a matter of fact, in every direction from there. :) I've been to Nottingham, and I am pretty sure I cycled to Lincoln. I'm pretty sure I've got some basic maps of the area ... but I know there are Ordinance maps of that area that are very detailed.

If you are interested in joining a cycling group, look up the CTC in that area. They are really nice, friendly guys. They do fairly long, but slow, rides that end up being pub crawls on Saturdays or Sundays. You wouldn't have to go to every ride, just whenever you wanted. They aren't a formal bunch!

Most of us got into long distance cycling by just riding ... and riding ... and riding ... and riding .... :D

And what you want are Ordinance maps ... they are detailed enough so you won't get lost.

Sorry I spelled your name wrong.

Joe

I don't have any experience in really long distance riding but I live in Nottingham too and always take down directions before any new ride over 20 miles which involves back roads, otherwise I get hopelessly lost. I don't bring maps, but I plan out the route quite thoroughly with Google earth first then store the directions as a text message on my phone which I take with me anyway. I write them in as distances between turns (use GE's distance tool to find these) and road names to turn at, ie . "5.3 L RoadX, 1.8 R LaneY,..." the disadvantage is that this takes a bit more concentration than using a map and means I have to retrace if I overshoot, but that rarely happens if I keep watching the distance.

I'd also advise against using the major A-roads if possible (All marked green on GE I believe), the constant stream of lorries passing in narrow lanes at 70MPH isn't much fun, and the back roads are so much prettier. The more backroadish a ride is, the more fun it is, but harder to navigate ;)

Which uni do you go to btw? I'm at UoN.

Go ride your bike all day. See where you are when you finish.


Hee hee. A few months ago, the doctor told my Mom to walk 5 miles a day, today we don't know where the heck she is. :D

Hee hee. A few months ago, the doctor told my Mom to walk 5 miles a day, today we don't know where the heck she is. :D

:lol: