Long distance riders-what's your situation?

[derath]

So I was reading another LD thread and the quote below kinda struck me

BTW, I do a century a week and I am certainly no racer. You don't have to be real fast to ride long distance - just patient.

I would add to that quote "and sufficient free time"

So I was curious, for all the LD riders here, what is your current life situation? And depending on your situation how do you make sufficient time to maintain proper fitness to do LD rides. And not necessarily centuries, as I have found I an pull one off even with my "situation"

Which leads me to the reason for the question.

I recently (last 2 years) became addicted to cycling. I have always enjoyed it, but not like this. I have aspirations of doing longer rides. My informal goal for next year is the Nightmare tour double century.

The problem I have is time. I'm 35, hold down a fairly busy job (I head up the IT consulting division of the company), and have a lovely wife, and 2 young children (4.5 and 19 months). I would love to do a century every weekend, but politically it would just never fly. My wife is supportive of my cycling, but demands on my time make it difficult to take that much time out of the weekend every week (housework, mowing the lawn, etc).

I ride when I can during the week. My job can be busy but it is also flexible. I work from home a good bit and can steal away for a 1-2hour ride during the day sometimes. So I get a decent amount of short rides in. I just have a hard time getting longer distances under my belt.

So if you are like me, how do you train? I know there is nothing better than actually doing long rides. And I can probably fit in a long ride (70+ miles) maybe once a month. But is there a way to maximize shorter workouts to help benefit longer distance endurance?

Thanks

-D

[Machka]

Pretty much since I started long distance cycling in 2001, and especially over the last couple years, my work and educational schedule has taken up somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 hours a week.

Between 2001 and 2005 (with the exception of 3 months of cycling in Australia at the end of 2004), I worked full time (approx. 50 hours a week) and attended night classes (4 hours a week of classes, plus anywhere from about 4 to 20 hours a week of homework). During the summers (May to August), I cut back so I was just working about 50 hours a week.

Between 2005 and now, I've been going to University full time working toward my Bachelor of Education. University takes up approx. 20 hours a week of actual class time, plus anywhere from 20-40 hours a week of homework time. I'm a perfectionist ... I tend to spend a long time on my assignments. In addition I've been working about 15 hours per week. Although this past semester I've had a commute that has taken up about 10 hours a week, so I've only been working 5-8 hours. During the summers (May to August), I cut back to one fulltime job (40 hours) and one parttime job (15 hours).

Now fortunately for me, that's pretty much all I've got going on. I don't have a family or a house to maintain.

How have I managed to train? What seems to work the best for me is the way I trained for the 2003 PBP. I commuted to and from work every day (about 15 kms round trip) and did long rides on the weekends ... like centuries, back-to-back centuries, double centuries, etc. Occasionally I'd do a longer ride one day in the middle of the week after work. On my commutes, I'd ride as hard and fast as I could (on my 40 lb Mongoose Mtn bike) to and from, so I guess I built some speed and strength there. That plan really seemed to work.

Unfortunately in my current situation, it is really difficult to do that (especially the commuting part) ... and everything changes for me every few weeks, so over the past few years, I've been kind of floundering around to find something that works. Ideally, one day, I'd like to return to my 2003 PBP training method. :)

[Richard Cranium]

I know there is nothing better than actually doing long rides. And I can probably fit in a long ride (70+ miles) maybe once a month. But is there a way to maximize shorter workouts to help benefit longer distance endurance?Generally no. As you suspect, without long steady-state bouts of exercise you'll have a hard time developing the type of aerobic endurance that provides continuous all-day-ride cycling capacity.

A contrasting view point held by some exercise gurus is that if you increase your cycling power through Interval exercises and high-intensity, yet short bouts of exercise - you'll develop so much "headroom capacity" that you'll be able to sustain all-day rides because longer slow rides are so far beneath your overall capacity.

Typically, the truth is found somewhere between the two perspectives. Essentially, your problem is more a time management problem that can not be accurately addressed nor answered until you understand and assess your current cycling abilities and determine the areas of physical improvement needed to be achieved in order to enjoy and successfully complete your next long ride goal.

In other words, maybe you're a tough guy who doesn't need a lot of saddle time and would benefit the most from hard Intervals style exercise. Or maybe you have neck, or knee or back problems that need as many hours of saddle time as possible to develop strength to tolerate riding all day.......

In any case can I have a job?

[SandLizrd]

Get a real good light kit. It will brighten your perspective! :)

Pardon the pun - but siriusly, you'll discover a few extra hours in the AM/PM that make a substantial difference in your ride planning. Disappearing all day Sunday is bad for family, but I'd bet they don't really get mobilized until 10am anyway so a 4am start time will give you a nice LD ride. I like my evening rides - granted, not exactly LD but extending by an hour or two makes them genuine. Since the possibility is opened up, you're motivated for 6-hour centuries and speedwork comes into play?

My problem has been the training loop - when pushing for longer distances I'm toast after the ride. Get home from 100 mi and take care of the yard? Yeah right, I don't want to move too much right now, I'll get back to you on that.... Of course, in a few weeks that 100 mi wouldn't be so hard, but I'm working on a 150 and the yard is still waiting, possibly until after the event?!

About that light kit - spend a couple of Benjamins, you'll get lights that are bright like motorcycle lights. A few hrs of runtime and quick-charging / smart-charging (leave 'em plugged in for weeks, no damage, the charger has a brain). You know they'll be used several hundred hours and there's really no substitute! This is one case where you bite the bullet and get it right

[spokenword]

A contrasting view point held by some exercise gurus is that if you increase your cycling power through Interval exercises and high-intensity, yet short bouts of exercise - you'll develop so much "headroom capacity" that you'll be able to sustain all-day rides because longer slow rides are so far beneath your overall capacity. but as discussed in another thread, interval work won't do much for addressing other areas of distance development -- ie. diet and mental fortitude, both of which only start to become an assessable issue after three or four hours on the bike.

derath -- to answer your survey: I'm in a DINK (dual income, no kids) household. Like you, I am an IT consultant, and have to juggle work/travel with my own personal schedule. Fortunately, my girlfriend is also a cyclist, and a year-round cycle commuter to boot, so she 'gets' the cycling bug and is pretty tolerant of my randoneering fixation. If anything, she'd probably be up for joining me except she's had some chronic knee pain that limits how far she can go in a day. Still, she's felt inspired enough by my stories that she's starting to do 100k charity rides and has her eye on a 200k next year.

Still, with all that said, I don't have a carte blanche to just go out and ride. I commute 14 miles each way to work, and this takes care of a lot of my 'training' time without seeming like it takes away from the time in our relationship. To both of us, commuting is a sunk cost, so we might as well make the most of it.

My girlfriend and I also do a lot of negotiation to ensure that our social lives aren't totally overwhelmed by cycling. We take turns on deciding how to spend our vacation time. So, last year she wanted us to go hiking in Japan. This year, we travelled to France for PBP. One month I might talk us into doing a weekend cycling tour to New Hampshire. Next month, she'll choose to do a skiing weekend. At least, then, it feels like our recreation time is fairly distributed.

I also outline all of my 'must-do' rides for the year, so she's aware of them ahead of time, but try to leave some flexibility for my training. Outside of the core brevet months (May/June this year, June/July last year) I try not to have more than two long (50+) weekend rides planned in the month, and the other two weekend are open for whatever. If an obligation or chore comes up, I'll do that, but if it's free, I'll go and ride, and that's enough for me.

Specific to your goal, I don't think you need to do a lot of century riding before doing a double. Certainly, do a century as well as a few more long rides to nail down what you like to eat and get comfortable with how your body feels after 70 miles or so and suss out bike fit. But, if you really can only fit in one long-distance ride a month, I think you'll be ok for a double next year.

I should also say that amongst randonneurs, there are certainly riders who have successfully juggled a new family, busy job and brevets, but the vast majority of us are either young and child-free or retired with self-maintaining descendants which is reflective of how time-consuming child-raising can be and how it doesn't countenance much distraction.

The road will always be there. Your children are only young for a bit.

[knobster]

My situation is similar to Spokenword. My wife is into biking as well and does several centuries with me. I use to be in IT and because of that, I wouldn't have very much time to bike. I got into Corporate Security and now have tons of time and no stress. Cycling is great and all, but family comes first. I don't have any children myself, but I think I'd do without cycling for long distances if I did. Maybe once they are older and have no interest in you (haha), you can take up long distance stuff.

[oboeguy]

I'm lucky enough ATM to have a commute that is about 29 miles RT. That's ~145 miles per week "for free" if I get to ride every day. Also, I meet friends in Central Park once or twice a week for some extra laps. That can get me up to 170 miles or more in a week w/o leaving NYC. The trick, then, is having enough time on weekend to get in one good, long ride. Balancing family obligations, travel, other interest and simply wanting to relax w/ my better half keeps it interesting. :D

[plodderslusk]

I think there are some really good reasons why the average age at PBP is 50. That is my age and it is only now with my two kids 19 and 21 that I can take enough time (and energy)away from the homescene. This is not to say that my wife is not complaining from time to time but now it is possible to put in enough miles. Beware, a somewhat younger roadie told me he had next to no riding buddies who were still married to their original spouse.

[jupiterboy]

I am a new father as well (18 month girl) and work full time in sales - plus I weigh over 200 lbs. I completed the CA Triple Crown two years ago (4 double centuries before the baby...) This year I completed 2 organized centuries, multiple medium distance rides (30 to 60 miles) and logged approximately 2,000 miles commuting - and I understand your challenges with juggling family, work, and riding.

My commute (32 miles roundtrip) beat me into shape. It also allowed me to build training into time "budgeted" for my job - and not conflict with family time. In fact, commuting by bike takes just as long door to door as my other options.

Secondly, I joined a local group of riders for an informal Sunday ride. We meet at 8 AM and ride for 2 or 3 hours. The beauty of the ride time is that I get back home as my 18 month old wakes up from the morning nap. This allows me to add 30 to 50 miles a week.

If I commute by bike 2 or 3 days a week (60 to 90 miles) plus a weekend ride (40 to 60), I can easily log over 100 miles a week - 400 miles a month. This is a great training for longer rides.

Best of luck

[thebulls]

Two kids; youngest was 11 when I started randonneuring two years ago. At younger ages, randonneuring would have been impossible without likely precipitating divorce.

As to training: I trained nearly every weekend for PBP, but the promise I made was that I'd only do one long-distance ride a month, after. But even though all I've been doing is commuting 100 miles a week, I'm still turning in 200K's at about the same pace as before PBP, which is faster than I was doing a year ago. I think this owes to maintaining the underlying fitness level with commuting, plus some residual increase in strength/technique from PBP training, plus continued improvement in fueling strategies, getting out of controls fast, etc. My commute makes for pretty good training, since it is moderately hilly, with 1000 feet of climbing over 21 miles roundtrip; and a net descent of 350 feet going to work. So just attacking each hill pretty hard on the way home gives a decent interval workout. And with the gradual downhill on the way in, with some sharp uphills, if I ride at maximum effort all the way in, then it is like a 35 minute time-trial. So I can make the commute into a good workout if I want, with a morning time trial and evening intervals, and then ride slowly the next day to recover. And if I'm feeling completely draggy at the end of a really long day of work, where I'm leaving for home well after dinner time, then it is good practice at riding the hard part of brevets, where you are completely bonked and exhausted and demoralized, riding in the dark in a cold drizzle. Plus, since I commute every day, regardless of weather conditions, it's good practice for just getting up, getting the right clothes for the day, and just getting out there and riding.

[dgasmd]

Getting the itme for doing rides is not a matter f life situations as you have read from others here, but rather about making the time and having some good time management.

I work on average 60-80 hr/week. I am at work by 6:30 AM and I am on call (can't ride at all) 6-9 days of the month. I also have small children I would never see as they are just waking up as I leave for work and are almost in bed if I get home a little late (8PM is bed time). Wife met me when I was biking 300-350 miles in college, taking 26-28 credit hours/semester of classes, and working 36 hrs on the weekends by working 2 x 16 hr sat and sunday, so she is used ot time consumption. She is no longer the clingy type either. I now have to ride at 3:30 AM on weekdays so I can get 2.5 hr of riding and don't have to wonder if I will get to ride at the end of th day or at what time. Plus, now I can still spend a few hrs with my kids before they go to bed. The downside is I now go to bed within a few minutes of them hitting the sack. On weekends, I am out the door by 6 AM, but only do a single long ride either sat or sunday. Not both.

[why2not]

My kid is a bit older (teen). My plan is to commute to/from work, it only adds about 40 minutes per day vs driving, 20 of which are in the morning & not noticable to my family, but it gets me on the bike for 90 miles/week.

I then typically throw in a 60-100 mile ride on one weekend morning. As Sandlizard said, start at 4 am & be back by 10am -12pm depending on the distance. My favorite riding time is 4am-8am on Sunday morning, the traffic is really light.

Once you get used to a 60-100 mile ride & have your nutrition right, it's not a big energy sapper. Yard work, going shopping with the wife, etc aren't difficult to do.

Basically, my take is go out when the family is still sleeping and/or lazing about on a weekend morning & you won't be missed so much. I will say it would have been much more difficult to do if I had started when my son was your children's ages & needed attention/assistance in the mornings.

In that situation, I might suggest trying to bring (at least one of the) kids along with you on a casual ride... a trailer or seat. Probably not good for much more than an hour or two at a time, assuming they sleep due to the motion, etc. But it gets one of them out of your wife's hair for a bit & might be easier on her. The only other thing I can think of is a indoor trainer or rollers. I can't force myself onto either, but I ride where year round outdoor cycling is pretty easy to do.

[Toddorado]

I'm lucky enough ATM to have a commute that is about 29 miles RT. That's ~145 miles per week "for free" if I get to ride every day.

That's the best stuff - makes going on an organized LD ride even better.

[DanteB]

I do double and triples during the year. My training is usually about 8-12 per week. I do a lot of 1-2 hour rides with intervals during the week. In January I'll do a couple of centuries and then cut back to around 4 hour rides on Saturdays. Before I start doing the doubles and triple I'll find some early season organized centuries and participate in them. I used to do a lot of long rides getting ready for the season, but I found shorter more intense workouts work just as well for me (they also gave me more time with the family, major plus++++).

[Carbonfiberboy]

If you look for a common theme in the previous comments it would be consistency. I find that the most important element, by far.

Work out, meaning ride, or use a trainer, or rollers, or stepmill, or spin class, 5 days/week in the off season, 6 during the early season. Don't count weight training as a "training session." You can add weight training, but only if you don't subtract aerobic training. Somehow, training your body to recover from almost daily workouts translates into on the bike recovery during long rides. So try not to miss a scheduled training session. If you can see you're going to miss an evening session, do it during the day or get up early and do it then. Keep it up, week after week, and you'll see results.

My experience is that if you can hit a steady 200 miles a week at the start of spring brevet season, you'll do well. These miles can be spread over 6 rides. The only caveat to this, is that this short-of-time training technique presupposes that you have long ride fatigue and nutrition issues under control: saddle, neck, shoulders, knees, mind, belly. But you'll figure it out. We all have. A DNF or a DFL is not the end of the world.

[zonatandem]

When still gainfully employed (retired 13 years now!) would ride 6 days a week with Kay on our tandem + commute to work on single bike.
Daily rides, in summer, at daybreak before work: 20 miles on tandem + commute on single. Days off were 50 milers or more on tandem. In winter we'd ride 20 miles on tandem after work + daily commute on single and 50+ milers on days off. Made it a point to not work overtime unless forced to.
Averaged 200+ miles a week year round (we do live in Arizona). Summer riding can be 100+ degrees so do it early. Winter riding is very nice . . . we can see snow on the mountains but don't have to ride in it.
Never really 'trained' for centuries as we were in good conditon year 'round.
Training for double centuries was to get in one 125-miler a week or so before the event.
All of our 3 sons also rode, so we did many family events, all of us pedaling.
Now in our mid-70s, we no longer do centuries, but still get in a 100 miles a week on the tandem, and do get in one ride a week on single.
It's a question of priorities . . . and staying fit is our #1 priority.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

[Richard Cranium]

If you look for a common theme in the previous comments it would be consistency. I find that the most important element, by far.Yeah, that's another aspect of gaining or maintaining any level of fitness.

No matter what type of exercise style or workout a rider practices - they'll get nowhere if they can't a maintain some minimum schedule of workouts. Off hand, I'd say a minimum of 3 workouts a weeks.

Plenty of old-timers can get by riding just weekends -but I doubt they "improve" with that kind schedule.

[Carbonfiberboy]

So I'm riding with a fellow who just hit the 30,000 mile mark - so far this year. He gets up at 4 am and rides a century every weekday, plus an 8 mile commute. He then does a couple of 3-4 hour rides on the weekend. I haven't asked about his "situation." He's young, maybe late twenties.

[NoRacer]

-D, have you checked out www.dcrand.org (http://www.dcrand.org) ? You can sign up to get their weekend ride schedule or just check it out from here:

http://www.dcrand.org/weekends/weekend.shtml

The schedule is posted on Wednesday evening, usually, but sometimes as late as Thursday evening. Either way, this give you some time to negotiate with the wife and then start organizing. As you know, all of their weekend rides are 100 milers (or slightly more).

If you decide to do a ride that I'm doing with them, we can car pool if you don't mind putting your bike in the back of my truck.

Perhaps on the first few rides with them, if necessary, I can help you through the ride, so you don't get abandoned/dropped in unfamiliar territory.

Don't be mystified by century rides. They're not "all that". It's more important to plan for the weather and plan your nutritional needs. The rest will take care of itself, especially if you have someone looking out for you.

Think about it and let me know if you want to come out, so we can plan a mutually agreed meeting place.

[zowie]

With commuting (which can't be biked), I work about 75 hrs/week. I've also got young children and am a member of the local school board. During the week I'm lucky if I can fit in a one hour ride. I spend one day of the weekend with the family and the other day doing a long distance ride between late March and Oct. unless I have some other unavoidable commitment. That doesn't get me a lot of mileage for the year, but it keeps me in shape enough to enjoy the area's organized centuries and this year a 200k too.

I can't stand the trainer. During the winter I use a treadmill.