Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Considering my first Double Century

I came back home for Canadian Thanksgiving, and I have been thinking about riding from Kingston, Ontario to Montreal as a cheap way to get back. The distance is nearly spot on 200 miles, so I figured that as well as saving some money, it would be a nice achievement for myself, and to tell my friends about :). But before I strand myself on the edge of Quebec I thought I would run it past you guys for input.

I am very much the thrifty young bicycle enthusiast that you can find in any major city these days, but I've racked up a lot of long distance experience this summer, touring around North America. That was roughly 6000 miles, and an average of about 90 miles a day for the last month of it. My longest ride was 135 miles, and that took 12 hours on a loaded bicycle, with a few stops to get and eat food and one flat tire.

The problem is that the days are so short now that I will have only 11 hours between sunrise and sunset. I figure I can start about 2 hours before sunrise, and I will be okay if I get to the edge of Montreal an hour after sunset. So that means about 14 hours to ride 200 miles. I am not much of a "road biker", in that my bicycle costs $600 and I have never been in a race. Yay or nay?

The compromise I could make would be to get a car ride the first 50 or 60 miles and then bicycle the rest, forfeiting my claim to a double century.

What's the terrain like? Are there many steep hills? If it's primarily flat, then based on what you said and if I were you, I'd go for it. If however there's a lot of hills in that 200 miles.....I'd pack a sleeping bag if I were you.

You DO realize that's averaging just under 14.3 MPH, for 14 solid straight hours. You should know better than any of us here, how realistically confident you are in your abilities to maintain that average, over that distance, for that timeframe.

Let us know how it goes, and be sure and take bus fare with you.;)

Good luck, and be safe!

It's pretty much dead flat along the shore of the St. Lawrence, maybe 600 feet of elevation change between the highest point and the lowest point of the route. 14 mph is no problem pace wise, but counting a few stops here and there I might have to be bicycling faster than that while I am riding. I am pretty confident that I could ride 15 mph indefinitely, not that I have tried that yet, but it seems like a very reasonable speed.

In that case, I'd say go for it. I'm pretty sure, based on what you told us, that you're up to it.

I'm genuinely curious to find out how you make out with it, as I've been toying with the idea of trying a 200 miler myself, next summer. The "Black & Blue" relay race, that goes from Virgina down into North Carolina. It's actually designed as 4 - 8 person relay race, but you can register for it with as few as 1 rider on your "team". Given that they do it in June, though, I'd have a lot more daylight to work with than you will.

Let us know how it goes and try to post some pics of your ride.

if you've done 135 in the recent past, i say go for it!

but you might think of starting a little earlier, just to get more sunlight towards the end.

definitely let us know how it goes.

I agree in general that a double century will be a nice feather in your cap.

However, even though you're young and hale, a double century is quite difficult. At your current pace you're probably looking at 18+ hours on the road. Also, if you try a double without working your way up to it, you're almost guaranteed to get an overuse injury.

So do a double, but don't do it this instant to save money. I highly recommend you split it up into 2 days and camp out that night, or hitch a ride for a chunk of the ride. Don't quote me on this ;), but IIRC stealth camping is both legal and more acceptable in Canada than many parts of the US. And it's cheap.

From your background in cycling the double century would not only be possible, but probably fairly easy for you. You already have the nutrition and hydration part dialed from your 6,000 touring miles, plus it's a bonus that you're not a "racer" mentality.

You have the miles on your legs and the experience in your brain, so I would tend to think "No worries" and "Just Do It."

I've probably ridden over 50 double centuries in my life, but by far the most difficult was the mental part of that first one. I kept thinking to myself, "Wow, 200 miles, can I really do this?" Which sounds about like where you are now.

When I finished that first one, I remember thinking, "Wow, 200 miles, not so tough, no big deal really!" Which, I'm thinking will be the case with you. Ride smart, ride safe, maintain that 15 or 16 mph on the road average, keep the stops as short as possible. You'll be fine.

Rick / OCRR

Well thanks for the support guys, but it looks like it won't be happening any time soon. Yesterday I was sniffling and sneezing all day and this morning I felt like crap when I got up. I'll get a ride part way and bicycle the rest of it in moderate time.

I've racked up a lot of long distance experience this summer, touring around North America. That was roughly 6000 miles, and an average of about 90 miles a day for the last month of it. My longest ride was 135 miles, and that took 12 hours on a loaded bicycle, with a few stops to get and eat food and one flat tire.


From your background in cycling the double century would not only be possible, but probably fairly easy for you.
+1

Anyone who can centuries day after day on a loaded bike is plenty fit and knows enough about pacing that this will be a cake walk for you. You should be giving advice for this ride rather than asking for it.

Have a great time riding your double and report back with pictures.

Well thanks for the support guys, but it looks like it won't be happening any time soon. Yesterday I was sniffling and sneezing all day and this morning I felt like crap when I got up. I'll get a ride part way and bicycle the rest of it in moderate time.

Take it easy with the cold. I started a double this year feeling the way you do, had to bail and I ended up with a bad case of bronchitis that almost put me in the hospital.

Well I didn't do it, and I am kind of glad because I am still feeling pretty sick and light headed today. I ended up taking a ride part way and then riding a 100 miles plus change. I also started 30 minutes before sunrise, and even that was freezing cold. A double century would have meant a lot more riding in the dark.

The problem is that the days are so short now that I will have only 11 hours between sunrise and sunset. I figure I can start about 2 hours before sunrise, and I will be okay if I get to the edge of Montreal an hour after sunset. Right, I know exactly what you mean. I've ridden a dozen or so doubles this year, but they become much more difficult as the day shortens.

Off hand, the two factors I find the most important when performing long rides that involve night riding have to do with whether or not your are extremely familiar with the route and road surfaces, as well as the spacing for safe and comfortable resting opportunities.

As long as you know your route, and you know your refueling/resting stops, don't be afraid to try it. Never a good idea to ride a new route or new roads during a night ride.