Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Strategies for a 400+?

I've now done two 300 km rides, one last September and the other just this past weekend. Both times I finished feeling both mentally and physically beat to crap (though the second wasn't quite as bad as the first). The thought of doing another 100 km seemed completely out of reach in both cases.

How do you make the leap to the next distance? I know there's a large psycological component to these rides...150 km into a 200 km ride (3/4) feels a lot different than 150 km into a 300 km ride (1/2). Does that carry through to longer distances?

Any other tips or tricks?

I've now done two 300 km rides, one last September and the other just this past weekend. Both times I finished feeling both mentally and physically beat to crap (though the second wasn't quite as bad as the first). The thought of doing another 100 km seemed completely out of reach in both cases.

How do you make the leap to the next distance? I know there's a large psycological component to these rides...150 km into a 200 km ride (3/4) feels a lot different than 150 km into a 300 km ride (1/2). Does that carry through to longer distances?

Any other tips or tricks?

Yes, it carries through to longer distances. There are probably almost an infinity of tips or tricks. The biggest difference between a 300 and a 400 is that (depending on course/terrain) you may be up for most of 24 hours or even more. So one trick for helping deal with that is that a ten or fifteen minute nap can be unbelievably restorative. So if you're getting drowsy to the point where you are potentially a danger to yourself or others, it can be helpful to stop and take a little nap. It usually takes a few minutes to settle in to sleep, but just be patient and let yourself go for at least five minutes before giving up. Even just lying down and trying to fall asleep seems to be helpful.

Nick

If 400kms (or longer) is something you can't envision yourself doing you need to mentally change it into something you can do. Don't look at it as a 400k. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the distance. Look at it as four 100ks (or whatever distance suits you). Riding 100kms is a piece of cake. You do training rides of that distance all the time. You have to look at the longer rides as a series of shorter rides and your goal is to get to the finish of each short section within the allotted time. Then move on to the next. The key is to break it down into manageable chunks. I do that with all my ultra distance events and races.

Your brain will take care of a lot of it for you. I don't think I've ever finished a 200k ride feeling like I could easily whip out another 200k. Yet on the 400k and longer rides I've done, I feel like I'm just getting started at the 200k point. So, yes the psychology does carry through to longer distances.

As Homeyba says, on the longer rides it's also key to break the ride up into manageble chunks. I usually think about getting to the next control, or maybe a landmark like a mountain pass or a town. It doesn't matter what your goal is as long as it's a manageable distance away. One of my favorite ways to pass the time on the long rides if I'm alone is to do math in my head, like trying to calculate the exact minute I'll arrive at the next control.

I use a heart rate monitor. When I finish a brevet of the previous length, I take note of the maximum heart rate I am able to achieve at the end of that brevet. I use that HR as a cap for the next longer brevet length. Works like a charm.

try slowing down a little.

I have found that when I feel like crap, I didn't eat right. I have also gone to lower gearing than what I would usually use. Muscling up a few hills is one thing, but doing it over and over for 20+ hours simply isn't a good idea

I guess for me, the thing was that they were just completely different rides. The 400k wasn't just a 300k with another 100k tagged on.

More specifically, most of my 200k rides and the first two 300k rides I did were basically solo rides. I don't mind riding solo in one sense, but it does bother me after a while, and I sort of dreaded doing anything longer because I figured it was just going to be a matter of riding around by myself in the dark all night.

Well, on my first (and only) 400k, sure enough, the group(s) started off at rocket pace, and I had to pick my own pace. I got out almost to the 200k control when I met the second group coming back (it was an out-and-back route). Then when I got back to the 300k control, having ridden that first 300k by myself, I pulled up at the control and there were a dozen bikes lined up in front of the store. They had waited about 15 minutes on me. I can't begin to tell you how wonderful that sight was! So I got to finish that ride with some of the other riders, which was so neat. And when I was done, I think I felt better than I had when I finished my first two 300k's. I discovered that an easy 400k (meaning, minimal wind problems in my case) was easier than a hard 300k (but not faster).

Since then, I've done two 600k's and another 300k and some shorter rides, and have been mainly hanging with the same group, and it has been a blast. The rides vary, but riding with other people makes it so much better.

You might consider riding in an area with more riders for a changeup if you basically ride solo, or if you're having wind and mountain problems, ride someplace less windy or mountainous for a changeup.

Something else I notice on longer rides, not just 400k's, but shorter ones- nutrition plays a big part. I had some rides last summer where I just felt so exhausted, and I think the issue was just not getting enough calories in because I was drinking so much. Stay on top of the calories, try Perpetuum or something while you ride, and see if that helps.

if it's very hot, it can be hard to eat enough.

The thing that happened for me is that I rode enough 200k's that I started noticing that I was recovering at about 100 miles. When I rode the 300k, I felt really good at the end. What I finally found out was that I could pretty much recover from anything, although it can cost a lot of time. If I really screw up on eating, chocolate milk and reese's cups have always provided an adequate fix. Everyone has to find their own equivalent, but massive amounts of sugar seem to work for people that can tolerate it.

Even just lying down and trying to fall asleep seems to be helpful.

Nick

I did just that on a solo 300km ride. Wanting to do the ride in daylight hours I departed at like 6am or so which is like 5 or 6 hours earlier than I would normally depart for a ride. So I only got about 1.5 hours of sleep and tried to take a little nap at Crawford Notch in the White Mountains. But a combination of the messenger bag pillow, the hard park bench, the cold mountain winds, and the tourists with children wondering if I was alright, I gave up after about 20 minutes. But it seemed to be enough to at least trick my body to get me through. The LARGE cup off Dunkin Donuts coffee in North Conway, NH didn't hurt either.

~kn

I saw someone make an amazing recovery after a 10 minute nap. Worth a try.

Groove,

My sentiments exactly after last weekend's 300. I'm in a very similar predicament mentally and stand similar in the brevets I've done. I believe I had the same "problem" between my first 200 and 300 a year or so ago, and somehow it worked out.

This weekend I noticed I tend not to look at distances but at time. On the 300 at the 100km mark thoughts of "1/3 of the way through" or "100km down 200 to go" were downers, whereby, "ok, cool, I've got a day of cycling still ahead of me" was really quite positive. Now my situation is particular in that I do not cycle as much as I'd like to do to a growing family and a (sad but) massive 180km/day commute to work. So time on the bike seems more precious now :).

The other thing I've heard is that the 400 is hard mentally because of the night riding. Well, I can pretty much only train at night now (after the family is asleep) when I'm pretty tired after a days work/play (i.e. motivation to even get going is pretty low). I think doing even a one hour night ride starting at 10pm when you normally settle down was quite good for me. I've done it a couple times and it's hard to not postpone it, but overall it's been good. It really is a totally different feeling than going for a ride on a Saturday morning when you're all pumped up :).

About the 15 minute sleep. Is it true you shouldn't go much beyond that? Trying to get an hour will actually make you feel more tired because of some sleep pattern you fall into that somehow you feel deprived upon waking. Is this true?

How do you make the leap to the next distance? I know there's a large psycological component to these rides...150 km into a 200 km ride (3/4) feels a lot different than 150 km into a 300 km ride (1/2). Does that carry through to longer distances?Of course you need to be confident of your ability and never let the overall goal out of sight while only focusing on the immediate sections of the route at hand.


The other thing I've heard is that the 400 is hard mentally because of the night riding.Yes, and no. It is not the fact that you are "night riding." The 400k is tougher because the night portion of the course comes when you are least able to cope with additional stress - when you are already tired!

And the "stress" is not just the darkness, but rather a whole host of environmental dangers.

Often the temperature changes as well. Support facilities may be closed. Visual clues to your safety are compromised due to traffic-related dangers and difficulty riding close to other riders.

Lots of things besides "darkness" affect cyclists in the night.

Along with all the other advice, all I can add is that there is no substitute for experience. In just about any case, a first time 400k rider should seek out experienced riders to "team up" with during their first attempts at longer distances. More than likely their experience will help more than hinder you.

Thanks everyone, some good advice in here.