Touring - Is 80 to 100 miles a day responsible?

Hey guys im riding cross country next month and im trying to get 80 to 100 miles a day. I have a 2011 Trek 520 and I rode 45 miles this weekend at a average of 15.4 over 2hr and 51 min. Fully loaded.
been training for the last year ill post a pic when I get home!

Tough to say what is a reasonable average. We averaged 60 per day on the TA and I have averaged between 50 and 80 on various tours. To calibrate that a bit I am a moderately fit 60 year old.

Have a great trip.

I'm slower because I want to see where I am , I may not be there again.

Going threw kansas there won't be much to see! I'll be doing the TA from Yorktown to Astoria. June 18th. Just wanted to see if that's a average that can get me that many with stops. How often do you rest?

"responsible", or do you mean reasonable?

It would be irresponsible with your well being if you develop over-use injury, inflamed ligaments, chondromalacia patellae, itbs because you weren't conditioned or didn't allow yourself to be conditioned for long distance cycling without the need for recovery.

Expecting to do high average daily mileage weeks on end means you've done it before and if you haven't you plan on developing that conditioning en route.

If you haven't done 400mile weeks of riding recently, 45miles in 3hrs isn't relevant, then you'll be stressing yourself and needing recovery. If you don't factor in recovery by choice it will be forced upon you by the limits of your body, whether by simple low energy and exhaustion or injury and illness.

What I'd call reasonable is whatever your high average weekly miles have been since you've been riding more this year plus about 25% but it's very important you reduce your peak output during each days ride to remove the need to recover the next day and to reduce peak loading on knees and connective tissue. If you've done successive weeks and months of 250miles/day fast club riding then 80miles a day should be doable. The biggest problem is ensuring you have adequate sleep/rest and that your motivation for X miles a day doesn't involve pushing/denying your reserves are being depleted. Once that happens you're into recovery territory and all kinds of manageable problems are managed by not riding, resting and recovery. Simple exhaustion can be addressed in a day of easy riding. Over-use injury from pedaling too hard, too long can take days to weeks to months to recover.

Have fun, and don't grind your knees away.

Lol yes reasonable im typing from my phone, I average 200 a week, I don't own a car I commute everywhere. When I lived further away it was around 350 a week, I've easily put in over 10k miles in the last year. And when I ride I focus more on foot speed and cadence then power. When I rode that 45 last week I was hungrier then hell the whole next day and exhausted. First time I've rode with that much weight. I plan on 60 this Sunday and 80 next. Then im gonna do a 100 and a over night then 100 back at the end of the month.

How often do you rest?

Ideally by choice. Frequency and duration is totally related to the challenge. Think of it like food and water, by the time you feel the need it's too late and you're into recovery time. If successive days of high mileage over weeks is a new experience try and leave something in the tank at the end of the day for the first week. Kind of like you're charging a bank of batteries. It'll make the trip enjoyable but more important it'll give you the choice to up the miles once you're accustomed to that much seat time.

Ideally by choice. Frequency and duration is totally related to the challenge. Think of it like food and water, by the time you feel the need it's too late and you're into recovery time. If successive days of high mileage over weeks is a new experience try and leave something in the tank at the end of the day for the first week. Kind of like you're charging a bank of batteries. It'll make the trip enjoyable but more important it'll give you the choice to up the miles once you're accustomed to that much seat time.

yeah this sounds good, thanks. This is the kinda experienced advice im looking for!

Hey guys im riding cross country next month and im trying to get 80 to 100 miles a day. I have a 2011 Trek 520 and I rode 45 miles this weekend at a average of 15.4 over 2hr and 51 min. Fully loaded.
been training for the last year ill post a pic when I get home!

Reasonable? Perhaps if you have cycling buddies with you so you guys can draft each other. Remember that when you're cycling in cities, you are well sheltered from the elements, meaning you won't be experiencing the kind of headwind like you would in open country like in Montana, Idaho and some part of the Oregon coast where the headwind itself can really take a toll on your body and your mileage expectation as well as how you feel day in and day out. I've cycled in a 10% grade going downhill and I had to pedal to get myself moving at 10mph in the granny-- the headwind was that strong. One time, I had to cover a distance of 80 miles headwind all the way. Thank god I met a couple of german cycle tourists and we drafted and made good time; well at least I didn't have to have a late dinner and pitch my tent before midnight.

On the basis of your current mileage I don't see 80/100 being a major problem. I would normally tour at 50-60 per day, but have gone as high as 125 per day for a four-day stretch. And as it happens, I'm doing a two-week tour of around 1000 miles myself in a few days time, and since 3 rest days while visiting friends, my daily average on the road will be around 90.

yeah this sounds good, thanks. This is the kinda experienced advice im looking for!
I agree that was great advice from LeeG. It is always smart to take it a little easy for the first part of a long trip. Way too many go out at some crazy pace and wind up being set back.

Everyone is different, but...
My personal preference is to view the need for a rest day as an error. I take it to mean that my daily mileage or pace are too high. I do take rest days for something special like a great hike, going white water rafting, or maybe spending a few days seeing somewhere amazing. To me it would be a shame to sit in a motel room watching TV because I wore myself out beyond what I could recover from overnight.

On the Trans America we took one rest day to go whitewater rafting. Other than that we limited resting to just a shorter day here or there. Those days we knocked off very early and swam, read, or lounged around in camp. We called them "half days", although the mileage was usually a bit more than half of our average.

On my other tours it has varied. On the Santa Fe Trail I caught a nasty bug and spent 36 hours sick in a motel room and completely conked out. On my Sierras tour I took a week in Yosemite. On the Pacific coast route, I took one day at an especially nice state park. On the southern tier I took zero rest days and only one day I considered a short day.

Everyday is a different.

You ain't racing, so have fun, look around, take lots of pics, talk with the locals, stop often.

And when I ride I focus more on foot speed and cadence then power. When I rode that 45 last week I was hungrier then hell the whole next day and exhausted. First time I've rode with that much weight. I plan on 60 this Sunday and 80 next. Then im gonna do a 100 and a over night then 100 back at the end of the month.

Sounds like you know what you're doing. That easy light spin that gets you around everyday will get you around with gear, albeit much slower.
Good lesson from your ride, 15mph for three hours will require a couple days of recovery. That means that much power is way too much for touring. Did you eat at all during that ride or have a normal sized breakfast? Try this for your next long day, ride three hours EASY with two or three short breaks, have lunch, take a walk or some kind of break, then ride one to three more hours with two or three short breaks if longer than an hour for the afternoon ride. Your 80mile/day average will require about 6hrs of bike time with a couple hours of breaks.

The breaks can make a big difference for making seat time possible. When you said 80-100miles a day that's way over twice your present 200mile/wk average. Anytime you up distance/time/effort there's recovery until the new level is the new normal. If your recovery is longer than a good nights sleep you have to recover on the bike the next day which means less of one or all of those three factors.

So if your weekly average for the trip is over twice your existing average it'll mean the need to recover well everyday for the first week to build conditioning. I only did one month long trip and numerous one and two week trips when I was younger. What helped me was going easy for the morning portion of the ride. By 10:30am I'd been on the road for one to two hours and had enough time to warm up and assess things, see how I felt after a few snacks and breakfast was pretty much gone by 11am. Thereafter the miles went according to my mood. If something was left in the tank at the end of the day I could uncork it momentarily the next day on a climb or the flats. After a week a new level of conditioning was showing itself but real changes didn't happen until a month and season of work/recovery cycles. To do what you haven't done before takes work and recovery. Ignoring recovery leads to exhaustion and possibly injury.
I've done the exhaustion routine enough to know the body will stop you if you don't stop yourself.

Not to worry. Your body/mind will let you know if that pace is 'responsible.' Only you can decide. For a few, it is doable. For most, certainly not.

Reasonable? Perhaps if you have cycling buddies with you so you guys can draft each other. Remember that when you're cycling in cities, you are well sheltered from the elements, meaning you won't be experiencing the kind of headwind like you would in open country like in Montana, Idaho and some part of the Oregon coast where the headwind itself can really take a toll on your body and your mileage expectation as well as how you feel day in and day out. I've cycled in a 10% grade going downhill and I had to pedal to get myself moving at 10mph in the granny-- the headwind was that strong. One time, I had to cover a distance of 80 miles headwind all the way. Thank god I met a couple of german cycle tourists and we drafted and made good time; well at least I didn't have to have a late dinner and pitch my tent before midnight.

that reminds me of the trip I took up the coast of Ca. right out of high school. I was getting accustomed to all day riding then one day I was grinding up Hwy 1 on the Sonoma/Mendocino coast with 90miles of unrelenting head wind. I had figured out the food/water/seat time but not the stopping part. Spent the whole next day recovering as my lungs felt like they were full of wet towels. Subsequent days were under 60miles a day as I recovered further.

yeah this sounds good, thanks. This is the kinda experienced advice im looking for!

I'm middle aged and fat so this is all memories. One of the things I absolutely loved about touring and long distance cycling were those moments when it became effortless. Although it took a LOT of effort for that to happen but when you leave a little in the tank you can chose to draw more later. The trick is to allocate recovery time for every big effort then build on it. As much as I enjoyed suffering on the bike it was a lot more rewarding to not be toast in new situations. Although I did appreciate the surroundings if I was stopped by running the tank empty one too many times.
I didn't learn the physiology of cycling well enough until I joined a racing club. Found a great book translated from German describing cycles of exertion and recovery over different periods of time. Training within the week, the weeks building in a month, months in a season building to racing and each cycle of exertion has a period of recovery whether it's minutes, hours, days or weeks. If you don't recover during the ride you recover over night, if you don't recover overnight you take a few days, if you don't take a few days it may take a week.
One of the fun magical things is developing that base fitness, like you have now, and floating along just below the level of exertion that requires recovery. When you're "just" below that level, which is too hard for all day riding, everything is possible. It's too hard for a meditation effort but it's the effort that makes the tires sing and every once in awhile I'd get the feeling "I could do this forever" but all it took was a bit more push and the message came back "uh, no, not really". Leaving some in the tank gives those wonderful moments when pushing it the next time the message comes back "oh hell, I feel good!" and you end the day with more in the tank.

80 miles/day= 8 hours in the saddle, at 10 Mph. or 8mph for 10.

now if you tour just for bragging rights on how fast you knocked it out,
that is a whole different purpose for going.

As with some of the others, you're already at high mileage. But...

If you were riding 350 miles per week, 6 days a week, that's 60 miles. You're talking about jumping from 60 to 80-100 miles per week, for 10-12 weeks, and adding baggage. As others indicate, you don't want to get an overuse injury. I'd start with 40-50 miles, then inch up, and find a distance that works for you.

Don't forget you also need to eat, find food and water, maybe cook, set up a tent or hotel, shower etc. So even if you're fit to bike 12 hours a day, you still need to allocate time for other tasks.

I'd ease into it, as well as keep your plans flexible. E.g. don't pre-pay your hotels 100 miles apart before you leave...

If you're going west to east, you might want to think about taking it a bit easy the first week or two. No matter how fit you are, there is nothing quite like pulling all that weight up a mountain pass or two. If are training in a hilly area that will not be so much of an issue for you. Good luck and have fun. When I did my cross country, I averaged around 60 to 80 miles a day but frankly I would have done it slower if it had been totally up to me. There is a lot to be said for taking your time on a trip like that.

Have you included mountain range crossings and high altitude riding in your plan?

What about rest days?

I'm middle aged and fat so this is all memories. One of the things I absolutely loved about touring and long distance cycling were those moments when it became effortless. Although it took a LOT of effort for that to happen but when you leave a little in the tank you can chose to draw more later. The trick is to allocate recovery time for every big effort then build on it. As much as I enjoyed suffering on the bike it was a lot more rewarding to not be toast in new situations. Although I did appreciate the surroundings if I was stopped by running the tank empty one too many times.
I didn't learn the physiology of cycling well enough until I joined a racing club. Found a great book translated from German describing cycles of exertion and recovery over different periods of time. Training within the week, the weeks building in a month, months in a season building to racing and each cycle of exertion has a period of recovery whether it's minutes, hours, days or weeks. If you don't recover during the ride you recover over night, if you don't recover overnight you take a few days, if you don't take a few days it may take a week.
One of the fun magical things is developing that base fitness, like you have now, and floating along just below the level of exertion that requires recovery. When you're "just" below that level, which is too hard for all day riding, everything is possible. It's too hard for a meditation effort but it's the effort that makes the tires sing and every once in awhile I'd get the feeling "I could do this forever" but all it took was a bit more push and the message came back "uh, no, not really". Leaving some in the tank gives those wonderful moments when pushing it the next time the message comes back "oh hell, I feel good!" and you end the day with more in the tank.


As with some of the others, you're already at high mileage. But...

If you were riding 350 miles per week, 6 days a week, that's 60 miles. You're talking about jumping from 60 to 80-100 miles per week, for 10-12 weeks, and adding baggage. As others indicate, you don't want to get an overuse injury. I'd start with 40-50 miles, then inch up, and find a distance that works for you.

Don't forget you also need to eat, find food and water, maybe cook, set up a tent or hotel, shower etc. So even if you're fit to bike 12 hours a day, you still need to allocate time for other tasks.

I'd ease into it, as well as keep your plans flexible. E.g. don't pre-pay your hotels 100 miles apart before you leave...

I plan on doing 138 miles the first day from Fayetteville NC to the coast. Then to Yorktown va. I don't plan on any hotels the whole trip, state park national parks private campgrounds and stealth camping!

I'm a poor man I work at pizza shop. I don't own a car so I was able to get good gear, but I plan on only having about 1300 bucks for the trip. But my trek will have solid parts and my gear will be dependable.

Have you included mountain range crossings and high altitude riding in your plan?

What about rest days?

i figure i can do 50 in the mountians.

Here's a link to my bike fully loaded. Its the best I could do from my phone.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14990373@N08/6979591642/sizes/z/in/photostream/

I plan on doing 138 miles the first day from Fayetteville NC to the coast.

ok, must be downhill and downwind.

It will be east, so ill prly have the wind to my back, and it will be flat. I plan on a 12 hr day.

Here's a link to my bike fully loaded. Its the best I could do from my phone.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14990373@N08/6979591642/sizes/z/in/photostream/

great bike, hope that rope can't get loose. It's amazing how fast a wheel stops turning when something jams in the the brake bridge. I was launched once when I tied a t-shirt under the seat and it got loose and caught inbetween tire and brake bridge. Luckily I went over a brush covered incline and not the bridge overlooking the river and rocks.

80-100 is just fine with four bags, good roads, no head wind, in shape and not too interested in seeing sights.

Toss in some head winds or junky road surfaces and you will have to balance it with less weight or greater fitness.

As for rest days I start all my > then three week trips the same.

Three big or four medium days -> rest. Take another rest day 5-7 days after the first. Then as needed. I try and pre schedule a long period off every 5-6 weeks. (aka mooch a bed from a FAOF)

Yeah im getting a 35L dry bag to put it in.

Hey guys im riding cross country next month and im trying to get 80 to 100 miles a day. I have a 2011 Trek 520 and I rode 45 miles this weekend at a average of 15.4 over 2hr and 51 min. Fully loaded.
been training for the last year ill post a pic when I get home!

Go ride back-to-back 100 mile rides this weekend or next.

Ride them fully loaded, as you plan to ride your tour.

Ride them on a variety of terrain/environmental conditions ... some hills, some flat, lots of wind. If it rains, ride anyway.

Then report back to us on whether you feel it is reasonable to assume you could do that day in and day out.



Are you on some sort of time limit for your tour that you can't do it at a more leisurely pace?

Go ride back-to-back 100 mile rides this weekend or next.

Ride them fully loaded, as you plan to ride your tour.

Ride them on a variety of terrain/environmental conditions ... some hills, some flat, lots of wind. If it rains, ride anyway.

Then report back to us on whether you feel it is reasonable to assume you could do that day in and day out.



Are you on some sort of time limit for your tour that you can't do it at a more leisurely pace?

no time limit im just excited to get to Oregon, ill let you about the 100 mile plus in a few weeks.

If you have to ask, then you must have doubts. Lots of folks tour and do that kind of daily mileage, and more, with ease. Others don't or can't. You'll likely find your own pace. Totally relative question.

Since you are not on a time schedule, just start easy for you (say 60 miles a day). Ramp it up 5 miles every day until you decide what is good for you. You may decide to stop after 50 miles since you stop and meet locals continually.

Or you might be like a guy I met who did a coast to coast and back who averaged something like 147 miles a day. I met him in Moorhead, MN when he was on his return from the east coast. He was loaded very light (1 change of clothes, bivy sack, and a patch kit and tube. That was about it. I asked him how he liked it. He said he hated touring since it was no fun and he never met people and saw cool things like others had talked about. I suggested he might want to "slow down and smell the roses" but he didn't see the sense in that.

My point is, just because you can doesn't mean you should.

No matter what you do, enjoy the ride!

no time limit im just excited to get to Oregon, ill let you about the 100 mile plus in a few weeks.

I submit it'll be a better trip for you if you take a third again as long to get to Oregon, and are still excited to get there. Sorry to throw cold water on your plans, but I think you're biting off more than you can handle, and you're likely to burn out and quit in Missouri on your current schedule.

I'd suggest you start planning at half that distance until you get to Berea (assuming you're on the TransAm). From there, with some more fitness trained into your legs, lungs, and seat, you can start riding as much as you feel comfortable every day.

totally fair question. Probably the tour I did the highest mileages in I was in my late 40s, and I weighed about 270. I did around 80 a day. But the tour only lasted 3 weeks, and I lost a lot of weight, and was done by the time it was over. There were also days when headway was all but impossible due to wind.

Fair question, but one of many questions that make sense to ask from home. When you get out their, your priorities are not the same. Normally my best state felt great, in the flow, you just want it to carry on for ever. Not the same thing as worrying about whether you make miles. If you can stay comfortable, enjoy the riding, you will will churn out the miles. I average about 10 mph for the whole tour, but normally my speedo would read 14, just can't keep that up all the time. But at those rates you can toss off 100 in 10 hours. And I prefer to keep moving, so you kinda wonder at the end of the day where the rest of the time goes.

As far as doing half the miles to Berea, it might be a good thing, but I don't know how you would put in the time. I normally top 40 around 11, and I am not an early riser. So the rest of the day, and stuff I might toss off the same mileage. At my age. So for a younger person to do only 40, you can walk that. But yeah, whether you do 100 hundred is another mater. Also, you should probably do 800 slow if you want to build your resilience. Except maybe you already have done that.

Yeah I've ridden over 10k mile this last year. So I feel completely at home on a bike, and know how to ride steep incline's and strong headwinds (Spin it out)! I can still the sights it seems at 13 15 mph average. I average 20 mph on my daily commute with my handlebar bag and my rear panniers on. But its over familiar grounds. I know others have ridden the TA from yorktown to Oregon and I'm trying to get a idea on what I'm gonna face, and how others have handled it! Plus I was at work and wanted to talk cycling and everyone at work is tired of hearing me talk about it! I get my TA map set next week so I can start planning it out even better. I do thank all of you for your responses and will be definitely taking it all into account!
Thanks for your time and advice all!

My Bike,

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/6979591642_039731381b_z.jpg

Since you are not on a time schedule, just start easy for you (say 60 miles a day). Ramp it up 5 miles every day until you decide what is good for you. You may decide to stop after 50 miles since you stop and meet locals continually.

Or you might be like a guy I met who did a coast to coast and back who averaged something like 147 miles a day. I met him in Moorhead, MN when he was on his return from the east coast. He was loaded very light (1 change of clothes, bivy sack, and a patch kit and tube. That was about it. I asked him how he liked it. He said he hated touring since it was no fun and he never met people and saw cool things like others had talked about. I suggested he might want to "slow down and smell the roses" but he didn't see the sense in that.

My point is, just because you can doesn't mean you should.

No matter what you do, enjoy the ride!

I do plan on being in Oregon 2 months after I start but I'm never about passing up a experience. I know you can never fully plan anything with these kind of adventures, you can't plan the people you meet. For me it's all about the experience and not about being able to say I did it! I'm moving to Portland and I moving there by bike! I'm Shipping the few articles of clothing and my 90 liter backpack, and taking what I can carry on my bike, that I need, and getting rid of the rest!
I can feel the Open road already!

A guy calls his doctor on the phone:

Guy--Hey, Doc. I've got a real problem. You remember how you told me last week that I need to get more exercise?

Doctor--Yeah, what about it?

Guy--Well, for the past five days I've been riding my bicycle 80-100 miles a day.

Doctor--Wow, that's fantastic! What's the problem?

Guy--I'm 450 miles from home.

(Totally irresponsible.)

A guy calls his doctor on the phone:

Guy--Hey, Doc. I've got a real problem. You remember how you told me last week that I need to get more exercise?

Doctor--Yeah, what about it?

Guy--Well, for the past five days I've been riding my bicycle 80-100 miles a day.

Doctor--Wow, that's fantastic! What's the problem?

Guy--I'm 450 miles from home.

(Totally irresponsible.)

Nice :)! Well I'm 32 and feel like being irresponsible! It gets boring being responsible all the time!

Get some fenders and all will be well

Get some fenders and all will be well

yeah i'm getting my fenders and new tires,(planet bike fenders, schwalbe tires), next week! I knew someone would notice!

I plan to do 100 a day. If you are fit, you have been training, I don't see a problem. Definitely do a 100 mile ride before you head out though to make sure you can do it :)

Joe,

Here are the issues you are facing. First, Lee G had outlined some great training facts.

Basically, it's really simple. A hard workout provides the "potential" for fitness. Yes, it provides just the potential. So many amateur athletes misunderstood that by working out harder, run harder, swim harder and cycle harder you will get stronger. Yes that's called building, but in fact, it is through proper recovery and nutrition is WHEN you realize that potential!! When you are supposed to do a recovery bike ride and you're wearing a team jersey, all of a sudden a dude on a mountain bike with knobbies passes you and challenges you to a duel. How many times have our egos caught up into this?!? Probably many when in fact, you should let that looser go and continue with your recovery ride!

Basically, all this cycle race training or endurance training is to eventually train your body to burn fat first and efficiently at a specific heart rate and spare the carbohydrates for later. And you want this so you can prolong from getting into glycogen depletion too soon. The feeling of hitting the wall is what a lot of endurance athletes will feel after all glycogen stores have been depleted. You have 2 stores in the form of muscle glycogen and liver glycogen to draw from. Even the very very best professional cyclist on a 4 to 5hr stage race will reach the limit of glycogen depletion and that's employing forestalling techniques. Your training has not even reach that period yet as your less than 3 hrs ride is not enough time to completely deplete your current reserves.
You see, in order to do what you want, you need to have the fuel tank to do it. But in order to have that fuel capacity, you really need to do a full 100 mile ride loaded and a few times too but in between builds to realize that capacity. Your body won't build a 100 mile fuel tank when you only rode for 45 miles! Sorry, it doesn't work that way either even with marathon running. Train only for 13 miles and then you can expect to run a full 26 miles? Lance Armstrong (7 TDF winner) paid for this assumption very dearly on his very first marathon thinking his TDF training will be no problem and ran only 50% of the full marathon mileage. You will also need to feel as you reach glycogen depletion (it feels really really crappy and your brain will start to shut down and body parts hard to move), so you won't be surprised. If you don't do this, you'll hit this wall eventually and you don't know what hit you and don't know how to deal with it. Everyone including pros will experience hitting the wall once including myself as I do ultra marathon running in the past. If you want to push 80-100 miles /day or longer, please do a century ride. The longer the better.

Like one poster said, 12 hrs of riding is not fun. I did something like that when I was younger, but all I saw was roads, more roads, bushes to pee or sometimes on the saddle (ahh that's how you soften your Brooks saddle!), then more roads, eat, then more roads. Most people will eventually build a tolerance to this pain, but ask anyone who endures this pain and they will not say good things about it but some people were after this high buzz when you pass a certain threshold. It's addictive for sure.

Joe,

Here are the issues you are facing. First, Lee G had outlined some great training facts.

Basically, it's really simple. A hard workout provides the "potential" for fitness. Yes, it provides just the potential. So many amateur athletes misunderstood that by working out harder, run harder, swim harder and cycle harder you will get stronger. Yes that's called building, but in fact, it is through proper recovery and nutrition is WHEN you realize that potential!! When you are supposed to do a recovery bike ride and you're wearing a team jersey, all of a sudden a dude on a mountain bike with knobbies passes you and challenges you to a duel. How many times have our egos caught up into this?!? Probably many when in fact, you should let that looser go and continue with your recovery ride!

Basically, all this cycle race training or endurance training is to eventually train your body to burn fat first and efficiently at a specific heart rate and spare the carbohydrates for later. And you want this so you can prolong from getting into glycogen depletion too soon. The feeling of hitting the wall is what a lot of endurance athletes will feel after all glycogen stores have been depleted. You have 2 stores in the form of muscle glycogen and liver glycogen to draw from. Even the very very best professional cyclist on a 4 to 5hr stage race will reach the limit of glycogen depletion and that's employing forestalling techniques. Your training has not even reach that period yet as your less than 3 hrs ride is not enough time to completely deplete your current reserves.
You see, in order to do what you want, you need to have the fuel tank to do it. But in order to have that fuel capacity, you really need to do a full 100 mile ride loaded and a few times too but in between builds to realize that capacity. Your body won't build a 100 mile fuel tank when you only rode for 45 miles! Sorry, it doesn't work that way either even with marathon running. Train only for 13 miles and then you can expect to run a full 26 miles? Lance Armstrong (7 TDF winner) paid for this assumption very dearly on his very first marathon thinking his TDF training will be no problem and ran only 50% of the full marathon mileage. You will also need to feel as you reach glycogen depletion (it feels really really crappy and your brain will start to shut down and body parts hard to move), so you won't be surprised. If you don't do this, you'll hit this wall eventually and you don't know what hit you and don't know how to deal with it. Everyone including pros will experience hitting the wall once including myself as I do ultra marathon running in the past. If you want to push 80-100 miles /day or longer, please do a century ride. The longer the better.

Like one poster said, 12 hrs of riding is not fun. I did something like that when I was younger, but all I saw was roads, more roads, bushes to pee or sometimes on the saddle (ahh that's how you soften your Brooks saddle!), then more roads, eat, then more roads. Most people will eventually build a tolerance to this pain, but ask anyone who endures this pain and they will not say good things about it but some people were after this high buzz when you pass a certain threshold. It's addictive for sure.

I've ridden 116 miles before, but that was last year and all I had was my tent sleeping bag and a extra bag on my back rack. It took 13 hours and was one of the most painful experiences of my life! I was cramping in spots I didn't know could cramp. I really don't know how I made it threw the last 10 miles of that ride. I just kept pedaling, It hurt more to get off the bike at that point! I'm a MUCH better rider now, and far more physically fit.

I plan to do 100 a day. If you are fit, you have been training, I don't see a problem. Definitely do a 100 mile ride before you head out though to make sure you can do it :)

Yeah I have to do a few more long distance rides, doing a 60 mile one this week then a 80 mile one next week. Then a 100 mile overnight er the at the end of may. I work out daily, crunches, push ups, pull ups, planks and squats. Well at least 6 days a week!

It sounds like you're ready for 80-100 miles-a-day tour to me.

My only concern is your day-one 138 miles. It's probably a bad concept. I think you'll make it, but you may suffer physically or mentally. I say do it in two days.

There's a big difference between doing "100 miles one day" and "80-100 miles, day after day, for weeks on end."

There's a big difference between riding an unloaded bike, and riding one with lots of baggage and weight. The bags increase drag; the weight makes climbing harder.

There's a big difference in time between riding 100 miles and going home, and: waking up, cooking breakfast, breaking camp, cycling, finding water and food, cycling, arranging your campsite, cooking, washing up, setting up camp. (Plus the occasional laundry pit stop, mechanicals, etc.)


By the way, I've noticed that people who are planning their first tour often think "I'm gonna do 100 miles a day, unsupported!" I'm not sure, though, how many people come close to that amount.

There's a big difference between doing "100 miles one day" and "80-100 miles, day after day, for weeks on end."

There's a big difference between riding an unloaded bike, and riding one with lots of baggage and weight. The bags increase drag; the weight makes climbing harder.

There's a big difference in time between riding 100 miles and going home, and: waking up, cooking breakfast, breaking camp, cycling, finding water and food, cycling, arranging your campsite, cooking, washing up, setting up camp. (Plus the occasional laundry pit stop, mechanicals, etc.)


By the way, I've noticed that people who are planning their first tour often think "I'm gonna do 100 miles a day, unsupported!" I'm not sure, though, how many people come close to that amount.

+1

I've seen several people over the years come in here with the idea that they are going to do 100-mile-a-day tours, but I don't recall any of them coming back and telling us how their tour went. We just never hear from them again.

One begins to wonder if they got 10 days into the tour, and then caught the first flight home, put the bicycle in the garage, and didn't look at it again.

I like 60-80 miles a day when I am fully loaded. 2-3 hours in the morning and the same in the afternoon, leaves plenty of time for sight seeing and socializing at the end of the day.

Marc

It sounds like you're ready for 80-100 miles-a-day tour to me.

My only concern is your day-one 138 miles. It's probably a bad concept. I think you'll make it, but you may suffer physically or mentally. I say do it in two days.

The 138 miles will be thru coastal NC. The biggest climb will be a small rolling hill, and given the time of year the wind should be at my back.