DannoXYZ 

At this early stage of your training, I'd recommend backing off the intensity so that you don't have to stop. Try to do the distance continuously at a steady effort.

I don't understand the part about needing to stop to drink water?

Sir Stuey

I'm relatively clumsy and not quite able to pull the bottle out, drink, then put it back in while pedaling or even coasting. If I can't get the hang of it, I'll just start riding with one of my camelbaks.

I see what you guys are saying though. Instead of breaking every 3 miles/20 minutes or after I climb an incline, I should just pedal on an easier gear and take it easy until I can pick up the pace again.

Does the fact that I'm on mountain bike gearing make continuous riding more difficult for me?

Paul L.

Usually around 2-3 hours but I have been known to go over 80 miles without stopping.

JR97

I hate stopping. I've gone 60 miles without stopping other than traffic lights. But I think I paid a price. I couldn't walk for a week.

This season, I went 2 miles out on my first ride and had to stop and lay down because I was so out of breath after climbing a very moderate hill. I thought I was going to puke. But now 2 months later, I'm going 15-20 miles round trip without feeling the need to stop and still having energy for the rest of the day. But I do push it hard and each ride gets easier as long as I give myself time to recover.

badger_bike

My rides are never very far -- the longest is 12 miles one-way -- but I find that, most of the time, I never really need to stop. However in the summer I stop several times on my long route, (which is along a river) because it's particularly scenic and also home to an abundance of blackberry plants.

Nosyap

I'd stop for the bikini chicks in the park... that's about it.

Machka 

If you are totally out of breath after a climb, rather than stopping, try slowing down and pedalling easy till you get your breath back.

And there should be no reason why you can't drink out of a bottle and ride at the same time. I don't remember ever NOT being able to do that ... I've been doing that since I was about 10 years old. But if you are just starting up with it, I have heard that it can take a bit of practice.

Machka 

I run through a whole stretching routine every so often during my rides while I am on the bicycle. I try to do it every 20-30 minutes. I can cover most of the muscles in the body that way, all while still rolling.

If you want to stop, that's one thing, but if you'd rather keep riding, there are ways to do that.

Machka 

The fact that you're on mtn bike gearing does NOT make continuous riding more difficult. My road bicycle is fitted out with mtn bike gearing and I can keep going and going and going.

As for the water bottle ... pedal at an consistent pace that is not too hard and not too easy. Then coast with one leg straight (if you are right handed, your right leg should be straight, if you are left handed, your left leg should be straight). Reach down with your dominant hand, grab your bottle and remove it from the cage. Resume pedalling and drink. When you want to return it to the cage, coast again with one leg straight and put it back. Go to a large, empty parking lot and practice there until you feel comfortable with it.

Sir Stuey

Sounds good.

I have been coasting a bit though but just couldn't reach for the bottle while maintaining a respectable speed.

Hmm, for some reason I'm more comfortable coasting with my left leg extended.

Machka 

You might be more comfortable coasting with your left leg extended, but are you comfortable reaching for and grabbing your bottle with your left hand? If you are, that's fine ... but if you are right handed, and you coast with your left leg extended, you'd have to reach around your right knee and try to extract your bottle between your knee and the bicycle ... that's not easy. It is much easier to get the bottle out when your leg is extended and out of the way.

Like I say, practice in a parking lot where there is no traffic ... a place where you can wobble and weave until you get it down pat and can do it while riding in a straight line.

old and new

sounds natural,with me I make progress very slowly then I break-through,seems sudden.Give it a month or two,depends on how many das a week.Three times a week is good,more if the rides are real leisurely.

CdCf

Two things usually make me take breaks.
1. Feeling a need to eat (I will never ever eat while riding due to risk of choking). Fortunately, I can often go three hours straight without eating, so this is only the case for longer rides.
2. Butt pain from the saddle. A few minutes off the bike helps a lot. I've now found a couple of good saddles, so I don't seem to get much pain at all recently. Even so, this would only be the case after maybe 50-60 miles.

Other than the two reasons above, needing to stop for mechanical issues, moving water bottles around (on my tourer, which has five bottle cages, one of which below the down tube), stopping to pee or stopping to wait for a ferry happens now and then.

PDay

I usually stop every hour to stretch as Im really paranoid about injuries. I had to take up cycling to ward off running injuries. The stop is no more than 2-3 mins, just quick stretching and maybe a granola bar if im feeling a lack of energy.

edit: for butt pain, I had to stand on the bike at least every 20 mins starting out, but it will get better. never had to stop for it though.

SonataInFSharp

Other than stoplights, etc, I never take a break, even on my 3-3.5 hour rides. I find that if I stop then I can't get going back into a rhythm again and I barely make it home. If I do the same ride without stopping at all, then once I get home I feel like I can do it all over again.

I admit that I am VERY bad about stretching. I don't stretch before or after the ride, and certainly not during the ride. I better get serious about stretching or I am going to be doomed.

Caspar_s

Now that sounds interesting - care to describe it?

fat_bike_nut

I suppose I should clarify my earlier post. When I say "stop," I don't include stopping for traffic lights or stop signs. You'd have to be an idiot to blow through red lights all the time and not expect to get hit after all!

Anyway, when it comes to biking, I never stretch, and I feel fine. Well, my legs feel like they've been run through a meat grinder, all tender and wobbly, but I attribute that more to the muscles being tired of having to spin so much without taking a break.

Mountain bike gearing is easier to spin in than road bike gearing is (assuming the same tires are used for both; knobby mountain bike tires really suck for riding on pavement and asphalt), unless your legs are strong

Machka 

It's kind of hard to describe in words, and it varies a bit, but it roughly goes something like this ...

I stand and slowly drop the heel of my extended leg to stretch that calf, then return the foot to a level position, and tighten my quad, hold, and release, then tighten the glute, hold, and release.

While still standing, I extend the other leg and slowly drop that heel, tighten my quad, hold, and release, then tighten the glute, hold, and release.

Still standing ... I level out the pedals (at 3:00 & 9:00), lean forward over the front wheel, stick my butt out over the back wheel, and straighten my legs. This one is really hard to describe in words and has to be experimented with to get the right effect. The idea is to stretch the hamstrings and back.

I sit and pedal a few strokes to keep the momentum up, then sit bolt upright and go through some upper body stretches ...

My right arm goes in an L shape behind my back to stretch my shoulder and upper back. I look down, then tip my head to one side and the other to stretch my neck. Then my left arm behind my back in an L shape behind my back etc.

I stretch my arms out to the side (one at a time, and not at an intersection or someone might think you're signalling) and flex my fingers.

I reach my arms above my head (one at a time again) in the overhead tricep dumbbell extension position to stretch my triceps, shoulders, and upper back.

I tighten, hold, and release my abs. Then I lean to the right side, and extend my left arm over my head to extend the stretch. And I lean to the left side, and extend my right arm over my head to extend the stretch.


I think that's about it. Like I said, it varies ... sometimes I do the entire routine, especially if I've got a nice flat section or gradual downhill to work with. Other times I focus on a few areas that seem to need extra attention. It feels really good!

CdCf

Pre-exercise stretching serves no purpose at all, and can actually cause injuries. Should never be done.
Stretching while exercising (i.e. when your muscles are warm) is ok, but not really necessary.
The only stretching that is truly beneficial is the post-exercise stretching. Must be taken care of as soon as possible after you stop, since you need warm muscles.

atomship47

for me, i usually stop around mile 25-30. so far, regardless of my number of stops, i bonk at about 45 miles. badlly. i've been experimenting with stops/foods so i can reach my goal of going from the 'burbs of chicago to central il and back over a long weekend. i'm a long way off. keep riding, it'll get better.

Nachoman

Like Machka I try to stretch on the bike, instead of stopping. I dislike stopping especially if it's cold out and I can catch a chill.

Machka 

On most of my rides, most of the year, I have to limit my side-of-the-road stops to about a minute. Any longer, and I know I'll be in a lot of pain from the cold, and I'll be risking hypothermia.

7 months out of the year, there's no stopping on the side of the road to use the ditch (I'm wearing too many clothes, and it would take me longer than a minute) ... and things like changing tires and doing roadside repairs are either completely out of the question or pretty close to it.

I was on one century in early March this year. The weather prediction was for a high of +8C and sunny ... really quite nice. And I dressed for that. Big mistake. A weather system blew in over the mountains, the temperature dropped, and the wind increased. With 40 kms to go, the temp was down to -11C with a windchill factor of -17C ... and I was really NOT dressed for that. I knew that the only way I could make the last 40 kms was to keep riding the whole time ... not get off my bicycle even for a second. In fact, I had to keep pedalling on downhills in order to keep myself from cooling off too much.

I realized that if something went wrong with my bicycle, I was screwed. There would be no way I would have the time to fix it, so I started looking for shelter as I rode ... checking out likely-looking farm houses which I might be able to walk to. I figured if something happened, I could probably walk a ways, but some stretches of that road were completely deserted for a very long time. Then, with 17 kms to go, my waterbottles froze solid. That's when I started to get a bit frightened. I'm usually more prepared than that!!

But I did the whole 40 kms without stopping, even though my legs very much wanted to stop.

PDay

Very impressive, it must have been very harrowing.

geo8rge

I try to stop every 5mi to check my tires for glass. It is possible that your bike needs to be overhauled. Are you riding with smooth (best for dry roads) or knobby tires?

StokerPoker

Make sure you drink BEFORE your ride. Also practice removing the bottle from the holder and drinking in a safe area such as an empty parking lot. Just like anything else it may take some time but you'll get used to it. depending on where your water bottle is mounted you may want to consider a water bottle holder mounted to your handlebar. This may be easier for you to access. You also want to drink before you get thirsty. I'm riding in the Tour de Cure this year and one of the things they recommend is drinking a little every 15 minutes. I tried this and it seems to work out pretty well. Proper hydration and more riding have really helped with my endurance. I must admit that I am an over-weight smoker and those things don't help my situation.
anyway...Keep riding and practice drinking your water. if you're thirsty it's already too late.