Renaud4Chemins

Hi there!

I'm very happy to join this active forum I am Renaud, 35, Paris (France), web project manager.

I plan to ride 550 miles late july, and I happily bought Run*****ic Road Bike PRO, full of hope to design my trip... But then I got really sad because the website related to the Android app would not allow me to design a trip longer than an arbitrary 280 miles (or so).

How am I supposed to do it now? I am looking for an app that would:
* replace Google Maps (for directions so that I don't get lost )
* allow some friends to follow my position (GPS) in real time
* give me a real time estimation of my speed (and also heartbeat, given I buy a compatible monitor for that purpose)
* store stats like burnt cals, average speed over the miles and related GPS position, elapsed time, and stuff like that

Do you have any advice for that?

Also, I am an utmost beginner, with no physical training and a small overweight (227lbs for 5.9 height), and I am looking for advices that would allow this trip (which is actually a challenge I recently set to myself) to go well (I would like to do it in 48 hours, including sleep/lunch/breaks, and I know I won't be able to, but I'd like to stay as close as possible to that limit)

For now, some people told me:
- to use an "armor" (of some sort) for thighs, in addition to lubricant
- to sleep at least 8h during the trip (but that I won't do... I'll sleep before, and after)
- not to buy a bike on the internet because a proper size is important (I don't own a bike yet, any advice to maximize my speed is welcome!)
- to wear a helmet
- to pay attention to the saddle (especially since I have a low-back pain since a few years when I'm seated because of a bad fall on snowboard)
- to stretch when I stop riding
- to give up (haha)

I plan to take with me a box with enough wholegrain rice (for carbs) mixed with peanut butter (for fat, prot, sugar) for the whole trip, and vitamins "to munch". I will also prepare a powder (with salt and sugar and maybe something else) to put into my water bottles so that I don't deplete my strengths too quickly.

Do you have any other advice to give me? Any advice is good to take! For example: when my trip is over and I arrived at destination, should I continue to ride a bit, but at a lower rate or should I walk a bit? Should I go swim? Should I put heat or on the contrary cold on my legs? Should I take any medicine in particular to help ease the pain after the trip? What should I do to prevent any fatal injury (like heart failure)? Should I take aspirin during the trip to prevent muscle fatigue or is it too dangerous because it increases heart failure (I don't know if it does, it is just an example)? Should I pedal during descents to maximize my speed, or should I instead rest my legs a bit?

Thank you all,

Renaud

PS: I understand some of you may feel obliged to warn me or discourage me, but please don't. I know it does not go without risks, many people already told me, and maybe I'm stupid/reckless, but I am determined to do it and the best you can do to help me is give me some precious advice about the bike or anything... Thank you again! (fwiw I already did a 404 miles trip over 4 days (with a *very* lame bike), 15 years ago... so okay I don't have the same body/heart now, but anyway, I'm pretty sure it can be done, my uncles did it in 3.5 days when they were young... don't you think?)

10 Wheels

Good Luck

seeker333

Finding an app is the least of your problems.

You've not indicated if this is a self-supported, loaded tour, which can significantly affect progress. For most bicyclists who ride frequently and regularly (thousands of miles per year), a Century (100 miles) is considered a major accomplishment, few ride a Century more than a few times per year, and most never reach this milestone.

Summarizing your OP, you are a 35 year-old desk jockey who is proposing to do >5 Centuries in 48 hrs without sleep, don't own a bike, and are not in great physical shape. You have 2 weeks to prepare for this Herculean undertaking, which is 36% longer than the ride you made 15 years ago, and you want to finish in half the time you were capable of when you were probably at your physical peak.

I think you are really kidding yourself with this idea, or else this is simply an amateurish troll. No reasonable person would believe they could hop on a bike and ride 550 miles in 2 days. It'll probably take you a week just to find, acquire, test and choose an app(s) to satisfy your stated data requirements.

I think "10 Wheels" said it better, "Good luck".

Renaud4Chemins

Well then, I already "accomplished" a "4 centuries" trip, and I don't remember feeling exhausted (however I did it over a 4 days span). And I sure do not have an unlimited cardio. I just wish to ride a bit more than 25% more. In a bit less time. With a bit more effort.

I don't understand exactly what you mean. But I'll ride alone (I'll have a GPS on my phone though), and I'll have a small backpack containing the rice, energy bars, spare batteries, and survival blanket.

As I said, I reckon it may not be feasible in 2 days, but I'd like to do it in any case under 3. And I'll do everything I can to achieve my goal.

Well, advices would be more useful than making fun of me...

In any case I'll let you know how it went, but if people could give me answers to some of the questions I asked, it would help me a great deal!

Thank you again,

Renaud

Steve B.

Break the online map/route into 2 or 3 sections, each as a different route/course

deex

Have you tried mapmyride.com

And if you finish 550 miles in 48 hours then you are a superhuman!

I have been riding steady for more than a year now and I am yet to reach a century. The longest I have gotten have been 70 miles. However I can do 45 miles no problem.

Good luck.

Renaud4Chemins

I don't understand what people talk about when they say "century". Does it mean "riding 100 miles without stopping once"? Because, I don't mean any offense or anything (and not brag, because I sure don't have anything to brag about), and I am sure I don't understand things well, but I did a "century" 4 days in a row 15 years ago, without training and with a "3 wheels" bike (I mean 3 different levels of resistance to pedaling... i don't know the exact term sorry), and I sure am not a superhuman, not even in the slightest (I'm exhausted when I walk a few stairs, even if I wasn't 15 years ago). That's why I think I misunderstood something.

In any case, I am still looking for advices, especially for hindering muscle pain (during and after the trip) and heart failure (during the trip).

Thank you "deex" and "steve. b" for the advices regarding the app. For Run*****ic, I think it is lame that I can't have all in a single trip I'll try to email the app publisher. And I'll give "mapmyride" a shot too, thx for the tip!

seeker333

I didn't make fun of you. I did take time to explain normal people's bicycling capabilities in order to give you some perspective on the highly difficult undertaking which you propose.

If I wanted to make fun of you, I'd have saved myself time and simply written "You're either a troll or nucking futs". Knowledgable bicyclists reading the OP will likely form a similar opinion, because only professional bicyclists or active randonneurs are capable of completing such a ride in your time constraints, let alone the fact that you've made no preparation for starting in 2 weeks (no training, no bike) and you're apparently an age 35 overweight desk jockey. In the 15 years which passed from your last "4 centuries in 4 days on a 3 speed bike ride", you have likely declined into a typical sedentary lifestyle. As a person/bicyclist well beyond this point in life, I simply want to illuminate for you the fact that you are closer to Walter Mitty than Lance Armstrong.

I don't know randonneuring, but a quick look indicates a 550 mile ride would take ~48-60 hours, by the small number of bicyclists who are adequately conditioned and capable of completing this ride. Even these athletes can barely do your fantastic bike ride.

I think you're just a troll. Touring forum attracts them like flies to ....

deex

I vote troll as well, and you guys are way too nice here.

mstateglfr 

My gosh, i just love this forum. You dont get this sort of entertainment in the C&V or gravel forums.

Northwestrider

Android app ( Glympse ) will allow your friends to follow you in real time, as will runtastic if your friends also have the app . I do believe your runtastic app should allow you to plan your trip, via a desk top , not on your phone . Alternatively mapmyride should work as well as was indicated above . I am curious however, why do you wish to suffer so much ? 550 be it miles or kilometers is a long way to ride in 2 or 3 days , even if you have trained for such a ride .

pacalolo

You can't do it. That is all.

Renaud4Chemins

Ok, no offense but it's now the third time you insult me in only 2 posts, contrary to what you defend yourself from.

My need of advices is genuine, as is my challenge, and you keep insulting me while not providing me with any tip/advice.

Well, in any case, your opinion doesn't matter to me, I just seek advice. If you don't want to help me, feel free to go somewhere else.

Unless I'm dead by the end of my challenge, I will come back here and tell you (you all) how much time it took me. Maybe it will take me 4 days or 5 days, who knows, but maybe I will have a strong enough mind to do it in less than 3 days (maybe 2 days is not feasible...).

Thank you Northwestrider. I'll have a look at Glympse. I used the desktop website of Runtastic (because you can't plan a trip on the phone app, you are right), but it's precisely the website that denied me the possibility to map this ride. Maybe I'll just follow the advice from "Steve B." and cut the trip in 2 or 3 so that Runtastic doesn't bother me anymore.

If you wish to know Northwestrider, these recent years I had several failures (professionally), and a disease that forbade me from keeping to do the sports I really liked (scuba diving, rugby, and martial art). Plus, everyone is calling me "a fatty". Maybe everything together pushes me to try this challenge, so that I take my revenge on life and on people making fun of me, I don't know. But I'll do it, even if it takes me longer than I had hoped, no matter if people try to discourage me.

If people could answer some of my above questions (regarding muscle pain / heart failure, like for example what is the max BPM I should undertake before slowing down), or if you have any advice for the choice of the bike (knowing I have a small budget), it would be really nice of you.

Thank you all,

Northwestrider

Well the best bike that will give you the best chance IMO of completing your ride in the fastest time would be a recumbent , as from a comfort issue the saddle on most bikes take some getting used to , on a recumbent not so much . But they are usually much more expensive, in Europe they are more common I believe, so maybe it's possible to find something used . Ok, all the best to you .

Renaud4Chemins

Thanks! I also bought a padded boxer (to wear under the cycling pants), because I need to protect my coccyx, and I was thinking maybe of getting a padded saddle (actually something to add on top of the default saddle that comes with the bike). But I need to get the bike first.

I checked a shop that is not far from my home, but dear God this is awfully expensive! Between 1,000 euros and 4,000 euros... Far too expensive for me.

Will something like this break before the end of the trip? Is it enough?

I also installed Glympse, but as it is not a "ride companion", I also installed MapMyRide (which is provided by UnderArmor, it should be a good sign!). I am completing my profile right now and will then look into all the features.

Thanks for the tips!

seeker333

I've given you excellent advice, which you repeatedly have chosen to ignore and interpret as insult. It is nearly impossible for you to complete the length of bicycle ride in specified time frame (550 miles in 2,3 or even 4 days). This is my considered opinion based on personal experience, information gleaned from investigation of randonneuring, and information you have provided, namely:

1. You don't own a bike and therefore have no recent bicycling experience.
2. You are an "utmost beginner" with no training, who is exhausted by climbing a few stairs.
3. You are technically obese - those folks calling you a "fatty", while not nice, are not wrong.
4. You repeatedly expressed concern for risk of heart failure, so there must be some important health issues behind these comments.

Finally we discover your budget for a bike is ~300 USD. You can't afford to attempt this "death march", which is a good thing - your poverty may save you from your poor judgement.

I suggest you start walking daily at a medium to rapid pace, gradually increasing distance to perhaps 5 miles. If you can maintain this regimen for 6 months, and combine it with diligent, smart dieting, then you may be able to lose 20-30 pounds of weight. Start bicycle training in the late winter, and by spring you could undertake a long multi-day bicycle tour. Late July to late August is the worst time to bicycle tour in USA or France due to consistent daily high temperature. Also, most people take vacation/holiday at this time, causing public roads to have highest traffic volume, thus making the bicycle ride both more dangerous and less pleasant.

Renaud4Chemins

@seeker333
I thank you for giving me your opinion, but then again this is not what I came here for. Neither opinion nor judgement. I know it will be a difficult challenge (otherwise it wouldn't be called a challenge), and I know I'm not the best person to do it, but that's precisely why it's so important to me.

Now, I only seek advice to help me accomplish my challenge, not advice to attempt to discourage me. I believe the distinction is quite clear, but if it is not to you, please do tell, and I will explain again.

You surmise that my budget is 300 USD just because I gave a link to an affordable bike, but you are wrong. My maximum budget is 600 euros (which is 663 USD), and I reckon it is a decent budget for an average person. Now, if a bike at 250 EUR is "almost" the same than another one (from a more famous brand) at 700 EUR, then yes, I would rather buy the 250 EUR bike, especially since one I don't care much about the brand, and two it's only for one ride. Not 1,000 rides.

I take note that late July (especially a week-end!) is the worst time ever, but I won't take the highway, and I plan to ride during the night as much as possible, so that the weather is cooler and the roads are less crowded. Also, I don't care about the pleasantness of the trip, because it is not a discovery-leisure-casual trip, it is a sport challenge. Finally and above all, it happens that I don't have the liberty to choose the date (because of external obligations), so my opinion (or anyone else's) does not matter and it will have to do.

Yet another question: will a dynamo cost me too much speed? Am I better off carrying a few external batteries for the smartphone and the front torch light?

Grumpybear

My suggestion would be to join the nearest Randonne'e club https://rusa.org

Being able to ride great distances is what they are all about. While the focus is not about "fast", their rides are timed and some riders try and finish as fast as they can. You can learn a lot riding with some of their members about planning, nutrition, comfort, sleep, and speed. There is also a sub forums here as well. Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Bike Forums

Good luck

Northwestrider

In any case , by all means , please let us know how your challenge works out for you . We wish you success .

mstateglfr 

Seeker gave you a bunch of detailed advice as to how to accomplish your challenge. You simply read it in a negative light and view it as discouragement. In fact, Seeker gave you a plan for how (s)he would go about ACCOMPLISHING your challenge.
Ill sum it up- TRAIN FIRST.




I think your goal is a really cool, albeit arbitrary, one. Shoot for the stars and whatnot. But you can shoot for the stars with a bow and arrow, or you can shoot for the stars with a rocket.
Training = rocket, fyi.
Arrow or rocket...which will give you the best chance to reach the stars?

pacalolo

I am not French. Best advice is that you plan for something less than 100 miles per day. Perhaps significantly less. I offer this to you as someone who:

1. Lost 70 lbs in 8 months.
2. Now rides about 100 miles per week.
3. Recently (Last weekend) witnessed a friend have a heart attack, crash, and die, at the end of a 50 mile ride.
4. Tried to ride 100 miles yesterday and quit at 82 due to the heat and not wanting to risk my health.
5. Watched another friend make 200 miles yesterday (on the same ride I was on). He rides 10k miles per year now for six years and is a hardened, extremely fit rider. He is training for a 500 mile race in Texas in the fall.

Anyway, good luck. 550 miles in 40 hours is only 13.75 miles per hour, leaving you 8 hours to sleep. Get really good kit to wear. That will be your biggest issue. Also consider aero bars.

350htrr

OK, Just to move the bar up a notch... Supposedly some 64 years old dude named E A Butt did 439 Miles in 24 Hrs... So is this guys goal "Impossible"? Who knows...

Renaud4Chemins

Thank you! Yesterday evening I bought myself some good stuff (strong front lights, batteries, stuff like that), it will help me ride during the night when the temperature is cooler. I will keep you posted early August (except in the case that I physically cant).

Apparently he did, using an electricity-assisted bike
Then again, probably I won't do it in 48h, it is the "dream goal", but I'd like to do it under 72h in any case. At least I'll try. It means 183 miles per day, and it seems feasible.

I am sorry for your loss. That's why I seek advice to prevent heart failure (even though it can happen to anyone at any time... even while eating breakfast).
Thanks for the tip for aero bars, I'll look into it!

I understand he did. But what I am looking for is advice on how to accomplish this challenge this summer. I got enough people around me trying to discourage me from doing it... What I need now is professional advice to have the best chance at it.

Thanks I'll give it a try!!

shipwreck

Asking a bunch of people on the internet for tips on how to prevent a heart attack while doing something that very few of us could do, and while substantially out of condition, is just silly. You need to consult a physician who can assess your risk after seeing you in person.

The goal of two days is asking for trouble. You will possibly push yourself to the point of injury in the first day or so, not giving yourself a chance to complete any substantial portion of your distance, even with the understanding that you may have longer. In other words you could blow up without getting a chance to finish by trying to hard at the beginning.

If this is about feeling bad about being overweight(I tend to be heavy as well)then there are much smarter ways about going about losing it and getting in shape or at least condition. You say this is a one time thing to prove something to yourself. Maybe you should start cycling to work every few days, or look to a longer term fitness regimen that will have lower short term impact on your body and more positive long term effects.

Heres the advice you wanted. Your body will not take kindly to that much saddle time, and even the slightest problem with the fit of the bike can cause injury. You will need plenty of lubricating cream, high quality padded shorts, and possibly take something to deal with blisters and open sores on your ass and feet caused by doing constant repetitive motions without proper conditioning or training on high pressure areas.
Eat constantly, hydrate constantly. Do not rely on gels or energy supplements alone. Thats about all I can say, as there is no proper advice to give for this that has not already been given. There is no real way to stop muscle pain caused by doing something that you are not in condition for.


You shouldn't come on a forum and ask for peoples help in doing the, if not impossible, then the very ill advised, with the condition that no one tell you that it is not a great idea. The people around you who are telling you not to do it might not be cyclists, but when you get the same advise from cyclists perhaps you should listen.

You may pull it off. If so I will read about it and be less impressed by the feat than I am about the foolishness of the en-devour.

seeker333

Well stated, my sentiments exactly.