Odysseus32

I'm not posting this for any other reason than to tell someone because I'm proud of myself! I know 60 miles is nothing to a lot of you, but it was my farthest ride to date. My farthest before this was a 37 mile ride so I jumped a bit.

I used my Trek 1000 series (not sure what year). I started at about 9:15 AM and finished up around 2 PM with one stop about 38 miles in. Which is when my phone died, not surprising considering I was running my music and endomondo as a tracker. I had a tailwind the first 15 or so miles so I was consistently clocking sub 3:10 miles, which I knew wouldn't last. As soon as I made my first turn there were hills galore. Something happened to my shifter so I was in between mashing and spinning going up the hills and it was HELL. It wasn't bad if I kept my cadence down the hill, but if I stopped spinning and tried to go up hill that's when it got icky.

Stopped right around mile 38 and ate the sandwich and quinoa I packed. Ran out of water with my lunch so I decided to buy a powerade from the gas station. That was when I turned my tracker and music off. Started back up and sure enough more hills, probably until about 15 miles out. I got pretty excited when I made the turn for what I knew was my last stretch. That was a mistake, though because the last stretch was a good 12-13 miles out and I was shifting into the 'very close to done' mindset instead of the okay, 'you're getting close' mindset. Anyways I was pretty happy when I got back into my neighborhood. I brought my bike inside and collapsed on the floor. Just got out the shower and my legs are demolished.

Endomondo had me going at about 16 mph for the first 38. The ones that followed were much slower. I know it doesn't really count because I stopped but I still feel incredible right now. Very accomplished. As far as bike maintenance goes, I will probably spray it down, tighten the spokes and true the wheel, and re-lube the chain. Not sure if a 60 mile ride calls for an in shop tune up.

Anyway, I did it!

mlander

Excellent! Well done!

BTW - it definitely still counts, even if you got off the bike for a while. Centuries always have stopping stations.

Odysseus32

Thanks!

I wanted to try to make it all the way through, though, honestly I knew I would get too hungry which is why I packed lunch in the first place. On my other longer rides I usually start to get hungry around mile 25. this one was pushed back a little, but it didn't take long to come creeping up. Felt much better after I ate and got some fluids in my body.

fried bake

what do you mean it doesn't count. 60 mileers (or roughly metric centuries) are always done with stops. not an easy task. congratulations.

Odysseus32

I just figured most people on a bike tour or road race would go nonstop if they were on their way from one town to another and then stop and get their bearings. Thank you!

mlander

Way to listen to ur body. I make the opposite mistake where I don't eat, drink too few fluids and wonder why I'm losing power and getting a headache.

lsberrios1 

Maybe not on a road race but those are other kind of people - Racers. 60 miles is a ton of miles without stopping.

Odysseus32

Believe me I normally don't. Sometimes I'll forget the water is there until I'm about to fall over. Other times I'll be thirsty but just don't feel like going through the motions of drinking and conclude it's not worth it. I did better this time, though.

That's true, those guys are insane.

bbbean 

Congrats! That's a major accomplishment!

rjones28 

Well done.

Snack breaks are allowed.

kgoings

Congrats! I can't wait till I can do longer rides.

doctor j

Well done!

For that distance, I take a snack and "bio" break.

If it's a solo ride, I'll sometimes stop and shoot some pictures.

NoviceJohn

Congrats! I did my first 50 miler a week ago and I've been only cycling for a couple of months. I rode for 30 miles before I stopped to eat a granola bar (2-3 min break). After that it was a full sprint all the way home. At the 45 mile mark, my hamstrings began to hurt so I knew, at that point, my body is telling me to stop. The last 5 miles were hell and that was it for me lol. I gotta say though. If it wasn't windy that day, I may have gone another 10 miles or so before calling it quits. Total time was about 3.5 hours. My next goal is 60 miles. Can't wait till my next weekend off!

kcollier5

Well done! To me, this is part of the reason I've done century rides. Because it gives you a goal to shoot at and makes me ride more than I would normally. Just did my 2nd century last month and the month before, I did 300 miles in one month. Which is a lot for me. (Also play basketball and racquetball, and wife and kids and church and work) However, point being, knowing the century was upcoming pushed me to ride farther. And then 20 mile rides don't seem so far.

But 60 is a great ride, no matter! Good job. And doing it by yourself is even harder. Find some mates to ride with, it'll make the next one easier and much more fun. Plus they can pull you for a while as well, so your avg speed will rise and you'll find yourself cycling harder...

coasting 

high five!

NoviceJohn

Yea I feel the same way. When I first started cycling (two months ago), I thought riding 20 miles was a big accomplishment. I mean, c'mon, 20 miles can get me to nearest major city in my area! Now, 20 miles is only a hour ride and I usually do them after work. The stupid daylight savings time change won't allow longer daytime rides.

caloso

Nice job.

zacster

60 miles is a respectable ride, even for the hard-core. Sure, some people do more, but most don't, at least not by themselves. And we all stop at some point.

I wouldn't worry about bike tune-up after that distance, for the bike it isn't that far. Just wipe it down to get the dust off. I wouldn't mess with truing the wheel unless it really needs it.

coasting 

On rolling hills terrain, I had 3 set ride distance categories for lone riding. Short ride is 40, full ride is 60 and too much time and nothing to do ride is 100.

OldTryGuy

Crawl before walk, walk before run. Simple but effective progression that yields wonderful and self satisfying results. Far too many people try to jump beyond their abilities, injure themselves, become dissatisfied then stop. You have accomplished a remarkable feat and should be extremely proud of yourself. Set some goals and work wisely to reach them. Your enthusiasm is very evident from your post and I believe I would enjoy riding along with you should our paths ever meet.

Again, congratulations for a job well done.

diverguy

Well done! Congrats on the new personal best. :-)

coasting 

By the way, I found that once I could do 60 comfortably, 100 was not that much more. Go for the 100!

kingsqueak

A neat bit from the documentary Pedal (about bike messengers and on YouTube), one of the guys near the end is talking about how his bicycle is almost an evil entity. His bicycle constantly beckons him to ride and no matter what he does to it, it never gets tired, it's always there waiting to be ridden. I got a kick out of that.

Congrats on the 60 miler.

cafzali

You shouldn't need to do anything other than maybe wash the bike a little after 60 miles. Chain lube lasts a long time and less is more, especially if you want to avoid attracting dirt. I don't do mine as often as I should, but once every week or two should be good. Just make sure to wipe off any excess lube if you don't want to attract grime.

A good wheel should almost never need truing. I've had my newest bike for 3 full seasons now and I've never touched the wheels. As far as tune ups, some get that done once a year, but personally I just maintain my chain and keep my cables appropriately adjusted and don't really worry about much. I haven't had my bike professionally tuned yet and have had no issues. The only things that regularly happen with a ride, other than tire wear obviously, are cable stretch from shifting. If you keep your bike clean, watch your chain lube and maintain cable tension and lube pivots, the vast majority of your high-duty components are covered.

nuke_diver

Congrats on the ride. The time that it takes is a big obstacle for me to go further. I can usually only afford myself 2 hrs which means typically less than 35 miles (depending on hills etc) One of these days I'm just going have to find the time like you did and go for it.