NukiWaza

I will turn 50 in November and weigh 240lbs. I bought a flat bar road bike a month ago and have been riding three days a weeks slowly increasing speed and distance. My longest rides so far have only been 12 miles.

While I was out walking tonight I noticed a charity ride for the local cancer camp. The course is a 47 mile loop around the lake. It will be held Sept 9th. I am thinking about doing it.

I guess my question is, is this too big a leap to try in a month? I don't mind the risk of failure, but I am interested in trying a stretch goal and not a grow too more feet goal.

The advantage of this is that I would have to make a public commitment, and we all know how effective that is at keeping people working towards success.

DrIsotope

Don't think of it as a 47 mile ride, but four 12 mile rides. Any supported events will have multiple stops and aid stations, and you should easily be able to find a group of riders moving at your pace. I did a 50-mile group ride a few months back, and it was without parallel the easiest 50 I've ever done. You also have a month to work up to it, gradually add distance (don't worry about speed) and you should do fine. My persistent issue is pushing too hard and burning myself out in 25-30 miles-- watch your pace, and you'll be surprised at how far you can go.

CliffordK

It would make a great goal.

There are lots of variables.

Is it a flat 47, or a hilly 47?

Fit or flabby 240? 6'6 - 240, or 5'6 - 240? It makes a difference.

As DrIsotope mentioned, you have a month to work up to it.

For running a marathon, many people say that if you can run half a marathon, then you're ready to run a marathon, without actually doing a 26 mile training run (unless you are a "pro").

If you can do 25 miles in a couple of hours... surly you could do 50 in a whole day.

chasm54

You can ride 12 miles now, and you're riding three days a week. Next week ride four days, three rides of 10 miles and one of 18. The following week, four days, three of 15 and one of 25. The third week, three of 15 and one of 30.

if you can do that, you'll find the 47 mile ride isn't much of a problem.

OldTryGuy

Sounds like a plan.

Yup, those variables have a way of getting in the way.

Not sure about the marathon comparison. BIG difference relying on the legs/feet pounding the pavement as apposed to pedaling over the pavement.

NukiWaza

At 5' 9" I am a very soft squishy 240. The loop is around Keuka lake so it is hilly but not mountainous. The ride is supported with "stops every 15-20 miles".

Tour De Teddi

NukiWaza

Thanks for the suggestions, I will start this plan with the 18 mile ride tomorrow.

NukiWaza

Well I am committed now! I signed up for the 47 mile ride and posted it on Facebook. Nothing like a good public commitment to keep me honest.

Further I went for a 16 mile ride today. I finished it at a slightly faster pace as my 12 mile ride and still felt pretty good. Mind you I am still very slow. The sorest part of me is my ass.

10 Wheels

A 10 minute soak in Hot soapy water will help your rear.

Try switching into your big ring and Stand to Coast and Pedal some to give your butt a break.

njlonghorn

Good luck with the ride. I went through something similar 7 years ago. My longest ride up to that point had been 16 miles, and I signed up for a 3-day, 225-mile charity ride 4 months out. I built up to 70 miles, then went for it. Finishing the ride (especially day 2) was the hardest thing I had ever done, but it was sooooo worth it. I have done the ride every year since, and I still enjoy it but not nearly as much as I enjoyed that first year.

If your ass hurts from the weight-bearing pressure, then spending more time out of the saddle is good advice. Also, make sure you are wearing high-quality shorts that are made for road cycling.

If your ass hurts from chafing, you have different issues. There was a very good thread on the topic a few years ago, and it just got bumped to the top. Read it.

TheLibrarian

Longest i ever rode and kept track was 34 miles. It was maybe the first month or so that I'd had a bike. Weeks later my knee swelled up. I'm not entirely sure if they were connected as there was time in between. I was entirely not conditioned and didn't stretch so. Those number of miles are certainly doable by many riders here. It should be mentioned i was on a hybrid going at a leisurely pace stopping maybe evry half hour, had lunch and checked out stuff along the way. Took about 5 hours. 10mph should be a fairly leisurely pace not including stops.

C Law

If you feel comfortable enough, you could ride with a few people and suck some wheel. That'll make a difference in the effort. Don't forget to pull your share!

no sweat

I'm going to break with the others here and suggest not pedaling while standing. I think that's a way for a new cyclist who's not yet in shape and carries extra weight to get injured. Stand and coast for butt relief, sure. I've been through this. My mantra for 1st six months was "no injuries...".

It takes months to strengthen all the connective stuff around the joints. Muscle strengthens so much faster. Extra weight makes it really easy to overload knees, etc.

btw: good goal, good suggestions on how to get there.

Ratzinger

Nice job singing up. Sounds like a great challenge.

NukiWaza

I just wanted to give a brief update.

I am continuing to ride and train. I have not been able to quite make the training goals set out in this thread as real life and the shorter days interfere with longer rides on the weekdays. That said my longest ride so far was 24 miles on Saturday. I did that with only a short rest at the turn while I tried to fix my iPhone holder.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am not using biking shorts, just regular “play DRI” fabric shorts. For the most part chafing has not been an issue, but may start being an issue with these longer rides. I am doing some stand peddling and costing but I am being careful to keep it only for short distances.

Carbonfiberboy 

The theory is that you can do one event ride that's as long as your average weekly mileage for the last few weeks before that event ride, as long as those training rides have about the same amount of climbing per mile as that event ride. It's also said that it's a really good idea to have done one long ride that's 3/4 as long as the event ride. You said your event ride is hilly. You should try some of those hills if you can, just to make sure you can get up them with your current gearing.

chasm54

There's still time to get used to a decent pair of cycling shorts before the ride. Buy some.

NukiWaza

Oh, one thing I did not make clear is that the route for the charity ride goes right past my house. Basically for every ride I am riding some portion of the actual route we will be on. The biggest hill is early in the route and I have already been up it several times. I will probably use it as a training run tonight.

I will have to take a serious look at bike shorts.... hmmm so they make them in double extra fat?

Darth Lefty 

I think you'll be fine so far as training goes.

Nutrition, you want to eat partway through the ride. This need not be precise... There will be stations with granola bars and bananas and Gatorade, use them, don't bonk!

Is there anything you've been thinking about re: comfort on the bike? Fit, grips, saddle, padded shorts, padded gloves, pedals, shoes? I don't think you ought to change anything you're happy with.

highrpm

NukiWaza, any further updates on your progress? It looks like your event is tomorrow!

NukiWaza

I have completed the 45 mile course earlier today and it went better than I was expecting.

Long version:
I arrived early enough to get one of the pros to look my bike over and they pronounced it good to go so I guess my own work on the bike has been solid. I saw a general procession towards the street and joined it. Turned out I was at the front, looking back I could not see a single bike in the price range of my bike. It was a little intimidating.

Once we took off I only had a few people pass me in the first half mile but my legs were getting tired. I looked down and found I was in the big ring and it did not even feel like it. I guess that's adrenalin for you. I move off the big ring before the first hill. On that hill the masses started blowing past me, I think I will be hearing "on your left" in my sleep.

By mile 7 we hit a town and I was able to fall in with a group that I could keep up with for a while. By the first stop at mile 15 I had completed it at what was for me a blistering pace, I had not managed to pass anyone and I was feeling quite tired and getting worried about completing. Worse the faster guys had eaten all the food and all I could get was one granola bar.


Well so be it, I watered up and hit the road. I fell in behind two riders and stayed with them for a while, even managed to pass two people but they dropped me at a long hill. One of the riders, an older guy, passed me and I picked up my pace to stay with him for a good chunk of the distance. On a hill we started getting caught behind two other riders. I was unwilling to give up momentum gained and hammered down. Left the little group behind.

Hit the next stop with many of the riders still there. I don't know if they went slower or rested longer but my pace for the first two legs were almost identical. I grabbed a banana and some water, talked to a couple of people and then mounted up.

The last leg is my regular training run, I live on that road and know it well. I felt inexplicably strong. I set a much faster pace than normal and just felt great. I did not feel tired again until about 5 miles into that leg. It was strange, no euphoria like runners describe, but rather just a feeling that faster felt better and I could do faster.

I finished in 3:27 with only about 11 minutes of breaks. While I was not at the front I was no where near last and finished with plenty of food still available.

TLDR, started with a slow pace but kept that pace all along with few breaks to finish strong.

NukiWaza

My original post was a typo, it was the 19th not the 9th.

waterfish_21

Awesome, love reading posts like this. Congrats on finishing the ride. Riding with others is a great way to motivate yourself to push harder, and on my daily 20 or 30 mile loop the final 5 miles I also get an adrenaline rush every time that let's me push a lot harder than I normally would.

chasm54

Excellent. Well done.

Now you know you can do it - and enjoy it - keep the weekly mileage going. You'll be amazed at how quickly you gain fitness.

NukiWaza

Thanks, was not sure about the length of my post. You are sure right about the benefits of riding with others.need to find more events to ride in.