Hey I should have mentioned, being able to eat and drink correctly while rolling is another big deal. If you can do this you will shave off a tonne of time spent at 0 km/h wolfing down massive amounts of food and drink, then sitting or lying around feeling like crap. Much better to ride a little slower and a lot smarter. take er easy, sip and nibble as you go, and let the kms tick by. If i had a nickel for every new distance rider ive seen lying at the side of the road after going too hard, bonking and then eating an entire subway (and ive definitely been there myself), why i'd have a small pile of nickels.