Originally Posted by
LoriRose
Resurrecting this thread! I'll try and sum it up and bring everyone up to date so you don't have to re-read the entire thread...
Last year I had just got back into biking and was doing long-distance rides once a week as well as commuting and doing shorter mountain rides weekly. My end goal is to do 200km from Ottawa to Montreal, alone, unsupported.
My longest ride to date was 82km last fall and it nearly killed me as I was unprepared for the cold and the dark. Shorty after that I had a nasty, NASTY fall on my tailbone so I had to end my season.
Fast-forward to this year...
Was slow to get started and haven't been riding as much per week as I did last year because I've been super busy with a new job. I've really only been commuting and doing my long-distance rides once a week if I'm lucky.
I completed 70km today, the longest so far this year, and it was quite frankly a breeze (though my last ride of 63km wasn't as easy - I think it was the heat).
So, what I'm wondering is when should I have a go at the 200km? How much more do I need to increase to before I can tackle it?
Do I have to hit say 150km first to be ready? I know I haven't given a lot of info, but I really have no clue so any advice is welcome. If I need to provide more info just ask!
I'm 37, 5'8", 150 lbs in good, but not amazing shape.
Thanks!
No, you do not
have to hit 150 km first to be ready. But I would suggest that doing 100 km would be a good idea ... and doing 100 km two or three times would be an even better idea ... and getting a ride of about 120 km in there wouldn't be a bad plan either.
The reasons for that are:
-- saddle time. What still feels comfortable at 70 km might not feel comfortable at 110 km, and will be really uncomfortable by 200 km. But if you get up to the 100 km distance a few times, you can sort out some of the fit issues and things which you might encounter.
-- nutrition. You can do a 70 km ride on little to no food and maybe a couple bottles of water. But when you get up to 200 km, you've got to have some good food and water habits in place. A few 100 kms will give you a chance to try out different foods to see what works and what doesn't ... and then develop those habits.
-- environment. Doing a few 100 kms will also give you a chance to ride in different environments ... cool weather, rain, wind, blazing sunshine, heat, hills, wind, more wind. Especially if you make a commitment to go out every Saturday and ride a 100 km for a month, no matter what's going on out there
(unless it's really awful or dangerous ... we moved one of our recent 100 kms from Saturday to Sunday because that Saturday was howling wind, pouring rain, snow at slightly higher elevations, and the high for the day reached something like 6C. We figured we were risking hypothermia if we went.) This will give you experience, and allow you to experiment with clothing and equipment.