Trouble with back-to-back rides
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Trouble with back-to-back rides
Yesterday had a great 50-mile ride home from visiting my mom - Sheboygan Falls to Slinger. Right through the Kettle Moraine State Forest, for those who know it. Plenty of quiet miles. Some hills, too!
Today decided to ride out to Horicon (of Horicon Marsh fame) and back. Saw literally hundreds of Sandhill Cranes - really spectacular. Gotta remember to pack a camera one of these days. Gorgeous day for a ride - nothing but blue sky overhead.
Have to say, though, that things were getting a little hard at mile 20. At mile 30 I was sure that there was no way I could push through. At mile 40 I called my wife to pick me up, but cell coverage wasn't so good out in the boonies. Pushed through all that and made it home on my own. Lousy average speed, but I made it!
Everything hurts right now deep down in my muscles. Plus my butt is a bit tender. Thought I was in better shape than this, but guess I need some work!
Final thought: Special thanks to all those inventors who made my ride especially fun today. Derailleurs, carbon fiber, GPS, Internet, fabrics, pedals, shoes. Biking is an amazingly low-tech way to enjoy high technology.
Today decided to ride out to Horicon (of Horicon Marsh fame) and back. Saw literally hundreds of Sandhill Cranes - really spectacular. Gotta remember to pack a camera one of these days. Gorgeous day for a ride - nothing but blue sky overhead.
Have to say, though, that things were getting a little hard at mile 20. At mile 30 I was sure that there was no way I could push through. At mile 40 I called my wife to pick me up, but cell coverage wasn't so good out in the boonies. Pushed through all that and made it home on my own. Lousy average speed, but I made it!
Everything hurts right now deep down in my muscles. Plus my butt is a bit tender. Thought I was in better shape than this, but guess I need some work!
Final thought: Special thanks to all those inventors who made my ride especially fun today. Derailleurs, carbon fiber, GPS, Internet, fabrics, pedals, shoes. Biking is an amazingly low-tech way to enjoy high technology.
#2
Climbing Above It All
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Basking in the Sun.
Posts: 4,146
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
So what did you eat after the ride yesterday? Did you have a recovery drink with some protein and carbs right after you finished the ride? It sounds like you did not fully replenish your glycogen stores. What did you eat on the bike today? Did you drink enough? Did you drink enough yesterday? All these things will affect today's ride.
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Eat? I drank two glasses of port and had some cheese. Maybe that's my problem?
Actually, I rode pretty hard (for me) the day before and I thought I could go back-to-back. Silly me! I still had a good time, though!
Actually, I rode pretty hard (for me) the day before and I thought I could go back-to-back. Silly me! I still had a good time, though!
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 11,016
Bikes: Custom Zona c/f tandem + Scott Plasma single
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 77 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 19 Times
in
11 Posts
Balanced eating/drinking works fine for me. I do not use energy drinks/bars. Real fruit/food/hard candy and water work. Have done back-to-back-to-back centuries that way; actually 325 miles with 22,000 ft. of elevation gain in 3 days.
Have done double century in 12 hours and added iced tea for a change of taste (and bit of caffeine). But was only in my late 50s and early 60s then!
What ever your body dictates . . .
Have done double century in 12 hours and added iced tea for a change of taste (and bit of caffeine). But was only in my late 50s and early 60s then!
What ever your body dictates . . .
#5
Time for a change.
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: 6 miles inland from the coast of Sussex, in the South East of England
Posts: 19,913
Bikes: Dale MT2000. Bianchi FS920 Kona Explosif. Giant TCR C. Boreas Ignis. Pinarello Fp Uno.
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
4 Posts
The body may have been OK after the first ride but recovery wasn't. Don't know if you planned back to back rides- but that first ride would have taken any store of "Energy" you had in the body. And it would have depleted any "Spare" liquid in the body too.
One thing I do after a long ride is weigh myself. I may have lost weight on the ride- even though I may have been eating and drinking on the ride- and most of the weight loss would be liquid. So any more than 2lbs loss and I drink -a lot. If I was planning a ride the next day- I would also have eaten enough to replace the calories I would have used on the ride. You can use 600 calories per hour- so on a 50 mile ride that means replacing 2,000 calories. That is a lot but a "large portion of Carbo- Hydrates in the form of pasta- rice- bread- potatoes and the Forums favourite of PIE would go a long way to replacing those lost calories.
But I know my limits. Thanks to a Butt problem that I have I would have done the two days ride in one. No way would I have been comfortable on the second day.
Edit--- Heard it on one of the racing forums and it was an interview with one of the TDF riders. They also weigh themselves and if they do not replace the weight loss from a days ride with liquid within an hour- they will not be riding well the next day.
One thing I do after a long ride is weigh myself. I may have lost weight on the ride- even though I may have been eating and drinking on the ride- and most of the weight loss would be liquid. So any more than 2lbs loss and I drink -a lot. If I was planning a ride the next day- I would also have eaten enough to replace the calories I would have used on the ride. You can use 600 calories per hour- so on a 50 mile ride that means replacing 2,000 calories. That is a lot but a "large portion of Carbo- Hydrates in the form of pasta- rice- bread- potatoes and the Forums favourite of PIE would go a long way to replacing those lost calories.
But I know my limits. Thanks to a Butt problem that I have I would have done the two days ride in one. No way would I have been comfortable on the second day.
Edit--- Heard it on one of the racing forums and it was an interview with one of the TDF riders. They also weigh themselves and if they do not replace the weight loss from a days ride with liquid within an hour- they will not be riding well the next day.
__________________
How long was I in the army? Five foot seven.
Spike Milligan
How long was I in the army? Five foot seven.
Spike Milligan
Last edited by stapfam; 09-02-09 at 03:06 PM.
#6
Galveston County Texas
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: In The Wind
Posts: 33,222
Bikes: 02 GTO, 2011 Magnum
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1350 Post(s)
Liked 1,245 Times
in
623 Posts
These Ten riders just finished The 42 Ride.
New York City to Los Angles .
58 Days of back to back riding, None took any day off, they rode every mile.
5,100 miles for The Northern Group.
4,200 miles for the Southern Group. I was on the Southern Route.
New York City to Los Angles .
58 Days of back to back riding, None took any day off, they rode every mile.
5,100 miles for The Northern Group.
4,200 miles for the Southern Group. I was on the Southern Route.
__________________
Fred "The Real Fred"
Fred "The Real Fred"
#7
Senior Member
Thread Starter
The body may have been OK after the first ride but recovery wasn't. Don't know if you planned back to back rides- but that first ride would have taken any store of "Energy" you had in the body. And it would have depleted any "Spare" liquid in the body too.
One thing I do after a long ride is weigh myself. I may have lost weight on the ride- even though I may have been eating and drinking on the ride- and most of the weight loss would be liquid. So any more than 2lbs loss and I drink -a lot. If I was planning a ride the next day- I would also have eaten enough to replace the calories I would have used on the ride. You can use 600 calories per hour- so on a 50 mile ride that means replacing 2,000 calories. That is a lot but a "large portion of Carbo- Hydrates in the form of pasta- rice- bread- potatoes and the Forums favourite of PIE would go a long way to replacing those lost calories.
But I know my limits. Thanks to a Butt problem that I have I would have done the two days ride in one. No way would I have been comfortable on the second day.
Edit--- Heard it on one of the racing forums and it was an interview with one of the TDF riders. They also weigh themselves and if they do not replace the weight loss from a days ride with liquid within an hour- they will not be riding well the next day.
One thing I do after a long ride is weigh myself. I may have lost weight on the ride- even though I may have been eating and drinking on the ride- and most of the weight loss would be liquid. So any more than 2lbs loss and I drink -a lot. If I was planning a ride the next day- I would also have eaten enough to replace the calories I would have used on the ride. You can use 600 calories per hour- so on a 50 mile ride that means replacing 2,000 calories. That is a lot but a "large portion of Carbo- Hydrates in the form of pasta- rice- bread- potatoes and the Forums favourite of PIE would go a long way to replacing those lost calories.
But I know my limits. Thanks to a Butt problem that I have I would have done the two days ride in one. No way would I have been comfortable on the second day.
Edit--- Heard it on one of the racing forums and it was an interview with one of the TDF riders. They also weigh themselves and if they do not replace the weight loss from a days ride with liquid within an hour- they will not be riding well the next day.
Did 25 today and hit the wall at about 20 miles. But to put it in perspective, I'm riding miles that I never dreamed of a year ago.
#8
Shredding Grandma!
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: So Cal
Posts: 4,803
Bikes: I don't own any bikes
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 46 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I routinely do week long rides... it's funny, the second day is always the hardest. The first day I go out and am all excited and probably push too hard. I pay the second day and on the third hate the thought of riding but... it gets better. By the 4th day I am feeling really good. And by the end of the week I hate to stop my trip. Generally these rides are from 40 - 80 miles with one century day thrown in.
Just keep riding. Don't get discouraged. If you can, get out the third day but don't push... just cruise and shake out the legs. You'll be surprised how good you feel.
Just keep riding. Don't get discouraged. If you can, get out the third day but don't push... just cruise and shake out the legs. You'll be surprised how good you feel.
__________________
______________________________________________________________
Private docent led mountain bike rides through Limestone Canyon. Go to letsgooutside.org and register today! Also available: hikes, equestrian rides and family events as well as trail maintenance and science study.
______________________________________________________________
Private docent led mountain bike rides through Limestone Canyon. Go to letsgooutside.org and register today! Also available: hikes, equestrian rides and family events as well as trail maintenance and science study.