Prepping for a tour, body-wise...
 

I am out of shape, and haven't done much biking, ever. I'm also planning a tour for this spring/summer. I've started riding the wind trainer (the roads aren't conducive to riding for a workout on) and doing a few other exercises recently.
Last fall I took the longest trip I'd ever done (~58 mi) and was completely wiped out at the end. My legs wouldn't make me go more than 10mph at the end...:o
I did recover pretty quickly... (I'm 21), but I don't think I could have done much riding the next day...
I'm curious about what others have done to prepare for a tour. Do you get in very good shape? Do you not worry about it, and just get in shape while touring?
If you are out of shape at the beginning, how does it go? Is it pure agony, or is it tolerable? Are you exhausted all the time?

I'm interested in advice and tales from experience....:)

Having enough saddle time in to be able to ride much of the day without discomfort is a big plus. Being a trained athlete is not a requirement though.

If you take it easy and ride at a pace and duration that is comfortable for you, in 10 days to two weeks you will likely be in the groove. Too many folks go out too fast and too far too soon and pay for it.

That said depending on where you go, distances between good places to stay and terrain may require that you ride longer and harder days right from the start. I think that on most routes that isn't a big problem. I know that on the TA we found it pretty easy to just take it easy in the beginning, but on our tour in the Sierras the difficulty of the terrain and the distance between good places to stay required hard days in the saddle (hard for me at least). I started that tour in less than great shape and paid for it, the heat was probably as big of a factor as anything though.

Start riding now. Commute to work if possible, and do longer rides on weekends. You can ride a tour without training, but it will be much less enjoyable than if you are in shape. Riding will help you in a number of ways, in addition to getting more fit. It could help you lose weight. It will help you get your bike adjusted and set up properly. It will help get your butt used to sitting in a saddle for extended periods. Longer rides on weekends will probably do the most good, but rides of any distance will help.

A lot of variables come into play here. How far is your planned tour? How many days would you like to complete it in? Do you have extra days if you need a rest? Are you self suporting or credit carding? Are you going with a group that is in much better shape than you are?
Answering these questions should make it clear what you need to do. Make sure you make a least one FULLY LOADED practice ride. Riding with even an extra 20lbs on the bike makes a difference.

More time on the bike before tour the more enjoyment your will have during the tour!

It really isn't hard to ride your bike 50, 60 or 70 miles every day, it just takes a bit of preparation to condition yourself. Ride your bike at every opportunity and do increasingly long weekend rides. Start with 20 or 30miles and increase to 50 or 60 miles. Push your self and try to keep your speed up. On tour there's usually no hurry so when you back off to an easy pace 50 miles will seem like a gentle spin of the legs. When I tour I don't push myself and just keep the speedo at around 12mph and I find that I can do 50 miles before lunch and arrive at my destination early enough to take things easy in the afternoon.

My approach is to simply not plan to ride further than I can comfortably ride on the tour. If 60 miles wipes you out, then maybe that's your limit for now. As the tour progresses, it'll get easier.

It's all part of my aversion to exercise for the sake of exercise. I don't see any reason to train for things, when I can just stay flexible and only ride as far as I feel like going on any given day.

Also, it's not a race, pace yourself. 10mph = 16km/h, which isn't far off my normal biking pace anyway - when not tired, I'll probably run around 20km/h on the flats. Touring is a slow-and-steady endeavor. Take your time, smell the roses.

If you can't ride outside now, at least stay on the wind trainer. You don't have to kill yourself, just gradually build up your endurance. I highly recommend building in a lot of time on the tour - much more time than you might actually need - so you can start slow, take rest days as needed (especially in the beginning), and play it by ear as far as your stamina goes. Plan to be flexible with your overnights - so you can stop when you are tired, and don't feel like you have to make that 60 mile ride to the next hotel you have reserved. It usually takes me into my third week before I feel I can conquer most things mother nature throws at me.

Touring is supposed to be fun. Just because someone can do 60 miles in a day doesn't mean you have to. Try doing some overnight, short tours in your area and see how you feel. You can then build from there.

The hardest thing is getting your bum used to the saddle. Try doing just a couple of hours at a time at first, then increase saddle time as you are able to. Take plenty of rest stops and drink lots of water. Make sure to wear good padded shorts under whatever pants you use and to use plenty of talcum powder and bag balm if needed. Building up slowly is the key. Pay attention to your saddle and where it rubs. Don't suffer with a bad saddle fit, try to get some experienced riders in your local shop to recommend a different saddle if you don't get comfortable after a month on a particular saddle. Also, most of us find that keeping the handlebars about the same height as the saddle or just an inch below it is most comfortable at first.

You don't need to be in top condition as has been mentioned, just used to the riding position and enjoying yourself. Experiment and enjoy.

http://www.rivbike.com/article/misc/saddle_sores
http://www.bikingbis.com/blog/_archi...3/2920762.html

This is one thing I haven't had problems with. On the 60mi trip I mentioned above, I started to just notice my behind at the end. I don't remember having a sore butt the next day, either (it may just be my poor memory):rolleyes:

Thanks everyone, you are all very encouraging :thumb:

I don't need to lose weight, but I do need to get my muscles and cardiovascular system in shape :rolleyes:

core exercises.

crunches, planks, push-ups, air squats... that sort of thing.

you can start on all those in your room at home with no equipment, in addition to riding as much as possible.

a good strong core will help with long times in the saddle....

Thanks....I have been doing a few core exercises, but wasn't sure of their importance for touring.
Now I'll be more diligent:D

The best advice is to try to work in a few short weekend tours before the big one. Let your body get used to hauling all that gear on the bike, and while you're there it will give you an idea of the things you'll need the most, and the things you can do without when you're out there on the road. I'd say it's also important to get outside as soon as you can, so you get some practice at dealing with the conditions you might face on the road. If you're riding a long tour, it's probably a given that it *will* rain at some point, and your tour will be a lot more enjoyable if you're comfortable with things like that.

I stay fairly fit all the time (able to ride 30 miles without much trouble or discomfort afterwards) but have trouble getting in a ride even once a week during school year (I'm a teacher.) Prior to a tour I try and ride as much as possible, but it doesn't always happen. Some years I start my tour after having ridden quite a bit (i. e. 2-4 times a week over 3 or 4 weeks) and some years I start after not having been on the bike for a month! (The end of my school year is often quite busy.)

No matter how in-shape I am, it always takes a few days to get acclimated to the demands of being on tour. The first day I typically start wishing I'd get to the campground after about 20 miles!

Knowing this, I plan my itinerary with short days at first: 20-35 miles is plenty. I'm one who tends to mosy anyway, rather than being determined to grind out a high mile count every day. Sometimes I've even taken a rest day on day 3 or 4 to recharge, relax, and enjoy after the "shock" of the first couple of days. After those first few days I usually fall into a routine of averaging about 50 miles a day, with 60-70 mile days being common.

I've read lots of accounts of people riding themselves into shape on tour. My advice would be to allow for this by having modest goals for the first few days, even a rest day if you need it. Furthermore, I suggest your goal should always be to enjoy the experience, rather than to achieve a certain average miles-per-day. Of course, if getting a certain number of miles in every day is what you enjoy, go for it.

I try to keep in shape year round, although there have been two times during those 21 years (3 months in 2001, and several months in mid-2009) where health issues have caused me to lose my fitness.

I've been cycling regularly for 21 years now, and have combined that with other activities such as spinning classes, weightlifting, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, swimming, canoeing, hiking, and lots and lots of walking.

If you can, join a spinning class ... a good one will whip you into shape!! And as soon as you can get outside, ride regularly 4-6 days a week. I'd also recommend doing some upper body work which can be very beneficial when riding longer distances and for other aspects of touring. How much and how often are you riding the trainer now?

I've been riding about 3 days a week. Supposedly if one gets one"s heart rate up for about 20 min 3 or 4 days a week that will get one into shape....
Anyway...I do a 10 min warm-up and cool down. In between I ride hard 1 min, and light 2 min for about 20 minutes.
Also, I ride once a week to a place ~3 miles away and then ride back a few hours later. I don't try to ride hard, because I don't want to get there sweaty...but it is a little bit of time on the bike....:o
I don't have a huge amount of available time...preferably I don't want the workout to last more than 45min to 1hr.

Being a bit of a fitness enthusiast (just a bit) I can tell you that getting your heart rate up for twenty minutes a day is good for cardiovascular health ( not as good as 45 min) but it will not get you in "shape". I am really sick of so called fitness experts (sales people) spreading these bogus stories about getting in shape in 20 min a day. HIIT is good for building speed and burning calories but if you want endurance-ability to tour comfortably, you will have to put on some miles. Now remember a said enthusiast, not doctor, but i think it gos like this. When you work your muscles they build lactic acid so when you HIIT train you build it up than flush it (low intensity) than build it up again and so on. When you just go, there is no flushing time so you need to mork your muscles for long periods of time to develop endurance. or something like that. The old saying, no pain no gain is fact if it doesn't burn you aren't getting stronger. No matter what "they" want to tell you (so you will give them your money)

No ... doing such a little amount of exercise might help you maintain your fitness level if you were going through a few weeks or a month or so when you couldn't exercise much, but it won't help you get into shape.

The only way that will help you get into shape is if you just got off the couch. That amount of exercise would be good for your first 2-3 week ... and then you'd want to step it up a bit.

After doing that for a couple weeks, aim for at least an hour a day 4-6 days a week of moderately intense exercise for the next few weeks to build a bit of a base. As I suggested earlier, if you can, join a 1-hour spinning class twice a week, and then do the rest at home.

After you've done that for a few weeks, then pick one day a week, and start increasing your distance. Presumably in your part of the world, that will be just in time for spring. Get out for a 1.5 hour ride one of those 4-6 days. If you felt comfortable with that, try a 1.75 hour ride the following week, and gradually build up on that one day a week.

After doing that for a few week, add in a second day of longer rides so that you're doing back-to-back longer rides. This will not only help you build your fitness, but will help you get used to being able to get up again the next day and ride.

You are 21 years old ... you should be in great shape!! Get out there and get into shape! :)

I think Machka's recommendations have a lot of merit. My wife and I ride all year long. She trains pretty hard for the spring triathlon season and we just carry it forward into getting ready for our tours. We generally get a good 800-1000 miles on our touring bikes in the 3 months preceeding our trips. It isn't "training"- we just like riding together. We sprint to the road signs and play on the hills. It is just having fun on bikes. She has the polka dot jersey right now:rolleyes:. A couple of years ago we averaged 50 miles a day, fully loaded, for 74 days. I would not have been able to do that without preparation. We are both over 50, and one of us is well over 50:(. At 21 years old recovery should not be a problem, but as we get older it becomes more of an issue. I think training allows faster recovery, and builds a reserve for those days when you have to dig a little deeper.

Have a great ride!

Take a look around the forums for information relating to bike fit, nutrition, and cadence/changing gears. These wont get you into better shape, but they'll make whatever fitness you have go farther. Google: "bike fit", "bonking cycling"/"randonneuring nutrition", and "cadence cycling".

The trick to endurance is expending as little effort as possible, but, unless you expend energy, you wont build endurance. It's an ironic activity. In the end it's a combination of technique, equipment, fitness, habits, posture, and states of mind that come together to produce a sustainable performance. You need to spend lots of time in the saddle trying to do as little as possible while simultaneously increasing speed and distance each time out. Do the aerobic thing and the weight training thing in between rides, but when you get out on the bike, think lazy, steady and comfortable, and keep thinking it for as long and as far as possible. Your model isn't an athlete performing an event, but a hunter cautiously tracking a wounded animal across the Savannah. Conserve energy. Be practical. Be calm. Be steady.

Wow, thanks everybody!
I think I'm starting to get the idea of how to train for a tour: ride the bike a LOT! :p

I guess I have to figure out how to work it in....

The better condition you're in before starting a tour, the more enjoyable it's likely to be, especially early on. So just ride, ride, ride. Hills if you've got 'em. But not so much that you burn out. Listen to your body and mind.

When at home, I never ride with a load. I will up my usual riding time as the tour date approaches. Past the daily average I'm shooting for to compensate for the extra effort required when loaded.

Don't set your goals on tour so high that you are exhausted when you reach your destination. No fun in that(tho occasionally, you may not have a choice.) Think more in terms of hours on the bike than daily mileage. Five or six hours/day pedaling is reasonable, leaving plenty of time and energy for other things.

I wish, they got some good advice in here. But conditioning is a minor part of touring in my opinion. Let me explain.

The two bigger parts are your non-bicycle gear and the biggest is the mental aspect. Getting in shape is easy. Getting out there to ride 60 miles when it's cold, windy, and wet is another. I advise you TRAIN for those conditions, meaning you ride when it's lousy weather outside. Yea, I know, it doesn't sound like fun. But it's realistic if you are going to tour.

Learn how to keep your gear DRY and always have a dry set of clothes to change into. Learn how to keep your shoes dry. If you are going to camp, being able to set up your tent in the rain. Stuff like that. Not being able to stand up to that will either make your tour miserable or end it faster than being out of shape will.

When you train, you should do some rides fully loaded with all your gear. That way you will learn how your bike handles loaded down.

This will test your gear and your resolve. If you can handle that, I think you will have a great tour.

Best wishes.

You're 21. Quick recovery is your biggest asset when starting a tour in less than good shape.

Begin your tour with 3 moderate days, take a day off and follow with a day of limited effort (whether you ride longer or not keep the effort low). Ride another couple days, take another day off and within a week and a half from departure you'll have a pretty good idea how your body is responding to the new stresses. By the end of the second week you'll be amazed at your gains in fitness.

Ride as much as you can now but I don't see any reason to worry about a serious training plan. Suggestions to do a few rides loaded seem wise in that you'll get a good feel for the bike and what the load feels like to your legs. Otherwise, your fitness will take care of itself in the first weeks of touring.