Cycling Tips for Long Rides

Things to consider for a long ride.

• Preparation / training
• Things to bring
• Food / Hydration
• Pacing
• Equipment
• What are objectives of ride?

How far is a long ride? Many would consider a long ride to be over 100km or over 100 miles. But, it is all relatively on your state of fitness. If you are only used to a 10 mile commute everyday, 50 miles would be quite a stretch. If you have done quite a few 70 mile rides, you won’t find the jump up to 100 miles too difficult. If you’ve really got a few miles in your legs why not try the epic Paris-Brest-Paris? (a mere 1200Km)

Preparation

Unless you want to be very sore next day, you need to have prepared / trained for the distance. It is not advisable to just jump in with a big distance without trying something close before. For more advice on training, see training for cyclo-sportives

Training Schedule for Long Rides.

For 100Km plus, you want to consider a certain training schedule to get you used to the basic miles. As a rough rule of thumb, try to be comfortable riding at least 75% of the distance. If you can be comfortable riding 100Km, and extra 30 or 40KM is not going to break you.

Every week or every fortnight, target a key long distance training ride.

Things to Bring on a Long Ride

For a long ride, you need to be self sufficient for quite a few mechanical problems.

• At least two inner tubes, with tyre levers and small lightweight pump
• Self-fixing patches. In case of a disaster with punctures, you can buy a small box of small patches which mend a puncture without a puncture repair kit; these are useful for emergencies and take up no space.
• Multi-Tool. A multi tool with allen keys and chain tool. If your chain snaps, make sure you have a chain tool otherwise you’re pretty stuck.
• Mobile phone. For those emergences when you can’t fix it yourself, it’s always good to be able to phone a friend.
• Money. Money can’t buy happiness, but it can help out in many tight spots.

Waterproofs

For long rides I look closely at the weather forecast to see what kind of waterproofing I will need. Also bear in mind, if you’re riding into the hills or mountains, the weather can be much tougher than the forecast for 300 meters lower down. For long rides, I sometimes  take two waterproofs – A gillet (which is small and very easy to take on and off – ideal for dealing with intermittent showers) and also a race cape stuck in the bike bag. If it is colder and more persistent rain, you need something more than just a rain cape.

This gives two layers for more effective waterproofing. If the forecast is for really solid rain or it’s cold, and you are determined to keep riding, I would substitute a lightweight race cape for something stronger like an Altura waterproof. This is more bulky than a race cape, but a race cape invariably starts to seep through after a certain time. see: best waterproofs

Pacing

One approach to a long ride, is to start off with a sprint at 30mph, keeping up with the fastest riders and then spend the next 100 miles grovelling around the distance because you got exhausted after the first 10 miles. It’s actually quite easy to fall into first approach. Some cycle sportive riders have burnt themselves out just riding to the start line.

It’s best to set off with a pace you can  maintain for the whole distance, and if you feel strong and inspired increase the pace over the last section.

If you have trained at similar distances, you will have a rough idea of the pace and effort levels you can maintain and want to ride at. If you find yourself doing first 10 miles at a very quick pace, you’ll probably regret later in ride.

Some  people doing long rides, will be attempting a distance they haven’t done before. In this case you need to be more careful about pacing. If keep a steady pace, the distance will be much more manageable.

Climbing

When climbing you need to be careful about avoiding pushing yourself over the limit. Sometimes, pride can come to the fore and we don’t want to be dropped on hills meaning we push ourselves too hard on the climb. But, even tour riders know they have to ride within their limits on long climbs.

• It’s good to keep a good high cadence, this will help maintain a manageable pace.
• Climb hills at your own pace.
• This is a good time to look at heart rate monitor or power meter and make sure you are not going into the red zone.
• Don’t keep looking at top of hill, but just concentrate on keeping decent cadence.
• For really short brutal climbs (15% +) you will just have to put it in lowest gear and struggle up, just give yourself chance to recover on the flatter parts. For really steep hairpins, try ride as wide as you can as the lower gradient will be easier – even if further in distance.
• see also: tips for climbing

Time Taken

Very roughly, if you are reasonably fit club cyclist, you may average in the region of 15-17 mph over a long ride.

• 100Km – 60 miles – just under 4 hours averaging 15-16mph
• 100 miles (160km) – 6 hours – average of 16.6mph
• 200 Km (125 miles) – 7-8 hours averaging 16-17mph

If you’re riding in a group, you may be able to ride a little quicker because of the saved energy of riding in a group, but you will also be stopping more frequently because of punctures, mechanicals e.t.c. It’s surprising how average speed can drop because of stopping for red lights / buy food / not sure where to go.

Purpose

Everyone has different motives for doing long rides. Some just want to enjoy, some can’t help but be competitive. If you’re clear what you want to get from ride, it will help maintain best pace.

Cycling in Groups

Cycling in a group can make the ride more enjoyable and easier. It is both physically and psychologically beneficial to be able to take shelter behind another riders wind stream. This can save you 20-25% of your effort for the same speed. If you sit on the back, you can ride with riders who are stronger than you. Of course, it is best to find a group of similar ability / attitude.

Avoiding Saddle Sore

Avoiding saddle sore is one of the great needs for a comfortable ride. To some extent this needs a little preparation. Firstly, you need to get used to a saddle during training. This will increase your tolerance for sitting on a saddle. Some find the most comfortable saddles will be a leather saddle like the many models of Brooks saddles. These give better performance with age as they slowly mould to your own posterior.

• Saddle sore creams can definitely help in some circumstances. See: cream for saddle sore.
• Extra padding. I know one rider who was really struggling in a  24 hour race with a saddle sore and an experienced rider just suggested wearing two pairs of padded cycling shorts. This enabled him to finish.
• Buy good quality padding. There is a huge difference between cheap cycling shorts and good quality shorts. Believe me, I’ve tried both! I recommend making it a high priority to spend £100 on some of the best quality cycle shorts. It will make a much bigger difference than £100 on a carbon seat post. See: best quality padded cycle shorts
• Stretch. It is good practise to always take time to stretch, change positions and get out of the saddle. The key thing is to do this before you start to feel discomfort. This is particularly important for long distance time trials, where you tend to get locked in a certain position.
• See also: sore after long ride

Food / Drink

Nutrition is such a key factor in long distance cycling. If you can get your nutrition right you will definitely make a long distance ride easier. For a reasonably fit cyclist, as you get your nutrition right, there is no limit to how far you can cycle.

Carbo Load. In the day or two before a race, you can try carbo load – eat more carbohydrate like pasta, oats, lentils / basmati rice. These are carbohydrate stores that offer slow release. In the two days before a big ride, take it easy. Though studies suggest that a few very short sprints on the day before a ride, can help facilitate greater uptake of carbohydrate.

Breakfast. I tend to have  good solid breakfast based on muesli, oats, fruit, perhaps some brown bread and honey. The main breakfast is 2- 3 hours before the start of the ride. It depends on the intensity of the riding, the more intense the longer time you want to give your stomach. Then after breakfast I will take a few medium GI snacks like apples, muesli bars. Generally little an often is better for the stomach. Note, I tend to avoid high GI foods (glucose as this can lead to surges and falls in blood sugar levels

see also:

• mistakes of cycle nutrition
• Cycling nutrition tips.

Nutrition during a ride.

A rough guide for carbohydrate uptake is 1gram per Kg weight of rider. If you are 80Kg, you can roughly absorb 80g of carbohydrate in an hour. This gives a rough idea of how much food you can absorb. For example, a 750ml energy drink may give 50grams, thus you want to get another 30grams of carbohydrate from bars or gels. You will be burning much more calories than usual. You need to forget the 3 meals a day mentality and keep eating throughout the day.

Foods to Avoid During a Ride

High Fat content. Fat is harder to break down and makes the stomach work harder but gives little help to energy. Don’t worry about avoiding all fat. It also depends on how hard you are riding. If you are at your limit, you will need to rely more on liquid food. If you are taking it very steady and enjoying the scenary you can be less strict about what you eat.

Hydration

De-hydration is one of the worst things to happen during a long ride. Don’t wait until you are thirsty. Keep drinking steadily, depending on the heat.

Don’t forget that when you take carbohydrate (e.g. energy gels) you need extra water to help digest the carb (3 parts 1 for each part of carb). For example, if you took a concentrated energy gel without plain water, they body would take water from blood stream for digestion procedure leaving you dehydrated (this is why you are more thirsty when eating)

How much to Drink?

For a 100 mile ride you can need anything from 2 to 8 bottles. It depends on your body weight and temperature. It may sound a bit crude, but check the colour of your urine. It will give a rough guide to your state of hydration. Some people finish a ride and then can’t actually provide a urine sample because they are so dehydrated – don’t let it get to this stage.

Biggest 4 Mistakes in Long Ride

1. Not bringing any waterproof and suffering intense cold when it rains heavily
2. Not drinking enough in the heat leading to dehydration and feeling of sickness
3. Not taking on enough carbohydrate leading to the dreaded ‘bonk’ where your glycogen stores are depleted making it difficult to move at all.
4. Being totally unprepared for distance and trying to cover it too quickly.

Conclusion

Sometimes the best advice is to go out and ride. Listen to your body and follow common sense. Take advice from experienced riders around you. When you actually get started, it is less intimidating than you might think. Also, the body is highly adaptable and it’s surprising what it will tolerate, but a little planning and preparation can make the experience a lot more enjoyable and easy.

 Related

• Training for 100 mile charity ride
• Sore after long ride