-
Worse than that... how do you do 3-4 Dunwich Dynamos in a day, for 10 (if you're super fast) to 20 (if you're above average) days in a row?
My PB for Dunwich was this year, under 7 hours. But it amplified every ache and pain, and my right knee was all pain and swollen.
But at least I could get off the bike, rest, give it time to heal, etc.
The TCR riders just continue until their body can't physically do any more at all. That the back pain is too much, or the knees give out, or you crash through exhaustion, or you deliriously tape your helmet to your back to hold your head up.
Far more pain and suffering than I would willingly go through.
And that's the feat, the thing we're watching. How far would you push yourself? How much can you push yourself?
Velocio-
Me? I just wouldn't is the answer. I struggle to motivate myself for 40k rides as it stands.
Hippy and his 400 s day goal are unfathomable for me.
-
If you goal is a single day ride then it'll often feel insurmountable at that 60-70% mark, and the last 10% is where the knackeredness is overtaken by giddy excitement and anticipation of finishing, and you'll feel utterly knackered the minute you've finished and wonder how on earth people can go on and do a further x miles that day, or get up the next day and do it all again.
But when your goal is multiple days riding the low patch moves from a proportion of the ride to a proportion of the day. Once you get used to pushing through the inevitable low points (and not giving in) it just becomes a routine, and the more you experience the high/low/content/high/low/high/content/etc rollercoaster the more hardened you get to it.
Audax was the way into multiple long day riding for me. I remember wondering how on earth I could go further or do another day after my first 200km ride, but after doing a few of them I was feeling fitter and fresher at the end, to the point that I thought "yes, I feel as if I could carry on" and so the progression to longer and longer distances began. I felt the same at the end of day 5 of LEL as I did at the end of day 2. Subsequent 300km days just blur into each other after the first couple.
You also get used to the unknown. I used to worry about whether I'd have access to my favourite foods on an Audax, now I'm happy to make do with whatever I can lay my hands on. PBP was a leap into even more unknown, with added language difficulties too (especially with my dreadful French) but when you don't have much choice you just get on with it. You can whinge but whinging doesn't get you further down the road.
You also find out what works and doesn't work for you (in terms of position and equipment). What setup worked fine for a x km may shred your cock/gooch/feet/neck/back/shoulders/etc to mince after x+50 km.
It's certainly not for everyone. I know people who are fast over a 200km ride but fall apart on a 300km ride as they just can't do night riding. There are some who are fine on 300km rides but can't handle the sleep deprivation of a 400km ride. It's not for everyone.
tl;dr just do more longer rides and you soon get used to it
pascalo
Greenbank
So much this. I cannot imagine riding that far. I remember DD in about 8 hrs with stops was a massive achievement for me, and the next day i was cooked. Could not do that now. How do you do that 20 days in a row?