Marathon on a bike

i could never do a marathon, but i have cycled 100+ miles, day after day, for... days... (6) - averaging 18mph... with luggage. So, i Personally believe that a marathon is MUCH harder than 112 miles, or anything around that number.

I did 130 in a day, that was quite unpleasant... i'd imagine 150 or more miles, by bike... at 18mph ish, (roughly 8.5 hrs on the bike) would be getting close to the pain you would feel at the end of a 26 mile run. Running is so much more intensive.

On flat, road bikes pretty much roll along at 15mph with minimal input.

i agree when i first started training after only 4 training rides going from 40 to 80 then 20 miles i could ride 100 with out feeling any where near the pain of a marathon. However bristol to london about 140 miles was probs a good equivelent even done slow that is a long ride so i think 150 miles is a bike marathon.

i agree when i first started training after only 4 training rides going from 40 to 80 then 20 miles i could ride 100 with out feeling any where near the pain of a marathon. However bristol to london about 140 miles was probs a good equivelent even done slow that is a long ride so i think 150 miles is a bike marathon.

What about fixed? 90-100 would be quite adequate no?

I personally wouldn't recommend having a Marathon on your bike, you might drop it.

From London?

About 1900 miles ... http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=London,+England&daddr=Marathon,+Greece+%4038.158317,23.958435&hl=en&geocode=%3BFe0_RgIdo5NtAQ&mra=ls&sll=44.308127,11.953125&sspn=20.396762,39.506836&ie=UTF8&ll=44.715514,11.90918&spn=19.758447,34.40918&z=5

Might take a while on a bike.

Someone recently told me that eating a Snickers bar after a long liquid lunch was an awesome way of hiding tell-tale booze-breath from your co-workers... Haven't tried it tho'... As you were...

112 - 120 miles sounds about right and the consensus?

I regularly ride 50 miles fixed in a little over 3 hours and I've ridden 108 and 130 geared between 5 and 6 hours with stops to buy more water.

I'd rather ride Paris-Brest-Paris, fixed, than run a marathon

Someone recently told me that eating a Snickers bar after a long liquid lunch was an awesome way of hiding tell-tale booze-breath from your co-workers... Haven't tried it tho'... As you were...

FFS man, this thread is about Marathons not Snickers-es! They're comepletely different things! Stop trying to derail the thread.

;)

Having done lots of marathons and long distance cycling, I'd say that the two are quite different. Main point is that your body gets beaten up from repeated impact of running, whereas even long cycling only really takes it out of your quads (and backside).

The closest equivalent to a running marathon - in the effects on your body and time to recover- would be a 12 hr time trial. Even a hard 100 mile TT doesn't beat you up in the same way that a marathon does.

Personally, I'm pretty wrecked after 12 hr and 24 hr time trials, but I figure if you are daft enough to enter then you get what's coming to you.

I'm also pretty wrecked after a hard marathon - more so than after easier-paced double marathons! You #can# push yourself pretty close to the limit for 3 hrs in a marathon, whereas you've got to take it easy on longer events (and hence it doesn't seem to take quite so much out of you).

What about fixed? 90-100 would be quite adequate no?

How do i agree with this statement do i say no or yes?

All depends on your pace, Eddie Izzard was setting off at 10.30 AM and finishing at around 6.30 PM so most of it was at walking pace... no problem. I did a 2.44 Marathon and was knackered for a month afterwards whereas cycling to Brighton & back from London is no big deal at a steady pace. I would say a 3 hour Marathon was the equivalent to a 5.20 IronMan bike of 112 miles. Jim

All depends on your pace, ...
I did a 2.44 Marathon and was knackered for a month afterwards
...
Jim

D@mn right. I was battered after a 2'58 marathon this year, whereas I was taking marathon-length 3'30 runs in my stride several times in training

a 100mile relativly flat Time Trial in 4 to 4.25 hrs (at level 3plus) requires similar effort and nutritional preparation as a run marathon.

i've heard that people who do that thing where they cycle a stage of the TDF have found it harder than a marathon.

i'm probably in the minority here as i've run a marathon but not done a century (done 110km with lots of gear and food though). i'm not the fittest and i did the marathon in 4:58, not the greatest time i know. depends what bike you're on as well i guess, 100 miles on a full carbon triathlon bike is going to be very different to 100 miles on an mtb or fixed gear for example.

so in answer to your question, i've got no fucking idea.

i've heard that people who do that thing where they cycle a stage of the TDF have found it harder than a marathon.

That'll be the "etape du tour" then.

Harder than a marathon certainly, if you don't do most / all of it in a 200-rider peloton.