Two daft twats riding Coast2Coast

Alright, so me and my mate are planning on riding coast to cost in Easter next year, to raise funds and awareness for Autism, it's effect on families with autistic children and hopefully raise some money for a family friends school, which their autistic son goes to. I am 18, my friend is 17, and we both ride between 40 and 100 miles a week. We can ride anywhere up to 50 miles before we have to have a serious rest, and consider ourselves 'youthful' and 'fit'. Kind of. I've not got any specific questions, this thread is more for asking for advice, especially from forum members who have done this before. Any advice on routes, what to pack and any tips on training etc. are gratefully accepted!

You mean the C2C route from Whitehaven to Sunderland? It's a nice ride! Are you camping or staying in B&Bs? I rode it with me old man, it took us four/five days whereas on my own it would have been three. The hills are hard but mercifully brief (but not that brief...)

What sort of route/timetable are you planning on.

I'm currently working on a Coast2Coast2Coast audax starting in Morecambe and going to Whitby and back. It'll be a 400k ride to be done within 26 hours. That'll be done with a few spare clothes, tools and food in a Carradice.

If you're planning on the traditional ride, it's usually 3 days, so you'll want to carry a bit more, maybe in a combination of rack top bag and bar bag.

Training wise, I would suggest for now that you get in some long one day rides and the follow it up with a short ride the next day just to get used to the feeling of having to get back on the bike again. 45-50km is usually a good brief resting point rather then pushing yourself to needing a serious rest and repetition of this will extend your endurance levels.

Whitehaven to Sunderland it is, my mates sorting the exact route. We'll probably be booking some B&B's to save baggage. Did you ride it fixed or on a Roadie?

We're planning on 2 to 4 days, depending on weather, and how many repairs we have to do. We're like Laurel and Hardy when it comes to a puncture. This afternoon I'm going to get in about a 40 mile ride, followed by a 10 mile commute tomorrow, so I can tick that off! I will be carrying all my gear in a large chrome bag, if it fits. If not, I'll be using a huge berghaus backback with the toggle top. All the best on your C2C2C!

We can ride anywhere up to 50 miles before we have to have a serious rest

wow r u guys pros?

No need to be snotty. Most people who don't cycle think that more than 5 miles on a bike is insane.

^ this.

JacksonB, now would be a good time for you and your mate to experiment with fuel. You'll need to eat regularly and it's good to know what works best for you before you do the real thing.

I will also echo what TSK says about several brief rests rather than one or two epic ones. It is much harder to get moving again if you've ridden 70 miles and then stopped for an hour than if you've ridden the same distance but only stopped for five minutes. As a general rule I'll try to stop for 5-10 minutes every 30-40 miles or so but again that's something you and your mate should experiment with sooner rather than later. Do not attempt to hardman your way through without these rests, as that will have the opposite effect to what you intend and you'll make things unnecessarily difficult.

I'd advise you not to carry anything in a messenger bag or a rucksack as it'll rapidly increase your fatigue levels over longer distances. If you can't bear the thought of putting a Carradice on your bike then at least consider a saddlepack like one of these: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ortlieb-classic-large-saddle-bag/

You really want that weight to be on your bike instead of on you.

We're like Laurel and Hardy when it comes to a puncture.

Spend an afternoon taking your tyre on and off, punctures are a ball ache, no need to make it last longer than need be!

Also as Bothwell says, put as much weight on the bike as you can... A loaded back pack is likely to be very uncomfy after 50 miles...

Another weight on the bike supporter here. I used to cycle with a rucksack with locks and all sorts in, moved as much as I could to the bike and the change is huge.

I would also say get some slime tubes, they are slightly heavier but will solve many puncture issues.

Training I would work up your distance, if you can do 50 miles then plan to do 40 miles that day and have something left for emergencys. Work up your ability to take hills as they are unavoidable, mile after mile of a slight uphill gradient will wear you down if you aren't ready for it. Maybe use strava or similar to record your training, will give you exact speeds/times/progress/gradients.

http://app.strava.com/

Also invest in decent clothing to cycle in. If your sweat isn't being whicked away then you won't get 20 miles let alone c2c as the sweat will cool and your tshirt will become like an ice pack.

I did backpool to hull this summer 2 days and a morning, pretty care free really if you know how to camp and what areas to look out for, plan a route and have tools to repair punctures etc the trip sorts it's self

wow r u guys pros?

When did you last do more than fifty miles, huh?

Three days is a reasonable timeframe, two is doable but it'd be hard.

As others have said - put your stuff on your bike, not on your back.mainky you have to eat well and keep yourself hydrated. I'd suggest calling one of your stops just after you pass the Penines, as that's the most knackering bit of climbing. After that it is largely downhill to Sunderland, so you can do that in a day.

First of all, I'm not bragging about how far I ride, I'm giving a rough idea of my current capability. This time last year I couldn't ride 10 miles without coughing up shit. Now I've got fitter and I'm proud to say I can ride 50 miles on a social ride.

Secondly, thanks everyone for the feedback, wasn't expecting this much! I think I'm going to try out carrying my weight on my bag, as it seems to be highly recommended. The only worry is that I'm going to have to stretch my money to fund spare tubes, a B&B (Not camping to save hassle with a tent) and other things, so if I bought a carridice/pannier style bags, I'd have to get cheap second hand ones. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Going from a coughing fit 10 miles to a comfortable 50 milers is good going.

The touring equipment topic would be a good start as the classified section, I echo Boffy's comment about experimenting with fuel and rest.

It's entirely possible to do a long ride if you take it easy, drink regularly (otherwise you'll likely to suffer cramp and headache from dehydration), and eat well, the only thing stopping you from going further is sleep.

@OP: Fixed or geared?

wow r u guys pros?

shut up you haven't even ridden a bike more than 45 miles in about two years.

He doesn't have to. He has a chap who does it for him.

hahahaha rep. And to the OP, just gradually do longer and longer rides to build your stamina up and as others have said, make sure you always have enough food! There is nothing worse than bonking because you've run out of fuel.

I never used to run out of fuel when I was bonking - I usually had it racked up on the bedside table to save time.

bodiepls, this is a serious discussion.

Edit: when you 'used' to bonk? I didn't realise celibacy was for you.

How can it be a serious discussion when Xander's talking about riding distances?

I'm planning on doing it fixed, but I have a geared racer I could use if I get hillphobia before I do it! I'll go have a look on the touring part of the forum, cheers for the point!

Also, has anyone got any recommendations on food to take with me? Can I jsut stack up energy bars and water to keep me going between meals?

Cheers again for feedback

good luck with this mate. I'm hoping to do Lands End to John O Groats in 2015, after a bit of planning and pursuading someone to do it with me.

You can, you needn't buy those energy bars, as banana for example is a good alternative.

@OP: Fixed or geared?

good luck with this mate. I'm hoping to do Lands End to John O Groats in 2015, after a bit of planning and pursuading someone to do it with me.

Best of luck to you too! What time of year are you planning on doing it?