Getting started with long distance rides...

Just starting getting back into longer rides on a geared bike-some useful advice here. I'm finding a hilly 33 miles (best local ride) is taking me about 2 hours, and to be honest the hills are killing me-granny cogging it the whole way up for the big climb, which leaves my legs pretty melted after.

Your problem is that you are going too fast. Distance is about a lower pace for a longer period of time.

Take a look at time trialists. For many, 23 minutes is a good time over ten miles but 59 minutes is good for 25 miles. That's about 26mph and 25mph respectively. Not a big difference but the principle still applies.

If you really want to develop distance, don't go throwing yourself over all of the local hills, get out and ride around some of the flatter options and focus on getting to a specific place rather than doing a set number of miles. if you do get to a hill, don't worry about pottering up to the top, it's not a race.

Cheers for the advice chaps-I do have a bit of a masochistic streak so its more of a struggle not to force myself up a big climb than it is to go around them. Where I'm living at the mo is really close to some nice hills so its also a bit of an opportunity to get some good practice in I suppose... but yeah-maybe after building my legs up on flatter rides first.

Went travelling last summer and sold all bikes to fund the adventure, then was living in Madrid which is a wierdly non-cycle city (I saw 1 fixie the entire time I was there, and the rest was full lycra MTBers doing circuits round the park on a sunday?!) so my legs are pretty out of shape, but now I'm back and on the dole I've definitely got the time and energy to be sorting that out-definitely different going from only riding fixed before I left and now only having a geared bike (fixie in progress!). Thinking it might be good to get involved in a club but like solo rides too. Looks like I'll be moving to London come September so hope by then I'll be able to keep pace with you city boys!

Would just like to say thanks to all the people who have contributed to this thread. In particular I found these very useful:

http://www.lfgss.com/post1197012-23.html and
http://www.lfgss.com/post1197011-22.html

I was going to post asking about the feasibility of London - Southampton for someone who doesn't ride far regularly (my commute is 6 miles each way and the furthest I cover is 25 miles a day when I go to the rugby club). Instead I just HTFU.

Managed it in 7 hours on Sunday. I left far too late, so by the end I was riding in pitch darkness, along A roads, scary but exhilirating. I got lost of course and without GPS it was a case of asking for directions.

Got even more lost / took an even more picturesque route yesterday, but managed to do it in a shorter time which was nice. Maintaining a steady cadence / spinning rather than mashing 52/16 which is what I do on my commute was the key I think.

Anyway, thanks again. And for all those that are nervous about it, get out and do it. It's well worth it.

Nicely done.

^^awesome username ;)

You should see him as well. All his hair in the pizza . .

Agni, that's great man. do you know how many miles you've done in total?

I found the 120 DD miles pretty tough going through the night, but this year I made it in a respectable time I guess. Well, I was there before damo :p

Completely forgot about this thread. Gives me a good feeling about what I have done this year, even though I didn't do any more audax rides or that many long distance ones in fact.
But SSTC really increased my riding capabilities, and time in the lake district was great.
Now I just need to keep riding through the winter time and next year I'll emerge for a summer of new challenges.

I started thinking to myself "end to end can't be that bad of a ride, can it?" ... Am I a fool?

Did about 80 miles on Sunday. Then about 85 miles on Wednesday. Would definitely do it again, but need to set off earlier.

There's nothing wrong with a bit of positive thinking, and given the countryside and the views which seem to be always changing and the sheer fun of riding a bike, it's never that bad.

allthegear

have a look at the paris brest paris thread, we are going out for a gentle spin tomorrow assuming weather is not too bad

glad we could be of assistance

Thanks for the heads up DJ.

I will go on a forum ride at some point - one of the reasons I wanted to cycle to Southampton was see how I would cope with it.

Unfortunately I've got to play rugby today.