long distance cycling

One thing you might want to try is a pace that puts your exertion quite a bit below what you'd normally do. Normally I ride with my HR in the 140s, but I've had several long rides where other people were bonking so my HR was high 120s at the slower pace. I rode a lower cadence and I found I didn't sweat as much or burn as much energy.

Longest I've done is 428 km in just under 24 hours elapsed time. This time of year you'll have more time riding in the dark than I did.

>>1036028

that's pretty impressive.
did you train up to this or did you just go for it.
I'm working up to 120km right now. nutrition is holding me back mostly.

do you just keep eating bananas as you go in fixed intervalls ?
do you use any kind of additive to your water ?

I've been thinking, a drink high in carbs and maybe some protein would be great

>>1036086
I've been doing 200 and 300 brevets for a few years before my first 400 and had a 200 and two 300s done in the weeks leading up to the 400.

For solo rides up to about 160 km I usually just bring some bottles of high calorie Ensure (355 calories in a 235 ml bottle). Drinking one after 1.5 - 2 hours then another ever hour after that. Eating smaller amounts at a shorter interval would probably be better, but I never get around figuring out what a convenient on bike food would be.

Doing brevets with a group we stop a few times at restaurants so I don't carry as much, but I like to eat something just before a restaurant stop due to the digestion lag between when you eat and when those calories kick in. I mostly just use plain water, though I might pick up a sport drink along the way to mix things up.

Long distance is a mental game. Steel yourself, having a mantra to internally recite can help you get through difficult portions and keep you focused.

>>1036088
>high calorie Ensure

that's quite the tip , 355 callories at 235 ml is really good

>>1036086
OP here, on anything up to 200km I mostly just eat energy bars/bananas and drink regular water. If I'm with a group sometimes we'll do a half way stop and get some fries or something.

On longer rides it's defintely nice to have something to change it up, if you sweat a lot you'll want to consume something to replace the salt you've lost too. A pepperoni sandwich is a godsend if you've been eating nothing but sugar bars for 6 hours. If t's cold I find it helps to have something with added taste/sugar in your bottles, I tend to not drink enough if it's just plain cold water.
Always eat BEFORE you're hungry, if you do it after it's too late and you'll bonk. Energy Gels are great to get through a temporary drop (or before long climbs)

For long rides it also hels to have a feed bag on your handlebars. You're more likely to just reach in and take a bite or two than if you have to fumble it out of your jersey pockets every time.

Other than that, I don't really "train" for these rides consciously, I'll do a longer ride every now and then for fun and other than that I just go for it and suffer through it. I usually pick routes where there's at least one or two train stations nearby (europe, so good train system) in case I need to abort for whatever reason. There's not really a downside to trying, worst case is you end up exhausted in bumfuck nowhere and need to find transportation back home, it's nothing that will kill you.

>>1036028

We definitely plan on keeping a reasonable pace even if it's tempting to go faster. Headwinds might also come into play.

>>1036028

Yeah the darkness is gonna suck. It's like 5 hours of daylight up here right now, it'll pretty much be dark almost all of the time. We all have good lights though.

>>1036241

thanks for the input I'm really looking foward to spring. I`ll have my bachleor finished by then and will try to do some real distance.

as a student I'm super cheap on stuff like gels but I suppose they worth it in moderation.

the "eat before your hungry" tip is something I definitly have to work on.
I usually grab something to eat when Im allready spiraling towards doom, then overeat and then suffer.

>>1036241
I've had people riding next to me nod off briefly and bump into me a few times. Usually gives them enough adrenaline surge to keep them awake for a while after that.

>>1036244
Thanks dude that's terrifying

That's actually one of my main concerns, either me or other people eating dirt towards the end because of laps in concentration. Maybe I'll get some caffeeine pills or something.

>>1036086
My longest is 305km. I bring water, clif bars, and Clif Shot gel.

My longest distance is 30 km. Afterwards I stop and go home because its not fun anymore.

>>1036377
Sounds about right.

>>1036019
My longest distanceis 100km, I did it just because I wanted, didn't do more because of time. I usually average 25-27km/h on soft hills terrain. I like taking my time and having fun while pedaling and focusing on my breathing. I'm not fast, but I'm efficient as fuck, I can ride without being hungry or thirsty, a friend of mine says I'm a camel, because I barely drink (less than 1L of water on 100km rides on summer).

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Alright /n/, we're starting in an hour, wish me luck.
See you in 30 hours or so. Or sooner if I pussy out . Or never if I die in a crash.

>>1036566
May Sheldon be with you

>>1036566
>See you in 30 hours or so. Or sooner if I pussy out . Or never if I die in a crash.
...sometimes I feel like I see us from an outsider's perspective and wonder why the hell we love this sport so much.

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Forgot the Festive 500 started 3 days ago so I had to kill myself today

>>1036019
>Does anyone have exprience with this kind of distance or more. What tips can you give me except the obvious things like sensible pacing and regular eating/drinking?

It is imperative that you get at least a cadence sensor-though power meter data is highly valuable to measure your output at all points of the ride, cadence is otherwise the single most important metric for not blowing yourself up over 100+ mile rides. I, personally, get in the habit of grinding gears at higher mileage intervals, which can exacerbate knee pains, strains and is otherwise not as efficient as an optimal cadence of roughly 85 rpm. Carb-load on pasta the day before, and ensure that you have at least two bottles of electrolyte drink, and strive to eat any kind of energy bar, between 100-250 calories per, every 45-60 minutes or so given your pace and needs.

And THOROUGHLY check the weather conditions at "checkpoints" along the ride- especially in the winter, it is annoying to be overdressed, but it is perilous to be under-dressed, particularly in the event of a sudden downpour.

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>>1036566
Hope you get run over antifa cuck.

>>1036787
There are more productive ways to externalise internal discomfort than violence.

>>1036566
Did he die?

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>>1036952
Nah.

OP here, I'm back.

I made it to 402km, after that I was so wrecked I just couldn't go on. Didn't ride as much as usual this year and there were some very very fit people in the group so we started out going a bit faster than I thought was comfortable. We also rode with a headwind for about 70% of the time After riding for 24+ hours through an entire day and night, it got dark again, much colder too and the track got very hilly. We had split into two smaller groups, I was with 4 other people and we all decided to call it a day and get on the nearest train.

So yeah didn't quite make it but 400 is still a new record for me. I'm honestly not sure I'd do this again though, maybe in summer and under different circumstances but riding for that long just stops being enjoyable in any way too early. I'm probably just not the kind of person to make myself go through that so I think I'll stick with rides you can at least complete in a day from now on.
As expected, my knees are busted now and I still feel pretty exhausted after sleeping for 12 hours but it could be worse. Still I doubt anything about this is healthy.

Pic related, my favorite part of the ride. Yeah that's a grill in front and she pushed through that beast of a ride seemingly unfazed. I'm impress

Don't most (all i think) Northern euro countries mandate the use of bike lights by law? With only 5 hours of day how do you get lights that last long enough? I assume you don't have dynamo since you use road bikes.

>>1037064
Some rechargable rear lights last a few hundred hours on a single charge on lower brightness settings. For front lights it's probably necessary to have dynamo if you want to ride all night several nights in a row without stopping to recharge.

>>1037062
>I'm honestly not sure I'd do this again though,
>riding for that long just stops being enjoyable in any way too early.
Faggot
>Still I doubt anything about this is healthy.
Yes it is. It makes you push your mental and physical limits and it makes you accomplish something. That is mentally healthy and mental health affects physical health. Faggot.

HTFU and do 600 next time

>>1037064
I actually have a hub-dynamo on my road-ish bike, it's easy to install and there's some small, light, very efficient dynamo hubs on the market. You don't really notice any drag from it. Plus you can swap it for a normal wheel in a few minutes, not a big deal at all, works on all bikes. Some other people did use battery lights, either with swappable batteries or external chargers but carrying all that is annoying. As for rear lights, there's battery powered ones that can go for 30+ hours.

>>1037067
What was your longest ride then?
Speaking of mental health, you sound like you have some issues being this mad on an online board for no reason. That kind of anger is usually rooted in self-hate. Do yourself a favor and get some therapy, I don't mean to sound condescending, I'm actually serious. Being bitter and hateful is no way to live your life.

>>1037068
>What was your longest ride then?
305km, just giving you a hard time.
>Speaking of mental health, you sound like you have some issues being this mad on an online board for no reason. That kind of anger is usually rooted in self-hate. Do yourself a favor and get some therapy, I don't mean to sound condescending, I'm actually serious. Being bitter and hateful is no way to live your life.
>taking my post this seriously
Welcome to 4chan, enjoy your stay.

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>>1036787
What the fuck is goikg in there?
>>1037062
Holy fucking shit. Not only I'm utterly impressed but also incredibly jealous. Good job, OP. You have accomplished a feat that most people will never be able to brag about.
>>1036566
Awesome wallet, by the way.

Care to share a picture of your bike? I'm curious what a bike that can ride that distance looks like.

Kudos again, OP.

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>>1037139

Thanks, once you start getting into randonneuring 400km stops being so impressive unfortunately but yeah most people would never do it.

Picture is the setup I used for this ride. Front bag contains food, middle one is for tools (and some more food) and the saddle bag contains clothes mostly. If it's warmer you can get away with a lot less stuff though.

>>1037142
Dude I promise you you will be fine if you put a rear rack on that

>>1037145
Not him, but It'd be way less aero.

>>1037142
EXPLODING WRISTS

>>1037145
Yep, just haven't gotten around to it yet. Those saddle bags are good for bikes where you can't mount a rack but I bet it would handle a lot better with pannier bags and they're easier to load. I actually hate having a bunch of shit strapped to my bike.

>>1037157
I actually do have problems with my wrists, how'd you know?

>>1037151
Only if you use panniers instead of a trunk bag. Besides, at those speeds, aero is not a big deal.

>>1037174
Because that frame is obviously too small for you, even when compensating by using a full stack of spacers and tilting the saddle. Also i hope the fork steerer is not carbon because you'd be above the spacer limit.

>>1037174
Short reach, saddle tilted forward, hoods tilted back, all of which puts more of your weight on your hands

>>1037183
>Only if you use panniers instead of a trunk bag.
You are right.
>Besides, at those speeds, aero is not a big deal
What's headwind?

>>1037184
It's the biggest one they make. Even if it was bigger, it'd make no difference because that steerer is a full-length uncut steerer, I couldn't go any higher in the front with any regular fork.

Problem is I have freakishly long legs so every frame looks like it's too small. If it was bigger then the reach would be too long. Trust me, I've been looking all over for a frame with a geometry that fits and this has been the closest so far. You should see what some of my road bikes looked like.

>>1037191
Saddle rails are actually paralell to the ground but the saddle itself has a downwards shape. It looks a lot more extreme because of the sloped top tube.

>>1037142
That's a huge fucking cassette, man.

>>1037142

except for the slightly small frame that is a grreat bike and a nice setup man.
even with the small frame it really nice.

>>1037145

I`d consider a stabilized pack.

paniers are fine but ona swag level they can't compete

>>1037142
Neat bike. Looks like what I'd want to replace both my road and touring bikes. Switching bikes plays havoc with my legs so I want something with more tire clearance than my road bike, but lighter than my steel 520. Then have 2 wheelsets instead of having to swap tires all the time.

I like that the frame bosses are welded in place. My aluminum Giant Defy uses rivet nuts for all the bosses and the rack ones loosened up on me. And the new version of that frame has internal cable routing. And it also can use a 650b wheel up to 2.1". I was curious how they got that head tube shape given how difficult titanium is to work with, and read that it is machined from a solid block.