Haven't been on a bike in 15 years

ThePresence

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
27,727
16
81
Biked 26.3 miles yesterday. Can't climb a flight of stairs now, but a great feeling of accomplishment.
 

rasczak

Lifer
Jan 29, 2005
10,437
22
81
No warmup? I just started walking again, trying to build up to running. Yesterday I tried to "run" across the Balboa Park bridge and felt like I was going to pass out after two-thirds of the way. lmao.
 

pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
13,633
8,521
136
No issues there. Nice gel seat on the bike.

Have never found that a problem. personally. Seems to me unless you are taking it very leisurely you end up putting most of your weight on the pedals most of the time anyway. Hence its legs and knees that are more likely to suffer.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,981
8,219
126
Have never found that a problem. personally. Seems to me unless you are taking it very leisurely you end up putting most of your weight on the pedals most of the time anyway. Hence its legs and knees that are more likely to suffer.

I always get a sore ass, but I don't ride bikes anymore; I just don't find it fun. It seems like they're all more work than they're worth. After switching from BMX to road/hybrid bikes, the joy left. I couldn't go as far, and it seemed like more work even though I had more gears :^/
 

SKORPI0

Lifer
Jan 18, 2000
18,429
2,357
136
Similar situation. Haven't biked for 17 years till last Feb. in a vacation. Couldn't find the strength to go uphill anymore. Had to walk the bike going up, enjoyed the view and just coasted on the way down. :\
 

Dirigible

Diamond Member
Apr 26, 2006
5,960
30
91
Nice work!

Put in some saddle time and you'll be able to do that 160 miler no problem.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,534
911
126
I'm going to start getting serious about it. I'm working up to a 160 mile 2-day ride in August. Don't know if I'll get there, but I'm going to work towards it.

I've done a couple of centuries. There are a lot of good tips on how to train for these and what kind of riding and nutrition to prepare.

The thing with distance riding is that you have to eat and drink almost constantly. Eat foods on the bike that are easy to digest and drink some type of energy drink with electrolytes. My stomach can't handle gatorade for some reason when I ride so I used Cytomax powdered drink mixed with water.

I found that I hit a bit of a wall at around 60 miles but if I push on I get a second wind around the 70 mile mark.

Hardest thing for you will be doing two 80 mile rides on consecutive days. Your legs will be feeling it on day 2 so I'd say to pace yourself. Maybe do a couple training rides on consecutive days of 50 miles each but leave yourself plenty of time to recover after and I wouldn't ride at all the week prior to the event.

Oh, and train on the bike you'll be riding. Don't change anything about its setup between the training and the event.

People scoff at spandex cycling gear but it really is the best material for cycling. It will keep you cool and dry yet move with you so you don't get a rash and it has padding in the seat which you'll appreciate after 60 miles in the saddle.

Cotton is worthless.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,418
1,599
126
congrats, now you're a douchebag.



(am I doing it right?)
 
Apr 12, 2010
10,510
10
0
Found a bike in a ditch about a month ago. Pretty shitty condition though. I haven't worked on bikes in something like 15 years so I forget where I'd even start.
Have a hard time shifting gears. And the chain misses gear teeth if I attempt to abruptly pick up speed. Seems like someone attempted to adjust the brakes, but did a shit job of it, then jacked up other stuff in the process. Shit like that makes it hard to ride some times.
I'll ride it around until I find another bike to snatch up, I guess.
 

ThePresence

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
27,727
16
81
I've done a couple of centuries. There are a lot of good tips on how to train for these and what kind of riding and nutrition to prepare.

The thing with distance riding is that you have to eat and drink almost constantly. Eat foods on the bike that are easy to digest and drink some type of energy drink with electrolytes. My stomach can't handle gatorade for some reason when I ride so I used Cytomax powdered drink mixed with water.

I found that I hit a bit of a wall at around 60 miles but if I push on I get a second wind around the 70 mile mark.

Hardest thing for you will be doing two 80 mile rides on consecutive days. Your legs will be feeling it on day 2 so I'd say to pace yourself. Maybe do a couple training rides on consecutive days of 50 miles each but leave yourself plenty of time to recover after and I wouldn't ride at all the week prior to the event.

Oh, and train on the bike you'll be riding. Don't change anything about its setup between the training and the event.

People scoff at spandex cycling gear but it really is the best material for cycling. It will keep you cool and dry yet move with you so you don't get a rash and it has padding in the seat which you'll appreciate after 60 miles in the saddle.

Cotton is worthless.

It's a supported ride as a fundraiser for a non-profit. They will have refreshment stations every 25 miles on day one, and every 15-20 miles on day two.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,534
911
126
It's a supported ride as a fundraiser for a non-profit. They will have refreshment stations every 25 miles on day one, and every 15-20 miles on day two.

That's good. You'll still want 2 bottles on the bike though and I'd carry something like Cytomax in them or 1 water, 1 energy drink. A couple gel shots probably isn't a bad idea either.

Supported centuries are nice for sure. Make sure you eat at every stop.

My legs were cramping up by the end of my first century. Longest distance I had done in training was 60 miles. Still, my legs felt pretty good the next day but I wasn't grinding out a 60 mile ride with lots of climbing either. In fact, I didn't ride at all for the next couple days.

Go to bikeforums.net for some good tips on training and nutrition.
 

_Rick_

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2012
3,941
69
91
If you don't have a properly fitted bike, forget about doing 160 miles in two days.
Unless you have a proper fit, your back, shoulders and neck, as well as arms and elbows will kill you, and you won't even have to worry about your legs.

Oh well, I'm looking to climb the Galibier this year. That's about a 100 miles, with what, 6-7k feet of vertical? And maybe I'll have to do the Croix de Fer as well...so many cols, so little legs :D
 

ThePresence

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
27,727
16
81
If you don't have a properly fitted bike, forget about doing 160 miles in two days.
Unless you have a proper fit, your back, shoulders and neck, as well as arms and elbows will kill you, and you won't even have to worry about your legs.

Oh well, I'm looking to climb the Galibier this year. That's about a 100 miles, with what, 6-7k feet of vertical? And maybe I'll have to do the Croix de Fer as well...so many cols, so little legs :D

I'm using a hybrid now, just to get back into shape. I will probably be buying a nice road bike which will be professionally fitted for me if I seriously push ahead with this.