I have started to develop a plan for this summer and was looking for advice.
My plan consists of a 50 mile 36er ride, from my home to a state park where I would stay the night. The next day, 40 miles to my aunts house, where I would stay the night and recover the next day, before returning back the same way (once again camping out at said state park.)
This will be my first major 36er ride, and was curious if there was anything I should do for a major distance like this.
Thanks.
Riding hard multiple days in a row requires training that mirrors your plan, though you may not need to crank quite so many miles, but for sure you should have some back to back long rides in preparation.
Once you have you seat, cranks, pedals, tires, etc… set, DON’T CHANGE IT! Seriously, this can cause problems and so you should set up the uni and leave it, or risk developing a problem on the ride.
Hydration and nutrition: Similar to number one, you need to have a plan for how to eat and drink as you ride, between rides, etc… and make sure you don’t try eating and drinking new things on the ride.
Have a back up plan in case things don’t go perfect, i.e. if the day off leaves you unable to ride home, bad weather curtails the ride, etc…
In terms of training, think of how you will build up the ride, then have a taper down in your mileage so you go into your ride with fresh legs.
Use a rearview mirror, it could save your life, mount it on your helmet
Use a rear flasher on the uni and wear bright clothing
Know your route and avoid congestion, peak traffic, etc…
Get a partner for all of part of the ride, it’ll make it more fun and the time will pass more quickly
Consider a loop ride vs an out and back, this will be more interesting
How are you going to manage the camping? Is someone meeting you or are you carrying all your gear? If you’re carrying gear, consider eating cold or buying ready made food, cooking when your tired is a drag and carrying the stuff to cook is bulky and heavy, same goes with food, buy food and eat as you go to keep the weight down.