The first step is sunscreen - as Kurt Vonnegut once recommended. Of course, getting comfortable on the bike is huge. Tires, saddle, positioning, fenders, etc. Stand up on your pedals every so often to keep blood flow in the nether regions, and shaking your hands out ever so often. You can tough out an uncomfortable ride for 200K but beyond that is dicey. I'll assume for the purposes of this discussion you have it dialed in.
Tangential to the bike is the stuff you carry - I had 5 flats on a 600K in March, it's always good to have enough tubes, a spare foldable tire, a pump, patch kit, chain tool, muti tool with 4-5-6-8mm Hex and screwdrivers, a magic link of some sort and on a longer ride, maybe even a spare cable or two. I've known people to carry spare shifters on 1200Ks. Yes I know this all gets heavy but hey you ride a Rivendell so the thing weighs what it needs to weigh, right? For me, calories and electrolyte management are key for distances beyond 200K. I have to keep eating constantly to keep my energy level up. I like chocolate milk and PB&Js best, but I'll take a turkey sandwich if PB&J is not available. Energy bars get kind of chalky after a while but they're good to have because they don't spoil as easily. I live in Texas and it gets hot. I sweat a lot too. I find that I need sodium - a LOT of sodium, to keep myself going, when the temps are anything above 80F. I cannot drink plain water or it will lead to cramps. Some people are different in this regard but for me - no plain water. I drink Accelerade in my bottle and do V8 or a pickle at the controls. Having company also helps, I know sometimes people ride with a stoic face throughout the night all by themselves, but it really lifts the spirits to have a couple of people with you. Find a group that rides about your pace and stick with them if you can. I like to also have some GU Rocktane within reach in the late hours - it has about as much caffeine in it as a Coke and can give you a boost when you're feeling sleepy. If you're riding a multi-day ride it's good to have some Tylenol PM (contains benedryl) to make sure you get to sleep. It's also good to keep your own food supply in the room on multiday rides. You'll want dinner when you get back, and everything except convenience stores will be closed. You'll also want breakfast when you get up to go ride the next day, make sure you have some calories handy. As an emergency measure, a high protein Ensure or equivalent store brand is great. Learn how to recover from a bonk or a sour stomach - pedialyte and baby food are good for most people, although expensive. Carry your favorite pain killer and some sort of antacid, Tums, Zantac, whatever. This is also when your riding buddies come in handy - take care of each other the best you can. Lastly, hate to say it, but sometimes when all else fails you just gotta HTFU. On Fri, May 23, 2014 at 7:05 AM, 'Tim' via RBW Owners Bunch < rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com> wrote: > I know several of you in the group ride brevets so it's time to pick your > brains. I've taken them up again this year. In 2011 i completed a 200k, had > a DNF 300k followed by finishing a planned 175 mile ride. I've had no rides > over 50-60 miles since until this year, got fat, etc. I decided I needed a > goal to help motivate me so I put PBP 2015 on the calendar. I've lost over > 45 lbs and am loving riding again. I did a 200k a couple of weeks ago and > have a 300k next week which I'm nervous about but fairly confident. My > question is about beyond that. I'm wondering if I need to progress to the > other distances. In other words, should I try 350k before 400 then 500 > before 600? Or do you think that by the time I've gone 300k that the base > is built up enough to sustain the larger jumps in time and distance? Riv > content: I'm riding this on my Homer and loving it! I'd like to complete > the whole series (200,300,400, 600) this summer so I'll have a good taste > for what's in store next year in Paris. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Keep the metal side up and the rubber side down! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
