Tips for 5 days in a row of long cycling?

CardinalJ · 13-05-2012 02:04PM #1

Im cycling Malin to Mizen in a few weeks and I'm looking for some tips on what I'll need. I do a decent bit of mountain biking, but 6+ hours in the saddle 5 days in a row is totally different.

I already have an idea of what I should bring, but can anyone throw some ideas at me?

Also, the way I see it, what I do in the time immediately after I get off the bike will be really important for how good (Bad) I feel the next day, so if anyone can suggest good stretches as well that would be brilliant.

eskimoparty · 13-05-2012 02:35PM

I am also doing this trip over 7 days in August with a group of friends. Can anyone recommend a good source for nutrition packs/supplements to be taken during the week?

Cheers

SleepDoc · 13-05-2012 03:03PM

eskimoparty wrote: »

I am also doing this trip over 7 days in August with a group of friends. Can anyone recommend a good source for nutrition packs/supplements to be taken during the week?

Cheers

Fair play. 450 miles (aasuming you take the scenic route) over 7 days is about 65 miles a day.

You really shouldn't need any extra nutritional packs or supplements.

feck sake lads · 13-05-2012 04:38PM

i'm doing it in a couple weeks mizen to malin (feck this bloody weather)
well doing 65 miles a day every day should not be a problem.
you need to split the distance up take loads of breakes it's not a race , drink plenty eat plenty.try and get a good nights sleep mind you i find this a big problem so i'll be taking some sleeping pils

i will be camping all the way so what i do when i get to campsite ,
pitch tent/ cuppa. shower/another cuppa then maybe sus out nearest eatery pubgrub all at hopefully a gentle pace.
good luck on the tour hope it's a good one.

CardinalJ · 13-05-2012 04:47PM

feck sake lads wrote: »

i'm doing it in a couple weeks mizen to malin (feck this bloody weather)
well doing 65 miles a day every day should not be a problem.
you need to split the distance up take loads of breakes it's not a race , drink plenty eat plenty.try and get a good nights sleep mind you i find this a big problem so i'll be taking some sleeping pils
i will be camping all the way so what i do when i get to campsite ,
pitch tent/ cuppa. shower/another cuppa then maybe sus out nearest eatery pubgrub all at hopefully a gentle pace.
good luck on the tour hope it's a good one.

Cheers.

We're a pretty mixed group. From people who probably haven't touched bike since they were 10, to experienced club cyclists and everything in between.

My main concern is not being able to sit on the bike after day two! Most of my cycling up until a few weeks ago has been mountain biking and Im out of the saddle 50% of the time there.

oflahero · 13-05-2012 04:49PM

Chamois cream, copious amounts thereof.

Stretches - lots also.

Mycroft H · 13-05-2012 04:50PM

Good saddle and bib shorts will take the brunt out of it.

feck sake lads · 13-05-2012 04:58PM

i take it your on a road bike skinny tyres.
well good tyres is a must maybe 25/28 insterd of 23
most definitly good padded shorts, actually whats much better than chamios cream is Caldesene powder. sprinkle it well over the padded area works a treat believe me.make sure you wash your shorts out every night.

Signal_ rabbit · 13-05-2012 05:08PM

Hi there, myself and a few other cyclists have just returned from our M2M trip, I agree with above;

Stop for proper food.
Maintain a steady pace.
Take spare kit, if you get a good soaking a change into dry kit works wonders for moral.
But most of all, enjoy it!

CardinalJ · 13-05-2012 05:09PM

feck sake lads wrote: »

i take it your on a road bike skinny tyres.
well good tyres is a must maybe 25/28 insterd of 23
most definitly good padded shorts, actually whats much better than chamios cream is Caldesene powder. sprinkle it well over the padded area works a treat believe me.make sure you wash your shorts out every night.

Yea on a friends carbon road bike. Bit concerned that the saddle is a bit 'harsher' than it needs to be. That said, I did just over 125k on it yesterday and 160k the sunday before and wasn't that sore the next day.

CardinalJ · 13-05-2012 05:12PM

Signal_ rabbit wrote: »

Hi there, myself and a few other cyclists have just returned from our M2M trip, I agree with above;

Stop for proper food.
Maintain a steady pace.
Take spare kit, if you get a good soaking a change into dry kit works wonders for moral.
But most of all, enjoy it!

I should be able to look after the food end of it ok, used to looking after myself from when I used to row in college.

How many days did you do it in? Was out for a good spin yesterday and we averaged 27kmph, but I don't see anyone doing that for the whole thing. Id say it will end up being somewhere around 22/23 maybe....

ROK ON · 13-05-2012 05:37PM

Cycling in a group requires more concentration.
Devise a set of simple calls to point or shout for hazards (potholes, approaching wide vehicles etc).
Share the load and rotate those in the front regularly (every few minutes).

Stop for a short time regularly. On a 150km cycle I would have two short stops.

Eat real food. Gels etc over five days is not fun IMHO.

Have a good breakfast.

Eat something immediately when you are finished.

Enjoy the odd pint though not ten of them.

Agree on change of clothes. On organised group cycles with support I carry a wet bag with change of gear. With three hours left to cycle in the rain, dry socks, base layer and jersey will seem like the most fantastic luxury.

Cycling caps are great as a sweatband, sunblock and keeping rain out of your eyes.

mr spuckler · 13-05-2012 06:00PM

i'm doing this solo in august so have been keeping an eye out for threads with advice / tips. think i've decided now to ditch the cooking idea, i'll camp each night but get food nearby, similar to feck sake lads. i have to start getting some training in!

awec · 13-05-2012 06:10PM

Presumably cooking yourself means more gear to carry.

opti0nal · 13-05-2012 06:28PM

Hydrate constantly, bring spare shorts, take breaks before you need them and eat before you need to.

Be prepared to just let people go up the road if the pace is not right for you. Stick with the experienced club riders even if you think they're not going fast as they're probably pacing themselves to last the course.

mr spuckler · 13-05-2012 06:47PM

awec wrote: »

Presumably cooking yourself means more gear to carry.

yip, hence why i've dropped that idea!

Ole Rodrigo · 13-05-2012 06:54PM

Definitely + 1 on eating real food. Although, most of the opportunities to eat are pubs, petrol stations, chippers and spars. Eating well is not entirely straightforward.

Signal_ rabbit · 13-05-2012 07:01PM

CardinalJ wrote: »

I should be able to look after the food end of it ok, used to looking after myself from when I used to row in college.

How many days did you do it in? Was out for a good spin yesterday and we averaged 27kmph, but I don't see anyone doing that for the whole thing. Id say it will end up being somewhere around 22/23 maybe....

Hey Cardinal, myself and four other guys did it the other way round, i.e Malin to Mizen as we live in or around Bantry. We did it in two days, a total of 606k, coming straight down the middle. We averaged just under 28 on the first day and 26 on the second.

CardinalJ · 13-05-2012 10:10PM

Thanks all.

Did a bit of cycling in a club in school so have a bit of experience cycling in groups. We've also been working on sharing the workload at the front.

I've never even a fan of gels. I just find people can rely on them rather than eating food and that in turn messes with their stomach.

maloner · 14-05-2012 08:41AM

I did it with some friends a few years back and we kept a blog which is still up there (has the route we took, some stuff on gear brought etc):

http://mizenmalincycle.blogspot.com/

We took 8 days, but the first day was only really an hour or two from Mizen to Schull. We stayed in B+B's and travelled light. We hired a coach to take us from Dublin to Mizen head and pick us up again at the end. Worked out cheaper and a lot easier than going public transport. €50/head I think it worked out at for 6 or 7 of us.

I'd recommend Bio Freeze. Its a gel that you rub on your muscles. Kinda like deep heat, but cold. Good stuff.

Lots of breaks is good and break the day up with a few stops lined up. Getting to each stop is then a goal and a much smaller and easier to attain goal than setting one goal of getting the malin head (assuming your going S-N).

We had one puncture during the week and one other mechanical issue. The seat post collar on one of bikes broke. We found a shop in Clare after 15-20km so wasn't too bad in the end.

Great trip to be doing.

seamus · 14-05-2012 09:00AM

"take breaks before you need them" I think is probably one of the key pieces of advice.

Since you are riding with newbies, I would get them to a point where two hours in the saddle doesn't destroy them. Then plan the trip so you take an hour's break every two hours. At an easy pace on the flat, this should mean that you cover about 50km between breaks, which means that you only need one break every day.
Plan the break so you arrive into a town, and sit down for a good lunch and take your time before setting off again.

You could also look at a half hour break every hour, but that would piss me off. I'd much prefer a big feed stop of lunch & coffee after two hours riding, and then another 2 hours onto our destination.

dhayes73 · 14-05-2012 11:21AM

Hi,
I am doing Mizen to Malin in June as part of a charity cycle. Some good tips on this thread. Thanks to all. I am curious to what pace should be expected on a sponsored cycle like this. I have mainly been cycling on my own getting ready for it, but not at any fast speeds.
Is there anyone else on here doing it and what rate would you expect. Just a bit worried about being left behind on the cycle, but looking forward to doing it,

seamus · 14-05-2012 11:33AM

The kind of pace you should expect to do should be 10-20% below your typical effort for a day's training. Even over a few days and with good sleep overnight, the fatigue will be cumulative, so setting out with an easy pace will ensure that you can finish the last few days without feeling like you want to die.

Don't worry too much about everyone else's pace. The biggest mistake you can make is to try and match someone else.

Colonialboy · 14-05-2012 11:59AM

Are people making a big deal of this?
Malin to Mizen or whatever, Ive never done it but Ive done a bit of touring around Ireland with fully loaded tourer bikes and mountain bikes, tents, bags, cooking gear, fishing rod, botles of cider, and did 60-80 miles a day no bother, sleeping in fields. Back in the day when you could I guess.

Dont get too wrapped up in the science of it all, its a touring cycling trip
enjoy it, and part of the enjoyment is the unkown element.

dhayes73 · 14-05-2012 12:44PM

Definitely not making a big deal of it, just don't want to be the one that is holding up everyone else on the trip.

. I will definitely be taking it at my own pace, just hoping that others will be the same and doing around the same pace. I do plan to enjoy it as a touring trip and not a race.

CardinalJ · 14-05-2012 12:52PM

Colonialboy wrote: »

Are people making a big deal of this?
Malin to Mizen or whatever, Ive never done it but Ive done a bit of touring around Ireland with fully loaded tourer bikes and mountain bikes, tents, bags, cooking gear, fishing rod, botles of cider, and did 60-80 miles a day no bother, sleeping in fields. Back in the day when you could I guess.

Dont get too wrapped up in the science of it all, its a touring cycling trip
enjoy it, and part of the enjoyment is the unkown element.

As I said, I've no experience of touring or long successive days in the saddle, hence my questions.

MungoMan · 15-05-2012 11:04PM

youll have no problem

you spoke about going on a cycle of 125km recently at average 27km/h.
That's a decent level of fitness.
And you spoke about doing 160km a week earlier, with no effects the next day.

the great thing about cycling on successive days is that you can go at your own pace. Cycling at 20km hour takes about the same energy as brisk walking, and not as hard on the joints.

dhayes73 · 16-05-2012 02:49PM

Hmmm, not sure I totally agree with 20kmh taking out the same as a brisk walk, or maybe I just need to get fitter.

Tips for 5 days in a row of long cycling?

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