Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Houston TX area
Posts: 816
Bikes: Trek 1420 triple, Mercier Corvus, Globe 1 700, Surly Disc Trucker, GT Avalanche, GT Grade, GT Helion, Mercier Corvus, Motobacane Boris X7 Fat Bikes,
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N + 1 for Sekhum
He sums it up and i have yet to ride more than 100 miles.
Driving across Kansas or Nebraska, at night, or Texas (I-10) by yourself is as close as i can imagine to riding 800 to 1600 km. I have driven Kansas ,by myself, twice) I watch the news clips of the first Race Across America to learn what physical maladies can happen and what causes them.
I regard every ride as experience gained to learn how to fuel the body and entertain the mind for long rides. I have no support or training ride friends so it is a challenge to get out the door. The accomplishment of doing long distance is not in the ride itself or the physical effort. I imagine it is in the accomplishment of a set upon task. A culmination of a series of events (training and planning) that resulted in a successful conclusion.
Maybe one in three of my ride work out as planned. Being be chased by dogs, close encounters with cars and weather all work into the determination if a ride was a success.
The distance in only a factor planning training. If it takes me a dozen try's to finish a 600k or a 1,200k and if i complete only one all the benefits of the journey will have been worth it. If it was my sole goal to ride 1,200 k that would be boring. Teaching the body and mind to be able to do 1,200 is much more appealing.