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First 50mi ride!!!

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First 50mi ride!!!

Old 05-26-20, 03:51 PM
  #1  
Hikebikerun
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First 50mi ride!!!

My initial stretch goal when I started getting into cycling about 4-6 weeks ago was to go on a 50 mile ride. Well, I had a late start this morning and today has been hottest day so far this year but I managed to eek out 50 miles for the first time!

A month ago I don’t think I had ever gone on a ride longer than 20-25 miles. I did a 40 mile ride a few weeks ago and averaged 14.1mph, didn’t bring food/calories, and reeeally struggled the last 3 miles or so (with my butt in agony for the last ten miles at least).

I learned my lesson so today I brought some energy chews and teddy grahams to snack on, and ended up averaging 15.3mph over 50 miles. My legs already feel so much stronger, especially on climbs, and my derrière was perfectly fine with just a bit of discomfort for the last few miles.

I’m not sure if it was my seat adjustments (I have raised it way up and tilted it slightly forward over the last month) or just leg/butt adaptation that has helped with the saddle soreness but I am a happy camper!

Anyways I just wanted to let out my excitement (brag) and also get tips or suggestions for the journey from 50 to 100. I would like to do a century sometime this fall (hoping there will be an organized one I can do but it looks doubtful at this point) and am planning on doing progressively longer endurance rides every couple weeks with power/recovery rides in between. Any suggestions or tips stemming from personal experience are welcome! 😁😁
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Old 05-26-20, 04:00 PM
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Congrats! That's a great achievement and just makes you want to do more and go further.

If you're not already using it, try chamois cream on your next long ride. Helps prevent chafing and just makes the ride more comfortable on the nether regions. After that, it's figuring out how, when, and what to eat as time on the bike goes past 4 hours.
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Old 05-26-20, 04:02 PM
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Congrats, that's a large advancement from 20 something to over 50 miles in a short period of time. On rides that long food is more important than one thinks it is. I feel great until all of a sudden I don't and its usually a nutrition issue. Just keep riding and get to 75 miles and then try the century.
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Old 05-26-20, 09:34 PM
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Congratulations...great effort!

I have a set a date to do my first real (I've already completed a virtual) century ride July 3rd.
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Old 05-26-20, 09:43 PM
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Congratulations on your accomplishment.
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Old 05-26-20, 11:15 PM
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Congrats, good work. I have found 35-40 miles to be the limit for rides without food, if you plan to do more, bring some food and start using it no later than 1-1.5h into the ride and do it in regular intervals (studies actually say you need to start eating sooner than that, but it has proven to work well with me thus far)
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Old 05-27-20, 02:48 AM
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Great job! Just don't kill yourself going from 50- 100 miles. When I first started cycling, I did too much too soon. A friend told me to increase my weekend endurance rides by 10% every other week. It worked for me, but I found that I had to give myself a short endurance ride once a month to give myself some rest.
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Old 05-27-20, 10:02 AM
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Way to go! What a great feeling that is!
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Old 05-27-20, 04:28 PM
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Doing 50+ miles in a day under 4 hours can be an achievement!
been racking up those higher miles lately myself. Biggest driver is having to detox from the covid stresses. Probably would be harder if I didn't have the stress edge. Lol
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Old 05-27-20, 06:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Troul
Doing 50+ miles in a day under 4 hours can be an achievement!
been racking up those higher miles lately myself. Biggest driver is having to detox from the covid stresses. Probably would be harder if I didn't have the stress edge. Lol
Yeah I have been working from home and not going out much except to run or bike. I am so lucky to live 1.5mi from a great bike trail that goes along the river so I can get out into nature. It really is a huge stress reliever!

Cycling is also becoming a very valuable meditative and introspective time for me.
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Old 05-27-20, 07:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Hikebikerun
Cycling is also becoming a very valuable meditative and introspective time for me.
this is very much what you should be thinking about. After almost 50 years as an adult cyclist, this is what still draws me to the sport. I have to pay my dues every spring getting back in shape, but once I start feeling comfortable on my bike, riding is pure joy. So far this year I am about halfway there.
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Old 05-27-20, 07:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Hikebikerun
Cycling is also becoming a very valuable meditative and introspective time for me.
This!! Miles are great, and I get hung up on them too, but with this as a primary reason for getting on a bike you're already golden!
Keep up the good work!
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Old 05-27-20, 07:59 PM
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Congrats OP. 50 is a pretty darned big milestone. It sounds like you got there pretty quickly too.
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Old 05-28-20, 12:05 AM
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Congrats ! 50 miles is good. My perseption of "whats far?" changes all the time. I find it easier to do the next 50 mile ride. then you do 60. etc.
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Old 05-28-20, 07:37 AM
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Congrats.....50 is a big deal.....nice job!

metric century next?
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Old 05-28-20, 07:42 AM
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Congratulations. Ride on!
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Old 05-28-20, 10:03 AM
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Congrats!
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Old 05-28-20, 10:25 AM
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Can't wait to go on my first ride
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Old 05-29-20, 10:24 AM
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Funny, I went from 0 to 100 miles in about 3 months 4 years ago and I think my progress to 50 was pretty much like you described yours. I didn't consciously set out to do that, I just found I was comfortable adding on more and more to my ride. My basic MO was to pick somewhere I wanted to stop at exactly half of the distance I wanted to ride that day, go there, get off the bike for a bit, then head back. Doing that, I got to do several 150 mile round trips last summer. Right now, I don't really want to stop anywhere due to COVID so I've found that 100 miles is about all I want to do without stopping. Anything beyond that starts to feel tedious. I tend to eat a little something every 40 miles or so right now, my typical pattern preCOVID was to take a lunch break and have a full meal. Everybody is different on food, so you have to figure out what works for you.

My basic rule is that if you keep it fun, you can do a lot more than if you turn everything into some sort of "test".

A few basic rules for distance riding--be really careful to check the weather forecast before you leave, and pay attention to the wind direction and speed. Riding the last half of your ride into a strong headwind is awful, especially if you're climbing hills.

Plan your water--if you're like me, it's a while into the ride before I really want to drink a lot. Running out with 20 miles to ride can be torture. I usually plan on buying some water from a convenience store on a hot day, so that means bringing a lock.

Be sure to be equipped to fix a flat on the roadside.

Phones are actually safety devices.

Getting lost on a bike is a bit of a nightmare, be sure you have reliable GPS or know your route well.

My own personal basic rule--this is not a race, if I want to get off the bike to take a picture of a turtle, I get ff the bike to tke a picture of the damn turtle.


Oh, and a hearty CONGRATULATIONS! Thanks for letting us in on the celebration.
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Old 05-29-20, 10:36 AM
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Congrats!

That said, try not to focus too much on average speed, unless you are training for racing. Focus on getting through your increasing length ride with what your body is telling you, not your computer.
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Old 05-29-20, 06:54 PM
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Congratulations! What a great sense of accomplishment. It is also fun to share this with your non-cycling family and friends. When you mention that you rode 50 miles, it shocks some people. Don't push too hard to increase your mileage. It will come, especially the metric century. Of course, your non-cycling friends and family probably don't understand a metric century so you'll have to 'splain it to them.
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Old 05-29-20, 06:55 PM
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Congratulations! What a great sense of accomplishment. It is also fun to share this with your non-cycling family and friends. When you mention that you rode 50 miles, it shocks some people. Don't push too hard to increase your mileage. It will come, especially the metric century. Of course, your non-cycling friends and family probably don't understand a metric century so you'll have to 'splain it to them.
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Old 06-04-20, 12:59 PM
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First metric century!!!

I just completed my first metric century for my birthday today... 2 miles per year!

Averaged 15.9mph, better than my first 40 and 50 mile rides. I think I started out too fast going an average of just over 17mph for the first 20 miles; next time I will pave myself better initially.

75mi coming up!

Pit stop at mile 40:
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Old 06-04-20, 01:31 PM
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62 & with that average, you're doing good.
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Old 08-03-20, 11:58 AM
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Hit another “milestone”... I’m now averaging over 20mph on my 20mi morning rides.

I’ve been reading a lot about training and realized I’m spending too much time in the “moderate” intensity zone. I’m going to start doing more low intensity longer rides/runs with a small % of very high intensity efforts, and save the moderate zone to infrequently re-test my progress.

Starting to look down the triathlon rabbit hole...
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