adami_99

I live in Houston TX and am currently training for a 85 mile ride in the UK in September. My aim is not as much speed as finishing the ride feeling fairly good (endurance is important). The weather in Houston in the summer is very hot (91 F and up and the 100s are not at all unusual) and humid; I try to ride very early in the morning right after sunrise to be at least in the high 80s F but do encounter the hot temperature towards the end of my ride (that really cripples me). That said, I have a hard time riding in the heat for more that 45-50 miles and quite honestly I am a 15 mph rider that does mostly long rides. Will the benefit, for example, of riding 30 miles in two consecutive days be equivalent to a 60 miles ride in one day so that I can prepare adequately for my 85 miler in UK this September (the weather in UK in September is 55-67 Deg F; NICE)? Note that I am also doing some light interval training on my stationary bike at home. Please advise and offer your thoughts on my above inquiry.

Many Thanks, A.

terrymorse 

Q: Is the training effect from two consecutive days of 30 miles equivalent to one day of 60 miles?

A: No. To develop fatigue resistance for long rides, one long ride is more effective than two short rides.

Rolla

While it's not the "same," it's still good. A rule of thumb is that if you plan to ride X miles in one day, you would be well served by regularly riding that far in a week.

Ogsarg

How often are you doing the 45-50 mile rides? If 3-4 times a week, my guess is that you would be OK doing 85 in the UK, where the heat should not be near as bad. Have you done 45-50 miles on consecutive days? If not, you may want to try doing that.

I'm in the UK right now (North London) and while it's been hot here recently, it is nothing in comparison to a Houston summer. What may be a bigger issue is that the temps can swing wildly here over the course of the day or even within an hour mostly dependent on the sun, which is quite intense when not obscured by clouds, which it often is. It can also get quite windy here.

andrewclaus

A slightly different rule of thumb I use is to train to one-third of your target mileage. If you can ride 30 miles a day in those conditions, regularly every day, you should be fine. And you probably won't hurt yourself training.

livedarklions

Since the weather in Houston seems to limit OP to 30 miles in a day, I was going to suggest that 30 mile ride be done on 3 consecutive days a couple times, kind of the same idea.

livedarklions

OTOH, if (as is the case here) the long ride is not an option, the 2 thirty-mile rides are a lot better than nothing.

livedarklions

Why not do a 30 mile ride outdoors, then do the equivalent of 50 miles or so on the stationary?

koala logs

I do some fairly heavy intervals on a stationary bike. In fact, I push harder on the stationary bike than outdoors on average.

Stationary bike is actually your best option for long distance training given the intolerable heat if you can put it in a place with airconditioning. The key is getting the fit of your stationary bike as close as possible to your outdoor bike.

One way to "stress" your body like it's doing a long ride in a much shorter ride is hold slightly higher effort (than you'd normally do in actual rides outdoors) continuously for like 2 hours without stopping in the stationary bike.

However, nothing will prepare your neck (literally your neck) in holding out many hours else you do long duration rides. Doing >4 hr nonstop light effort sessions on the stationary bike at least twice a week might just do the trick. It would also help if your bike has "endurance" fit and on actual long rides for you to occassionally ride as upright as you can to help relieve the neck. You also need to pay a lot more attention to your butt on very long rides.

KerryIrons

Uh, I believe you left out the concern for cold rain in September.

njkayaker

You should already know this isn't going to be true!

Anyway, there isn't really any reason you couldn't be ready for a "easy" 85 mile ride with doing "harder" 30 mile rides regularly. (It might not be "ideal" but would be OK.)

Consider having a plan for the 85 (like doing it with an average of 12 mph) and making your shorter rides "harder" than that. Ideally, you'd also be doing rides with similar terrain (it could be an issue training on flat terrain for a hilly ride).

Keep in mind there are all sorts of things (like comfort issues) that could show up on a longer ride that you won't see at all on a short ride.

Probably not worth much (but better than nothing).

One of the things about (especially) long distance rides is managing momentum and being efficient. That's hard to learn on a stationary bike.

wolfchild

I disagree with you....There is huge big difference between a 2 hour spin on a stationary bike in an air conditioned room and a 6 hour ride outdoors in a 90+++ degree heat...Riding a stationary bike indoors in an air conditioned room won't acclimatize your body and create other physiological adaptations which are required for long distance rides outdoors. So the most effective way to train for long distance rides in hot weather is to ride outdoors.

njkayaker

Riding a stationary bike is much better than nothing but there are all sorts of road-riding skills/experiences that it doesn't address.

The OP is training for (relatively) moderate distances in cool weather.

wolfchild

The best way to train for a long distance ride in hot weather is to ride outdoors in the heat and force your body to acclimatize. You need to pace yourself and don't go too hard, don't worry about speed and performance, stay in zone 2 and focus on finishing the ride.

wolfchild

Training in extreme heat is going to make his ride in cool weather very easy.

njkayaker

That's different thing. He's not training for a ride in hot weather.

Given what he describes as his goal/plan for the 85 mile doing what you are proposing isn't necessary.

wolfchild

What I am proposing is a lot better and more effective than riding a stationary bike.

WhyFi

There's something to be said about acclimating yourself to the conditions, but show me someone that thinks that riding indoors in AC is a cakewalk and I'll show you someone that hasn't ridden indoors in AC. Riding performance often suffers indoors because it can be a struggle to provide enough cooling and oxygen to a stationary rider.

njkayaker

??? I'm not recommending he ride a stationary bike. You seem not to be paying attention to what people are saying.

He's not looking for something "a lot better and more effective".

rsbob 

Have to agree that riding on two consecutive days won’t work.

If your schedule permits, do your morning ride and then get on your stationary bike and try to get as close to 50 or 60 miles total. Making the jump to 85 will be relatively easy. Try to maintain a comfortable pace both indoors and out when you do this.

Pack ibuprofen or another pain killer for your UK ride in case you start becoming uncomfortable. (I always carried ibuprofen on my major long rides (100+ miles) and it made a major difference when the inevitable pains start sneaking in.

Have a great adventure and best wishes.

faulker479

Along with the temperature, the terrain in the UK probably will be a lot different than what you are used to. It probably would be a good idea to plan a few rides at Chapel Hill or somewhere north west of Houston to get some elevation mixed into your rides. Just make sure you plan a route and bring enough water.

What part of Houston are you in?

GhostRider62

I don't know the answer other than the training leading up to an 85 mile ride has to be consistent and progressive according to all the studies or at least the internet experts.

Leading into a 300k, my single longest ride that year was 34 miles and the next was 22 miles. Was that smart? I finished.

I would think if OP can do five rides per week of 30 miles and find one ride between now and the trip to England to do 50-60 miles, he's golden (no closer than 2 weeks before). Even w/o the one big ride, he/she should be fine on 120-150 miles per week

njkayaker

?

There's no reason that doing "harder" 30 mile rides regularly (back-to-back would be better) couldn't prepare him for doing an "easy" 85 mile ride. It might not be "ideal" but it would "work".

njkayaker

He'd likely be fine on much less. (Some people are making this a bigger deal than it has to be.)

70sSanO

I won't pretend that I have ridden longer rides. But I have found that effort and terrain play a big part in how well you do. That and how well your bike fits you and the ability to put 6 hours of time on your rear end.

The main issue I foresee is training on the flats and then riding in hills, so you need to be aware of that. 85 miles is not that long, but 85 miles with a lot of climbing will translate to considerably more effort than 85 miles on non-headwind flats. Since most of my riding over the years has been has been in hills, I find going on a longer flat ride is pretty easy; especially if I pace myself on the longer ride. The cooler weather will help, but the topography may make or break you.

If it were me, I'd do the two 30 mile rides on consecutive days with as much effort as I could. Wait a couple days and do the 45-50 mile ride and see if it becomes easier, even with the heat.

John