Pacing yourself

[gypsy]

I am wondering if there is a certain type of pacing LD riders do? For example if someone were doing the 48+ states in 10 days. Would most riders start fast and put as many miles as possible in the first days? Or would they try to evenly space the time on the bike? Would they have stopping places determined for each day? Or simply ride until they stop?

While I realize everyone isn't the same I assume there are some strategies used that are more common.

Just for the record I am not planing on this 48+ ride. I might some day but I think I better start a lot smaller.

gypsy

 

[afterburn]

I am not a real LD rider like you crazy guys in the US , but I would say start by trying to cover the most distance the first few days. You are still fresh then, and by the time you get tired after a few days, it gets harder and harder to make the miles.

 

[Bounce]

Remember that the faster you go, the quicker you get fatigued. Those doing the longer rides have done enough shorter (1 to 5 days rides for example) that they know their bodies and its cycles. They plan their rides according to their limits and listen when their bodies tell them it's time to take a break. Each person is different.

And remember it's about enduring; not about racing. Time spent along the side of the road with an LEO at zero mph is hard to make up no matter how much right wrist you throw at it. Time spent in jail is even harder to recover.

 

[vectervp1]

Its also hard to make up time when your sitting in a spa relaxing after your first day out...

 

[beeroux]

Its also hard to make up time when your sitting in a spa relaxing after your first day out...   

Oh man, this is gonna be a long 2 years.......<G>

Yes. One must pace themselves for ANY distance.

Set a goal for time and distance. Ride fast enough to meet that goal, PLUS allow time for gas, pee breaks, naps, etc. Then goose the schedule just a bit to allow for surprises.

Works very well for me.

Mike Kneebone, the head honcho big cheese of the IBA, loves to see BBG type rides where a rider has consistent speed over the entire ride, versus the guy who blasts hard for 6 hours then gasps and chugs the remainder of the ride hoping to finish.

Skill is found in pacing, not in reckless planning.

GZ

 

[XVFRGuy]

Until this summer I had never ridden more than 400 miles in one day. That being said I did 725-800 miles a day for 3 consecutive days to and from CA this year. I found that having a destination (hotel stop) each day provided some motivation. While I did not make reservations until later in each day (fearful of missing a stop and eating a hotel room charge) I made my intended destination each day. When I do it again next summer I will use the same strategy except I will look further ahead and make myself a couple of bonus end of day stops to shoot for with the end goal of making Chicago to CA in 2 days in a couple of years. The thing that limited me the most from pushing further each day honestly was my under-estimation of the fatiging effects of heat/humidty (read in need camel back and cooling vest here).

 

[David Morrow]

Since my first IBA ride, I've prepared an Excel spreadsheet for each ride. I know what my average speed should be and my gas range. With a few simple formula's, the spreadsheet tells me exactly when I should be at a particular gas stop or point in between. I print this out in a small, but readable format, and put it in my tankbag window. The gas stops are in my GPS and it constantly updates me on my ETA. Between the two, I always know if I'm on schedule or not. I've done 6 IBA rides now including a Trans Canada Quest and a Trans Canada Gold and this system works like a charm for me. I ride at a steady pace, know how much break time I can get away with, and how much time I have to sleep on multi-day rides. On my T.C. Gold in July, at the end of my first day, about 1200 miles, I arrived within about 3 minutes of my ETA.

 

[Bounce]

Until this summer I had never ridden more than 400 miles in one day. That being said I did 725-800 miles a day for 3 consecutive days to and from CA this year. I found that having a destination (hotel stop) each day provided some motivation. While I did not make reservations until later in each day (fearful of missing a stop and eating a hotel room charge) I made my intended destination each day. When I do it again next summer I will use the same strategy except I will look further ahead and make myself a couple of bonus end of day stops to shoot for with the end goal of making Chicago to CA in 2 days in a couple of years. The thing that limited me the most from pushing further each day honestly was my under-estimation of the fatiging effects of heat/humidty (read in need camel back and cooling vest here).

I did that for one trip. Turned out that when I got to each hotel, I had to go in and transfer the reservation to another hotel farther down the road. I simply wasn't ready to stop for the day. This happened time and again during that trip. Now I either stop when I'm ready (no reservations) and make do with what's available in the area or... well... or nothing.

Any trips that work out other than above tend to be with others who work with a set daily schedule and plan. As such, I know going into the ride that they'll be stopping at some point before or after I'm ready to call it quits for the day. I suck it up as part of choosing to ride with them. Often I find myself twiddling my thumbs, chomping at the bit to be on the road and riding, while the others are done for the day and it's may only be 5pm (iow still daylight and we could easily ride until 10pm or later and call it a "day").