# Newbie looking from some "endurance 101" tips



## skhan007

I'm one month into road biking, having switched from mountain biking. I'm primarily on the W&OD rail trail and what I've been doing is noticing the teams of the "pro-looking" guys zoom past me. I kick up my speed and try really hard to keep a similar pace, which is OK for a bit, but they ultimately and inevitably leave me in the dust after a few miles. 

My thinking is that I need to buy a cateye or similar computer and try to work on maintaining some certain speed or certain cadence; especially if I want to try to keep up with the fast guys (who seem overwhelmingly to be riding Cervelo's. Did I buy the wrong brand?). I'm trying to get out about 3x/wk for about 2 hrs. at a time. Sometimes more if the stars align. 

If you guys could point me to any tips, other threads, or anything at all. It's most appreciated.


----------



## JAG410

What is your goal? To be "pro-looking"? To do centuries? 

Computers with cadence are great training tools, I ride with a Cateye Strada Double Wireless unit that I like a lot, but it hasn't made me super fast or a Cervelo owner.


----------



## torch511

A computer will not get you into better shape, nor will the brand of the bike has nothing to do with how fast it goes (it's not the bike, it's the engine, YOU being the engine). They're probably mostly on Cervelo's because the shop they all meet at sells Cervelo bikes. You did not say what kind of bike you are riding but honestly you could put me on the nicest Pinarello Dogma and I know people that could totally dust me on the bottom level Specialized Allez or a Trek 1.1

A 2 hour ride is typical for a 30-40 mile club type ride and not quite "endurance" riding. I classify endurance as a century+... the "+" part being key. 

To get faster, Ride more. Ride lots more. And when you get done riding, get back on the bike and ride even more. It will come, eventually. You can incorporate intervals, or a heart rate based training program to help focus on speed. Losing weight helps (regardless of what you weigh now - everyone is faster 5 or 10 pounds lighter). There is a bevy of info on this and other forums about getting faster. Pick your poison as far as methodology. It takes a while to build up the conditioning. Mountain biking is a whole different animal all together.

Look for club rides, group rides. It's harder to get faster riding alone all the time. I have found that riding with someone motivates me a little more to push myself, especially if they are the faster than I am, though as I have lost nearly 60 pounds in the last 5 months and have upped my speed from 17mph to 22mph... I have had to find new riding buddies. Luckily I still know a lot of people that can drop me like a bad habit. Trust me, if I am KOM on a strava segment it's only because I am the only person who's ridden it.


----------



## Kristatos

skhan007 said:


> I'm one month into road biking, having switched from mountain biking. I'm primarily on the W&OD rail trail and what I've been doing is noticing the teams of the "pro-looking" guys zoom past me. I kick up my speed and try really hard to keep a similar pace, which is OK for a bit, but they ultimately and inevitably leave me in the dust after a few miles.


Next time strike up a conversation with some of the group - ask them who they are, when and where they ride from etc. Most (not all) riders like to help people get into the sport. If you latched onto the back of my weekly group ride and struck up a conversation and asked about how to join more rides I'd certainly help you out. A lot of those riders will be doing more mellow rides solo or in smaller groups and if you get to know them you can go along on those rides too. Build your network of riding buddies the same way you'd build any other network and like was already mentioned here ride lots.


----------



## skhan007

Thank you gentlemen. This is great advice. I will definitely try to strike up some conversations, ride as much as possible and keep pushing myself, and look for some club rides (thanks Torch511). Just ordered by Cateye strada double as well, so I'll have some stats to review and improve upon.


----------



## torch511

skhan007 said:


> Just ordered by Cateye strada double


Good choice


----------



## Scott B

Figure out what your goals are and work towards it. If it's to ride centuries and more then start piling on the miles. Ride hard routes, ride hills, ride in the rain. The first year I rode a number of centuries I went from riding probably 75-100 miles a week average to 200-300 average. It was fun and I was enjoying it so I just rode lots more.

Finding riding buddies is a good idea. Having a group to go out with for 2-3-4 hours makes doing those progressively longer training rides easier. If there is a local club consider joining. There are lots of group rides in my area that aren't ultra-fit dudes out for a hammerfest. Ask around at shops.

Make sure to keep it fun. At this point most of my long rides including pastry and coffee breaks. This is just my style, not right or wrong, but it makes me happy so I do it. Riding with destinations also helps keep things interesting.


----------



## AndrwSwitch

6 hours/week isn't that much. It's more than I do when I'm super-busy, but still...

Some things that I think help build a big engine are a longer ride once or twice a week, intervals once or twice a week, and some consecutive days. Mix and match to suit your goals. If it's feasible, you can sneak some extra hours into your week by commuting or running errands on your bike. I realize this doesn't work for everybody. If you hate yourself, you can do 'em on a trainer. I realize some people actually like themselves and want to enjoy life. 

And definitely look for a group to ride with. It's a lot more fun, and if you don't shirk your turns at the front of a paceline, you'll build power that way too.

I'm very fond of my bike. I thought it was awesome when I bought it in 2000. I still think it's awesome. Sometimes I think it's too big for me and sometimes I think about getting the next longer stem for it. I did a century a couple weeks ago and got to show my aging steel chainstays to lots of people on Cervelos. Some were even on TT bikes. I'm not saying I might not be marginally faster on a different bike, maybe even a lot faster on a TT bike. But in general, once you have a road bike that's in good mechanical shape and fits you well, you really can't do much better.


----------



## gforcepdx

torch511 said:


> A computer will not get you into better shape, nor will the brand of the bike has nothing to do with how fast it goes (it's not the bike, it's the engine, YOU being the engine). They're probably mostly on Cervelo's because the shop they all meet at sells Cervelo bikes. You did not say what kind of bike you are riding but honestly you could put me on the nicest Pinarello Dogma and I know people that could totally dust me on the bottom level Specialized Allez or a Trek 1.1
> 
> A 2 hour ride is typical for a 30-40 mile club type ride and not quite "endurance" riding. I classify endurance as a century+... the "+" part being key.
> 
> To get faster, Ride more. Ride lots more. And when you get done riding, get back on the bike and ride even more. It will come, eventually. You can incorporate intervals, or a heart rate based training program to help focus on speed. Losing weight helps (regardless of what you weigh now - everyone is faster 5 or 10 pounds lighter). There is a bevy of info on this and other forums about getting faster. Pick your poison as far as methodology. It takes a while to build up the conditioning. Mountain biking is a whole different animal all together.
> 
> Look for club rides, group rides. It's harder to get faster riding alone all the time. I have found that riding with someone motivates me a little more to push myself, especially if they are the faster than I am, though as I have lost nearly 60 pounds in the last 5 months and have upped my speed from 17mph to 22mph... I have had to find new riding buddies. Luckily I still know a lot of people that can drop me like a bad habit. Trust me, if I am KOM on a strava segment it's only because I am the only person who's ridden it.


That's a lot of really good information. Can you tell me a few things more?

I've been riding 2+ months but have only managed to shed 10 lbs. But at 52, I've had to approach this with some care not to tear up my knee's. I'm 5'10'' and down to 190 with a target 5 to 10 lbs less, but feel I've hit a wall lately. For a time I was doing distance rides of 30 and 40 and 50 miles, every few days to build stamina. When I felt ready, I started riding 31 miles every day on flat ground for a couple of weeks, but began to think daily might be too much. Then I rode a mix of distance, intermediate, and sprint. through the week. Today will be my first ride after 4 days off and hope to cover 50 miles with 6 miles of aggressive hill climbs at the half way mark. 

The thing is, I'm new at this and not certain if I'm going at this the right way. Ultimately I want to ride century's and I'd like for that to happen before the rains set in. The leap from 30 to 40 to 50, felt pretty straight forward with a week between each attempt. But getting further is proving to be something else altogether. I think I've found the limit of the reserves I can tap without a lot of work, which has me looking at food, rest and training, critically. 

To advance to the century mark and beyond, is there any one thing I've mentioned that will serve better than another? A few weekly long rides? Daily rides of shorter duration (30 to 40?) And what about rest? Should the muscles in my legs always be sore from riding? How many days in the week should I train? 

I loved that you included your speed increase over time. Currently I'm trapped at about 16 mph and was wondering if it was the equipment I had. Seeing that you've picked up 5 mph in as many months feels very encouraging and I'd love to find similar results over time. Again, I'm 52 but I'm also naturally athletic with a runners build... but I am 52. Do you have any advice to help me advance as you have?


----------



## AndrwSwitch

With all due respect, I have no idea wtf you're doing.

Developing cycling endurance happens over time, and depends a lot on length of rides, consistency, and rest.

If you feel sore and tired all the time, you're riding too much for your current levels of fitness and rest. Back off. I get that feeling if I do more than about three "real" workouts every week. That doesn't include easier rides - that's just stuff like a race or an intervals workout. I seem to be able to get away with a lot in terms of long rides at low intensity. That's subjective, of course. Daily training is a bit much for most people to get maximum improvement. Five or six days a week of riding is pretty good. You have to figure it out yourself, but I think five would be a better starting point.

A while ago, I had to come back from a knee injury. I increased my mileage by 10%/week. I was riding every other day and rides were about equal length. The general rule of thumb, though, is that most people can safely increase their weekly total volume by 10%/week and their long ride length by 10%/week. So for working up toward finishing a Century without too much of a fight, that's a good guideline, IMO. Get Excel to kick out a list of mileages for you. Ride times are fine too - choose one and stick with it. For a baseline, there are a few things you can do. Start by taking a look at your average volumes and long ride volumes over the past few weeks or couple of months, however far back your records go. From what you're saying, it sounds like it's going to be all over the place. You could use an average, or you could just choose a week that felt good. 10%/week is a geometric function, so it'll start hitting a volume that's hard for you to fit into the rest of your life surprisingly quickly.

Going faster is a slightly different story. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much. (It's almost certainly not your bike, btw. But I'll address that in a minute.) If you do want to go faster, attacking more challenging terrain a couple times a week, whatever your body will tolerate, or doing interval training is the way to do it. Or, just ride faster.  Riding with a group you can just hang with will help you get faster. If you don't shirk your pulls, those are like intervals, and many groups will hit hills harder than a lot of new riders are accustomed to, but YMMV on that one. I've been learning that a lot of rec. groups shift way down at the bottom of a hill.

The bike - it needs to fit you, having a road bike, as opposed to a hybrid, MTB, beach cruiser, whatever, generally implies a package of other things that improve efficiency. It needs to have nothing actively wrong with it. That's about it. There are some things I like if I'm competing, but they actually don't have much of an effect on average speed, they're really more to do with being better able to maintain position within a pack. If you've never had someone good work with you on fitting your bike, that's worthwhile. And if it's not a road bike, then by all means, get one. But having Dura-Ace instead of 105 or having fancy wheels (seriously - do people even look at the unit of measurement on comparison charts?) won't do a lot for you.

EDIT: I remember your other thread. Get a road bike. It doesn't need to be expensive. If money's an issue, something in good shape from the mid-90s and that fits you well is pretty great bang-for-the-buck, IMO.


----------



## CBar

For starters I'd suggest forgetting about trying to keep up with anyone, especially since you're fairly new at this. Find a comfortable pace and stay there, for now. Secondly, as others have mentioned, six hours a week is barely a warmup, you need to do more and diversify. Get to the gym, work on cardio, do some strength circuits etc. At least twice a week, 4 or 5 is better.

Just stick at it, look for the steepest climbs and do them, then repeat. You'll be fine.


----------



## professionalsql

Lots of great advice for you hear.

To get back to your original question, and a slight disagreement I have with Torch, regarding a cycling computer.....

Technically, what he said is true: The cycling computer isn't going to make you faster - not one iota. That said, properly used it is going to allow you to train a bit more effectively and allow you to gauge your progress some as you improve. For example, having something with a cadence meter on it will do wonders for you understanding what cadence your *really* doing, not what you think you're doing. Without one, you may well be dropping 10-20RPM and think you're still doing the same thing. Others mentioned interval training - the cycling computer can help you keep track of the timing of your intervals as well as allow you to put more structure around the stages of the intervals.

Basically, you don't buy a bike computer to get fast, but you can get a lot of benefit from them in terms of helping you measure and adhere to the specific training choices you're making to get faster.


----------



## Tldag3

I think cadence is a great thing to pay attention to. Find your number and stay there. As you ride more or are in better shape, you will be going faster with the same cadence.

85 rpm works for me...


----------



## aingeru

You are only 52. You should ride alone until you fitness improves and you recover quick from your rides. Riding 3 h alone is better than a 4 h bunch promenade. Buy an heart rate monitor and this book:
Amazon.com: The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing (9781616080655): Philip Maffetone, Mark Allen: Books

You need to be patient. It works, I promise you


----------



## donow

skhan007 said:


> I'm one month into road biking, having switched from mountain biking. I'm primarily on the W&OD rail trail and what I've been doing is noticing the teams of the "pro-looking" guys zoom past me. I kick up my speed and try really hard to keep a similar pace, which is OK for a bit, but they ultimately and inevitably leave me in the dust after a few miles.
> 
> My thinking is that I need to buy a cateye or similar computer and try to work on maintaining some certain speed or certain cadence; especially if I want to try to keep up with the fast guys (who seem overwhelmingly to be riding Cervelo's. Did I buy the wrong brand?). I'm trying to get out about 3x/wk for about 2 hrs. at a time. Sometimes more if the stars align.
> 
> If you guys could point me to any tips, other threads, or anything at all. It's most appreciated.


You would benefit from periodizing your work outs. Volume is important too. Try 20-30 min warm ups with 30 min tempo then 30 min warm down day 1. Same but replace tempo with series of threshold sets in the middle day 2. Easy 75 min day 3. Hills day 4. Run swim day 5. Long ride day 6. Rest day 7.

Wo&d is FLAT so if you get comfortable with drafting you should be able to draft easily in the 20 mph range. My guess is you are getting dropped at the crossings where they accelerate. Maybe start out further by rt. 28 where there are fewer stops and starts. 

Be careful WO&D is crowded drafting and even riding require serious concentration.


----------



## CannondaleRushSynapse

keep riding. 

Find someone that will push you. I've been riding with a couple seasoned guys and they dust me. I play catch up most of the times but it has helped me. I started 2.5 months ago avg 13+ i'm up to 15.9 now


----------



## lewdvig

aingeru said:


> You are only 52. You should ride alone until you fitness improves and you recover quick from your rides. Riding 3 h alone is better than a 4 h bunch promenade. Buy an heart rate monitor and this book:
> Amazon.com: The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing (9781616080655): Philip Maffetone, Mark Allen: Books
> 
> You need to be patient. It works, I promise you


Awesome advice. I followed a similar plan earlier this year and I cracked 1,000 km for August this weekend with 270 km or riding and 9 PRs.


----------



## mybutthurts

I started riding in May of this year on an old mtb that I converted. 35lbs lighter, I have increased my personal best average from a 15.1 to 17.1 mph. I spent some time riding with with someone that smoked me with two spins of his crank. He taught me a ton and new how to push me with intervals. The biggest thing to help me was just getting my butt in the saddle. I used to get hung up on how fast I could average, but not so much anymore. I know I am blowing away all my friends who just sit on the couch anyway!!


----------



## dnmoss

Lot's of good advice above, which I'll try to capture/do justice to...

1) Build a base -- focus on riding slow and steady and building aerobic fitness. a heart rate monitor is a great tool here and plenty of articles and such online that explain how to use them and training zones. in the endurance zones you are training your body to convert fat for energy -- your body will also get better at handling the waste products (most people will say lactic acid is a waste product, but I've seen some recent debate on lactic acids role). over time your threshold (the maximum effort you could sustain) will increase along with you efficiency (means all else being equal, you are fitter and can go faster -- better shot of keeping up with that group)

2) add some higher intensity work -- occasionally throw in some higher intensity intervals...mix it up and keep it fun for what you are trying to accomplish. think 5 minute hard interval followed by 5 minutes of recovery and then repeat (or 20 min hard, 5 min recovery; or 1 min hard, 3 min recovery...) you get the idea...this will help build you top end power so you can keep up with surges in the ride or get over those hills where the group seems to accelerate away. again, it's about training your body to use different energy systems and manage the waste

3) Definitely talk to people -- when you see the group go by, say hello instead of just latching on to the back. most groups i know dont really appreciate it when a stranger just hops into the ride without introducing him/herself. agree that most of them will give you advice (good and bad?), but they may also suggest some slower group rides that are more suited to your level. join those and as you build fitness over time you can "graduate" from the C ride to the B ride to the A ride.

4) REST AND RECOVER -- most cyclists, especially those with high aspirations and just starting out, do not rest nearly enough. when you are training you actually make yourself weaker. you break down muscle and wear down your body. during recovery periods your body repairs itself and compensates for the added stress (read as: training) by building itself back stronger (think of lifting weights -- you break down muscle during the training, you build muscle during the rest -- even your red blood cell count will begin to drop with consistent training). this is why endurance athletes taper ahead of big events -- to let their body recover and come back stronger...if you are tired, feeling worn down or just not up for a ride than don't force it -- enjoy some well earned R&R and know that you will be back stronger the next time round...


----------



## skhan007

dnmoss said:


> Lot's of good advice above, which I'll try to capture/do justice to...
> 
> 1) Build a base -- focus on riding slow and steady and building aerobic fitness. a heart rate monitor is a great tool here and plenty of articles and such online that explain how to use them and training zones. in the endurance zones you are training your body to convert fat for energy -- your body will also get better at handling the waste products (most people will say lactic acid is a waste product, but I've seen some recent debate on lactic acids role). over time your threshold (the maximum effort you could sustain) will increase along with you efficiency (means all else being equal, you are fitter and can go faster -- better shot of keeping up with that group)
> 
> 2) add some higher intensity work -- occasionally throw in some higher intensity intervals...mix it up and keep it fun for what you are trying to accomplish. think 5 minute hard interval followed by 5 minutes of recovery and then repeat (or 20 min hard, 5 min recovery; or 1 min hard, 3 min recovery...) you get the idea...this will help build you top end power so you can keep up with surges in the ride or get over those hills where the group seems to accelerate away. again, it's about training your body to use different energy systems and manage the waste
> 
> 3) Definitely talk to people -- when you see the group go by, say hello instead of just latching on to the back. most groups i know dont really appreciate it when a stranger just hops into the ride without introducing him/herself. agree that most of them will give you advice (good and bad?), but they may also suggest some slower group rides that are more suited to your level. join those and as you build fitness over time you can "graduate" from the C ride to the B ride to the A ride.
> 
> 4) REST AND RECOVER -- most cyclists, especially those with high aspirations and just starting out, do not rest nearly enough. when you are training you actually make yourself weaker. you break down muscle and wear down your body. during recovery periods your body repairs itself and compensates for the added stress (read as: training) by building itself back stronger (think of lifting weights -- you break down muscle during the training, you build muscle during the rest -- even your red blood cell count will begin to drop with consistent training). this is why endurance athletes taper ahead of big events -- to let their body recover and come back stronger...if you are tired, feeling worn down or just not up for a ride than don't force it -- enjoy some well earned R&R and know that you will be back stronger the next time round...


Solid advice. Thanks!! Well, I've been into it now for about 5 months since I started this thread and I've taken the advice here and have seen some noteworthy improvement in my endurance, I'm pleased to say. Intervals really help and setting some (sometimes arbitrary) goals regarding cadence or time have also helped. I'm still finding my "zone" where it all seems good and I can just simply sustain my pace. Somedays, it's faster than others, but I'm trying to not focus on speed as a measure of success. Speaking of speed, I've upgraded my crank and built my first set of wheels (substantially lighter than the stock wheels) and that has made a big difference. The last point above, R&R, is one I need to pay more attention to. I get really bummed if I'm out 3 days in a row and my third day isn't as productive, because I'm tired. I'm hoping to work my way up to a 1/2 century in the spring and go from there. Thanks again to all who have contributed.


----------



## Crimecrusher

Do some cross training with your MTB too.


----------



## jennyv

One thing that is also really helpful is to have a training plan. Even a rudimentary training plan will help you establish some goals, keep your focus, and help you track your progress over time. 

There are a ton of training plans out there, but one that I really like is The Cyclist's Training Bible by Joe Friel. I have also heard good things about Chris Carmichael's The Time Crunched Cyclist. I'm sure other folks in this forum also have their favorites.


----------



## LostViking

Lots more wisdom here than I can hope to impart, but what I've discovered is to not try and keep up with "The Hammer Crew" (that bunch of riders who treat a Century like a race) - you need to cycle within yourself when riding a longer event. Keep the pace that you can maintain comfortably. The more you ride and the stronger you get, the faster that pace might become - but it doesn't have to - remember it's not a race.

If you are a newbie - wheelsuck whenever the opprutunity arises - take a pull at the front if your legs are feeling good but don't feel obligated. I never mind a rider sticking to my wheel - even for longer stretches - because I suspect they need the rest. I was at a Century a while back and 'hit the wall" at about the 85 mile mark - some riders in front of me saw that I was flagging and actually slowed down so I could get into the slipstream and recover a bit. I kind of look at that as karma for all the times I "dragged" others.

My last contribution - try different food source to see which your body is most capable of processing quickly. Cliff Bars and bananas work well for me, but your metabolism is probably different so experiment. Also, remember to stay hydrated - this is HUGE.


----------



## crazyjeys

wow! great advices on this thread! this will definitely help me a lot too since i'm new to raod cycling! thanks for everyone that contributed!


----------



## durianrider

I just cycled over 6000km for Jan on Strava. These are the rules I've found to work for the ultra miles. Caffeine free too.

*Drink a litre of water before breakfast each morning.

*Drink enough water during the day so our urine is clear and at least 10times a day. If its yellow or straw, we need to drink more.

*Eat unlimited amounts of your fav carb sources. Be it rice, potatoe, corn, millet,pasta etc. Snack every hour or 2 on something high carb, low fat like butter/marg free jam sandwichs, dried fruit, fresh fruit. Carb up to keep up. Many people undereat carbs and get heaps of fatty stuff and then wonder why motivation drops. Its all about keeping daily glycogen stocks high. Real high! I find that fruit is the ultimate fuel before, during and after exercise so thats my staple everyday of the year.

*Eat 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight as a daily minimum. Even on recovery days. When exercising for over 1hr, eat 1g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per hour.

*Keep fatty greasy food away and keep high carb meals in bucket sized bowls to stay.
High carb,low fat vegan/fruit based raw vegan diets best serve athletic function.

*Set up camp before sundown so you can make sure your not camping on an ants nest and get a wake in fright response at 2am. I like to sleep in really natural settings away from drunks. Ive talked with Heinz Stucke in Belgium 2003 and in 23 years of cycle touring he has never had one issue camping out. He says 'I camp where nobody goes..'.

*Mark your seat post and handle bars to make sure they dont slip over time and give you knee/back issues. Use a white out pen.

*Get fitted up before you go by a good bike fitter. Use the white out pen again. Mark your cleats too if your using clip less pedals.

*If your riding a mountain bike, get some 'ergon grips'.

* Slap a mirror your bike. I use my uber light race bike with a bob trailer or carradice 'slim' depending on the trip. Mirrors are handy when you are wearing ear phones and listening to tony robbins over and over. It aint aero but its safe.

*Get out the saddle every few minutes for a few seconds to let blood flow be proper. I learnt this riding from Adelaide to Perth. Its 2800km and virtually flat for 2100km of it.

Your gonna have moments when you want to scream. 99% of the time this is cos we are undercarbed/dehydrated/underslept. So when we want to freak out, just carb/drink and rest up for an hour. Cry if you have too, but dont let it get in the way of eating more carbs, drinking more water or having a nap.

*Remember that they call head winds head winds cos its just in your head how you decide to feel about them. I see a stiff head wind as a fitness builder vs a day wrecker . Its just a choice in the moment.

*Remember that the journey is the gift, not the destination.

*Remember that happieness is ONLY experienced in the present moment. Not when you get some food, not when the rain stops, not when stop for the day..happieness is just a choice in the moment and only experienced NOW!

*Get heaps of rest. Eat lots of carbs before your hungry, drink water before your thirsty. Take lots of photos. Talk to lots of people. Make days to remember the rest of your life. Be in the moment. Be nowhere on the road to nowhere.


----------



## maximus_73

Juice and blood transfusion are the key to your success.


----------



## rm -rf

Oh. this is an old thread.


----------



## skhan007

rm -rf said:


> Oh. this is an old thread.


But the advice is rock solid, so it being a few months old has nothing to do with how relevant a lot of this advice really is.


----------



## durianrider

maximus_73 said:


> Juice and blood transfusion are the key to your success.


I do drink a lot of fruit juice and banana smoothies with added organic sugar but blood transfusions no.  Closest thing would be b12 injections I give myself. That can aid with raising hemoglobin for sure.


----------



## Floppybike

Get a good pair of cycling bibs---with good chamois---good cycling jersey that's breathable, go cycling gloves that absorb the shock of the road---and good helmet---most important---a helmet that fits you well. Check out this site--it has the highest quality cycling clothing www.tourcycling.com


----------



## skhan007

Absolutely brilliant!! I'm going to print and save your post as inspiration. Plus, I like the way you've referenced some of the main tenants of mindfulness-based psychology in speaking about the current moment. Thank you!



durianrider said:


> I just cycled over 6000km for Jan on Strava. These are the rules I've found to work for the ultra miles. Caffeine free too.
> 
> *Drink a litre of water before breakfast each morning.
> 
> *Drink enough water during the day so our urine is clear and at least 10times a day. If its yellow or straw, we need to drink more.
> 
> *Eat unlimited amounts of your fav carb sources. Be it rice, potatoe, corn, millet,pasta etc. Snack every hour or 2 on something high carb, low fat like butter/marg free jam sandwichs, dried fruit, fresh fruit. Carb up to keep up. Many people undereat carbs and get heaps of fatty stuff and then wonder why motivation drops. Its all about keeping daily glycogen stocks high. Real high! I find that fruit is the ultimate fuel before, during and after exercise so thats my staple everyday of the year.
> 
> *Eat 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight as a daily minimum. Even on recovery days. When exercising for over 1hr, eat 1g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per hour.
> 
> *Keep fatty greasy food away and keep high carb meals in bucket sized bowls to stay.
> High carb,low fat vegan/fruit based raw vegan diets best serve athletic function.
> 
> *Set up camp before sundown so you can make sure your not camping on an ants nest and get a wake in fright response at 2am. I like to sleep in really natural settings away from drunks. Ive talked with Heinz Stucke in Belgium 2003 and in 23 years of cycle touring he has never had one issue camping out. He says 'I camp where nobody goes..'.
> 
> *Mark your seat post and handle bars to make sure they dont slip over time and give you knee/back issues. Use a white out pen.
> 
> *Get fitted up before you go by a good bike fitter. Use the white out pen again. Mark your cleats too if your using clip less pedals.
> 
> *If your riding a mountain bike, get some 'ergon grips'.
> 
> * Slap a mirror your bike. I use my uber light race bike with a bob trailer or carradice 'slim' depending on the trip. Mirrors are handy when you are wearing ear phones and listening to tony robbins over and over. It aint aero but its safe.
> 
> *Get out the saddle every few minutes for a few seconds to let blood flow be proper. I learnt this riding from Adelaide to Perth. Its 2800km and virtually flat for 2100km of it.
> 
> Your gonna have moments when you want to scream. 99% of the time this is cos we are undercarbed/dehydrated/underslept. So when we want to freak out, just carb/drink and rest up for an hour. Cry if you have too, but dont let it get in the way of eating more carbs, drinking more water or having a nap.
> 
> *Remember that they call head winds head winds cos its just in your head how you decide to feel about them. I see a stiff head wind as a fitness builder vs a day wrecker . Its just a choice in the moment.
> 
> *Remember that the journey is the gift, not the destination.
> 
> *Remember that happieness is ONLY experienced in the present moment. Not when you get some food, not when the rain stops, not when stop for the day..happieness is just a choice in the moment and only experienced NOW!
> 
> *Get heaps of rest. Eat lots of carbs before your hungry, drink water before your thirsty. Take lots of photos. Talk to lots of people. Make days to remember the rest of your life. Be in the moment. Be nowhere on the road to nowhere.


----------

