Am I completely insane?! 1500 mile ride...

[aedw]

Hey everyone, firstly I apologise if this is in the wrong section but couldn't see where else I'd start this thread.

I'm a 22 y/o male from England, I weigh 142 lbs (10.2 stone) and measure 5'11". I have this crazy idea to cycle through France in June 2011 for 1 month and a half, spanning 1500 miles. I have no riding experience, I'm relatively fit, though dont think I'm fit enough to ride 100miles per day for a month and it's suddenly dawning on me just how big a challenge I have set myself along with my touring partner.

Just how realistic do you think I'm being? Is this possible? And how on earth do I go about training for this? I suppose I have 5 months to train but can't help thinking that this is a crazy target, considering that 1500 miles is a third of the way to China haha!

I've read that you should increase the distance by about 10% each week, training three times per week. I currently go to the gym and run/lift weights for one hour per day, 6 days per week.

Any advice from those of you who are experienced tourers/riders will be greatly appreciated!

Merci beaucoup,
Alex

 

[HelenD123]

You'll manage 1500 miles in 6 weeks no problem. I averaged about 1000 miles a month on my Canada/US tour and hadn't done anywhere near as much training as I'd wanted to. I just started off with shorter days, about 40 miles a day working up to nearer 60. Make sure you've done some longish rides before you go to make sure your bike is comfortable for you.

 

[snorri]

I've read that you should increase the distance by about 10% each week, training three times per week. I currently go to the gym and run/lift weights for one hour per day, 6 days per week.
Any advice from those of you who are experienced tourers/riders will be greatly appreciated!

I was considerably older than you when I undertook my first tour, and would never have left home if I had thought training was required beforehand. 1500 miles in a month and a half is only 34 mpd, lots of wrinklies manage that!
You will get fit as you cycle so cancel that gym membership and get out and enjoy yourself.
My only concern would be why you would want to tour in France.

 

[aedw]

Thanks to the both of you for your input..starting to make me feel better about the situation!

My only concern would be why you would want to tour in France.

How comes? I want to tour France because I will have a degree in French in May and I want to go through the backstreets and discover the 'real' France - a country I already love...plus its road/cycle networks are fantastic, there is a large variety of landscape (flat, mountaneous, hilly, fields, vineyards, lavender fields, farm land, beautiful coasts) and there are campsites and other cyclists galore so the country is geared towards the cyclists (unlike Spain for example which seems to be the complete opposite almost).....

 

[Tigerbiten]

I did 2,400 miles in 10 weeks last summer around Scotland.
Shortest days where only ~30 miles, which I did a lot of in the first 2 weeks.
Longest days where only ~60-70 miles, which I did a lot of in the second half of the tour.
I got into a routine of cycling for 4 days and then 1 day off. It worked out a good balance between cycling days & rest days.

I was only doing ~125 miles per week on the trike before I set off.
The legs suffered a bit in the first two weeks.
Then I suddenly realize that I'd just done 4x +50 mile days without feeling knackered at the end of them.

The plan is the head to LE this summer then head north.
I've planed the first dozen cycling days at ~30-35 mile distance, then I up the distance per day as I get fitter.

So if your insane, then so am I ............

 

[jay clock]

100miles per day for a month

you need a calculator. You say a month and a half....you say 1500 miles and you say 100 miles a day.

1500 miles over 6 weeks is 33 miles a day. Perfectly achievable for a young slim fit lad.....

go for it

www.crazyguyonabike.com for inspiration

 

[snorri]

I want to tour France because I will have a degree in French in May and I want to go through the backstreets and discover the 'real' France - a country I already love...

That's ok, you obviously have prior knowledge, I thought it was your first trip. I went there with a blank page and found it just wasn't me.
Good luck, the first tour is a big adventure, enjoy.

 

[Oldlegs]

You might like to read this before you go:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/French-Revo...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296066411&sr=1-1

A very funny book and if Tim Moore can do it you should have no problems

.

 

[aedw]

That's ok, you obviously have prior knowledge, I thought it was your first trip. I went there with a blank page and found it just wasn't me.
Good luck, the first tour is a big adventure, enjoy.

Cheers



Regarding the comment about using a calculator, I forgot to mention that that milage would include days where I wouldn't ride to recover, and that 1500miles was a rough estimate so i anticipate adding a couple of hundred onto that when on the road...so sorry I should have mentioned that before, it's not that my maths is awful haha!

Thanks for all of your replies though!

 

[buggi]

you'll be fine. plenty of time to train. as the weather gets warmer you should get out with your mate and do some longer rides. search for sportives on t'internet and audax rides. look for organised rides around the country that vary between 60 and 100 miles. they are usually fully supported (water/food stops etc) so are great for training. start off with some 60mile ones and increase it to 100 after you've done a couple. Once you've done a 100 mile ride you'll feel a lot more confident.
Before you go, try and get a 100 miler in followed by a recover ride of about 20 miles the next day, just so you know what it's like to get back on the bike the day after.
your legs will ache for the first few days, but as said you should settle in after a couple of weeks in.

 

[Ticktockmy]

Hey everyone, firstly I apologise if this is in the wrong section but couldn't see where else I'd start this thread.

I'm a 22 y/o male from England, I weigh 142 lbs (10.2 stone) and measure 5'11". I have this crazy idea to cycle through France in June 2011 for 1 month and a half, spanning 1500 miles. I have no riding experience, I'm relatively fit, though dont think I'm fit enough to ride 100miles per day for a month and it's suddenly dawning on me just how big a challenge I have set myself along with my touring partner.

Just how realistic do you think I'm being? Is this possible? And how on earth do I go about training for this? I suppose I have 5 months to train but can't help thinking that this is a crazy target, considering that 1500 miles is a third of the way to China haha!

I've read that you should increase the distance by about 10% each week, training three times per week. I currently go to the gym and run/lift weights for one hour per day, 6 days per week.

Any advice from those of you who are experienced tourers/riders will be greatly appreciated!

Merci beaucoup,
Alex

You should have no problems doing what you plan, as others have pointed out your daily distance can be quite short, which is ok for sightseeing days. As to training well, just get out on your bike and do some local to your home, routes with all your touring kit, which will shake you and the bike out, allow you to find any weak points. you might find that you are a little weak on hills, you can then work to improve on your hill climbing.

Then go for it, I often say "a cycle tour is only a series of Day rides" which it is, it just you change your home each day.
You can get plenty of advise on these forums regarding equipment and training matters.
So good luck and welcome to cycle touring

 

[Ajay]

You should have no problem with the distance / timeframe, I would suggest that really vary your daily distances on tour ie short/long/rest days, having variety helps prevent the groundhog day / chore feeling of having a set mileage to get through.
Your training is more about conditioning than fitness ie getting your wrists, neck, lower back used to being at strange angles for long periods, and of course, getting your bum and saddle tuned in, which you can only do by getting out on the bike!
Plan a few weekend/multiday rides so you can rationalise your packing and see what you actually need to carry, and you'll know how it feels when you get back in the saddle the "morning after".
Bonne route!

 

[Tigerbiten]

I still don't know where you get 100 mile days from.
One and a half months is roughly 6 weeks or 42 days.
Cycle 4 days and then 1 day off gives you roughly 34 cycling days and 8 days off.
34 days @ 50 miles per day = 1,700 miles and thats the distance your aiming for.

Luck ........