Day rides are wiping me out.

[531colin]

............ However 120 is virtually unimaginable. It's not only distance but time on the bike.

Try it! If you regularly do 60 mile rides without issues, then 120 is no real difficulty. Pace yourself, eat before you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty......thats it.
I'm much too old to just go chasing distances for the sake of it, but from Harrogate over Tan Hill and back works out to about 120 miles, a 13 hour day including stops. Did it at the end of May this year, without that many 60 mile rides "in the legs" with the wet and windy spring.

[bigjim]

............ However 120 is virtually unimaginable. It's not only distance but time on the bike.

Try it! If you regularly do 60 mile rides without issues, then 120 is no real difficulty. Pace yourself, eat before you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty......thats it.
I'm much too old to just go chasing distances for the sake of it, but from Harrogate over Tan Hill and back works out to about 120 miles, a 13 hour day including stops. Did it at the end of May this year, without that many 60 mile rides "in the legs" with the wet and windy spring.

That mileage bores me stupid. I get 70miles in then I'm just turning pedals. The club have a 110miler tomorrow. I'm not going to bother, as the boredom and then the recovery wrecks it for me. I can do the mileage without problem, just can't recover. I also just don't want to spend that time in the saddle either. Looking forward to doing a nice 35miler and home for lunch.

[millimole]

Isn't it a sort of "general rule" that if you generally ride "X" miles, you can pull a twice "X" mile ride out of the bag without too much bother, as long as you pack a bit of food and don't try to go fast as well.....?

I used to think that was true - it was certainly true for me and people I know when we were in our 30s & 40s - now I'm (just) in my 60s I know it's not true for me.
I strongly suspect that there is an age related effect.

I regularly ride 35-40miles, sometimes heading into the mid-50s and a few weeks ago attempted a 70mile ride as a DIY Audax, and although I got round my route (and enjoyed it) I was slow, very slow, and felt dreadful that night. But what surprised me was that I didn't feel bad on subsequent days.
Eating on the ride was hourly snacks (crisps, cereal bars, biscuits), a sausage baguette at lunchtime and coffee & cake mid afternoon. Otherwise I only drank diluted squash.
I'm coming to the conclusion that my regular rides aren't long enough to sustain me for 100km+ adventures, so I'm limiting my plans to 50miles/day.


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my iPad using hovercraft full of eels.

[Paulatic]

Isn't it a sort of "general rule" that if you generally ride "X" miles, you can pull a twice "X" mile ride out of the bag without too much bother, as long as you pack a bit of food and don't try to go fast as well.....?

I used to think that was true - it was certainly true for me and people I know when we were in our 30s & 40s - now I'm (just) in my 60s I know it's not true for me.
I strongly suspect that there is an age related effect.

I regularly ride 35-40miles, sometimes heading into the mid-50s and a few weeks ago attempted a 70mile ride as a DIY Audax, and although I got round my route (and enjoyed it) I was slow, very slow, and felt dreadful that night. But what surprised me was that I didn't feel bad on subsequent days.
Eating on the ride was hourly snacks (crisps, cereal bars, biscuits), a sausage baguette at lunchtime and coffee & cake mid afternoon. Otherwise I only drank diluted squash.
I'm coming to the conclusion that my regular rides aren't long enough to sustain me for 100km+ adventures, so I'm limiting my plans to 50miles/day.


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my iPad using hovercraft full of eels.

I'd agree with Colin, I'm close to 65 now, and most of my regular rides are 25-45 mls. I'd have no worries about setting off tomorrow on an 80+ ml ride. I'd take my time and have a couple of cafe stops. I suspect though it depends how hilly your usual rides are. As I more often than not head for hills those 30 mls are worth a lot more.

Id expect my usual ave speed to be maybe down a couple of mph.

I'm not sure hourly snacks of

crisps, cereal bars, biscuits), a sausage baguette at lunchtime and coffee & cake mid afternoon.

would be part of my diet. I'd certainly have had coffee and cake in the morning but then probably a bowl of soup later.

The only 100K Audax I've ever done was off-road. IMO Audax starts at 200K and I think you've got to have mastered the technique and gained the confidence to set off and ride 400K and enjoy it.

[Vorpal]

Isn't it a sort of "general rule" that if you generally ride "X" miles, you can pull a twice "X" mile ride out of the bag without too much bother, as long as you pack a bit of food and don't try to go fast as well.....?

That sounds about right to me. Of course, there are other variables that can affect it, like how hilly it is, and things. Maybe part of bigjim's issue has been going fast (to stay with the others) as well as increasing mileage.

Eating on the ride was hourly snacks (crisps, cereal bars, biscuits), a sausage baguette at lunchtime and coffee & cake mid afternoon. Otherwise I only drank diluted squash.
I'm coming to the conclusion that my regular rides aren't long enough to sustain me for 100km+ adventures, so I'm limiting my plans to 50miles/day.

Maybe if you substitute fruit and sandwiches for your crisps, cereal bars, and biscuits, you'll fuel your adventures better?

I don't find sugar gets me too far. I know people on here recommend it, but chocolate (which I *love*, btw) or Allsorts do me absolutely no good when I'm out cycling. I get a very short term burst, and after I'm worse off than before; sometimes I even feel a bit ill when it wears off.

Squash is the same; water, or water with electrolytes added, plus the occasional tea or coffee is enough for me. If you need more flavour, diluted fruit juice is better than diluted squash.

But, we're all different, so you need to find what works for you

[david7591]

............ However 120 is virtually unimaginable. It's not only distance but time on the bike.

Try it! If you regularly do 60 mile rides without issues, then 120 is no real difficulty. Pace yourself, eat before you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty......thats it.
I'm much too old to just go chasing distances for the sake of it, but from Harrogate over Tan Hill and back works out to about 120 miles, a 13 hour day including stops. Did it at the end of May this year, without that many 60 mile rides "in the legs" with the wet and windy spring.

Colin that route sounds very hilly. How much climbing was involved? I live in Lake District fringes and most of my rides involve lots of ascent. So even if I could double the distance, which is a big if, I could not double the climbing. In fact I find climbing is the limiting factor more than distance. Having said that with practise I am noticing some improvement, so I'd be very interested in hearing what you with your greater training experience can achieve. It might give me some inspiration and something to aim for

[531colin]

I had this route all written up.....park in Leyburn, do Grinton Moor, Tan Hill, Buttertubs, ie the scenic bits.....I'm going to do it when I'm too old for 120 miles http://cycle.travel/map/journey/23722....according to the software thats 1300m climbing in 48 miles or so.
Add Harrogate to Leyburn and back another 68 miles and 1000 metres climbing

[millimole]

Crisps, cereal bars & biscuits consumed on the hour was what used to fuel me round audax rides upto 400k, and other long rides. I found that if I eat more 'sensible' stuff, like sandwiches, I couldn't digest it, and sometimes with fruit, I couldn't physically swallow the stuff. Bodies change with time, and I was making the assumption that I am able to repeat the feats of my earlier years without changing my habits.
But as you say we are all different


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my iPad using hovercraft full of eels.