Is a month long enough to work up to 50?

Mike Rice said:

With the Hilly Hundred coming up, I find myself wondering if I can get into condition in time
to participate. I should have 30 days or so to get to know my soon-to-be-delivered Tour Easy
before the HH.

The TE will use different muscles than my current bike, a 30 or so year old Schwinn Varsity. My
normal ride now is 5 to 10 miles and if I up that to 15 or twenty the bike starts to beat me up
(hands, shoulders).

I know the only thing to do is get out there and work on the miles, and the hills, and see how far
I get in the first two or three weeks. Anybody know how late one can register?

Have to work out a method to transport the TE as well.

I've got a feeling this is do-able.

Any advice?

Mike Rice

How are your legs when you do 15-20 miles on your wedgie? If they are pretty fresh, you should be
fine. If 15 miles is tough, then it will be tough to get to 50. I was able to do 20 miles on my
wedgie with fair legs, but everything else hurt for days (I'm fat). I got an EZ-Sport, did 10 miles
with no pain to adjust everything, and then did 30 miles the next day. Quads and calves were very
tired, but I had no pain anywhere. I expect to do 40 miles this Friday (one week after the 30 miler)
and then 50 miles in another 2 weeks. Two weeks after that, I expect to finish a metric century
(slowly). Although I cannot ride the bike outside most evenings, I can use a recumbent exercise bike
with almost identical geometry to build leg strength. Don't just ride on weekends - that will be a
recipe for disaster. Listen to your body, and stop if you feel joint pain, especially in the knees.
Good luck! Dan

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Have to work out a method to transport the TE as well.

I've got a feeling this is do-able.

Any advice?

Mike Rice

Sorry, forgot to add transportation. The easiest way is to use a folding rack that goes on the back
of your vehicle. I got a Performance Transport, but any of the similar type work well (like a Rhode
Gear, etc.). Then just put the bike on centered across the two support arms. The wheels stick out on
each side of my small car, but that is not an issue. If you want to put it on top, you will need a
tandem mount, which could cause clearance problems, and that huge seat will be up in the wind (read
- stress!). On the back of the car, part of the seat is behind the car, and the seatback is slicing
into the wind, not full across like a sail. Dan

Mike Rice <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

With the Hilly Hundred coming up, I find myself wondering if I can get into condition in time
to participate. I should have 30 days or so to get to know my soon-to-be-delivered Tour Easy
before the HH.

The TE will use different muscles than my current bike, a 30 or so year old Schwinn Varsity. My
normal ride now is 5 to 10 miles and if I up that to 15 or twenty the bike starts to beat me up
(hands, shoulders).

I know the only thing to do is get out there and work on the miles, and the hills, and see how far
I get in the first two or three weeks. Anybody know how late one can register?

Have to work out a method to transport the TE as well.

I've got a feeling this is do-able.

Any advice?

Mike Rice

MAYBE. For a FLAT 50, no problem. But Bloomingtion area is another matter! I would want to be
comfortable doing at least 25 with similar hills to expect to do the 50 with those hills on the big
day. Good luck! Go for it!!!

Maybe. I have ridden about 433 miles over the last 6 weeks, and I am still only up to about 28 miles
max per ride.

I rode 1500 miles this year... up to the time I purchased the recumbent... including a single 480
mile week in June that included a century midweek. A recumbent is a whole different activity, and
it may take your particular body significantly more time to adjust than you might think. Many
people say you get recumbent legs in 400 miles, some say 1000 miles, and others say 2 years. I am
strong for rides up to about 20 miles, and then start to weaken. On my litespeed I could ride more
like 65 miles before starting to weaken. In late July, I thought I would buy a bike and be ready
for a century by Sept 1, but I didnt make it. It looks like it is going to take another 4 or 5
weeks still.

Mike Rice said:

With the Hilly Hundred coming up, I find myself wondering if I can get into condition in time
to participate. I should have 30 days or so to get to know my soon-to-be-delivered Tour Easy
before the HH.

The TE will use different muscles than my current bike, a 30 or so year old Schwinn Varsity. My
normal ride now is 5 to 10 miles and if I up that to 15 or twenty the bike starts to beat me up
(hands, shoulders).

I know the only thing to do is get out there and work on the miles, and the hills, and see how far
I get in the first two or three weeks. Anybody know how late one can register?

Have to work out a method to transport the TE as well.

I've got a feeling this is do-able.

Any advice?

Mike Rice

I think it depends a lot on your age plus a few more health factors. If you are less than 30 years
old and don't have any joint problems then you can probably increase your distance in 5 mile
increments every 3 or 4 days and make 50 or so by the end of 30 days in grand style. You should
concentrate on getting plenty of sleep and eating a muscle building diet. If you are over 50 and
have joint problems, I suspect you need more time or learn to enjoy pain.

"Mike Rice" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

With the Hilly Hundred coming up, I find myself wondering if I can get into condition in time
to participate. I should have 30 days or so to get to know my soon-to-be-delivered Tour Easy
before the HH.

The TE will use different muscles than my current bike, a 30 or so year old Schwinn Varsity. My
normal ride now is 5 to 10 miles and if I up that to 15 or twenty the bike starts to beat me up
(hands, shoulders).

I know the only thing to do is get out there and work on the miles, and the hills, and see how far
I get in the first two or three weeks. Anybody know how late one can register?

Have to work out a method to transport the TE as well.

I've got a feeling this is do-able.

Any advice?

Mike Rice

Mike Rice said:

Any advice?

Mike Rice

Mike, It's very doable! The key is to spend time spinning. Keep the RPM between 80 and 100. I really
think that spinning is more important than logging miles. Spin first until you feel really
comfortable attacking a hill like a bent head, then increase your miles. If you can do 30-35 miles
before the 50 mile ride, you should have not problem. Spin till it seems natural.

Lon HepCat

Mike:

I purchased my TE approximately three (3) weeks ago. What a wonderful RECUMBENT!!! I am just short of 400 miles. My other ride is a Vision R64 SABRE which has a high BB. The first two weeks was quite an adjustment period of acquiring new muscles but I believe this has been accomplished. The TE is such an accomodating vehicle. My advice is ride everyday and ride has many miles has you can.
On the transportation issue I have a Sportworks carrier that I put on my Yukon XL. I have the hoops extended out the limit of width. On the hoop which supports the rear tire I cut the outer end out and did some additions with some 1 1/2 angle iron for a bottom brace. The rear wheel extends out from the side of the vehicle about 12" but it offers no problem for clearance. A pair of toe straps around the tires and hoops and the use of the spring arm on the front tire makes the transportation problem history. Of course I had the carrier prior for transporting my other recumbent bikes so I didn't have too purchase one just for the purpose of carring the TE.
Hopefully this will help answer your questions. Safe Riding and Good Luck. DR. Duk

Mike:

One more point of inspiration. I am 56 yrs of age with one artifical knee and another one due later this fall. I average between 75 and 100 miles per week. I have a hundred miler coming up this weekend ( not a Metric) that I plan on doing with my other half. This will be accomplished (I HOPE) on a RANS SCREAMER so stay focused and you will make your destination in style.

Dr. Duk

MLB said:

MAYBE. For a FLAT 50, no problem. But Bloomingtion area is another matter! I would want to be
comfortable doing at least 25 with similar hills to expect to do the 50 with those hills on the big
day. Good luck! Go for it!!!

Good point! I'm confident a flat fifty would be do-able in this time frame. I'm two hours north of
Bloomington, we do have several decent hills I can practice on.

Mike

hauling said:

Maybe. I have ridden about 433 miles over the last 6 weeks, and I am still only up to about 28
miles max per ride.

I rode 1500 miles this year... up to the time I purchased the recumbent... including a single 480
mile week in June that included a century midweek. A recumbent is a whole different activity, and
it may take your particular body significantly more time to adjust than you might think. Many
people say you get recumbent legs in 400 miles, some say 1000 miles, and others say 2 years. I am
strong for rides up to about 20 miles, and then start to weaken. On my litespeed I could ride more
like 65 miles before starting to weaken. In late July, I thought I would buy a bike and be ready
for a century by Sept 1, but I didnt make it. It looks like it is going to take another 4 or 5
weeks still.

Well I may not get to that distance this year...we'll see. If I don't get very comfortable with 30
and 35 mile rides I won't even think about trying for a fifty.

Mike

Quoted message said:

Mike Rice said:

With the Hilly Hundred coming up, I find myself wondering if I can get into condition in time to
participate. I should have 30 days or so to get to know my soon-to-be-delivered Tour Easy before
the HH.

The TE will use different muscles than my current bike, a 30 or so year old Schwinn Varsity. My
normal ride now is 5 to 10 miles and if I up that to 15 or twenty the bike starts to beat me up
(hands, shoulders).

I know the only thing to do is get out there and work on the miles, and the hills, and see how
far I get in the first two or three weeks. Anybody know how late one can register?

Have to work out a method to transport the TE as well.

I've got a feeling this is do-able.

Any advice?

Mike Rice

Quoted message said:

How are your legs when you do 15-20 miles on your wedgie? If they are pretty fresh, you should be
fine. If 15 miles is tough, then it will be tough to get to 50. I was able to do 20 miles on my
wedgie with fair legs, but everything else hurt for days (I'm fat).

My legs aren't bad after 20 (I've probably had a little break two thirds of the way through) My
longest wedgie ride was 42 miles, an hour and a half with a tail wind and three and a half hours to
get home. I was so sore I called off work that night. Always my shoulders are the sore spot. I feel
a twenty mile ride for an hour or two after I get home.

Quoted message said:

I got an EZ-Sport, did 10 miles with no pain to adjust everything, and then did 30 miles the next
day. Quads and calves were very tired, but I had no pain anywhere. I expect to do 40 miles this
Friday (one week after the 30 miler) and then 50 miles in another 2 weeks. Two weeks after that, I
expect to finish a metric century (slowly).

Very encouraging. I hope to have similar results. It was an EZ-Sport on ebay that made me think that
*maybe* I could afford a recumbent. Plus the curvy lines reminded me of the old shwinn frames. But
when I did my test rides I realized that the bike I would love to live with was the Tour Easy.

Quoted message said:

Although I cannot ride the bike outside most evenings, I can use a recumbent exercise bike with
almost identical geometry to build leg strength.

I'm riding every other day.

Quoted message said:

Don't just ride on weekends - that will be a recipe for disaster. Listen to your body, and stop if
you feel joint pain, especially in the knees. Good luck! Dan

also said:

Sorry, forgot to add transportation. The easiest way is to use a folding rack that goes on the back
of your vehicle. I got a Performance Transport, but any of the similar type work well (like a Rhode
Gear, etc.). Then just put the bike on centered across the two support arms. The wheels stick out
on each side of my small car, but that is not an issue. If you want to put it on top, you will need
a tandem mount, which could cause clearance problems, and that huge seat will be up in the wind
(read - stress!). On the back of the car, part of the seat is behind the car, and the seatback is
slicing into the wind, not full across like a sail. Dan

I think I've got a Rhode Gear folding rack in the storage shed. Saw it for sale on a bulleting board
shortly after picking up my old DF five years ago. I'll probably put the seat in my trunk if I haul
the TE. Or figure a tarp for it if left on the bike.

Mike

Dave Harney said:

I think it depends a lot on your age plus a few more health factors. If you are less than 30 years
old and don't have any joint problems then you can probably increase your distance in 5 mile
increments every 3 or 4 days and make 50 or so by the end of 30 days in grand style. You should
concentrate on getting plenty of sleep and eating a muscle building diet. If you are over 50 and
have joint problems, I suspect you need more time or learn to enjoy pain.

I'm closing on 52, no joint problems. If I enjoyed pain I wouldn't be getting the Tour Easy ;-).

I'll surprise myself if I make it this year. If I don't I'll be even more surprised if I miss
*next* year.

Mike

Quoted message said:

"Mike Rice" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

With the Hilly Hundred coming up, I find myself wondering if I can get into condition in time to
participate. I should have 30 days or so to get to know my soon-to-be-delivered Tour Easy before
the HH.

The TE will use different muscles than my current bike, a 30 or so year old Schwinn Varsity. My
normal ride now is 5 to 10 miles and if I up that to 15 or twenty the bike starts to beat me up
(hands, shoulders).

I know the only thing to do is get out there and work on the miles, and the hills, and see how
far I get in the first two or three weeks. Anybody know how late one can register?

Have to work out a method to transport the TE as well.

I've got a feeling this is do-able.

Any advice?

Mike Rice

LA said:

Mike Rice said:

Any advice?

Mike Rice

Mike, It's very doable! The key is to spend time spinning. Keep the RPM between 80 and 100. I
really think that spinning is more important than logging miles. Spin first until you feel really
comfortable attacking a hill like a bent head, then increase your miles. If you can do 30-35 miles
before the 50 mile ride, you should have not problem. Spin till it seems natural.

Lon HepCat

When I have let a year (or longer) go by without riding my DF those first hills are a royal pain. If
I hit the same hills a couple of times a day for a week or two they become fun.

Thanks for the tip, this will be different for me. My current riding style is more relaxed cruising
with maybe one quarter of my riding dedicated to trying to build some speed.

Mike

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

weeks still.

Well I may not get to that distance this year...we'll see. If I don't get very comfortable with 30
and 35 mile rides I won't even think about trying for a fifty.

I've seen it said many times that you can 'easily' do twice the mileage you've been training at for
a single day ride. (assuming you're riding enough to be in decent biking shape) and I've found that
to be true in my limited long group rides. There is a 'group energy' in an event that will sustain
you to some degree more than laboring by yourself. For me, it's a large degree. Also the energizing
stops for snacks and standing up are significant factors. I'd not ridden more than 25 miles at a
time when I did a group 44, with ease. Felt great at the end and could have done it again. Hadn't
done more than 30 when I rode a metric century (62 miles?) again with no problem. BUT, those were
flat, hills can KILL 🙂 If you can do 25 with some hills and feel strong, I'd do it 🙂 Worse case,
nobody cares (or makes sport of you) if you don't make it. (besides you)

"Mike Rice" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I know the only thing to do is get out there and work on the miles, and the hills, and see how far
I get in the first two or three weeks.

You're right on the spot here

Quoted message said:

Anybody know how late one can register?

Just register, then you'll be motivated.

Quoted message said:

I've got a feeling this is do-able.

This just supports the above mentioned advice.

Good luck - and remember that the training won't hurt you.

Torben

Tom Sherman said:

If you accept ahead of time that you will be really slow on the uphill sections, and that you will
suffer from considerable lactic acid buildup in the leg muscles (and the resulting discomfort)
while climbing, it is possible to do a reasonably long (e.g. metric century) with almost no
conditioning.

I've noticed that last night's 13 miles were more comfortable than 10 a week ago. I'm shooting for
10 or more every other day, with a longer ride on the weekend for now. The TE should ship tomorrow,
I'm thinking that means shipping to People Mover's,where the box(es) will be opened & assorted
goodies added before being re-shipped to me. That should give me my month to see how I take to it.

I'm not familiar with the lactic acid buildup, but I plan on riding a lot of hills the two weeks
just before the ride...just after my two week breaking in period. I expect to be very slow climbing,
but you have to climb if you want to ride down, eh?

Mike Rice

Mike Rice said:

... Have to work out a method to transport the TE as well....

A medium frame TE will fit into a fifth generation (1992-1995) Honda Civic hatchback and an XL TiGRR
(with a Super Zzipper) will fit into a late model Honda Accord [1] wagon if the wheels are removed.
Almost any small station wagon sold in the US should work to transport an Easy Racer.

[1] This is with the front seats occupied by taller than average people.

Tom Sherman - Near the confluence of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers

Dave Harney said:

I think it depends a lot on your age plus a few more health factors. If you are less than 30 years
old and don't have any joint problems then you can probably increase your distance in 5 mile
increments every 3 or 4 days and make 50 or so by the end of 30 days in grand style. You should
concentrate on getting plenty of sleep and eating a muscle building diet. If you are over 50 and
have joint problems, I suspect you need more time or learn to enjoy pain.

If you accept ahead of time that you will be really slow on the uphill sections, and that you will
suffer from considerable lactic acid buildup in the leg muscles (and the resulting discomfort) while
climbing, it is possible to do a reasonably long (e.g. metric century) with almost no conditioning.

Been there, done that (within the last two weeks, no less).

Tom Sherman - Near the confluence of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers

Quoted message said:

I'm not familiar with the lactic acid buildup, but I plan on riding a

It's that wonderful, life affirming BURN in your legs you feel when pushing hard. It hurts so good!
(as we used to say when lifting weights)