Long Distance Riding?

First of all, the camping depends at what time of the year you will be doing
this. If it's summer, camping and cycling is fun. I believe that camping
was NOT invesnted for the winter/autumn, way too cold at night!!

I did a long distance from London to Cornwall, an average of 50-60 miles a
day. I did it in a big group, had a lot of fun.

If you are buying a tent, get a light one, like a backpaker tent. I got one
from Eurohike, pretty good, and it only weights 2.5 kgs. The pannier size
depends, imo, whether you are camping or not. If you are camping, you might
need two "biggish" ones, as you will be carrying camping stuff (sleeping
bags, tents, etc). I bought a pair of "Ortlieb waterproof", that carry
absolutely everything! Found them by chance at on of those big bike shops,
can't remember which one, Evans probably. If not camping, just any Altura
panier would do, just to put your clothes in. I have no idea the distance
between Lancashire and Dorset, but long distance cycling is really good fun.
Just pedal and enjoy the scenery.

Don't get intimidated by the distance. By the time I did the London to
Cornwall ride, the only "long distance" that I had done was London to
Brighton and London to Southend, both 1 day charity rides. OK, the Cornwall
one was an organized ride (Sustrans) and we had a support mechanic van to
carry our stuff. My only other "cycle training" is cyclng to work from
Stockwell to Canary Wharf in London. What that long distance ride did is to
make me realize how flat London is!! :-)

Vivian
-------
"We learned more from a three minute record than we ever learned in school".
No Surrender

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

Quoted message said:

Hi,

For as long as I can remember, I've been riding mountain bikes and to be
honest, the concept of a road bike being fun seems very far fetched to me.
However, due to an irresistible deal, I've gone and bought myself a
Specialized Sequoia Elite with the intention of riding it, with a friend,
from Lancashire (my home) to Dorset (where my family live). While I
(currently) can't see the big appeal in road riding, the shear distance
involved is an adventure worth undertaking. To me at least. Also, since

I've

Quoted message said:

figured out how to do wheelies and stoppies on the Sequoia, it's getting a
bit more fun. ;o)

The questions are: What is involved in long distance riding? How have

others

Quoted message said:

done it?
I can't afford a support car, so everything we need will be carried on
panniers and/or a rucksack. I'm not sure whether to take a tent and camp

on

Quoted message said:

the way, or stop at a hotel each night.... I've guessed it will take about

4

Quoted message said:

days, although I'm going to do some test rides to see how many miles I can
actually cover in a day before commiting myself to that.

Also, while I'm doing this just for fun, I can't see the point in not

trying

Quoted message said:

to help other people in the process, so I'm going to arrange sponsorshop

and

Quoted message said:

donate it to charity. Can anybody recommend the best way to go about this?
That might seem like a silly question but I have never done anything like
this before.

Thanks for any help,

Nathan

in message <[email hidden]>, Treefrog

(') said:

For as long as I can remember, I've been riding mountain bikes and to
be honest, the concept of a road bike being fun seems very far fetched
to me. However, due to an irresistible deal, I've gone and bought
myself a Specialized Sequoia Elite with the intention of riding it,
with a friend, from Lancashire (my home) to Dorset (where my family
live). While I (currently) can't see the big appeal in road riding,
the shear distance involved is an adventure worth undertaking. To me
at least. Also, since I've figured out how to do wheelies and stoppies
on the Sequoia, it's getting a bit more fun. ;o)

The questions are: What is involved in long distance riding? How have
others done it?

Get on bike, pedal. Ideally, organise where you're going to stay at the
end of each day before you leave - strategically located friends are a
good thing, otherwise cycle-friendly B&B.

Travel as light as you can - spare socks, spare shorts, spare shirt,
credit card, basic roadside tools. Once you start putting tent and
cooking things on a bike it's really getting heavy (unless you buy
ultra-lightweight kit, which isn't cheap).

Quoted message said:

I can't afford a support car, so everything we need will be carried on
panniers and/or a rucksack. I'm not sure whether to take a tent and
camp on the way, or stop at a hotel each night.... I've guessed it
will take about 4 days, although I'm going to do some test rides to
see how many miles I can actually cover in a day before commiting
myself to that.

60 miles/100Km a day is a good target for an ordinarily fit person; very
fit people can do a good bit more.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

The Conservative Party now has the support of a smaller proportion of
the electorate in Scotland than Sinn Fein have in Northern Ireland.

Quoted message said:

I believe that camping was NOT invesnted for the winter/autumn, way too

cold at night!!

hehe. Each to their own I suppose. I do a lot of winter
climbing/mountaineering so sleeping in silly temperatures doesn't really
bother me...much. I have a very good down sleeping bag and god knows how
much lightweight camping gear so, I think that's my accomodation sorted. ;o)

Quoted message said:

I did a long distance from London to Cornwall, an average of 50-60 miles a
day. I did it in a big group, had a lot of fun.

I have no idea the distance between Lancashire and Dorset, but long

distance cycling is really good fun.

Quoted message said:

Just pedal and enjoy the scenery.

It's about 260miles by car on the motorway, so I reckon about 350 at the
most on A-roads.

Thanks for your reply, it was quite an inspiration.

Cheers,

Nathan

Treefrog said:

The questions are: What is involved in long distance riding?

Pedalling, pedalling some more, and yet more pedalling. With a bit of
freewheeling on the downhill bits.

As long as you are reasonably fit and able to pace yourself (ie don't
go off at breakneck pace and burn yourself out by lunchtime), you might
be surprised at the kind of distances you are capable of covering in a
day.

d.

Treefrog said:

The questions are: What is involved in long distance riding? How have others
done it?
I can't afford a support car, so everything we need will be carried on
panniers and/or a rucksack. I'm not sure whether to take a tent and camp on
the way, or stop at a hotel each night.... I've guessed it will take about 4
days, although I'm going to do some test rides to see how many miles I can
actually cover in a day before commiting myself to that.

Don't carry a rucksack, unless you can put it on the luggage rack.
Otherwise it will become a nuisance unless it is very light (i. e.
practically empty). For the things you are going to need "on the
road" and which you want to access without getting off the bicycle
(map, sunglasses, telephone, ...), a small bag strapped to the handlebar
is much better.

Lancashire-Dorset is in the order of 450 km? It can be done in four
days, but better reckon five to six days. I suppose you want to travel
and not play the express messenger :-) Finding a good place for the
night may not always be easy, try to find several alternatives for each
part of your journey in advance.

Keep also in mind that the shortest route may not be the best. It may
be better to chose one which is a bit longer, but which has less steep
gradients, or less "lost height", or where you might be less bothered
by adverse winds.

Quoted message said:

Also, while I'm doing this just for fun, I can't see the point in not trying
to help other people in the process, so I'm going to arrange sponsorshop and
donate it to charity. Can anybody recommend the best way to go about this?

I doubt whether your ride will attract that much of attention. There
are people who cycle much longer distances in their holidays (say,
from Cornwall to Northern Scotland), and scarcely anybody notices ...

Jan-Martin

"Jan-Martin Hertzsch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Treefrog said:

The questions are: What is involved in long distance riding? How have
others
done it?
I can't afford a support car, so everything we need will be carried on
panniers and/or a rucksack. I'm not sure whether to take a tent and camp
on
the way, or stop at a hotel each night.... I've guessed it will take
about 4
days, although I'm going to do some test rides to see how many miles I
can
actually cover in a day before commiting myself to that.

I would spend a bit of time and possibly money looking very carefully at
your route.
A roads are usually no fun at all -- and by adding 10 -15% to your mileage
you can usually find some cracking
older B roads that are a joy to ride on.
I find that the AA 1 :200000 maps are pretty good for planning, and can be
carried easily as well -- possibly on a bar bag.
If you are B & B ing or using friends -- I would think in terms of 75
miles -- if camping accept 60 and
do not forget that you will not want to ride 5 miles to find supper and then
5 miles back to the tent.
YHA can be good.
Go for it -- i think you will enjoy it
Roger

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

Quoted message said:

Hi,

For as long as I can remember, I've been riding mountain bikes

so you should be reasonably fit?

Quoted message said:

The questions are: What is involved in long distance riding? How have
others
done it?

at a rough guess, lots of people, me included.

Quoted message said:

I can't afford a support car, so everything we need will be carried on
panniers and/or a rucksack.

You won't need a support car for such a short ride.

I'm not sure whether to take a tent and camp on

Quoted message said:

the way, or stop at a hotel each night.

You could stop at hotels, but youth hostels are much more fun.

.... I've guessed it will take about 4

Quoted message said:

days, although I'm going to do some test rides to see how many miles I can
actually cover in a day before commiting myself to that.

If it's about 400km that's only 100km a day, or 60 miles. If you leave at
9am and arrive at 5pm with two hours for lunch and coffee stops, that's six
hours pedalling, so even if you only average 10mph, you'll do it easily. If
you spend a little longer sight-seeing, then you just arrive slightly later.

Quoted message said:

Also, while I'm doing this just for fun, I can't see the point in not
trying
to help other people in the process, so I'm going to arrange sponsorshop
and
donate it to charity. Can anybody recommend the best way to go about this?
That might seem like a silly question but I have never done anything like
this before.

Not a silly question, a very wise question if you've never done it before.
I've met a few people on rides who never asked the question and looked very
silly later!

Rule one: there ain't no substitute for miles in legs. Forget what the
energy food stuff says, ride the miles.

Rule two: more miles.

Rule three: plan your route to avoid trunk roads, and to pass through towns
with accommodation after your planned daily mileage, or to get to a youth
hostel.

Rule four: carry at least two litres of water as you leave in the morning.
You'll drink some on the way, but top up at the coffee and lunch stops.
This is serious. You'll be surprised how much water you drink and how
thirsty you get if you know you haven't got any left!

Rule five: carry bonk rations. Not what the Sun thinks of as bonking! to
cyclists, bonking is running out of sugar, and believe you me, there ain't
nothing you can do other than sit by the side of the road and eat sugar.
Always carry an emergency chocolate bar, and don't eat it unless it's an
emergency: it might taste nice today, but tomorrow you might really need it.

Rule six: join your local CTC and go on a few rides with them. These guys
have done all this, know it all inside out, and can give you advice about
all aspects of your trip, including what to take, where to stop, what to
carry, which route.

Rule seven: enjoy! Once you've discovered the joys of cycle-touring, don't
stop. If further inspiration is needed, read "Full Tilt" by Dervla Murphy.

Rule eight: bonne route.

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

Quoted message said:

Rich speaks the truth. I will add just two more rules.

Rule 9. If, in the morning, the body says 'I don't want to ride today' then
take this as an instruction and visit the local sights, or sit in the
hotel/hostel garden or local park -- go for a swim or visit the flicks. The
body knows best and will reward you by doing twice the miles on the
following day. Do not disobey. 'Cos then the body will take umbrage and
cause pain & suffrin the whole day long.

Rule 10. Start slow each day. Warm to the task. Let the legs find their
own pace. That way you will end the day in comfort.

T

Rich said:

Rule seven: enjoy! Once you've discovered the joys of cycle-touring, don't
stop. If further inspiration is needed, read "Full Tilt" by Dervla Murphy.

No, don't ride 'Full Tilt'. It's my worst buy of the last 12 months and
has more to do with the history and sociology of Iran, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and India than it has to do with cycling. OK, she did go all the
way there on a bike but the bike is as incidental to the book as a car
might be in a book of car tours.

You're better off reading Trento Bike Pages

http://www-math.science.unitn.it/Bike/

particularly Jobst Brandt's Tours of the Alps.

http://tinyurl.com/adls

There are also articles about touring in Great Britain.
--
Michael MacClancy

"Michael MacClancy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Rich said:

Rule seven: enjoy! Once you've discovered the joys of cycle-touring,
don't
stop. If further inspiration is needed, read "Full Tilt" by Dervla
Murphy.

No, don't ride 'Full Tilt'. It's my worst buy of the last 12 months and
has more to do with the history and sociology of Iran, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and India than it has to do with cycling. OK, she did go all the
way there on a bike but the bike is as incidental to the book as a car
might be in a book of car tours.

You rather seem to miss the point that the whole premise of the book is that
it was done by bicycle, and the reception she received and the adventures
she had would not have been the same if she had been driving a car.

Quoted message said:

You're better off reading Trento Bike Pages

http://www-math.science.unitn.it/Bike/

particularly Jobst Brandt's Tours of the Alps.

http://tinyurl.com/adls

There are also articles about touring in Great Britain.
--
Michael MacClancy

Rich said:

"Michael MacClancy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

No, don't ride 'Full Tilt'. It's my worst buy of the last 12 months and
has more to do with the history and sociology of Iran, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and India than it has to do with cycling. OK, she did go all the
way there on a bike but the bike is as incidental to the book as a car
might be in a book of car tours.

You rather seem to miss the point that the whole premise of the book is that
it was done by bicycle, and the reception she received and the adventures
she had would not have been the same if she had been driving a car.

I didn't suggest the book would have been the same if she'd travelled in a
car. I just don't think that the fact that she did the trip on a bike
necessarily makes it particularly interesting for cyclists. If she'd done
the journey on foot, by elephant or donkey it wouldn't have changed the
story in any major way.

The whole premise of the book is really the exploration and description of
Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India in the early to mid 60's. She wastes
few words on her journey from London to the Persian border.
--
Michael MacClancy

Tony W said:

Rule 10. Start slow each day. Warm to the task. Let the legs find their
own pace. That way you will end the day in comfort.

Rule 10a: an early stop for coffee and cake is an integral part of this
:-)

Roos

Michael MacClancy said:

Rich said:

Rule seven: enjoy! Once you've discovered the joys of

cycle-touring, don't

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

stop. If further inspiration is needed, read "Full Tilt" by Dervla

Murphy.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

No, don't ride 'Full Tilt'. It's my worst buy of the last 12 months

and

Quoted message said:

has more to do with the history and sociology of Iran, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and India than it has to do with cycling. OK, she did go

all the

Quoted message said:

way there on a bike but the bike is as incidental to the book as a

car

Quoted message said:

might be in a book of car tours.

You're better off reading Trento Bike Pages

http://www-math.science.unitn.it/Bike/

particularly Jobst Brandt's Tours of the Alps.

http://tinyurl.com/adls

There are also articles about touring in Great Britain.
--
Michael MacClancy

or my pages http://mseries.freeserve.co.uk

On 2/3/05 11:15 am, in article [email hidden],

Roos Eisma said:

Tony W said:

Rule 10. Start slow each day. Warm to the task. Let the legs find their
own pace. That way you will end the day in comfort.

Rule 10a: an early stop for coffee and cake is an integral part of this
:-)

Rule 0: Stop at every tea shop along the way. It isn't a race.

The CTC isn't known as teh 'Cake and Tea Club' without good cause.

...d

MSeries said:

Michael MacClancy said:

Rich said:

Rule seven: enjoy! Once you've discovered the joys of

cycle-touring, don't

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

stop. If further inspiration is needed, read "Full Tilt" by Dervla

Murphy.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

No, don't ride 'Full Tilt'. It's my worst buy of the last 12 months

and

Quoted message said:

has more to do with the history and sociology of Iran, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and India than it has to do with cycling. OK, she did go

all the

Quoted message said:

way there on a bike but the bike is as incidental to the book as a

car

Quoted message said:

might be in a book of car tours.

You're better off reading Trento Bike Pages

http://www-math.science.unitn.it/Bike/

particularly Jobst Brandt's Tours of the Alps.

http://tinyurl.com/adls

There are also articles about touring in Great Britain.
--
Michael MacClancy

or my pages http://mseries.freeserve.co.uk

You missed something rather important:

http://www.mseries.freeserve.co.uk/
--
Michael MacClancy

"Roos Eisma" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tony W said:

Rule 10. Start slow each day. Warm to the task. Let the legs find

their

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

own pace. That way you will end the day in comfort.

Rule 10a: an early stop for coffee and cake is an integral part of this

Rule 10b (CTC variation) stop to tea and cake every 20 minutes.

:~)

"Michael MacClancy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Rich said:

"Michael MacClancy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

No, don't ride 'Full Tilt'. It's my worst buy of the last 12 months and
has more to do with the history and sociology of Iran, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and India than it has to do with cycling. OK, she did go all
the
way there on a bike but the bike is as incidental to the book as a car
might be in a book of car tours.

You rather seem to miss the point that the whole premise of the book is
that
it was done by bicycle, and the reception she received and the adventures
she had would not have been the same if she had been driving a car.

I didn't suggest the book would have been the same if she'd travelled in a
car. I just don't think that the fact that she did the trip on a bike
necessarily makes it particularly interesting for cyclists. If she'd done
the journey on foot, by elephant or donkey it wouldn't have changed the
story in any major way.

Well, we'll just have to disagree on that one then. There are those of us
who think it is one of the most inspiring books about cycle-touring ever
written

Quoted message said:

The whole premise of the book is really the exploration and description of
Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India in the early to mid 60's. She
wastes
few words on her journey from London to the Persian border.

Apart from the chapters on cycling through eastern europe in the worst
winter in living memory? and sliding down snowfalls with her bike, hoping to
land first so that she could catch it? perhaps you skipped those bits?

Quoted message said:

--
Michael MacClancy

Rich said:

"Michael MacClancy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The whole premise of the book is really the exploration and description of
Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India in the early to mid 60's. She
wastes
few words on her journey from London to the Persian border.

Apart from the chapters on cycling through eastern europe in the worst
winter in living memory? and sliding down snowfalls with her bike, hoping to
land first so that she could catch it? perhaps you skipped those bits?

You must have a different edition to mine. Mine doesn't have 'chapters' on
cycling through eastern Europe. The first chapter is entitled
'Introduction to the Journey - Dunkirk to Teheran' and is 18 pages long. I
do remember reading her story of travelling through that winter, although I
also remember that she travelled a lot by train and truck. Perhaps it's
different in your version? The following 204 pages in my edition describe
her multimodal journey from Teheran to Delhi.

BTW, if anyone's interested in reading this book I'll happily post it to
them in the UK free of charge. Just send an address by email.

--
Michael MacClancy

Rich said:

Rule one:

Argle! That looks more like a ruleset for doing the whole distance in
24 hours (extreme challenge) rather than 4 days (pottering).