am i ready for a 56 mile ride?

Question

i ride 20 miles (10 miles one way commuter) a day 4-6 days a week over moderately hilly roads on a road bike. i am told that the course is mostly flat. i have been riding for about a month and am in pretty good health. this is not a race but a ride for charity. there is a 21 mile option but i want to push my self. am i asking too much?

Answer 1

If you ride 20 miles per day over moderately hilly roads, you can definitely handle a 56 mile ride. I typically didn't go over 50 miles on weekend rides and during the week stayed between 15-20 miles, but made sure to hit some good hills. I finished back-to-back 100 mile rides after a few months of training this way... and I'm not much of a cyclist at all. I'm not saying your ride will be easy, but you can do it. Ride some hills in training, be sure to drink 20-25 ounces of fluid each hour when you ride and try to consume 250-280 calories per hour (average for 180 pound rider) and you will have the energy to finish strong. If you get in trouble, draft on another rider's wheel and you will conserve a lot of engery, but I bet you will be just fine without that. If the course is relatively flat, it will be even easier. Good luck!

Answer 2

If you have time before the event, try to do a long ride once per week building gradually up to 40 miles or so. The most important thing is being comfortable on the bike and getting used to being on it for a long time. After that it's knowing how to pace yourself and knowing when and what to eat/drink. Conditioning only matters if you want to go fast. Figure out what works for you, and don't change anything the day of the event.

Answer 3

The rule of thumb is that you can generally manage about 3 times your long ride. So if you normally do 20, you can do 60. it might hurt, but you can physically do it. The thing that I would suggest is eating more than you usually do on a ride, even if you are not hungry. every hour, be sure to get some carbs and fluids into you.

Answer 4

You CAN DEFINITELY do this. going from 20 miles to 50 is nothing when aiming as a stretch goal.

my rule of thumb is that i can always ride double the distance of my normal training rides with ease for a special event like a group ride, race, charity event, or anything else.

dont worry...like someone else said, look at lance and use him as motivation when it gets a little difficult.

Answer 5

I'm was also in good shape at age 60 when after having done a lot less riding than you really enjoyed a 70 mile ride. You're ready!

Answer 6

There's no doubt about it. You can easily do it. You won't even be pushing yourself. You can ride the full 56 miles with ease, since as you say it will be just a casual ride, and when you finish you'll be surprised that it was so easy. Have a safe ride!

Answer 7

Going from 20 to 56 miles sounds manageable.
You might think about eating and drinking a little more wisely for that distance and save any sprinting for the end when you know what you have left in the tank.
Advice from an old riding buddy:
If you stop for food, make sure to get enough.
If you stop for water, make sure you get enough.
If you stop for rest, make sure you get enough.

Answer 8

You should have no problem doing 56 miles. Take it easy, rest for at least 10 minutes / hour. Take a lunch break. You should easily be able to finish in 5 hours.

Answer 9

I would say go for it. If you can do twenty consistently then 56 shouldn't be a problem.

Answer 10

not necessarily but if you arent used to straining yourself THAT much then you would have a very difficult time competing. best to work your way up to it or to at least some of it before trying to compete.