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Training: Long Distance

Building up distance steadily is the most effective way to tackle long distance rides.

Increase the distance between 10-20% each ride, allowing your body to get used to extra time in the saddle.

Nutrition

There are many ways to fuel the body and some experimentation may be required to find the right combination for you.

Food that is not heavily processed will be easier to digest and avoid illness.

Gels, powders and even bars can be made from heavily processed ingredients.

Cadence

A regular cadence of 80 to 90 RPM is key to avoiding fatigue in your legs.

Use gears to help maintain regular cadence without significantly increasing power from the legs.

On significant climbs, try maintain a cadence of 70 RPM without grinding on the peddles. On climbs with high gradients, change down to the easiest gears to keep the cadence higher.

Bike comfort

Stretching

With careful practice and suitable road conditions, it is possible to stretch key muscles whist riding your bike.

Practice on a flat or slightly down hill piece of road, ideally with a relatively smooth surface. The road should be traffic free (including parked cars) and you should not be in a close group of other riders.

Leg Muscles

Stretch calf and hamstring muscles whist the bike can move under its own inertia (no peddling required) by standing motionless on the peddles.

  1. Ensure both cycling shoes are firmly clipped into the peddles.

  2. Grip the handle bars by the controls and stand up on the peddles, with the peddles roughly horizontal to each other.

  3. Gently press down with one heal, causing a stretching in that leg.

  4. Bring the heal level and gently press down with the other heal.

Both legs can be stretched together with the peddles in a horizontal position to each other. It is recommended to practice with one leg at a time first.

Back Muscles

When climbing hills with significant gradient, press backwards with the lower back. This relieves pressure from the lower back whist providing greater force through the legs to the peddles.