♪ [music] ♪
- [Matt] Long rides are commonplace in cycling and it's easy to see why.
You get an amazing sense of achievement. You get to go to places that you might not
have seen before, and after recovering from them at least, they get you fitter.
- [Simon] Yeah, but long rides aren't actually all that easy. It takes a degree
of fitness, willpower and focus, but here are ten things you could probably do with
knowing to help you on your way. Ten things.
- Ten things. Actually, scrub that. This first piece of advice relates to the day
leading up to your big event. Mainly carbo-loading. Now, carbo-loading became
very popular in many endurance sports in the 1990s and does have some merit.
- [Dan] Yeah, subtly increasing your intake of carbohydrates in 24 hours
leading up to your event should mean that your muscles have got more glycogen, which
basically means that you've got more fuel for your ride, so you should be able to
ride further.
- Chip, Dan?
- I can't stress enough just how important it is to start a long ride conservatively.
If you set out too fast, then you're going to be burning carbohydrates instead of
fat, which is fuel. And as we all know, unfortunately, you've got a limited supply
of carbs, even if you've loaded up the night before, so you can see it's a bad
idea.
- So, for the first third of your ride, make sure you ride really comfortably.
Just settle into your ride. Once you've got into it, you can then assess how
you're feeling and whether you're capable of upping the pace and more importantly
sustaining it.
- You feeling settled, mate?
- Yeah, pretty so.
- Cool. Should we pick up the pace?
- No, actually, I quite like it like this. Along similar lines is the advice of not
going over into your threshold, this can really dig into your reserves and deplete
your energy stores very quickly.
- Yeah, occasionally though, it's going to be unavoidable. If for example,
you face a short, steep climb, but general rule is you that try and avoid going
anaerobic.
- Fueling from the start is really important. If you wait until you're
actually hungry or thirsty, it's probably too late.
- Yeah, and you also need to experiment with exactly what you're eating and
drinking on the bike. Some people have cast iron stomachs, tolerate anything,
other people need to be a little bit more particular, so they don't get
uncomfortable. You got any more of that, mate?
- No, there's no more, mate. Last one.
- As we said at the start, mental strength and focus are a really important part of
long rides. It can be hard, staying motivated for hours on end,
so it's a good idea to remind yourself of why you're doing it,
focusing on the positives, and then blocking out the negatives.
- Yeah, try not to think of your discomfort and the pain in your legs.
Try instead to focus on what it will feel like once you've reached your ultimate
goal. Tell yourself that you're feeling good.
- You're looking good, mate.
- Thanks, mate. So are you, actually, mate.
- Thanks, I'm feeling good.
♪ [music] ♪
- Often, on a long ride, the ultimate goal of reaching the finish can feel like an
eternity away. So it's a good idea to have some intermediate goals you can tick off
along the way. Another positive thing on which to focus your mind.
- Yeah, it could be a feed zone, if you're on an organized
ride. It could be a town or a village on your route. Or a good one is the top of
each climb along the way. Slipstreaming can save you a huge amount of power while
still going at the same speed, now, up to 30% in fact, in the right conditions.
So you should really take advantage of it if you're riding with other people or
particularly if you're in a master participation ride. Now, don't annoy other
people by just sitting on, but try and slip into a group who's going the right
pace for you.
- Now, if you want to be sneaky, try doing your turns on the front up a hill and that
way, the riders behind won't get as much advantage as a road tilted upwards,
leaving you to spend your time sat on slipstreaming on the flat.
♪ [music] ♪
- Now, you're not exactly going to be able to get very far at all on your ride if you
had a mechanical problem and you haven't got the tools to fix it,
so on every ride, you need to take at the very least spare tubes,
a multi-tool and then, of course, a pump as well. And as well as being able to
ride further, you'll also not get stuck in the wilderness.
- Along the same lines is the importance of dressing correctly,
heading out for a ride in cold, freezing, wet conditions without the appropriate
sort of clothing on is a recipe for disaster.
- Now, admittedly, good quality cycle clothing can be quite expensive,
but it will make quite a big difference to how comfortably you can ride in a wide
range of weather conditions. And if you're more comfortable, you're more likely to be
able to ride further. Now, obviously one of us is not dressed for the conditions
today, but you get the idea.
♪ [music] ♪
Last, but by no means least, think about aerodynamics
on the bike. You can become more aero without spending any money,
simply lower your body at the front ends, so less your body is taking the wind.
This will mean that you're riding at the same speed for less effort or riding
faster with the same amount of effort. Either way, you'll be able to ride
further, and you shouldn't just finish for your body, either. Clothing and equipment
can also make quite a significant difference. I'm talking about aerodynamic
helmets, tight fitting clothing, an aero frame and aero wheels.
Individually, they might not make a huge difference, but put it together,
it can become something quite significant. Aerodynamics is not something that you're
going to be able to feel. You'll still be putting the effort in,
your legs will still ache, but you'll be going faster.
- So there's a whole raft of tips that are going to help you on long cycle rides,
things before, things during and extra preparation as well.
- Yeah, for our video on how to cycle further, click up here. And our other
video on how to cycle, find the...
- Perfect route?
- Perfect route. But I think, to be honest with you, mate, I think we've found it
already.
- Yeah, we have.
- But anyway, for a perfect route, can we do this one...
- So, there's a whole raft of things then that will help you on your long rides,
things before and things during.
- And for our video on how to ride longer, click up here. For our video on how to
find a perfect route, although I think me and Simon found ours today,
click down here.
- Yeah, and because GCN brings you such amazing places as this,
you really should subscribe and you can do that by clicking on me and Matt and a
slight bit of sunburn. Bakingly hot.
As we said at the start, it's really important...
♪ [music] ♪