Cycling Long Distances

A repair kit, at least one spare inner tube, a pump, tire levers,allen wrenches, a spoke wrench, a cellphone or coins, and money totake the train or taxi if all else fails. You don't want to haveto walk. Even the best cycling shoes are a drag to walk in.

Plenty of food and water. Don't under-estimate this. You need toeat and drink all the time, before you feel hungry or thirsty.If you don't your thighs will feel like they are on fire and inthe worst case you may get tunnel vision and collapse. Peoplenormally never reach the point of running out of fuel in theirdaily life but it's a real danger on long bicycle rides. I willfall apart after about 2 hours of cycling long distances without food, so I eatand drink all the time. Don't start in the morning without a hearty bigger than you can imagine breakfast either.

I take plain water (anything else gunks up your bottles) in one ortwo large (20 oz.) clear-plastic bottles, Power Bars or similarenergy food, plus some whole-grain sandwiches. Do not takechocolate or other sugar-based food. On seriously long rides alsotake some salted nuts because sweating depletes minerals. Plus, ofcourse, the staple of bicycle riding - bananas.

Maps, of course. If you're cycling long distances in a group you may get separated, oryou might take a wrong turn and lose your bearings. The best scaleis between 1:100,000 and 1:250,000. A compass is useful regardless of where you are riding.

You might consider a GPS receiver too, and skip the maps if I have the right one loaded into the unit. Of course, don't forget the spare batteries.

Clothing. If there is a chance of rain or cold weather, wearneoprene boots (IMHO, Adidas are best). They don't hurt if youdon't need them but they'll keep you warm and dry. Since you don'tnormally move your toes while riding, cold feet are much more of aproblem when riding than when walking. Also bring a raincoat andwear layers of clothing that let you adjust to the weather. Multipleor thick wool socks tend not to work very well. They just make your cycling shoes fit poorly.

Another key to long-distance riding is to deliberately ride slowly. It'senough to ride two or three mph slower than you would ride normally.This takes constant conscious checking because your legs will want to goback to your "regular" speed. It's surprising that such a small speedreduction makes such a big difference, but 3 mph less than normalextends your range enormously while 3 mpg more than normal will renderyou comatose.

Content by Thomas Driemeyer, www.bitrot.deEdited by Reg Gupton, gupton@growthseminars.com

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