Audax Rides - 200 km plus - Food and Equipement

[hartleymartin]

With my little tour down to Buxton on Saturday I plan to stop about every 10km (give or take) and have a stretch and a snack (muesli bars are cheap at ALDI at the moment). My mate is a personal fitness trainer, and he noted that my legs were getting stiff and he showed me some stretches that I should do regularly. I also think it was because my cadence was too slow and causing me to cramp.

I have a 1.5 Litre Hydration pack which I almost always empty each day doing my 6km each-way commute. So, lots of extra water will need to be carried. I plan to mix up isotonic drink in one bottle and use it as I need it and water down some fruit juice in another bottle to give me a little sugar as I need it, but I almost always stick with plain water (and will probably need gastrolyte at the end of a long day's tour!)

[Caelum]

every 10km is a bit excessive i think... though everyones requirements are different.


Personally i'd probably stop every 20-30km, depending on the terrain. if it was easy riding that may extend a bit further.

[hartleymartin]

Well, this little tour of mine is a training ground for me to discover what works best. Thanks to other cyclists writing online, I have found that a fast cadence of about 75 to 80 rpm actually is less tiring than going at 60rpm, because it prevents me from going anerobic and I don't get cramps or stiff legs any more. I'll let you know what I did when I get back on Sunday night.

[Caelum]

yeah, cadence goes a long way in terms of efficiency.

I know the commonly quoted cadence is usually 80-90rpm generally... i find myself a little higher, nearer 100. Others say they stick to 75... i guess it all depends on the person

[cavebear2]

Do you know where to the schedule from or is this something provided by some rider leaders?

Provided by leaders by email if they're organised, otherwise at the ride start.

Cheers

Perry