omg it's on Sunday 100 miles on a bike!

[maddog.mark]

I need some advice / convincing on this one please folks.

On 8th June I will be doing the Norwich 50/100 mile bike ride for the British Heart Foundation. Last year I did the 50 and really enjoyed it. This year I'm thinking about doing the hundred.

The trouble is I've only just started riding again. I could do the 50 quite easily, I cycled 30 last Friday and another 13 on Sunday with little side effects. So do I stay within my limits or consider 7hours cycling and do the 100.

Looking forward to the reponses :)

[mmcp42]

a) admire you greatly for doing either :thumbs:
b) doing 50 and wishing you'd done 100 is much better than doing 100 and wishing you'd done less
c) coronary is not the sort of publicity they want!

d) good luck whichever you decide :clap:

e) can you take pix while riding?!?!?! :nuts:

[theMusicMan]

Reading between the lines here, it seems to me that you really want to try the 100... :)

Go for it I say.

[digitalfailure]

get the 100 done and stop being a wuss

:D

You have loads of time to build up to that sort of mileage between now and then.

What bike are you using, thats a big part of the game :)

Some decent shorts, a good pair of gloves are a must for that trip...i'd also advise some talc too ;)

[maddog.mark]

a) admire you greatly for doing either :thumbs:
b) doing 50 and wishing you'd done 100 is much better than doing 100 and wishing you'd done less
c) coronary is not the sort of publicity they want!

d) good luck whichever you decide :clap:

e) can you take pix while riding?!?!?! :nuts:

a) Thank you
b) Possibly, I would have the chance to change my mind after the first 25
c) very true
d) Thank you again
e) I've thought about it, not sure I want to carry the weight around.

:)

Reading between the lines here, it seems to me that you really want to try the 100... :)

Go for it I say.

Damn found out, just need some encouragement really. :)

get the 100 done and stop being a wuss

:D

You have loads of time to build up to that sort of mileage between now and then.

What bike are you using, thats a big part of the game :)

Some decent shorts, a good pair of gloves are a must for that trip...i'd also advise some talc too ;)


That's the spirit DF, give me a kick:lol:

I'll be on my Mountain Bike, but I will have fitted skinny road tyres to it before then, I train with the off road tyres it makes a big difference when I put skinny tyres on.

Shorts, gloves etc are sorted, good call on the talc though

[digitalfailure]

loose the MTB and get a road bike....if you can't buy one, see if you local shop has a demo bike you "could" be interested in ;)

slicks on an MTB make a big difference for the urban run to work, but for serious road miles their advantage is robbed by the frame weight and the gearing.

Your biggest chain ring is likely to be 44 tooth where as a road set will be between 50 and 53, so less pedaling for more speed.

The thinner fork profile also reduces some of the "tizz" from the handle bars.

[maddog.mark]

I've been thinking about a road bike... not sure I can afford it at the moment. Like the demo idea, might see what sort of response I get.

[digitalfailure]

I can heartily recommend the Trek OCLV range are :love:

I borrowed a friends bike and i must say it was hard to give back. The cruising speed Vs effort is astounding.

When i get to old for bouncing about on my Intense Tracer i'll be switching over to a carbon road bike.

[maddog.mark]

I can heartily recommend the Trek OCLV range are :love:

I borrowed a friends bike and i must say it was hard to give back. The cruising speed Vs effort is astounding.

When i get to old for bouncing about on my Intense Tracer i'll be switching over to a carbon road bike.

They look great, I fear the price tag may cause my bank manager to think otherwise:D

[digitalfailure]

lol :D

[BeHappy]

Do the 100....youve talked yourself into it before you posted!!

(Then enter the iron man next time)

[maddog.mark]

Looks like the 100 then, thanks for the advice and support.:)

[theMusicMan]

No probs, go for it and the best of luck.

[Matt Sayle]

Do the 100!! Best of luck for it!

[maddog.mark]

Yep this Sunday I'll try and haul myself around 100 miles of Norfolk Countryside on a bicycle. :eek:

I got a few good training rides before hand, including 40 miles into a headwind of 25mph..... I've never had to peddle downhill to go 9mph before and it's no fun. :shake:

One of the main reasons for me doing this is to support the British Heart Foundation, my father has had a history of heart problems so I have a personal interest in investing in the BHF.

The course runs from Norwich out to Reepham and then Blakeney to Felbrigg and down into the Broads before finally finishing in Norwich. I hope to do it in 9 hours if I can. Hopefully my family will meet me at 50 and 100 so I'll make sure the camera meets me too and you can see me in various states of exhaustion. Anyway I must be nuts:cuckoo: so wish me luck.

[digitalfailure]

theres no hills in Norfolk :eek: , just a few ripples

100 miles will pass in no time :thumbs:

[sportysnaps]

mark well done for giving it a go - in 2002 i gave up smoking and started training 13 months later i finshed my first ironman triathlon in Lanzarote (2.4mile swim 112mile cycle 26 mile run)- i then followed that with 5 more ironman triathlons in three years together with three half ironmans and 3 marathons.
before giving it all up to spend more time photographing other sill buggers doing the same!!

a few tips
1) eat and drink all day
2) suncream or rain jacket depending on weather
3)take it really easy for the first hour
4) check and recheck your bike - and carry spare tyres
5) stay safe - watch the riders around you and give each other space

good luck

[maddog.mark]

theres no hills in Norfolk :eek: , just a few ripples

100 miles will pass in no time :thumbs:

LOL then why are there cliffs?..


We like to think of Norfolk as gently undulating:D the fens it ain't.


Sportysnaps, :notworthy: that's impressive, well done:thumbs:

[digitalfailure]

snowdonia has hills......the lakes have hills.......the peaks have hills......most of scotland has hills

norfolk has ripples

;)

[ekimeno]

Have to 2nd getting a road bike for riding on the road. Doing it on a mountain bike will take you up to 2 x longer... Even a cheap 2nd hand aluminium job will do - just make sure you're running 700c wheels on 23mm tyres - you'll fly through those 100-miles.

[tappilappi]

Just checked out Marks' online sponsorship page - I'm sure we can squeeze a few more donations onto it? :bat: :bat: :bat:
Every little helps. :) :) :)

[maddog.mark]

snowdonia has hills......the lakes have hills.......the peaks have hills......most of scotland has hills

norfolk has ripples

;)


I don't like ripples, much less hills:lol:

[maddog.mark]

Just checked out Marks' online sponsorship page - I'm sure we can squeeze a few more donations onto it? :bat: :bat: :bat:
Every little helps. :) :) :)

Thanks for the donation Tappi:thumbs:

[badgerbaiter]

if you can do 50 easily, then theres no point in doing 50

[maddog.mark]

if you can do 50 easily, then theres no point in doing 50

Very true, so I'm doing the 100, it's only twice as far:eek::)

[Moadib]

If you've been cycling regularly in the past, our muscles will pick it up fine for the 100. If not, and still fairly new, I'd recommend going the 50. It's really miserable to hit the wall and still have a ways to go.

Well done either way, laudable effort!

[maddog.mark]

thanks Moadib, I'm doing the 100 it's decided.... not looking forward to the last 30, everyone tells me they are hell.

[foz]

I cycled for about 2 miles yesterday.. Im saddle sore and it killed me..

good luck with the 100 *** chap, is it 100 miles straight or do you get to the 50mile mark and then turn around?

[maddog.mark]

Foz, it's a crircular route with a manadatory 30minute break at 50 miles. Thanks for the support:thumbs:

[photon]

Have you got lycra padded shorts and skintights? The chamois padding (usually artificial these days) is usually greased - you can spend a bomb on a tube of stuff or use lanolin (mix in some vaseline to make it less sticky).

If it rains your energy could soon be sapped, so don't be tempted to ride in a short-sleeved jersey unless you've got some armwarmers.

[tarmac_chaser]

Good luck tomorrow. Given that it's in Norfolk and a circuit course I think there won't be too much along the way unexpected.

Make sure you stay hydrated and eat regularly, and keep warm. If you're suffering look out for a group and tag along to take the pressure off a little

[maddog.mark]

thanks t_c there's three of us riding together, and one of them rides seriously and does the 100 every year. He's going to be pacing us around so hopefully all we go well.

Got to admit I'm a bit nervous about it know, just want to get is started. We're leaving for Norwich at 6.15 tomorrow morning and will be setting off about 7.30am.

Thanks everyone for the advice and words of support, and in the case of tappi the donation. I set up the online page, but haven't done much with it.