Cycling beginner 50miles a day for 4 days in summer

Saab_2015 · December 2016

Hi Guys, I'm planning to cycle the Danube in may which is about 200 miles flat.

I have not cycled properly before and have been told on a flat half decent bike rental 50 miles a day is about right.

Any advice if you are a regular cyclist on a training plan.

I'm am in average fitness and have recently purchased cycling shorts.

Many thanks in advance

sijomial · December 2016

Getting plenty of time in the saddle is going to be crucial, 50 miles a day isn't too bad in itself but four consecutive days does mean comfort and recovery is very important so you enjoy not endure the experience. (It sounds like a great trip!)
I assume you have a bike for your training?

British Heart Foundation has some well designed programs for different experience levels:
https://www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/events/training-zone/cycling-training-zone/cycling-training-schedule

The Surrey Cycleway has some lovely signposted routes, maps available from the Surrey County Council website (I'm in Surrey too BTW).
Sustrans.org is also good for finding good cycle routes.
The Strava app is good for tracking your rides and motivational for tracking improvements.

Cycle shorts were a good start. There's quite a difference in quality and you do tend to get what you pay for, I swear by the Castelli brand for my long rides. Now is a great time to shop (Wiggle, Evans Cycles, Ribble Cycles all having clearance sales).
Chamois cream also helps comfort and prevent soreness. Good quality cycle clothing makes a big difference.
Would recommend cleated cycle shoes too.

Personally I would take my own saddle on the trip.

Be prepared for punctures (spare tubes/levers/patches/pump).

AmandaDanceMore · December 2016

The one thing I always find with cycling is that if you do it with any amount of consistency, you can get fairly strong fairly quickly, particularly if you're already kinda fit to begin with. This doesn't mean you'll be Tour de France fit and fast, but you should find that you can do the mileage pretty easily. I would be sure to plan your weekends around two longer rides Saturday and Sunday, as you start training, so that you can get a feel for how you will feel stringing some longer days in a row.

Good cycling shorts, chamois butter, and a properly fitting bike and seat that suits your conformation are VITAL to your comfort! As much, if not even more so than the fitness.

SingingSingleTracker · December 2016

Saab_2015 wrote: »

Hi Guys, I'm planning to cycle the Danube in may which is about 200 miles flat.

I have not cycled properly before and have been told on a flat half decent bike rental 50 miles a day is about right.

Any advice if you are a regular cyclist on a training plan.

I'm am in average fitness and have recently purchased cycling shorts.

Many thanks in advance

You'll be fine with some weekly miles under your rear leading up to it. You really won't need to train too much outside of your normal riding, maybe on a few weekends leading up to your trip, do some Saturday and Sunday 25 - 45 mile ride combinations, and then the week before you go back way off so you taper into it.

Don't forget, it is slightly downhill all the way (how do you think rivers run?) if you are heading from Passau to Vienna. I used to live in Vienna and rode that bike path all the time in both directions. It's a beautiful ride with lots of great restaurants, bars, vineyards, B&B's, and places to stop along the way. Do drink the wine in the Wachau region (dry Riesling and Grüner Veltliner). Do eat the fresh fish from the Donau. Do have a blast. It gets very crowded in both directions in the summer, so do have a bell on your bike to alert anyone you are passing. It's absolutely bucket list material in terms of doing at least once for the ride, scenery, culture, food, wine, and fun.

Are you carrying your own gear, or is some tour company hauling it from overnight stop to overnight stop?

I would post some pictures for you, but every time I try to post a picture my posts get sent to a moderator and take days to get posted. I'll post this, and then follow up with a post of a couple of pictures.

SingingSingleTracker · December 2016

SingingSingleTracker wrote: »

I'll post this, and then follow up with a post of a couple of pictures.

As promised, some photos. These are from June of 2013. The path along the Donau (Danube) is very, very beginner friendly. A lot of retired people ride it every summer (lots of Germans and Austrians).

I thought I had more pictures, but that's all I could find.

daweasel · January 2017

I know you said you bought shorts, but make sure your shorts and saddle are right for you! I ride two bikes with different saddles (one is more an endurance set up that I commute on, the other is my nicer bike for most of my training, leisure rides and racing) and have a few different pairs of shorts. If I wear a particular pair of shorts on the older bike I can barely stand 40km, but in those shorts I did 160+km in on the other bike two days ago. Partly to do with the width of the saddle and bulk/shape of the chamois. Different shorts on the old bike are no problem though. Seriously, if you're not comfortable it'll suck.

It's probably also worth getting a good feel for how much you need to eat while you're riding per hour, which might not be anything much if you're just cruising along but it's a bit individual and depends on how hard the ride is for you.

You have quite a while to prepare. I would suggest building up so that 50-60 miles feels like a very comfortable distance, and getting your weekly training volume up over that 200 mile mark a few weeks before, but make sure you have a couple of days beforehand to be well rested and recovered. I would not think you'd need to go out and ride 50 miles for four days to feel prepared, but perhaps two days in a row give it a go, or for a few days in a row ride 40 or so, so you get a feel for how well you'll handle it, how you might need to pace yourself, and how well you recover.

I'm a cyclist, but by no means an expert, but that's probably what I'd do to prepare if I was in your place.

SingingSingleTracker · January 2017

Just a reminder, the ride along the Danube is flat to slightly downhill the entire way. You can coast most of the way when heading from Germany to the southeast along it. Tons of places to stop and eat/snack along the trail. 50 miles per day in those conditions doesn't tax one very much at all if they've got some saddle time in prior to the 4 day bike trip.

If one wanted to check out a training plan for riding consecutive 50-80 miles per day for a week involving lots of hills, here's a link to the training plan/suggestions by Coach David Ertl on how to train for RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) which is done by 20,000 people every year. It's a lot more grueling than cruising along the Danube bike trail, and would certainly be overkill training wise for the Danube ride. However, it gives an idea of how to prepare for consecutive multiple day rides of 3-5 hours: http://ragbrai.com/2016/03/05/2016-ragbrai-annual-training-plan/

Having ridden RAGBRAI multiple times (including with my wife and kids who did little to no training), the Danube trail more times than I can count, lots of bike trails in Germany, and having done a week riding last summer in the Chianti region of Italy on roads (long, long climbs there) in the heat of summer averaging 50-70 miles per day - I can honestly say the Danube ride is about as tame as it gets on a bike. It's perfect for the OP and a newbie on a bike to give longer miles a try.

The OP simply needs to get some saddle time in and build up a base of miles between now and their trip. Whether that is outside on a bike, on a spin bike in a gym, an exercise bike in a gym, a trainer in the basement - it all adds up and builds a base and gets the backside adjusted to sitting on a saddle for several hours per day.

Saab_2015 · January 2017

Thanks guys for all your comments I feel much better about it. I am cycling in may so I will try to get out most weekends and build up the distance while continuing my normal stuff. I'm going to rent a bike so will try to take my own seat. I'm there for 8 nights but if I can do it in 4nights 5 days I can have a few days sightseeing.

MelanieCN77 · January 2017

I don't have any advice but that sounds awesome.

Machka9 · January 2017

Saab_2015 wrote: »

Hi Guys, I'm planning to cycle the Danube in may which is about 200 miles flat.

I have not cycled properly before and have been told on a flat half decent bike rental 50 miles a day is about right.

Any advice if you are a regular cyclist on a training plan.

I'm am in average fitness and have recently purchased cycling shorts.

Many thanks in advance

Get ahold of a bicycle ... start cycling ... gradually build up.

meritage4 · January 2017

what a great rip for you! Ride lots in preparation so on the holiday it is a breezy and you wont be sore and tired!

rileysowner · January 2017

As has been said, most of the preparation is simply getting time on a bike. One of the reasons I went to a cycle trainer for my off season rather than an exercise bike was that it meant I was using the same bike, sitting on the same saddle all year. Now I don't have the spring sore bottom because I am no used to sitting on the bike regularly for long periods of time. In short, get out and ride.

Saab_2015 · November 2017

Just a quick update - trip was amazing - path was great - rented bike seemed better than the one I got at home. Would highly recommend it to all beginners and recreational cyclist.

Cycling beginner 50miles a day for 4 days in summer

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