Am I planning too much?
- Thread starter TVLR67
- Start date
If you are asking, you have your own doubts. Ask yourself why? Chew on that a bit and see if you can mitigate the reasons you have doubts.
Otherwise, back to back 1000 mile days isn't that big a deal if you're planning on doing it. Many riders run day one of a 50CC as a BBG, then knock out the remaining day at SS1K pace. That and your planned rest days should set you up well for a BBG back home.
Otherwise, back to back 1000 mile days isn't that big a deal if you're planning on doing it. Many riders run day one of a 50CC as a BBG, then knock out the remaining day at SS1K pace. That and your planned rest days should set you up well for a BBG back home.
I wouldn't say that I have doubts per se. I'm mainly reaching out for knowledge. I have no one in my circle of riders who I can ask for input. I get tired of the blank stares and bobble-headed nods . So I thought I would reach out here - to riders who have done some or all of the rides. The individual rides are easy to plan. Mainly looking at the stacking multiple challenges over several days.
Part of long distance riding is being able to self assess. Learning your 'tells' about fatigue and knowing when to call it and stop the ride. Only you can really make that determination. You've done other rides, these really aren't any different. On your rest days you will be able to determine how much a ride took out of you, or didn't, and if you should do the next ride.
I would suggest you listen to your body and if you're dreading getting back on the bike for the next ride, don't. Enjoy all of the riding you do. Sometimes it's just not 'right' or fun and that means stopping early or changing the plan.
Your combined rides are still far less stressful than an average IBR ride. People run hard day after day and stay on the bike and moving. I can't say what you're planning is too much w/o having ridden with you and knowing what you're capable of and how you manage your fatigue and sleep.
I would suggest you listen to your body and if you're dreading getting back on the bike for the next ride, don't. Enjoy all of the riding you do. Sometimes it's just not 'right' or fun and that means stopping early or changing the plan.
Your combined rides are still far less stressful than an average IBR ride. People run hard day after day and stay on the bike and moving. I can't say what you're planning is too much w/o having ridden with you and knowing what you're capable of and how you manage your fatigue and sleep.
Interesting plan and good idea asking for input. For many of us in the asylum, 6600 miles in 8 days is not a problem with many able to do 8k or more over 8 days. But it does matter how those miles are spread across those 8 days with the ride / rest cycle. My question is centered on finishing the week with a BBG. IMO, the BBG is one heck of a hard ride and will exhaust a majority of us with a select few able to do back to back BBGs. So, after a week of hard riding, will you have anything left in the tank to pull off 22.5-23 hours of a straight ride? Since you are still in planning mode, perhaps there is an opportunity to move that BBG earlier in the week, then get solid rest before continuing with the rest of the ride. I do believe our ability to perform endurance riding is dimensioned over time / days of back to back riding.
Too much planning - No never! You have plenty of time to plan yet only 1-week to complete the ride. Plan, plan, plan the ride, then ride the plan. Best of luck!
Too much planning - No never! You have plenty of time to plan yet only 1-week to complete the ride. Plan, plan, plan the ride, then ride the plan. Best of luck!
I would add to Eric's comment that even if you can do back-to-back 1,000-mile days for as long as you want, there may come a time when you cannot do half that in one day. Illness, medication, stress, or just plain having a miserable day can lead you to the point where you cannot safely complete the ride, or you start asking yourself "why am I doing this?"
Case in point, I've completed 4 Iron Butt Rallies and more 800 - 1000-mile days than I can count. As a ride in to the IBA banquet in Jacksonville a few years ago I was planning on a SS3K. I left Philly in rain, my right heated glove quite working and as I rode south on I-81 temps got colder rather than warmer until I hit TN. Near Nashville I rode through a thunderstorm with imbedded tornados (found that out later) and my Blue Tooth headset quit working. Stopped for the night east of Nashville at just under 1,000 miles, and when I left on day two my headset was till not working, I was miserable, and tired to the point that I was pulling over every 20 minutes for a short break. It started raining again as I entered Oklahoma and when I pulled into a rest stop for a break, I had the revelation: "Why am I doing this if it's not fun?" I rode the 20 miles to the closest hotel, took a shower, and slept until 11am the next day. That was the first IBA ride I did not finish due to non-mechanical issues.
Lastly, I also bailed on the Hoka Hey in 2021 because of internal stress caused by some family health issues.
The moral of this long-winded answer is to know when to say when as Eric stated, this is supposed to be fun and if it isn't then it's time to reevaluate what you are doing.
Other than that, be safe and have fun!
Case in point, I've completed 4 Iron Butt Rallies and more 800 - 1000-mile days than I can count. As a ride in to the IBA banquet in Jacksonville a few years ago I was planning on a SS3K. I left Philly in rain, my right heated glove quite working and as I rode south on I-81 temps got colder rather than warmer until I hit TN. Near Nashville I rode through a thunderstorm with imbedded tornados (found that out later) and my Blue Tooth headset quit working. Stopped for the night east of Nashville at just under 1,000 miles, and when I left on day two my headset was till not working, I was miserable, and tired to the point that I was pulling over every 20 minutes for a short break. It started raining again as I entered Oklahoma and when I pulled into a rest stop for a break, I had the revelation: "Why am I doing this if it's not fun?" I rode the 20 miles to the closest hotel, took a shower, and slept until 11am the next day. That was the first IBA ride I did not finish due to non-mechanical issues.
Lastly, I also bailed on the Hoka Hey in 2021 because of internal stress caused by some family health issues.
The moral of this long-winded answer is to know when to say when as Eric stated, this is supposed to be fun and if it isn't then it's time to reevaluate what you are doing.
Other than that, be safe and have fun!
What Chris has to say is important. You're hearing it from a skilled and experienced rider. 'Your head needs to be in the game' is an old, trite, saying but it applies to what we do, particularly if you are new to this.
In my case I bailed on an SS1K many years ago due to poor preparation. In another case, a multi day rally, I had to make a conscious decision to simply try for 'finisher status' rather than a higher score. In the second case it was chronic (minor) health issues that slowed me down.
In my case I bailed on an SS1K many years ago due to poor preparation. In another case, a multi day rally, I had to make a conscious decision to simply try for 'finisher status' rather than a higher score. In the second case it was chronic (minor) health issues that slowed me down.
Last edited:
Sometimes it just comes down to not enjoying the ride. I have bailed on a simple SS1K ride just because it didn't feel right to me and I wasn't enjoying it. I got a room, slept for 6 hours and rode home. The original plan was to do an SS1K ride to an event that I wanted to go to. In the end, it wasn't worth risking myself just to push on when things didn't feel right.
I can echo Eric's [and others] posts. Only you can recognize and understand what your body tells you.
Case in point. I'm an old fart with some health issues that have kept me off bikes for a L O N G while - following doctors orders. A few months ago, doc and I had a discussion the end result of was - use your own best judgement.
The next time weather was decent, I got 400+ miles in - Albuquerque and then back home. The 200+ miles there was great, no stops, generally the back roads and some twisties through the mountains. Good times indeed.
Decided on the same route home. Every 50 miles I had to stop and take a breather. Certainly not the kind of ride I was used to.
I'm now gradually moving forward and stretching my rides out again - but I still have to pay close attention to how I'm handling it.
The point is, only you can determine whether you're fit to "ride the ride" you plan, and constantly evaluating your ability to continue the ride is the key to your safety.
Ride if you feel like you want to continue - stop when your body suggests it's a good idea.
Case in point. I'm an old fart with some health issues that have kept me off bikes for a L O N G while - following doctors orders. A few months ago, doc and I had a discussion the end result of was - use your own best judgement.
The next time weather was decent, I got 400+ miles in - Albuquerque and then back home. The 200+ miles there was great, no stops, generally the back roads and some twisties through the mountains. Good times indeed.
Decided on the same route home. Every 50 miles I had to stop and take a breather. Certainly not the kind of ride I was used to.
I'm now gradually moving forward and stretching my rides out again - but I still have to pay close attention to how I'm handling it.
The point is, only you can determine whether you're fit to "ride the ride" you plan, and constantly evaluating your ability to continue the ride is the key to your safety.
Ride if you feel like you want to continue - stop when your body suggests it's a good idea.