Endurance

douglasaboveaseaoffog

douglasaboveaseaoffog

Member
I am doing a 10k mile ride this summer for the first time ever, and first time over 5k miles in 20 years. I am concerned about my own endurance. I did a short 2k trip last fall and didn't have any days over 500 miles. This trip I have several 500-600 mile days in a row, and even a couple of 700 mile days. I'm 57 and am in good health. Just looking for pointers on endurance. I am riding a 2016 BMW R1200GS.

Oh, and for trivial interest, my fall trip was from San Francisco to Blaine, WA. No plans for me to do the other three corners, but Iron Butt came to mind when I was there.
 
Have you read the IBA 25 tips list?

The GS has good ergos. 600 miles is a relaxed 12 hour riding day with a nice lunch stop and end of day with enough time to relax before dinner. Start early as the day allows and relax and enjoy the ride, take some pictures and hydrate. If you think about taking a drink, take a drink. That’s your body’s way of telling you it’s needed. Consider setting up a method to drink while riding. Many small sips are much better than larger drinks at few stops in terms of maintaining hydration.

Are you on someone else’s time line for the ride? Or are your daily miles based on your available time frame for the trip?
 
EricV said:
Have you read the IBA 25 tips list?

The GS has good ergos. 600 miles is a relaxed 12 hour riding day with a nice lunch stop and end of day with enough time to relax before dinner. Start early as the day allows and relax and enjoy the ride, take some pictures and hydrate. If you think about taking a drink, take a drink. That’s your body’s way of telling you it’s needed. Consider setting up a method to drink while riding. Many small sips are much better than larger drinks at few stops in terms of maintaining hydration.

Are you on someone else’s time line for the ride? Or are your daily miles based on your available time frame for the trip?
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THANKS!!! It is partially dictated by needing to be places and part me. I'll read the tips list.
 
It may not apply to your trip, but I have done trips where I planned every hotel stop and made reservations, and also done free form trips where I just stopped when I felt like it each day. Both had good and bad experiences. I like knowing I had a room at the end of the day w/o any concern about unknowns. But it also meant no leeway in my travel plans too. OTOH, the free form trips allowed me to stop and do things some days and only travel 120 miles, or ride more miles than expected on other days simple because things were going smoothly and I wasn’t finding anything to stop for.

When you have a dedicated timeline, you need to be prepared for weather changes too. Depending on your gear, refresh it and apply DWR, or pull out that rain suit/liners and make sure it’s still in good condition, fits, and you remember to pack it where you can quickly get to it.
 
douglasaboveaseaoffog said:
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This trip I have several 500-600 mile days in a row, and even a couple of 700 mile days. I'm 57 and am in good health. Just looking for pointers on endurance. I am riding a 2016 BMW R1200GS.
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douglasaboveaseaoffog said:
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It is partially dictated by needing to be places and part me. I'll read the tips list.
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So, great comments from @EricV on the tips, as a lot of your concerns will be addressed there.

My hope is that those 700 mile days are reasonably early on your ride. This is where the tips list will be invaluable. If you're really not used to cracking off a 600 or 700 mile day, they can really become fatiguing - mentally, maybe more than physically.

Best of luck to ya, Douglas!
 
EricV said:
Have you read the IBA 25 tips list?

The GS has good ergos. 600 miles is a relaxed 12 hour riding day with a nice lunch stop and end of day with enough time to relax before dinner. Start early as the day allows and relax and enjoy the ride, take some pictures and hydrate. If you think about taking a drink, take a drink. That’s your body’s way of telling you it’s needed. Consider setting up a method to drink while riding. Many small sips are much better than larger drinks at few stops in terms of maintaining hydration.

Are you on someone else’s time line for the ride? Or are your daily miles based on your available time frame for the trip?
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Thanks for the tips. The first one is sobering -- know your limits.

"On day seven of a trip, the typical long distance rider will comfortably ride about 65% of the average daily mileage that they would book on a two day trip."

"The ability to make miles tends to decrease as the length of the trip increases. The most severe loss is in days 3 through 7, where Iron Butt types then level out to about 65% of their peak capacity."

Yikes! I've got a 50-day trip. I do have a few 500-mile days in a row that I might need to rethink into 300-mile days. I do have some awesome places to ride through - Joshua Tree, Rockies into Denver, Hill Country outside San Antonio, Smokies (including the Dragon's Tail), Dan'l Boone NF in KY, Badlands/Black Hills/Devils Tower, Lolo Pass, Yellowstone/Tetons.

But those long distances on the freeway getting from Albuqureque to San Antonio, San Antonio to New Orleans; New Orleans to Savannah. Then on the return flight, getting from Madison WI to the Badlands on a 10-hour merciless stretch. These are the worrisome parts.

For constant hydration, is a Camelback the preferred method? I had one for bicycling 25 years ago. Basically a bag of water and a long straw.
 
Don’t include the slow, twisty sections in the long days, if you can help it. Things like the Tail of the Dragon really, really suck time. Especially when you get stuck in traffic.

Lolo Pass - Watch out for the fisherman in the mornings, and the float trailers later in the day. Early morning is best, just ducks and a few fishermen to deal with.

Yellowstone/Tetons - huge traffic mess much of the time during the tourist season. Do not pet the nice Bison!

Don’t wear your water if you can help it. Strap to a pannier top, put it in a tank bag, pillion seat area, etc. Or just make up a hydration jug from cheap stuff at the Walmart and Home Depot/Lowes. Some fittings, plastic freezer tubing and a bite valve plus.a cheap half gallon jug. You can remove a footpeg rubber and bolt a cheap thrift store pan/pot to the peg that the jug fits in. A bungie or strap to hold it in place and your done. I’ve made up several over the years including one for a GSA for my wife using her preferred 1 gal Bubba Keg. I just use cheap jugs from ebay or walmart.

In this crowd, you’re talking about a 10 day trip. You’re taking 50 days, so consider the “what if’s” of those places you need to be. What if you’re late? Can you work your route or schedule to give yourself shorter days? Plan on what to do or skip if you’re running late or know a couple of days before that you need to get someplace on time and have to cover the distance in limited time.

Usually we suggest riders work up to doing a long day. If it’s been a while since your last 500 mile day, or you’ve never done it on this bike, find the time to go for a 300+ mile ride and see what bothers you, if anything. Fix what bothers you, go for a longer ride. Continue until you’re comfortable cranking out 700 mile days.

Some reading on hydration systems that will give you some ideas. LINK. LINK2. LINK3. LINK4. LINK5. LINK6
 
I'm not certain the goal for the OP (other than hitting a *lot* of places in two months...), but when I planned a *portion* of an Iron Butt National Park Master tour (>50 locations in > 25 states in one year), the fine point on that ride was getting to any given location, get the stamp, take the time (ten minutes to three hours) to experience the location, and move onto the next location.

@EricV is right, when you're used to cracking off a 500 or 600 mile day, those 300 mile days *and* the time off the bike, feels pretty good.

When that hydration system is installed (secure, reliable...) and operational, those days become a LOT easier, especially as spring turns to summer.
 
At your age, I free formed a 26K, 48 state trip over a 4 month period on a V-Star 650 and found out I didn't need much. How I packed the bike changed. Some days were short and others I'd drive all night. I only slept in a hotel twice and in a tent in a campground about a third of the time. Mostly to wash clothes and take a shower. The rest of the time I just found a free dispursed camping spot and layed down next to my bike under the stars. Even though I kept food and water on me at all times, just in case, I'd eat something out of the gas station or connected to said station unless something really peaked my interest. At gas stops I'd usually buy two waters and slam one down and place the other in the bottle holder I have attached to the handlebars and sip on it to the next fuel stop. If I needed coffee, I stop and drink the coffee. I figured if I needed coffee, I needed the break. There is so much to see in this country if you just get off the interstates. My goal was to visit each of the 48 states and earn the National Parks Master Traveler award in the process. Best trip of my life. I agree about hitting the Tail of the Dragon early. I rode it early in the morning when there was just enough light to see without needing my headlight, in both directions before the idiots woke up.

The bottom line is for you to do you. Short day, long day, or no day (I had one or two of those too).
 
Russ Black said:
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The bottom line is for you to do you. Short day, long day, or no day (I had one or two of those too).
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Great point, Russ!

This organization prides itself with being able to do some intense miles over a long period of time - measured in days, weeks, and months.

There is certainly something to be said for a low (or no) mileage day as you note. Again, it totally depends on the goals of any given ride.

Sometimes, it's nice to sleep in, goof off a bit, get laundry accomplished...a small amount of bike maintenance - the list is whatever you think it needs to be.

Ten or fifteen years ago, it was also the time that postcards were written, then taken to the post office, so people would know where you were and what you were seeing - remember, in the days before satellite tracking was common and affordable.

Now, it simply might be taking the time to upload some images to (pick your favorite social media spot here ) along with a bit of time to write up the story that explains why the 'police' icon showed up, rather than the 'sightseeing' icon you meant to hit, as you were on a ride.
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Blogging a ride, while actually on a ride, is a bit of a challenge in itself.
 
@kwthom - I think you meant 30 or 40 years ago when postcards were written. ;) In the pre cellphone days you would just be gone, or would use a pay phone to check in every few days if it was really important. Most people just accepted you were “on a trip”, thus they wouldn’t hear from you until you got back. Now if you don’t show up on your “socials” for a day, they call 911. o_O
 
EricV said:
@kwthom - I think you meant 30 or 40 years ago when postcards were written. ;) In the pre cellphone days you would just be gone, or would use a pay phone to check in every few days if it was really important. Most people just accepted you were “on a trip”, thus they wouldn’t hear from you until you got back. Now if you don’t show up on your “socials” for a day, they call 911. o_O
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It was 2007 that we did our first significant tour - and, yeah, did send a couple of postcards to my folks' place, because they were just getting started with technology and was using free dial-up at that time.

Pretty soon after understanding that, yes, photos can be sent to you (via e-mail), they relented and actually ponied up for DSL service.
 
kwthom said:
Ten or fifteen years ago, it was also the time that postcards were written, then taken to the post office, so people would know where you were and what you were seeing - remember, in the days before satellite tracking was common and affordable.
Click to expand...

Ten or fifteen years ago was 2010-2015... SPOT was readily available and, relatively affordable. Did you mean twenty or twenty-five years ago? (Insert previously available smiley guy here)
 
kwthom said:
<...>
Blogging a ride, while actually on a ride, is a bit of a challenge in itself.
Click to expand...

Stephen! said:
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Every now and then I will read through it again and invariably come across something that makes me laugh or say "I had forgotten about that...." :-D
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...neglected the qualifier for me, thought I did write 'em up later:

kwthom.blogspot.com

National Parks Tour - Preparation

Nat'l Parks Tour ride preparation commentary. Planning the ride & hopefully how the ride turns out.
kwthom.blogspot.com kwthom.blogspot.com

kwthom.blogspot.com

Atomic 1000 Saddlesore Ride

When I travel for leisure, I mainly travel by motorcycle. This blog is where the most memorable trips and photos are recorded for when I'm old Enjoy!
kwthom.blogspot.com kwthom.blogspot.com

kwthom.blogspot.com

Prepare for a "Bucket List" Ride!

When I travel for leisure, I mainly travel by motorcycle. This blog is where the most memorable trips and photos are recorded for when I'm old Enjoy!
kwthom.blogspot.com kwthom.blogspot.com
 
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