600km Charity Ride - Any last minute advice

[Marcus2526]

I'm due to start a 600km charity cycle ride from Dusseldorf in Germany to Newbury next week. We are doing this over 5 days. Does anybody have any last minute advice.

[anonymous-user]

Assos Chamois Cream

you should have a preference for food and energy drinks if you have been training for it, a bento box on your top tube is an ideal way of keeping fuelled up as it wil lcatch your eye more often than stuff in your saddlebag or your pockets. drink when you are not thirsty, eat when you are not hungry. keep fuelled up and you wont bonk.

[JPJ]

As mentioned above, chamois cream is your friend. Also, get out of the shorts as soon as you can when you've finished riding for the day and get cleaned up - and use clean shorts the next day if possible.

[Vytalis]

Plenty of water just before you go to bed each night - will stop the mild muscle cramp you tend to get on multiple day stuff.

Consciously use low gears on the early hills - treat the first 10-20k like a warm up and get the blood flowing. Nothing worse than pushing hard on cold muscles and then regretting it the following day or later in the day.

Also (and this sounds strange), if you are getting towards hitting the wall, try changing pace upwards for a mile or so - breaks the body out of a bit of a rut. It worked for me on some of the tougher (hillier) 200k audaxes I did.

[crisisjez]

Cycle on the right for the majority of the ride
Seriously though good luck and well done. Whats the route and your expected eta close to Reading/Basingstoke and if poss will turn out to cheer you on

[Marcus2526]

All, Thank you so much for the advice and I will try to remember and do as many as possible. Will be buying a top tube bag as well, as I can see that as a great idea. Chamois cream has been purchased as I'm sure will be needed.

The route and we can be followed on the following blog site incase your interested http://bigmoyoride.wordpress.com/

[Marcus2526]

Riding a Trek 2.1 road bike. Planning on cycling at 20 kph, averaging 120KM a day.

[rhinochopig]

Get in some training rides quick

Or visit Doctor Ferrari for some of his famous vitamin pep pills.

[rhinochopig]

swerni said:

what tyres are you running?

I would be going for comfort over performance

Like you have an option

[crisisjez]

I'm off the 24th and as you are passing a couple of miles from my front door in Hook I shall try to cheer you on if you have a rough eta .

[DrMekon]

600km in 5 days? You know that distance is a standard audax distance, right? I've done it in 32hrs (inc 4hrs sleep) and 36hrs (inc 2.5hrs sleep - over the Brecon Beacons and back in the middle of the night). 5 days is a long time to stretch it over. I'd prefer to get it done if that was an option quickly if that was an option. Very few people fail to get 600km audaxes done within the 40hr time limit.

I realise 600km over 5 days makes it a different proposition, but you should get some good tips from Kent Peterson's ride accounts. Just read all the 600km ones.

http://bit.ly/LRywEH

My tips would be keep pedalling, eating and drinking. If you feels something chafing, fix it sooner rather than later. Change position regularly - don't ignore numbness. Don't stop - you will feel worse when you restart. Better to drop down a gear and keep pootling.

Should be great fun.

Edited by DrMekon on Wednesday 16th May 12:46

[Marcus2526]

Jez, that would be great thanks, will keep you informed, I would think sometime bewteen 11 - 12, but willl let you know as we see what are pace actually is.

DrMekon, I didn't know that the distance is a standrad audax distance. The reason for the long time scale is to make it enjoyable for everybody doing it, some who have not been on a bike for 10 plus years until recently. Thanks for the tips will take note.

[DrMekon]

Are you going to have a support van? If not, it here's my kit for when I do a 400 / 600km event.

Spare folding tyre
2x spare tubes
puncture repair kit
3x tyre levers
spare SPD cleats/bolts
spare seatpost bolt
spare gear cable
spare canti hanger cable
spare brake cable
emergency fibre spoke
spare brake blocks
crank bros multi tool
4x aa, 4 x aaa batteries
Ixon IQ spare light
3x phone batteries
Rain jacket
Rain legs (waterproof chaps)
spare socks
Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen gel
Bepanthen
Rennees
Hi5 electrolyte tablets
earplugs
Wallet
3x 9bars
Cable lock
mini-movement alarm

[crisisjez]

Marcus2526 said:

Jez, that would be great thanks, will keep you informed, I would think sometime bewteen 11 - 12, but willl let you know as we see what are pace actually is.

I'll think of some way you can recognise me and if you need anything you can't carry just say. ( a cooked whole Chicken springs to mind for some reason)