127 mile canal ride for charity training suggestions

[Pjays666]

Hi all I will be doing the leeds liverpool canal for charity around may time. I will be doing this over three days any suggestions to training or nutrition would be welcome. I am a novice cyclist having only been back on a bike since September however the bug is biting so hoping to shed a few stone in the process. Thanks in advance.

 

[Rob500]

PJ6's. Well done for aiming for this goal.
127 miles over 3 days. Right now riding 40 odd miles in one day might seem monumental but you can do it.
The only training you need is to go out and ride your bike.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

The answer is no more difficult than riding your bike.

 

[oldfatfool]

As above, just get time in the saddle to acclimatise your bum. By the time it comes to do this you will probably find that 40+miles in one day on the flat is relatively easy. As for nutrition I am sure there will be plenty of cafes along the route for cake stops maybe carry a couple of bananas and some flapjack. Also have a coupe of full bidons on the bike to keep hydrated.

 

[vernon]

Get some miles in and it will be a breeze. I went from being unable to walk to the end of my street and back to doing a three and a half day 130 mile coast to coast bike ride within three and a half months of getting a bike. Try to pick a dry time for the canal ride as chunks of the tow path become quagmires in wet weather. Forty miles per day should prove to be a very comfortable pace.

It's not a particularly scenic ride and be prepared to fend off aggressive geese and swans.

 

[Globalti]

Over this distance bike setup and saddle comfort will really matter so you need to get that sorted.

Don't attempt it on knobbly tyres; slicks will be much faster.

 

[MarkF]

I spend a lot of my cycling time on the canal and have done it's full length more than once.

It's relative easy and you have plenty of time to build up your miles. No need for special nutrition and you are never far from food and drink. I would definitely not use slicks, it's too slippy and grassy in places and too rough in others, I've used Marathon Plus's and the last time I used an old MTB fitted with Bell (Asda £10 each) city tyres, these were an ideal compromise.

If possible, avoid Skipton/Leeds on a weekend, the Keighley to Apperley Bridge stretch can get very congested

 

[Easytigers]

Just get out there as said...if possible do some of the sections of the ride before hand, it'l make you feel more confident on the day and you'll have a good idea of the terrain (only saying this as a friend and I took the easy route home the other day, following a canal path and it was really tough going...we though it would be well maintained and gravel strewn...oh how we were wrong!!!)
Most important have fun and enjoy being out in the fresh air getting fitter!

 

[headcoat]

Not tried this route myself, but regularly ride canals on my commute. The track will probably comprise, of smooth tarmac, gravel, muddy sections, in other words expect everything.

 

[Pjays666]

Thanks for all your comments guys hoping to lose some weight along the way. I stopped smoking at end of September and don't want to put any more weight on.

 

[marshmella]

. I went from being unable to walk to the end of my street and back to doing a 130 mile coast to coast bike ride in three and a half months.

.

That sounds like a nice gentle pace Vernon

 

[Paul_L]

Over this distance bike setup and saddle comfort will really matter so you need to get that sorted.

Don't attempt it on knobbly tyres; slicks will be much faster.

not this. As MarkF says above, slicks are definitely not suitable for the Leeds Liverpool.

The track is anything from mud, rough cobbles, compacted potash with only the occasional section of smooth surface. The section from Bingley to Leeds is the best surface of the whole route, but even this isn't suitable for slicks, especially if the weather is bad. Also, the path is very slow drying clay in parts, and the path can be very wet, muddy and slippery weeks after the last downpour.

Get the right kit and enjoy.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

If you let me know an exact date, I'll see if I can keep you company. I've done 90 percent of the route in a day on a Brompton (did the same distance, just took the wrong turning). I'm only up the road in Rossendale and ride the canal with a mate and other canals with another mate.

 

[Pjays666]

If you let me know an exact date, I'll see if I can keep you company. I've done 90 percent of the route in a day on a Brompton (did the same distance, just took the wrong turning). I'm only up the road in Rossendale and ride the canal with a mate and other canals with another mate.

Will know in next week will be during the week to avoid busy times I go on canal myself 3 times a week generally from Burnley to foul ridge/gargrave area

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Are you called Paul?