Ride it northumbeland 54 or 70

[jack smith]

Hi all, question is should i do the 70 or 54
I ride daily but only ever venture to 50 miles or rare occasions
I spent the day in a&e yesterday following a wheelchair basketball accident (im not in a wheelchair btw)
And have torn a muscle in my lower back however they advised me i would be fine after about a week so might be abit slower than usual.
Do you think id manage 70 miles after usually only doing 50 is it really such a big gap? Whenever ive done 50 ive not been shattered afterwards but i dont want to give up on the 70 and waste a day.

I know its one of those questions thats hard to answer but im just after your personal experience or opinion

 

[Turbo Rider]

Mm, if it was me, I'd probably err on the side of caution and try what I've done already - maybe a practice run over 50 might answer if for you - if you still have energy afterwards and you're not broken the next day then bump it up afterwards.

 

[jack smith]

I wont be back on the bike til a day or too before so im abit worried but i always love a challenge its between sense and pride here i think

 

[Turbo Rider]

Ha, ha, sounds like you're set on the 70 then!! Thinking about it, if you usually have enough in you to do more, then I'd have thought that if you can't do the 70, you'd find the 54 a tough task on it's own, so maybe you're right to push the boat out anyway. Have fun out there!!

 

[MikeW-71]

See how you feel on the day. If it starts feeling a bit dodgy when you get to the route split, switch to the 54. If it feels OK, carry on.

 

[steveindenmark]

Go for the 50 and complete it. The 70 can wait until next time.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Looking at the route and knowing some of the climbs involved, maybe worth following @steveindenmark advice and stick to the 50 this year.

 

[dr snuggles]

Looking at the route and knowing some of the climbs involved, maybe worth following @steveindenmark advice and stick to the 50 this year.

I'd go along with that after what you have told us. I'm familiar with the terrain around there and it can be quite challenging in the best of weather! Medium this year and big one next.

 

[Danny]

I wont be back on the bike til a day or too before so im abit worried but i always love a challenge its between sense and pride here i think

It looks like the long route is an extension of the 54 mile route so why not see how you feel after the first 20 or so miles?

Not sure where you live, but my experience of cycling in Northumbria is that it is a little on the hilly side. The good news is that it is usually so wet and windy that you don't notice the hills too much.

 

[jack smith]

Good idea i, from the general area and know the terrain i see that the route spits so ill see how im going and if i feel terrible ill just re wroute to the 50