Riding as far as possible in a day

[Solocle]

Closest I've come is a 200 miler, which took me 21h 30m. Started at 10pm.

So, I stopped for an impromptu sleep at 200 km, at home. That gave me a second lease of life, but I did have parents to get me up!

Make sure you're comfortable. You probably can do better than me on sleeping pre-event, because it was a Friday, and I had Uni.
Either way, getting the hours of darkness done at the start worked well for me - I didn't start feeling like I was about to fall asleep until I got past Poole - 100 miles in the dark!

Furthermore, use those hours of darkness to make progress. The first half of the route was on A roads, which were quiet at that time. It may be a distance challenge, but A roads are not only direct, you'll also move faster.

Nighttime also raises the question of refueling. [Motorway] services are ideal for this purpose.

Just make sure that the food places are open 24 hours! Daytime isn't such an issue.

Closer to the day, look at a wind forecast. Last time I did Oxford-Cambridge, the wind was a howling tailwind, and I averaged 20.2 mph - 85 miles!

 

[DCLane]

Up to Northumberland will have the Howardian hills, but is otherwise OK. You could use the London-Edinburgh-London north-bound route up to the Humber Bridge, then flat through Market Weighton and Easingwold towards Thirsk to keep it flat. From there north should be flat-ish.

I did the south-bound strech of LEL, but started at York, then north-bound in July 2017 as a practice ride - took me 41 hours due to a major mechanical that needed fixing overnight in the Stansted Airport McDonald's but it'd give you a route idea: https://www.strava.com/activities/1082409933

Longest I've done in 24 hours was the 400km Llanfair audax (done in 18 1/2 hours though): https://www.strava.com/activities/985295597

 

[Blue Hills]

MM -am I the only one who sees this as somewhat depressing - the thrusting of corporate competition/rallying/motivation/bonding bla bla into the wondrous varied pastime of cycling? - I remember all too well seeing some corporate bunch with support on the dynamo.
And as for your

>>This has peaked my competitive nature and I am now thinking about strategy.

OP

has it occurred to you that this is an open forum - Kev or whatever the obnoxious go-getter from sales/accounts or wherever is quite possibly following your every move - draughting in your strategy.

Me?

I'd draw up a list of nice pubs with nice outdoor seating and spend the day bimbling between them enjoying the countryside/beer/sounds/smells/nature.

Show some initiative.

(I have by the way ridden rather a long way in a 24 hour period - may return if I can do the maths - I wasn't trying to prove anything to anyone though)

 

[steveindenmark]

I think its a day so starting at 00:00 and ending at 23:59

You have worked out the first important thing. A day is 24 hours. I would use them all. I would set a target of 300km and anything else is a bonus. Its not a race. But you will lose so much distance if you are not riding the bike. Take 5 minute breaks every hour and time them. Take a nice, easy spinning pace of about 20kph and stick to it.

 

[classic33]

You have worked out the first important thing. A day is 24 hours. I would use them all. I would set a target of 300km and anything else is a bonus. Its not a race. But you will lose so much distance if you are not riding the bike. Take 5 minute breaks every hour and time them. Take a nice, easy spinning pace of about 20kph and stick to it.

A calendar day may be 24 hours, but is the event day the same. I've done similar, but it was only dawn 'til dusk that counted. Coming home at night got knocked off the total.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

A calendar day may be 24 hours, but is the event day the same. I've done similar, but it was only dawn 'til dusk that counted. Coming home at night got knocked off the total.

But which dusk, the dusk in the East is different from the dusk in the West

 

[matticus]

... and in the North! Which is why "24 hours" is the fairest way.

It has a certain magic; even though I don't like riding sleep-deprived, there is a thrill to riding actually round-the-clock. It's the next classic challenge after The Hour, and IMHO a more exciting one.

 

[DSK]

That's a really cool idea and nice to see work encouraging it, I don't know when cycle to work day is but, I'll see if my company will organise something similar.

 

[Ajax Bay]

This topo map will show you some useful corridors.
East of England is 'obviously' flatter.
Since you can't choose the date, the wind will be what it is. Depending how 'competitive' you wanted to be, once the forecast can be relied on (ie 3 days to go ish) if N>S is better then get a train to Darlington and ride south. And vice versa (and @Tribansman 's Letchworth seems as good a southerly start as any). If light winds are forecast then an 'out and back' route will be just as good (and saves (masked) train travel at either end). Worth zig-zagging across to King's Lynn and then west before carrying on NW to Gainsboro', to get extra distance in. Then 'due' N up the Vale of York. Good idea to avoid major city centres as they are a massive time-suck.
Detailed route massively depends on wish/willingness to ride trunk A roads. They will be faster but rather less enjoyable.
On our Easter Arrow from Taunton to York we rode 450km odd but had plans to extend to over 500, if going well after 20 hours. All 4 of us rode PBP later in the year. On PBP starting at 1834 I was on km 490ish (St-Nicolas-du-Pelem) 24 hours later (with a couple of hour kips at controls). But that was not solo.
Another option is to find a couple of good mates who are up to pacing you for 200km each - but I have no insight into the (if any) 'rulz'.

 

[lejogger]

544.32 miles is the target to beat

https://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/articles/view/129

 

[PaulSB]

Do clubs still do "12s" and "24s" like they used to do BITD ?

Yes, there are 12 hour TTs every season and I believe, don't know, there are 24 hour TTs.

One of our guys is doing a 24 hour ride this weekend just for the hell of it. Various people will join him enroute to give support.

 

[matticus]

It's only the National Champs because it's (usually) the only one run every year! (although I should state that it is immaculately staged).
It really is a race for anybody. Quite often warm favourites quit after 8-10 hours - are they more "worthy" entrants than those who keep going to record modest distances over the whole 24? I don't think so. The organisers make us all very welcome.

(EDIT: volunteers are always welcome too; it's a fun - if somewhat surreal - experience to help on an event like this thru the daybreak.)

 

[rivers]

208 miles is my longest in a day (14 hours of riding). It's doable, but be prepared to hurt in places you didn't know could hurt. Hydration and fueling is key, but there will come a point where you physically can't eat anymore (about 154 miles for me).

 

[derrick]

To celebrate national 'cycle o work' day my work is having a competition to see who can ride the furthest in one day. This has peaked my competitive nature and I am now thinking about strategy. I have done a few 100 miles but as I work for a large company, I suspect I am going to have to push myself a little more to be in with a chance of winning.

Any advise on these two questions?

- Where can I find a long, flat and well tarmacked route in the UK?
- Should I try and ride 200 miles all at once or try and do two rides of 150 miles?

...or recommendations on anything else

Thanks

We are doing london to Kings Lynn and back in a couple of weeks time. Not to much climbing. Hopefully not to much wind. 200 easily doable in a day. Good luck.👍

 

[MichaelW2]

I reckon you could ride from New York (Linconshire) to California ( Norfolk) in a swift day.