To Cambridge-Thats 50 miles away ? ?

[GrasB]

Only with rather less texture

50 miles is a good ride in East Anglia, but it ain't the challenge it would be elsewhere. If the bike is up to it, the cyclist probably will be.

I duno about that. This question keeps coming up with my friends when we ride & if you're pushing hard there's very little ascent/descent in someways it's harder as you get no rest bite, no time to relax you have... to... keep... pressing... on... there's no target such as the top of this hill to aim at. That relentless & seemingly endless nature of the ride makes it mentally & physically hard in it's self, this is something I found in Itally as it was easier to push that bit harder up a hill because you knew that in 1 mile there's the down hill section. But with that said if you're just out for a gentle leisure ride it may be you doing 5mph up hill is more disheartening than a ride void of natural intermediate stages.

 

[automatic_jon]

I duno about that. This question keeps coming up with my friends when we ride & if you're pushing hard there's very little ascent/descent in someways it's harder as you get no rest bite, no time to relax you have... to... keep... pressing... on... there's no target such as the top of this hill to aim at. That relentless & seemingly endless nature of the ride makes it mentally & physically hard in it's self, this is something I found in Itally as it was easier to push that bit harder up a hill because you knew that in 1 mile there's the down hill section. But with that said if you're just out for a gentle leisure ride it may be you doing 5mph up hill is more disheartening than a ride void of natural intermediate stages.

The only thing that keeps me going is that for every up there's a down but without the hill to battle up then there's no motivation, nothing to look forward to. Apart from more fen, and while I like reeds, I don't like them that much.

 

[Will1985]

50 miles is about a 2.5 hour ride to many on here!

2 hours straight down the A11 on the TT bike

 

[2Loose]

I'm planning on cycling from Leicester to Cambridge (70 miles) this summer. This will be by far the longest ride I have ever done (15 miles max in a day so far, just commuting).

Kinda nervous about it!

And I plan on doing Notts to Cambridge to see my parents which is only a few miles more. Say an average of 13 mph until I hit the flat so only 6 or 7 hours in all...but I certainly won't be coming back for a couple of days~!

Start at 9 and stop for pub lunch, you will be there by dinner time!

 

[TVC]

Several times I've cycled over to see my brother in Cannock, 48 miles from Leicester, stopped for a couple of hours, and then rode back. 50 miles isn't that big a deal if you work up to it.

If you're starting from 15 miles then over successive weeks go 20,25,30,40,50. It's a lot easier than you thing, just about fueling before hand and keeping the fluids topped up as you go.

 

[Twenty Inch]

I took a rank beginner for a 40 once, by telling him it was only 20. 50 isn't so bad. I've had to go round the block a few times at the tag end of a century, in order to make a 100. That was obsessional.

 

[rich p]

2 hours straight down the A11 on the TT bike

Have you done that?

Have you done a sub 60 for a 25, Will?

 

[Cab]

I duno about that. This question keeps coming up with my friends when we ride & if you're pushing hard there's very little ascent/descent in someways it's harder as you get no rest bite, no time to relax you have... to... keep... pressing... on... there's no target such as the top of this hill to aim at. That relentless & seemingly endless nature of the ride makes it mentally & physically hard in it's self, this is something I found in Itally as it was easier to push that bit harder up a hill because you knew that in 1 mile there's the down hill section. But with that said if you're just out for a gentle leisure ride it may be you doing 5mph up hill is more disheartening than a ride void of natural intermediate stages.

If I were setting out for 50 miles (not something I've done recently, I'm sad to say) I'd not be aiming to push hard. Riding in East Anglia, I've found, is all about pacing yourself.

 

[BigSteev]

I've had to go round the block a few times at the tag end of a century, in order to make a 100. That was obsessional.

Oh good. Not just me then.

 

[GrasB]

20", if you're going for your first ride at that milestone I think it's just making the grade, once you've hit the mile stone I don't see the point. That said for my home bound commutes I'm really good at judging the distance home so that when I've warmed up & decided on a 20, 25, 30 or 35 mile ride I will hit the marker at the 20 limit signs coming into my village but I rarely repeat a home bound commute inside 3 months


Cab, 50 miles is a sub-3h ride, for me that means if it's not a leisure ride it's short hard ride .

 

[Brahan]

2 hours straight down the A11 on the TT bike

 

[Arch]

Only with rather less texture

50 miles is a good ride in East Anglia, but it ain't the challenge it would be elsewhere. If the bike is up to it, the cyclist probably will be.

Depends on the wind. I did 40 yesterday, the first 20 to Pocklington was flat, then gently rolling, lovely, the second 20 back was all flat, into the gusty headwind. I couldn't freewheel once in that last 20, and it really hurt in my knees.

If I hadn't been on the recumbent trike, and able to winch myself along in a nice low gear, I'd have been in a ditch, crying.

 

[MacB]

Depends on the wind. I did 40 yesterday, the first 20 to Pocklington was flat, then gently rolling, lovely, the second 20 back was all flat, into the gusty headwind. I couldn't freewheel once in that last 20, and it really hurt in my knees.

If I hadn't been on the recumbent trike, and able to winch myself along in a nice low gear, I'd have been in a ditch, crying.

I know that feeling, even after over a year of cycling I still get surprised by how much a headwind can hurt. It's been quite blowy yesterday and today, I found some stretches rather tough.

 

[Will1985]

Have you done that?

Have you done a sub 60 for a 25, Will?

I've done a 50 on the A11 and went under the hour several times last year.
Norwich-Cambridge is more like 55 miles IIRC.

TTing all the way would be fun though!