GAP + C&O Training?

[btj]

I’m planning on doing the GAP / C&O ride from Pittsburgh to DC later this year (May / June) with 3 buddies. Does anyone have any advice on training or doing the ride in general? I’m one of the less experienced riders (I’ve never ridden more than 50 miles at once) but we’ll be averaging about 80 miles a day for four days (the final day being 95 miles into DC).

To give you a sense of my current riding tendencies: I am a semi-regular bike commuter which gets me about 12 miles a day (hopefully going up to about 22-23 miles a day once I start dropping off my daughter at daycare when it’s warmer / lighter out in the evening). My “big” ride last summer was the entire W&OD. My 2012 mileage was about 1,350. So obviously I’m no super-biker, but am ready for the GAP challenge.

So, thoughts? Suggestions? Hard-core training routines? And most importantly, how much Butt’r do I need?

Thanks!

Topic

[creadinger]

It doesn’t sound like it should be too much of a stretch for you. You’ll just have to ramp up your mileage as it gets warmer and make sure to ride a few consecutive long days to help you figure out what is going to hurt on days 2-3-4 on your trip.

Will you be camping? There a several C&O+GAP trail guides to help you figure out what the trip will be like. For one thing, after day 1, it will basically be all downhill. Chamois butt’r is great, but don’t forget Gold Bond medicated cream for when the butt’r doesn’t work 100%.

For training make sure to ride A LOT of gravel. It’s a lot harder riding 80 miles on gravel after you’re been training on nice asphalt like the W&OD. So that you don’t get super bored of the C&O by training on it – try the NCR-YCHT trail north of Baltimore.
http://bikewashington.org/trails/ncr/ncr.htm

Here’s a few other gravel trails you can train on while also enjoying yourself.
http://bikewashington.org/trails/ma-index.htm

Other folks will likely have a lot more information to help you out, but those are my few suggestions.

Best of luck!!

[Rootchopper]

I’ve done most of both trails over the years. Be thankful you will be on the trail instead of going up and down those hills. They are beasts.

You may find yourself getting stronger as you ride. I wouldn’t count on it, but I was surprosed when it happened to me. And the ride from the Eastern Continental Divide to Cumberland will be a snap (it’s downhill for miles and miles).

That area gets quite a bit of rain so make sure you are prepared. The grit on the GAP trail can gum up your brakes and shifting so make sure wet grit doesn’t get into the works.

Off route facilities can be difficult to get to. Sometimes you have to climb short steep hills. (Like in Belle Vernon PA, Frostburg or Shephardstown WV.) Plan ahead.

If the weather holds you may have another worry. You won’t want to stop. It’s a gorgeous ride.

Good luck

[Tim Kelley]

In the lead up, get in some longer rides. Think about doing a century as a confidence builder. Also think about doing shorter back to back rides over a weekend. A 75 mile ride one day, followed by a 50 mile ride the next.

During the ride, eat and drink more than you think you should be!

[KS1G]

Use the W&OD side path to get some experience riding dirt & gravel. The bikewashington.org site has a huge section on the C&O, with many trip reports; also checkout the coTowpath and GAP groups on Yahoo. The tougher challenges are just becoming used to riding ata steady pace day after day – commuting is helpful for that and also for getting used to riding with a load (your gear). Based on several trips with scout groups, anything that can shake losse will! (this may include fillings). Bring bug repellant, earplugs if any overnight stops will be where the railroad passes near the C&O campsites. Something to flavor drinking water if any of the C&O sites taste funny and you need it. Butt’r or your equiavelent recommended! Wash cycling shorts daily and let air/sun dry the next day. Strongly suggest a detour into Shaprsburg MD to Nutter’s Ice Cream shop – well worth the climb and the extra miles. Have a great time!

[btj]

@creadinger 39966 wrote:

Will you be camping?

No, we’ve got free lodging two nights (including the night before we start) and hotels the other two. I would have been fine with camping, but for my first big trip I’m OK with less gear and a bed.

@Rootchopper 39973 wrote:

You may find yourself getting stronger as you ride. I wouldn’t count on it, but I was surprosed when it happened to me.

That sounds… improbable, but great if it happens. Maybe it’s like Hulk strength except instead of anger as the trigger, it’s Butt’r.

@Tim Kelley 39978 wrote:

In the lead up, get in some longer rides. Think about doing a century as a confidence builder. Also think about doing shorter back to back rides over a weekend. A 75 mile ride one day, followed by a 50 mile ride the next.

Definitely sounds like a good idea. Any recommendations when I should start to rest before the trip (i.e. go back to shorter rides for a couple days leading up to the trip)?

@KS1G 39989 wrote:

Strongly suggest a detour into Shaprsburg MD to Nutter’s Ice Cream shop – well worth the climb and the extra miles.

MMmm… Yeah that sounds like a good idea.

Thanks for all the responses so far!

[PotomacCyclist]

+10 on eating enough food each day. You won’t be sprinting (at least I hope you won’t be), so you should be able to eat comfortably throughout each day’s ride. And take advantage of the hotel dining options too. Food is good. More food is even better, for long trips.

[Rootchopper]

Try to keep in mind that you will have all day to cover the distance. And you can eat all the food you want. Pie. Chocolate. Ice cream. Maybe even something healthy.

I wouldn’t plan on getting stronger as you go, but I was shocked at how good I felt a week into a ten day tour. (Day ten, not so much. )

[Tim Kelley]

@btj 40063 wrote:

Definitely sounds like a good idea. Any recommendations when I should start to rest before the trip (i.e. go back to shorter rides for a couple days leading up to the trip)?

Depends on the rest of your training. If you’re doing a periodized routine, then back off the volume and increase the intensity in the last week or two and make sure to rest, but keep loose, in the last couple days leading up to it. Eat clean and get plenty of rest the last week too.

[rcannon100]

Training suggestion: Ride the C&O. Its not like road riding. On the plus, its relatively flat and magnificently scenic. On the minus, er, let’s just say you should bring some spare rack screws and maybe some duck tape.

When I rode to Harpers Ferry with my son, it wasnt the mileage that did us in, it was the constant vibrations. After several hours in the saddle, we were READY to stop. Hands were numb. Seats were sore. It is a hard packed, earth surface. You will be feeling it (and so will your bike).

My favorite ride ever.

[btj]

We did it! Four days, met lots of people, great trip, and I hurt all over. Thanks for all the advice, it is greatly appreciated and helped me get to the finish line.

Day 1: http://strava.com/activities/57380413
Day 2: http://strava.com/activities/57583593
Day 3: http://strava.com/activities/57840162
Day 4: http://strava.com/activities/58035249

[ronwalf]

Amazing! And more amazing?
Moving Time: 08:19:34
Device: Strava iPhone App

That’s good battery life!

[btj]

@ronwalf 53983 wrote:

Amazing! And more amazing?
Moving Time: 08:19:34
Device: Strava iPhone App

That’s good battery life!

I had an external USB battery pack that could recharge the phone a few times while riding. Definitely a good purchase.

[Bilsko]

@btj 53953 wrote:

We did it! Four days, met lots of people, great trip, and I hurt all over. Thanks for all the advice, it is greatly appreciated and helped me get to the finish line.

Day 1: http://strava.com/activities/57380413
Day 2: http://strava.com/activities/57583593
Day 3: http://strava.com/activities/57840162
Day 4: http://strava.com/activities/58035249

Oh Boy have I been looking for this! I’m hoping to be able to do the ride soon myself and this is route guidance gold right here

[Bilsko]

@btj 53985 wrote:

I had an external USB battery pack that could recharge the phone a few times while riding. Definitely a good purchase.

This.

When I did the DC Randonneurs Fleche back in April, I used Strava on my HTC EVO. 24hrs moving time 16 hours riding time and Strava did very well recording it all in one go. I have 2 battery packs (an old APC one worth one charge and a larger 4 charge one) – worth it.

[btj]

@Bilsko 53998 wrote:

Oh Boy have I been looking for this! I’m hoping to be able to do the ride soon myself and this is route guidance gold right here

The GAP was recently finished (so there are no longer any detours) which is nice.

A couple variations from the GAP + C&O that we did (which are tracked in the strava rides): On day 3 we took the Western Maryland Rail Trail (http://www.westernmarylandrailtrail.org/WMRT/) for about 20 miles which was a great relief from the C&O. The WMRT is very smooth pavement and runs parallel to the C&O. On day 4 we took the CCT the last couple miles into Georgetown as our butts were glad to be done with the C&O (if I did it again I think I’d split up the C&O into 3 days instead of 2).

I’ll try to do a longer trip write up with more detail later.

[Author]

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