Cycling long distances: where should you start?

It’s almost 20 years ago that I first stepped on a race bike. My Ridley Pegasus with Shimano 105 group had been carefully selected at the local bike shop. With the included cycling kit, I already felt like a real racer. Those 200-kilometer rides that I saw the men in the Tour do, that was going to be a real challenge. Until my first real ride. A round of cycling around Leiden, for the Leiden locals. That’s about 70 kilometers. After 35 kilometers, I was exhausted. Tattered, drained. I really had no idea what I was doing. Cycling long distances is no easy task, I soon realized. That train ride from Schiphol to Leiden, was one of those moments I wouldn’t soon forget.

Text: Sander Kolsloot – Photos: Sander Kolsloot – Merlijn Spenkelink

Where to start?

Fast forward to the present day. By now I am no longer as afraid of long distances. What a difference! I don’t go super fast, but distance or elevation meters are no problem. For me, it took some energy to get that right. Because although I can now easily drive 5,000 to 10,000 kilometers per year (with the necessary elevation meters), it was previously a challenge. So where do you start and what are some handy tips and tricks when cycling long distances? I’m writing them down, based on my own experience. Do with them what you want and of course it’s not the ‘absolute truth’, but this has worked for me.

1. Building upIt sounds like an enormous open door. So start with a training plan. For long-distance cycling, you need endurance and strength. Start with short distances and gradually increase the distance and intensity of your rides. Listen to your body and avoid overtraining. For this, use an app like JOIN of Fund. First I cycled around for a bit, without any particular goal. It helps to set yourself a goal. That’s also…
2. Setting goals. This will really help you! For example: I want to cycle 100 kilometers in one go. That’s often a distance that you can also set as a Strava goal. For that, you’ll probably have to do ‘something’ 2 or 3 times a week. Usually, one more intense training session and then mainly endurance training. So you’re always doing something a little longer on the bike. You can also easily make bigger steps by doing intervals. Think also about the possibility of, for example, cycling 100 kilometers in one go and then doing the other part in several parts. Your sub-goal is then to make the first part a little longer each time. So: can you do 40km in 1 go? Next time 50km in 1 go? Go on. It doesn’t matter what your big goal is, but you can easily approach this this way. Aniek’s tip: ‘You break the distance into two parts. Part 1 is cycling to the coffee stop (for example 30km) and the other part is then back home.
3. Food and drinkOne of the things I’ve often been too lazy to do myself is eating too little and especially drinking too much. In the end, it all comes down to the intake of carbohydrates/sugars/calories. You burn quite a few calories during a long-distance run, but you don’t get them all at once. You can choose sports nutrition, although not everyone is a fan of this form of ‘ultra-processed food’. If you want to get it from regular things: fast food does a lot, but so do, for example, the Nak’d bars, which you can easily get at the Appie. Also with drinking: everyone talks about electrolytes, but you can just as well drink water for a normal effort. If you train while you’re not hungry, it can be nice to have a bottle of food with you for the last bit.

4. Listen to your bodyPain is of course there when you start exercising. Muscle pain is often the most common pain you feel, but pain in your joints, neck or hands can indicate something else, such as a wrong position on the bike. Overexertion is also a cause of pain that has nothing to do with muscle pain. So if you really have pain, take a break for a while. This also comes back to point 1: if you are not used to exercising 3 or 4 times a week, your body can react. Listen to this.
5. Long rides are monotonous. When you go on long distances by bike, you also have to learn to ride at a slower pace for longer periods of time. That requires less effort. It also helps to ride at a higher cadence. Often you see (especially heavier/larger) men around 70-75 in a cadence. That’s nice for the average person, but not good for your knees and it takes effort. A cadence between 85 and 95 is the most efficient and the one you should keep up with.
6. Alternate positions. This is often underestimated, but it helps to change your position a little while you’re cycling. A rule of thumb that I picked up early on was to get out of the saddle for a moment after every bend. Otherwise you stay in one position for a long time, and your body doesn’t feel as comfortable that way either. It’s also nice to switch from being ‘in the saddle’ to the brake levers or loosely on the handlebars from time to time.
7. Ride in a groupTraveling in a group is on the one hand new and exciting, but on the other hand it is also very nice to be able to cover longer distances quickly. In a group, you naturally travel faster because of the benefits of staying in a group and also because of the effect of pulling each other along.
8. Look at the direction of the wind: If you are going to cycle a longer distance, the wind (especially in the Netherlands) is an important factor. The most pleasant thing is when you cycle with the wind for the first part of your route. Then you have the wind with you for the second part, and that makes it extra enjoyable. So be aware of this when you first start out with the wind.
9. EnjoyOne of the most important things to get ahead is to also enjoy what you are doing. Look around you, make sure you can still talk normally while cycling (instead of gasping for breath, trying to have a conversation with your tongue over the handlebars). Then the kilometers fly by and before you know it you have a nice number of kilometers, happy at home!

More tips? Check out our page with tips for you as (beginner) cyclist.