How To Prepare For An Endurance Ride ~ post by Chiro Mitra

1. Do long rides on weekends.

2. Do some leg and shoulder exercises as there would be quite a bit of road jerks hitting your shoulders.
3. Do some slow runs, rope skipping and brisk walks.
4. In the last 10 days, do not change/adjust anything on the bike. If you have to change the tyres, do it 15 days before a long ride and adjust the saddle height if needed, but keep the same saddle you already have.
5. Start riding with the same cycling shorts and Top/ jersey that you would want to wear for the ride day. Wearing a light color is recommended.
6. Get your cycle serviced earlier and don’t get it touched by a mechanic in the last few days.
7. A few things you would want to carry for a long ride should include: a good pair of Gloves/Sunglasses; 2 bottle cages; reflective vest; head light and tail light; spare tubes, Puncture repair kit and air pump; whistle; cell phone; some cash; energy bars, a pudia of black salt/kala namak, some dry fruits and chikki.

8. Stop cycling/exercising 2 days before the Big ride
9. Don’t get into arguments at home/work prior to the ride as you need to be focused on the road.
10. Don’t use headphones while riding that day and also put your cell phone on silent mode.
11. Be friendly to the locals while riding through congested cities and villages. Inevitably you will be asked questions by passing two wheelers, tell them you are unable to talk for long as you are out of breath.
12. IGNORE wired and stupid comments if showered upon, normally the villagers are harmless but inquisitive. If asked about the price of your bike, say it under 12K no matter how much you paid for it.
13. Always keep at least one of your water bottles full. Remember to Drink before you are thirsty and Eat before you are hungry
14. If your ride is not a race then ride steady, not fast. Strategise your ride, divide it into small distances you ride normally and time it and take a break of a minute at each section. Don't burn yourself out before you reach the half way point.
15. As we do normally when we ride, ride constantly for an hour or 22~25 Km and take a water break of 2 mins.
16. Make small groups of 3~4 riders whom you ride with normally and turn by turn lead your group.
17. Don’t ride fast and burn out soon. Use the cooler sections of the day to the maximum and take fewer breaks then.
18. If you happen to cramp, which we all do, don’t quit, manage it. Remember, "Pain is Temporary and quitting is forever". If you do cramp, get off the bike and do some stretching. Have a Soda Pop with black salt in it or just plain water and add some salt in it.
19. Start hydrating yourself 2 days before the ride. Drink plenty of fluids, be it water, juice or anything else. Increase your salt intake in the last few days as you are going to lose a lot of through sweat.
20. The day before the ride, eat lots of Carbs as in Pasta, noodles, etc. Sleep early, listen to relaxing music and if possible come back home early from work.
21. Remember you are already a champion attempting a long ride and not many people have a mindset like yours, so if you feel exhausted and are in pain beyond your withholding limits, remember there is always a next time and DNF is anyways better than DNS.
22. Remember age and body structure have nothing to do with completing a long ride. It’s all in the mind so believe in yourself. Everybody who has taken up long distance riding on Indian roads has a very strong mindset. 

All the best...cheers! 

Chiro Mitra