How long is long? A hundred kilometer ride'? A hundred mile century ride? At this time of the year, with perhaps the last of the snow yet to melt, 50 km. may be enough to drain most of us. The thought of doing the Rideau Lakes Tour - with its back to back days of 180 km. - or a one-day ride of 200 km. or more may seem impossibly difficult. Yet, there are many in the Club who get a kick out of riding such distances. With proper preparation, there's no reason why most of you can't do it, too.

As I see it. there is really only one training method. Eddy Merckx, five-time winner of the Tour de France, summed it up in two words: "Ride lots." After this, all the rest is just commentary. However, often the mundane realities of life, work, family, broken bones - get in the way. If that's the case, then we have to "ride smart."

Too often people think training for longer distances means getting out on the bike every weekend and churning, out the big miles. But miles (or the ever so non-poetic "kilometers") are like calories: they can be packed with nutrition or totally empty. Obviously, you want to avoid the empty kind.

A Six-Pack of 50

The longest distance I have ever covered in a single day is 520 km. At the start of the season I'll shoot for rides of 40 or 50 km., done at an easy hut not boring pace. I'll knock off 5 or 6 of these, making sure not to stress the old knees too much, and taking note on how well the other body parts survived the winter. Gradually, I'll up the distance, adding 10 or 20 km to each weekend ride. Often I'll feel as though I could ride further; but this is exactly the sort of feeling I want to have all the time.

If you ever find yourself dragging your butt home for the last 20 km., then you know either you didn't take care of your nutrition for the day, or you tried to ride too far. Those last 20 km. are empty - devoid of any physical benefit, usually doing more harm than good. You'd be better off buying a poutine and taking a taxi home.

Endurance comes with time; speed comes with effort. And that's why the gods made Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Speed work could consist of interval training (alternately riding at a "Dear Lord, I'm gonna die" intensity, and then resting for a few minutes, hill repeats (we go up the Hood, we go down the Hood, we go, up the Hood... ); or the Club's Wednesday night rides ("Ready. Set. Hey, wait up, (Guys!"). In my view, speed training is essential for distance riding. or else you 'II become very adept at riding 7-hour centuries. (Make sure that before you begin interval or hill training, you've got a good base layer on your legs of about 1000 to 1500 km.)

Ever find yourself dead tired after a weekend of hard riding? Body all achin' and racked with pain! Well, that's why Mondays exist. Throw away your big chainring and go for a super easy spin. A little hair of the dog. From sore muscles to a broken heart. brother, there ain't nothing a bike ride can't fix. Fridays are for cleaning your bike and checking the air pressure in your tires. There is reason why there are seven days in a week, you know. It's not just chance.

Hanging By My Fingernails

So much for training for the long haul. It's also very important to dress for the part. Bring along whatever clothing you think you might need for the day, as well as plenty of food. Those things on the back of a cycling jersey? They're called pockets. Fill them. Many's the time I've run short of grub while out in the middle of nowhere. Fingernails don't have a very high nutritional value. Typically, for a 200 km. Ride, I'll bring along four PowerBars and a dozen Fig Newtons. Find out through much experimentation what works best for you - and then stock up.

For the inevitable aches and pains and things that rub the wrong way, I'll carry along some Advil and a tube of Barriere A-H creme or Ozonol. Don't forget a map. If you're heading into areas you're not familiar with, don't rely on anyone else to show you the way. Go out to a Canadian Tire store and look for "La Cartotheque" maps. They're the best. If you're planning to do some riding in New York, Jimapco maps are Yankee Doodle Dandy. And the official state map of' Vermont can't be beat.

It always helps to have a goal to focus on. The Rideau Lakes Tour is set for June 7th and 8th. Start building now. Maybe this year I can tempt some of you into having a look at the 220 km. Sportif Route. In 1996 just 3 CCBers went for the distance: Doreen Friedman, Toni Klemola. and your humble correspondent. It's a much quieter route, both vehicularly and bicycularly, and one grocery store owner hands out free GatorAde. Five km. of rolling dirt roads only add to the fun, especially if it's raining.

Last year there were 2 long distance events on the CCB schedule: the Jay Peak 200 (197 km. with 6200 feet of climbing) and the Keeseville 180. These rides will be done again this year but the dates have yet to be set. The Keeseville ride has been improved (i.e., lengthened to 190 km.) and renamed the Adirondack "Guaranteed To Get You Lost" Killer Loop. It's 8000 feet of elevation gain makes this, among the most beautiful of rides, also among the toughest.

As well, there is the Smuggler's Notch 200 (7742 ft), which starts in St. Albans, VT., climbs up the easy side of Smuggler's before dipping into Stowe and then exploring the lesser traveled roads of Vermont.

Rideau Lakes requires prior registration, but if you think you might be interested in any of the other rides, call me at (514) 484-1837 and I'll add your name to the phone list. These Saturday rides will be held on an informal and irregular basis. You will be provided with a map, a compass, emergency flares, and a Bible. (Repeat after me: "Yea, though I ride through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I shall not wimp out. The Lord is my Shepherd").

If Rideau Lakes and 200 km. rides aren't enough of a challenge, there's also a 300 km. ride that starts front the parking lot and heads out to Valleyfield and Covey Hill and returns home through the South Shore. Still not enough? Sheesh. Then how about a 425 km. ride out to Thurso and back?

What? Still not enough? O.K. Let me tell you about this thing called the Boston-Montreal-Boston ....