I am new here, first post, so let me say hello. i live in the lakes region of new hampshire and looking forward to another bike week in laconia. i have been riding bikes in some fashion or another since i was 10 and currantly ride a 2002 EG standered that i have personalized to my liking. best of all, its paid for.
Anyway, i want to take a long distance run from my home in NH to key west fla. 1700 miles one way. is it unreasonable to think that i can do 600 to 700 miles in a day, 10 to 12 hours.
some say yes and others say i'm soft
i have missed my window of oppurtunity, irronically because my son is hopitalized with a motorcycle wound from a hot exhaust. but hope to try in the fall or next spring. riding is my passion i just have never done a truely, long haul; looking for input but be gentle

 

On freeways, that would be reasonably possible, though you'll get a bit tired just from the length of time, I would think. On windy two lane roads, that would be quite a workout. Each individual has different tolerances and styles.

 

I am planning on takin a ride to Niagara Falls N.Y> from Atlanta and I plan to ride 5-700 per day. it is about 1k total. I think that is alot. Truckers are only alowed to go for 10 hrs ay a time and that is alot easier than riding a bike. Do what works for you and who cares what other people say. I have ridden my chopper for 300 miles in a day but I still get off my ultra every 2 hous or so.

 

depends on you and how you're doing it.

 

stay awake somehow.

 

You didn't say if you will be riding alone or have a passenger, and if you have a passenger how much does she/he ride with you. I can do 600-700 mile days fairly easy by myself, but its a little more of a challenge with the wife. Typically when I ride alone I don't stop for meals, I drink plenty of water or powerade, and occasionally eat a power-bar or something like that, but don't actually stop for a meal....I've found a bigger meal tends to make me tired, so I stop for a good meal at the end of the ride. Every time I stop for gas or a bathroom break I stretch a little and walk around just to get the legs moving a little. If you haven't done any longer rides yourself you might find you get a butt-ache, or some cramps in the legs, but if you are used to doing 300-400 mile rides it shouldn't be a big deal to push it out to 600 or more.

 

I'm over 50 and to some degree disabled but still run a lot of 500 mile days. I find the effects of longer days cummulative. I have done some 650 milers but find that doing more than a couple of those back to back is for me, miserable. I have run as many as 4950 miles in 10 days a couple of years back but try not to make a habit of it. I really don't even care to do more than 700 a day in a car or truck, let alone on a bike. If I was still in my 20's then it probably wouldn't bother me.

Edit: By the way,generally less than 10% of any riding I do is Freeway.

 

I don't get the "soft" part. Do people who know you and your riding ability think that you are too soft for the challenge? Maybe they don't know you, maybe they do.

Please tell us a bit about your riding style and preferences. Have you ridden for 10 hours on the freeway before? Have you done a few 400 mile days? Ever been caught in the rain on the freeway with miles to go?

If you've never been touring before, I would investigate touring tips, type of helmet for the rain, getting the bike ready, that kind of stuff. Don't worry about stretching your legs every couple of hours. You'll be stopping for gas anyways. Just keep your breaks short because you'll have miles of freeway ahead to do.

You don't have to do a long haul to prepare, one Saturday pick a point 250 or 300 miles away on the freeway and leave. Have lunch there and ride home. A couple runs like that and you'll know exactly how it feels. Work your way up from there.

 

No matter how you cut it, my experience on two cross-country trips and other slightly shorter runs is that you will average 50 miles per hour during the day, less if there's bad weather or construction. This is mostly traveling with two other experienced riders, eating breakfast, snacking at gas stops (no stop for lunch) and dinner after arriving at the planned destination. Unless, you've done it before, and are in good riding shape, 500 miles is probably the max and it will take you 10 to 12 hours. If you can, plan three 200-300 mile loops from home a couple days in a row and see how you feel. That will give you the best indication of what you can comfortably do. On really long trips 10+ days, try to plan a couple of shorter days or even a full day off the bike, you'll enjoy the trip more that way.

Figure out a way to stay hydrated while you're riding, either a camel-bak water bladder mounted where you can reach the hose or a water bottle. Staying hydrated goes a long way to staying in the saddle all day.

Everybody is different, and nobody gave me an award at the end of my long trips, so do what you want and what will make it fun...that's the reason we do it, right?

 

i plan to do the trip alone, my wife would not ride the distance.
i tend to ride more than i should at one time without stopping, thats why my crew never lets me lead. i only stop for fuel. anyway, thanks for all the good advice