How To Ride Ultra Distance - Beginner Ultra Endurance Cycling Tips For Your First Ultra Ride! 

Number 1 tip should be eating, eat , eat and eat if you want to last 200 miles.

This channel is right up my alley. As a middle-aged cyclist, I gave up on how fast I could go. Just focusing now on how far I could go. Also, I do the 50/50 thing with soda. Mt.Dew I find is more refreshing during a ride. Subscribed.

MTB bike user here riding mostly gravel terrains. By no means am I an ultra rider but thanks to biking I lost 45kg since 2022, actually yesterday was 2 year anniv. Stuff crazy. IMO bike riding is the ultimate sport for basically everyone, provided you have no serious spine/leg problems. I lost weight riding indoor cheap horizontal bike, now I have a spinning bike for zone2 and bad weather rides and two MTBs just for fun (I live in two places, lets say that). No knee or ankle damage, great fun, relatively fast transport, can carry a lot of stuff in satchels, can drink and eat the whole time I ride, awesome. I hated excercise for 30 years of my life and now I'm frustrated when I CAN'T go for a ride. And most of all, burns fat like a furnace. Since I got my trek I ride like 6 hours a week, sometimes I do gym just to protect muscle from burning down and basically centimeters go down on their own even without serious diet. I highly recommend cycling for almost everyone, can change your life. Also for training knowledge I recommend dr. Maffetone and Attia M.D. but regular, slow riding will get most people thinner, healthier and hooked in first months :) Cheers!

Enjoyed the video Andy. I’ve been riding in the 160-200 mile range for the last 8-9 years. I’m 57 yo and a lot of truth in your tips. Learned mostly by mistakes myself when I started on the longer distances.

I am 31 started cycling about 2 years ago coming with much experience in sports. Feeling comfortable now to just ride a 100miles without much preparation at a 30km/h pace and about 2000m of elevation gain. I want to increase the distance until I reach 1000km just to learn my limits.

Thanks for the extra effort you did to make this video, I loved it and it has inspired me to try a double century.

Another great video Andy, thanks for the continued work in getting these produced and for sharing your experiences! Also, I loved the brief clip of you in the Batman costume!! Epic!

Hi Andy, everything you do is well worth the effort, and passing on the knowledge and experience to a mere mortal, like oneself. Thank you so much… look forward to part two.

Subscribed, and Im taking notes. Super impressive!

I’m just getting into increasing my miles and the tips are gold. Great video many thanks keeps the crank turning.

You're dead right about the weather ,my hardest day was In Cornwall doing LEJOG ,72 miles ,40mph head wind , heavy rain all day & 8200 ft of climbing , everything drowned apart from my wahoo thank goodness, Even though I do bikepacking on a alt bike I find your videos very inspiring , I'm in Ryde .

Stunning views Andy. Thank you for taking us on the ride with you and for your tips. I’m still yet to crack 100 miles. 95 is my longest so far on a hybrid no less. New subscriber. Looking forward to seeing more from you.

Incredible and inspirational

Cheers mate. I am ultra curious so great to see a worts and all view

Great tips Andy, you're very inspirational with your no bull insightful knowledge....as a 57yr old cyclist I'm not sure it's too late in life to be able to consider becoming an ultra cyclist...at present I'm doing about 150km per day and feeling it's somewhere near my limit, or should I say enjoyable limit.....keep the videos coming, stay safe and enjoy your cycling

I did my first 20 miler this week, so I guess I’m kind of an ultracycler like you! 😂. Well, almost. But someday!!

This video was worth it on the music alone. Brilliant editing, too. You're a very skilled and creative editor. I class a 60 miler as long distance for myself, but I live with a thyroid illness, so I have to watch myself. I still love my cycling. Thanks, mate. I appreciate your hard work.

I usually like to say that anything that takes over 8 hours is ultra, because it's simply the point in which your ride takes most of the day to complete. I disagree with multiple days being bikepacking and not ultra. I think it depends on the goal. If the goal is to finish a distance as fast as possible, it's still ultra. Bikepacking is, to me, usually having to go from point to point, and then stop and relax until the next day, no rush.

Wow, awesome, mate!

Very good video great tips cant wait part two😂

Great vids! Agree with every points given. Especially route planning, meal stop, resupply point, what to eat, what to bring. Pacing is also important as you don't want too cook your leg. I use HRM as a guide and try not too exceed zone 3 unless it is a climb. As for technical you would have to try out what works for you, things like bike fit, gearing, shoes, jersey, bib short, saddle, etc.

nice one Andy, great video and some good tips in there - bonkers heading out of Pompey and thinking oh I'll just go up to cheddar and back today! good tips on the planning and food strategies though - looking forward to part 2 plus seeing if you got any content from the MTB ride around Pompey - less miles more smiles :) cheers

Got my first ever ultra race next month and you’re reinforced all the huge bits I should not forget. Thanks Andy!

Seen your vids crop up a few times in my feed and have loved all of them - cant wait for more. Not sure if youve covered this before but I'd be interested to know how you carry all that food? Its always a problem when I go 100miles+. Would be interested to hear about your fluid intake/top up strategies too. Keep up the great work mate!!

Great video, thank you. I’m 57 and I‘m going to ride a 300k event on Saturday. It’s not always easy to find the time to train. I find your video very inspirational, will remember your points and looking forward to Saturday.

I love your videos mate btw

Great vid. You came up from Portsmouth and I used to work for Wiggle down there a few years back. Some good riding and good advice. Furthest I have done in a day is 100miles and I have a 200km audax in June so pushing my limits a bit to see how I do. I appreciate what you are saying about weather, I have done some flat long rides in wind and rain plus gravel and the effort is so much more.

It’s crazy how fast people seem to ride. Granted, I’m new to cycling and the bike I’m riding isn’t made for speed (Trek FX3) but I’m only averaging around 14mph for most of my rides, though I did complete a personal best distance of 40 miles yesterday which felt good. That’s not too bad for only being a few months into the hobby when I previously did zero exercise. I guess I’ll need to stick with it and consider rewarding myself in a couple of years with a faster bike.

Another really useful video Andy, and the training plan looks familiar too! 😉

good info, subscribed.

Snickers bars and Coca Cola are an ultra cyclist best friend. My decades of experience, but it all circles back to tip #1. Thanks for putting this together and out there!

thank you sir, I do an ultra every Christmas...approximately 600KM in 2 days, hopefully I can apply the tips from this video to get home faster and safer

Amazing video man lets keep moving I also noticed progress from my channel

Awesome vid Andy your a massive inspiration dude 😊 I hope to complete some of these distances one day.. Pete 🚴🏻👍

Amazing ride and good advice. Even more impressive if you consider him riding on the wrong side of the road ;)

Thanks Andy. Setting off to do the Wolf Way and the Rebellion Way tomorrow. Going to take me over a week. I guess I'll have to get by with 5 tips. Rock on Batman.

Currently watching your videos backwards ( missed the last 2 so playing catch-up), but another great video Andy. Not sure what you thought of cheddar climb but to me it wasn’t as hard as i expected based on its ranking in the Uk, but it’s a beautiful climb, nice at 7.30 in the morning. Useful tips as well, I’d never considered routing around train routes so that was very useful 👍

I started cycling in 2020 at 49. Now 52. Just over a year later I went straight into a 170 mile ride after having previously done 50 miles as my longest ride. A few months after that I did 204 miles, which wrecked me. 🤣. I did a few 100 mile rides after that, and didn't do another ultra 204 mile ride until last summer 2023. I stupidly chose the hottest day of the year, with relentless sun and 28 degree heat. I felt just as wrecked on that ride, but mostly because of the sun and heat. My rear light ran out of power 40 miles from home in the dark. And I tried to use my front light's battery pack function to charge my Karoo 2 bike computer, but all it did was slow down the discharge until it finally ran out 5 miles from home. I'm doing my yearly 118 mile coast ride this weekend. Last year I took loads of caffeine and averaged 19 mph for the whole ride 😂😂.

Thanks. Doing my first double century in 8 days. I’ve used the gel every 30 minutes strategy previously on century rides to good effect. Going to try to boost that a little with some higher concentration liquid carbs. Will also be throwing in some salt, bcaas and ibuprofen as required. Shooting for an intensity factor of about 0.65 early then push up to 0.75 on the 2nd half.

The 30 min fuelling thing is super interesting, looking at how much you take and eat I realise I am really under eating on my long rides so that is something I need to change for sure. How are you with eating all that sweet stuff? I know I asked you about this before but I really struggle to get it down! Anyways really enjoying this so far, can’t wait for part 2 mate

Hello Andy thanks for the video. I just subscribed. You nailed it when you talked about (at least twice) the difficulty of filming your rides for RU-vid and getting the training done. Often times I’m out on a training ride and really want to capture the sights and sounds for my viewers but either I didn’t bring a camera or it’s tricky to film and descend or something similar. We should think about collaborating in the future. We share some viewers already based on the folks that have made comments on the video. Cheers

I did a 200-mile solo ride on my 63rd birthday. Cardio wise, I felt okay, but the last 30 miles, both of my knees were screaming at me. I literally could not lift my leg over the bike to get off the bike and rest. It took me a few days to get back to normal. I have no desire to do it again.

You rode through our backyard Andy, nice ride and great chat also👍 Fueling? After 56 years eating the wrong stuff I carry all my fuel onboard, no bars required 🤣 Cheddar loop has been in my head for a few years, about 130mls door to door.

Hey man! First time seeing ur vids. Absolutely like the content! The first thing that pops up for me to ask is what camera r u using? The quality is stunning 😍 And r u using any lens or lusts with it or software apps for more enhancements? 😅

Enjoying the content mate. Now living in Brisbane Australia, I left Godalming Surrey 20 years back. I do a bunch of 100K rides, often dreaming of doing IndiPac and wondered if you've done/considered it? Cycling Pearth to Sydney East to West Australia, some 5400K's.

That was great Andy! Some very nice views and speedy descents. Those tips are very useful - recently finished my first 200km, but going up to 200 miles seems quite daunting. As you said, need to build up gradually, and have a strong 'Why'...erm... Because it's there...? Looking forward to the second half, the ride home and some more tips!

This video has made something that can otherwise be a bit boring, quite fun. So my longest single ride is 134 miles. It's been a couple of years since that ride. I've also done a lot of bike packing. I don't think I'm fast enough to manage 200 miles in a day. But anyway the amount I've trained and cycled has declined a lot since doing those ultra long rides. I've just upgraded my broken chainset with a custom mix of parts allowing a huge range (10 to 45 cassette with a 2x) and it's the best damn drive train I've ever used. Anyway I'm in the process of training again, gradually stepping up distance until I'm able to do a century again in preparation for a ride which has bested me twice, first time because I was ill prepared and second time was the reason I've needed a new drivetrain in the first place. From Glasgow to Yorkshire crossing the lake district district. Which I would love to cover in 3 or 4 days. Your video has had some good advice to newbies and to me on the importance of eating regularly, which is something I have struggled to do.

Damn, next time I’m back home in Pompey, I may need to bring my bike!! 😅

You are someone that could do RAAM. Either solo or with a tesm of 2 or 4. I've done it twice as support. It was super fun. Next year i m planning to do as a team of 8. Cheers from Utah.

Fun rubbish. Enjoyed it 👍🏻

Nice views. What camera are you using? Thanks

Andy - twisted my knee Friday ! Still on Sunday I did a 150 mile ride [Yeovil-->Bournemouth-->Salisbury-->Warminster-->Shepton Mallet-->Yeovil].....giving my knee ice treatment and TENS this week....it hasn't swelled up but is uncomfortable....shouldn't really train or ride with an injury but hopefully it isn't too bad.....gunning for 180 miles this Sunday.....the 205 miler is only 6 weeks away 😮

Cheddar can be so busy. I did a training 100m hilly route after lockdown and had the gorge to myself just me and the goats. Did the accent twice as i had never seen it so quiet.

Looks like you were in my area, in fact I rode up Zig Zag hill just this morning 👍

Great video Andy. When you said ‘it’s going to be tough..or everyone would be doing it’ is a key thing to remember. My 200miler was this. Holding a position on the bike and all the eating. I would add my tip…take chamois cream and reapply a few times. Wear your best shorts. I told myself ‘the next town is 30miles…I can ride 30miles’ and repeated this once there for the whole return leg. It is supposed to be fun I kept telling myself so feeding and drinking will help with mood. More videos please, maybe with some light jazz backing music…or is that too much to ask? 😊

one of the easiest ricks to extend garmin et al battery life is to turn down the back light.....doing that increases life a huge amount....i was amazed.....

great video, subscribed, but i must say, the cheddary gorge, is pancake flat, compared to south wales valleys ;) lol

Hi! I've just stumbled upon your channel. This was the first video I saw and most likely not the last one. Pretty impressive camera and editing work, lovely landscape and good tips ... but that annoying music, especially when you are talking! The best part was when the music stopped. Please, please, please, you don't have to do that, you have graying beard, you don't need this crappy background noise. 🙂

Would be interested to know how your pacing varies with distance? Like what sort of pace would you ride a typical 50-60 mile club ride, versus 100 mile endurance ride vs long ultra endurance rides and events? Obviously it will vary with terrain and conditions, but just a general idea would be interesting

I'm not a cyclist, but I run ultras. The advice I'm constantly giving everyone trying to up their distance whether it's 100m to 5k, 5k to half marathon, or anyone trying to go further is slow down. Whatever you think slow is, it's too fast. Go slower.

Hey Andy, how did you set up this horizontal bar with your GPS installed? Is it some DIY work or something that can be purchased?

greets from germany

How do you monitor heart rate, watch or strap?

I'm having trouble fathoming how you even have the time to do something like that while the sun is out. If you have 12 hours of light, and you don't stop at all to piss, eat, check a map, etc., you have to keep an average of at least 16.6... mph. I don't think it's gonna be hard to go faster than that on a good setup, but you'll inevitably have to stop at intersections, wait for traffic, slow down up climbs, possibly walk over/around obstacles, accommodate for detours, and every time you stop and start, you have to slow down and get back to speed, which will drag down the average Also if 50-60mi is "club riding", what's anything less than that?

What kind of bike are you using? Is it a gravel bike? Would be keen to hear.

Are those Deda aero bars you got there? What model with the crossbar feature you have?

Question on value for money consumables (brake pads, rotors, chains for example). Given all the miles, where can you can save some money and where not? Thanks

How do you cope with your own company for a whole day? 😂 But seriously I struggle on my own and love it if I can drag a friend along or join an audax to try and start some casual chats on route because it can get lonely.

Great video - I can tell you put a lot of editing in and the content is great. The audio is a little distracting and a few of your shots are a bit woozy. Check the channel Everything's Been Done for how he handles those spin shots while riding.

chedder gorge is more 'iconic' than hard....bit like box hill in surrey....not hard to do at all.....i would rather do proper hard climbs....but then im more endurance, 100 miles up the north downs hills.....usually up and down each hill 2 or three times.....

So more than 5min into the video before anything remotely related to the question already establishe in the tite and 9min22s in before anything that resembles a tip appears. Please stop wasting our time and you will probably gain a few more subs along the way.