Long distance ride - I Love Bicycling

If you are currently a Dynamic Cyclist subscriber the use of a ball, of some sort, has become one of your primary self care tools. Nothing feels better than TFL release, am I right?! But this little addition to your stretching and mobility programs can be something you take on trips and races as your own personal deep tissue masseuse.

I always bring a ball with me on trips and races. It’s relatively small, light and easy to pack and is the next best thing to a foam roller. At the end of a 20 hour riding day nothing feels better than to sit down and roll out the muscles and fascia. Here are some ways you can use one to help settle the legs down after a long day in the saddle.

Rolling out the quads: Simply sit on the ground with your legs straight out in front of you. Take the ball in your hand, roll it up and down your quad, pressing deeply into the muscle. You can dig right into your adductors and IT bands as well.

Shin and Calf: Still sitting, take the ball and roll it up and down the muscles on the outside of your lower leg. You can also place the ball on the ground underneath your calf and apply pressure to roll that area out as well. Spend time pressing on the more tender spots to facilitate release.

Glutes: Just like you would with a foam roller, place the ball on the ground, place your glute on top of it and roll around. This can be pretty gnarly as the ball applies a lot more pressure than the foam roller. Simply place more weight on your feet and hands to reduce the pressure. You can also do this against a wall to better control pressure.

TFL: Cyclists can really suffer here. To find the TFL, place your finger on the front of your pelvic bone. Slowly move down and to the outside of the thigh until you feel a ropey muscle that is the width of a finger. It may be tender to touch. You can roll the TFL with the ball by hand or you can use the ground or the wall to really dig in.

Shoulders, Back and Scapulae: Place the ball on the ground or use a wall to focus pressure on various knots in these areas.

Feet: Place the ball on the ground and while sitting, roll the bottoms of your feet from the heel to the ball to give yourself a lovely foot massage.

Arms: After being on the bars all day, simply rolling the ball over the muscles in the upper and lower arms can feel great and will get the blood circulating again.

For something so small and unassuming, the cork ball can really help in relieving tension in the body. It’s cheap, light, portable and really effective at finding those spots that need the most attention. Check your local yoga shop to see if they have them or you can pick them up on Amazon for less than $20.

Written by Steve O’ Shaughnessy – Distance Cyclist & Podcaster

A Bit About Steve

Hi, I’m Steve O’Shaughnessy, born and raised in the town of Deep River, Ontario. I first moved west in the early 90’s and made Whistler, British Columbia my home. Years later and after careers in retail, information technology and coffee roasting I’d find myself with a wife and family in Invermere, British Columbia.

I started cycling in my 20’s after moving to Whistler, and what a place to learn to ride mountain bikes. I was a guide on Whistler Mountain well before its absorption by Intrawest. I spent most of my time on singletrack and still love a rip on the trails every now and then, but lately, riding distances has become very attractive to me.

In 2018, I rode the BC Epic 1000 and finished in (4d 4h), in 2019 I rode an ITT of the Lost Elephant (2d 15h) then again in 2020 on my single speed, where I finished in 2nd (2d9h30m) behind Justin Hettinga. 2021 was the year of my BC Epic yoyo when I also raised a modest $2000 for the Masaka Cycling Club. A huge personal challenge for me that was also a great success.

In 2018, after the tragic loss of Ryan Correy, I picked up the Bikepack Canada podcast and put out 23 episodes before branching out to start my own podcast, My Back 40. As a podcast producer and host, my mission is to bring listeners inspiring conversations about bikepacking, ultra endurance racing, training, nutrition and the mental health benefits of this awesome activity.

I enjoy writing and recording conversations with inspiring people. If I have learned anything after over 100 conversations I’ve had, it’s that everyone has a story and can inspire. I have also learned that we are all so much more capable than we give ourselves credit for.

Check out Steve O’Shaughnessy’s podcast ‘My Back 40’!

What You Need

Clothing – Ideally you want clothing that is lightweight and easy to pack, so that you can switch to appropriate clothing depending on the conditions. Plan your route in advance and have an idea of the appropriate clothing for the route, as packing too much that you don’t need will only make the ride harder than it needs to be.

Panniers – Panniers are perfect for storing all of the essentials that you will need for the tour, but try to keep your weight load between the 20 and 45 pound mark to ensure a stable ride. Pack to a 60/40 ratio in favor of the front pannier to ensure the bike stays balanced throughout.

Miscellaneous Equipment – The extras that you pack will really depend on the trip, but if you anticipate being on the road for a number of days then you should bring a small first aid kit and some tubes, tires and tire patches as an absolute minimum. Make sure you are stocked with plenty of food and water, or that your route stops by areas where you can grab more when you need it. Sunblock, sunglasses and bike repair tools are all excellent choices to fill your pannier as well.

What You Don’t Need

An Expensive Bike – Long distance cycling isn’t as restrictive as some people make it out to be, so as long as your bike is sturdy and able to handle most conditions you should be fine. As long as you are comfortable and the bike can handle the load then it should be okay.

Vanity Items – If you’re going to be spending days riding, there’s no point packing hair product, makeup and other vanity items, as they will just add to your load and make the ride difficult. Is anybody going to care what you look like in the few seconds that they see you zipping past them?

Mechanics Knowledge – You don’t need to know the ins and outs of bike repair to go on a long tour. As long as you can patch a puncture and are aware of most of the basics you should be able to get along just fine. Watch a few tutorials online but don’t worry too much about having perfect knowledge beyond the essentials.

Your Training

Build Up – Don’t just assume you will be able to handle the distance based on your current fitness level. Look at the cycling plan and work your way up to being able to cover whatever distances you have planned for each day.

Recovering Properly – If you train yourself intensely right up until the point of your ride you may find yourself too exhausted to complete it. Aim for your training schedule to be at its peak intensity a couple of weeks before the ride, and then taper down with easier rides in the weeks running up to it so that you recover properly.

Nutrition – On your longer training rides you should be aiming to figure out what you need on a nutritional level to handle long distance riding. Try to eat something every hour and make sure you keep yourself hydrated at all times so that you can maintain peak performance levels.

Planning Your Route

When planning your route you need to ensure that you have the most up-to-date maps so that you don’t run into the unexpected along the way. New roads or alternate routes can throw a spanner into the works very quickly and nobody wants to spend their ride getting lost.

There are also plenty of guidebooks available, which should help with the planning stages. Ideally, you want to be able to enjoy the experience, so don’t plan to just ride on uniform main roads as you may find you get bored. Try a few smaller roads so that you can see something a little different every so often.

Finally, earmark any important areas along the way that you can use for recovery or that you simply want to see. The cycling is important, but the experience is right up there as well so take a little time to drink in your surroundings.

Do you have any tips for long distance cycling?