Customer Reviews

The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling: Build the Strength, Skills, and Confidence to Ride as Far as You Want

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is one of the most COMPREHENSIVE books on long-distance cycling I've ever read and I recommend it to anyone who is going to do any amount of long distance cycling. While you can get SOME of the info off the internet, you can't get it all by far, and why would you want to try when you can get it all in this handy book? Let me tell you about some of what the book covers.

The book does a nice job of going over the most efficient positions to bike in. To me, this is the best way to avoid an injury. But if you do get an injury, the book goes over in some pretty good detail, what the most common injuries are and how to treat them (I also recommend The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution if this terrible foot problem causes you cycling problems). I've read a lot about injuries from various sources and the advice is right on the money.

Biking equipment is also covered in a lot of detail, as well as the different types of bikes out there to help you sort out what you need. There's a lot of stuff out there made for cyclists and this could save a lot of people a lot of time and money.

Other interesting topics covered include what to eat (nutrition), how to train for various distance rides (the book breaks this up into up-to-100 miles rides, 100 to 200 mile rides, and 200+ mile rides), specific cycling problems males/females may have (such as prostate irritation), riding in various weather conditions, and even how to stay in shape when you can't ride in the off-season!

As you can see, its a quite thorough book and I can't recommend it enough for those who are looking for a good long-distance cycling resource.

Anyone who ridden a century knows it takes more than strong legs and will power. Authors Ed Burke and Ed Pavelka know this and clear the path for successful riding.

"The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling" divulges the secrets of centuries, doubles and beyond. This is a serious book for serious riders.

It starts with a forward by long distance racing great Lon Haldeman who redefined the limits of long distance biking.

Learn which bike serves which distance and course, proper form, clothing and diet. You'll find training tips unique to each distance, ideas for dealing with mid-ride pain, ways to approach sleep deprivation, stretching techniques, pointers for managing bathroom breaks. You'll be on the bike for many hours and every morsel of advice helps.

As a long distance biker and as a reader of many biking books, I am impressed and fully recommend "The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling" by Ed Burke and Ed Pavelka.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

I was new to cycling, and I had no idea what I am doing, tried different sources of information, however nothing like this book, its very friendly and targeted towards beginners and even advanced cyclist, the book took me to a whole new level I would not even dream about, very simple and practical to use, unlike other books where they describe advanced training schedule that's not quiet possible if you are working or a full time student like me, it has chapter about female cyclists, very interesting and helpful. The book also describe nutrition thoroughly a subject always overlooked by beginners.
Moreover the books is full of stories about disciplined cyclists and how they accomplished their goals, very motivating and inspiring,
Probably the best money I've ever spent on cycling and my health till now.
Highly recommended.

I've recently decided to ride in my first 200 mile ride and thought I better prepare myself mentaly as well as physically. So I purchased this book.

First off it it an extremely well written and easy to read guide. I had no problem understanding any of the difficult concepts the authors were trying to convey. As well as getting an even larger appreciation for cycling in general.

They cover many different subjets from bike fit, clothing choices, food and hydration, mental toughness, training schedules, pains and ailments, as well as how to work with other cyclists during training rides and events.

All in all a wonderfully informative book as well as a truely valuable referance guide.

Veteran RAAM cyclists Dr. Ed Burke and Ed Pavelka didn't leave anything out.

If you only read one chapter in this book then the first chapter "Start Smart" is the most important for increasing your performance without over extending yourself. The authors pay special attention to using a heart monitor, which is probably the key in being able to significantly augment your cycling abilities. I would also recommend reading "The Heart Rate Monitor Book For In/Outdoor Cyclists" by Sally Eduards afterwards. The combination of these two books helped me increase my speed and strength on hill climbing by 25 percent.

Mental preparedness is a chapter that was very valuable to me, as I continued riding through the autum and now find my self still motivated although winter has blown in with its shorter daylight hours and freezing temperatures. The authors also give tips on coordinating your activities if you have limited time, like myself with a wife and two children. I log in 30 to 40 miles every second day while riding to and from work with one long weekend ride of 85 - 120 miles.

The rest of the book talks about the experience of riding 100 miles, 200 miles and more. Health issues such as rigimortis of the ass and stiff muscles, which we all experience riding great distances.

Women's issues are also discussed throughout the book, which is the fault of many other publications. My wife enjoyed reading it as well for this reason.

First let me say that I'm not a beginner, I've been riding for 8 years (no not all in one go!). This book taught me so so much. Thankyou to both Ed Burke & Ed Pavelka!! I thought I knew a lot, until now that is. I've bought other cycling books, before but nothing compares to this one. There is no "filler" in this book.

This book is not just concerned with ultralong distance races, it uses words like "the event" and "personal goals". You can read it and not feel too ashamed that you're not a pro, if you know what I mean. It caters for everyone. It also has a humurous style, which will make it enjoyable reading. It is very easy to pick up and start reading anywhere.

It has chapters on nutrition, stretching, off-season training, lots on training and technique...and that HYDRATION is the key.

Two things that this book lacks:
1) I prefer to use the word "Intentions" rather than "Goals".
It just sounds better. Use whatever word will make you feel motivated. Not much wrong there though, right?

The second thing is this: Ed & Ed (the authors) give you lots of tips (e.g: about how to maximise your time on the bike when you have other important things in your life; get everything ready for a ride the night before; how to cycle efficiently, etc)
2) But, the ONLY thing I can think that they forgot to include is this: you should make a long list of all the places you can ride to or that you want to ride to but you haven't ridden to yet - then write down how far each ride is, roughly how long it will take, etc. That way you can easily see at a glance whether you have got the time to go for that particular ride. Plus you can tick each place off as you get to it. Or alternatively you could stick pins in a map - it gives you a sense of accomplishment!

Great book, once again, and you can tell that both Authors have a lifetime of riding experience to share with you.
My favourite line in the book, talking about people who are past their prime and then quit altogether, is this: "They hang up their bikes and live on memories."

One more thing: I started out highlighting all the good bits. By the time I got to the end, I realised I should have just bought some fluorescent paint and dipped the whole book in!!

Having taken a hiatus from cycling for 10 years, but now approaching mileage consistency to do my first century, I picked up this book primarily so I'd know what to expect, but also as an update on what's transpired in the last ten years. For example, training based on time at particular heart rate thresholds -- NOT mileage -- is now the generally accepted method of optimizing your development.

This is a relatively quick and easy read providing hints and tips on working up in the distances. One may initially interpret the casual, non-snooty writing style to suggest it would be appropriate for beginner. It's not. I think you should really have at LEAST a year of riding experience before ratcheting up the mileage. For example, their demarcation of "long distance" is roughly sub-century (< 100 miles), century, double (200 miles), and beyond 200 miles.

It was especially interesting to read their insight into the physiology of higher mileage levels. For example, once you're riding centuries comfortably, success in the additional distances essentially depends upon eating and hydrating effectively. Those who made their first transition beyond the 40-60 mileage range without eating are familiar with "the bonk."

A couple of nits: First, the book assumes the "long distance" will be an all-the-way-through event. I would have been especially interested material on multi-day events, specifically on nutritional "tricks" one might use to restock the body's primary glycogen stores. They suggest generally eating a high-carbohydrate meal within 1/2 hour of the ride.

Another -- probably humorous -- question is "how do you find time for these longer rides?"

I am a subscriber to Bicycling magazine. Every month I eagerly open the latest issue and almost without exception am disappointed in the lack of substantial content. Most articles are superficial at best, stating obvious facts and making suggestions of questionable value. If you have had a similar experience with the Bicycling the magazine then you already know what you will find in this book.

There is surprising little useful content here. Equipment tips and suggestions are generally useless. For instance much attention is given to the benefit of clipless pedals. Well duh!!! Important topics for long distance cycling such as working out a comfortable saddle system are given almost no useful coverage (usually something like "get a saddle which is comfortable"). Most of the chapters as they relate to equipment are quite dated and need to be revised.

Topics such as Lactic Threshold, heart rate monitoring, and training strategies are introduced but unless they are completely new to you the discussions of each are not likely to be useful.

I generally could not bring myself to completely read any of the suggestions and skimmed through most of the book. I did find a couple of pieces worth reading but to be honest I can not recall them at the moment.

My advice is to skip this book. Anything of value that could be found in it could also be easily found on any of a number of websites devoted to cycling and training. For an excellent alternative book covering a lot of useful training discussion see "Cycling Past 50" by Joel Friel. Despite the title, riders of all ages will find wonderful discussions of training physiology and strategies which will apply well to your long distance goals.

Now if someone would just would make a cycling magazine that is worth reading so I can relegate "Bicycling" to the bathroom stall with Mens Health and Outside..........

I ordered this book on the recommendation from members of the bike forum. I was transitioning from mountain biking to road biking for distance. This book covers it all. From buying, training, nutrition, 50 miles 100 miles to 200+ mile rides.
Everything you need to know. This book is an easy read and I have kept it around as a reference guide for my training. You can use this book if you ride any bike daily, weekly or just for fun.

This is the most comprehensive, in-depth source of information for the kind of cycling me and most of my saddle buddies do: medium to long day rides, and occasional multi-day tours, for fun and fitness. I'm not a hard core racer, but I am serious about improving all aspects of my riding. The book is accessible to any motivated reader, including the novice, but has considerable depth for guys like me who have read just about everything they could find on the topics covered: training, nutrition and hydration, equipment, bike fit, skills, and lots more. Everything you need for centuries to PBP and RAAM!