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

~ Edmund R. Burke (Author), (Author), Bicycling Magazine (Publisher) "One of the classic stories in cycling comes from a press interview with Fausto Coppi, the legendary Italian road racer of the 1940s and 1950s..." (more)
Key Phrases: ultra cycling, fast paceline, ultra events, Pete Penseyres, Race Across America, John Hughes (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

These days, bike riders, like runners, are not satisfied with just a tour around the neighborhood. Long-distance challenges like the AIDS Ride and Race Across America (RAAM) have grown in popularity. Burke and Pavelka, both with years of experience competing, writing about the sport, and working with professional cyclists, team up for this thorough resource that includes all facets of long-distance biking. Not only do they cover the basics, such as best bike gear, proper nutrition, and what type of bike to buy, but they give the lowdown on the latest equipment and explain bike technology without oversimplifying. Readers will become familiar with bike lingo such as dual-suspension, aero bars, and lactate threshold. Serious bikers will surely mark, part 2, "The Rides," which includes training schedules, charts, and race tactics to prepare beginners and experienced cyclists for Centuries (100 mile rides) to Ultra's (any distance over 100 miles). Although the book includes a small section on women's issues, a good supplement would be The Female Cyclist (Velo Press, 1999). Recommended to build any cyclist's knowledge and confidence to conquer long rides. Brenda Barrera
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Product Description

Ride Strong, Ride Long ... Whether Your Goal Is 30 Miles or 3,000

From two of the country's top cycling experts the most comprehensive guide ever to achieving the strength, skills, and strategies you need for long-distance riding. Whether you're training for day rides, centuries, or cross-country trips, The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling helps you choose the right equipment, train step-by-step, and map out your riding strategy so that you can go the distance.

Discover how to:
* Make the most of every hour on your bike
* Build your mileage base efficiently
* Customize your training to suit your personality and physical capabilities
* Build extra training time into your hectic schedule
* Avoid injuries and the dangers of overtraining
* Achieve the mental edge you need to ride farther and faster
* Train for both road and off-road touring
* Choose cycling gear that goes and goes
* Eat for the long haul-- nutrtion before, during, and after your rides

To help you achieve your riding goals, The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling gives you complete, step-by-step training programs for riding a half-century, century, double century, and beyond. You'll also find strategies and techniques for special situations, such as riding in bed weather and riding at night. Published by the world's leading authority on bicycling, this informative guide is a must-have for all cycling enthusiasts.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (October 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579541992
• ISBN-13: 978-1579541996
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,413 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #29 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Cycling
  #63 in	Books > Sports > Training

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

231 of 231 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll Ride Away A Winner With This Book!, October 14, 2008

By	John R. - See all my reviews

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.

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good all-around advice, May 1, 2003

By	Douglas Welzel (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Long-Distance Cycling covers all aspects of how to pull off long rides, not just the training aspects.

The book starts off with the basics, choosing the right gear and making sure your bike fits properly. These are easy to overlook, but will make all of the difference in the world on a long ride.

It then spends some time overviewing a good training program. Like other cycling books, the authors recommend picking up a heart rate monitor and using it for the basis of your training. They provide training programs for different goal distances (such as your first century) that recommend spending time in different heart rate zones. The training and nutrition information is well done, but not amazingly in depth. If you get more serious about the sport, you'll probably want more information, but this book hits is target audience just fine.

The later chapters of the book cover all of the unpleasantries that come up during a long ride: sores, pain, general discomfort. Again, this information is invaluable during a long ride.

All in all, the authors have done a great job at putting together the information you need to complete your first (or next!) long distance bike ride.

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Serious Bike Book For Riders Going the Extra Mile, February 27, 2003

By	A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "What is your... (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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