Long Distance Riding

Summary: There are many reasons why riders choose to ride long distances. If you need to ask then it is probably not for you. Why am I riding long distances? Find out now.

I was wondering when I would start writing pages about long distance riding. It was not long ago when I figured out through discussions with other riders that long distance seems to start beyond 500 kilometres. Well, of course this all depends on who you are talking to. And I agree. 500 km is something a FarRider would do for breakfast; An Iron Butt Rider may call it a ride around the block.
Funnily enough, what I call rides around the block, are mostly day rides, but add 600–800 km to the odometer. In short: it doesn't matter, what you and I call it, it means something different to most people.
The following pages may explain what I think long distance riding is for me.

Exploring Australia — One Road at a Time…

A Word of Caution

Long distance riding is something that needs to be trained for! Nobody in their right mind would attempt to climb Mount Everest without the proper preparation regarding equipment, body and mind. The latter is the most important to aid success in both, climbing and long distance riding.
One of the most important factors and skills to master are fatigue management — a clear understanding of the differences between tiredness and fatigue —, and the importance of proper nourishment and hydration.

I am not into sports, never have been, and do not want to be. Long distance riding is something different to different people, some see it as endurance sport, other as lunacy. The same applies to my climbing example.

The general message I have for reading the following and related pages is simple: if you like, you have to the right place. If you don't like what you see, simply leave it, move on, don't try to make sense of it, don't judge it, don't argue, expect we agree to disagree.

I also have no intention to promote long distance riding. What I do want to achieve is to provide some insight — as I see it — to long distance riding, as well as preparations suggested and required, forms of training, and other relevant information, and pointers to information, far more experienced people have put together.

A Couple of Definitions

Long Distance Riding is the title applied to the pastime of riding motorcycles over very long distances in defined times, with a popular target being to cover 1,000 miles in a day. (WikiPedia)

There are many reasons why riders choose to ride long distances, if you need to ask then it is probably not for you.
Talk to a FarRider one day and see the love of the road and riding that shines in their eyes. (FarRiders.com)

I agree with the latter.

What I Like About Distance Riding

I have been riding and driving long distances throughout my life on wheels. Long distance has been relative, for example:

• 30 km in 24 hours on a bicycle at the age of 8
• 100 km in 24 hours on a bicycle at the age of 13
• 300 km in 24 hours on a motorised bicycle (max. speed 25 km/h) at the age of 15
• 1,200 km (multiple days) on a 50 ccm motorcycle at the age of 16
• … many others, and more recently …
• 1,600 km in 24 hours (SS1600K)
• 5,000 km in 5 days

What do I like about it? Many things, different things, the solitude, the relaxation wide open spaces can provide, the adventure, the scenery, seeing places, meeting people. This incomplete list of attractions to long distance riding is my way of looking at it. There are many others who enjoy "the distance" above anything else. I have done some soul-searching recently. What I discovered is that covering the distance is not as important to me as seeing places.

I have made an effort to find out where my long distance preference lies. The SaddleSore 1600K (SS1600K) I did in May 2009, from Brisbane (Queensland) to Albury (New South Wales), covering 1,600 km in 24 hours provided me with a lot of information I could digest over the months to come.
Of equal interest was the journey from Albury to Melbourne along The Great Ocean Road, and back to Brisbane. It also provided me with a lot of food for thought, this time on different aspects of the ride, such as seeing things, photographing things, meeting people, yet still covering significant distances in a day.

July 2009 saw see me riding on a different venture: a long distance rally type ride; 1,000 km in 24 hours including bonus point collection. I already did some planning and an eye-opening trial run. I am certain to gather further information to think about.

So what is all the thinking about? Well, I have always been thinking things through. Thoroughly. Not going over board, but thorough enough to come to conclusions that make sense to me and I can commit to.
In a nutshell: there are many, many factors which will determine why and how I will think of long distance riding.
I hope my pages will give you some insights to learn from or relate to.

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