Training for biking trip?

Can you show me a 3-4month training program to bike 360 miles?

• I'm 18 years old, and next year I'd like to go visit my friend who lives 4 hours away from a car, which I'm estimating to be around 360 miles. I'm going to bike there (whether I get a car by then or not.) By then I'll have bought a mountain bike, 26" inch to replace my old one. Based on the temperatures here in New York, I estimate I'll be able to start bike training in March or April. So I'd have 3, maybe 4 months to train, since I'd like to go in the summer. If I really had to, I could do 5 months training. I'm looking for if someone, perhaps an experienced biker or someone who knows, could suggest a 3 or 4 month training schedule to get me accustomed to a 360-ish mile bike trip. The most I've gone this year is 66 miles, so I'm not new to endurance and long distance. And while your at it, is there anything I could do during the winter (when I can't ride my bike) that would help get me trained? I can do long distance running, but not too much (doctors orders because I have knee problems.) Biking doesn't bother my knees too much. Because I don't just want to spend the winter loafing around, when I should be training. A couple things before you answer: 1. Don't try to tell me it's impossible or whatever. When someone tells me I can't do something, I do it. So whether I get the right kind of training or not, I'm going to do it. I'd just rather hear from somebody who knows what they're talking about. 2. I'm not going blindly into this. I'll have one backpack, that's all I'm going to take. It's a kind of big pack. I'll have some energy bars and trail mix, and Gatorade. (If you know anything else I should be taking to consume, let me know please.) I'll also be bringing spare stuff just in case. Tire tubes, sockets, wrenches, and other stuff just to be safe. I'm not going 360 miles without backup. Anything else I should be taking, please let me know. So also, for the training schedule you give me, I'll be doing it with a kind of heavy backpack. Thanks!

• Answer:

  You can do this, but you need to plan it right. First, go to google maps and find the exact distance. Enter the bike option as there are roads that a bike can't ride on. This will give you the real distance to bike and a few alternative routes. Most likely the bike's routes will be much longer than the car's as bikes can't take the straight through highways. Second, If you are going to buy a bike, buy a road/touring bike. This is a plus for any distance traveled over pavement carrying baggage. A mountain bike weights about 30% more than a road bike. The knobby tires take energy from your pedals as the knobs have to bend as they roll and that slows you down. The hard slick tires of a touring bike have less resistance. The upright position of a mountain bike is great to deal with unpaved roads and such but will slow you even more on the road. The gearing on a mountain bike is for climbing, not for reaching high speed in pavement. In average you can hope to do 8 mph with a mountain bike while you can do easy 16 mph with a touring bike. Third, do not use a large back pack. Equip your bike with panniers. You will need a tent for camping unless you want to go to cheap motels. I didn't say you can't but I doubt you should even think about doing it in one go. That is more like a 5 day trip. I will be doing one like that next summer also (400miles and back), to Michigan's UP. I am three times your age. My training this year was 1300 miles to date since mid April. I will limit my trip to 80 miles a day max. Fourth, no socket wrenches, you just get the bike tools required. Fifth, hydration. You should drink a bottle per hour. That could add to 2 gallons per day. Sixth, some people in my club, my included) start riding in January first. Yes it is cold here too in northern Indiana. We wear 3 or more layers, sky masks, sky globes in top of the riding ones, helmet cover, shoes covers. So you should be able to start training sooner. Seventh, if possible ride with some partners. Training plan. I usually do 15-35 miles twice a week during the cold months, plus anything I can do on the stationary indoors. Increase that to 150 a week when is warm. I think you have a great idea and you should keep asking questions as your plan matures.