Training
Bob D. (an awesome FANY alum) lets FANY Riders download his great log for free! Yeah Bob!
Newbie Riders and experienced bikers sign-up every year for FANY to spend a week on a bike. Set a goal to ride at least 500 miles (1,000 would of course be even better) before FANY, including at least one 70 mile ride. Bob's Great Training Log is a terrific way to keep track of your miles and/or spin class sessions. If you can sustain an average of at least 13 mph including breaks you'll have time in 70 miles for sightseeing. The new 50 mile route option can be more relaxed.
What's the terrain like?
LOTS OF FUN & SOME HILLS! New York has wonderfully diverse terrain, and we plan to sample all of it. For 2019 we'll be riding along Lake Champlain and in the Hudson River Valley. We'll spend some time on hills with scenery that makes the climbing absolutely worthwhile.
(Remember, it's still your hill, even if you have to walk up it - and many of us do walk.)
New for 2019! You have the choice to average either 70 mi/day, or our new 50 mi/day option. They'll be mostly road miles, with a new few short stretches of hard packed dirt roads or bike trails. Light-weight, multi-geared road or touring bikes are recommended. However almost all types of bikes have successfully completed FANY; tandems, folders, trikes, hybrids, recumbents. Oddly though, no unicycles yet.
Also, have NEW tires on your bike. You'll be biking for 300+ miles on all kinds of roads, so be sure to use road/touring tires. Bike racers usually use 18-23 tires. Many on FANY find that 25-28 are more comfortable for long tours. Knobby tires on mountain bikes usually create too much road resistance to be comfortable on a long road tour. Also NYS has been testing new road surfaces, so tires with names that include "Survivor" or "Gator Skins" make sense, unless you like changing flats. Talk to your local bike store about tires that fit both your bike and the adventure of FANY Ride.
How do I train for this?
Yes. You really can do this!
BICYCLE TRAINING ON-LINE:
and more from
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NOTE: FANY will carry your gear to each overnight town. When Adventure Cycling
talks about "Riding With Weight" they assume you'll be carrying your gear. You can if you really want to, but why?
Last year's bikers would say that "FANY CAN BE HILLY." We often go up, not around, 10% grades and on occasion FANY has climbed (or walked) 14%.
So make sure to include hills in your training! Train on the bike that you're going to ride.
Join a bike club and go on club rides to increase your speed and endurance. Also at some point, make sure that you train at least 5 consecutive days, to see if you really like throwing your leg over the bike day after day.
A Great Training Ride
A great training ride for FANY is the Great Finger Lakes Bicycle Tour, June 7-9, 2019. Many FANY riders, both past and present go on this annual ride. Choose from different length routes each day. Non-biking
friends & spouses can enjoy kayaking, hikes near the waterfalls, or lakes or shopping in quaint villages. Includes 3 days biking and 2 nights camping (which presents a good time to
test if your new tent is easy to set-up). Or there’s a bunk house option in case you're not a "camper." This wonderful event features catered meals and well
planned rides over scenic Finger Lakes roads, and is sponsored by the Southern Tier Bicycle Club of Binghamton, NY.
http://www.southerntierbicycleclub.org/greatfingerlakestour.html
One last thing - FANY & this ride don't overlap. It's a nice way to see another area of NYS.
See you there?