800 mile round trip

[Rusty]

THAT is a lot of miles !!!!!

[Kwikasfuki]

Boomer, are you coming to the summer meet up? I bet you've got some tales to tell us

[Kevin]

Just out of curiosity, those of you that go on frequent tours, what's the max mileage you aim for in a day and how do you break that down e.g. frequency of stops, any specific exercises/stretching you do before/during etc. I noticed at faster speeds there was less discomfort and if I slowed down the discomfort would become more apparent.

Depends whether we're riding or looking. I guess a normal days riding is 250-350 miles. We'll do less if we're sightseeing - sometimes we don't ride at all!  :) - and a lot more if we're trying to get somewhere. 

When on the move we tend not to stop except when we need petrol or see something interesting we want to have a closer look at. Every other fuel stop is designated a 'get off and walk around' stop if either of us need it. I've got damaged knees, plastic in my right elbow, I broke the scaphoid in my left wrist which gives me grief at times and I have a damaged coccyx. Lyn has several injuries as well so frequent stretching and changing position before it gets too painful is important for both of us. When doing long distance stuff we tend to take painkillers before we start and maintain them during the ride.

A good seat is important and I use those friction throttle locks which are crap really but do give me an opportunity to stretch and bend my arm when it gets painful.

I suspect you notice it less when you're going faster as you're thinking more about your riding so the aches and pains aren't uppermost in your mind. I have no idea how Lyn copes on the back, especially at night, because there's not a lot else to think about.

Any tips in getting your body conditioned will be gratefully received.

I think the only way is to work up to it so your muscles become used to what you are doing. When I dumped the GS in Romania and broke Lyn's rib there didn't seem a lot of point in taking my time getting back so when she left for the airport I rode home. I don't believe I would have contemplated doing that if we weren't already used to riding long distances.

Kevin