School me on the saddle sore 1000

One of my goals this year is to complete my first saddle sore 1000. I've been thinking about doing one for a while and I'd like to take a shot at it this spring once the clocks change. My reasons are pretty simple, I've ridden to most everything close to me, there is a lot of cool places to see within a thousand mile ride of my house, and finally because it's there...can I ride 1k miles in 24 hours...seems like a though thing to to.

So I'd like to hear from those of you that have already completed one. What was it like, did you go point to point, did you get off and take any pics? Did you stay on the freeway the entire time? Any advice?

1000 Miles in 24 hours is pretty easy, plenty of time to stop and take pics etc. On the highway, or open roads in the west, 16 hours riding time is normal even with stops. I've done some all mountain SS1k's and they have taken 20 hours (again, with lots of stops). Longest ss1k I ever did was 23 hours, cause I stopped in Ely NV and hung out at the casino restaurant for 4 hours when it got cold at night lol.

1000 miles is cake. Jump on the interstate ride 500 miles turn around ride back.

Honestly if you want to eat up big miles everyday stopping and smelling the roses or sightseeing isn't going to happen unless you are extremely efficient at sight seeing. Even a 1k mile day takes a good chunk of your day and doesn't leave a lot of time to sightsee.

I'm not so much about sight seeing I just like to give the ride a bit of purpose. I'm thinking riding to a beach in central florida and snap a pic, riding across to the gulf and snap a pic, then riding into the Georgia mountains, sorta give the ride a theme.

the exact reason I started long distance riding, it lets you explore twisties 1000 miles from home on a 3 day weekend (I used a 4 day weekend and a BBG to explore the Ozarks from NH)

my first SS1000 started in NH and ended in Columbia, SC, from there I headed out to northern Georgia to explore

I did mine in June when days are longest, started @ 1am, all my night riding was in begining of ride when I was fresh and on roads close to home that I was familiar with, I rolled into Columbia just as it was getting dark @ 8pm

I did a lot of planning, but it wasn't really necessary for the SS1000, you can make extra stops.


BBG is a different story, 1500 miles in 24, you can't lallygag at fuel stops and you have to consistently make pace

I enjoy the IBA rides. If you don't see anything or meet anyone on the IBA rides you're doing it wrong.

I take 100's of pictures on the rides.

Some of my IBA ride stories are posted below -


Lake Michigan 1000 - http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=481151

I'm so glad to read that advrider isn't just about dirt roads..!
If it is your first, try to make it memorable. not a 500 forward and back.
That's what I will do anyway!

Ideally, pick fairly fast roads that you never rode. Or if safety is an issue and the unknown is not pleasing to you, try this: pick a road loop that you might have done in one direction, over a few days in the past, then ride it in reverse. Its not quite the same road, but you know its pace and traffic, and gas spots! Set a time table to avoid rushhours in urban area, if any.

I will try it my first ss1k next summer. I already did 1300km in a day, so I feel I can give limited amount of advices. I rode the intended roads already in one direction last summer. This time I will do the other direction.

FYI, for best conditions, I would hold on til june or july, for more day light, more warmth in evening, and less low sun. Meanwhile, I would do the loop counter clockwise, trying to keep the sun in my back most of the day. Besides, landscapes are nicer (greener) in june without backlight and without shadows on the roads, but that's just my opinion...! If you can leave at 3am, and breakfast with sunrise on some nice mountain view, you will never forget this 1st ss1k!

Sweet Jesus 3am! Ugh, that's going to be difficult. Your point of riding in June is a good one, in fact I should do it on the solstice. I'd have to change my ride to head north. Riding here and South is pretty miserable in June.

lol. I did get you were already fairly south. Hey, how about going to baton rouge, through nashville and the Natchez-Trace parkway? https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=...GQ-g&mra=mi&mrsp=7&sz=8&via=1,2,3,4,5&t=m&z=6

anyway, good riding. I'm sure you have read all on the IBA site, including the 25 tips section...right?

When I did it, I took off about 5 in the morning and got back around 11 at night....18 hrs. Mine was a lap of Kentucky, with a little bit of WV added to get the required mileage. Since I took off before the sun was up, I headed east for a little bit, then went south at Charleston, WV. By the time the sun was up, I was heading west for the other end of Ky....it is a very loooong state. Was about 6 by the time I headed back east, so sun was on my back while setting. Summer sun in your eyes for hours on end is not fun, so I suggest setting your time/course to avoid that. I used primarily Ky parkways, which are 3-4 land highways with 65-70 mph speed limits, and tried to avoid expressway as much as possible. Did mine over Labor Day Weekend, on a Sunday, to avoid traffic as much as possible and give myself a day of rest before and after. I had plenty of time to take longer rest/gas stops as I wanted. Stopped a cople of times just to stretch and rehydrate. Stopped for 30 minutes for a meal mid-day. It was an EASY ride.

I also did a 850 mile ride as a charity fundraiser, 2 years ago. Took me just about the same time, but it was all 2 lane roads for the first 750 miles. I made it s point in that ride to make sure I enjoyed all the roads I was on, so I went down through eastern Kentucky, crossed over extreme western Virginia, and did a bit of eastern Tennessee, before heading back up through the Danial Boone national forest area of south central Kentucky. I was very tired by the end of this ride, but I found some really really great roads that I had never been on before. I could have stretched it out to a SS1000, but since I had already done one I didnt see the point. I was tired and just wanted to get home...LOL.

Since your starting point is Charleston SC, you have several choices on how to set up your route for an enjoyable ride. Personally, if you are just going after a SS1000, I would suggest a circular route. However, if you want to do it as part of a trip, then pick a destination and head for it...Key West? Texas? Maine? Just remember...if you do 1000 miles out...you still have to do at least that to get back....

Enjoy!

Here are some of my notes, YMMV depending on your personal preferences:

- Evaluate all the comfort accessories for your bike, most important are seat, wind protection and earplugs.
- Interstates + EZ-Pass will get you to your home/destination and into a bed quicker
- Leave very early in the morning, arrive late the same day
- Best time is around the summer solstice when there is more daylight
- Dress in layers for all temperatures. It may be freezing in the morning/night and scorching mid-day. Peeling off and layering on is faster than a whole wardrobe change. Depending on where and when you do it, electrics may be your friend.
- Plan out and avoid all the rush hour/retail-hours traffic for all the major cities along your way
- Captain Obvious Tip: know the weather along the ENTIRE route, not just your start and end-points. 1000 miles covers a lot of weather patterns.
- Nibble on 1/2 sandwich that you packed beforehand at each gas stop. Don't overeat or you'll get sleepy, best to stay a little bit hungry the whole trip to keep yourself awake
- Drink water. Don't drink any coffee/energy drinks/sugary drinks, the sugar/caffeine crashes are not worth it.
- Take digital pictures of your odometer and the gas station register every fill-up. If your digital camera has a time-stamp on it, you can fill in the IBA form when you get home instead of on the way. KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS!
- Don't speed. If you're doing the SS1000 on the Interstate, you'll have plenty of time. Riding faster than the flow of traffic takes up more mental energy and is more fatiguing than going the same speed as everybody else around you
- Go alone. Much as it's more fun and social when you travel in a group, every extra person adds a delay waiting for each other to gas/eat/pee/rest as well as increasing the potential mechanical breakdowns
- If there are any niggling annoyances (sitting on a seam on your jeans, a stray strand inside your helmet tickling your nose), get it fixed *before* your trip. Like Chinese Water Torture, it will become unbearable over the next 16-18 hours.
- I like listening to music to pass the time, maybe bring an AudioBook.

It dawned on me half-way through my SS1000, I was basically on a timed scavenger hunt for gas station receipts...

I was stuck in construction in Montreal (worst city in North America for that) on my SS1000, still made it back home in just under 17 hours door-to-door. You have plenty of time!

P.S. Bring a change of socks for half-way through your ride, you'll feel like a new person!

I start early but about the time that I usually wake up, 3:30 or 4:00. Working WITH my natural rhythms seems to make sense to me. If you don't usually wake up early then trying to start then would be a struggle right at the start.

I have done several 1000-mile days that were not planned as SS1000 rides, it just happens that I have a destination 1024 or 1050 miles away.

I do these trips with zero tolls -- 2-lane roads are far more interesting to me than freeways. That choice makes mine take a bit longer, 21 or 22 hours.

Might consider doing it in conjunction with a IBA sponsored rally...more fun with companions and "friendly competition"! I did mine with the now defunct Waltz Across Texas a few years ago.

I did mine from Jacksonville, FL to Wilmington, NC and return. Had plenty of time; I stopped to talk firearms with a gun dealer and when I had electrical issues in a mild rain stopped for coffee (no jokes please) at an old truck stop brothel that I knew of that had lights and a canopy to keep the rain off while I checked out the bike's electrics.

Build up to your SS1K. Do a 500 mile ride. Then a 700 mile ride.

Stay hydrated.

The man that said that a minor irritation becomes a major irritation was 100% correct. Eliminate the minor irritations.

Different things work for different people. GPS (to follow my progress) and timers help motivate me.

Get organized. And prepare.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the advice, I appreciate it. Please keep it coming.

Try to arrange a route where you are going west in the morning and east in the evening.

The last 150 miles or so felt rough, but up to then it was quite tolerable.

For tolls, put a bunch of change and small bills in a ziplock bag along with the toll ticket. At the toll booth, just hand the bag over to the toll collector instead of fumbling with money and tickets.

Compression shorts like bicyclists wear, instead of underwear.

Number your receipts to arrange them more easily later.

To get my cert, I did mine under the Moonshine Lunch Run supervision last year. Left Detroit at noon after a half day at work, rode to Lebanon, MO, grabbed a room for 4 hours sleep and rode back to Casey, IL to get signed off on the finish. All done by 9:45 AM and cert handed over at 4 PM over coffee. To be fair, I've ridden some pretty long days prior to the run, so it was just filling the squares and paying the money.

One piece of advise I've not seen yet. If you're not feeling it, stop the ride, continue at your own pace and try again later. It's better to break off than not come back.

I write the mileage on each receipt, helps later when you fill out trip log.
Toll roads - I use an EZPass.

Every minute is a mile. Every minute at a stop = a lost mile.

.

This works for toll roads with tickets. Maybe not so well for roads with toll booths every 20 to 30 miles with a different cost at each place.

Works with both kinds of roads.

What he said. Go when you have the most light to work with. 1000 miles isn't really that tough. I did mine last year, but now I have to say I've go no interest in doing it again. It was a goal.