Training: Fit for a spontaneous long-distance ride - long distance on a road bike - just like that?

From Berlin to the Baltic Sea. Or once around Lake Constance - if you choose the right route: For many amateur cyclists, 200 kilometres is a distance they are afraid of. On the other hand, it is also an incentive. "At some point, I just wanted to know what it felt like to clock up 200 kilometres," says Thomas Schwarz as he remembers his first ride. The 42-year-old banker from Upper Bavaria broke out of his daily training routine and just went for it one day. "Of course, I set the pace too fast and had to push myself
hellishly on the last 50 kilometres." Today, as an experienced long-distance cyclist, he can smile about his recklessness at the time.

Experiencing your personal limits, preparing for a marathon, or the goal of finishing a specific bike tour - there are many reasons for a two-hundred. And of course it makes more sense and is more sustainable to prepare specifically for it, slowly increasing the distance and effort over several weeks. But what happens if you spontaneously feel like running a long distance? When the end of the season is approaching again? When the clever training plan has been lying unused in the drawer since spring? Can you manage 200 kilometres even if you haven't meticulously prepared for it like a pro? How fit should you be as a minimum?

Tip: varied route

"First of all, you need a route that inspires you with its scenery and has a varied profile," says former Gerolsteiner pro Uwe Peschel. "That distracts you and is also more fun than pedalling boringly through flat countryside." Peschel knows what he is talking about, as he has been training amateur athletes - beginners and ambitious cyclists alike - in his home town on Lake Constance for five years. The advantage of a varied route is that even slight inclines relieve the strain on the seating area and you can stretch your back every now and then while pedalling in the saddle. However, you should be familiar with the profile of the route - slight inclines are okay, but excessively long and steep climbs can mean the end for long-distance novices.

The dose makes the poison. This also applies to the question of whether to tackle the 200 kilometres alone or in the company of others. Peschel finds riding in a group extremely helpful for motivation. "You chat to each other, you're always distracted and the time literally flies by. Even a crisis is easier to overcome." And everyone will experience one at some point during the 200 kilometres. However, the group must harmonise in terms of pace, "otherwise it will backfire," says Peschel. Even if you are only travelling with one partner, you run the risk of unconsciously travelling too fast. That's why you should always make sure that you stay within the limits you have set yourself and that you stick to your breaks meticulously. Then 200 kilometres are definitely easier to complete together than alone.

Well prepared: Practical tips (weather, clothing, nutrition), a "Roadmap 200" and advice from the training experts can be found below as a PDF download.

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