Butt Chafing Ten plus hours in the saddle off-road will chafe even the most hardened rear ends. Apply a lubricant before you start the day. My favorite is Udderly Smooth. Dual suspension bikes or suspension seat posts are helpful.

Electrolyte Replacement You will be riding through the heat of the day losing electrolytes in your sweat. Replacement is essential. Endurolyte capsules made by Hammer Nutrition add sodium back into your system. Take two with breakfast and at least one per hour while riding.

 

Fueling Keep your engine fueled consistently in order to chug along for hours. 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight per hour is a good starting point. You may ride better on more or less than this.

Hydration Weigh yourself before and after long rides to calculate if you drank enough. Drink 24 ounces for every pound lost.

Core Training Your core supports you on the bike for many hours and needs to be super strong to avoid the dreaded lower back ache. Focus on mobility and stability functional core training exercises such as pikes on an exercise ball or one leg push-ups. Specifically strengthen your psoas muscles.

Bike Training Do long rides up to ten hours in duration to test all of the above and most importantly to figure out pacing. You need to ride conservatively for the first 50 miles to avoid blowing up at mile 70.

If you have any training questions, please ask them on my forum