General: preparing for long distance rides

I am biking from Ottawa Ontario to Montreal Quebec with a couple friends and i was wondering what everyone does to prepare for their long distance rides? diet, excercise, whatever else
also what works to keep you going while riding?

Find a comfortable balance between taking everything you'll ever need and something light enough to make it enjoyable.

In general bring more water than you think you'll need because ending up in the middle of nowhere w/o water is a PITA. But the Ottawa to Montreal route has towns close enough together that you don't have to haul 5L.

There are some annoying sections on highways (often with Gravel shoulder) going from Ottawa to Montreal. It's my least favourite part of the Toronto -> Ottawa -> Montreal journey.

Route tips

Do not miss the turn on Rue De la Baie, before Rockland or you'll end up in high speed traffic for more kms than necessary. I swear that the road isn't there, I asked the gas station attendant down the road, she thought they closed up the entrance to Baie but wasn't sure, (If it is closed up I still recommend trying to get onto that road).

There are a few intersections between kms 29 and 40 of this section, where there are no markings or indication whether to proceed or turn. Here's the "Jog L/R" after Jasper Falls bridge which is obvious. But the R/L at "Bay" road was a PITA because a sign was out (in 2008) at Bay or one of the earlier rights. I hope it got fixed.

Safety tips

Ride safely. April Nauta died on that route last year (no charges).

Listen for the cars and pro-actively move out of the way, because the cagers aren't aware of their surroundings & lethality. Even if you're wearing a reflective vest, like Melvin Martin, Mennonite father of four, cagers will not be see you. (The driver was not charged, and the cops ridiculed cyclist calling him "silly".). Just to finish the theme.. Even if a cager is drunk, speeding in a residential section and kills a kid they'll be deemed not guilty. (Judges don't cycle).

Quebec

That said. Quebec has amazing bike infrastructure, 4000kms of safe roads and trails. The two best things were signs that said maximum 40km/h (or possibly 30km/h) and told cars if you want to go faster (then GTFO) go on a highway. Many stop signs indicate what other directions have stop signs so you could judge the risk of rolling through intersections.

The Montreal waterfront path system is a maze, (I got lost), but it is wonderful. There is pool after pool after tennis court after play ground. Every rec facility has a bit of green space followed by another facility. I didn't see what I've been accustomed to in TO; parking lot after parking lot with private rec club followed by parking followed a pool followed by another parking lot all hemmed in by 14 lanes of traffic and two rail lines.

May the wind be at your back

chamois butter

Posted By: toroadieFind a comfortable balance between taking everything you'll ever need and something light enough to make it enjoyable.
Safety tips

Ride safely.April Nauta died on that route last year(no charges).

Listen for the cars and pro-actively move out of the way, because the cagers aren't aware of their surroundings & lethality. Even if you're wearing a reflective vest,like Melvin Martin, Mennonite father of four, cagers will not be see you.(The driver was not charged, and the cops ridiculed cyclist calling him "silly".). Just to finish the theme.. May the wind be at your back

I want to reinforce the safety points. velospace user Shiznaz, Charles Princep, was killed by a drunk driver during an epic Canadian bike trip in 2007. Please please PLEASE be safe out there, we don't want to lose another.

Any long ride (any ride for that matter) make sure you have more water than you think you need and should drink a 20 oz bottle every hour at least, take some good energy bars (I prefer Powerbars) and eat them more than you think you should. The bannanas and peaches are a good idea, but they're soft and won't ride long, so if you're eating something like that, eat it early in the day as it won't last.
You should not change anything on your bikes, your shoes etc in the last couple hundred miles of preparation unless it is a BIG irritation. Something that needs to be changed should have already been changed and tested. IF there is something that needs to be taken care of, don't wait until the last days; adjustments, tires, bar tape.. Make sure between the riders you have a complete repair kit including wrenches, tubes and patches. Ideally you'll have similar sized tires and you can take one along between you (figure 8 it and zip tie to a rack or pannier). You should each have some sort of mirror. If camping, be a Boy Scout.
To be safe, you have to be seen and to be seen you will have to leave your dark colored jerseys and jackets at home, ride only and pack only high visibility jerseys and jackets or do as said above and wear a flourescent vest. I prefer only the jersey.
Decide before hand to adhere to the rules of the road and everyone should hold each other accountable. Ride single file. If you are talking, practice it in single file.
Enjoy yourselves, stop, take pics, go slower than you think you should. Stop, take pics, go slow (did I say that twice?) Enjoy it.

I've discovered that begging water off strangers in their yard freaks them out if they're in suburbia, but if they're in cities or real country, they're happy to see people doing things that are hard to do and love to support them.