I am preparing for a 12 hour bike ride, and it's my first time to join. What food or drinks should I take to be better prepared?

Carbo loading is what most endurance athletes do. But it doesn't mean just eating up all kinds of carbs. Below is a system to it. Here is a sample menu that you take around 7 days before competition. Rest the day before the competition. Then 3-5 hours before the race, take a eat a high carb low fat meal. And during the race, always stay hydrated, that is very important

2000 Calorie Menu (50 percent of calories from carbohydrate)

Breakfast: 1 cup (c) of orange juice, 1 whole wheat English muffin with 2 tablespoons (T) of "light" cream cheese
Lunch: Turkey sandwich [3 ounces of lean turkey, 1 ounce of cheese, 2 slices of whole wheat bread, lettuce, tomato, and two teaspoons (t) of mayo], 1 medium apple, and 2 T of peanut butter
Dinner: Pasta [1-½ c of pasta, ¾ c of marinara sauce, 5 small meatballs (lean), 2 T of parmesan cheese], 1 roll, 1 c of salad with 1 T of low-fat dressing, and ½ c of low-fat pudding topped with ½ c of strawberries
Snack: 2 T of raisins
Carbohydrates should provide 70 percent of total calories for the second three days of workout tapering.

2000 Calorie Menu (70 percent of calories from carbohydrate)

Breakfast: 1 c of orange juice, 1 large whole wheat bagel with 2 T of "light" cream cheese
Lunch: Turkey sandwich (2 ounces of lean turkey, 2 slices of whole wheat bread, lettuce, tomato, and 2 t of mayo), 1 ounce of pretzels, and 1 medium apple
Dinner: Pasta [1-½ c of pasta, ¾ c of marinara sauce, 3 small meatballs (lean), 2 T of parmesan cheese], 1 roll, 1 c of salad with 1 T of regular dressing, and ½ c of low-fat pudding topped with ½ c of strawberries
Snack: 1/3 c of raisins

Bicycling an excellent cardiovascular exercise, bicycling uses the quadriceps, the muscles on the front of the thighs more. It's important to make sure your bike is fitted properly to your body; otherwise, you'll put too much stress on your back or knees.

When you're getting started, you want a softer seat but not one that is too wide, or you won't be able to get behind it, if you're a woman, try a women's racing saddle. It will be more comfortable but may take some time to get used to. It's also a good idea to learn basic bike repair and for your equipment, you need a bike, a helmet, and gloves with a little palm padding, which will absorb vibration and cushion your hands in a spill.

Fluids are vital to help your muscles function throughout your activity -- but so is your blood sugar. You need to eat a light meal or snack of at least 100 calories about an hour or so before your activity. The nutrients from the snack will help you perform better and keep hunger from interfering with your activity.

In a bikeathon you need to improve on tyour endurance and leg strength. Its better to to run for at least 2-3 miles per day to improve endurance and strenghtening the your legs and afterward go on biking for another 10 miles.

What running speed would be adequate preparation for such a bikeathon?

Run more distance and just maintain a slow pace speed. This way, it will help you boost your stamina for a bike-a-thon.

When doing any endurance sports, you need to increase your stamina. Increasing stamina helps athletes stay longer on their own sports activity. For a bike-a-ton, you need to have a strong and healthy stamina.

They are correct. Bike-a-thon is one sport that deals with the endurance on how long can you stay on the race. I also suggest that you do a sudden outburst of speed in between your jogging.

Aside from jogging, what are other types of exercise to raise the endurance level?

One advice that my former coach gave me when I was still training for track and field: when strengthening your endurance, run during the middle of the day.He said that the hottest hour of the day will help you increase your endurance.

Yes, my trainer also gave me that advice. If you are going on a marathon or bike a thon, you have to be hydrated.

It’s better to do jogging and swimming to improve your stamina. In activity like this, you need to have a stronger stamina to last in this contest.

Strong stamina is the key to at least survive this contest. You need study how to pace your body and when to burst out all of your power for any race.