How did you train for it and for how long? How did you get good enough be able to do 400km+ events, doing 200km sounds amazing, let alone 400km!!! How do those long events work-e.g. London to Edinburgh - with sleep, eating- since you can't do the distance in one day? So do you just get a gps file and you have to follow it or how does the navigation work?
I started cycling again at 19, on going to uni. After riding 12-13 km around town for shopping trips, I built up to 100km in about 1 month. That was an out-and-back to Swindon, stopping for lunch at Nando's.
Then it was off to Yorkshire, and I didn't really do anything longer - 50 miles in the Yorkshire Dales, climbing Fleet Moss, twice! Once each side... that was tough. Or the 60 mile loop out from Leeds up to Skipton, and back via Bradford...
That was in July 2018, and I didn't do my first century until February 2019. I did do a 70 mile sportive in September, then an 85 mile club reliability ride in November. Then, my century was a cycle home from uni, at a relaxed pace. Extremely tiring by the end, but I definitely could have done it at an earlier point.
July 2019 was a sub-6 hour century on a sportive (in the Mendips, so hilly, too!).
My first audax was at the start of November. 200 km (well, 220), around Oxfordshire.
That wasn't a
huge step up from a century, but those extra miles did really sting, and I found myself diving into a motorway services for an extra (sugary) drink...
I probably went too hard for that one, but it was also sodding wet. I was getting carpal tunnel symptoms at the end...
Two weeks later, I did a 300 km audax.
Actually over 200 miles, I detoured via home, and my Wahoo ran out of charge for the last bit!
200 km isn't so far removed from a century sportive. Sure, you might get some night riding to do...
300 km felt totally different (especially with a 10 pm start!). 100 miles done
at night, on main roads, which were super quiet at that time.
I also couldn't sit on the saddle after that ride. It was standing on the pedals on the ride back from the station...
So, when I did it again, in December, I paced myself better, and invested in some chamois cream.
I completely bonked at the end (the plan was 500km) - not enough food taken in during the ride.
But, in terms of training: I jumped from 200 km to 300 km without any. The 200 km was pretty decent training, but then, it's really a question off refining your technique over time.
Getting to 200 took a while, although I could have done it sooner (I probably couldn't have done 300, though!)