First 50+ miler

[simonsimon]

Did the London Bikeathon yesterday (with a couple of work colleagues) and finally managed the 52mile route after having done the 26 for the last two years. Very strong headwinds made for quite a challenge, as we're a fairly chunky bunch, but made it in the end

Feeling a tiny bit stiff today but really no where near as bad as I had imagined. Guess with a bit more training we'll be ready to attempt a 100 miler.

Cheers,
Simon

 

[Johnny5]

Well done mate.

If you keep riding 40-50mi ride in the weekends and ride a couple of 20+ milers during the weekdays (total of about 90-100mi per week) for a few weeks, then you should be ready for a Century ride.

 

[Wigsie]

Well done Simon, its a great feeling hitting those milestones... Can't really give much more advice than Johnny5 really.

Keep it up.

 

[Garz]

Agree, but keep it up simon!

 

[Sittingduck]

Good on ya

 

[getfit]

Nice one Simon.

Hope to be hitting those sorts of distances in the next few weeks.

GF

 

[marinyork]

Well done mate.

If you keep riding 40-50mi ride in the weekends and ride a couple of 20+ milers during the weekdays (total of about 90-100mi per week) for a few weeks, then you should be ready for a Century ride.

Simonsimon

I disagree very much with that. You may need far, far more training than that to be ready for a century.

 

[CopperBrompton]

I know what you mean about those headwinds! I did the London to Southend yesterday, and the last 10 miles were into a really nasty headwind.

 

[Johnny5]

Simonsimon

I disagree very much with that. You may need far, far more training than that to be ready for a century.

I disagree mate. To ride 100+ miles doesn't mean you have to be riding massive milages and put in loads of hours in a saddle, the guy is already doing 50+ miles which I think is a good enough base for a century and if he adds a couple more 20+ milers during the week riding some variety of hills and maybe do some fast TT or fartlek sessions, he should have no problems in doing a century. It also comes down to his diet, hydration and how fast he wants to ride the century.

 

[sswats]

Yeah it as my first 50 miler too. before the most i had done was 12 miles.

But the slow pace and stop start nature of driving in the city made the actual cycling not too difficult, but the saddle sore and the chafing was the real killer for me and made the last leg very uncomfortable.
Learnt my lesson, and now will always carry Vaseline with me.

My feet were killing me too.

 

[Johnny5]

There's always the danger of "overtraining" too...not a good thing and you can become fairly ill. Push yourself during your training but within your limits. If you really don't feel up for a ride on a scheduled training day then just take a day off and continue again later.

I believe that someone is better prepared for a big ride under slightly "undertrained" conditions than someone who's "overtrained".

 

[marinyork]

I disagree mate. To ride 100+ miles doesn't mean you have to be riding massive milages and put in loads of hours in a saddle, the guy is already doing 50+ miles which I think is a good enough base for a century and if he adds a couple more 20+ milers during the week riding some variety of hills and maybe do some fast TT or fartlek sessions, he should have no problems in doing a century. It also comes down to his diet, hydration and how fast he wants to ride the century.

I just believe a 40-50 miler is a physically very different thing to a 100 miler. Sure's there are loads of newbies who come on here and just go almost instantaneously to 50 milers but it's a radically different thing to longer rides. Longer rides are just as much "on the day", so it's nice to have the experience of what your body might/might not do on these longer rides. I think I'd done about 20x40,50+ milers before I did a century. There are ways of overcoming this of course, such as riding in groups or willpower alone.

 

[Wigsie]

Learnt my lesson, and now will always carry Vaseline with me.

Try sudocrem, has a bit more stickiness than Vaseline and I find it lasts longer in the saddle.

I had only done a couple of 50's and most of my training was 20 ish milers give or take a bit and I did an 80 miler without too much of an issue.

Still have not had the time to fit a ton in around family life yet but as long as i keep up the 50's and 20's i cant see it being much of an issue.

 

[marinyork]

Try sudocrem, has a bit more stickiness than Vaseline and I find it lasts longer in the saddle.

I had only done a couple of 50's and most of my training was 20 ish milers give or take a bit and I did an 80 miler without too much of an issue.

Still have not had the time to fit a ton in around family life yet but as long as i keep up the 50's and 20's i cant see it being much of an issue.

Ah yes, but you're one of those newbies who posts almost superhuman speeds. Not everyone is like you. If one did post such speeds I can see why slowing down a bit would seem like it not being much of an issue.

 

[Johnny5]

I just believe a 40-50 miler is a physically very different thing to a 100 miler. Sure's there are loads of newbies who come on here and just go almost instantaneously to 50 milers but it's a radically different thing to longer rides. Longer rides are just as much "on the day", so it's nice to have the experience of what your body might/might not do on these longer rides. I think I'd done about 20x40,50+ milers before I did a century. There are ways of overcoming this of course, such as riding in groups or willpower alone.

I know where you are coming from mate. I guess it just all comes down to the individual.

Personally, I bought myself a Road Racer and started road cycling back in May. I start by commuting 23 mile round trip once a week and went out in the weekend doing 15-20 miles. Started, going out with a group of friends who took me to some big hill climbs in the Peak Districts and started riding more and more each week. Started building up long weekend rides from 20 to 30 to 40 and then to just over 50 miles. I had worked up to a 90-100 mile a week, contonued the mileage for 3 weeks including 2x50 milers in some steep hilly route with some tough 10% climbs and a steep 20%er in Mac Forest. Anyway, all this training of mine was to prepare me for a century, 2 infact! And 2 weeks ago, me and a bunch of mates rode 132 miles from Manchester to Abersoch in Wales on a Friday, rested on the Saturday and then rode another 132 miles back on the Sunday.

That is why I think that if you average about 100 miles a week with a 50 miler in the weekend, then it's perfectly possible to do a century ride. I think the thing that got me fitter for the century is not the big weekend rides but the shorter weekday hill sessions and the weekday TT sessions.