First 50+ miler

[marinyork]

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.

I agree very much that 80-100 miles a week is a very good recipe for improvement, perhaps very large improvement. The question is how long. I do not know the answer to it, but suspect it's not a few weeks. I'd say months, or to be safe an entire season with winter training and then immediate follow through in summer based on working up to it over two or three months. What you're basically saying is that a similar level of training for you took me three/four years to get to, which is why I'm disagreeing with the weeks thing. I also disagree that hill climbing sessions make you better at distance. I suspect it's probably the TT sessions, something I never do as I'm no good on the flat.

 

[jig-sore]

good stuff, well done