First century

[Annieshaf]

Hi
I'm planning to do my first 100m ride this year. I cycle regularly but the most I have done so far is 72m and that was over a year ago. I regularly do 50-60m rides when its not too cold but haven't done much more than 40m this year as the weather has not been kind to me. I am looking for advice on how best to build up to the distance and how to plan the day. ie how many stops and when, how much time to allow and what is the min distance I should aim for in the lead up to it.

I do not intend doing it fast but I also don't want to drag it out so am wondering what ave mph I should aim for so I don't collapse before the end. I would normally average 15-16mph on a "rolling roads' route for upto 50-60ish miles but find hilly routes much harder. I am thinking of aiming for about 13.5ish (this matters as I need to know roughly how long it will take)


I have worked out a route that has some hills (but not too many) so think I have that sorted> i have attached the route so if anyone would like to comment on whether you think this is suitable for a 1st 100m please feel free.
I would also appreciate some cyclist friendly cafe recommendations for Settle, Ingleton, Halton and Lancaster.
Thanks

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Good for you. How about touring speed? Which is about 12 mph. Much more enjoyable pace. And much more to see and do.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

If you are capable of doing regular 50 to 60 miles at 15-16 mph then I don't think you'll have too much of a problem building up to the century, especially if you pace yourself like you've said. Just get back into those regular rides and maybe get a 75 miler under your belt before going for the century.

My century rides tend to be around 12-14 mph moving average depending on route, weather and which bike is used but I generally plan around a 10mph average to allow for drink/food/photo stops.

Bananas are great to perk you up later in the ride.

 

[Racing roadkill]

If you can do 75 miles, you should be fine for 100. Just remember to eat something ( not just sugary stuff ) by about the halfway mark, and have a few sugary things handy for the last 15-20 odd miles, make the route interesting, try not to come back the way you went out, enjoy it, try to keep your speed / heart rate / Power / what ever floats your boat, at about 12-13 mph / zone 2, for as much of the ride as you can, you should be fine

 

[Supersuperleeds]

You might got more comments on the route if you post up a strava or ridewithgps route.

If you can do 50-60 mile rides then you will be fine on a 100. I find that I don't have much difference between my speeds on a 50 miler or an 100 miler.

Stop wise, what do you do on a 50 - 60 miler? If you stop on that distance, double it for your hundred miler. If you don't normally stop I'd be aiming to do 60ish miles before a stop. Have a second stop built in around 80 miles just in case you need it, if you don't you can ride straight by.

One other tip, do the last 20 or so miles if possible on familiar roads, that way if you are struggling then mentally it is much easier to count down the miles on roads you know well.

If you can do it in company the ride will feel easier.

These are entirely my views and may or may not be helpful, either way good luck with the ride.

 

[Alan O]

I don't know if it's any help, but this discussion charts my lead up to a 100 mile ride last year, and my (much better so far) training for the same thing this year.

 

[Randomnerd]

Settle - Ye Olde Naked Man Cafe is great. Fab breakfast rolls, excellent hot food, great cakes. Sorry, can't read your route...but good luck and keep pedalling.

 

[derrick]

Ride with a few friends is the way to go.I have ridden a few 100 milers on my own. They can feel hard especially if the weather is against you. Eat and drink plenty of proper food. Good luck.you will be fine.

 

[HLaB]

What speed did you do the 72 miles at ? thats a good guide. If it was on a similar route profile to your proposed 100miles you should be able to do it at a similar speed.

 

[pjd57]

I've done a couple of hard ish rides this year already.

63 miles with a load of hills was the longest.
So in my mind a 50 mile trip on the canals Glasgow to Edinburgh, lunch then 50 back shouldn't be too difficult.

Am I deluded , is there some mythical pain barrier that kicks in , similar to the wall that people training for marathons go on about ?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Sounds like you are already ready for a 100 miler. You will just need to ensure you are eating enough as 40-60 miles you can complete without eating , but that will catch you out on a 100. When I first went past 100 miles I planned at stop to eat hot food at my previous best distance, around the 75 mile mark. I then went on to complete my first 100, which was 117 miles. Up to the food stop I did not think about anything beyond the distances I had done before.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I've done a couple of hard ish rides this year already.

63 miles with a load of hills was the longest.
So in my mind a 50 mile trip on the canals Glasgow to Edinburgh, lunch then 50 back shouldn't be too difficult.

Am I deluded , is there some mythical pain barrier that kicks in , similar to the wall that people training for marathons go on about ?

The thing that will ( almost definitely) happen, is that you’ll run out of stores of Glycogen, which is the body’s ‘low hanging fruit’ fuel. When the equilibrium switches to mostly fat burning, you’ll feel a bit ‘odd’ but it’s easy to get out of it, by eating something sugary. You ( probably ) wont get to ‘the wall’ as this happens when the body has to produce Ketones, to keep the brain alive, when the fat reserves are low. You’d ( probably ) have to be really pressing on / going a lot further, to get this happening. If you get into the 150 - 200 mile range, you’ll get a double whammy of lack of fuel, and fatigue. The lack of fuel thing is easy to counter, the fatigue isn’t, and this takes a bit of getting used to.

 

[slowmotion]

I don't think I've ever ridden more than about 75 miles, and probably at an average of about 11-12mph. You should be fine, but eat lots of snacks along the way and drink loads too. I'm a big fan of ham rolls and coffee. Energy gels have never entered the sacred temple that is my body.
Nor has cake.

 

[tallliman]

My favourite link for cafes: http://www.cafenetwork.info/home/4591212255

For stops, I aim for one around 50-60 miles and then another around 70-85 miles. The second is mainly if you need it. I struggle a lot mentally in pushing through to 100 miles so the second stop is often something to give me a boost/break and then say less than 50km to go.

You're probably fine for fitness, just take it a little slower than normal and you'll be fine. Best to finish with energy left than seriously flagging!

 

[PaulSB]

Speed wise you're out of my league, so I'm not sure whether my advice will be useful, but ...

...........................If you split each half in two, then you just have a series of easily manageable rides. Divide and conquer.

This is very good advice.

@Annieshaf with the speeds and distance you mention 100 miles should be within your grasp already. I'd ease off a bit to around 13.5 - 14, in my experience maintaining 15 - 16 on a solo ride is a big ask though I know several people who could do it. My first couple of centuries were hard and I found the 85 - 95 mile point very difficult.