Programme for an attempted 100 miler

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The Essex Spurs

Well-Known Member
Location
Witham Esssex
As much as I enjoy fairly sedate 20 -30 milers I've always wanted to join the prestigious 100 club.
I've had a route in my head for yonks from Witham Essex to Bacton on the North Norfolk coast which is about 103 miles on normal roads but obviously I wouldn't dare touch the A140.I
How should I approach this?
If I did it in under 12 hours that would be a result.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Start building up distances over the next 3 months or so. What's the furthest you've ever ridden? Have you done 50 miles, metric ton, get those under your belt

On the day, having checked the weather forecast, start early, ride your bike, eat and drink regularly, have a couple of longer stops for a meal /cake.
Have a bail out plan, i.e. Check all the trains are running along your planned route. to get you home in case you can't finish for whatever reason
Do it with someone else perhaps?
Get good padded shorts if you think your backside might suffer
Make sure you have all the necessary to deal with potential mechanicals

If you want a training plan, British Cycling should have something on their site, or Prudential for the Ride London
 
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PK99

Legendary Member
Location
SW19
As much as I enjoy fairly sedate 20 -30 milers I've always wanted to join the prestigious 100 club.
I've had a route in my head for yonks from Witham Essex to Bacton on the North Norfolk coast which is about 103 miles on normal roads but obviously I wouldn't dare touch the A140.I
How should I approach this?
If I did it in under 12 hours that would be a result.

As @vickster says, build up the miles gradually.

for the ride itself -
25 miles, stop rest eat,
repeat,
repeat
repeat.

ie break it up into manageable chunks you are happy doing.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
If you can do 30 miles you are capable of doing 100. Pick a nice warm day with little wind and just take your time.
As long as your bum can take it, there's a big difference for me between 2 hours and 10 hours. My first 100 miler, I rode the last 10 standing up pretty much!
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
Some thoughts. These aren't definitive, just possible thoughts.
Start really early. I find there's something special about riding before everyone else is up and seeing the day start. It also means that you can be having your (second) breakfast with 20 or 30 miles behind you and the whole day ahead of you and gives you plenty of time to wind down after.
Plan around cafe stops. Do it in three or four hops with a nice sit down meal half way, or a bit over half way.

As @Supersuperleeds says, you are probably capable of it now. You probably don't need "training" because by definition training is not the real thing, it's preparation for something else. But you might enjoy doing a few longer rides for their own sake beforehand. And as a side effect they may help prepare you.
 
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nickyboy

Norven Mankey
I run a 100 mile Manchester - Llandudno ride here on Cycle Chat. There have been a lot of participants who had never done 100 miles in a day before and they have all made it

As others say, pick your day. A nice calm one with no rain would be great. Start earlyish and plan at least three stops. By stops I mean actually getting off the bike for a while, sitting down and having something to eat and drink. Take it steady and you'll be fine. No specific training needed

If you give yourself 12 hours that makes for a very leisurely ride. Say 2 hours of stops means a rolling average of 10mph which shouldn't tire you out too much
 

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
A long day on the bike should include stops for proper meals at proper mealtimes - ie a decent lunch break.

Make sure you have enough liquid to keep you going to the next break - don't set off without two full bidons, and use electrolyte tabs (they will help keep your digestive system in order). My strategy for hydration is to make sure I take a swig every 10km - it's good to have a plan otherwise it can be easy to forget to drink often enough, especially if it's not a warm day.

Keep some snacking food in your jersey pockets for between stops - use energy gels if you like, but fruit is also good (eg banana, apple chunks in a sandwich bag, raisins, dried apricots), jelly babies, flapjack etc. Savoury snacks are also good - bits of cheese wrapped in chorizo are a favourite, or hard boiled eggs.

But don't overdo the snacks, just keep riding at a steady pace so you don't burn out too quickly, and top up your energy levels occasionally.

Make sure your bike is in good order before you set off, but also make sure you have everything you need to carry out roadside repairs - ie puncture kit/spare tubes, spare chain link, multitool. And practise using them at home if you're not confident you'll be able to fix things at the roadside.

Also make sure you carry a rain jacket just in case.

Don't forget the sunblock either - even if it's not a sunny day, being outdoors for 12 hours will expose you to a large dose of UV.

Plan your route carefully. Use Google Street View to check out any potentially tricky bits you're not familiar with.

Above all else, just get out and enjoy it. All of the above advice is designed to make life easier for you, but you'll get by even if you don't follow it - when I was 15, my best mate and I decided to ride from Ramsgate to Brighton one weekend (about 100 miles). We didn't plan it at all, or prepare in any way, just got on our bikes and rode. And it was great!
 

SteveF

Guest
As much as I enjoy fairly sedate 20 -30 milers I've always wanted to join the prestigious 100 club.
I've had a route in my head for yonks from Witham Essex to Bacton on the North Norfolk coast which is about 103 miles on normal roads but obviously I wouldn't dare touch the A140.I
How should I approach this?
If I did it in under 12 hours that would be a result.

Awesome, have been waiting for someone to organise an Essex ride... :whistle:
 

Welsh wheels

Lycra king
Location
South Wales
I would say include at least one stop for proper food. I haven't done 100 miles yet, but I attempted it last year. It failed miserably, I bonked badly simply because I hadn't had enough to eat and drink. Learn to tell the warning signs of bonking and stop before and get plenty of food down you. I pushed on despite not feeling great and when I bonked, I needed food but found it very difficult to eat. As a result, I had to struggle home with my head held pretty low.
 

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
when I bonked, I needed food but found it very difficult to eat

That is probably a sign of dehydration. Electrolytes may help - I used to find it difficult to eat enough on very long rides until I started adding electrolytes to my bidon (I like products such as Nuun or High5 but others just add a pinch of table salt to their bidon). They make it easier to drink enough to stay properly hydrated, which in turn makes it easier to digest solid food.

If you're starting to get the warning signs of bonking, you're already in a state of glycogen depletion. Eat before you get hungry, drink before you get thirsty.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
@The Essex Spurs Although you have a route, you might want to think about a loop, rather than A-B, or be very sure that you can get home ok even if it takes you longer than anticipated for whatever reason...unless you plan to stay overnight and then ride home the following day ;)
 

Spiderweb

Not So Special One
Location
North Yorkshire
My first 100 miler was never planned, I got on my bike one morning to do my regular 28 mile loop and thought I'd stay riding and add on my other 21 mile loop, then another smaller loop, I reached 70+ miles and felt really good so then I did think about cracking 100 miles so carried on with my little loops.
I did have to stop to buy water and a snack and used High 5 tablets which I carry.
100.3 miles in total 15.9 AV speed and I was never more than 15 miles from home!
 
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