Towards 100k
- Thread starter bobbynobs
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Slick
Guru
Could be more mental than physical if you aren't seeing improvements.
I find I need an incentive to stay our which for headline mileages I entered sportives or just rode with others. You soon get the job done when you don't want to be the first to stick up your hand because you can't do it.
All uphill
Still rolling along
- Location
- Somerset
When I had this problem someone suggested I catch the train to a station 100km away and cycle home.
It worked brilliantly for me; I enjoyed the train journey, started cycling home through unfamiliar territory. Stopped for lunch then 50km to home on familiar roads. Easy.
It worked brilliantly for me; I enjoyed the train journey, started cycling home through unfamiliar territory. Stopped for lunch then 50km to home on familiar roads. Easy.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Cake stop
UphillSlowly
Making my way slowly uphill
For the bum side of things:
- New bib shorts?
- saddle fit?
- chamois cream
For the hands: change position frequently, mostly between bar and drops
Fatigue: fuel. Put carbs in your drinks and eat every hour as a minimum. Take your time, it's not a race.
Sportives are good. You also tend to stop at the food/cake stops, more so than riding alone, I find
I like Skol
A Minging Manc...
- Location
- Sunny Ashton-under-Lyne
Funnily enough I have a number of cycling buddies that see me as that person!
Honestly, I suspect your problem is your motivation. Going out to ride xx miles is pretty uninspiring, but having a journey and destination planned is a real boost so you are focused more on the points along the way and the end goal, rather than just watching/wanting the miles to tick off. Also riding with others usually makes the distances fly by almost unnoticed.
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
My advice would be to try and relax and enjoy the ride, I've always found that if I try too hard I'm slower and more tired.
Set a destination which is 35-40km away, you're then forced to do more to get home. Ride for maybe an hour, stop for 5 mins to rest, carry on. The more you do the easier they become- taking into account correct saddle and bike setup for you.
Eat and drink regularly- this is just as important to learn about, because get your fuelling wrong in the amount or type of fuel will severely hinder long rides.
Eat and drink regularly- this is just as important to learn about, because get your fuelling wrong in the amount or type of fuel will severely hinder long rides.
Thanks guys.All really valid observations.I think I just need to relax a bit more and the distance will increase steadily.One other thing is that I have a kind of dread that I will get a significant distance from home and then just bonk and not make it back!Pathetic really.
Slick
Guru
Not really, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Its like most things, you just need confidence in yourself and the mileage will come. If you can formulate a plan B, it may help. Take it easy.
T4tomo
Legendary Member
so have lunch / bacon sandwich at ~40km, a coffee stop at at ~70km and you have no such worries.
Legs
usually riding on Zwift...
- Location
- Staffordshire
How about doing two 40km rides in a day, then stepping up to two 50km rides in a day (or on consecutive days), before tackling 100km in one go? Or planning a route that'll take you no more than 15km or so from home, so that you can crawl home if you do bonk catastrophically?
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
If you are used to a specific distance, then going a bit further, you just have to keep it under 'the boil' - e.g. My rides are upto 40 miles (60k) and maybe 3 hours. More often rides are 90 minutes as fast as I can, or the 20 miles each day commuting.
Recently spent two consecutive days riding for about 8 hours each day off road. The key was to keep the climbing speed (off road) under the point you were starting to push really hard, as too much pushing, like you'd do on a short ride, would have you spent. You need to ride at a pace that feels like you can 'keep it going all day'. You also have to take into account any injuries and what the extra time in the saddle will result in - e.g. my back isn't brilliant after a broken spine 8 years ago, so I have to make sure I stretch every so often.
Drink plenty, 500ml an hour as a guide, and eat a little something. I really struggle to eat on long rides, my stomach doesn't like it, so I tend to use carb drinks instead. Do what works for you.
Recently spent two consecutive days riding for about 8 hours each day off road. The key was to keep the climbing speed (off road) under the point you were starting to push really hard, as too much pushing, like you'd do on a short ride, would have you spent. You need to ride at a pace that feels like you can 'keep it going all day'. You also have to take into account any injuries and what the extra time in the saddle will result in - e.g. my back isn't brilliant after a broken spine 8 years ago, so I have to make sure I stretch every so often.
Drink plenty, 500ml an hour as a guide, and eat a little something. I really struggle to eat on long rides, my stomach doesn't like it, so I tend to use carb drinks instead. Do what works for you.
