Road Cycling - Big Ride - Need Advice

I am planning on riding in exactly 17 days... it is a 71 mile ride through the "mountains" of Central Florida. I usually ride 3 times per week about 20-25 miles and 1 time per week of 40-45 miles.

My ? is ... is this enough to get myself ready? Or should I ramp up more miles to get ready to endure 71 miles?

What other advice can anyone offer about preparing for this kind of ride?

Thanks

Provided you have been doing your riding schedule long enough to lay down a good set of base miles, I'd say you are ready.

I'd say the most important thing is to pay attention to hydration.

I agree with webist on both counts...I'll add that you should (obviously) bring plenty of carbo-snacks to keep you chugging. 71 miles should be a snap if you just ride at an easy pace, eat and drink frequently (you should easily go through at least 2 liters of water).

Best o' luck
BK

Originally posted by angryhybrid
I am planning on riding in exactly 17 days... it is a 71 mile ride through the "mountains" of Central Florida.
Are you referring to the Clermont and/or Mt. Dora "mountains"? :D
When I lived in Orlando I rode in those areas a lot. Piece of cake.

Since you're used to the flatlands, you might want to increase your mileage a little and do what the others have suggested. Drink plenty of water the days before and during the ride and eat enough carbs to keep you going.

Good luck!

Originally posted by angryhybrid
I am planning on riding in exactly 17 days... it is a 71 mile ride through the "mountains" of Central Florida. I usually ride 3 times per week about 20-25 miles and 1 time per week of 40-45 miles.

My ? is ... is this enough to get myself ready? Or should I ramp up more miles to get ready to endure 71 miles?

What other advice can anyone offer about preparing for this kind of ride?

Thanks

You've got plenty of miles under your belt if your stated riding miles are in the hills... If not, I think you and you're body are in for a painfully rude awakening. Make sure you plan your food and liquids properly.

I am in pretty good shape @53 and can easily bang out 30+ miles on the flats, multiple times per week, averaging 15-18mph and sprints to 30+mph. However, I live in an area where elevation goes from 600'-4000'. So far, the best ride I've been able to do in the mtns around my home has been 20 miles of climbing. This wkend I am going for 25.

IMO, riding in the Mtns over 71 miles on a road bike, even with a triple, demands much more strength AND lung capacity then riding 100 miles on the flats... :beer:

You definitely can do it, based on the miles you are puting in.

I started biking about 4 months ago. When I started, I was keeping about a 20 - 30 mile distance for 2 times a week for about 4 weeks. I was gearing up for a metric centry (63 miles). After my 4th week, I went for a 40 mile ride on my weekend ride, and then a 50 mile ride on the next weekend. The following weekend was the metic century and I was able to complete it no problem at all. Managed to do it at about 16mph. I was very glad I signed up for it. I had a lot of encouragement from friends and family.

I agree with everybody here. Hydration and Carbs are a must!

I know you can do it! Go for it! :thumbup:

Good luck and tell us how you did.

Originally posted by angryhybrid
I am planning on riding in exactly 17 days... it is a 71 mile ride through the "mountains" of Central Florida. I usually ride 3 times per week about 20-25 miles and 1 time per week of 40-45 miles.

My ? is ... is this enough to get myself ready? Or should I ramp up more miles to get ready to endure 71 miles?

What other advice can anyone offer about preparing for this kind of ride?

Thanks

it's all mental, you have the base miles now it is time to gear up your mind. You also will need to prepare by eating right, drinking right and sleeping right. if you neglect your body you will be in pain during the ride. I suggest you go to your local library and check out a cycling book, see what they suggest to eat and drink when preparing for long rides (carbs of course, but you may get a better idea from a book) and make sure you have a checklist of things you need to bring for ride day (it would suck if you didn't have any water bottles, or forget your gloves) during the ride, I assume it is supported, hit all the sag stops you need and have food and drink, don't stay off the bike for more then 15-20 min though or you will begin to cramp a little. As for the last bit of advice, pace yourself, don't get super excited and go out at a 20 mph pace in the start, take it easy and when you have 20-30 miles done then you can ride at a faster pace if you feel you have the energy.

Good Luck :D you can do it!

I suspect the ride you are talking about is the 70 mile version of the Florida Freewheelers "Horrible Hundred". You will get to ride nearly every notable hill in the Clermont area including: Citrus Tower, The Wall, The Momma, The Poppa, Buck Hill, Sugar Loaf, and Hospital Hill plus a passel of shorter unnamed hills. Most of the named hills are around 7% and Sugar Loaf is .5 miles at 7%.

Generally, speaking if you can do 45 miles, you should be able to do 70 miles in a pinch. But this 70 miles is much more like doing a level century. And it might be a bit much for you. I dunno. I depends on how well you climb and how well you can pace yourself. I know some pretty strong riders who do not know how to pace themselves and have never ridden a century. I know of some riders of modest ability who ride centuries with no problems.

Most of the people who do the 100 mile and the 70 mile are pretty strong cyclists - cruise at 20+ mph on flat terrain. If you can't do that, don't expect many people around at the end of the ride.

You can, of course, cheat. A fair number of riders have figured out how to hit all the rest stops (and the Florida Freewheelers have wonderful stuff at their reststops including Diane Blake's homebaked goodies YUM!) without riding more than 50 miles and you can probably hook in with one of these "bootleg" versions if you show up early and chat to people in Florida Freewheeler jerseys.

I second Pats remarks about pacing yourself. You've got enough base mileage in that you can handle it if you don't get in too big of a hurry.

For this ride, focus on the learning experience. Learning how to pace yourself, when to eat and drink, etc, not why it's a bad idea to ride hard and fast early. ;)

Avail yourself of the rest stops. Don't give in to the testosterone... let that fast group go. Hooking up with some other riders going a similar pace will reduce the overall effort and help pass the miles. If you're still feeling like jumping in with a faster group at mile 60, then, you might go for it.

Have a great ride! :thumbup:

Avail yourself of the rest stops. Don't give in to the testosterone... let that fast group go. Hooking up with some other riders going a similar pace will reduce the overall effort and help pass the miles. If you're still feeling like jumping in with a faster group at mile 60, [i]then, you might go for it.

Have a great ride! :thumbup: [/B]

If you can find an amenable group about the same speed, and you aren't doing the pace line bit, find some folks you can talk with as you ride. I find this makes the miles go by fast, and you increase your knowledge as you ride.

Have fun, set your OWN pace. This should be easy for you.