Training & Nutrition - Going to ride farther than normal, should I do anything special?

One of my neighbors (who does this every year) has me almost convinced to do the "fun ride" before the Manayunk bike race (Philadelphia International Bike Championship or something is the official name).

I normally commute about 11 miles a day. This would be an 8 mile ride to the start of the course, one lap around the 14.4 mile course, then an 8 mile ride home. There would be a brief break between the ride there and the start (depending what time we leave) and I think I can probably take a break and/or ride as slow as necessary on the way home.

However, this is almost 3 times my normal distance, and I'd like to:
A) actually MAKE it home and
B) be able to walk afterwards.

So I was wondering if you had any advice for anything I should do before hand. I should mention this is Sunday morning (leaving at 6am) so actually training for it is out of the question ;). I was thinking more of, what should I have for breakfast (or dinner Saturday), what should I bring to drink, should I have a snack before the 14.4 mile leg, etc.

Thanks!

Go slow and have a nice ride ! Unless you push yourself the distance isn't long enough to make much problems. If it's hot drink a lot.

So it looks like it will be about 30 miles total....What is your normal riding pace? 10 MPH? 15 MPH? 20 MPH? The normal recommendation if you ride around 1.5 hours or longer is to have some sort of energy drink or nutrition such as gel.

For the pre-ride, it's always a good idea to have a nice hearty breakfast such as pancakes, cereal, OJ and I like to throw in a hard-boiled egg for some protein. Don't eat too soon before the ride though! Normally 3 hours is the cut-off for full digestion of your meal. If you can't eat a full meal, just grab some gel or sports drink 15 minutes before the ride and consistently use it throughout the ride. I really like the taste Hammer Nutrition's stuff if you are normally bleh on super-sweet drinks like I am :-)

Take sports drink and a snack.

Don't worry about the walking afterwards nonsense. That's so over rated! Beat the crap out of yourself. It'll do you a world of good. Sprint to the parking lot, if your legs will still hold you up. Drink a schooner of porter after, too. That's good anaesthetic. Don't forget to smile, it really helps.

bring 2 bars/gels of some sort. eat one at hour 1 and you should be good. keep the second in case you need more.

Well I was hoping to keep up with my neighbor, but I'm thinking that is less than likely. On my commute home today I measured it, and the distance there and back is 9.9 miles (not 8) which I did (well, the way home) at 12.2 mph. That did include stopping a couple times for stop lights, and it was all the uphills and none of the down (I live about 300 feet higher than my office)... But he claims he does the 14.4 mile lap in 45-50 minutes, and he's on a mountain bike.

Sounds like my best plan is to eat a hearty dinner the night before (I don't plan on getting up at 3am to eat breakfast) and eat a light breakfast, then eat a snack/bar/gel after we get there and before we start the lap. They'll be serving bagels and stuff for after you finish the lap, so I can eat something else before heading home.

I'm not sure about the porter, I'll probably be finishing the lap before 9am. I don't think the sun is over the yardarm by that point ;).

You'll be fine. Just keep drinking water at a regular pace, and bring something you like to eat while riding. I'm a real food advocate myself.. . . much more satisfying.

As far as distance, don't worry about it. A few years ago I rode 15-20 miles a day by myself. I took a trip out west, and found I was quickly riding 80 miles with friends. Your body will adapt just fine. When you're riding in a group and having fun . . . all your worries about "how far" you're riding seem to be forgotten. The key is to always keep fuel in your tank.

:cheers:

You might be over thinking this. Water and a snack. You can always stop at a convience store.