Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Is your training plan by miles or time in saddle?

I'm training for my 1st century...the Wheels O' Fire in Georgia (3/2010). I'm a new rider averaging between 50-70 miles per week. My two cycling books suggest training plans for a century...one is by time (ex: 2 hours at 4 RPE) and the other does it according to miles (ex: 55 miles on Saturday). Is one training method preferrable to the other? I'd like to complete the century in less than 7 1/2 hours, and it's somewhat hilly. Suggestions?

Go for the miles.
A century is a 100 mile ride.
Work up to 75 mile rides.
Keep moving. Pace yourself. Too fast and you will burn out in the end.
Learn to stand up and pedal, eat and drink while moving.

Go ride 75 miles and come back with what you have learned.

Absolute Minimum time. 500 miles a month or else !.

Is that saddle time, or total time including stops? My first century took 10:45 or so total, saddle time was about 8:15 or so. This was a route with over 8,100 feet of climbing.

I averaged about 500 miles a month for the three months leading up to it, but a lack of hill training really hurt....as did my 50lb bike (no mention will be made of my 240 lb self)

I had 1500 miles on my legs before trying my first century.
Did Great the first 84 miles, Then: 92*Temps into a 18 mph headwind, and into the Bright Texas Sun in my face.
How long and how you feel depends on many thing.
Temps, Hills, Road texture , Winds.

Training? What's that? I started riding again last spring with a Diamondback Edgewood and by the end of August I was doing fifty+ miles on Saturdays. No training, I just rode and eventually found out I was riding farther.

Go for the miles.
A century is a 100 mile ride.
Work up to 75 mile rides.
Keep moving. Pace yourself. Too fast and you will burn out in the end.
Learn to stand up and pedal, eat and drink while moving.

^^This. Go for the miles. There are a lot of factors that can influence how long the ride will take: weather, road conditions, etc.

Ride at a comfortable pace. Don't be tempted to hang on to others who are faster than you. And learn what foods will work for you on long distances. The general fare at the aid stations on most rides is pb&j sandwiches.

Should we broach the subject that the significant metric might be about the time spent in fitness-significant heart rate zones? Specifically, Zones 3 through 5?

My 'training plan' involves me going out and riding my bike. Sometimes I just want to go fast, so I head to the flat MUP early before the crowds. Sometimes I want to see new places and I pick roads I've never ridden off a map and go ride them. Other days I want to punish myself with hills so I pick a hilly route. Maybe I need to run an errand and I make a point to point for that.
I only care about time as much as it affects other plans. Do I have errands/chores to finish? Plans with The Girl? Can anyone else come and walk my dog? Maybe I have time for a long hilly ride because I dropped the dog at a friends house for the weekend and The Girl is away on business. Maybe I do laps around my neighbourhood for 30 minutes at a time because I have a zillion things to do at home and need to keep checking in.

I'm training for my 1st century...the Wheels O' Fire in Georgia (3/2010). I'm a new rider averaging between 50-70 miles per week. My two cycling books suggest training plans for a century...one is by time (ex: 2 hours at 4 RPE) and the other does it according to miles (ex: 55 miles on Saturday). Is one training method preferrable to the other? I'd like to complete the century in less than 7 1/2 hours, and it's somewhat hilly. Suggestions?

Hi. My name is Jim and I'm a mileage junkie...Hi, Jim...

I do a century in about the time you describe and feel pretty good at the finish. In my last century I did about 15.1 mph, faster than my usual training rides. I commute year round, about 70 miles a week and do my training schedule from May to September. I have previously posted, FYA:


I do a ten week training program that I saw published in BICYCLING MAGAZINE years ago, and retrieved from the Mt. Diablo Cycling Club website, though it has been removed the last time I looked. There are two variations, called Easy Century Training, or With Strength to Spare. I do the latter one, and it is about the most time I can spare to train. Fortunately I commute, so that's where I do it by lengthening my usual 14 mile distance. I find that the schedule motivates me to do keep up, and it's very satisfying to plug the data into my Excell spreadsheet and watch the charts expand.

I don't consider myself a strong rider, but I did my best century (actually 107.5 miles because I got lost ;-) in 6:58 at about 15.4 mph, with about 40 miles in a paceline and about 60 miles solo. My modification of the plan is to make Sunday my rest day, and Saturday is my century day. This won't print on the Forum as a nice table, but I think you can figure it out:

WITH STRENGTH TO SPARE:
Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun. Weekly
Easy* Pace* Brisk* Pace* Pace* Pace* Mileage
10 12 14 Off 12 40 15 103
10 13 15 Off 13 44 17 112
10 15 15 Off 15 48 18 123
11 16 19 Off 16 53 20 135
12 18 20 Off 18 59 22 149
13 19 23 Off 19 64 24 162
14 20 25 Off 20 71 27 177
16 20 27 Off 20 75 27 177
17 20 30 Off 20 75 32 194
19 20 30 Off 10 5 Easy Century 184

1,516

EASY CENTURY TRAINING:
Week Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun. Weekly
Easy* Pace* Brisk* Pace* Pace* Pace* Mileage
1 6 10 12 Off 10 30 9 77
2 7 11 13 Off 11 34 10 86
3 8 13 15 Off 13 38 11 98
4 8 14 17 Off 14 42 13 108
5 9 15 19 Off 15 47 14 119
6 11 15 21 Off 15 53 16 131
7 12 15 24 Off 15 59 18 143
8 13 15 25 Off 15 65 20 153
9 15 15 25 Off 15 65 20 155
Cent Week 15 15 25 Off 10 5 Easy Century 170

1,240

Jim From Boston's Tables in a bit easier to read form:


WITH STRENGTH TO SPARE:
Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun. Weekly
Easy Pace Brisk Rest Pace Pace Pace Mileage
10 12 14 Off 12 40 15 103
10 13 15 Off 13 44 17 112
10 15 15 Off 15 48 18 123
11 16 19 Off 16 53 20 135
12 18 20 Off 18 59 22 149
13 19 23 Off 19 64 24 162
14 20 25 Off 20 71 27 177
16 20 27 Off 20 75 27 177
17 20 30 Off 20 75 32 194
19 20 30 Off 10 5 100* 184
*Easy Century
10 wk total: 1,516

EASY CENTURY TRAINING:
Week Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun. Weekly
Easy Pace Brisk Rest Pace Pace Pace Mileage
1 6 10 12 Off 10 30 9 77
2 7 11 13 Off 11 34 10 86
3 8 13 15 Off 13 38 11 98
4 8 14 17 Off 14 42 13 108
5 9 15 19 Off 15 47 14 119
6 11 15 21 Off 15 53 16 131
7 12 15 24 Off 15 59 18 143
8 13 15 25 Off 15 65 20 153
9 15 15 25 Off 15 65 20 155
10 15 15 25 Off 10 5 100* 170
*Easy Century
10 Wk Total: 1,240

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