Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Preparing for a faster 200 mile ride.

Last year was my first year of riding any rides longer than 30 miles.

I completed a 145 mile one-day ride and also rode 5 rides in the 100 to 127 mile range. I rode a total of 5000 miles last year.

I've also been riding with a faster group ride that rides in the 20 to 22 mph speed range for about 35 miles. I sometimes get dropped in this group.

I rode a 65 mile ride with a few members of this group last year. The pace on this ride was comfortable, if a little faster than normal for me.

Now this group has invited me to a 200 mile ride in June that will be preceded by a 160 mile ride this month.

I'm more worried about the pace than the distance. I expect they will maintain a 17 mph average for 200 miles with only 3 breaks. I can do that for 100 miles, but am I biting off too much for 200 miles?

Any advice for training during the next 6 weeks?

Michael

I do not think the pace will be as fast on the second part of the ride. Most "fast" riders start really fast for up to 80 miles and then taper off to more reasonable speed.
I ride with a fast group on Sundays and I could barely hang on their wheels at times for the first 30-40 miles. If a ride is longer than that the pace slows down and it becomes very comfortable for me.

Last year was my first year of riding any rides longer than 30 miles.

I completed a 145 mile one-day ride and also rode 5 rides in the 100 to 127 mile range. I rode a total of 5000 miles last year.

I've also been riding with a faster group ride that rides in the 20 to 22 mph speed range for about 35 miles. I sometimes get dropped in this group.

I rode a 65 mile ride with a few members of this group last year. The pace on this ride was comfortable, if a little faster than normal for me.

Now this group has invited me to a 200 mile ride in June that will be preceded by a 160 mile ride this month.

I'm more worried about the pace than the distance. I expect they will maintain a 17 mph average for 200 miles with only 3 breaks. I can do that for 100 miles, but am I biting off too much for 200 miles?

Any advice for training during the next 6 weeks?

Michael

What kind of climbing will there be? I do doubles and only taking 3 breaks in that kind of mileage at that speed, they are very good. Have they done this before? Do they train to do the RAMM?

What kind of climbing will there be? I do doubles and only taking 3 breaks in that kind of mileage at that speed, they are very good. Have they done this before? Do they train to do the RAMM?

This will be a very flat ride from Chicago to Southern Wisconsin.

They have done this before, I'll get more details on pace and the number of breaks. I tried to do a 5 hour Century with this group last year. We maintained the pace for about 50 miles, but high winds ended the ride early for everyone.

These are just fit and committed cyclists. They are more lean and younger. I'm 53 years old and 210 lbs. These guys are 10 to 25 years younger.

Michael

If you can hang with them relatively easy on a 65 mile ride you should be fine on a 200 as long as you have a good base. The key is to not get in the red zone or you will be in trouble. In the next 6 weeks I'd just be working on speed (with a few longer rides thrown in). As and example, if you are at comfortable with a 20mph pace for 65 miles a 15-17mph pace for 200 miles is much more doable because you never push yourself anywhere near your limit. The longer or harder you push your limit the longer it will take you to recover. Your recovery speed may be 10-13mph which will really slow your average down. The key to fast long distance riding finding an output level that you can maintain over a longer distance. The faster you are used to riding the faster your long distance output will be. When I train for RAAM or a 1200k brevet most my training rides are usually in the 40-50 mile range (working on speed climbing or intervals) with some longer rides on the weekends.

The longer any given ride - the less likely that any two riders will be compatible. Riding in a group for 200 miles will always require cooperation among the riders.

You should have a complete map of the route and go over the ride "plan" with some of the other riders before you sign on for the ride. Tell them about how you are new to this kind pace and distance and will "hang on" accordingly and help out if and when you can.

You should already be a self-sufficient rider and capable of completing 200 miles on your own - especially if you going to attempt a ride at a "group pace."

Your strategy is hang as long as you can and then go about taking care of yourself and finishing on your own if necessary. Just don't make the mistake of going with strong riders that just "have to show off" for the group and then being in a sad state for the last 100 miles.

If you can hang with them relatively easy on a 65 mile ride you should be fine on a 200 as long as you have a good base. The key is to not get in the red zone or you will be in trouble. In the next 6 weeks I'd just be working on speed (with a few longer rides thrown in). As and example, if you are at comfortable with a 20mph pace for 65 miles a 15-17mph pace for 200 miles is much more doable because you never push yourself anywhere near your limit. The longer or harder you push your limit the longer it will take you to recover. Your recovery speed may be 10-13mph which will really slow your average down. The key to fast long distance riding finding an output level that you can maintain over a longer distance. The faster you are used to riding the faster your long distance output will be. When I train for RAAM or a 1200k brevet most my training rides are usually in the 40-50 mile range (working on speed climbing or intervals) with some longer rides on the weekends.

This is the main thing, the red zone. You can't ride the whole ride in the red zone, if you need to back out do it so you can make the ride. When I saw Homeyba last weekend I was almost cooked. I had to change my rear wheel and the new one had different gearing on the cluster. I lost 2 gears and had to do too much grinding on hills, this through me into the red zone too long on hills. A couple of weeks before I was riding with a tandem, the stoker was one of Homeybe's team mates, doing a double. It was fun because we were haul'n a$$, but I was in the red zone way to long and had to drop off after 118 miles, I was cooked. I did limp into finish, but it wasn't pretty.

If you can hang with them relatively easy on a 65 mile ride you should be fine on a 200 as long as you have a good base. The key is to not get in the red zone or you will be in trouble. In the next 6 weeks I'd just be working on speed (with a few longer rides thrown in). As and example, if you are at comfortable with a 20mph pace for 65 miles a 15-17mph pace for 200 miles is much more doable because you never push yourself anywhere near your limit. The longer or harder you push your limit the longer it will take you to recover. Your recovery speed may be 10-13mph which will really slow your average down. The key to fast long distance riding finding an output level that you can maintain over a longer distance. The faster you are used to riding the faster your long distance output will be. When I train for RAAM or a 1200k brevet most my training rides are usually in the 40-50 mile range (working on speed climbing or intervals) with some longer rides on the weekends.


The longer any given ride - the less likely that any two riders will be compatible. Riding in a group for 200 miles will always require cooperation among the riders.

You should have a complete map of the route and go over the ride "plan" with some of the other riders before you sign on for the ride. Tell them about how you are new to this kind pace and distance and will "hang on" accordingly and help out if and when you can.

You should already be a self-sufficient rider and capable of completing 200 miles on your own - especially if you going to attempt a ride at a "group pace."

Your strategy is hang as long as you can and then go about taking care of yourself and finishing on your own if necessary. Just don't make the mistake of going with strong riders that just "have to show off" for the group and then being in a sad state for the last 100 miles.


This is the main thing, the red zone. You can't ride the whole ride in the red zone, if you need to back out do it so you can make the ride.

Thanks men.

Great advice, I'll discuss the plan completely with the group. Discretion is the better part of valor.

Michael

Thanks men.

Great advice, I'll discuss the plan completely with the group. Discretion is the better part of valor.

Michael

Sounds like you are riding randonneur-type distances. Have you ridden with your local randonneuring club (Great Lakes Randonneurs, http://www.glrrando.org/)? If that club is like ours, then there will be riders of all sorts of different speeds (and ages), so that if you find you can't hang with these guys who are a decade or more younger, then there'll still be someone to ride with.

I rode a 78 mile distance on Saturday in four hours, 30 minutes, a 17 mph pace. I felt strong and stayed on the bike for the last 50 miles without a break. I was using some of the same roads that we will travel when covering 200 miles.

I'm going to keep riding this distance and keep increasing my speed.

I'm going to attempt the 200 miler in June.

Just don't make the mistake of going with strong riders that just "have to show off" for the group and then being in a sad state for the last 100 miles.

Absolutely. Been there, done that.

Hate to say it, but you're better off ignoring speed for your first double. Get one in the bank and worry about increasing your speed on the next one. I wouldn't have listened to this advice myself, so I ended up learning the hard way.