Training & Nutrition - Looking at two Centuries in October, need to know what is realistic.

I started riding and taking better care of myself last August. I've dropped 20 lbs and have gone from being happy with a 45 minute, 6 mile ride to enjoying 3 hours on a mountain bike in 90 degree temps.

October in Vegas is great riding weather, that isn't the issue. I ride a MTB exclusively, as that is my bike. A three hour 30 mile day with 2500' elevation gain is pretty much epic for me.

Main questions are:

Is riding dirt that much different than riding pavement? At this point I plan on putting some slicks on just seeing how I do.

What should I do to prepare for a full day on the bike, nutritionally and physically?

3 hours in my black tighties leave me worn out. Do I need better shorts/padding? Or just get used to it.

If I'm blind to some other issues let me know. I have three months to prepare. I want to make a good showing. Help me out here.

Your going to need about 6 to 8 hours in the saddle for a century.
You have to work up to it. You have time.

I'd suggest getting a set of slicks ASAP and try them out. A good place to start the tryout would be to look up the LVV Bike club web site and check out their ride sked. IIRC they have something just about every day. They start [at least they did the last time I looked] at the Starbucks in Town Center, and generally go out thru Red Rock. That would give you a taste of both "road" riding, and what some of the route will be like on the LV Century. I've not looked at PU's Gran Fondo route so I can't comment on it. Additionally most of the LVVB members will probably be participating in one form or another.

BTW, when I ride my cross bike out on the BLM roads on the west side of DV -Amargosa & Pahrump Valleys - I'm always feeling like I've done a 100 or so miles after one of my 55-65 mile scrambles on gravel. If you're doing 30 miles now on trails, then you should be good for 65-75 on the road. If your shorts or bibs are bothering you after one of your 30 milers then you probably SHOULD look at new ones.

As for nutrition, there should be check points sited along the route at regular intervals which will provide you with food, snacks and fluids. For physical endurance, you just have to build it up.

Also, don't wait for the last minute to get the slicks and get out on the road, or to change out your shorts, or any other piece of equipment. The worse thing you can do is start some "goal" ride with new untested gear.
YMMV
-dg

mountain biking takes a larger toll on the body than road riding. it depends on the type of terrain, but to me a 15 mile day in the dirt feels like a 35 mile ride on the pavement. if you're doing 30 mile rides on the trails, i'd guess you'll be fine for a century. i also wouldn't worry too much about your shorts; the discomfort probably comes from all the shock going over bumps and such, which is not a huge issue on the road unless the road is populated with potholes.

Thanks guys, I picked up a pair of Michelin commuters and will try for 4 hours tomorrow and three on Sunday.

There are now 3 Centuries in Vegas/NV in a month, 2 Grand Fondo's and the RTC annual ride. The unique part of the RTC ride is that it is crossing the new bridge over the Colorado River just below Hoover Dam.

Untested gear, eh, 200miler. Is that a quote from Ghost in the Darkness or personal experience?

Are you doing these two centuries back to back? Hopefully not.

A good goal to set for yourself is to be able to (relatively) comfortably ride 6-7 hours. Then you're ready.

I am aiming for the RTC October 9 and then maybe the 3 State Grand Fondo in November.

Time on the bike is what you need, as others have said. Build up to at least a six-hour day in the saddle and you'll be fine.

You also asked about nutrition. You don't need to do anything special to prepare, but you need to get used to eating while on the bike. On a long ride I try to take a drink every fifteen minutes, (do not wait until you're thirsty!) and eat something every half hour. Some of the better energy drinks make eating solid food unnecessary, but personally I find nearly all of them too sweet to stomach for the whole of a long ride, so I carry a couple of flapjacks, a banana or two, and so on.

I have done a little mountain biking. Emphasis on "little". I was impressed with how different it is from road riding. When I did it, I found myself going at very low power and picking my way through stuff or really pushing to get up a short steep thing. The intensity was very episodic.

Road riding especially for distance is about maintaining a constant power output. The longer you go, the more it is that way. I have known ultramarathon cyclists. They all rode triple cranks. Most cyclists tend to attack hills and get up them fast with max effort. Ultramarathoners just gear down and down and down and maintain constant power. It is a whole 'nother ball game. Centuries are a bit like that. If you push hard too much, you will burn up your limited supplies of glycogen and end up "bonking" at 70 to 80 miles which is no fun. The idea is to ride a fair bit of the century in the "fat burning" zone or just above it.

There is a rule of thumb about centuries. You can do a century if you have done a 70 mile training ride before hand. Obviously, the more distance rides you get the better. Also, for younger people in reasonable shape, 10 weeks is enough time to train for a century.

By the way, mountain bikes are not the best choice. Road bikes give you more handlebar positions, you can get down and more aero for headwinds, they are lighter and just far more efficient on hard pavement. But I do not know if you want to plunk down the $$$$ for a road bike just for 2 centuries. People do centuries on mountain bikes all the time. But at least get slicks and the narrower the better. Inflate them more than you would on dirt too.

Many of the "normal" road rides people do are 40 miles. One can ride 40 miles on pavement and go flat out for much of the time. You can not ride a century near you max intensity or you will bonk. So back off some. If you hit 80 miles and still have energy to burn, then you can kick it up.

I would not worry so much about the extra distance. As I said, mountain biking is different than road biking. Doing 30 miles on a road bike is no big deal. Even a person with no particular aspirations to fitness can reel off 30 miles on a road bike in 2 hours without challenging themselves.

Untested gear, eh, 200miler. Is that a quote from Ghost in the Darkness or personal experience?

Actually that comes from advice I received 20-odd years ago when I was about to do my first ultra ride. I'd not been happy with the saddle I'd been using and was about to make a change 3-4 days prior to the event. My training mentor suggested I was out of my mind to do so. His comment was along the lines of "what are you going to do with this untested saddle when it starts eating your butt cheeks 75 or 80 miles into the ride?"
So, I always counsel try it first, and then decide if it's right.

One poster had mentioned a 6 hour century time. I would suggest that you ignore this as a hard and fast target or goal. Your first ride of this nature will be a learning experience and as such should not be undertaken with any specific expectation, other than finishing with minimal discomfort. You then have a baseline for future efforts.

After you've tried out your slicks then you will have a better idea on whether you need either a change of saddle, or maybe new shorts/bibs. Both of these items are uniquely personal. What works for me, or any other rider, *MAY* work for you, but then again it may not. It truly is a trial and error situation.

As for hydration/nutrition, I'll second the comment that you need to keep sipping and nibbling while on the bike. When I started out, I used the countdown timer on my watch, set for 15 minutes, as a signal to take on some fluids [mainly] and/or food. Also, fill your bottles, and pockets, at the check points and then get back on the road. There is an olde saying amongst ultra riders, "Beware of the chair!" It's real easy to get comfy at a CP and pi$$ away many minutes, all of which make your ride that much longer. Keep moving.

Another point to bear in mind is that you need to ride *YOUR* ride. Set your own pace and don't get in over your head by attempting to keep up with any particular group. Connecting with another rider going at your pace will probaly occur over the course of the ride, but if you don't meet any other rider going at your pace, don't worry about it. Just do your ride. I've seen it all too often where a novice rider goes out too hot and hits the wall about 50-60 miles into the ride and then has a really nasty struggle to get to the finish.

Good luck
YMMV
-dg

I seriously appreciate the input. I am 56 and this will be my first century. I need to pick up a new set of bibs. My shorts are old and mid range padding at best. A 3.5 hour ride last weekend had me somewhat sore. I only spent $40. on the shorts years ago, so please offer some suggestions.

There are 5 stations along the ride, so I plan on hitting them as needed. I printed the map for the ride over the weekend. There is a section that will pass by 4 blocks from my house. I will be able to ride the southern section all summer. I needed a focus point to riding and this is a kick.

With shorts/bibs, you pretty much get what you pay for. If you can afford them, Assos bibs (http://www.assos.com/en/25/products.aspx?cat=6,19,22) are, to my mind, incomparable. A riding buddy of mine, a serious cyclist, also swears by Santini (http://www.santinisms.it/eng/), but they're a bit harder to find. Pearl Izumi, or Gore, are decent but not in the same class.

Don't worry about being 56, btw. Speaking as a spring chicken of 55, a century is nothing to be afraid of. Just take it at your own pace. Much better to start slowly and finish fast than the other way around.

With shorts/bibs, you pretty much get what you pay for. If you can afford them, Assos bibs (http://www.assos.com/en/25/products.aspx?cat=6,19,22) are, to my mind, incomparable. A riding buddy of mine, a serious cyclist, also swears by Santini (http://www.santinisms.it/eng/), but they're a bit harder to find. Pearl Izumi, or Gore, are decent but not in the same class.

Don't worry about being 56, btw. Speaking as a spring chicken of 55, a century is nothing to be afraid of. Just take it at your own pace. Much better to start slowly and finish fast than the other way around.

Wisdom!

It's good to hear that your weekend adventure didn't dissuade you from moving forward! When you look for bibs [or shorts] you should not necessarily be tending towards the most expensive ones you can find. Your criteria should be 'how do they feel when I put them on?" *MOST* retailers will allow you to try them on [over your bvd's] to get a sense of how the pad hits your cheeks. That's the most important part. If they don't feel like they cover your sit bones then they're probably not going to work for you, no matter what their cost. I have a riding buddy who used Performance el cheap bibs [about $50 IIRC] for years, and then saw the ads for the Assos "VERY PRICEY' bibs and decided that "more expensive is better". Well, he spent the money only to find out that his butt cheeks were best served by the Performance bibs. A *VERY* expensive lesson.

I've also used those Performance bibs and found them reasonably good. I experimented with Nalini bibs about 10 years ago and found them much better than the Performance items, ergo, I ride nothing but Nalini. The major cavéat on this subject is, YMMV! I can't stress it enough, what works for me, or for any other poster in this thread, may not work for you. They are merely suggestions.

Again, YMMV
-dg

Even a person with no particular aspirations to fitness can reel off 30 miles on a road bike in 2 hours without challenging themselves.

oh well, I guess I should just cash it in.