Alias530

My first century is this Sunday. I have dozens of training rides in the 60-80 mile range going at a fast pace so going slower for longer shouldn't be that bad.

Still, I'm a little nervous, as my training rides usually have 2-3k ft and are 60-80 miles and this is 5k ft and 100 miles. I have plenty of MTB rides with 5-6k ft in 20-30 miles, but MTB gearing is easier.

Anyway, I'm registered and I'm attempting it regardless, so I just want to know what I should be doing 2-3 days beforehand. This is my plan (the first one obviously already happened):

4/21/15 - 62 mile ride
4/22/15 - weights (squats/deadlifts/pullups/curls)
4/23/15 - moderate pace spin, heart rate 130-150, 20 miles
4/24/15 - nothing/rest
4/25/15 - light/easy spin, heart rate 110-120, 20 miles
4/26/15 - century

I'll be carbing up (suggestions?) starting on 4/24. Can I improve on this any way? I just don't want to be miserable the last 20-30 miles

ThermionicScott 

STOP OVERTHINKING IT.

You'll be fine. Just eat and drink lightly throughout the ride to keep your energy up, and plan on riding a couple MPH slower than you do for your 60-80 mile rides.

unterhausen

eat well, and no special diet.

Sleep probably is as important as anything. Get ready the day before.

Alias530

I sleep 8+ hours every night no exceptions already.

No carbing up several days out? Rice, sweet potatoes, etc?

Steamer

Carbo loading has been proven to be, more or less, a myth.

1nterceptor

I'd take the day before a century ride as a rest day.
No special diet for me. Get your stuff/gear ready the nite
before; so there are no surprises in the morning of the event.

When I did my 1st century; my longest ride was 60 miles.
Since you've already done 80 mile rides; you're in a good
position. Pace yourself; I see a lot of riders go hard in the
beginning; only to walk up hills towards the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLpA...IoDLA&index=43

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20LB...IoDLA&index=35

Alias530

I notice that I'll gas out a lot quicker on morning rides after a dinner with minimal carbs.

Like last weekend... I had a big salad and chicken breast for dinner and the ride the next morning was really hard compared to normal.

ThermionicScott 

That's a good argument not to cut carbs before an event, but it doesn't prove that extra carbs eaten before an event will find spots to hang out and help you during the event. The reality is that once your glycogen levels are topped off, the extra carbs just get stored as fat.

Steamer

I didn't say that going carbo light was advised, just not to carbo load.

I suggest you do some searches on this topic, as this is a well researched area. You don't need to take our word for it necessarily. The research is out there - go read it for yourself.

Alias530

Ok, sounds good. How do I know when they're topped off though?

qclabrat

not sure why the cold sweats for 20 miles more than your prep rides
doesn't sound like you're racing or competing

have a good nights sleep, eat what worked for the other long rides
and do a thorough bike check a few days before

good luck, you're ready

Alias530

My training rides were all 60-80 miles of mostly flat, or 50 miles/5k ft, this is 100 miles AND 5k ft. And the 50 mile/5k loop is flat for 10 miles, 5k ft within 20 miles, then 20 miles of -1% grade, very easy finish, but the middle part of climbing SUCKED (5k ft in 20 miles!)

I'm sure I'll be fine but I just don't want any surprises

delcrossv

Really. +1. IIRC my prep for my last century was a bottle full of water and a $20 bill in my pocket. It's only 20 miles more than you've ridden already, don't freak yourself out.

bgraham111

Yeah - this. Although, I totally over planned and over thought my first century. I think it helped me more mentally to know that I was as ready as I could be.

Last weekend, I planned to go for a 60 miles ride, and I got distracted and it ended up as a century. No planning at all. And I am most definitely not in shape. (Of course, it's pretty flat here in Michigan. We could use some hills.)

I think you'll be fine. But I also think it's OK to over think it a little if only to boost your confidence.

RR3

I would have cut yesterday's 62 mile ride to 40 miles, skip the squats and deadlifts, and cut Saturday's ride to 10 miles. Otherwise, make sure you eat normally. My normal and your normal would be different. Trying to say no changes to diet before a "big" ride.

If you can do 62 miles, a century is in the bag. Doing 62 miles 4 days before your first century is too much load. You will be fine but that 62 miler yesterday was not needed given that you hve done 80 mile rides....in my opinion.

RR3

My legs get puffy and tight. The veins jump out a little more.

Just make sure you ingest carbs immediately after Saturday's ride. Nothing crazy.

znomit

Beer.

DaveLeeNC

FWIW, here is the first one that I read from Carbohydrate-Loading and Exercise Performance - Springer

From the Journal of Sport Medicine, I believe (and it is somewhat old).

dave

This review suggests that there is little or no effect of elevating pre-exercise muscle glycogen contents above normal resting values on a single exhaustive bout of high-intensity exercise lasting less than 5 minutes. Nor is there any benefit of increasing starting muscle glycogen content on moderate-intensity running or cycling lasting 60 to 90 minutes. In such exercise substantial quantities of glycogen remain in the working muscles at the end of exercise. However, elevated starting muscle glycogen content will postpone fatigue by ≈20% in endurance events lasting more than 90 minutes. During this type of exercise, exhaustion usually coincides with critically low (25 mmol/kg wet weight) muscle glycogen contents, suggesting the supply of energy from glycogen utilisation cannot be replaced by an increased oxidation of blood glucose. Glycogen supercompensation may also improve endurance performance in which a set distance is covered as quickly as possible. In such exercise, high carbohydrate diets have been reported to improve performance by 2 to 3%.

MilesDealer

I don't know why someone would carbo load for a century when you can eat all the way thru the ride. That said, make sure you are always carrying some "emergency" food between rest stops. Otherwise the best pre-ride preparation is what others have suggested: make sure your bicycle is in good mechanical condition. If you have a questionable tire then replace it before the ride. Oil your chain. Check the weather forecast and be sure you're prepared for it.

Steamer

Exactly. You don't want to start the ride with your stored glycogen at a deficit, but the intensity level during a recreational century will typically not prevent on-bike fueling in any significant way, so packing your muscle glycogen to the absolute limit through carbo loading is unnecessary. I realize that carbo loading can make some level of difference in some athletic settings, but a recreational century isn't really one of them IMO, at least not when you compare the benefits to the risks (GI problems, fat deposition, etc.). Part of the confusion lies in how most studies are not looking at 5-6-7-8 hour efforts. They are looking at efforts on the order of a couple hours, and whre the subjects were NOT eating during the exercise. Most people riding centuries simply cannot do that (i.e. finish the century without eating at least a little bit), and are going to be fueling on the bike.

DaveLeeNC

You can truly eat all you want. However, you cannot metabolize all you want. Depending on the amount of effort you plan to (or can) put out over 100 miles, more stored glycogen may or may not matter.

dave

unterhausen

I could only wish that muscle glycogen was improved by eating. My understanding is that muscle glycogen is stored because of training. I.e., it's too late for that.

Alias530

When you say "recreational century", are these usually done at a casual pace or are you just saying that it isn't a race?

The majority of my time while riding is at 20-23mph on flat ground, was planning on backing down to 18-20mph but not much less than that. I've only been riding seriously for about a year and I ride solo 99% of the time so I don't know most of the etiquette type stuff.

Steamer

I am saying your pace* is likely to be a non-race level (right?), and therefore the task of taking in 200-400 cal/hr. (body size dependent) so you maintain a reasonably blood sugar / don't draw down your glycogen stores should be very achievable. I would also assume that the pace would also be one where fat utilization is (as a percentage of calories burned) is also reasonably high, which also enhances glycogen sparing.

* rated by perceived exertion or by %of FTP (from a power meter-centric viewpoint); speed isn't that useful of a metric since so many things affect it.

But honestly, if you are that fast, you are obviously a strong rider, and your ride will be over in 6 hours (or less). 6 hours really isn't that much time. By the sounds of it, you are so over-prepared for this century that I think you might find it a let down when you actually do it and you see that it wasn't as hard as you thought it would be. It is a fairly moderate 50 feet of climbing per mile too. Not exactly the Death Ride.

ThermionicScott 

+1. For that matter, I think pretty much all cyclists who don't have any physical impairments "have a century in them" even if they've never considered riding one. It's so much about staying fed and hydrated and not letting their silly brains get in the way.