Rideforroswell

If you were training for a 260 mile 2 day ride with a total of 11,000 feet of accents, what would your training schedule be? I plan on doing half each day. If the ride was flat I don't think I'd have any problems, but I'm a little nervous about the climbs. I did 62 miles(3500 feet of accents) yesterday and 45(only 2500 accent) today through the hills and am not in too much pain, could definitely keep going without any problems.

I plan on making this ride some time in August. Realistically I don't have time to bike 50 miles a day, I have time for 35-40 mile rides 3-4 times a week. Think that will cut it?

knoregs

Three or four rides a week is fine. Just make one of 'em longer every week.

StephenH

Sounds like you're doing okay. I'd try to have done at least one 130-ish mile ride prior, to see how you feel. And if those 34-40 mile rides include hills equivalent to the route you're planning, that would help. And it might help to have alternate plan B in mind. Watch the heat and hydration in August.

Is this a 400k brevet/ permanent? Or just some individual project?

Rideforroswell

Pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean by brevet or permanent mean? I just have a "permanent" seasonal job that happens to be 260 miles from my home town. So I just planned to test myself and ride home and have my wife drive me back to our apartment at the end of the weekend.

In 3 or 4 weeks I plan on having a few buddies come out and do a century ride through the catskills to see how I handle more intense hills than I'll encounter on the ride across state. Thanks for the advise you guys!

Richard Cranium

Maybe, I guess as long as you are not fat - and you spend a lot of your riding in hilly areas - you will probably build enough endurance to last.

But, it would be good idea to somehow fit in a longer ride each -say 60 or 70 miles. Otherwise you'll feeling awful "strange fatigue territory" - finishing up those long days on tour.....

CliftonGK1

Hey, some of us fat guys actually can ride the hilly distances.

smurf hunter

I wonder if I've graduated down from Clyde status? I was 215 last year, and am now just a few under the 200 mark.

I can empathize with the OP. I try to ride a 60-70 miler each weekend in prep for RAMROD next month. It's really tough to work in more 4000ft of elevation gain in such a distance - even when riding in Mt. Rainer foothills.

I've got a young family and feel bad spending 1/2 my weekend "training" - so I head out at dawn and do what I can before lunch.

Keith99

Sound to me like you should be fine. I was going to suggest you make sure to have a back to back, but you have.

Only other thing I can think of is make sure you have done a climb as hard, or better still a bit harder than the nastiest climb on that 260 mile ride.

When you actually do the ride pay attention. If you are about to bonk it is better to stop before than after.

Again I think you should be fine and are concerned about the right things.

Randochap

Brevets and permanents.

You'll do fine.

Rideforroswell

Calorie intake question...

So I completed a century ride this weekend ( well a century ride by my standards, I stopped for one hour for lunch after the metric century ride). Anyways, the first metric century was an organized ride and I was in a good group of riders keeping about a 22mph pace for the first 40 miles. At 45 miles I decided to break away from the group. At 55 miles I absolutely died. My muscles felt absolutely fine, I just completely ran out of energy.

I ate absolutely nothing for breakfast. Just a PBJ while I was riding about an hour into the ride. Just lots and lots of water.

So what do you eat either while your riding or before the ride to keep your energy up. How much is enough without feeling like a brick sitting in your stomach. I had a huge lunch and felt great afterwards.

My plan is to do one more century, then a back to back century through the mountains before I do this cross state ride.

Torrilin

You eat food. Different bodies will have different needs, and if you feed your body food it doesn't use well, it will be very unhappy. (yes, the weird sports bars and gels are food... some bodies like those, others don't) If you don't feed your body at all like on that century, it will be even more unhappy than with the wrong food. Usually on an empty stomach your body's first response will be to go after your muscle mass for nutrition.

If what you ate is sitting like a lead brick, go slower for a while. A lot of people recommend snacking instead of eating full meals, and I find it helps when I can manage it.

Syscrush

I like fresh fruits and whole grains while riding.

In other words, bananas and granola bars.

You'll get some calories from sports drinks like gatorade, too - and since it's basically sugar your body is happy/ready to use it pretty easily during a ride.

I wouldn't be stopping for a full meal during a ride, but I'm pretty fat and don't need to take in much food while riding.