el twe

I'm hoping to complete a half-century over summer break. I'm still working on planning out a route, but I know that a full or metric century isn't possible due to location. I want to do this solo, but due to a paranoid mother, I'll probably do it with my friend (if he's up to it). I'm reasonably new to road cycling, but I ride my bike just about everywhere. I don't ride terribly far (probably under 30 miles a week), but I feel like I could do much more, if I had the time (I'm doing it over summer because of my school load). Right now I'm planning on getting a cheap Nashbar jersey, some padded Lycra boxers (not a big shorts fan), and some GU. Clif Bars will be a must, along with water. I only have one bottle cage and have no room to attach another, so I need to ride in a populated area (stores). Any advice on training, technique, or just encouragement is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

zing28

Dont sweat it dude... If you ride on a regular basis, you shouldnt have a problem. Pace yourself. If you dont have any tools, extra tubes, patch kit, CO2, etc... make sure you take a cell phone. Fill your bottle with an energy drink. If your route doesn't have any stores, take a snack. Take breaks to stretch. Have fun!

You'll be in the saddle for around 3 hours or so. I'm sure you'll be fine.

Serpico

you'll do fine twe, just make sure you eat and stay hydrated

snowy

Ditto the above responses, its really not that hard just keep eating and drinking and before you know it you will bypass the mileage.

Patriot

Yep, one step at a time.

next step...

Century.

alison_in_oh

You're going to be able to do it and it's going to be a very proud moment.

My first half-century took me 3:15. I'd only been on my saddle over 2 hours a couple times prior, so it was a bit uncomfortable. I'd suggest working your way up to doing at least one longer ride per week in addition to a couple of shorter ones.

I went into the season in decent shape, because I'd been doing regular spinning classes for several months. That said, in March I got a couple of rides in despite the weather, and then in April I started riding regularly. Only the second week of regular rides, and the first week with a saddle that I could bear to sit for more than 2 hours, I did about 3-4 rides of 20-30 miles through the week and then just set out to be in my saddle for at least 3 hours! It worked, and my mileage came to 50.6! I brought 48 oz. of water and only ended up eating one Clif bar.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

AnthonyG

50 miles or 80 km is a nice long ride. I've done a few of them and my recomendations are to allow yourself 4 hours to do the first one at least. Have a 5 minute break every hour for water ect. and importantly pace yourself. Set yourself an average speed for the trip and don't exceed it early on even if you feel great as you will need the energy at the end.

Regards, AnthonyG

el twe

Thanks guys. I have a nice on the road tool kit with my saddle bag, and a Zefal HPX in case I need it (really hope I don't). I was wondering about doing the Gatorade powder thing for my water (I carry a large bottle to make up for my one cage). Anyone have any GU or Lycra boxer reviews?

hi565

I did 42 last weekend. With my second cousin who knows every fricken route around. Makes life nice. He kicked my butt though. Stay well hydrated and eat every hour, well start nibbling at the hour mark. DOnt be hungry!

Drayko

A great way to build confidence in yourself I'd say is to try to do longer rides by doing a short loop near your house a couple times instead of a far out and back ride. That way you can really understand how a longer distance feels like but will be comfortable doing it knowing you're never far from home in case you need to stop.

el twe

Well, just ordered a jersey (my mom even payed for it! Sweet!), and plan on some serious riding next weekend (I'm all booked htis weekend...I know, I know...), but in the meantime I'm thinking some good stationary riding at the gym (don't have a trainer ) would be good. See how my endurance lasts...

HigherGround

A general rule of thumb is to eat before you're hungry, and drink before you're thirsty. Playing catch up on food or drink is the wrong way to approach a ride. I'm not a big fan of riding on any energy gel exclusively. I need solid food in my stomach to avoid the "empty stomach" feeling. I usually eat 1/2 an energy bar every 30 minutes or so on longer rides. I also carry powdered drink mix in a tiny Nalgene bottle. I've heard an empty film canister works well, but I've never tried it and they may be getting rarer in this age of digital cameras.

Pace yourself, have fun, and let us know how it goes. Good luck!

el twe

Yeah, the GU idea was more for energy than food. I'll have Clif Bars. I'll keep you updated on my training and preparation (clothing, etc...).

alison_in_oh

Careful, most of the stationary bikes at the gym will not be very ergonomic, and certainly won't be anything like the setup of a properly fit bicycle. I find they *kill* my knees! In fact I'd almost suggest an elliptical instead if you really need an indoor endurance workout.

el twe

Huh. I know that the feel isn't the same, but I haven't experienced that problem. I really like the epis, so I might do a littl of each.

nitropowered

I usually do 70 miles on Saturday and 30-50 on Sundays. What I've learned on long rides is to eat a gel pack or something else every hour. When you start feeling hungry, its too late.

flyingscotsman

You may want to get this it is a cheaper hydration pack $19.99 out of target.

• Lightweight hydration pack great for short day trips
• Comes with 2 liter Cyclone® bladder
• Pack has been constructed with opening that fits around Cyclone™ easy-grip cap so that bladder does not need to be removed for filling
• Deluxe padded back with Air Way™ cooling system allows air to travel to hard to reach places
• Elastic adjustable sternum straps for added comfort and flexibility
• Neoprene sides allow for easy bladder loading
• Abundant reflective safety tape

zonatandem

Pack a second water bottle in one of the pockets of that new jersey . . .
If you want to ride a century do the same 50 mile route twice: once clock-wise and then counter-clock-wise . . . even the scenery will look different!
Have fun!

el twe

Yeah, I think the second (smaller) bottle will go in the pocket.

bhuang61

I started riding August of 2004 with 10 milers around the neighborhood. Last fall, I did my longest ride ever (38 miles) as 4 laps around the lake. Each lap was about 9.5 miles. I stopped and got off the bike for 5 minutes each lap. I used the time to fill bottles with Gatorade and eat half a Cliff bar. I had some saddle issues and some foot numbness issues and getting off the bike really helped.

But, the most important part about the whole thing was that I set my HR monitor to go off at a moderate HR and stuck to that the first 3 laps. It was hard, because I kept getting passed! Plus, I had energy left. But, the last lap, I turned the monitor off and just pounded as hard as I could. If I had paced myself the whole time, I'm sure I could have done 50.

Anyway, long story short....don't go out too hard. You'll regret it.

nesdog

Why not ride down the coast towards Monterey? Lots of bike path along the way and plenty of company. Involve your mom. Have her meet you at the half-way point for encouragement and food. She'll be happy and you won't have to carry tons of stuff with you.

sheldon
OCR2