Hello-

I am doing a 56-mile ride the second week in February and am looking for advice on how I should train for this kind of thing. I have been an avid commuter the last couple years with a 10-mile round trip to work and back. I know to a lot of you 56 miles isn't a lot but it seems kind of daunting to me.

How do you train for this kind of thing? Should I ride the full miles before the event or get close? The first 21 miles of the route is kind of a rolling climb at what seems to be 1-2% but there's nowhere around here I can really replicate that, so I have been hitting the hills as much as I can and challenging myself with what I think are some good climbs. I have also been trying to mimic the route as much as I can with climbing at the front end then a little more of a relaxed ride towards the end.

For example, I rode @28 miles today and here was the elevation and climb:




Here's the route I will be riding in February (Tour de Palm Springs)



I am not sure my training will be adequate but maybe I'm just psyching myself out over that long grade in Palm Springs.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!