Hi,
I'm planning to do the El Tour de Tucson 55 mile coming up in 3 weeks with zero experience in long distances and have only cycled for commuting before this. Right now I'm fairly certain I can do the 55 easily by then so I'm curious to see if I can push myself to a 75 with the time I have. It looks doable on a map because I've done the middle (21-36) before with all the hills but of course everything looks easier if you look at it in sections.
I've been training for only a month because it was a last minute decision and also lost about 2 weeks after starting due to feeling sluggish (worried I was overexerting) but I've been riding 100+ miles per week for the last 2 weeks. The longest ride so far is a 40 mile ride with 1,800 ft elevation gain at 13 mph and 2 short breaks but I did get worn out with all the climbs. Did a 20 mile ride on a flat route the next day so I was not completely burned out by the ride.
Here's the route of the 75 mile:
El Tour de Tucson 75 miles in Tanque Verde, AZ, United States | MapMyRide
55 mile:
El Tour de Tucson 55 mile in Catalina Foothills, AZ, United States | MapMyRide
If you think it's possible, what should I do differently in terms of training? My daily rides have so far been just around 20-25 miles partially due to time constraints in the morning but there are days where I definitely have more time to go farther. The last week should be tapering so I've heard so really that gives me 2 weeks.
Here's my weekly mileage. I think I'm still figuring out my abilities so that's why the numbers jump. I'm not following the 10% guideline.
Week 1: 70
Week 2: 70
Week 3: 70
Week 4: 115
Week 5: 145
Any thoughts?