Originally Posted by
Iride01
This was a solo ride? Not a organized Century Ride.
Either way you did what you could do. Unknowingly, due to the unexpected terrain, pushed your limits. So good for you. Especially since you seem to have figured out the stuff that held you back. It'll be better next time. Don't wait too long to tackle the hills again. You need to experience them so your body will know it has to deal with them. And you'll learn certain things to do that will make them easier.
On those hills, you need to make sure you can pedal in a gear ratio that is just as easy as when you are on level ground. And your cadence is just a fast as cruising. Only when you are in your lowest gear ratio and the hill gets steeper should your cadence slow down. For the short hills in my area, I usually go up them with a faster cadence than I cruise at.
Originally Posted by
big john
Do you have a low enough gear for the climbs you are doing? Climbing, as you have discovered, is very different than flat roads. I'm lighter now but most of my riding has been in the 220# range and most of my climbing has been with lighter, fitter riders. There is a lot to learn. Take your time and figure out what works for you on long climbing days. It may be quite different than what works for the skinny mountain goats.
This was a solo ride, yes. I spend all week around other people, and riding is my escape from that haha
The gearing question that you both posed is a good one. My small chainring is 39T and my large cog is 32T which gives a ratio of 1.22 and a speed of 7.25 MPH @ 75 RPM if I've done the math right. Gears were definitely something that I struggled with as I've completed my previous (much flatter) rides without ever needing the small chainring. I was caught out having to change between large and small, frequently losing momentum in the process. Practice, practice, practice will solve that!
Originally Posted by
Smaug1
The elevation is one thing, for sure. If you burn all your matches early, it's bad news in the long run.
The thing I learned too, was that in rides over about 40 miles, fueling and hydration become a big deal. In shorter rides, if you're well-hydrated prior to the ride, you can compensate and recover later. If you're burning so many calories and sweating so much though, it's too late not to do more during the ride.
On my first century, I bonked at 80 miles, had to rest for awhile while my body re-grouped, then pedaled the last 20 very slowly. (luckily it was flat)
I did manage to stay hydrated, but I burned off the bacon cheeseburger, fries and two beers sooner than I thought I would and just plain ran out of energy.
I love your idea of pre-ride nutrition! Perhaps the couple of beers would have put me over the top. Hmmmm.
Having bonked on my first half-century when I was really new and left my fig bars on the kitchen counter, I've resolved never to run out of food or water again. I had a CamelBak with 2.5L of an electrolyte drink, 3 x 24oz bottles of chocolate milk for carbs, and 6 packs of fig bars at 220 calories each. I was stopping for food regularly and biting down on the CamelBak every couple of miles, but that couldn't overcome my body just not being conditioned for the climbs.
Originally Posted by
rsbob
Good for you for giving it a good shot. And even better for you, for doing a good analysis of what didn’t work and what to do next time. As a couple of others have mentioned, doing an organized century ride is much more enjoyable due to all the distractions and food/water stops, unless you don’t like people. Another thing to start training is more hill climbing. If you get good at climbing in advance, then on the big day, it will be much more easy. There is a saying I learned many years ago, “To win in the hills, you must train in the hills”. But good on you for looking for a flatter route in the future - and good climbing legs will help you there too.
Best of luck and keep us posted. Most people don’t have the courage to detail their failings, so hats off to you a maybe another budding centurion can learn from you.
Thanks! I'm going to take that saying to heart and make hills a regular part of my training. Several of the climbs are in the first 10 miles or so from my house with a nice flat section leading to and from them, so a couple of times a week I plan to head there and ride up and down them, practicing my gear shifts and cadence, and getting my body more accustomed to the different stresses that climbing imposes. It will be good for my overall fitness anyway, and I'm going to master than hilly route one way or another.