Originally Posted by jschen
and getting used to riding at night will be necessary. And I figure I'll need to start eating and drinking a bit more since I currently run a mild nutritional deficit that allows me to ride a century comfortably, but leaves me really hungry when I'm done. Is there other stuff I should be working on and preparing for? Any other advice for preparing for a double?
Depending on the time of year you plan to do your double century, and how fast a rider you are, you won't necessarily have to ride at night. I'm pretty slow, but I can do a double century in May and just fit it into daylight hours ... just! However, you may want to go out for short rides around your neighborhood after dark prior to your double, and if you're going to do that you should plan to ride a bit in an area where it is as dark as possible (no street lights) so you can make any necessary adjustments to your lights.
As for food, eat a good breakfast, 250-300 calories per hour while you ride all the way through the ride, and meals at about the 6-8 hour point after starting, and then every 4-6 hours after that.
Other than that, a double century really isn't much different from a century ... it's just a bit longer!
And it sounds like you've ridden enough to be ready for the distance.