Originally Posted by
BikeArkansas
...I have been thinking of how totally exhausted I have been at the end of each century and that I could not have gone another mile.
I have worked hard to hydrate correctly and eat correctly on the centuries and have been surprised at how exhausted I have been. That exhaustion in spite of my work on my hydration and food intake is the reason I decided to ask about the mental difference because I felt I had prepared very well for the centuries.
The 200K I want to attempt is an official brevet. I knew the time allowed was over 12 hours, but I could not remember the exact time. I have not stayed on a bike for more than 7 hours, so that will be a new experience and that brings up another question, if I may. I have two bikes, a road bike that I have ridden on my centuries and a newly acquired Surly LHT. Which bike should I use for the 200K?
Do you want to qualify, or set a record? If you just want to finish, slowing down a little would help a lot. I think in terms of effective mph, adjusted for wind, elevation, road surface, etc. Based on limited experience, training, centuries, and brevets, here is my unscientific impression of how fast I could go for how long:
MPH----22---20---18---16---15---14---13---12---11---10
HOURS-1/2---1-----3----5----7----18---21---24---27---until I fall asleep...
Note the huge jump around 14+1/2. You can find your magic number by riding training loops near home, say 10 miles out and back. Try it at 17, 16, 15, 14...until you get a number you can ride for 100 miles or more without bonking. For me, on my current brevet bike, it's 14 and change. If I try to go 16 all day, I'm fried about 80 miles out. If I stay in the 14's, or under, I can ride all day.
You should get 13:30 to finish, which means you could go 10 mph and still make it. So, say 13 is your number. Unless you face a brutal headwind both ways, you can make it easily.
Finally, the easiest question: you should ride the brevet on the bike you already know, unless you have time for adequate training on the LHT. If your bike fit is not just right, it will really add up over 200k.
You started this as a mental attitude issue; I'm not sure it isn't a pace issue. For a good riding attitude, I'd say gain confidence through experience, on training rides. Pace yourself carefully. Be aware of changes in conditions that require a response: temperature, wind, etc. If you've done these things, then relax and have fun.
p.s.-edit: I took for granted that you worked out all the eating and hydration issues, because you said you did. But you did not spell out what you are doing. That was/is the hardest part for me, so maybe you could make more gains there(?).