Notices
Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) Looking to lose that spare tire? Ideal weight 200+? Frustrated being a large cyclist in a sport geared for the ultra-light? Learn about the bikes and parts that can take the abuse of a heavier cyclist, how to keep your body going while losing the weight, and get support from others who've been successful.

Metric Century - advice?

Old 07-30-09, 12:37 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Slothman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 71

Bikes: 2006 Giant OCR 2

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Metric Century - advice?

So it looks as if I'll be going on my first Metric Century (does that even really count as anything, or does it make us feel better about riding ~62 miles?) this Saturday. I haven't been riding much lately, and the longest rides I've gone on were 30 miles.

I've got a nice 3 - 4 hour break in the middle, so that should help me.

Any advice on what I should prepare for? Diet the night before, breakfast before I go, fuel while on the ride?

Thanks in advance!
Slothman is offline  
Old 07-30-09, 12:44 PM
  #2  
Downtown Spanky Brown
 
bautieri's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Enola, Pennsyltucky
Posts: 2,108

Bikes: Motobecane Phantom Cross Pro Kona Lana'I

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
First off, if you can ride 30 miles you can ride 62. It's all in your head. My best advice is to keep the rubber side down and move the cranks clockwise.

Make sure you stay hydrated, this is very important when on a longer ride. Take a drink every 10 minutes or so. If you wait until you are thirsty then you are too late. You should probably take a bottle of gatoraide mixed 50/50 with water. Straight gatoraide is just too much for me when on a long hot ride but YMMV.

Food wise try and have a 150-200 calorie snack every 15 miles or so. I wouldn't eat anything too heavy or something new to you. Stick with what works best for you. Personally I like cliff bars and fig newtons.
bautieri is offline  
Old 07-30-09, 01:04 PM
  #3  
Have bike, will travel
 
Barrettscv's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Lake Geneva, WI
Posts: 12,392

Bikes: Ridley Helium SLX, Canyon Endurance SL, De Rosa Professional, Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra, Schwinn Paramount (1 painted, 1 chrome), Peugeot PX10, Serotta Nova X, Simoncini Cyclocross Special, Raleigh Roker, Pedal Force CG2 and CX2

Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 910 Post(s)
Liked 288 Times in 158 Posts
Rest well and have a healthy meal the night before. A simple breakfast of whole grain cereal and fruit works for me. Bring your favorite sports drink, you will need to replace salt and other minerals that are lost while sweating. Drink 20 to 30 oz of fluids every hour. Eat fruit and/or trail mix bars every hour. Stay ahead of the curve, it takes food and fluids consumed up to an hour to reach working muscles.

Ride your pace, don't try to keep up with a faster group unless the end is near.

Have fun.

Michael
__________________
When I ride my bike I feel free and happy and strong. I'm liberated from the usual nonsense of day to day life. Solid, dependable, silent, my bike is my horse, my fighter jet, my island, my friend. Together we will conquer that hill and thereafter the world.

Last edited by Barrettscv; 07-30-09 at 01:13 PM.
Barrettscv is offline  
Old 07-30-09, 01:11 PM
  #4  
Banned.
 
Mr. Beanz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Upland Ca
Posts: 19,895

Bikes: Lemond Chambery/Cannondale R-900/Trek 8000 MTB/Burley Duet tandem

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 3 Posts
A 3 or 4 hour break in the middle of what?
Mr. Beanz is offline  
Old 07-30-09, 01:30 PM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Roanoke, VA
Posts: 554
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Just make sure you drink and eat. At least one bottle per hour. I eat (drink?) a Hammer Gel every 30-45 minutes, and grab some solid food halfway through.

I also eat breakfast 3 hours before the ride starts. Occasionally that requires waking up way before dawn, eating, and then going back to bed. But the 3 hours allows time for everything to be digested. Then a gel when the ride starts.

But, yeah, if you can do 30, you can do 60. Just resist the urge to push too hard at the beginning. I always try to average a higher speed over the second half of the ride than the first half. It doesn't always work out like that, but that's my goal.
IAmCosmo is offline  
Old 07-30-09, 01:42 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Slothman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 71

Bikes: 2006 Giant OCR 2

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Mr. Beanz
A 3 or 4 hour break in the middle of what?
In the middle of the ride. So it's more like 2-30 milers. But it's all in the same day, so I figure it counts

Originally Posted by Barrettscv
A simple breakfast of whole grain cereal and fruit works...
That sounds wonderful, I'll give that a try.

Originally Posted by Barrettscv
Ride your pace, don't try to keep up with a faster group unless the end is near.
I'll be riding solo, so there won't be a group to keep pace with ... although that may be a bad thing. I'm always pushing myself to go faster and faster, even when I know I need to conserve myself.

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'll definitely be getting some gatorade and doing some rummaging around in the cupboard for some clif bars. I'm pretty sure we've got a few sitting around.
Slothman is offline  
Old 07-30-09, 01:48 PM
  #7  
The Improbable Bulk
 
Little Darwin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA
Posts: 8,401

Bikes: Many

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times in 7 Posts
With that break, it sounds like you are basically going on two 30ish mile rides in the same day.

My general suggestion for anyone based on my limited experience may apply for you (especially on the second half), and that is to be sure to pace yourself, and don't ride fast based on the excitement of going on a great ride. If you start out a little slow, you will enjoy the end of the ride a lot more.

If you haven't spent much time on the bike recently, follow the above suggestions on food/water, take your time, and you will only have one more issue... your body not being used to spending 3+ hours in the saddle in one day. Be sure to stand occasionally, and wear some good shorts that won't chafe.

And also, at this point, you can not get your body in any better shape at the last minute for the endurance, but do take some nice easy spins between now and then.
__________________
Slow Ride Cyclists of NEPA

People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Little Darwin is offline  
Old 07-30-09, 01:51 PM
  #8  
The Improbable Bulk
 
Little Darwin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA
Posts: 8,401

Bikes: Many

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times in 7 Posts
Originally Posted by bautieri
My best advice is to keep the rubber side down and move the cranks clockwise.
Good advice when looking at the bike from the drive side.
__________________
Slow Ride Cyclists of NEPA

People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Little Darwin is offline  
Old 07-30-09, 02:36 PM
  #9  
SERENITY NOW!!!
 
jyossarian's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: In the 212
Posts: 8,738

Bikes: Haro Vector, IRO Rob Roy, Bianchi Veloce

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Carbo load before the ride (pasta) and re-fuel w/ electrolytes (coca cola and potato chips) during the ride. Recover w/ chocolate milk after the ride. No, I'm not kidding.
__________________
HHCMF - Take pride in your ability to amaze lesser mortals! - MikeR



We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!
jyossarian is offline  
Old 07-30-09, 02:51 PM
  #10  
Banned.
 
Mr. Beanz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Upland Ca
Posts: 19,895

Bikes: Lemond Chambery/Cannondale R-900/Trek 8000 MTB/Burley Duet tandem

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 3 Posts
Nevermind! All I can say is that with breaks included, I did a 520 mile ride this month!

Last edited by Mr. Beanz; 07-30-09 at 02:58 PM.
Mr. Beanz is offline  
Old 07-30-09, 02:54 PM
  #11  
Banned.
 
Mr. Beanz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Upland Ca
Posts: 19,895

Bikes: Lemond Chambery/Cannondale R-900/Trek 8000 MTB/Burley Duet tandem

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by jyossarian
and re-fuel w/ electrolytes (coca cola and potato chips) during the ride. No, I'm not kidding.
Before or after the 4 hour break?

Last edited by Mr. Beanz; 07-30-09 at 02:59 PM.
Mr. Beanz is offline  
Old 07-30-09, 02:58 PM
  #12  
SERENITY NOW!!!
 
jyossarian's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: In the 212
Posts: 8,738

Bikes: Haro Vector, IRO Rob Roy, Bianchi Veloce

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
During the ride. During the 4 hr. break, just eat a normal meal of ribs, beer and ribs.
__________________
HHCMF - Take pride in your ability to amaze lesser mortals! - MikeR



We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!
jyossarian is offline  
Old 07-30-09, 04:20 PM
  #13  
Bikezilla
 
Mazama's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Flori-Duh
Posts: 881

Bikes: Co-Motion Mazama

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
You should be fine. I wouldn't worry about a pre-ride meal. You should have a great time.
Mazama is offline  
Old 07-31-09, 08:09 AM
  #14  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 4,243
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 343 Post(s)
Liked 15 Times in 9 Posts
Originally Posted by Slothman
So it looks as if I'll be going on my first Metric Century (does that even really count as anything, or does it make us feel better about riding ~62 miles?) this Saturday. I haven't been riding much lately, and the longest rides I've gone on were 30 miles.

I've got a nice 3 - 4 hour break in the middle, so that should help me.

Any advice on what I should prepare for? Diet the night before, breakfast before I go, fuel while on the ride?

Thanks in advance!
Yes, it counts as a new accomplishment for you. That is something that you can be proud of.

Good advice above on diet so I won't repeat it. Just read Barrettsvc's post as it contains all you need to know and do.
jdon is offline  
Old 07-31-09, 08:53 AM
  #15  
Neil_B
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Mentioned: Post(s)
Tagged: Thread(s)
Quoted: Post(s)
Originally Posted by Slothman
So it looks as if I'll be going on my first Metric Century (does that even really count as anything, or does it make us feel better about riding ~62 miles?) this Saturday. I haven't been riding much lately, and the longest rides I've gone on were 30 miles.

I've got a nice 3 - 4 hour break in the middle, so that should help me.

Any advice on what I should prepare for? Diet the night before, breakfast before I go, fuel while on the ride?

Thanks in advance!
I guess this is a 'roll your own' event. I daresay most organized centuries dpn't have a three-four hour rest period in the middle. Too much time to let muscles stiffen. When I was touring on 60 mile days I didn't spend any more than an hour tops at a stop, and usually much less than that.
 
Old 07-31-09, 09:42 AM
  #16  
Senior Member
 
CliftonGK1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Columbus, OH
Posts: 11,375

Bikes: '08 Surly Cross-Check, 2011 Redline Conquest Pro, 2012 Spesh FSR Comp EVO, 2015 Trek Domane 6.2 disc

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times in 6 Posts
If you've done a 30 miler before, then don't sweat doing 2 of them in one day.

Keep your routine same as you have for any previous 30 mile ride. Have a sandwich during the 3 hour break (is this some scheduled event you're stopping for, or have you really just planned for a 3 hour break in the middle of a metric?)

If you've planned a 3 - 4 hour break, I suggest you back that down to 1h max. Your legs will thank you for it when you get back on the bike. Too much time and you'll cool down and it will take longer to warm things back up again when you start riding.
When I'm doing long rides (200k - 300k) I try and max out my lunch break at 20 minutes and keep all other stops around 7 minutes.
__________________
"I feel like my world was classier before I found cyclocross."
- Mandi M.
CliftonGK1 is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.