adamgram

In 2 weeks I'm going to be attempting my first century! I'll be doing an MS ride with a 75 mile loop and then an additional 25 mile loop that allows for an easy out if I can't make it, but I'm determained to do the whole thing! The most I've ever done in one day so far has been 55 miles (pretty hilly though), so this would mean definitely pushing myself to the limits. I'm looking for advice on how to train over the next 2 weeks to be in my best possible condition the day of the ride.

What I'm thinking is I should ride every day, alternating daily between long and short rides. Today is thursday and I plan on doing 10 miles today. Tomorrow, I'm going to see how far I can go, aiming for 75 miles. Saturday another 10, and on sunday a 50 mile ride. All next week, since I can only get so much sunlight in after work, I want to alternate 10 and 30 mile rides monday-friday. Finally next saturday, a week before MS ride, I'll do my last serious ride before the century attempt, again aiming for 75-80 miles.

My biggest question is what to do the week before the ride. My initial thought is to take it easy, riding about 10 miles every day except thursday (2 days before the ride), and on thursday do as much as I can after work (probably 30-40 miles). I don't really know though, so I'm looking for input from anyone who's done this before for any advice on this plan and anything else I should do to get ready for it.

milchad

When you train, push yourself really hard towards the end of your ride. For example, if you do a 75 mile training ride, go at a reasonable pace for the first 60 miles and really ramp it up during the last 15. It'll hurt, but you'll train your muscles to get used to the pain of a lot of miles. Also drink, drink and drink some more leading up to the day of the big ride. If I were you I would have a couple of rest days b4 the ride. Let your muscles rest as much as possible and get a minimum of 8 hours sleep the night before.

adamgram

Good advice! I will be sure to take it.

Randochap

Good advice from milchad. Rest/tapering is very important. That's when adaptation occurs. Call it "horizontal" training.

The other stuff -- nutrition and hydration, especially during the ride, is the next thing to learn. Keep the tank topped up and make sure to take care of electrolyte replacement.

Here's the long-distance section on VeloWeb.

adamgram

What to eat was another thing I was wondering about, thanks for bringing it up. I was under the impression it's best to load up on carbs the night before. What would you recommend for the morning of and during the ride itself?

StupidlyBrave 

I don't get a sense of how much preparation you have done so far or what your longest completed distance is...

Two weeks is not enough time to completely prepare...

save10

make sure are comfortable with foods and fluids you will bring along. Ride day probably isnt the best time to try out a new sports gel. But then on those rides they often give out free shwag and usually have lunch or snacks somewhere.

AngryScientist 

i can tell you that you will need some fuel for the ride itself, what you eat/drink is really a matter of preference and what works for you.

i can also tell you from experience that whatever you do, try it before the long ride, do not experiment with any new juices, gels, bars etc the day of the big ride. you never know how your stomach/body will react to them until you try them while riding.

adamgram

HAHA Way to rain on my parade without even reading the original post! I'm going for it! Why are you trying to convince me I can't? I'll find that out soon enough if that's the case, just looking for input on how to go about preparing the week before to be in the best condition possible the day of the ride.

adamgram

Good advice, thanks (same to you save10). I've got two long prep rides ahead of me (one tomorrow, one next weekend) to try some things out I guess. What specifically does your body need on a long ride? Doing my normal 30-50 mile rides I don't really get hungry until the end, and by that point it doesn't matter cause I don't have to keep going after I eat. What will help me keep going? Carbs? Fruits? Protein?

StupidlyBrave 

Sorry, I missed the 55mi statement. I hope it wasn't 10 years ago, or something like that

Take the advice above on the day-of nutrition and don't worry about carb-loading the day before.

Of course, we all want you to succeed.

MONGO!

Unless the 10 mile rides are recovery rides, I don't see the point of them.

merckx_rider

Opinions vary, so here's mine.
2 weeks is enough if done correctly.
consistancy is the key, long steady distances are the preparation.
overall mileage is the goal.

SO, do 50 miles a day everyday and take the last day before your ride off (rest day), you should be good to go.
You have to eat right, keep hydrated but if you can break 300 miles a week than you should be ready for anything they throw at you.

Mudu93

Of course you can do it. If you are in reasonable shape already as in 55 mile hilly rides, you will be able to handle 75 to 100. It won't be the most comfortable, but it is doable. Shoot, a friend of a riding budy of mine decided to do a MS 150 the week before in a moment of drunken unclarity. He showed up the day of the ride on a borrowed vintage schwinn and made the full 80 on day one.

adamgram

I think I got myself a goal for the week!

mollusk

Listen to this guy.

There is a HUGE difference between a 60 or so mile ride and a 100 mile ride. The difference is that your muscles can store enough glycogen to do a 60 mile ride without refueling, but if you are a normal human you will run out of muscle glycogen somewhere before the 100 miles are up. That means that you will have to eat sometime during the ride. If you don't you will get a "true" bonk where your body is metabolizing muscle fiber. It is VERY unpleasant. I was in a full-blown bonk once and I will NEVER go there again.

I will tell you that food while riding is a lot like saddles. What is "nirvana" for one person will be "holy hell" for the next. You will have to find out for yourself what your body can process during a ride in just the same way that you need to actually ride different saddles to find the ones that work for you. What works for me might not work for you both saddle and food wise. You will be very foolish (or extremely lucky) to take the Internet advice of someone about what to eat during a 100 mile ride.

adamgram

[QUOTE=mollusk;9210446
I will tell you that food while riding is a lot like saddles. What is "nirvana" for one person will be "holy hell" for the next. You will have to find out for yourself what your body can process during a ride in just the same way that you need to actually ride different saddles to find the ones that work for you. What works for me might not work for you both saddle and food wise. You will be very foolish (or extremely lucky) to take the Internet advice of someone about what to eat during a 100 mile ride.[/QUOTE]

This is ending up being a far more perplexing question than I had anticipated, haha. Okay, so I need to try it out and see for myself, gotcha. If all goes according to plan I'll be doing 3-4 60+ mile rides over the next 2 weeks. Those would be a chance to try some things out. Given that these things may or may not work for me, what are some things I could try? What food is good for you on a long ride?

Pharmr

a wise man with a funky star headed avatar once told me before my first century....if your riding 3+ times a week on a regular basis, with one of those rides in the 30-50 mile range you'll have no problem riding a century...you know what??...he was correct!....pace yourself, drink PLENTY of fluids, take in some calories on the way and you'll be fine...let us know how it went when your done!!!...and have a good time!!

Machka 

Here's my Century Tips article:
https://www.machka.net/century.htm

You're only 2 weeks away from the century so there really isn't much you can do to prepare for it now in terms of training for it ... you've left it too late. But you might benefit from some of the other information in that article.

mollusk

I am VERY old school and look to non-tech solutions even though I am an engineering prof.

Things that work for me are PBJ sandwiches, bagels, and baked potatoes. Only the PBJ's need to have a "cover" and that "cover" could be a Ziplock that you could use many times over. For me baked potatoes are "the sh*t".

AndrewP

Buy a bunch of LED flashlights and attach them to your bars with elastic bands. You wont want to go as fast after dark but you need time in the saddle

Randochap

With proper lighting, you can go pretty much as fast as you want.

adamgram

I did it!!!!

StupidlyBrave 

Congratulations!

daxr

On a 40+ mile ride I just bring some granola bars (Sunbelt Oats & Honey) and fill my bottles with Acelerade Carb+protein mix. Most of the time I don't eat, but its better to have food with you, and to have food that you know you are accustomed to than to run dry. On your training rides try some stuff, clif bars or whatever, and get used to eating on the road. About 1200 calories might do for a century.
Same goes for the morning - try just having a bowl of cereal and going out for a ride. Nothing complicated, but its good to get used to.

On tapering, I wouldn't worry to much. Taking the day off before the ride is usually enough. I keep a pretty consistent hard day/easy day rhythm and find that if I get more than one rest day it takes a couple of days riding to get everything back in smooth working order.