fixed century
 

My friends at the lbs are putting on a century ride in october and I plan on riding it fixed. Any tips for long distance riding? The most I've done in one ride is probably 50 miles so the century is double that.

Eat plenty, drink plenty, paceline if the group is into that. Don't go out too hard and blow up. Don't underestimate the need to eat even in you aren't hungry

This is a good thread http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...rition-secrets

Long rides are good because they really point out where your bike's fit needs adjustment

I've never done one fixed, but I try to do one a month on my ss. Energy bars, lots of water, some peanuts, and make sure to pace yourself. Night before, high carb meal and lots of rest. Good luck dude.

there will be a lot of pedaling.

One important point not mentioned above: don't forget to stretch pre - ride.

EDIT for reverence: I imply stretch with warm up included.

Yet, everytime I am out its like halfway into the ride before I remember to stretch... Trying to get my fiancee to make me a pictograph of my routine :-D

it wasnt mentioned for a reason. Depending on who you talk to, cold-stretching is usually frowned upon.

better to warm up during the ride and stretch during a short break. One nice thing about freewheeling is that you can stretch while on the bike.

I dont know if it needs to be clarified or not, but eat plenty of carbs. I often see noobs eating stuff like beef jerky on rides thinking that is what they need.

Cold stretching makes me achy. I prefer the freewheel stretch and the pit stop stretch. If you do yoga, running a few poses while at a rest stop is great.

Augh my bads.. I thought you guys would've interpreted warming up on the bike at a slower pace first & then stretching as one..... oh well that's what I get for being brief from posting with my iphone....

chamois are a good idea if you don't already have them, i've never used the gel kind but i've heard they feel even more like you **** yourself, if that bothers you

and chamois cream!! i always through it was messy and did not want to use it, but after a 1500 mile tour I am damn happy I used the cream.

oh dont be afraid to eat Fooood!

Keep a consistant pace. Don't push too hard in the beginning

eat and drink alot.. more then u think.
bananas are your friend

+1,000,000

Post ride:
Drink milk! One of the best recovery drinks out there.
Recover carbohydrates; bread, oatmeal, cereal, pasta, rice, quinoa, etc. are good sources.
Protein for muscle recovery; good and healthy ways besides shakes are olives, olive oil, peanut butter, nuts, etc.

and oranges

i hate a bad orange..

everything tastes better on a century

I've done a few. Well, some a little shorter.. the ride from my house to my friends beach house is about 85 miles. During the summer its pretty regular to ride there and hangout at the beach for a few days and ride back. Head wind the whole way there sucks, we almost never get over 15 mph unless we really push and thats stupid.. but its really nice coming home! lol

Few things I do/recommend.. maybe good for me, not for you.. "ride your own ride:"

• Leave earlier than you estimate you'll need to. So opt for the earliest time slot if possible.
• Night before: pasta, grilled chicken, olive oil.. good easy on the stomach meal to carb up.
• Lots of water, or at least options to stop for water. Drink before you're thirsty. Nuun additives are great and a little bubbly so it helps if my stomach gets a little rocky from too much gel or a bar.
• Light on the stomach: PBJ, Bananas, Frosted Cheerios (sugar), stuff like that. I like to cut up a pbj into bite sized sections and eat it out of a ziploc.
• "Pre-packaged" option: bars, gels, chews. I find after a lot of gel I get pain in the stomach and the gel makes me thirsty.. chews/shot blocks are great though. Powerbar cola flavor is amazing.
• Speaking of which: Bring a soda or have the option to stop at a convenience store is good. Drink some Pedialyte if you get really bad.
• Don't make it bigger than it needs to be. Even if you have to take your time and ride slow you will finish it.
• Don't stop for longer than you feel you have to. You will cramp up worse that way.

The most I ever rode before my first big ride was 30 miles. I cramped up at about 80 miles in. Luckily my buddies house was only a few more miles... and his girlfriend has her truck coming behind us. Damn right I bailed, there was cold beer at the house. lol

Eat, eat, eat, drink, drink, drink, drink.

If you feel hungry or thirsty, it's too late. Eat before you're hungry and drink before you're thirsty.

I usually try to keep myself on a schedule, I eat/drink constantly when doing that kind of distance.

Good luck! You'll see it's not as bad as you think!

I ride a couple DIY centuries a year, although not on my fixed gear. However, a friend always joins us for our Chicago to Milwaukee century and he rides it fixed.

Eat: Clif bars, Mojo bars, Stinger Waffles, trail mix, bananas, Jelly Belly sports beans for electrolytes. Personally, I HATE gels and refuse to eat them. The chews are ok but that gel stuff is nasty. I do sometimes get something like beef jerky just because you get SO SICK of everything being sweet and carby. Or you can stop for a cheeseburger for lunch. :)

Drink: Water and watered-down Gatorade. You can buy single-serve packets of Gatorade power that make it easy to mix up Gatorade throughout the day. Those nuun tablets are ok too. I have two bottle cages and one bottle is always plain water and one is always half-strength Gatorade/nuun. If this is not a charity ride where they are giving you water, a good idea is to stop at gas stations/convenience stores and split a gallon jug of water with your friends. Much cheaper than each buying individual bottles.

Wear: Shorts with chamois, for sure. Chamois cream is a good idea. Jersey so you can have easy access to sunglasses, chapstick, sunscreen, one of your foods, a handkerchief... October in MO, maybe you'll want arm warmers or a long sleeve shirt.

Ride: Steady pace, don't start out pushing it. Take frequent breaks if the group does.

Bring: Tools and tubes if there are no SAG cars arranged.

It might be a good idea to try to get one or two 65-70 mile rides in before your century. If nothing else, make sure your bike fits as well as possible. Fit issues really make themselves known on a century.

Good luck! You'll see - it's really fun and not all that hard.

this.

and don't be ashamed of sucking a wheel when you need a break!

Keep pedalling.

Drink beer.

Water too.

Beef jerkey and/or gas station hotdogs.

When did we become the roadie forum?

Check the route on Mapmyride.com for elevation changes. Make sure you use a gear ratio that will allow you to handle the steepest hill. Build up your endurance by riding longer rides; 60 miles, 75 miles etc prior to the event. I've done 2 centuries on a geared bike, and would like to try one fixed, but it would have to be less hilly than what I usually ride geared here in KY.

I've ridden a few centuries on my fixed gear, as well as multiple double centuries and a 1200k on my road bike. First and foremost, you need to do address nutrition and hydration for any ride longer then 60 miles. Velocio's advice to eat before you are hungry and drink before you are thirsty hold true. Adding a fixed gear to the mix introduces a new dimension to the ride. Because you cannot coast, especially on downhills, metabolically a fixed century is more like 130 miles. The second challenge is hills. Going up is hard, going down is harder. Mke sure that your brakes a working well. Setting a drag break on downhills will save your legs. Third challenge is chaffing. Bag balm and chamois creme is your friend, and be sure to bring some extra in your seat pack. And above all, keep a positive attitude and you will do great.

I just did my first century last saturday with a pal. I had a wrench on me to flip to my freewheel if I got beat, but ended up staying fixed the whole time. We rode like 4 miles then stopped to stretch. Otherwise we had plenty of water and an apple on the bike before stopping at about the 50 mile mark for lunch/to rest by a river. We were exhausted after, but it was super fun.

So not to underestimate the importance of food and such, but I don't think you need to stress about gels and all this other dietary advice. I don't think I'm in great shape, but I do ride at least 15 miles everyday (work and back), most often more for funzies/fitness.

Oh, definitely don't do a martini after =). I rested a bit after the ride then went to a gallery opening. We went for drinks after and one martini hit me like whoa. I was ready to take on world =).

This. ^^^

Just did a metric century yesterday and ended up doing switchbacks on a 10% grade for about .25 mi. Not too bad as it was rural and only a couple of cars went by. Make sure you take dog protection as one can't freewheel, unclip and kick at the little(or big :eek:) harrasser on a fg. If you've got one wear a 'road jersey' and keep water bottles and Clif bars in the extra pockets.

+1 on all the other suggestions re food and hydration. It topped out @ 99F on my ride yesterday. Very little shade, so I stopped a couple of times that I wouldn't have normally. Killed 2 glasses of self-mixed Gatorade w/ice when I got home.

Oh yeah, have fun!

While we're on the topic, any Chicago area folks doing the North Shore Century on the 18th?