Think have just decided when I will aim for my first ton!!

ianbar

I have a week of in October and I think the start of this week may well be the time I try for a ton! I had set this year tht I wanted to compete one this summer. I did 60 just over a week ago and doing 70 in a sportive next week, think I need to start planning a route!

daveski12

I'm doing my first 100k in a few weeks.

Might try and follow that up with a 100 miler before the winter.

StillGoing

If you can do 60 mile you can do 100 mile provided the terrain isn't any more severe.

wishitwasallflat

philthy3 wrote:

If you can do 60 mile you can do 100 mile provided the terrain isn't any more severe.

May I ask what you base this on cause I have done 50 miles a couple of times (for the first time) in the last couple of weeks and have felt that, yes if I pushed it I could do another 10 or so but not another 40 after that? I feel that to do 100 I would need to build up slowly - say 10 miles extra each week or so (at a minimum).

I thought the rule of thumb on this was no more than 10% increase at a time to minimise risk of injury through over training.

slowbike

Before I did an 85miler the furthest I'd ridden was 57miles - so it is possible to go for a 1 off jump.
It is a case of fuelling and pacing correctly though - I was shot after 85 miles - no way I could've carried on to the ton ...

wishitwasallflat

Slowbike wrote:

Before I did an 85miler the furthest I'd ridden was 57miles - so it is possible to go for a 1 off jump.
It is a case of fuelling and pacing correctly though - I was shot after 85 miles - no way I could've carried on to the ton ...

I don't doubt someone could make that sort of jump in distance if they drove themselves (or had to) - I reckon I could if I had to - I suppose my question was more about the wisdom of doing it rather than if it was physically and psychologically possible (should have been clearer in my post!).

napoleond

My furthest ride was a 70 miler (just not had the time or inclination to go further) but earlier this year I thought fvck it, and did 118.
If you can do 60, you can indeed do 100, you just need the right mental mindset, route and food/water.

Grill

I did 75 miles on my third ever ride with my previous longest being 32 miles. Just pace yourself.

Twelly

My longest is 107 miles. Before that my longest was 47 miles. I found the 107 miles easier (note: 'easier' not 'easy') because I was with slower riders and going at an easier pace. Yes I was tired and worn out but my body didn't just implode at the exact point I finished the route, I could have carried on.

If you keep hydrated and fed, there is no reason why anyone can't do long distance cycling. It's the speed people do it at which differs depending on fitness.

mhuk

There are some useful articles on training, food, recovery etc. here: http://www.ultracycling.com/sections/articles/

desweller

wishitwasallflat wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

If you can do 60 mile you can do 100 mile provided the terrain isn't any more severe.

May I ask what you base this on cause I have done 50 miles a couple of times (for the first time) in the last couple of weeks and have felt that, yes if I pushed it I could do another 10 or so but not another 40 after that? I feel that to do 100 I would need to build up slowly - say 10 miles extra each week or so (at a minimum).

I thought the rule of thumb on this was no more than 10% increase at a time to minimise risk of injury through over training.

It's pretty hard to injure yourself on a bike due to overtraining. Generally as you get more tired you just get slower (unless you count 'being so tired you pull out in front of a car' as an overtraining injury).

cougie

When I was 16 I was training for a 140 mile ride. I'd do 80 milers alone - so no benefit from sitting on the wheels and that was enough for me.

Come the day of the big ride I just made sure to keep eating and not go out too fast. I was fine. But my bum was a bit sore. Thinking about it - that's still my longest ride and its almost 30 years ago ! I've been slacking.

daveski12

daveski12 wrote:

I'm doing my first 100k in a few weeks.

Might try and follow that up with a 100 miler before the winter.

Ha, been thinking this ride is 100k for ages but the gf has just pointed it out its 100 miles...whoops.

ianbar

well when i did 60 at the weekend i was tired obviously but if i had too i could have kept going and also if i had to i would just have to go slow but could have kept going. the sportive week on sunday will push me towards 70 and i may do 80 in september before going for it, its just finding the time! i certainly am not the fastest over a short distance never mind all that way lol

B.M.R.

Did my first 100k last month (London to Cambridge Charity Ride) and finished it with such a buzz that I immediately signed up for a 100miler at the start of September in Essex. When you do an organised ride I was told to utilise drafting (safely and not too close with strangers!), and it does make things a lot more tolerable. Plus the excitement on the day carries you onwards.

I take heart with people telling me if I can do 60 I can do 100 - particularly as the 100 has a buffet stop halfway round! It'll make a change from the energy gels (Too many and I turn into Johnny Fartpants anyway).

Secteur

I'm in the process of upping my mileage... have now (in the last 6 weeks) done 4 or 5 50 milers, and now have done 3 60 milers (65 miles today), but I find that at the present time, 65 miles seems to be my absolute limit. I couldnt imagine going more than this. It's very hilly where I live (well, 65 miles = 1800 metres climbing) and I think that on the flat I could do 100 miles, but I certainly couldnt go more than 65 miles locally and I train pretty smartly. I should point out that I dont stop when I ride, other than for traffic lights - maybe if I had a half hour break, I could go further?

I hope that by the end of the year, I will be able to manage 100 miles, but I think to jump from 60 to 100 miles (as a one off) you'd have to ride differently (slower / in a group / stop for food / do a flatter route etc)

StillGoing

wishitwasallflat wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

If you can do 60 mile you can do 100 mile provided the terrain isn't any more severe.

May I ask what you base this on cause I have done 50 miles a couple of times (for the first time) in the last couple of weeks and have felt that, yes if I pushed it I could do another 10 or so but not another 40 after that? I feel that to do 100 I would need to build up slowly - say 10 miles extra each week or so (at a minimum).

I thought the rule of thumb on this was no more than 10% increase at a time to minimise risk of injury through over training.

Certainly. My own experience. I'd done plenty of 40 and 50 mile rides and the odd 60 and just thought what is holding me back from doing big distances. I ride once a week if I'm lucky and often go a couple of weeks without riding so it isn't as if I was doing good total mileages during a week of cycling to boost any training. How do you feel after a 60 mile ride? I felt knackered but I'd been going as hard as I could mostly in zones 4 and 5 and didn't feel like I could pedal another turn at the finish. On an endurance ride you slow your pace down into zones 2 and 3. Pace yourself, drink plenty of fluids and eat correctly and you can do the distance. As Napoleon D says, most of your obstacles are in the mind. You may not break 5 or 6 hours or even 7, just aim to finish. Pick a route that isn't too arduous and ideally doesn't have any big lumps at the end and you'll be fine as long as your backside can take it.

Just to add, my first one was aged 50, just me and one other so no slip streaming as such and we didn't stop once. Yes it was tiring and we ached (both using race bikes rather than sportive or audax set ups) in the shoulders as well as in the backside, but it was all more or less gone the next morning.

rc856

It can be done. I was used to club runs of 70 odd miles but then was persuaded to sign up for a 200km/125m audax.
Was pretty nervous but with 2 or 3 stops, it was fine. Pretty hilly as well.

That was in preparation for a 200km sportive in Italy with 3800m of climbing and it was hard but doable.

Stop to fuel up. Carry enough food/water and get stuck in!

desweller

The biggest problem with tackling your first century is knowing what to expect. Moderate your pace, make sure you have some food and water and you should have no difficulties.

Bozman

It's not much different to 60 but I enjoy the 60/70 distance, 100 is 5 - 6 hrs and it can drag.

wishitwasallflat

Interesting thread and interesting replies -

One of my main aims from my cycling is to lose weight and so I never eat on rides. Maybe if I ate it wouldn't seem so much to go from my current tops of 51 miles to 100. That said I am pretty happy where I am and not too sure I want to do 100. I did have a big ambition to do 50 before I was 50 for the last year or so and I have managed it with six months or so to spare.

My secondary ambition is to climb Alpe D'Heuz before I die - but hopefully I have a few seasons yet to achieve that one :shock:

B.M.R.

Blimey, you get my respect for doing 51 miles without any refueling at all... I'm roughly 65kgs and religiously take in at least 65gms of carbohydrate an hour (1g per kilo) - mostly in gels and liquids though I'm trying to mx in some proper foods (fig rolls or maltloaf). I've never had a "bonk" yet, but fair play to you doing that, when I did my first 60miler there was no way I could have got through it without a load of gels and energy drinks.

ianbar

the distance is not the thing that hinders me its the time it would take, at my pace it would be just over 7 hours i would think.the good thing about my 60 at the weekend was that i headed down some road/villages in the wolds i hadn't been so far so it kept it interesting and that makes the time go faster.my other option is t do the tape pennines which is basically same day i would do my hundred.the thing that puts me off that is the climbing think its over 5500 ft which is around double what i have done before.

Wirral_paul

wishitwasallflat wrote:

Interesting thread and interesting replies -

One of my main aims from my cycling is to lose weight and so I never eat on rides.

Not a good approach and you may even be doing more harm than good if trying to lose weight - possibly tricking your body into storing fat by riding without nutrition.

Have a read of the following article - very interesting reading and something i'm going to try out (having always been a big believer in pasta before a ride)

http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/nutrition-weight-loss/big-fat-lies

the_spooks

Have been told a few times you train for a distance by completing the same amount in a week. If you can do a solo 60 then you could defo do a ton with a group..... I genuinely hope I'm right as I have 2 100 mile cycles back to back starting Sunday lol and the biggest distance I have done is 62m and a few 50m but at a higher tempo than I expect to ride at.
Good luck to the OP

wishitwasallflat

Wirral_Paul wrote:

wishitwasallflat wrote:

Interesting thread and interesting replies -

One of my main aims from my cycling is to lose weight and so I never eat on rides.

Not a good approach and you may even be doing more harm than good if trying to lose weight - possibly tricking your body into storing fat by riding without nutrition.

Have a read of the following article - very interesting reading and something i'm going to try out (having always been a big believer in pasta before a ride)

http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/nutrition-weight-loss/big-fat-lies

Thanks very much - interesting reading and I think my basic diet is not too bad but too heavy on starchy foods (old habits of loving bread!). I must be creating some small energy deficit as I have lost at least a couple of stones over the last year or so. In that article though I couldn't see anything about eating during a ride - it seemed to be about pre ride eating and general diet - am I missing something? Surely if I don't eat during a ride my body has no option but to burn my fat stores once gylcogen is depleted? If I give it carbs or energy bars etc during a ride surely if can run on those and not have to dip into the fat stores as much?

wishitwasallflat

B.M.R. wrote:

Blimey, you get my respect for doing 51 miles without any refueling at all... I'm roughly 65kgs and religiously take in at least 65gms of carbohydrate an hour (1g per kilo) - mostly in gels and liquids though I'm trying to mx in some proper foods (fig rolls or maltloaf). I've never had a "bonk" yet, but fair play to you doing that, when I did my first 60miler there was no way I could have got through it without a load of gels and energy drinks.

Thanks but bear in mind on every ride I carry about 3 or 4 stone worth of pink wrapped, wobbly, energy food under my skin so maybe that's why extra bars and gels aren't really needed

At 65kg - unless you are about 3 foot tall - I doubt you carry those energy stores with you :!:

StillGoing

I'd do a bit more reading re diet and how the metabolism works. Whilst you may not need to consume much or anything in a 50 mile ride other than fluids, you will need something on a 100. It's claimed a 100 mile cycle ride is the equivalent of a marathon but takes a while longer. I'll consume four gels, a banana and a protein bar and probably four bottles of water during a 100 mile ride, and follow up with a recovery drink at the end. I'm no racing snake but I find grazing keeps my energy up and is better for weight management.

Re time; accept that a 100 is going to take the major part of a day so get up early and get going. The earlier you start the earlier you finish. In the summer you can easily do it without losing daylight even if you start around mid-day. Anyone who can manage 20mph for a 100 is going some (5 hours riding) and don't expect to be doing that kind of pace. if you average 13mph (8 ish) so be it, if its 17mph (6 ish) so be it. It's your ride and it matters not how long it takes you and I reckon the majority of us will be somewhere in between. Nobody is going to be on the sidelines judging your time. The achievement is doing it. Don't look for reasons not to do it and don't base it on seeing how you feel while out riding one day. Just name your day and go. Good luck although you won't need it.

wishitwasallflat

Just found this -

3. Timing nutrition

When you eat has a big impact on body composition, as it affects energy partitioning – how the calories are stored. “The key is to shift the balance of energy partitioning away from fat storage and toward muscle storage and immediate use,” says Fitzgerald.

Eat early, eat often and before, during and after exercise. Eating early makes you less likely to over-eat in the afternoon and means you’re more likely to eat higher quality calories. “Try to eat 25 per cent of your total daily calories within an hour of waking up,” suggests Fitzgerald. Eating often can boost metabolism and thus burn more calories. It also reduces appetite, helping to avoid over-eating at meal times. The ideal time to eat before a ride is two to four hours ahead, and you should include 100g of carbohydrate. “Fuelling a ride will enhance your performance and help you burn more fat,” says Fitzgerald. “It will also increase the number of food calories you burn and decrease the number you store.” Fuelling with carbohydrate-based energy drinks and gels during a ride will help you get leaner for the same reasons.

Eating soon after exercise also promotes leanness because it shifts energy partitioning towards muscle protein and glycogen synthesis and away from body-fat storage.

Now I am mighty confused- it seems if I ate while I was on a ride I may get thinner quicker! Bonkers but if the experts say it who am I to argue even if it seems bonkers! Must say the idea of not being starving on the last half of a longer (plus 30 mile for me) ride is very very appealing!.

macerello

wishitwasallflat wrote:

B.M.R. wrote:

Blimey, you get my respect for doing 51 miles without any refueling at all... I'm roughly 65kgs and religiously take in at least 65gms of carbohydrate an hour (1g per kilo) - mostly in gels and liquids though I'm trying to mx in some proper foods (fig rolls or maltloaf). I've never had a "bonk" yet, but fair play to you doing that, when I did my first 60miler there was no way I could have got through it without a load of gels and energy drinks.

Thanks but bear in mind on every ride I carry about 3 or 4 stone worth of pink wrapped, wobbly, energy food under my skin so maybe that's why extra bars and gels aren't really needed

At 65kg - unless you are about 3 foot tall - I doubt you carry those energy stores with you :!:

I'm no expert at all, but my understanding is that your body burns fat better when it's burning carbs, that's why a carb energy drink helps as you ride. If you run out of carb energy, your body must burn fat and muscle to carry on, but this is far less efficient than burning carbs, so it feel much harder to keep going. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this one.

My longest ride has been 91 miles in a group, the pace was manageable (15mph Average) and I kept hydrated. Try not to think about the distance too much, just enjoy the ride.

Atb

Mark

wishitwasallflat

Cheers Mark - looks like I should be eating some carbs on my rides - must say I am delighted to hear that. Many of my rides have been pretty grim from 30 miles onwards (maybe a case of not needing to keep MTFUing in this respect!)