Beginner - 100km, how long ?

VTech

Ive been using the turbo to gain fitness and have recently been on the road with rides upto nearly 40km but am only managing 20kph and really feel done at 30-35km mark. My question is; would there an average time span that it would be considered feasible for an overweight 40 year old to get upto a 100km ride ?
I know its not a simple question and not an easy thing to answer but others here must of done similar ?

danlikesbikes

Depends as you could look at your training to get fit for the 100Kms distance or train to get your speed up or do both.

As for getting you to 100Kms shouldn't take you that long as you already have a good enough base to do 40kms. Say if you did 3 rides a week and added on roughly 3.3 kms a ride that would get you to an average of 10kms (rounded up) a week so you would on course to do it in 6 weeks.

As long as your sensible in the amount that you add on each time you'll be fine.

supermurph09

WARNING TOUGH LOVE COMING UP

From everything I read on your posts I honestly don't see the physical side being an issue. If a close family member needed urgent medical support and the nearest phone was 100km away, ask yourself. Could I make it to that phone on my bike? OF COURSE YOU COULD! My advice would be to get upto 70km and then just go for it, if you have to stop a few times so be it, but do the distance. I think mentally you just need to believe a bit more. The "I'm overweight, I can't do this or that" smacks of mentally you not being that tough. Just tell yourself you can do it, get on the bike and go. You'll be surprised what you can achieve.

marylogic

"Only 20kph" is quicker than I do for longer runs and I'm off to do a 200km next sunday. Ability to go fast is not the same as abilty to go long
The only thing that's likely to stop you doing 100k is trying to maintain too high a pace. If you take your time and pay attention to fueling you'll manage no problem.Trying to go faster for your shorter rides will, however, improve your ability to ride for longer at slower pace.

VTech

Mentally im incredibly tough, its everything from the neck down im having an issue with

supermurph09

VTech wrote:

Mentally im incredibly tough, its everything from the neck down im having an issue with

not mentally strong enough to avoid crisps and chocolate though! Get the Mrs to drop you 100km from home, take your time but just get home. You can do it mate.

VTech

Supermurph09 wrote:

VTech wrote:

Mentally im incredibly tough, its everything from the neck down im having an issue with

not mentally strong enough to avoid crisps and chocolate though! Get the Mrs to drop you 100km from home, take your time but just get home. You can do it mate.

You been peeping through my window ?
I know diet is a huge part, I really am trying to cut down, smaller portions, no crisps, no bread, no sweets and less chocolate.
I need to look at how best to feed myself on the bike though, I was out for over 2 hours today but stopped for a coffee break at a great country pub. I need to read up on what to drink (energy supplements?) and what food to take with me.

itboffin

Dont worry about the speed just the distance the speed can/will come later, oh and drop the KM this is Great Britain we do Miles.

tsk!

supermurph09

I personally believe stopping for any more than 3-4 minutes wont don't you much good. As for feeding on long rides, I eat an energy bar roughly every hour, I also set off with a handful of jelly sweets that I have at various intervals. Plenty of liquids also which I tend to sip rather than guzzle. You'll find what works for you, it's all trial and error. I'd rather return home with food in my pockets than run out. Been there, it hurts.

sungod

depends how you're riding/training, developing endurance of a turbo would be miserable, imho you need to do it on the road

do a mix of training during the week, intervals on the turbo or road, easy rides/rest, a long ride where you aim to increase distance 5-10% each week

if you can identify a decent loop, say 5-10k, you can just do laps, not the most exciting but if you do decide to call it a day there's not a long drag home

at some point you'll need to consider food on the road, going slow it's not an issue, but working hard burns more energy, on long rides i plan on topping up after the first hour (but i struggle with big pre-ride meals, i'm not a morning eater)

there's an energy caculator here...

http://www.bicycling.com/caloriemain

...i just checked it vs. my srm figures for a couple of rides, for riding on the flat it seems to give a reasonable estimate

good plain chocolate is the food of the gods, as indeed are crisps

but for riding you want carbs and a smidge of protein, beans on toast at a cafe stop is fine, of take sandwiches, rolls, whatever, it's really a matter of taste, avoid fatty or hard to digest foods, some people like bananas, can't stand them myself, you can use energy drink, but most end up tasting like cack, it's not the optimum in terms of speed to absorb but i'd rather get a lovely cold can of coke if i need a sugar hit

davep1

Just take your time, don't worry about the speed. If you have a HRM or other device, try to keep yourself at 60-70% max .
Get off the bike every 2 hours for 10 mins or so, eat a little and often, drink something every 20 mins or so.

lc1981

itboffin wrote:

Dont worry about the speed just the distance the speed can/will come later, oh and drop the KM this is Great Britain we do Miles.

tsk!

This is a sport. It should be measured in metric!

itboffin

lc1981 wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Dont worry about the speed just the distance the speed can/will come later, oh and drop the KM this is Great Britain we do Miles.

tsk!

This is a sport. It should be measured in metric!

Wash your mouth out :evil:

johngti

VTech wrote:

Ive been using the turbo to gain fitness and have recently been on the road with rides upto nearly 40km but am only managing 20kph and really feel done at 30-35km mark. My question is; would there an average time span that it would be considered feasible for an overweight 40 year old to get upto a 100km ride ?
I know its not a simple question and not an easy thing to answer but others here must have done similar ?

I've been cycling since August, signed up for a long ish event and blogged about it. You're not the only one worrying about this stuff!

Here if you're interested... http://sportivevirgin.blogspot.co.uk/

gubber12345

VTech wrote:

Mentally im incredibly tough, its everything from the neck down im having an issue with

that made me giggle vtech i have to say

as for the 100kms keep with the training as the others have said and increase your mileage a bit all the time and you'l get there.thats what i basically did....aint got to 100 kms yet but its not far away now.

100kms is my next goal as i hit my first 50 miler today and prob could have got the 100 kms if it weren't for the bloody wind and i'm no great athlete....so keep at it mate you'l definitely get there.

lc1981

itboffin wrote:

lc1981 wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Dont worry about the speed just the distance the speed can/will come later, oh and drop the KM this is Great Britain we do Miles.

tsk!

This is a sport. It should be measured in metric!

Wash your mouth out :evil:

Since you quote The Rules in your signature, perhaps you should consult Rule #24.

VTech

johngti wrote:

VTech wrote:

Ive been using the turbo to gain fitness and have recently been on the road with rides upto nearly 40km but am only managing 20kph and really feel done at 30-35km mark. My question is; would there an average time span that it would be considered feasible for an overweight 40 year old to get upto a 100km ride ?
I know its not a simple question and not an easy thing to answer but others here must have done similar ?

I've been cycling since August, signed up for a long ish event and blogged about it. You're not the only one worrying about this stuff!

Here if you're interested... http://sportivevirgin.blogspot.co.uk/

Ill be taking a read of that later, thanks.

As for km, I use it daily for work, im not so sure why we still use miles in the UK really.

Grill

You could do 100k tomorrow if you buckled down and just got it done. Distance is a state of mind, nothing more.

napoleond

Grill wrote:

You could do 100k tomorrow if you buckled down and just got it done. Distance is a state of mind, nothing more.

This.

My longest ride ever before last may had been about 70 miles. I was pretty unfit as I was recovering from broken back/ collar bone.

One day I just though 'f**k it' Im going to break 100 and rode 118. It was SOOO HARD but I did it. Just took my time, it took 6.5hrs total.

Edit: sorry - 112km, 189km

Mikey41

VTech wrote:

I need to look at how best to feed myself on the bike though, I was out for over 2 hours today but stopped for a coffee break at a great country pub. I need to read up on what to drink (energy supplements?) and what food to take with me.

Personally (and this is very common) I don't take food if I'm only out for 2 hours. Food and drink need not be complicated either.

Fill your bottles with 25% fresh orange juice, then top up with water and add a pinch of salt. There, easy home-made isotonic. Whip up some flapjack or fruit cake, quick and cheap. If you're going to be riding beyond 2 hours, have a bit of cake/flapjack/banana every hour to help keep you going.

Grill is right about distance. It's simply a case of deciding you are going to do it. If you think "I can't do that", then you are defeated before you've even got out the door.

I signed up for a 50 mile Sportive at very short notice. I had only been riding half that distance previously, but I figured that it would be a challenge, but achieveable. I aimed to simply complete the course, speed was irrelevant. I did it. I needed quite a few stops and the last 5 miles I didn't have much left, but I made it. I even enjoyed the days suffering and in about 3 weeks time I'm up for a 60 miler, then a 90 mile a month later.

Ride as regularly as you can, push the distances up and you'd be able to tackle 60 miles in no more than 2 - 3 months I'd say.

Grill

You should check out http://www.aukweb.net as there are loads of 100k audaxes on the calendar. You'll find loads of people to ride with and they won't be beasting it.

declan1

Grill wrote:

You should check out http://www.aukweb.net as there are loads of 100k audaxes on the calendar. You'll find loads of people to ride with and they won't be beasting it.

Just noticed the one starting from Newton Abbot - I used to live there!

muzzan

Not to be too harsh, but is there any chance (looking at your post count) that you spend more time on here talking about cycling than actually cycling?

My experience is that if you are consistent in your riding & gradually increase your time on the bike/intensity then you will inevitably improve & the distances/times from a few weeks ago will become specks in your rear view mirror.

marylogic

Grill wrote:

You should check out http://www.aukweb.net as there are loads of 100k audaxes on the calendar. You'll find loads of people to ride with and they won't be beasting it.

+1

The speeds you need to go at are very generous (15kph) so there is plenty of time to have a cafe stop if you need one.

VTech

That could be the case but due to work I am sat in front of a PC around 12 hours a day on and off and also spend a lot of time traveling so again, normally in front of a PC as I travel. This is the reason I needed to cycle in the first place as I have put on a few kilo over the years.
The post count may be high but it lags behind my willpower so I'm cool with that.

AllanES

I'm a similar beginner looking to up the distance I ride. I did 95km today - could've done the 100 but figured I'd save that goal for another day :-)

My question/comment relates to the food & drink during the ride. How do folks carry so much??? My 100km takes 3.5-4hrs so I need plenty. I could carry two bottles on the frame but I carry a pump on one set of fixings. Where do I carry the pump if I carry 2 bottles? And food - I squeeze as much as I can into a small saddle bag. How do people carry more?

Grill

Fueling is very personal. I did 93 miles yesterday in 4 hours 50 minutes and only had a banana, 3 dates, and a bottle of water, but then again I prefer to train fasted.
Realistically you don't need as much as you think as you can only replenish so much glycogen. As long as you've eaten properly the night before and pre-ride you'll be fine for at least the first couple hours. After that look to replenish 60-70g of carbs an hour. This is easily achieved with a bar (usually 40+) and drink. I find dates to be the best and most cost effective source of fuel, but even a jam sandwich on white bread will do the job. Stay away from fatty foods such as chocolate bars.
As far as your pump is concerned- back pocket. In fact for 4-5 hours everything should fit there.

Anonymous

I would not waste a set of fixing points on a pump! You can put pump bracket under bottle cage so one set will do both. If not put pump somewhere else.
A small pump is an easy thing to tuck into a jersey pocket.
How about 2 Co2 Cartridges in saddle bag and no pump?

I have a very small saddle bag but still get tube, 2 Co2, levers, patches, I.D. Card, credit card, multi tool, chain link, rubber gloves, wet wipe and cash in it. Jersey has 2nd tube, phone, rain cape (if needed) which could leave 2 pockets for food.
Realistically you should not need more food than would fit into one pocket so I would just spread it all out comfortably between the 3.

Make sure you eat properly the night before and in the morning.
If its a big/important ride on a hot day drink plenty of water 3 days prior or else you will need more fluid on the day meaning stops for drink and wee wee.

declan1

muzzan wrote:

Not to be too harsh, but is there any chance (looking at your post count) that you spend more time on here talking about cycling than actually cycling?

Isn't that what everybody does? :?

Anonymous

VTech. It seems as though you have been on here for ages.
You are just not riding the bike enough. Go out with a club once a week and start doing things properly.

Go in the slow group and work your way up to the next when its a flat ride.

When you can do 35-40 miles (fairly) comfortably, enter a 60 mile charity ride or sportive.

I would start using miles too. Talking in km just makes it sound tougher.
When you have done 60 miles then you can call it 100k ;-)

bernithebiker

I think some here are underestimating the time and effort it can take to get yourself into shape if you've spent many years doing little or nothing and eating badly.

I've seen some people in very poor condition struggle to do even 5km.

So stick at it, it ain't gonna happen overnight, but stay positive - it will happen, it just takes a bit of time.

Keep chipping away.