Signed up to my first 100! eeekk!!

davidefernandes

Just signed up to my first effort at 100 miles, just wondering if any advice from people who have done same.

I have done a few decent distance rides, my latest http://app.strava.com/activities/68287235 , but this is still someway short of the 100 miles. Is it like a marathon runner who never runs the 26.2 mile distance whilst training for it? should I look to get up to 85-90 in a ride as prep for the 100?

How long do people stop for? for my 60 I stopped for about 10 mins, had some food and then carried on? would it be the same but maybe stopping twice?

I know what works for one won't 100% work for everyone but just trying to get an opinion off people and see what people do to get through!

danowat

Stop? :?

davidefernandes

danowat wrote:

Stop? :?

you cycle 100 miles with no breaks? Fair play if so mate.

supermurph09

If its a Sportive there will be food stops, probably 3 maybe 4 on the route. Fill your bottle, grab a snack and get going. Stopping will lengthen the whole time and make it harder. If you're doing 60 already, you'll be able to do it, just watch your pacing and don't as I did make the mistake of riding with someone doing a shorter route!!! I was doing about 18mph average (quick for me at the time) for about 25 miles, he turned off at 35 miles with 5 miles left, I had another 60 to do!!

danowat

davidefernandes wrote:

danowat wrote:

Stop? :?

you cycle 100 miles with no breaks? Fair play if so mate.

It's not really anything super human

davidefernandes

Supermurph09 wrote:

If its a Sportive there will be food stops, probably 3 maybe 4 on the route. Fill your bottle, grab a snack and get going. Stopping will lengthen the whole time and make it harder. If you're doing 60 already, you'll be able to do it, just watch your pacing and don't as I did make the mistake of riding with someone doing a shorter route!!! I was doing about 18mph average (quick for me at the time) for about 25 miles, he turned off at 35 miles with 5 miles left, I had another 60 to do!!

haha thats sounds a bit of a nightmare! pace is my problem too I think, I need to slow down on my rides but never seem to remember, or i'm always trying to beat a certain time and think i'm lagging behind until I finish!

Kieran_Burns

I made the mistake of waiting for some mates at 3 feedstops (they started behind me) and I suffered for the breaks. If you can do 60 miles you can do 100. the biggest barrier is mental, not physical.

Just pace yourself, eat and drink properly and you'll be fine. Oh, and don't do my perennial mistake of not eating for the last few miles. I always damn near crash right at the very end, so make sure you keep the eating routine up right to the end.

apreading

I am the opposite, like to have a bit of a break at the stops, stretch and feed and chill out - within reason though. If I can have a pint at the stop, this helps too!

Was slogging away with diminishing energy over the ups and downs east of winchester near the end of a charity ride, until I stopped with a mate for a pint of cider in the sun. Zipped through the last 10 miles after that - and repassed everyone who struggled past us while we were sat in the beer garden, feeling far more refreshed than they were!

chuckla

I did my first 100 miles in May (it was actually 108) from Cardiff to Tenby, first stop was 30 miles in, food took an age to get as the organising wasn't as good s it could have been, send stop was about 65 miles in, third stop was about 85, this was after 4 cat 4 climbs in a row! The whole distance was into a 25 mph headwind which made it a real hard slog and took me about 11 hours! 4 hours longer than I planned for!

The mental barrier came in for me at 70 miles in, it started hail stoning, thought I was going to start crying at that point, I was that cold and faced another 2 climbs before the end of the distance!

Persevered though and completed the distance! Taught me a lesson though! I didn't train hard enough for it and underestimated the distance, couple that with a hefty headwind and it takes the energy right out of you!

I have been riding 3 times a week since and I'm lighter (still around 19st mind!) faster and stronger, so, train hard and make sure you have enough nutrition and fluid along the way, and when you hit the mental barrier, get your head down and use through it! I'm glad I did the distance and will enter again next year and smash the ass out of it! Aiming for 6 hours next yeaR if I can!

Camcycle1974

davidefernandes wrote:

Just signed up to my first effort at 100 miles, just wondering if any advice from people who have done same.

I have done a few decent distance rides, my latest http://app.strava.com/activities/68287235 , but this is still someway short of the 100 miles. Is it like a marathon runner who never runs the 26.2 mile distance whilst training for it? should I look to get up to 85-90 in a ride as prep for the 100?

How long do people stop for? for my 60 I stopped for about 10 mins, had some food and then carried on? would it be the same but maybe stopping twice?

I know what works for one won't 100% work for everyone but just trying to get an opinion off people and see what people do to get through!

One stop about 1/2 way and remember to eat/drink on the way round. Done two hundreds now and its no biggie really. Furthest I had done prior to the first one was 73 miles. Pace yourself and don't go off too quick with the fast grouips at the start. You will most likely catch a lot of them up later.

roger_merriman

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I made the mistake of waiting for some mates at 3 feedstops (they started behind me) and I suffered for the breaks. If you can do 60 miles you can do 100. the biggest barrier is mental, not physical.

Just pace yourself, eat and drink properly and you'll be fine. Oh, and don't do my perennial mistake of not eating for the last few miles. I always damn near crash right at the very end, so make sure you keep the eating routine up right to the end.

certinaly make sure you keep eating and drinking, I went from 50 miles to 120 miles, though since this was a charity ride with folks at least half any way, pace was slow.

davidefernandes

Brilliant everyone, thanks for all the tips and help! will let you know how I get on.

lakesluddite

I think it's horses for courses David, I certainly would be stopping at least twice along the way on a ride of this distance, even if it's just for the portaloos! I do find a five-ten minute stretch and walk around beneficial, but no more than that as there's the chance that your body will think the effort is finished, which apparently is not good.

It's also good to cram some food down without having to do it on the bike, top up your bottles and perhaps stuff even more food into your jersey pockets.

I'm looking at doing another century ride later in the summer, and I'll probably be getting up to 70-80 mile weekend runs in the weeks leading up to it.

P34RC3

What do people eat when your doing these sort of miles? Iv done 2 50mile rides and bin talking to my mate at going for a 100mile. 50mile took us 4hrs 30m and we stopped twice for powerade and mars bars lol.

Wirral_paul

P34RC3 wrote:

What do people eat when your doing these sort of miles? Iv done 2 50mile rides and bin talking to my mate at going for a 100mile. 50mile took us 4hrs 30m and we stopped twice for powerade and mars bars lol.

Beans and scrambled egg on toast works wonders for me!!
Seriously though - i was out on Sunday after a tough 75 mile hilly ride on Saturday and felt pretty drained after only 50 miles as i didnt eat any carbs on Saturday evening. Beans / scrambled egg on toast during the club cafe stop after 55 miles refueled me though - and i went 9th on a flat 1 mile Strava segment after 115 miles without actually knowing there was a segment there..... so i think it shows how important eating can be on a long ride.

So most important is preparation - day before have a proper meal with plenty of carbs to fuel you up, and then a good breakfast before the ride (ie museli etc). Also make sure you are properly hydrated before the ride.

Mars Bars are frankly no good for distance rides - a sudden sugar rush and then nothing after it wears off (quickly) so slow release energy is what you want. There's loads of options - depends on what is included on the ride should influence what you take. I always carry an energy bar and a gel or two, but generally bring them home. Proper food works better (especially beans on toast ) but otherwise, museli bars, fig rolls, malt loaf etc etc. Make sure you stay hydrated whatever you do - dehydration will slow you down faster than anything else.

Good luck with the ride anyway mate

P34RC3

LOL ill stay off the mars bars then. I like fig rolls tho. I do like u rather like scrambled egg and beans on toast lol! Thanks for the advice

backo

sportives are easier than riding on your own...if you can get round a 80 mile course on your own you should get round a 100 mile sportive without any problems.

In sportives you always have chunks of the route where you are in a group getting a tow

dannyharris

backo wrote:

sportives are easier than riding on your own...if you can get round a 80 mile course on your own you should get round a 100 mile sportive without any problems.

In sportives you always have chunks of the route where you are in a group getting a tow

+1 for this.

I have done two century rides solo. Hardest thing ever mentally as mentioned above.
My biggest 125 mile with a friend felt so much easier. That little tow when it's needed and someone to chat with.

Been on my first group ride of 12 riders. Hit 66 mile with loads still left in me. Almost felt like a 20 mile run.

Fuel yourself well a few days ahead of the ride. You will be fine.

davidefernandes

thanks again everyone, it seems that people are saying that actual food is better than the gels? for my 60 I had 5 gels and some dextrose tablets but only ate a flapjack when I stopped. I had a decent bowl of pasta about 2 hours before I set of tho.

Is food whilst cycling better than the gels then?

apreading

Food often has slower release energy, which can be good to combine with the fast energy from gels. I guess if you have enough gels, often enough then your body will get the energy it needs from them, negating the need for real food. However, real food also has a phsycological benefit that should not be underestimated - a flapjack, slice of cake, bacon sarnie etc might not be as good for you scientifically but it always gives me a mental boost, and tastes soooo goood. If you spent all day without any form of solids, your stomach might (or might not) feel a bit strange too.

Malt loaf and bananas are great if you want to stick to something more efficient than a bacon sarnie though!

zardoz

davidefernandes wrote:

Is food whilst cycling better than the gels then?

Horses for courses, some people find the gels hard on the stomach if they eat too many, plain food is probably better and way cheaper than gels. So Flapjacks, bananas, Soreen Malt loaf are all excellent energy foods and cost about the same as a single gel and will last more than one ride. I always take a couple of gels on longer rides in case I need a quick energy boost.

I do find eating real foods on the go difficult if I'm riding harder so I may resort to gels or energy drinks if I'm doing Sportives for example and don't want to spend too long at the stops. I'll usually have a bag of Jelly Babies as well which are better than Mars Bars or Dextrose tablets.

I find I eat less on rides now than when I first returned to cycling because I was mistaking lack of fitness with the need for re-fueling a common mistake I suspect.