The third 100 of a triple century

Southgate

I'm planning to do a triple century ride later this year with a couple of guys from my club, just for fun. We're all experienced riders used to doing long rides so I don't need any generic advice about training, eating, pacing etc. I did a 225 mile ride last year and although I felt physically strong throughout and even time trialed the last few miles home, mentally I found I started to lose a little bit of focus at about 200 miles.

I felt slightly hyper and found myself losing concentration from time to time, fairly minor things which didn't unduly bother me as it occurred towards the end of the ride. Obviously I was tired from the ride and the lack of sleep, but it was a kind of mental bonk, rather than a physical one.

Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, do they have any tips on how to best to manage the last 100 miles of a triple? We plan on completing the ride within 24 hours, so we're not under any time pressure and can take plenty of stops.

bahzob

Done this sort of thing.
- First off, if you are still strong physically then it won't be down to nutrition. Being experienced I assume you know all the stuff about what to eat/drink and when so won't go over it again.
- In this case not sure losing focus is such a bad thing. I quite like it when it happens so long as power is still OK and concentration isn't lost to the point of being unsafe. It just feels like being in the zone.
- But if you really don't want to feel that way what works for me is the usual technique for any sort of suffering, focus on the big goal and break it down into smaller manageable chunks. First time I ever had to do something like this was when I hit a problem on a tour and absolutely had to get somewhere by the end of the next day. I had never ridden anything like the distance before. I can still recall the last 100, I took 10 minute break, studied the map and broke it down into 20-25 mile chunks promising myself a bit of chocolate and a couple of minutes break after each provided I kept my average speed on target. Each stop refreshed me and I made my destination, actually felt pretty sharp when I got to it though pretty rough a few minutes later.

Southgate

^ Thanks, that's very helpful. Well done on completing your ride!

meanredspider

Interesting to see if there is any more detail on the attempt a year or so ago to break the tandem LEJOG record was pulled due to mental challenges rather than physical challenges. I can imagine it can become a bit dangerous if you can't focus mentally.