I'm doing 325km/200 miles in a day - Any advice would help....!

keeponridingbrotha

Hi All
Long story short I'm going to do 325km (200 miles) Solo to raise awareness for Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking in on the 11th of September.
I did 4,600km this year and my FTP is around 260-270.
I'm training 3 times a week with a longish ride on weekends 100-130km and 2 shorter rides midweek (around 40-50km). On average I do 170-220km a week.
I've got 2 weekends left before the event. Any Tips especially the week before the event itself?

The Event = Saturday 11th September
The weekend before (Sunday 5th September) I was thinking of joining a sportive of around 110 miles. Would this be beneficial? Also, how about days before the event? Should I not touch my bike at all?
I've heard that because you are doing so many miles it's a hard balance between fitness and keeping your legs fresh. The more your ride the fitter you are but if you ride less before the event you may be less fit but have more legs for such a long ride.

ANY TIPS/ADVICE would be great and highly appreciated

Thanks

mrb123

TBH rides like that are 90% in your head. You've got the fitness to do it so you just need to keep going!

I wouldn't build it up too much in your head. Just do what you normally do the week before. You're experienced enough to know not to go off too fast, keep eating and drinking, try to minimise stops but take 5 minutes if you need it.

webboo

You shouldn’t be doing another long ride the week before the big ride. Ideally you reduce the duration of your rides whilst keeping the intensity for a week or so before your ride. You are not going to have time to gain any significant endurance fitness in the time you have before the event and as long as you doing some riding at a good intensity you not going to detrain.

webboo

Have you done much riding at night. Will you you be on unlit roads. If so a couple of night rides to test your lights might be helpful.

ugo.santalucia

Don't overthink it... it will be fine. First time I did 400km, I had never done more than 200, so I was a bit apprehensive... it turned out to be easier than expected and the best cycling memories I have

elbowloh

Don't worry about how quick you're going to do it.

This is type of ride I would wear chamois cream.

Keep an eye on your food/water intake, make sure you're eating enough to keep you're energy level up and hydrate properly so you can finish the ride!

elbowloh

Oh and, in your head at least, break the ride up into chunks/places/landmarks.

As you go and you're maybe starting to struggle a bit, just think " I just need to make it to x" then when you get to x " I just need to get to y".

big.bream83SGjmJv

My advice (based on running events mind but it will be the same). Most has already been mentioned above.

1) Eat regularly, even when you think you don't need to.
2) Drink regularly, even when you think you don't need to.
3) Pace yourself, aim for "negative splits". This means the second half of the ride is quicker than the first. The idea here being that you don't set off too fast.
4) Set some checkpoints/aid stations to refill bottles, restock food, take a quick break. These can be shops along the way, say one every 80km-100km. They help break down the route into manageable chunks with a reward at the end.
5) Regarding 4), never stop for more than a few minutes. Keep those muscles moving.
6) Practise anything your not familiar with, so riding at night. Check your lights are good enough and will last long enough.
7) A lot of endurance stuff is in the head. As long as your not injured, carry on, every pedal stroke puts you closer to the end.

Best of luck, I hope you smash it.

Ncovidius

Make the route interesting. Long rides on loads of featureless grey tarmac-ed roads run the risk of mentally torturing you. The mental side of it is the hardest thing to get around, if you’re adapted to longer rides ( buns of steel ) the physical bit is far easier to cope with. Try and keep your exertion level steady, eat before you feel hungry, drink before you feel thirsty, carry basic tools to get you out of bother, if you find yourself out of range of spousal evacuation. You don’t need a LBS worth of kit. Check your bike carefully before setting off, and don’t use any kit or caboodle you haven’t already tried out / worn in. Then it’s a case of taking a deep breath, and getting on with it.

webboo

Or you could take a leaf out Ncovidius book and just ride and record a 108.33 ride 3 times.

DeVlaeminck

If I was riding 200 miles I'd definitely be stopping for at least one sit down meal.

I wouldn't rely on sports food until the last 50 - no need you are exercising at a low intensity and can stop occasionally.

I think a long ride before this very long ride would have been useful but yeah maybe too late now - you'll be ok anyway.

Not something I've ever done but maybe carry a few painkillers in case you get a few aches from upping the mileage.

mrb123

DeVlaeminck said:

If I was riding 200 miles I'd definitely be stopping for at least one sit down meal.

I wouldn't rely on sports food until the last 50 - no need you are exercising at a low intensity and can stop occasionally.

I think a long ride before this very long ride would have been useful but yeah maybe too late now - you'll be ok anyway.

Not something I've ever done but maybe carry a few painkillers in case you get a few aches from upping the mileage.

Yes, tramadol works well apparently.

elbowloh

DeVlaeminck said:

If I was riding 200 miles I'd definitely be stopping for at least one sit down meal.

I wouldn't rely on sports food until the last 50 - no need you are exercising at a low intensity and can stop occasionally.

I think a long ride before this very long ride would have been useful but yeah maybe too late now - you'll be ok anyway.

Not something I've ever done but maybe carry a few painkillers in case you get a few aches from upping the mileage.

Yeah, when I did chase the sun we stopped for lunch at a pub. Was an effort to get going again though.

Also popped a couple of Ibuprofen to ward off any swelling!

Ncovidius

elbowloh said:

DeVlaeminck said:

If I was riding 200 miles I'd definitely be stopping for at least one sit down meal.

I wouldn't rely on sports food until the last 50 - no need you are exercising at a low intensity and can stop occasionally.

I think a long ride before this very long ride would have been useful but yeah maybe too late now - you'll be ok anyway.

Not something I've ever done but maybe carry a few painkillers in case you get a few aches from upping the mileage.

Yeah, when I did chase the sun we stopped for lunch at a pub. Was an effort to get going again though.

Also popped a couple of Ibuprofen to ward off any swelling!

I try to find something like a Wetherspoons to sit down in, if I’m going much over 150 miles in one go. They are pretty much eponymous, and do lots of the sorts of grub that does the trick, but doesn’t cost much, or take long to arrive at the table. I always find it is my feet that start hurting most, no matter how decent the shoes are and cleat / pedal set up is. I carry those melt on the tongue Ibuprofen things, because they seem to work more quickly. Having to stop and massage your feet takes up time, and if you’re riding outside of the very lightest longest days, that isn’t ideal. You’re ( the O.P. ) soloing too, so it may be an idea to ensure you have a phone that works properly, and a power bank to top it up if it’s battery runs low. Unless you’re in a very remote area, signal shouldn’t be an issue, but getting into trouble, on a solo effort, and finding your phone battery has died is not a good look. I’d also get the ‘what3words’ app downloaded if possible, I wish it had been available years ago. It’s a genius idea, especially if you need assistance in a hurry.

https://what3words.com/products/what3words-app/

feelgoodlost

1. Eat and drink regularly when on the bike.

2. Break it down into chunks and don't think of the overall distance too much as it will mentally test you. Try just having your map displayed on your Garmin/Wahoo instead of the mileage.

3. In my experience (I've done two 200 mile rides and one 330 mile ride) sitting down for any longer than 30+ minutes is a bad idea. That goes for stopping for food as well. Make sure you take enough bars or snacks to keep you going when you're in more rural areas and then take advantage of garages/supermarkets etc. when going through Villages and Towns. Grab a sandwich or two and some treats and use this as something to look forward to. Also, do not underestimate the power of full fat coke as a kick up the backside and to give you a bit of energy when you're feeling lethargic/tired.

4. Don't do any high intensity rides in the week leading up to your big ride. If you do go out, just tap away and don't put your body under any additional stress. The last thing you want is to wake up on the morning of your big ride and feel heaviness in your legs. It will mentally eat away at you and it'll be all you think about once you've set off.

You'll be fine - just don't stress about the overall distance too much and the miles will tick over nicely.

airwise

Keep below your aerobic threshold throughout - even if tempted to chase.

photonic69

mrb123 said:

Yes, tramadol works well apparently.

I really would NOT do Tramadol unless you are very used to it! You’re likely to crash your bike big time! Trust me I’ve just popped two and the only place I’m going is to lie down in bed and hold on tightly until the trip passes! Wheeeeee!

feelgoodlost

photonic69 said:

mrb123 said:

Yes, tramadol works well apparently.

I really would NOT do Tramadol unless you are very used to it! You’re likely to crash your bike big time! Trust me I’ve just popped two and the only place I’m going is to lie down in bed and hold on tightly until the trip passes! Wheeeeee!

I think 'mrb' was being slightly tongue in cheek, but yeah, avoid any trippy painkillers. Ibruprofen is always worth having on you and there's no shame in taking a couple towards the end of the ride if you're legs/back are starting to give up on you. Anything to get you home at that point!

mrb123

photonic69 said:

mrb123 said:

Yes, tramadol works well apparently.

I really would NOT do Tramadol unless you are very used to it! You’re likely to crash your bike big time! Trust me I’ve just popped two and the only place I’m going is to lie down in bed and hold on tightly until the trip passes! Wheeeeee!

If it's good enough for the pros... 😉
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cycling-rife-with-tramadol-use-wada-report-shows/

DeVlaeminck

photonic69 said:

mrb123 said:

Yes, tramadol works well apparently.

I really would NOT do Tramadol unless you are very used to it! You’re likely to crash your bike big time! Trust me I’ve just popped two and the only place I’m going is to lie down in bed and hold on tightly until the trip passes! Wheeeeee!

Agreed he may as well go for some Belgian Mix as he's not going to be tested.

I do know someone that made use of amphetemines on a fast PBP ride but it was a very long time ago.

Ncovidius

DeVlaeminck said:

photonic69 said:

mrb123 said:

Yes, tramadol works well apparently.

I really would NOT do Tramadol unless you are very used to it! You’re likely to crash your bike big time! Trust me I’ve just popped two and the only place I’m going is to lie down in bed and hold on tightly until the trip passes! Wheeeeee!

Agreed he may as well go for some Belgian Mix as he's not going to be tested.

I do know someone that made use of amphetemines on a fast PBP ride but it was a very long time ago.

It did for Tommy Godwin.

Ncovidius

airwise said:

Keep below your aerobic threshold throughout - even if tempted to chase.

I’d usually stick to zones 2 and 3. It’s tempting to go after the inevitable Rapha / FPKWs you’ll no doubt encounter en route, who want to try and be heros, but you’ll suffer big time later in the ride if you do.