# Training for a century ride



## comanche1680 (Aug 1, 2008)

One of my goals this year is to ride a century. I have never ridden more than 45 miles in one day and this is a *big* leap for me. So, of course I have a number of questions but I will start with one.

First, what if anything, can I be doing now to help prepare for this. It is still cold where I ride ( snow, rain, dark dreary, sounds like heaven doesn't it) and I just can not bring myself to ride when it is below 40 degrees.

Thanks!!


----------



## joel2old (Feb 22, 2008)

miles miles and more miles and you will become a stronger rider. you did not say how long it took you to ride the 45 miles but that is a good distance unless it was a all day trip. the sooner you start your riding season the quicker you will reach your goal. good luck!


----------



## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

agreed...and set an intermediate goal of a metric century( 62 miles)


----------



## thegock (May 16, 2006)

*Welcome aboard, Comanche*

I do an average of 4K miles a year and a couple of centuries, one of which is the event that I train for all year. I supplement that with about 50 hours on the trainer and 50-75 runs per year. The majority of those runs are between 3 & 4 miles with the occasional 5, 6, and 8 thrown in to help me remember when I was 21 and 168 lbs.

Tomorrow in beautiful NJ it is supposed to sleet all day so I will either hit the Kurt Kinetic in the basement for an hour or go to the YMCA and take 7am spin...'Pretend you're climbing your hardest hill.' My only thought is that half the people in the class couldn't pedal a real bike up the hardest hill I did this week...never mind some of the tough ones. But those big 40 lbs. flywheels on the spin bike do create that suffering effect that we crave. Especially with the 'lunatic instructor' as my wife describes her.

The point is that some indoor training will help. 

Three weeks before the century, Hillier Than Thou, that I point toward all season, I did an 88 mile ride. Prior to that, I had done a double metric in April from Princeton into Hunterdon and Warren counties and a couple of flat centuries.

Another thought is weights. Last March I did some leg presses in the gym with the stack pinned. Then I did an hour of one minute intervals and went back on the leg press machine but could only do one rep pinned. That was the only time I ever did weight training but it was kind of fun to see the looks on the faces of the three hs kids who were there during my first set.


----------



## OldItalian (Feb 14, 2009)

Yes you need the all important miles, but understand the quality of the miles is just as important. Also century’s are a bit mental, in that you may be in the saddle (come rain, heat, cold, wind or shine!) for a long time. Being on the bike the entire day, was the biggest hurdle for my first century, so make sure your bike is properly fitted and you are comfortable on the seat. Anything improperly fitted will make its presence felt. Enjoy the ride!


----------



## jsedlak (Jun 17, 2008)

And pace yourself! Gotta learn how to not go too fast and save energy.


----------



## comanche1680 (Aug 1, 2008)

Thanks for the help. I can't recall how long to it took me to the 45 miles but it certainly wasn't all day. I have been doing spin classes and find that it, like most things, you get out of it what you put into it. What do others think of spin classes? A couple of folks in my class think it is better than having a trainer. 

I do feel pretty good about my bike but I am going to have to look at it from the perspective of being on it all day.


----------



## oily666 (Apr 7, 2007)

http://www.ultracycling.com/training/century.html


----------



## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

I'm assuming that you're planning on riding an organized century ride as opposed to a solo ride. If that's correct my advice is to start riding with other, more experienced riders. The more miles you can get in with with more knowledgable riders, the better. They'll literally teach you how to ride.


----------



## Streamwood Steve (Oct 15, 2008)

The main thing to do is get out and ride. Also try and learn what your body needs in terms of hydration and fuel and make sure that you have plenty of both. On my first and only century ride I learned the hard way what "bonking" was.


----------



## greg44 (Feb 15, 2008)

I've done a few centuries and what works for me is two weeks before the century add a 4 to 5 hour ride to your training schedule. The last one being a week before the event. If you can get 70 miles in by yourself you will be fine in a century. Take the week of the century to do no effort recovery rides and definitely do nothing the day before. Centuries are a blast, you'll enjoy it and do better than you expect. Make sure and pace yourself. You'll be jacked up on adrenaline the first 50 miles, but at the 80 mile mark the monkey will jump on your back.


----------



## comanche1680 (Aug 1, 2008)

Thanks again for the help. I am looking forward to that monkey on my back.


----------



## tober1 (Feb 6, 2009)

Can't ride below 40F?? 
I went for a ride at 7F yesterday!
Mind you I live in Canada and it was a beautiful and sunny 7 

I'm hoping to ride a century this year too. All the best!


----------



## exolyte (Sep 17, 2008)

how old are you and how fast do you plan to ride the century? is it for fun or are you being competitive? I did my first century this year...never did more than 100 miles in a week and i finished in 6 hours..i did 1 hour of high HR riding on Tuesdays. 1.5 hours of high HR spin on Thursdays and a long ride on Saturdays (started at 35 miles then worked up to 65 the weekend before the ride.) So...if you ride regularly you'll be able to do it without too much of an issue. I have two pieces of advice: 

1) my biggest issue was not how long i was riding, but how my butt felt after 4 hours into it...doing the long rides on Sat helps you get used to this, but make sure you have comfortable saddle and shorts 

2) bring plenty of gels/snacks/drink mix...and USE THEM.


----------



## comanche1680 (Aug 1, 2008)

I really should restate my 40° criteria. I can ride below that however, for me, it really ceases to be fun pretty quick. I admire anyone who is out there on those below freezing days.

Which leads to what I want to do with this ride. It is for fun only. That doesn’t mean I want it to be at a very leisurely pace and take 16 hours. I am 50 years old and have been riding on the road, somewhat seriously, for over a year. Prior to picking up the road bug I was a mountain biker and even use to ride some motocross. My competitive race days are behind me.

Right now I am hitting the weights and spinning. I really appreciate the help!


----------



## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Food*

One area where first-time century riders often have trouble is eating enough, and early enough. One of the biggest differences between a ride of 50 or so miles and a century is eating. Most people can complete 50 miles on stored energy, with a little supplement during the ride, but a century requires some real refueling along the way. Many organized centuries have decent food, but you need to find out what your stomach can handle while riding. And I think it's a good idea to bring some bars and gels of your own, so you know you have something that works for you. The gels seem gross to some people, but if the bonk starts to come on, they're the quickest way to get some fuel back in the blood.


----------



## capnron5177 (May 9, 2008)

I'm pretty sure you'll do fine, all the advices here are good and I can only add these during the ride (I assume its a organized ride).

- Stop at every rest stop, eat at least one energy bar/fruit etc. even if you're not hungry, but don't stuff yourself. Refill your water bottle.

- Take aspirin or any pain reliever at mile 60-70 at suggested dosage.


----------



## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

comanche1680 said:


> One of my goals this year is to ride a century. I have never ridden more than 45 miles in one day and this is a *big* leap for me. So, of course I have a number of questions but I will start with one.
> 
> First, what if anything, can I be doing now to help prepare for this. It is still cold where I ride ( snow, rain, dark dreary, sounds like heaven doesn't it) and I just can not bring myself to ride when it is below 40 degrees.
> 
> Thanks!!


Just buy Bicycling Magazine there's a "First Century" story in almost every issue.


----------



## geomoney (Oct 9, 2005)

Just buy Bicycling Magazine there's a "First Century" story in almost every issue...

True dat......


----------



## HikenBike (Apr 3, 2007)

comanche1680 said:


> One of my goals this year is to ride a century. I have never ridden more than 45 miles in one day and this is a *big* leap for me. So, of course I have a number of questions but I will start with one.
> 
> First, what if anything, can I be doing now to help prepare for this. It is still cold where I ride ( snow, rain, dark dreary, sounds like heaven doesn't it) and I just can not bring myself to ride when it is below 40 degrees.
> 
> Thanks!!


During the cold season you can work on your core and back with Pilates. One thing about a century, your back and shoulders will most likely tighten up at some point. 

Also note that doing a century is not as hard if you stay with a pack. Drafting is your friend! It is much easier to ride at 20 mph in a paceline, than riding 16 mph solo. If you are riding 45 miles solo, that is a good start. For me, 45 miles solo equals to about 60+ miles with my group.

I've spent all winter in the gym, but there is no substitute for miles in the saddle.

Good luck. It is a great feeling to finish your first century.


----------



## desmo13 (Jun 28, 2006)

Like other posters have said, if you are not going out riding, do something. What will bother you most on your first long rides and centuries is your back and neck. Put some core trianing, swimming etc. in your plan.


----------



## Blue CheeseHead (Jul 14, 2008)

Here is a plan that I followed:

http://www.maccfund.org/trek100/riders/train.pdf

For my first century, with no miles under my belt, I abbreviated the plan to 6 weeks and had no problem riding the century.


----------



## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

Blue CheeseHead said:


> Here is a plan that I followed:
> 
> http://www.maccfund.org/trek100/riders/train.pdf
> 
> For my first century, with no miles under my belt, I abbreviated the plan to 6 weeks and had no problem riding the century.


That looks looks like a good plan.:thumbsup:


----------



## Ibashii (Oct 23, 2002)

JCavilia said:


> One area where first-time century riders often have trouble is eating enough, and early enough. One of the biggest differences between a ride of 50 or so miles and a century is eating. Most people can complete 50 miles on stored energy, with a little supplement during the ride, but a century requires some real refueling along the way. Many organized centuries have decent food, but you need to find out what your stomach can handle while riding. And I think it's a good idea to bring some bars and gels of your own, so you know you have something that works for you. The gels seem gross to some people, but if the bonk starts to come on, they're the quickest way to get some fuel back in the blood.


I can't believe it took until post #16 to get a serious comment about refueling! Besides the obvious stuff like having a decent, well-fit bike and riding enough miles so the century doesn't shock your body too much and lead to injuries, refueling is the biggest difference between a failed century attempt and a wonderful day in the saddle. Someone above wrote that if you can do 70 you can do 100...maybe, but only if you've learned how to eat and drink while exercising. I am an experienced endurance athlete and can do 70-75 with no food or sports drinks, but that's it: after that it's bonk city. If I want to do more, I have to start refueling early, at least a little something every hour. I don't know anyone who can do a century without loading up on something along the way.

The bit about testing different stuff ahead of time is SO key: I know guys who have all sorts of stomach problems if they eat bananas during a ride, yet for me it's the first thing I grab at a stop. I like Powerbars, but they send some people down a long dark road of digestive pain...nothing you want to find out about at mile 75 of your first century. Gatorade in one water bottle works for some people...others need two big bottles of plain water. I think gels are gnarly but you should definitely try them and decide for yourself. Experimenting with food and drink on training rides--anything over 90 minutes--might be the biggest favor you can do yourself in the coming weeks before the event.

Good luck!


----------



## ColoradoVeloDude (Oct 7, 2005)

comanche1680 said:


> One of my goals this year is to ride a century. I have never ridden more than 45 miles in one day and this is a *big* leap for me. So, of course I have a number of questions but I will start with one.
> 
> First, what if anything, can I be doing now to help prepare for this. It is still cold where I ride ( snow, rain, dark dreary, sounds like heaven doesn't it) and I just can not bring myself to ride when it is below 40 degrees.
> 
> Thanks!!



1) Find a reasonable training plan and stick to it. Right now you can ride 100 miles with the training you have. It won't be pretty right now, but you can do it. If you look at the user area on the Ride The Rockies web site, there is a good training program there. www.ridetherockies.com

2) Intervals, climbing are all part of the package. Also, integrate some weight training once or twice a week. Most cyclists have great legs, good aerobic capacity, but have terrible cores. Abdominal exercises and back exercises all help.

3) Food -- very important. Plan a long ride at least five weeks before your century -- like 60 or 70 miles. Everyone is different. Before that ride you should know what works and what doesn't - water, sports drink, energy bars. And, experiment the night before on what to eat too. For instance, I usually have a lot of pasta with marinara sauce, a salad, a few pieces of bread, a salad with light dressing, and a couple of glasses of red wine. The next morning I have one cup of coffee and two Clif bars (and two bottles of water up front). Then just keep eating from there at standard intervals through the course. Think of this as charging a battery. You charge it up overnight and try to keep the charge up during the day (actually, it's a losing proposition but you can deal with the drain by taking 
reasonable steps during the day).

4) Get a bike fit...now! Very small adjustments can literally mean the difference between a nice ride and a torture device. The bike fit may give you a different ride position so get it done early so you get used to it. 

5) Knock off the riding about seven days before your event. Let your body rest up. It's OK to take a spin around the block to keep your legs limbered up (like one to two miles), but no serious miles.

6) Get a bike tune about 4 weeks out before the event. Wheels trued, maybe new chain, DR adjustment. You are going to be on the bike for a long time. Little annoying things have to be removed lest they become major naggy things. Also, at this time replace your tires and tubes too -nicer ride and less chance for punctures. make certain you get some miles in on the newly adjusted ride to dial in and get used to any issues.

7) Have fun! Completing 100 miles on a bike in one day is something that will amaze you. It amazed me the first time I did it and still amazes me each time I do it. Here is my first 100mile ride: www.bvbf.org Post back when you complete it! We'll all bask in you and your machine conquering the road and the miles.

Good luck!

ColoradoVeloDude
Colorado Springs, Coloradi


----------



## cervelo-van (Aug 29, 2008)

I'm doing my first ever metric century this coming Sunday. Its an organized ride.

http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/pacpop/index.html

I'm not worried so much about the distance as the nutrition part. In most of my rides to date, we take a quick stop to have a gel, pit stop if need be. This is usually 2/3 of the way. I am new as of July 2008, so still getting used to drinking on the go, never mind trying to get your gel pack out of the back pocket. I think they have food along the way. 

Thankfully, this year the weather is forecast to be good, so I can ride the Cervelo instead of the winter bike. 

My longest ride has been 78K, several in the 65K range and a lot in the 50-55 range. I hope get in around 4 hours.


----------



## Steady Grind (Mar 7, 2009)

Blue CheeseHead said:


> Here is a plan that I followed:
> 
> http://www.maccfund.org/trek100/riders/train.pdf
> 
> For my first century, with no miles under my belt, I abbreviated the plan to 6 weeks and had no problem riding the century.



I like this schedule as I wouldn't mind doing a century this summer as well. However, this schedule includes "rides at the pace you want to ride during the century".....how the hell do I know what pace I should be riding if I'm new to this and have never ridden a century before?


----------



## Ibashii (Oct 23, 2002)

Steady Grind said:


> I like this schedule as I wouldn't mind doing a century this summer as well. However, this schedule includes "rides at the pace you want to ride during the century".....how the hell do I know what pace I should be riding if I'm new to this and have never ridden a century before?


True, this is really rider-specific, but IMO there are two ways to go about a first century:

1) take all day, ride slow and stop whenever you feel like it. This is normally done with like-minded companions and the only thing you worry about is staying ahead of any time cut-offs if it's an organized event. In this case, the speed of your training miles isn't really important; what's important is the number of miles and that you've sufficiently trained your body to spend many, many hours in the saddle in one day.

2) try and maintain a moderate, steady pace and limit stops in both number and length. To do this you need to train your body to be able to exert a steady stream of energy over a certain number of hours...and this is where the comment about "the pace you want to ride in the century" comes in. It's up to you to figure out what speed your body can handle, and you figure it out over the progressively longer training rides in the weeks/months leading up to the ride. For example, if you do a 50-miler 8 weeks before the century, and you cruise at 15 mph with relative ease, then there's a good chance you can train yourself to maintain 15 mph for the century, especially if you're doing your training rides solo; if, on the other hand, you are reasonably well-prepared for that 50-miler yet 15 mph brings you down at mile 35 and you have to limp home at 10.5 mph, maybe you want to bring your speed down a little for the next distance ride. There is no way that a training plan can tell you what speed you should be rolling at, but for me it's the highest-speed-beyond-which-I-know-I'm-burning-too-much-energy-to-finish-in-one-piece speed, and the only way to figure that out is to experiment and listen to your body.

Oh yeah: I guess I should point out that some people have great success using heart-rate monitors to do this, but I find that to be distracting and not very much fun. Also, every time it malfunctioned and told me HR was 0 I thought I was dead. If that's your cup of tea there is lots of great info in the training forums, but enter at your own risk.


----------



## ColoradoVeloDude (Oct 7, 2005)

Steady Grind said:


> I like this schedule as I wouldn't mind doing a century this summer as well. However, this schedule includes "rides at the pace you want to ride during the century".....how the hell do I know what pace I should be riding if I'm new to this and have never ridden a century before?



Your first century ride is going to be fraught with all kinds of little niggly stuff that may or may not annoy you. Thye best thing to do is to train well and get used to your bike and saddle. Next, get your bike tuned up a couple weeks ahead of the ride and put on new tires and tubes -- at least you'll have a good chance to pull some of the random events out of equation.

Next, start early. This means getting to the ride starting point the night before, picking up your ride packet there from the organizers, and staying close by. More the netter is you can leave on your bike from the hotel on the century. Start at 5:30AM -- this will give you plenty of light and get your out on the road early. If you are slow, this will give you plenty of time to finish.

As far as a good pace, this is a tricky issue. My first century ride took about 10 hours of elapsed time and it turned into part slog part death march about halfway through the ride. The next year I did the same ride in 6 hours.

Remember that this isn't a race. It's a ride and supposed to be enjoyable. The pace you want to get to is more of a comfortable stride and something you can sustain for many hours on end. That is what I really think the pace is about -- it's not a speed number, but more of an exertion level. As you riding improves, so will your overall strength on the bike and the associated increase in speed. The century ride this year is to a) overcome the challenge of riding 100 miles in one sitting and b) establish the baseline and measure your improvement from this point for next year.


----------



## Blue CheeseHead (Jul 14, 2008)

Steady Grind said:


> I like this schedule as I wouldn't mind doing a century this summer as well. However, this schedule includes "rides at the pace you want to ride during the century".....how the hell do I know what pace I should be riding if I'm new to this and have never ridden a century before?


Pace is a tricky issue. When I did my first century it was about 8 weeks after I started riding. I was "thinking" a 16 mph pace (not including stops) would be about it. My reasoning was that 30 mile training rides at 18 mph average would have me totally gased. As it turned out I averaged 19.5 mph because I was able to get in a group and get sucked along.

I would say don't get hung up on the word "pace", think more about effort. 

Think of the "Pace" days as putting out an effort that you believe you can sustain for the length of your training ride and feel like you got a work out, but not so intense that you think you will die. 

On the "Brisk" days, ride hard. Really push yourself. When you get back you want to feel like you left it all out on the road. For those rides it helps to ride with someone faster than you to push you. 

For the "Easy" rides, stay in the small chainring and just spin. If you do it right it will feel like "What? this is not work. How can this be good?". Well, it is good 

It is also helpful to try and ride similar terrain to that of the century course. A flat century is a different ballgame from a hilly century.

For me the whole process of a century, or specific ride is more about the training. It's about preparing to meet the goal. Enjoy that process and you will enjoy the actual event.


----------



## cervelo-van (Aug 29, 2008)

Did my first metric century last Sunday, 103km to be exact. Weather was perfect. Started conservatively, stronger through the middle and finished well. 3:44 ride time, 4:08 total time with 2 stops. Average of 27/km/hour for the ride time. So, very pleased with that. 

As a fairly new rider, here are the issues I had to deal with:

I still need lots of practice getting my water bottle and putting it back in while riding at a good pace in a paceline. The same goes for getting stuff out of my jersey pockets. Part of it has to do with the lightness of the Cervelo RS and my inexperience in riding with one hand on the bike. So, this necessitated a 3 minute or so stop to drink, have a gel and a cliff bar, and losing the group I was with. 

Cornering is still very weak, so anytime the paceline turned, I would have to make an effort to catch back up.

Numbness in the fingers. I guess this comes from still gripping the bars harder than I should and a weak core. 

All in all, a superb experience. 

Now I am being encouraged to do a 200K ride on April 18th. Yikes!!


----------



## Steady Grind (Mar 7, 2009)

lbashii.....

That all makes good sense...........I've done 24 hour mountain bike races before and this seems to pretty much parallel finding the pace for those type of races. I do have a HR monitor and I might give that a go....seems like it'd be easier to keep the HR in a certain range than actual speed. I don't know.....I'll just play with it!


----------



## Steady Grind (Mar 7, 2009)

Blue CheeseHead said:


> I would say don't get hung up on the word "pace", think more about effort.



So going by this theory, training with a HR monitor would be ideal right?


----------



## RayWhitney (Mar 25, 2009)

*Thanks...From a lurker...*

All;

thanks for the advice!

I, too,and prepping for my first century--the Long Island Harbors Ride (June 28).

I am 40 years old, and for my midlife, post-cancer crisis, I have gotten into cycling in a big way. 

This was the perfect thread, so thanks to all!


----------



## MerlinAma (Oct 11, 2005)

cervelo-van said:


> ...........metric century last Sunday,......... 3:44 ride time, 4:08 total time with 2 stops. ......


So each stop was 12 minutes. 

Since I always have to take a natural break, fill bottles and grab some food, 12 minutes per stop is not too shabby. If it is a big ride, it may take longer if you have to wait in line.

Anyway, I think it is best to not linger at rest stops longer than necessary. Your muscles get cold and you have some amount of "warming up" again. Especially if it is very cool or cold.

In fact if I may down a gel at the rest stop and eat a banana after I start rolling again. Everyone should be able to eat a banana on the go.


----------



## Spanky_88007 (Aug 28, 2008)

Still debating on doing the full 100 for the Santa Fe Century on May 17. It would be my first century. Haven't been able to train due to a bad sinus infection then a death in the family. Is it too late to train adequately for a 100 miler at this point? I've been getting plenty of mountain biking miles in and a 20-30 miler on the road here and there... Thanks from a century noob.


----------



## MerlinAma (Oct 11, 2005)

Spanky_88007 said:


> Still debating on doing the full 100 for the Santa Fe Century on May 17. It would be my first century. .......


You have to start somewhere!  

I love the Santa Fe Century, but the amount of fun will be largely dependent on the weather.

The first 21 miles of the route are mostly downhill. Best case there will be a SW wind so the mountains will shelter you from that to some extent for the first part of the ride.

The hardest half mile is Heartbreak Hill around mile 37. It's 13-14% grade in spots.

After you get to the bottom SE corner of the route, the SW wind we all hope for will help you all the way from mile 49 to 98. 

At mile 98 you start back east but it is a little downhill to the finish around mile 101-102.

For what it's worth, I know many local riders who have completed this ride with what I would consider a serious lack of training. But I cannot attest to the amount of pain they were feeling by the end (or in the end).

My first century was the Enchanted Circle at Red River, NM way back in 1988. It rained the first third of the ride but I was so pumped up it didn't matter. I took my time, stopped a couple of times going up Bobcat Pass between miles 90 & 96, and finished. Something I'll never forget.


----------



## Spanky_88007 (Aug 28, 2008)

Excellent info, Merlin. Thanks! Cruces is experiencing its spring winds. I should be right at home as far as that goes.


----------



## cervelo-van (Aug 29, 2008)

*200K ride Saturday April 18, 2009*

Did my first century yesterday as part of a 203 Kilometer ride. (126.14) miles. Ride time was 7:51, and total time out was 8:34. 100 Mile time was approx. 6:42. They have control areas in these rides where you sign in, take on more water if needed etc. 

http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/routes/09_routes/lm_200a.html

Went out with the lead group for first 25k, then they dropped me on the downhill section of a long bridge, which was ok, as it was not the pace I should have been riding for the whole thing. 

I ran out of food and liquids with about 30K to go, and was starting to fade. Luckily a guy I was riding with gave me part of a Power Bar and some water, so that rejuvenated me and I finished strong. I only had 2 gels and one Cliff Bar with me, not enough for 200K. Might get a Camelbak if I do these things again.

Humbling was that the guy who ride with me most of the way and gave me the food and water is 77!!!! (I'm 53)

So, not bad for starting to ride last July.


----------

