# Max elevation change for a century ride? I'm hitting my wall too early!



## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

I know this is an individual question and varies per rider but I'm having issues hitting a wall on my way to a goal of my century ride this summer.

I consider myself to be a good rider, last year I managed 1500 miles from June-Sept and I've spent my entire winter on my indoor trainer working on my stamina.

My problem is, when I get to around the 40 mile mark...I'm finished. I literally have zip in the tank and I'm having trouble finding out why. I rest, I eat well, I'm of decent build (6', 167 lbs) I pay mind to my Pre/during ride intake (16-24oz water/hr, Hammer gel one per hr). I'm managing 15-16moh average over those distances so I'm not hitting it too hard.

No matter what...around the mid 30's, low 40's I'm bonking HARD. I am literally running out of gas. I can take abuse but I can tell you that at this point, going another 60 simply will not happen.

The only thing I can figure out is possible elevation issues. I live in Illinois, but it's a river valley so there is some serious climbing to be found if you seek it out. To leave my home, it basically uphill in almost any direction and then pretty "up, down, up, down" rolling hills after that.

Yesterday I set out to do 40 and while I accomplished it...I was exhausted. Figuring I was hitting 40 this time last year, I'm literally seeing no gains after all of this training and it's becoming frustrating.

My elevation change over that 40 miles was 800 ft. Is that high? Low? Average? Should I be seeking more flat terrain if i want to stretch the miles or is this pretty normal?

Being new to longer distance riding, I'm pretty ignorant as to how it should be done. Any advice from you more seasoned riders is most welcome!


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

Do you have a job that involves a lot of manual labor? Get enough sleep at night? 40 miles with 800 feet of ascent is nothing really. Was it your first attempt at 40 miles this year? Everyone has to gradually increase their distance over time, too much too soon hurts even the most seasoned veteran.


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## thekarens (Jul 17, 2012)

My first thought would be to get a physical. It could be something as simple as thyroid, but definitely worth having checked out.


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## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

nOOky said:


> Do you have a job that involves a lot of manual labor? Get enough sleep at night? 40 miles with 800 feet of ascent is nothing really. Was it your first attempt at 40 miles this year? Everyone has to gradually increase their distance over time, too much too soon hurts even the most seasoned veteran.


Yes...I'm an electrician by trade. I try to keep my rides shorter during the week because of that. Yes, it was my first 40 this year. I did 35 a few weeks ago and before that, it was December when I last rode 30+...

Possibly my eyes are bigger than my stomach...who knows...


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## HEMIjer (Oct 18, 2008)

You might want to make sure you are eating a little bit pf protein with those gels not a ton but mix between gels and clif bars for instance, just a couple gles might give you good carbs but I know for me I need a well balanced nutrition intake.

Probably not it though but as you work up to log days in the saddle you will need the balance IMO.

Talking to a Dr is probably best advice you get (besides from the DR)


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## Alfonsina (Aug 26, 2012)

So you are done in after about 2.5 hrs, 40 miles, and a pretty small climb? Do you think you eat enough? I think I read so much advice that advocates overeating for most of us LOL, but maybe you do need to consider taking in more calories. Eat something reasonably carby before you ride and try taking in maybe 200-300 cals an hour _after _your first hour, is a hammer gel 100 cals? One per hour is not many calories if you are aiming to stay out for _much_ longer than the 2.5 without stopping for food. Of course there is the mental aspect to consider, I have never bonked but AFAIK it is not something vague and niggling, you know if you bonk vs need to get out of your comfort zone. Do you monitor your heart rate? 
Try putting some cals in one of your bottles and keep on pushing the distance, never underestimate the power of your brain. Define winter stamina rides? Again, do you use a HRM? How long and hard are those rides? You still have to build up your base miles if you winter rides are limited time workouts. Ride more!


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Typetwelve said:


> My elevation change over that 40 miles was 800 ft. Is that high? Low? Average? Should I be seeking more flat terrain if i want to stretch the miles or is this pretty normal?


800ft in 40mi is very flat. I'm not sure how you could get any flatter. That's equivalent to 1" elevation over the length of a football field. 
I can't ride anywhere over 15mi without exceeding 800ft elevation gain and wouldn't consider most rides as hilly.


Sometimes riding flat is worse than riding rolling/hilly terrain. You never really get a break from peddaling. Once nice thing about going up, is you can recover coming down.



> I consider myself to be a good rider, last year I managed 1500 miles from June-Sept and I've spent my entire winter on my indoor trainer working on my stamina.


What does your average weekly riding schedule look like? Is it made up of a bunch of short rides or a few longer.

For instance, 1500mi from June-Sept (assuming 4 full months riding) = ~86mi / week. 
Do those miles come from seven 12mi rides. Or from three 28mi rides?
There's a huge difference between the two in terms of stamina. Even if your average weekly rides are 28mi, the jump to 40mi is pretty big. Making the jump to 100mi is huge.



> I try to keep my rides shorter during the week because of that. Yes, it was my first 40 this year. I did 35 a few weeks ago and before that, it was December when I last rode 30+...


My guess is you need more (longer) sessions in the saddle.


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## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

tlg said:


> 800ft in 40mi is very flat. I'm not sure how you could get any flatter. That's equivalent to 1" elevation over the length of a football field.
> I can't ride anywhere over 15mi without exceeding 800ft elevation gain and wouldn't consider most rides as hilly.
> 
> 
> ...


Perhaps you're on to something. Like I said, I'm new to all of this. My workouts are pretty regular so I'll list them as such:

M-F at least 3 rides a week, 10-15 miles, 400' rise over that distance. I try to keep the intensity up hitting higher MPH and doing some climbing. Once a week I'll go do climbing only doing a close local hill. These workouts are rarely an hour long but I'll do a climb that is 110' in a .1 mile length. I'll go up and down in sets until I've had enough. On the weekends I try to do a longer ride...normally 30 miles. Last year I was pretty successful with this plan, I made it to 42 miles once last season. I returned home tired, but safely and I had no lingering effects. (As was the same with the Sat ride. I was tired, but nothing was "broke" attempting it)

This winter was pretty brutal for us so I didn't get out much at all. I did buy a Kurt Rock and Roll trainer and was managing to get on it 3-4 times a week. Each time I do a hard 25 min set with a 5 min cool down. I push it pretty hard as I really can't take an hour on that thing, it's just too boring.

So far this season, thanks to the weather I've only had the chance to do 2 rides over 30 miles...and sat was one of them.

Perhaps I'm just attempting too much, too fast.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Typetwelve said:


> M-F at least 3 rides a week, 10-15 miles, 400' rise over that distance. I try to keep the intensity up hitting higher MPH and doing some climbing. Once a week I'll go do climbing only doing a close local hill. These workouts are rarely an hour long but I'll do a climb that is 110' in a .1 mile length. I'll go up and down in sets until I've had enough.
> On the weekends I try to do a longer ride...normally 30 miles.
> 
> I did buy a Kurt Rock and Roll trainer and was managing to get on it 3-4 times a week. Each time I do a hard 25 min set with a 5 min cool down.


Yup, pretty much what I thought. Think of it as running.... Sprinter vs Marathon runners. You wouldn't expect a sprinter to go out and run a marathon, even though they're in amazing shape.
You're training is more geared towards short distances...which you're probably getting really good at. But to go long distances, you have to practice more long distances. 

That being said, you're probably not pacing yourself very well. You're probably trying to do your normal pace over too long of a distance (I did that on my first 100k and suffered immensely)
You're riding often enough that a 40-50mi ride shouldn't be a problem... if you slow down a bit. You mentioned a 15-16mph pace for 40mi. Scale that back to a 13-14mph pace for the first 30-40mi. See how you feel, then step it up for the last 10mi if you're feeling strong. 

Also try to extend your weekend ride length about 5mi per week. Making big jumps of 15-20mi is asking a lot.


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## Alfonsina (Aug 26, 2012)

I think you are just not doing enough millage. You only get the benefits when you do the work. How old are you? Get some sufferfest for winter (Google that), 25 mins is just too short a ride to call winter mileage IMO. Really, you are starting from almost scratch and no miles count from last year, so you need to build up your base mileage. 10-15 miles on your flat roads are short rides. I don't know what your time constraints are but try getting out for more miles. Your hills are little rollers so I wouldn't even count that as hill intervals, I would think you are better off doing more miles at your best pace than doing that repeat. I ride for fitness not for glory but IMO anything less than an hour is not a real workout.


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

Typetwelve said:


> I consider myself to be a good rider, last year I managed 1500 miles from June-Sept and I've spent my entire winter on my indoor trainer working on my stamina.


1500 miles in 16 weeks? That's just over 90 miles/week. That's not very high. That's part of your problem.

I average almost twice that during the summer and I wouldn't consider myself someone who does "high mileage".



Typetwelve said:


> My elevation change over that 40 miles was 800 ft. Is that high? Low? Average? Should I be seeking more flat terrain if i want to stretch the miles or is this pretty normal?


That's very low IMO. An easy 30 mile ride I do 3 or 4 times a week has twice that much climbing.

The only way to get better at doing longer distances is to do longer distances. You need to do at least one ride a week that is at least 3 hours and if you are shooting for a century you should be upping that by 15-30 minutes every couple weeks until you can do 4-5 hours. If you need to stop occasionally then do that. Sometimes a few minutes off the bike recharges your batteries. You'll be doing that in a century anyways at sag stops.


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## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

tlg said:


> Yup, pretty much what I thought. Think of it as running.... Sprinter vs Marathon runners. You wouldn't expect a sprinter to go out and run a marathon, even though they're in amazing shape.
> You're training is more geared towards short distances...which you're probably getting really good at. But to go long distances, you have to practice more long distances.
> 
> That being said, you're probably not pacing yourself very well. You're probably trying to do your normal pace over too long of a distance (I did that on my first 100k and suffered immensely)
> ...


Yeah...I can definitely see that. My sprint times and climbs have drastically improved. My local rides are in the low twenties for average over 10-15 miles. I guess that's why I was considering a 15-16 mph average to be "taking it easy"...guess I was wrong.

My personal life simply doesn't allow for longer rides during the week, I simply run out of time. Perhaps I'll lower my expectations for now and stick to my harder training over shorter distances. 30-40 weekend rides are extremely enjoyable and like I said, I return safely without overdoing it. Perhaps for now, that's whats in the cards for me.


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## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

chudak said:


> 1500 miles in 16 weeks? That's just over 90 miles/week. That's not very high. That's part of your problem.
> 
> I average almost twice that during the summer and I wouldn't consider myself someone who does "high mileage".
> 
> ...


Yeah...that's why I used the term "good" instead of "great" when describing myself as a rider. There are many reasons why I didn't take to the saddle as much as I wanted last season...but my work schedule and the oppressive/dangerous heat of last summer were the main setbacks.

Like I said to tig...perhaps I need to focus on the riding I can accomplish. At this point in my life, I can only muster 2+ hrs to devote to riding on the weekends.


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## Alfonsina (Aug 26, 2012)

Do you know this is posted in the endurance section though? Maybe it is posted in the wrong area.


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## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

Alfonsina said:


> I think you are just not doing enough millage. You only get the benefits when you do the work. How old are you? Get some sufferfest for winter (Google that), 25 mins is just too short a ride to call winter mileage IMO. Really, you are starting from almost scratch and no miles count from last year, so you need to build up your base mileage. 10-15 miles on your flat roads are short rides. I don't know what your time constraints are but try getting out for more miles. Your hills are little rollers so I wouldn't even count that as hill intervals, I would think you are better off doing more miles at your best pace than doing that repeat. I ride for fitness not for glory but IMO anything less than an hour is not a real workout.





Alfonsina said:


> Do you know this is posted in the endurance section though? Maybe it is posted in the wrong area.


You're coming across as insulting.

Yes, I fully realize this is the endurance section...I consider questions about a century ride to fit well here.

I'm also glad you're giving me your own definition of what a workout is and isn't...I've managed to drop from 265lbs to 170 in under 2 years...I'm pretty sure I'm painfully aware of what a workout is and isn't. I'm also very glad for you that you ride 30+ miles with tons of climbing many times weekly...you must be a real stud.

If I'm delusional then fine. I'd like to think I came in this area with a humble and honest tone...you, on the other hand, haven't been so humble.


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

I don't think your 1500 miles are bad. We all have different time constraints. I probably don't do much more than 90 miles per week. Just don't have the time. Wish I did. 

I will second the Sufferfest recommendation. In particular Blender for endurance although maybe start with something shorter like A Very Dark Place. 
Also check out Chris Carmichael's time crunched cyclist. 

I have done centuries with that as a basis for training. I try and get out two or three weekday mornings. Only have time for about 15-20 miles starting at 5 am. Then one long ride over the weekend. Recently in the 70-80 range. But build up gradually. Add 10% more each week.


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

Typetwelve said:


> Yeah...that's why I used the term "good" instead of "great" when describing myself as a rider. There are many reasons why I didn't take to the saddle as much as I wanted last season...but my work schedule and the oppressive/dangerous heat of last summer were the main setbacks.
> 
> Like I said to tig...perhaps I need to focus on the riding I can accomplish. At this point in my life, I can only muster 2+ hrs to devote to riding on the weekends.


You do what you can. I understand that very well. If you can only do short rides during the week then fit in what you can but you really need to try and get at least one long ride in on the weekend to build up your endurance. As mentioned above, you can't train for a marathon by doing workouts designed for a sprinter.

Maybe set your intermediate goal to a metric century and get to the point that you can do 40-50 miles without being completely exhausted. The extra miles to hit the metric then aren't that much of stretch. Once you get that licked and get comfortable with the 50-75 mile distance then you'll be in better position to tackle the full century.


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## Rokh On (Oct 30, 2011)

Is this the only time you get that you get that exhausted feeling or does it happen with work or other exercise? Personally I would probably take thekarens advice and have a chat with your primary care physician.

800' over 40 miles is relative. I wouldn't worry so much about elevation. For those that ride in the mountains a bunch that is extremely flat. For those that ride everyday in a place like Florida maybe not.

Find a local coach or someone that is experienced to ride with. Carmichael's Time Crunch was suggested. There are training programs online.


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## Alfonsina (Aug 26, 2012)

Typetwelve said:


> You're coming across as insulting.
> 
> Yes, I fully realize this is the endurance section...I consider questions about a century ride to fit well here.
> 
> I'm also glayou must be a real stud.


 Meh, I am a borderline chubby middle aged woman. I also dropped from 200 to 135 in less than 2 yrs and part of getting that off and keeping it off is not kidding myself about exercise. When you and I have been obese the implications are life long. I wasted years on being fat and making excuses about exercise. But blokes and women always have a different approach to this stuff. I now know what a hard ride is because I make sure I don't stay static, I try and challenge myself and take myself outside of my comfort zone so I don't fall into the sort of trap where I get complacent, I ask how old you are and you take that as an insult, so you must be young enough for that (I am so old that I cut myself some slack here an there and don't take myself so seriously). But humble mumble. And truly, I didn't think a century ride is an endurance event, I would be so humble as to be wrong. My assumption is that endurance is more like Lotoja or brevets etc.


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## regnaD kciN (Mar 2, 2013)

According to Ed Burgess's "Endurance Cycling" book, you can generally finish a long-distance ride if you've been riding 1/3 of that distance three times a week for some time without difficulty. So, if you want to complete a century, you need to at least be riding around 33-34 miles three times a week, and doing it for several weeks at least (increasing that mileage would, of course, also be advisable). So, if you're only getting in one 30-mile ride and a few shorter ones per week, you need to build your base quite a bit more.


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## nealric (Jul 5, 2007)

regnaD kciN said:


> According to Ed Burgess's "Endurance Cycling" book, you can generally finish a long-distance ride if you've been riding 1/3 of that distance three times a week for some time without difficulty. So, if you want to complete a century, you need to at least be riding around 33-34 miles three times a week, and doing it for several weeks at least (increasing that mileage would, of course, also be advisable). So, if you're only getting in one 30-mile ride and a few shorter ones per week, you need to build your base quite a bit more.


I think that's super conservative. Plenty of people do centuries after a winter on the couch. Also, it might be slow and painful, but it's possible to go a LONG time while bonked. In fact, I'm pretty confident that just about any person who has ridden 40 miles recently could do a double century of someone put a gun to their head.


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## champamoore (Jul 30, 2012)

Getting some interval workouts into your rotation will help both your aerobic fitness, and your ability to recover more quickly. I'd investigate some varieties of those to do a couple of times a week, especially if time is limited. You'll feel the difference pretty quickly, too.

As far as adding distance to long rides, a good rule of thumb is to add 5-10% to last week's long ride until you reach your target distance.

Last and not least, be sure to eat a hearty breakfast before heading out. I have found two potatoes and an egg about an hour and a half before rollout to be ideal fuel as my base for longer rides.


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## Social Climber (Jan 16, 2013)

I agree with the recommendation of the Sufferfest videos. I don't have a lot of time during the week to ride outside. I have to leave for work by 7 am and I usually don't get home until about 8 at night. The only time I have to work out is around 5 in the morning, and it's only light then for a couple of weeks. So I do the indoor trainer. Sufferfest and other videos at least make it bearable, and the workouts you get really help build aerobic capacity.

Your challenge is going to be finding the time to do longer rides on weekends. The indoor interval workouts are only part of the equation. As others have said, you need to build time in the saddle. You should aim to build up the point where you can do a metric century (62 miles) on a couple of weekends prior to the 100 mile event without knocking yourself out. Once you are at that point the stretch to a 100 miles isn't that difficult.


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## tazunemono (Jun 5, 2013)

I don't think you're bonking, I think you're not used to going beyond your comfort zone, both mentally and physically. You need to learn to suffer a bit. I am reminded of a quote from the book "Rough Ride" by Kimmage, "with good legs and a weak head you can go a long way; with weak legs and a good head you go nowhere"



Three things:

1. You know your limits. Now push past them. You need a training plan. No one just shows up and rides a century. There is a lot of hard work involved in the weeks/months prio. Get a physical before you start a new training plan. Feeling tired and wanting to quit is one thing, but bonking is a whole other animal. Bonking is involuntary, where your body shuts down. Others will usually spot bonking before you do.You start to get incoherent and weave all over the road. It's not pretty.

2. You need to embrace the hills. I'm training for 6 Gap century in late Sept., it's 104 miles with 11,000 feet of climbing. I climb, all the time! I ride between 100-140 miles a week after work, typically broken up into 30-40 mile rides with 1,500-2,000 feet of climbing. I rode 102 with 6,000 feet of climbing yesterday, and plan 2 more century rides prior to heading down south for 6 Gap. 

3. You need to ride more to drive the necessary metabolic, physical and mental changes needed for longer rides. If you're not gaining fitness, you're losing it. Based on your info., I'd say you need to plan out fall/winter base training to be prepared for next season. I agree with the trainer recommendation. If you can't get outside, you MUST train inside.


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## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

I thought I'd add a bit of an update to this thread. I've been following the advice of many here as well as others in my "real" life.

I've been spending more time in the saddle, eating better and getting more rest.

I safely accomplished my first metric century on July 4th and last Sat did a 75 mi ride(3200' climbing overall) with an average of 16.6mph. No stud by any means but I am happy with my accomplishments so far and plan to do my first century next summer.

I have one nagging pain issue with my neck/shoulders that I need to address this off season. It is intense enough that it ends my rides early...I'm sure I could have shot for a century Sat but the pain in the neck was just too much to continue. Anyway, that's a different story for a different day.

Either way...thanks again for the advice guys.


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## Oldermileeater (Jan 6, 2013)

I'll chime in with this. Hopefully I will not come off as bragging, condescending, insulting or anything else along those lines. I am doing this quickly because I want to turn in early as I do have a multi-day ride starting tomorrow. I will apologize if I ask anything that has been mentioned. As I said, I am in a hurry, read quickly (so may have missed something), but wanted to respond now.

I'll start by telling a little of myself: I am 52, and have always loved cycling (road). Though I do have some hiatuses here and there, I always have been a long distance rider more so than speed. I have had nothing but time for cycling since being rendered unemployed a few years ago. While waiting for employment, I am on the bike all day just about every day. As I have tons of time, and unemployment has put the brakes on my other activities, I have logged more miles in recent years than ever. If you're curious: 2010 - just over 10,000 miles. 2011 - 12,000 miles. 2012 - 14,500 miles. This year I am shooting for a 25,000 mile total (for various reasons), and I have a 10,000 mile total in 3 months (June, July and August) with only 4 days missed in June, 2 days in July and (so far) 0 days missed this month (though I have days when I ride lite - which for me is 2 - 3 hours). The missed days were only because of total rain days.

I am in south-central Virginia between Roanoke and Lynchburg, so this is the Piedmont. General rule of thumb is an average of 100 - 200 feet of elevation difference here per mile.

I am 5'9" and am as low as 140 pounds in the summer (not much heavier than some N.F.L. Cheerleader), and in winter when I ride less, I go to about 155 pounds.

That is a general version of my cycling resume  . I did this in some hope that you might have a little confidence in what I say.



Typetwelve said:


> I know this is an individual question and varies per rider


Yes, this is very individual. The spectrum is huge. This depends on experience, to some degree - age, physical condition, diet, habits (excessive drinking or smoking for example). The list goes on. But suffice to say there are cases where the 60 year-old will out perform the 20-somethings and 30-somethings.



Typetwelve said:


> I consider myself to be a good rider, last year I managed 1500 miles from June-Sept and I've spent my entire winter on my indoor trainer working on my stamina.


Those are about the miles I was doing when employed. But you mentioned you are new with endurance riding. How new? If I were just starting with endurance riding, the miles you mention would wear me out too on top of having a full-time job.




Typetwelve said:


> My problem is, when I get to around the 40 mile mark...I'm finished. I literally have zip in the tank and I'm having trouble finding out why. I rest, I eat well, I'm of decent build (6', 167 lbs) I pay mind to my Pre/during ride intake (16-24oz water/hr, Hammer gel one per hr). I'm managing 15-16moh average over those distances so I'm not hitting it too hard.


For me, it's all in how you attack the BEGINNING of the ride (again, I know this is individualized). For the first half hour or so, I ride about 75% or less of my normal average speed. If I have a century or more planned, I force myself to hold back for a couple of hours. I have found this does not kill my average speed much to say nothing of killing me. I have ridden over 24 hours straight (with only the usual short breaks for eating - etc.) with this technique. If you attack the beginning of a planned long distance ride like you're on a time trial, or going for your full average speed in the beginning, in my mind, most won't last. The average speed you mention is also individualized. Some riders will average 20+ MPH over a century ride, some 10 MPH. I myself average about 17 MPH when doing centuries, double-centuries, or triples. If I have a ride planned of 50 miles, I'll average 20+ MPH. Your fluid intake is about the same as mine (also varies from person to person), and generally I'll consume at bare minimum half the calories per hour that I burn (general rule of thumb is 500 - 700 calories per hour burned cycling for someone in the 140 - 160 pound range). I consume things rich in potassium, protein, and at times some caffine and sugars. I also do the Hammer Endurolytes to help keep the electrolytes in balance as well as other energy suppliments.




Typetwelve said:


> No matter what...around the mid 30's, low 40's I'm bonking HARD. I am literally running out of gas. I can take abuse but I can tell you that at this point, going another 60 simply will not happen.


Again - for my money - it's all in how you attack the beginning of the ride. Another thing is how you fueled yourself BEFORE the ride - not just during. Another thing believe it or not is ATTITUDE. I know well this can make or break your ride. If I become irritated out there, unless I calm down, I find I am wasted long before I am when I am in a good mood / good spirits.




Typetwelve said:


> The only thing I can figure out is possible elevation issues. I live in Illinois, but it's a river valley so there is some serious climbing to be found if you seek it out. To leave my home, it basically uphill in almost any direction and then pretty "up, down, up, down" rolling hills after that.


I know in the areas of many rivers and such (especially inland and in somewhat higher elevations than elevations near sea level within 50 miles or so of the coasts), centuries of erosion from the running river does cause elevation changes much more drastic than the surrounding areas. To be honest, I myself HATE climbing, but I do it. I have no choice here in the Piedmont. But if what you said was accurate, the elevation changes over the distances you mention would only be an issue to those used to very flat terrain, which I know from experience is the norm in the mid-west. But as was mentioned in a previous post, flat terrain has it's drawbacks too.




Typetwelve said:


> Yesterday I set out to do 40 and while I accomplished it...I was exhausted. Figuring I was hitting 40 this time last year, I'm literally seeing no gains after all of this training and it's becoming frustrating.


Sorry to reiterate, but it's how you attack the beginning of the ride. Also over-training will tear you down. I don't know if you are trying for too much too soon not knowing what your normal riding is / was. But as with all other disciplines, it takes years. You said you are new at long distance / endurance. Give it time, and don't try for too much too soon. Trust me, your miles WILL increase.




Typetwelve said:


> My elevation change over that 40 miles was 800 ft. Is that high? Low? Average? Should I be seeking more flat terrain if i want to stretch the miles or is this pretty normal?


As I mentioned a couple of paragraphs back, this is low end climbing. Are you sure your figures are correct and you did not typo? I consider my area moderate at 100 - 200 feet of climbing per mile.




Typetwelve said:


> Being new to longer distance riding, I'm pretty ignorant as to how it should be done. Any advice from you more seasoned riders is most welcome!


As this varies from person to person for many reasons, I will not give you mileage figures to shoot for. Listen to your body. Don't ride to complete exhaustion every day. Your body will need more time to recover if you do. Do a max ride maybe once a week, and other days do something in the 75% range, maybe even with a very light day or a complete day off. Listen to your body. All of us (including me) would love to ride more miles and faster. But everyone has limits. I DO hope you start seeing more miles and make some or all of the distances you hope for. For me, long distance / endurance is a kind of addiction. The more I ride, the more I want to ride. I'll miss the cycling miles when I finally get back to work  . Good luck.


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## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

Thanks for the response.

I began all of this back in June 2012. We had a nasty winter/spring here in Illinois and figuring I'm not a cold weather rider, I only managed 100 or so miles outside from Nov-May of this year. Like stated before, the rest was indoor on a trainer and I simply cannot grind out 2hr sessions on that thing like some can.

Long story short...I was impatient with my original post.

Having only been riding road bikes since mid 2012, I simply had no idea what to expect after a winter off. I put in a reply a few days ago that I'm up to a comfortable 50 mile ride with a season max thus far of 75.

Around here, we basically have through Sept with a possibility of Oct until the weather takes a dive so I may have 4-8 weeks left depending on what mother nature chucks at us. 

This winter I'm going to do as I did last year, routine shorter 1 hr or so trainer runs every other day. I'm going to add strength training on my upper body/core (something I didn't do last year) After what I experienced this year, I fully expect to take a step back in the spring (man, I hope we get a spring, unlike this year). I fully expect to tackle my first century next summer.

At this point...I could muster a century if it weren't for a nagging neck/shoulder pain I get after 3 or so hrs on the saddle. I "maxed" at 75 miles Sat and by mile 50, my neck was starting to hurt, by 65 it was down right killing me and by 75 I was finished. I'm fully confident that I could have done 100 but the neck pain was just too much to take at that point (To remark on that, I had a bike fit, own a light helmet and try to adjust my hand position throughout the ride already, the problem is still there though). I'm going to focus on strength training this winter to help control that next year.

My only remaining issue, and something I going to address more aggressively immediately. I'm pretty confident that I did not consume enough calories Sat and it led to me feeling like garbage by hr 4 (the ride took 4:30 BTW, around 16.5mph ave).

Either way, its a work in progress. I've only been actively been road cycling for a TOTAL of 6-7 months spread throughout a 15 month period (yay winter). I don't feel too bad about my progress at this point. While I'd love to be farther along, well, a small thing call life gets in the way. With a busy job, marriage, 5 year old child and this nasty midwestern weather, things just get in the way sometimes.


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## Oldermileeater (Jan 6, 2013)

Typetwelve said:


> Thanks for the response.
> 
> I began all of this back in June 2012. We had a nasty winter/spring here in Illinois and figuring I'm not a cold weather rider, I only managed 100 or so miles outside from Nov-May of this year. Like stated before, the rest was indoor on a trainer and I simply cannot grind out 2hr sessions on that thing like some can.
> 
> ...


I fully expected to be on the road now, but a 30% chance of rain turned into a 100% chance. As I hate cold weather riding (below freezing), I also hate the rain and will avoid it when I am looking at 450 miles of road ahead of me. So I will not start out when it's raining. Hopefully tomorrow I am on my way. So instead of bouncing off the walls waiting for at least a couple of hours today in the saddle (I do not want any days off this month), here I am online.

You are welcome for the response. Still not knowing your age, I would say you are doing okay for only starting last year, and only half of that time being actually active out there. I know of how brutal it can be where you are, and I am sure my miles and winter riding would certainly be far less there than here.

Another thing I'll mention where the individuality thing is concerned (genetics aside), is past serious injuries can also play a big part on physical activities. I have never had a serious injury which is probably a big plus for me when it come to my cycling - etc..

I am by no means a nutrition expert, but I do know a decent amount concerning what the body needs. I do what works for me. Again, this is individuality, and different people fuel themselves in different ways. Because of calories burned, calorie intake is important. Though my intense riding this year has made it difficult to keep up, and my weight is down nearly 20 pounds from my norm. Losing muscle mass is something to watch out for, so I am gorging on calories, protein, potassium as well as the other things to keep the electrolytes in balance. I am confident I will make my mileage goal this year, and to some extent, I am looking forward to october when I will start to drop my miles to about 50% of what I am doing currently. By november and december, I'll be down to 25% or less of my current riding, so I will be able to bulk up just a tad and be ready for 2014. Some of what I mentioned is 'food for thought' (no pun intended). Make sure you are giving your body the nutrients it needs.

I am not a professional rider. I just know what works for me. A couple of friends of mine followed my regimine pretty closely, and they are improving well. One thing I think is important is while 'aggressively' addressing things may be positive, just don't be too aggressive. Over-doing it will be counter-productive, and it is an aggravating frustration when your body will not perform as you want because of over-doing it. Barring any problems, I think you will do your first century in 2014, and it's very possible your miles will shoot up from there (assuming you might want to continue with long distance / endurance riding). I have seen the 50 - 100 mile thing being a kind of barrier many need to get past (seems 70 - 80 miles being most common), and in many cases, once 100 miles had been done a few times, miles went up. It did for me. One of the things is finding your comfort zone (sweet spot if you will), and I discovered I really did not know mine until I was riding centuries routinely. It's a little difficult for me to explain, but it's a small zone where you're not going too slow, but not near or at max. I do it by feel, not looking at my speed on the cyclo-computer. There's a physical 'feel' I go for which is not too relaxed, but not overly fatigued either. The more I try to explain, the more vaigue I get - sorry about that. It's those many hours out there that really got me to know my true comfort zones for different distances. As long as I am not running a race, I hold back a mile an hour or two (believe me, that makes a huge difference in how long you can remain in the saddle), and yet, a couple of mile per hour does not hurt my time much at all.

Again, best of luck. You'll do your century, and then some.


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