# preparing for my first century



## yuris (Oct 4, 2011)

Hi guys, i signed up for my first century ride in 2 weeks. Longest ride i've done thus far was 75 miles. probably as steep as century route is going to be, though two long breaks in the middle. 
I am thinking on how to prepare best in the time left. This weekend i am planning to ride as much as my schedule/weather will permit. No time to ride during the week unfortunately. Saturday right before the event i am thinking of skipping any riding at all, maybe do some swimming instead. 
Does this sound like a good plan? Any other tips?

Thanks


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## icsloppl (Aug 25, 2009)

If it was me...

The weekend before ride both days as far as you can, say 70 miles each day. The cumulative stress will be somewhat similar to a single 100 mile ride.

The week prior do something, ride or run, at least on Tuesday and Thursday. It should be moderate intensity for as long as time allows. If you do hard the weekend prior then do nothing all week, the next weekend will not likely go so well.

On the day prior do spinning ride 10-15 miles at a high cadence and low effort.

On the ride expect to suffer to some extent but be aware of what your body is telling you. Take your breaks, stretch when possible and drink too much to prevent cramps. If you're fatigued you can still finish. Serious cramping on the other hand can stop you cold. 

Good luck.


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## drodrigueznyc (Mar 30, 2012)

all good points... 

Don't forget...lots of stretching... no major changes in your current setup (like new shoes, saddle, or experiment with new foods, etc)

get fully hydrated.. prepare your snacks, fluids, etc ahead of time.. lots of small chewable snacks work well for me...(figs, cliffbars, etc)

if it's really hot I usually freeze my bottles filled with gatorade a day or two in advance.

if this is an organized event with scheduled rest stops offering snacks, fruit, etc than no need to carry around a huge inventory from home..

stay away from alcohol or any foods that take too long to digest..

lube the chain, check the tires, brakes, etc one or two days in advance and not on the morning of... prepare your clothes too. the main thing is to get a good night sleep and not scramble in the morning..

pace yourself. If you're riding alone find a small group that is riding at your pace. You'll meet a lot of nice people there..

most of all, have fun! these things are awesome!


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## RoadrunnerLXXI (Jun 3, 2012)

When I bike my first century last summer, the max distance I biked was 40 miles. I wasn't shooting for any particular time except for finishing.


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## Teo (Aug 10, 2004)

Planning to do my first century in two weeks also, Cool Breeze. Longest I've ever done so far is 63 miles, this past weekend. Felt surprisingly well after that ride. All good points mentioned above.


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## RoadrunnerLXXI (Jun 3, 2012)

Make sure you slab on some body butter so you don't get saddle soreness along with sunscreen for protection from the sun.


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## yuris (Oct 4, 2011)

thanks for the tips!
interesting about pre-freezing the water - perhaps I will freeze one or two bottles night before the ride. Heat and humidity is a major concern.
As about body butter - i never used it before, not sure if I should for that ride.


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## ibeamcarver (Jul 1, 2011)

I've posted this before, but here you go again.
Don't take too long at rest stops. 5 minutes or less is good for me. You don't want to cool down too much.


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## RoadrunnerLXXI (Jun 3, 2012)

That was my thought when I first heard of it. But after repeatedly getting sore rear end on long rides, I went to Target and got some. Definitely helped to eliminate any friction. Especially when your bike shorts are soak from sweat, which I do believe is causing my saddle soreness due to the salt in the sweat crystallizing once it dry from you stopping for a food break at a station.


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## laffeaux (Dec 12, 2001)

yuris said:


> As about body butter - i never used it before, not sure if I should for that ride.


If you've not used it and never needed it, don't bother. On multi-day rides I use it, but for a single event I don't need it.

The advice of others has been good. The week before I'd only do one easy ride. I prefer not to ride the day before, but a couple of days before. Take it easy so that you come in well rested.

The main think to keep in mind is to eat and drink. If you've already ridden 70 miles, you can do 100 miles. However, if you run out of food or water you'll be hurting. Stop at the rest areas and have something - even if you're not hungry - eat a banana, or cookie, or something. As long as you keep up your energy reserves you should be fine.


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## yuris (Oct 4, 2011)

ibeamcarver said:


> I've posted this before, but here you go again.
> Don't take too long at rest stops. 5 minutes or less is good for me. You don't want to cool down too much.


could you please elaborate on this? I've only done one organised ride so far, mostly riding in a group. rest stops was much longer, perhaps 15 minutes or so.


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## RoadrunnerLXXI (Jun 3, 2012)

I don't know about your century ride, but the one I have coming up have lunch break stop to fully refuel. I think what ibeam meant by his statement is in order to stay loose, don't take loooong breaks.


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## professionalsql (Apr 5, 2012)

A few things from my list:

I agree with Ibeam - short breaks. A rule of thumb my team uses is less than 5, or over 20. Personally, less than 5 is the right thing - if I go longer, I'm never the same again that ride. Get into the stop, do your business, and get out. More than 5 is fine to a point as long as you're moving the whole time and keeping loose.

I wouldn't do any ride over 50% of your event length (in this case, nothing over 50 miles) the full week prior to the event. You're done trying to build yourself up - instead, you're just trying not to lose any ground while letting your body get healthy.

Find out what foods/bars/etc. are going to be provided on the ride (since it's a supported ride), and try those BEFORE the day of the event. Different people react to different foods in different ways - you don't want to find out on race day that whatever they are offering is going to just run through you. 

Nothing new on race day: The bike tune up someone else recommended is good, but only if you get it right away. You don't want your event ride to be the first one after anything was done to your bike.


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## steviej (Aug 15, 2012)

For my first century, I biked about 80 miles the weekend before and then tapered quite a bit the rest of the week. I think I might have done an easy 20 miles total during the week before.

I agree with the comment above about not breaking for too long. My buddy wanted to stop for 20 minutes at the first rest stop. My legs felt like cement once we got back on the bikes. After that, I only rested for a few minutes at the other stops.


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## RyleyinSTL (Aug 6, 2012)

Did a few centuries this summer during RAGBRI. If I use that as a metric for advice I would say stop every 10 to 15 miles, eat some pie and wash it down with 2 beers and a liter of sports drink. Repeat this until you clock 100 miles.

But not everyone wants to take 8hrs......so, assuming your legs and arse are up to the task, it's all about pacing properly and managing your fluid/nutrition intake appropriately so that you can complete the distance. What kind of fluids and nutrition do you use/take when doing other activities like running or swimming? Use those when cycling as you already know they work. If the route is urban and/or you will be passing by towns, you can plan to hit up stores ect so that you don't really need to pack much of it with you.

If you trained you will be fine and can complete. Just listen to your body like you would when doing other aerobic actives. Lastly I'd say limit rest stops to 10 minutes or less to keep things from getting tight and don't forget to eat a big lunch.


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## tanksl (Aug 30, 2011)

wanted to start thread, but too new. My q is appropriate for this one, though. What is the hydration/nutrition strategy during ride for centuries, in particular unsupported ones? I get that my body will tell me when to eat and drink, but is there any sort of plan people have? Something like every ten miles I eat two shot blocks or something?


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## yuris (Oct 4, 2011)

tanksl said:


> wanted to start thread, but too new. My q is appropriate for this one, though. What is the hydration/nutrition strategy during ride for centuries, in particular unsupported ones? I get that my body will tell me when to eat and drink, but is there any sort of plan people have? Something like every ten miles I eat two shot blocks or something?


When I am riding solo, every 15-20 miles I will get bar or whatever else I have. Also if i feel too tired i will consume a gel whenever. I am pretty sure others might give you more detailed advice. And sip water every now and then even if you arent thirsty.


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

tanksl said:


> wanted to start thread, but too new. My q is appropriate for this one, though. What is the hydration/nutrition strategy during ride for centuries, in particular unsupported ones? I get that my body will tell me when to eat and drink, but is there any sort of plan people have? Something like every ten miles I eat two shot blocks or something?


Drink before you are thirsty. On a hot day maybe two bottles an hour.


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