Originally Posted by
groverdill
OK folks, I’ve got some feedback for you based on the tips you all gave me. I took a 28 mile ride on the local trail today, and I utilized the tips and tricks from this post. Brilliant! The last time I rode the 28 mile trail I bonked hard and almost didn’t make it back. I hadn’t ridden in a while, and all I took was one bottle of water. Wasn’t pretty. But today, I paced myself, took extra water and Gatorade, and some protein bars and other snacks. I had a hearty breakfast, I drank before I was thirsty, I snacked every 30 minutes, I stopped to stretch occasionally, and I changed positions. I figure if those tips would work on a hundred mile ride they should work for a shorter ride too. And they did! I got back from the ride with energy to spare. I’m at 88 miles for the past 5 days, so I’m going to go do those last 12 later today. Finishing my hundred for the week with 2 days to spare, thanks to your advice. Now I’m more confident than ever about completing a century ride in one day. Thank you everyone!
Mike
28 miles is a bit less than a 2 hour ride for me. Less than 1.5 hours I'll usually not bring anything other than water, longer than that I'll eat a bar or gel every 30 minutes, maybe skip the last one. You won't learn much that will be of use on a century on a ride shorter than 50 miles.
That said, there are a couple of issues I've run into on 100 mile rides and not 50 mile rides:
- Shoe fit: not sure what it is, but shoes can get really uncomfortable after a few hours. I thought my feet were swelling, then I measured before and after a long ride and they shrank. Don't know what it is, but it can really derail an otherwise great ride.
- Stomach capacity: I can eat a Clif bar every half hour for about 4 hours before I start running into issues. 6-8 hours can be a real problem. Gels are more compact, alternating is probably best. Fluids move more quickly, you don't need to think as much about that. Just drink anytime you have an excuse, or want an excuse, to drink. A sip every 3-5 minutes is probably about right. My water consumption varies drastically with temperature, from less than half a bottle per hour to about 2 bottles per hour. I'll usually start with 2 bottles of water and if I stop to refill I usually refill with 1 water and 1 Gatorade.
As far as pacing, I'll break slightly with the common wisdom. Figure your normal average speed, divide 100 miles by that to figure out how long it should take you, and set out at a pace you think you can maintain for one hour longer than that. Part of getting tired is how hard you're working, part is how long. Pushing harder will get you to the end faster, if you can maintain it.
Good luck! I think 100k is my favorite distance to ride, but 100 miles is a nice full day out on the bike (for me). I think I'm going to try to get at least one imperial century each month from May to November this year.