Originally Posted by
Hunterdog
I have signed up for a charity century in the middle September and am looking for advice on prep and what to take on the ride. I am currently riding about 60 - 75 miles per week. Longest ride is 53 miles with minimal breaks. Any advice on prep and what I should take (nutrition, etc) on the ride would be great.
I have ridden as a solo rider on a few charity centuries, and a few self-supported ones. To train, I follow a 10-week Century training program originally published in Bicycling Magazine with increasing mileage from about 100 to 190 miles per week over that period. I find the time by incorporating training into extended commuting.
A basic advice is I keep in mind during the century is “Ride my own pace,” in particular not too fast at the beginning, and ride the entire route at a pace comfortable for me. Even when I pick up with another rider, I make it clear that’s my rule if our paces are not compatible.
Originally Posted by
Terex
Yep. "Ride more" is pretty much the answer to every cycling related question ever posted here… At 50+, you're probably out of your depth. You'll be able to do 70, no problem, but your body will not be prepared for 100. My recommendation - draft someone the entire way. Good luck.
Another strategy on charity rides done by myself, is to start early and perhaps be picked up by a group riding at a suitable pace and ask to draft with them. That adds a kick to my pace, but quite often I fall slightly behind at turning a corner, and its amazing how a slight drop behind can be impossible to catch-up, attesting to the value of drafting. Also, you might catch-up to a slightly slower rider and draft him/her, and they could reciprocate, synergizing both of you. But always,“Ride your own pace.”
Originally Posted by
Biker395
…As for the century itself, I'd say:
Even though riding 100 miles is your goal, don't ride it looking at the odometer the whole time,counting off the miles until the end. That will make it seem totake forever. Just get on the bike and ride. Enjoy the scenery. Chat with other riders. And before you know it, you'll be done.
I think it's human nature to be goal oriented. And at the end of a long ride,you find yourself counting off the miles as if there is some kind of goal to be achieved. Mentally, that negatively affects your enjoyment.
One day, I got to thinking: I love cycling. I think about it when I should be thinking about other things (e.g. work). I sit around and look at pictures ofmy friends and I on our cycling adventures. Given all that WHY am I ticking off the last few miles as if I'm glad to be done with it?
So instead, I try to focus on being in the moment and enjoying what I'm doing.
Frankly, I’m a mileage junkie, and I like to think of the century as five 20-mile rides, or particularly near the end as ten 10-milers.Nonetheless, @Biker395, your comment about being in the moment is well said. I can remember being on long tours thinking to myself that when I get back to work, sitting at a desk, how I’ll wish I was back out here on the Road. 
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 08-05-16 at 06:15 AM.