CalPastor

I currently ride 100+ miles a week. Usually 3 25 milers, a 40 miler, and maybe a 10 if I have time or get bored. I average 15.5 to 16.5 depending on the day.

I'd like to ride in the Tour De Fresno in September...I'm sure the 100 mile ride is too much mostly because of the climbing but was considering the 75 mile with less climbing. I could also opt for a 50 mile that's flat.

How do you know you're ready? Apart from actually doing a test run of the course?

evand

Look at the routes many have bail out options along the way. Start off with a higher goal adjust if needed.

youcoming

Conventional thinking is, if you can do 75% of the distance you should have no issue. When I first started I found the 75 mile point to be a wall and the last 25 brutal but I did it and felt great for doing so. I say if you think you are ready give the full 100 a try, you can always bail out.

Black wallnut 

You can do 40; how do you feel afterward? Can you do 50? 60? If you can do 60 and feel you can do more, lots more then you should be ale to do 100 if there are other cyclists along. A supported ride in my experience is easier than my unsupported training rides. One huge difference is the number and length of stops. In my training I seldom stop and if I do it is for a very short time. If you have a riding partner then you might be able to go farther. I can tell you that on my first century my legs and lungs were ready. My neck and arms were not.

TrojanHorse

I was riding what you're riding and then up and went 75 miles one day on a lark. Going from 40 to 100 might be a stretch but if you can find a way to ride a 70 miler some time before you should be in good shape.

mprelaw

Agreed. You're ready for the 75 right now. As long as you're not doing all of your 25-40 milers on the flats.

In big events like this, other riders help pull you along and make the miles go by faster---at least in your head.

bigfred 

You're obviously already capable of doing 50. 75 may not be comfortable, but, chances are that with your current fitness you'll be able to complete it. 100? I would suggest more time than you have available between now and the event for preperation. Idealy you add 10 or so miles to your long ride each weekend up to 90 or 100 then taper off for a couple weeks before the century. The 75% rule works fine when you're consistantly doing that distance or close to it. Not so great when you're on an extremely excellerated program to reach that total withing a week of the target event.

VegasVic

If you can do 75, then you can certainly do 100.

FFS, just go for it!

PhotoJoe 

Ride report and pix! And enjoy the ride. You'll do great!

sstorkel

Distance is pretty easy to handle... if the ride is flat. If you can ride for four hours at a moderate pace and do it two days in a row, you can probably ride all day at that same pace. That's the rule I used when preparing for my SF->LA tour and it worked out very well for me.

Climbing is usually the bigger challenge. I'd suggest making sure that you've done training rides that include at least 70% of the elevation gain you'll expect to see on the ride. For example, if your ride will have 4000ft of climbing make sure that you've done rides that include at least 3000 feet of climbing. If there are any long, extended climbs if might not be a bad idea to pre-ride them, if possible. Most of climbing is mental, so having knowledge of the climb and being able to pace yourself properly is an advantage, I find.