First time century strategy?
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Nevada County, California
Posts: 781
Bikes: Subject to change at any given moment but currently is...... Colnago Mapei, Colnago C40, Wilier Triestina Carbon, Wilier Triestina Ramato, Follis 472, Peugeot PX60, Razesa, Orbea Terra, Soma Pescadero and 1/2 owner of a Santana tandem.
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 322 Post(s)
Liked 775 Times
in
261 Posts
First time century strategy?
I’m hoping to attempt my first century this fall after training this coming summer and have a thought to something that might help complete it?
I am fortunate to have two excellent road bikes that I enjoy riding, one is a bit more comfortable on longer rides while the other is a bit faster. I will be supported by the gf who will carry among other things one of these spare bikes in case the primary one has an issue.
Question being would it be an advantage to rotate bikes say every 20 miles to change body position slightly ?
I am fortunate to have two excellent road bikes that I enjoy riding, one is a bit more comfortable on longer rides while the other is a bit faster. I will be supported by the gf who will carry among other things one of these spare bikes in case the primary one has an issue.
Question being would it be an advantage to rotate bikes say every 20 miles to change body position slightly ?
#2
Jedi Master
Everyone I know just uses one bike for a hundred mile bike ride and takes the more comfortable one if they're not too concerned about speed.
Likes For kingston:
#3
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,364
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,664 Times
in
2,497 Posts
Take the more reliable bike
Likes For unterhausen:
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,528
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5220 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times
in
2,331 Posts
#6
Zoom zoom zoom zoom bonk
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 4,623
Bikes: Giant Defy, Trek 1.7c, BMC GF02, Fuji Tahoe, Scott Sub 35, Kona Rove, Trek Verve+2
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 549 Post(s)
Liked 721 Times
in
365 Posts
Leave the GF at home. A car trailing is just an invite to bailout.
Likes For znomit:
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: insane diego, california
Posts: 8,287
Bikes: 85 pinarello treviso steel, 88 nishiki olympic steel. 95 look kg 131 carbon, 11 trek madone 5.2 carbon
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1619 Post(s)
Liked 3,087 Times
in
1,670 Posts
nearly everyone focuses on nutrition but an overlooked aspect is saddle time, foot and body feel. if your body/feet/undercarriage is/are sore as hell after 4 hours and 60+ miles in,
you'll only be thinking about that. get plenty of prior saddle time and loosen the shoes a little. don't forget to stand for 15-30 seconds every 5 miles or so to relieve pressure; keeps
certain muscles fresh and to give certain muscles a little break. if on a descent, look to unweight the saddle as much as possible and ease back on when you've gotta start pedalling again.
try to give equal time to the contact points of the feet, seat and hands. the seat usually takes the brunt of affairs.
you'll only be thinking about that. get plenty of prior saddle time and loosen the shoes a little. don't forget to stand for 15-30 seconds every 5 miles or so to relieve pressure; keeps
certain muscles fresh and to give certain muscles a little break. if on a descent, look to unweight the saddle as much as possible and ease back on when you've gotta start pedalling again.
try to give equal time to the contact points of the feet, seat and hands. the seat usually takes the brunt of affairs.
Likes For diphthong:
#8
Banned.
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 262
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 139 Post(s)
Liked 136 Times
in
72 Posts
nearly everyone focuses on nutrition but an overlooked aspect is saddle time, foot and body feel. if your body/feet/undercarriage is/are sore as hell after 4 hours and 60+ miles in,
you'll only be thinking about that. get plenty of prior saddle time and loosen the shoes a little. don't forget to stand for 15-30 seconds every 5 miles or so to relieve pressure; keeps
certain muscles fresh and to give certain muscles a little break. if on a descent, look to unweight the saddle as much as possible and ease back on when you've gotta start pedalling again.
try to give equal time to the contact points of the feet, seat and hands. the seat usually takes the brunt of affairs.
you'll only be thinking about that. get plenty of prior saddle time and loosen the shoes a little. don't forget to stand for 15-30 seconds every 5 miles or so to relieve pressure; keeps
certain muscles fresh and to give certain muscles a little break. if on a descent, look to unweight the saddle as much as possible and ease back on when you've gotta start pedalling again.
try to give equal time to the contact points of the feet, seat and hands. the seat usually takes the brunt of affairs.
There's no rule that says you have to ride 100 miles straight through. There's also no rule that says you have to suffer (more than you have to). A few short breaks along the way will dramatically increase your overall comfort.
Yes, a century is still hard. It's not supposed to be easy. However, there are ways to make it less painful and more enjoyable. Have fun!!!
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Hacienda Hgts
Posts: 2,084
Bikes: 1999 Schwinn Peloton Ultegra 10, Kestrel RT-1000 Ultegra, Trek Marlin 6 Deore 29'er
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 811 Post(s)
Liked 1,947 Times
in
937 Posts
Simply by shifting your hand placement positions i.e. hoods, drops, tops, hooks, ramps and the top of the brifters, you will be changing your postures. Ride the more comfortable bike all the way through. Go through this bike and check if you can improve it i.e. endurance saddle? Thicker bar tape? Hood positioning, saddle height/fore-aft, 28 mm tires instead of 25 mm tires? Stretch on your breaks including your shoulders.
Last edited by CAT7RDR; 05-11-20 at 03:35 PM.
#10
Full Member
#1 : The best thing you can do to prepare is to get a proper professional fit. I'd rather ride 500k on a bike that fits perfectly than swap out bikes that fit well. A tiny adjustment in crank length, saddle positioning, bar height, etc. can be imperceptible for 25 miles but a deal maker/breaker at 100+.
#2 : If it's your first century, ignore all the folks who talk about pushing through the first rest stop" and take breaks at every opportunity. Walk around, stretch a little--even if you aren't tired. It's more about breaking up the stress of sitting in the same position for 4-7 hours of riding.
#3 : Apply and reapply chamois cream
Have fun!
#2 : If it's your first century, ignore all the folks who talk about pushing through the first rest stop" and take breaks at every opportunity. Walk around, stretch a little--even if you aren't tired. It's more about breaking up the stress of sitting in the same position for 4-7 hours of riding.
#3 : Apply and reapply chamois cream
Have fun!
Likes For cormacf:
#11
working on my sandal tan
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625
Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)
Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times
in
1,574 Posts
I’m hoping to attempt my first century this fall after training this coming summer and have a thought to something that might help complete it?
I am fortunate to have two excellent road bikes that I enjoy riding, one is a bit more comfortable on longer rides while the other is a bit faster. I will be supported by the gf who will carry among other things one of these spare bikes in case the primary one has an issue.
Question being would it be an advantage to rotate bikes say every 20 miles to change body position slightly ?
I am fortunate to have two excellent road bikes that I enjoy riding, one is a bit more comfortable on longer rides while the other is a bit faster. I will be supported by the gf who will carry among other things one of these spare bikes in case the primary one has an issue.
Question being would it be an advantage to rotate bikes say every 20 miles to change body position slightly ?
#12
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,364
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,664 Times
in
2,497 Posts
Start eating at no later than 20 miles. Lots of people don't eat and get to 50 miles and feel like warmed over dog poop
Likes For unterhausen:
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,116
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times
in
1,122 Posts
Everything here was good.
But your mental attitude is important too. Set several individual goals. I never think about how far it is to the end point, that can be too overwhelming. On a brevet, I only think about how far to the next control. You might set several individual goals for where you will stop and take a short break, could be a wayside rest, could be a convenience store that sells junk food.
A saddle can feel very comfortable for an hour or two, but hours later it might feel like a torture device. Try to get some longer rides in to make sure your saddle works for you.
Plan to adjust clothing as you ride, if you have too many layers on and sweat more, that is more hydration you need. If you shed layers, how will they be carried?
Plan for how often you add sunscreen.
Do you have a plan for rain? If your plan for rain is to delay your ride, that is in fact a plan. But if you do not have a plan for adverse weather, it likely will be adverse.
But your mental attitude is important too. Set several individual goals. I never think about how far it is to the end point, that can be too overwhelming. On a brevet, I only think about how far to the next control. You might set several individual goals for where you will stop and take a short break, could be a wayside rest, could be a convenience store that sells junk food.
A saddle can feel very comfortable for an hour or two, but hours later it might feel like a torture device. Try to get some longer rides in to make sure your saddle works for you.
Plan to adjust clothing as you ride, if you have too many layers on and sweat more, that is more hydration you need. If you shed layers, how will they be carried?
Plan for how often you add sunscreen.
Do you have a plan for rain? If your plan for rain is to delay your ride, that is in fact a plan. But if you do not have a plan for adverse weather, it likely will be adverse.
#14
Non omnino gravis
My recommendation for a first-timer is a loop route-- starting and ending at your house-- of ~34 miles. For your first imperial century, I recommend keeping the elevation gain to a relative minimum-- say ~4,000ft of total gain, around 1,200-1,400ft per loop at the most. Ride it three times. If you decide "today is not the day," and bail after two loops, you've still ridden a metric. The first two loops will be easy. The last twenty miles (at least for me) is when I start asking myself unanswerable questions. Even now, after having done my fair share of them.
There's nothing magic about that hundred number-- my first time out I didn't do a loop, took some wrong turns, and ended up with 109 miles-- it's more about the mental aspect of it than the physical. Pretty much anyone could get on a bike and ride a hundred miles if given no set time limit. You could do a barely-putting-in-effort pace around a park for 12 hours and knock one out if you could handle the sheer monotony of it.
There's nothing magic about that hundred number-- my first time out I didn't do a loop, took some wrong turns, and ended up with 109 miles-- it's more about the mental aspect of it than the physical. Pretty much anyone could get on a bike and ride a hundred miles if given no set time limit. You could do a barely-putting-in-effort pace around a park for 12 hours and knock one out if you could handle the sheer monotony of it.
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Hacienda Hgts
Posts: 2,084
Bikes: 1999 Schwinn Peloton Ultegra 10, Kestrel RT-1000 Ultegra, Trek Marlin 6 Deore 29'er
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 811 Post(s)
Liked 1,947 Times
in
937 Posts
If the scenery is not captivating to me, riding 100+ miles becomes a chore rather than enjoyment. Also a rough series of roads would be a deal breaker. Give me smooth tarmac and landscapes I can get lost in and 6-7 hours on a bike will fly by.
Likes For CAT7RDR:
#16
Senior Member
My recommendation for a first-timer is a loop route-- starting and ending at your house-- of ~34 miles. For your first imperial century, I recommend keeping the elevation gain to a relative minimum-- say ~4,000ft of total gain, around 1,200-1,400ft per loop at the most. Ride it three times. If you decide "today is not the day," and bail after two loops, you've still ridden a metric. The first two loops will be easy. The last twenty miles (at least for me) is when I start asking myself unanswerable questions. Even now, after having done my fair share of them.
Likes For clasher:
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: insane diego, california
Posts: 8,287
Bikes: 85 pinarello treviso steel, 88 nishiki olympic steel. 95 look kg 131 carbon, 11 trek madone 5.2 carbon
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1619 Post(s)
Liked 3,087 Times
in
1,670 Posts
couldn't agree more. pick a super scenic stretch if you can. stock the conveniently parked car with snacks and drinks.
#18
Full Member
Also, say hi to Hacienda Heights for me. I got married at the Hsi Lai temple there!
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Paradise, TX
Posts: 2,087
Bikes: Soma Pescadero, Surly Pugsley, Salsa Fargo, Schwinn Klunker, Gravity SS 27.5, Monocog 29er
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 186 Post(s)
Liked 234 Times
in
166 Posts
Get in a paceline and finish by lunchtime. The Hotter than Hell 100 has people out there getting sick every year because they haven't trained for it and end up out in the afternoon August Texas heat (that they also haven't trained for). If you ride an hour a day every day, you just need to add a long weekend ride to build up in the weeks before your century. Do a 100k the week before, 50 miler the week before that, and at least 40 every weekend you can.
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Nor Cal
Posts: 6,016
Mentioned: 17 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1814 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 923 Times
in
569 Posts
I’m hoping to attempt my first century this fall after training this coming summer and have a thought to something that might help complete it?
I am fortunate to have two excellent road bikes that I enjoy riding, one is a bit more comfortable on longer rides while the other is a bit faster. I will be supported by the gf who will carry among other things one of these spare bikes in case the primary one has an issue.
Question being would it be an advantage to rotate bikes say every 20 miles to change body position slightly ?
I am fortunate to have two excellent road bikes that I enjoy riding, one is a bit more comfortable on longer rides while the other is a bit faster. I will be supported by the gf who will carry among other things one of these spare bikes in case the primary one has an issue.
Question being would it be an advantage to rotate bikes say every 20 miles to change body position slightly ?
IDK if the bike change matters, but chunking into 20 mile segments can be good...