Training tips for a long bike ride.

sparkychris

How do?

Got a bit tipsy the other night and agreed to take part in a 100 mile bike ride which will be very hilly.

I'm new to cycling and got up to 50 miles a few weeks ago but doe to a new job, bad weather and at least 5 more excellent excuses I've not been riding since.

Did 15 miles this morning and it was like being back at square 1!

So - I get in at about half six every night and am going to go out then. I can't go to work as it's an 80 mile round trip but will be doing what I can at weekends.

My main question is when do I eat my dinner?! Before or after a ride? And do I have to let it settle? I had four bits of toast this morning and went out straight away and had a stitch the whole time!

Also, is it beneficial to have rest days or do I just have to do at least a bit every day? (I have a trainer thing for when the weather's bad but it's soooooo boring!)

Any tips hugely welcome as I would like to be as fit as possible for the end of September so that rather than slog my way round it on the brink of death, I can take it in my stride and enjoy it!

brat

I'd be trying to do part of your commute by bike if that's possible. If that's not possible you should be trying at least 3 rides (with some hills) during the weekday evenings of 1.5 hours or so, and one longer one at the weekend, gradually building up your distance. For 100 miles, you should be aiming to have done an 80 miler at least before the event, to give you reasonable confidence that you can do the big one when it comes round.

I'm no nutritionist, and much depends on your own weight/metabolism/fitness/age etc, but if I'm doing a 60+ miler I tend to have cereal and poached eggs on toast about an hour before I go out. I also stick some loosely covered flapjack pieces in my back pocket. Make sure you have enough liquid to drink too. I'm not too fussed about specialist isotonic drinks, I have Ribena usually, but keeping hydrated is very important, especially if it's warm.

I'm just in from a 60 miler, (17 degrees) and I used 750ml of liquid (and 300ml of coffee), and for me that was about right. If you're heavier built, you'll need more. I stuck two cereal bars in my pocket, but only ate one.

I also make sure I have lots to eat and drink when I get home. I'm not particularly fussy about what I eat, but I stay away from biscuits and chocolate. I'm sure that others will have a better handle on nutrition than me, but what I do works for me, and I've knocked up nearly 2000 miles since the start of May.

Well done for taking on the challenge. 100 miles on a bike is a bucket lister for many, so good on you!

The other think to do is make sure your bike is up to the task. Last month I had to fix a broken chain for a lad who was 10 miles into the Fred Whitton Sportive. He must've known his chain needed replacing, but chose to take the chance on one of the wickedest sportives. He had been waiting over an hour before I happened to pass with a chain link

sparkychris

Cheers for that.

I didn't think about the state of my bike! It was bought second hand from a bike fan so although it looks like it's been well maintained, I think I'll get it looked at as it'll now be worrying me!

It's the redlionride.org.uk if you're curious...

I'm going to have eggs this morning, leave it a bit, then do my ride. Yesterday was a killer. Bad choice of clothing too...

I'm going to do the same loop as yesterday - with the option of sticking a few miles on the end if I don't have a stitch and am not drenched in sweat!

Keep_pedalling

As for eating on a ride that long, do it little & often, and take in plenty of fluids. I tend to carb up the night before then just have my normal light breakfast, and nibble on nuts dried apricots and the odd energy bar, unless there are cafes on route where tea and cake, beans ob toast or a nice bowl of pasta are the order of the day.

I have a 200km ride next Sunday, will be taking 2 bottles with energy drink plus powder to make up refills. There will be 3 cafe stops, so I will just take nuts and dried fruit for in-between nibbles.

Looks like you will be starting very early when it could be quite chilly but don't start out with thick clothing, several layers is best so you can remove each of them as conditions warm up. And don't wear cotton it soaks up the sweat, which will make you cold once you stop, and you may never feel warm again during the ride.

elverson

Try using the Strava free mobile app to log your rides - it tracks your distance , time and climbing and makes it easy to see how you're progressing, especially if you regularly train over the same route.

For a long ride there's no substitute for getting the miles in, but if you only have an hour one evening after work, go to your nearest substantial hill and try to do five loops up and down in a row. As you get stronger and faster at climbing, your performance on the flat should improve automatically because it's easier.

Will you be doing the ride with friends? If so then get together with them for training - you can motivate each other and it'll feel less like hard work.

It might also be worth signing up for a shorter 50-60 mile organised event in July or August before the big one as a 'stepping stone' - completing this will give you confidence for the 100 miles.

You don't necessarily need 'all the gear' - do what works for you and your budget - my bike group often goes for 100 plus miles on hybrid bikes, wearing cotton, eating normal food and drinking Lucozade Sport.

Have a look at the Audax UK tips as well - http://www.aukweb.net/hints/

Good luck!

Dan83

Good luck on your ride. I can't offer any advice.

I'm doing the 25 mile Liverpool to Chester ride tomorrow. Not really compare able to your 100 miles but considering I only started riding in mid April, I think me doing quite well. I ride 3 times a week, 2 X 2.6 miles and 1 X 10.6 miles.

I can also recommend strava. You can set up check points on the computer version and time yourself from point A to point B, along you fav stretch of road or up the steepest hill or what ever.

AndyBSG

There's two things you need to train for, the first one is the distance and the second is the hills/climbs.

Distance is easy, as long as you get out 2 or 3 times a week and build up so you can get in a couple of rides around 60-70 miles the distance shouldn't be an issue(I tended to find that once I could cycle circa 30 miles comfortably then upping the distance didn't become too tough)

I used this plan for my first big bike ride and found that I was more than ready for the distance.

http://www.londonbrightoncycle.co.uk/itinerary.aspx

For the climbs though you will need to do some specific training. When I did my first long ride I found the distance no issue but I really did struggle with a few of the climbs(not helped by the fact i'm a big lad at 15 stone).

Find a nice steep hill near you and spend about an hour week just cycling up and back down it as fast as you can. It'll get you used to the completely different pace and cadence of climbs as well as getting you used to knowing which gears to use.

Hopefully the distance training will also see you drop a bit of weight before the big ride which will make all the difference

Also, making sure you keep your energy levels topped up is a big thing on a distance ride because if you suddenly find yourself hitting the wall even if you do eat it'll take a while before your body absorbs the energy.

I don't waste time with those energy gels but I make sure I have Jelly Babies and Nuts to hand and try to have a handful of each every 40-60 minutes

sparkychris

Morning team!

Thanks for all these tips... I wonder if the two previous posters will find this and update on their rides?

I'm going to confess... I haven't started training yet! My excuse is that I've been working 7 days a week since my first post and with an 80 mile round trip.

Finished that Friday and from Monday I'll be working about 25 miles away which is perfect. I'm planning on driving to work with my bike in the car, biking home and back to work in the morning. (Not every day!)

Went on a run yesterday, following the advice on here re carbing up the night before and eating hourly cereal bars and clocked up 73 miles @ 14.5mph, which I was quite pleased with. But that was my absolute limit. I was about 10 miles from home and had to ring Mrs sparky for a lift! I was doing really well but at about 65 miles almost instantly ran out of legs. It felt like I was cycling through treacle with two flat tyres!

Am going to start training this week as I will have loads of free time and I don't want to fail at this...

Will keep you all posted!

Johnmcl7

That's a cracking effort and not far off doing a century, I think you'll be fine with a few more cycles.

For me, one of the important parts of doing long rides was making sure I wasn't wasting energy as I had a tendency to stand on the pedals and push hard up hills rather than just drop a few years and keep a decent cadence. I have my garmin set to show the current gradient and I find it useful in showing when I'm on slight up or down hills to know when to drop a couple of gears and ease off or move up the gear range and push harder. It feels slower but it's usually faster and I know I can maintain the pace for far longer.

Haydee_Milera

Nice! I've been thinking of going back on track because when I stopped, I gained a lot. Now I'm definitely going back!

elverson

Does your event include mechanical support? If not then make sure you can handle a puncture.

A frame-mounted pump and a saddle bag with spare tube and tools will be easier than using a backpack.

Good luck with it all!