century 2nd attempt

newbie here, try to complete a century coming July 22. It is an easy
course, basically flat. Last year's story, life was good for the first
60 Km(lunch stop). but things went downhill after that, I was
dehydrated, legs cramped a little bit, running on empty but with a
full stomach, the heat was on, head wind picked up, making it a very
tough ride for the next 30 km(rest stop). took an hour break to get
rehydrated and, then took a short cut back to finish total about 110
km in 9 hours.
Can anyone advise me on how to plan for a long ride like this, how
much and when to eat, when to break,when to push and when to take it
easy. There is rest stops every 20 to 30 km. lunch stop is at 60 km.
Ride start at 8 a.m. Just want to plan ahead so the whole thing be
more enjoyable this time.

Full course map http://www.bikeclub.ca/library/pdfs/TDA_map_2006.pdf

The biggest things I've learned is to ride at a very mellow pace, especially
at first, and secondly, eat and hydrate early and often. You're in this
ride for the long haul. Burning yourself out by going to fast will
definitely cause problems. One of our friends says that her best century
advice is "Must eat like pig" - not sure it has to be that extreme.

The other thing is to make sure you are comfortably doing enough base miles.
Can you consistently ride 50-60 miles now without dying? It seems like a
rule of thumb I've heard is that you can double your "normal" mileage for a
bigger event like this if you ride it right (mellow pace and proper eating
and hydration).

I don't have any really specific plans like how much to eat and when.
Someone else may be able to help with more detail.

Good luck! A century is very doable- it's more the mental hurdle than
anything.
Lyle

wrote in message Can anyone advise me on how to
plan for a long ride like this, how
much and when to eat, when to break,when to push and when to take it
easy. There is rest stops every 20 to 30 km. lunch stop is at 60 km.
Ride start at 8 a.m. Just want to plan ahead so the whole thing be
more enjoyable this time.

On Jun 30, 10:26 pm, wrote:
newbie here, try to complete a century coming July 22. It is an easy
course, basically flat. Last year's story, life was good for the first
60 Km(lunch stop). but things went downhill after that, I was
dehydrated, legs cramped a little bit, running on empty but with a
full stomach, the heat was on, head wind picked up, making it a very
tough ride for the next 30 km(rest stop). took an hour break to get
rehydrated and, then took a short cut back to finish total about 110
km in 9 hours.
Can anyone advise me on how to plan for a long ride like this, how
much and when to eat, when to break,when to push and when to take it
easy. There is rest stops every 20 to 30 km. lunch stop is at 60 km.
Ride start at 8 a.m. Just want to plan ahead so the whole thing be
more enjoyable this time.

Full course maphttp://www.bikeclub.ca/library/pdfs/TDA_map_2006.pdf

Slow and steady right from the start is pretty much mandatory. Often
people will get psyched up and go out too hard. You should think of
the first 20k or so as a warm up and ease into the day. Resist the
temptation to ride with people that want to go faster than you should
- no matter how cute or how good of a conversationalist.

As far as the eating and drinking, do it constantly. If you're
thirsty or hungry you're already into the red zone. Pre-emptive
refueling is a must - nibbles and sips the whole way. Don't spend too
much time at the rest stops as your muscles will start tightening up.
Depending on how many base miles you've been riding each week in
preparation, you might want to consider skipping a rest stop or two.
Unless you're out of food or water - and that should _never_ happen -
and have to stop, the rest stop can interrupt your rhythm and be more
of a liability than an asset.

Mentally, you should break the day up into two parts - before and
after lunch - as you'll most likely take a longer break for lunch,
rest and schmoozing with those cute conversationalists. The after-
lunch startup should be approached the same way the day started - slow
and easy.

If you're riding 20 or 30 miles a few times a week, and can ride 60 or
65 miles comfortably, the century shouldn't be a problem. If you're
not putting in enough training miles, the century goal might be a bit
painful to achieve.

You didn't mention what sort of bike you're riding. While there are
people that ride road centuries on mountain bikes, a road bike is a
helluva lot easier. Spinning up those fat, heavy wheels takes a lot
of energy which doesn't make the miles any easier.

R

In article dhMhi.829$4e5.288@trndny07,
says...
The biggest things I've learned is to ride at a very mellow pace, especially
at first, and secondly, eat and hydrate early and often. You're in this
ride for the long haul. Burning yourself out by going to fast will
definitely cause problems. One of our friends says that her best century
advice is "Must eat like pig" - not sure it has to be that extreme.

The other thing is to make sure you are comfortably doing enough base miles.
Can you consistently ride 50-60 miles now without dying? It seems like a
rule of thumb I've heard is that you can double your "normal" mileage for a
bigger event like this if you ride it right (mellow pace and proper eating
and hydration).

Doubling your mileage seems like a stretch, though some may be able to
do it. I have found that a 50% increase is more realistic for me. so
if my longest ride within a month or so of the century was 65 - 70
miles, then I'll be ok. Anything less than that may make the last 15-20
miles of the century a lot less fun than they should be.

Whatever your training, ease off in the week before the century, so you
go into it fully fresh.

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

"res09c5t" wrote:

One of our friends says that her best century
advice is "Must eat like pig" - not sure it has to be that extreme.

That's bad advice. The *most* you should consume during a ride is
250 Calories per hour. That's about one Clif Bar for every hour.

I see too many people stuffing their faces on longer rides. I get by
fine with about 150 Calories per hour, even on very long rides.
Better advice is "must eat like squirrel". Lots of nibbles.
--
terry morse - Undiscovered Country Tours - http://www.udctours.com

On Jul 2, 6:32 pm, Terry Morse wrote:
"res09c5t" wrote:
One of our friends says that her best century
advice is "Must eat like pig" - not sure it has to be that extreme.

That's bad advice. The *most* you should consume during a ride is
250 Calories per hour. That's about one Clif Bar for every hour.

I see too many people stuffing their faces on longer rides. I get by
fine with about 150 Calories per hour, even on very long rides.
Better advice is "must eat like squirrel". Lots of nibbles.
--
terry morse - Undiscovered Country Tours -http://www.udctours.com

This is a very important point. Overeating can cause bloating, nausea,
and other discomforts. High concentrations of sugar in the stomach
from for example shoving down too many chocolates can also contribute
to dehydration issues. The body diverts water that is sorely needed
elsewhere to the gut to get a proper dilution for absorbtion of all
these sugars. The 250 calories per hour is perhaps a good starting
point, but I think this could be adjusted up or down based on body
size, effort level, and fitness level.

The OP might well aim for a hearty breakfast 1.5 hours before start,
nibbles along the way, enough fluids to replenish and aid absorbtion
but not so much that he must urinate all the time, and a decent size
lunch at the half-way point followed by nibbles on the way back in.

A key point is as others have suggested that a reasonable pace be
adopted from the very start. Avoid the temptation to go faster than is
maintainable. Suffering down the road is almost gauranteed otherwise.
Think tortoise vs hare. Sometime for long rides to minimize the
potential for suffering the objective shouldn't be so much to ride
fast, but to avoid riding slow. There is a big difference. And a wish
to ride (relatively) fast is not just for racers. Anyone who spends
more time than the really need to ride a given distance is opening
themselves up to discomforts of various sorts that can be avoided by
less time on the bike.

Joseph

wrote:

This is a very important point. Overeating can cause bloating, nausea,
and other discomforts. snip

The advice to endlessly drink is pretty much B.S. as well. It means more
trips to the cornfields than you want to make.

On Jul 2, 9:57 pm, "Mike Kruger" wrote:
wrote:

This is a very important point. Overeating can cause bloating, nausea,
and other discomforts. snip

The advice to endlessly drink is pretty much B.S. as well. It means more
trips to the cornfields than you want to make.

Who said to endlessly drink?

R

RicodJour wrote:
On Jul 2, 9:57 pm, "Mike Kruger" wrote:
wrote:

This is a very important point. Overeating can cause bloating,
nausea, and other discomforts. snip

The advice to endlessly drink is pretty much B.S. as well. It means
more trips to the cornfields than you want to make.

Who said to endlessly drink?

Ah, trick question. It was you:

"As far as the eating and drinking, do it constantly."

I'm not saying your advice isn't basically sound, applied reasonably. It
most certainly is.

But neophytes can carry anything to extremes, and it's no fun leading a
group which has to stop for a potty break twice an hour after mile 50.

On Jul 2, 10:42 pm, "Mike Kruger" wrote:
RicodJour wrote:
On Jul 2, 9:57 pm, "Mike Kruger" wrote:
wrote:

This is a very important point. Overeating can cause bloating,
nausea, and other discomforts. snip

The advice to endlessly drink is pretty much B.S. as well. It means
more trips to the cornfields than you want to make.

Who said to endlessly drink?

Ah, trick question. It was you:

"As far as the eating and drinking, do it constantly."

I'm not saying your advice isn't basically sound, applied reasonably. It
most certainly is.

But neophytes can carry anything to extremes, and it's no fun leading a
group which has to stop for a potty break twice an hour after mile 50.

Which is why my next two sentences we
"If you're thirsty or hungry you're already into the red zone. Pre-
emptive
refueling is a must - nibbles and sips the whole way."

It's tough to overdo it if you're taking nibbles and sips. The OP
already experienced dehydration, which is a far bigger problem than
drinking a bit too much and having to stop and take a leak, no?

The OP's century wasn't a group ride death march. He took breaks,
took a short cut at the end due to the problems. I think it's safe to
say that he's charting his own course and that's why he asked the
question. The number and frequency of his breaks has nothing to do
with a leader. You're projecting.

R