Training for 60 mile Century

Hi gals! The big Century ride is in August. It's local to me here, so I know all the roads & have that advantage. They're pretty hilly, but I almost feel I'm cheating because I know where the hills are, and how long. :D

I'm finally at the point where, after 25 miles I feel like it was way too short and I want to keep going. 40 miles, and I'm good and tired. I think I could make it a few more miles, and I know your adrenaline comes in and helps you along on big rides and that we have sag stations and all that, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm riding enough to achieve that 60 mile goal by mid-August.

Currently riding: Tuesday 25 miles (recovery from 40 on Sunday), Wednesday 25 slow miles (working with a friend who is shooting for 40), Thursday rest, Friday 40 miles, Sunday 35-40.

I'm not really pushing speed much, usually the average is about 17/18mph, though today was 15.

Any tips/advice is much appreciated.

I take it this is a metric century since you mentioned 60 miles--is that correct? If you are regularly riding 40, then you will likely be fine as long as you keep it up for the next couple of months.

Take care with food and drink on and off the bike. I really think you'll be fine.

I'd get a couple of 50-55 mile rides in during July - first and 3rd week if the Metric Century is in early August, or second and fourth week if it's later. But you'll be fine, I agree. It's all about time in saddle at this point.

I love how people talk about averaging 17/18 mph as "hardly any speed." I would kill to be able to average that! I did 69.5 miles today and my average was just over 15 mph. I can maintain 17 mph for a lap (of 15 minutes) or two over the course of a ride, but not a whole ride.

Thanks! I'll definitely plan a few 55 mile rides to help get ready!

Well blue angel, I prefer 15 on longer rides. However, I'm not always the pace setter. Some of the guys will set the pace for in the 20s, and after that I am EXHAUSTED for DAYS. Besides, here I am stressing over a 60 mile ride that's 2 months away and you did 70 today!

I am doing the metric century, 63 miles - there is a 100 mile, and 125 mile option but both of those make you go up the mountain. It's one heck of a ride. I saw that, and realized the high school that arranges this huge deal hasn't ever designed jerseys to sell at this thing. I tell you what, if I ever rode 125 miles I'd sure want to brag about it with a jersey. I'd want a FREE jersey if I did all that... something to the effect of "I survived and conquered Chattooga County" with a little river and banjo in it somewhere (The movie Deliverance was filmed on the Chattooga River, but not Chattooga County).

I'll shoot for hitting 100 miles in the September Budweiser ride in Cartersville GA. Anybody else going?

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Originally Posted by grey

I'll shoot for hitting 100 miles in the September Budweiser ride in Cartersville GA. Anybody else going?

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I usually do the Beautiful Backroads ride but have only done the 100-mile option once. It's one of my favorite rides but falls near other rides that I tend to do the full distance on (Wilson 100, Six Gap). I'll most likely stick with the metric distance this year too.

Enjoy the Chattooga ride! I need to give that one a try sometime.

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Originally Posted by blue_angel

I love how people talk about averaging 17/18 mph as "hardly any speed." I would kill to be able to average that! I did 69.5 miles today and my average was just over 15 mph. I can maintain 17 mph for a lap (of 15 minutes) or two over the course of a ride, but not a whole ride.

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I'm not saying Grey has done this this, but many people, when they say they "average" a certain speed, really mean, when I look down I most often see X speed. It doesn't necessarily mean they really averaged that speed over the whole ride. It tends to inflate one's actual average speed, because few people look down when they are doing 8mph...

Keep in mind also that conditions (is it flat, hilly, windy, lots of stop lights etc) and how long you are riding (its easier to keep up a good amount of speed for a short distance than a really long one) will affect how fast you can go, as well as whether or not you are riding in a group. Being able to paceline and draft will greatly increase the average speed you can maintain.

In the end, unless you are actually involved in a race with them, its best to not worry about or to try to make comparisons to other people (especially on the internet.... where you often know nothing about all of the above).

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Originally Posted by Eden

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In the end, unless you are actually involved in a race with them, its best to not worry about or to try to make comparisons to other people (especially on the internet.... where you often know nothing about all of the above).

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This is good advice. Conditions change (like the wind or heat), our bodies do better on some days than others. I can ride the exact same route, same bike, same time of day and have a quite different average speed. When I mean average speed, I mean the average speed my bike computer has reported for that ride. I now can tell my average cadence as well, haven't yet decided if that information is useful. Does it add anything to know my average cadence for most rides is 82?

I also wonder when people mention very high average speeds if they happen to be riding in a paceline and are drafting for a portion of that ride. Nothing wrong with doing that, there are just so many factors that affect our rides.

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Originally Posted by Catrin

Does it add anything to know my average cadence for most rides is 82?

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How instructive that number is, again, depends on a lot of factors. Wind, elevation changes, urban v. rural. I stopped measuring cadence a while ago and wouldn't use it again unless I was doing cadence intervals (which I don't do). It generally doesn't tell me anything my legs/lungs can't tell me. I'm not saying that you shouldn't measure it, but I'd challenge you to ride a few times without looking at it during or after the ride and tell me if you feel like you're really missing something.

It is helpful for me to pay attention to my cadence at that particular moment - it helps me to shift more efficiently and I've learned when I do pay attention to it that my knees are more happy with me during/after the ride. I suspect it helps me to not mash so often.

As far as the average cadence for the ride? That is less useful, but I've the information if I decide it is needed. I really do like some of the other additional features in my new Sigma computer - such as temperature, and the timer is great as another way to do intervals. There aren't many landmarks to use as distance markers in my cornfields :)

It certainly is possible to worry too much about all of the numbers, but so far I seem to have avoided this. It is too much fun to look at the countryside around me than to spend overly much time gazing at my computer. Not having bifocals in my cycling sunglasses helps :o

Well skibum, I hope to see you on the Chattooga ride sometime. It's quite the challenge. I'm told the Cartersville rides are not so bad hill-wise. Looking forward to it.

And to clarify, by average speed, I mean what the bike computer says at the end of the ride. I don't usually *care* how fast I am going. Sometimes I average out to 12. It depends who I am with and why we are riding.

As for cadence... I don't care. I pedal however it feels right that day, be it closer to 60 or 90. My feeling on it is, we are not machines that can do the same thing, the same way, every day. Some days I stay in the big ring, some days I like the smaller one. Some days I pedal the whole time, some days I mash, rest, mash, rest... lol

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Originally Posted by grey

Well blue angel, I prefer 15 on longer rides. However, I'm not always the pace setter. Some of the guys will set the pace for in the 20s, and after that I am EXHAUSTED for DAYS. Besides, here I am stressing over a 60 mile ride that's 2 months away and you did 70 today!

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Well, when you put it like that!

I'm training for a century that's in 2.5 weeks. I'm going to do one more long ride between now and then (shooting for 85 miles), and then hope for the best. From talking to other people who are trying to increase their mileage, I get the sense that people really underestimate their upper limit. Of course some of it has to do with general energy levels, weather, how comfy you are in your saddle that day, but my guess is that you can likely go 15 miles farther than the last long ride you took. Whereas I'm not very intimidated by distance (within limits), I'm really self-conscious about how fast/slow I am. Lots of people seem to treat 17 mph as some easy pace to achieve and maintain over distance, and I've only recently been able to achieve that pace at all. We all have our weaknesses and strengths I guess.

Even though I don't know you, I am quite convinced that you'll achieve your 60 mile goal within the next 2 months!

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Originally Posted by Catrin

Conditions change (like the wind or heat), our bodies do better on some days than others. I can ride the exact same route, same bike, same time of day and have a quite different average speed.

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QFT

Side note, I always laugh when people act borderline unimpressed by their average when it's 16mph+ for (what I consider) a long ride... come on! Pat yourself on the back, that's awesome!

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Originally Posted by mariacycle

QFT

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Just curious - what does this mean?

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Originally Posted by Catrin

Just curious - what does this mean?

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Quoted For Truth.

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Originally Posted by grey

Quoted For Truth.

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Thanks - I hadn't seen this before.