First Century & Flying Solo

[arielmoon]

My first century is this Sunday and my training partner has opted to do 55 instead. (He is also now my exBF! ) I know some other people doing the century but they are way out of my league. One guy that I know from group ride is doing it but he rides straight through (he is also doing the Santa Fe Century the day before- he is INSANE!! and obviously really fit!!)

So I am flying solo.

I am told that everyone stays in a big pack for the first 25, so that part is a breeze. After that, I am prepared to meet new people and hopefully latch on to a group.

I need some advice about hydration and food intake. I realize that everyone is different but what is your strategy? I am a picky eater so I was planning on making & carrying my own PB&J sandwich for lunch. I bought 2 Gu's and some Clif bars. I use Cytomax and plan to bring extra in baggies to make more at the stops (there are 4). Any thoughts on how often to Gu? How much to eat and how often?

I am nervous about doing this by myself but I trained for this and I want to do it. Any advice will be helpful. Thank you!

[indigoiis]

I think you will enjoy it more riding solo. Just break it up into chowable sections; four 25 mile rides with ten minute breaks (no longer than ten minutes) seems to be a good breakdown for a lot of folks - and was recommended to me here prior to my first century.

I did the tour de cure in May alone. I liked it better. I kept choosing little packs of guys to catch up to. That kept my speed up and kept my confidence up - if I could keep up with a pack of guys, even if only for a few miles - I can do anything.

Also, when and if you feel lonely, and I don't think you will, think of all of us TE gals cheering you along! We'll be thinking about you!

Enjoy it!

Indy

[indysteel]

I wouldn't worry about riding all or part of it alone. There will be plenty of other riders to hook up with or, if you're like me, you'll enjoy at least a few miles of solitude.

I tend to need food every 20 miles or so. For longer rides, I use a top tube bag and place some bite size chunks of food, e.g., Payday candybars, Shot Blocs, that I can nibble on between rest stops. At rest stops, I usually eat at least half of a banana and a cookie or two. My stomach isn't particularly fussy, but I don't like the consistency of gels. At lunch, I usually eat a PB&J sandwich and something salty like chips or trail mix.

If I were you, I'd try to eat a bit more "real" food along the way and not rely exclusively on gels. When my stomach is empty of solid food, it starts to bother me and make me feel even hungrier than I really am.

I try to drink a 2 to 1 ratio of water and Cytomax, although I never seem to drink enough. I try to take a sip of something every 5 minutes on long rides, but I get off track and never seem to drink enough.

Finally, half the battle regarding nutrition and hydration for a long ride starts before you get on the bike. Make sure you are plenty hydrated in the days leading up to the ride. I like to drink a big thing of water right when I get up the morning of the ride. Yes, it means going to the bathroom more frequently, but I'd rather do that than get dehydrated. I don't do much "carb loading," but I do eat a balanced dinner and breakfast.

Good luck and have fun!

[TrekTheKaty]

You'll be great Arielmoon!
I did a gel an hour for the first 4 hours. Then I was at the lunch stop and had a banana and PB&J. Each hour after that I snacked on cookies and crackers w/ pb. I was surprised that was all I needed to get through (also used the cytomax--24 oz bottle each hour). However, I carried an extra clif bar in my jersey in case I needed it.

[ny biker]

In hot weather (when I do most of my long rides) my stomach usually cannot handle real food. I bring one packet of gu per 10 miles, then throw in 1 or 2 extra packets since you never know when you'll wind up spending a chunk of time on the side of the road dealing with a mechanical problem. (It rarely happens, but I like to be prepared.)

I also start the ride with 2 bottles of gatorade. After finishing the first one I refill it with water at a reststop and drink water for a while, saving the second gatorade bottle for later in the ride. Even though they usually have gatorade at the reststops, I figure they might have a flavor I don't like, so I bring my own.

At each reststop I'll have one or two gu packets and some water. If it's really hot, I might have almost a whole bottle of water at the reststop and then refill it before hitting the road again. I try to drink at least one bottle per hour depending on the weather.

I'm not very good at opening gu packets while I'm in motion, so if I decide I'm hungry while I'm riding and the next reststop is still a ways away, I'll pull over for a minute and have a quick snack.

By the way, make sure you have a drink with every gu packet. The recommended amount should be on the packet.

I do most of my riding by myself. This summer part of my prep for the Livestrong Challenge was to play a cd with a some good uptempo songs in my car stereo over and over during the days leading up to the ride, so I would have the songs stuck in my head while I was riding. That helped alot. I also realized that one of my college's fight songs has the perfect tempo for riding, so I was humming that to myself for a while and it got me up some pretty tough hills.

[squirrell]

I'm doing my first Century on Oct. 25th by myself, too. But then I always ride solo--my DH doesn't ride and there's no groups around me to train with or ride with. So, I'm on my own, as usual. The mileage isn't that much of a concern as is keeping my glucose levels up throughout (T2 diabetic). Which is way I'm glad though it's a supported Century--plenty of people around if I start to bonk.

[Brandy]

I wouldn't be too concerned about riding alone. You can ride at your own pace and more importantly, not have to wait for anyone at the rest stops.

If I can give you any advice, it's to not take too long at the stops. Pee, refill and out. Your legs will thank you later!

Good luck!

[Momonbikemob]

Sorry I don't have much to say about doing a century (my max ever was 65miles), but I wanted to cheer you on and wish you a wonderful ride! You're an inspiration to all of us who would like to dream of doing a century on our own (and have the time to train for it)! Go for it and enjoy the peaceful solitude! ... Although you'll probably end up meeting lots of new friends

[arielmoon]

Thank you everyone! I feel really good heading into the ride.

I am going to get more Gu to have on hand and I am going to remember my watch so I can time my stops and hydration.

[OakLeaf]

See if you can find out how far apart the rest stops are, then figure out whether you will need water between stops. That's definitely an issue on some century rides. If you think you'll need more water between stops than you normally carry, then you'll either need to plan to carry more water (hydration pack or bottles mounted on the seatpost or handlebars), or find out whether there's a public park or a convenient store where you can refill.

Good luck and have fun!

[OakLeaf]

I try to take a sip of something every 5 minutes on long rides, but I get off track and never seem to drink enough.

One thing that helped me when I was first learning to hydrate properly, was to take a drink every time I thought about water. See a ditch by the side of the road? Drink. Wonder about whether you can swim well enough to do a triathlon? Drink. Hear "Proud Mary" coming out of someone's car radio (rollin' on the river)? Drink.

Kind of a back-door way of learning to listen to my body, but it worked for me, and now I don't even have to think about it.

[arielmoon]

See if you can find out how far apart the rest stops are, then figure out whether you will need water between stops. That's definitely an issue on some century rides. If you think you'll need more water between stops than you normally carry, then you'll either need to plan to carry more water (hydration pack or bottles mounted on the seatpost or handlebars), or find out whether there's a public park or a convenient store where you can refill.

Good luck and have fun!

This ride is on home turf so to speak so I know the area very well. There are 4 stops approx 25 miles apart. I think I will be ok with my two 24oz bottles but I will bring some money just in case!

Thanks!

[RolliePollie]

I'm doing my first Century all by myself this Saturday...so I'll be thinking about you doing your ride on Sunday!

I'm sure you'll be just fine by yourself. Last fall I did my first organized ride (Tour de Tahoe) all by myself...I had no idea what to expect and I was kinda scared...but it turned out great. Then this Spring I did a metric with a friend and I think I actually would've enjoyed it more had I been alone. Then you don't have anyone else's expectations to live up to, you can go at your own pace, stop when you need to, etc.

Good luck (to both of us!). Have a blast

p.s. I'm packing gels, Shot Blocks, a Power Bar, cashews, and extra Gatorade powder just in case I don't like what they have at the rest stops

[arielmoon]

I'm doing my first Century all by myself this Saturday...so I'll be thinking about you doing your ride on Sunday!

I'm sure you'll be just fine by yourself. Last fall I did my first organized ride (Tour de Tahoe) all by myself...I had no idea what to expect and I was kinda scared...but it turned out great. Then this Spring I did a metric with a friend and I think I actually would've enjoyed it more had I been alone. Then you don't have anyone else's expectations to live up to, you can go at your own pace, stop when you need to, etc.

Good luck (to both of us!). Have a blast

p.s. I'm packing gels, Shot Blocks, a Power Bar, cashews, and extra Gatorade powder just in case I don't like what they have at the rest stops

Oh yay!! Best of luck to you too!

[Smilie]

Dried apricots are also good to have in your pocket. You all have a great ride!