Challenging myself to a metric century for a Cancer Ride

[lgibster]

Hello Ladies,

I am 41 yrs old and wanting to ride my first metric century for a Cancer Benefit Ride on JUNE 1st . I have been riding for the last two years on a hybrid and just recently bought a Specialized Ruby Apex Elite (Compact). I rode the 32 mile distance for the race last year and also rode the 25 mile distance for the Hotter 'n Hell in TX. But, I am behind in my training for the ride due to the weather. My longest ride this year has been 30 miles and not many total miles. The race distance is actually 68 and I was wondering if any of you had any ideas for the minimum distance I should be able to ride to attempt the 68 on June 1st. My friends tell me as long as I can do 50 I can do the 68 on race day. I ride at a slowish 14 mph average over the 30 miles. Thanks for the help.

[azfiddle]

I am sure you can do this. Try to increase your ride length through May up to at least 50 or so. I rode El Tour de Tucson 2 years ago, 111 miles, with 74 being my longest previous ride, although I generally ride about 100 miles a week altogether. Good luck- just ride regularly and longer distances through the spring.

[Penny4]

You will be able to do it as long as you keep riding regularly, as AZfiddle says. I was in your position last year. I think my longest ride prior to the 65 mile ride was around 49. The end was tough for me, but at that point, I thought well why would I quit with another 10 miles to go. I also rode around 14mph avg. (If that!)
Will you be riding with anyone? that certainly helped me. I know on the other thread you mentioned you don't do the group rides often, but they may help you hook up with someone around your same ability. Or maybe even more advanced then you, but willing to hang with you on the ride.

[ny biker]

I tend to agree. I prefer to do closer to 60 miles in training for a ride that long but 50 should be sufficient. From my experience, terrain is more important -- if the charity ride is hilly, you'll be very glad if you ride lots of hills beforehand. Also when you only have time for a short ride, you'll get more training from hills than from flats.

Also remember that a charity ride is not a race -- just ride your pace and don't worry about anyone else. I used to do the Livestrong Philly 70-mile ride and every year I saw the same group of guys doing the full century riding at my relatively slow pace of ~13.5 mph. They knew they would be among the last riders to cross the finish line but they didn't mind because they didn't worry about anyone who was faster than than they were.

BTW I saw in another thread that you're slow on hills -- I'm the same height as you and am in the "normal" weight range but am also slow on hills. But I'm more interested in having fun and getting some exercise and enjoying the scenery than I am in worrying about faster riders or what anyone else is thinking about me. It can be frustrating to get dropped when you were expecting the group to ride your speed, but when that happens I figure at least I can sing out loud while I ride without anyone complaining. (And yes I have been known to sing out loud on long rides.)

[Skippyak]

It is a charity ride and not a race and there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to do it. Just get out there on your new bike and ride until the day comes. June is ages away LOL. Plenty of time for getting your mileage up. You also have a nice lightweight bike with great gearing which is nothing like your hybrid, that in itself should be great motivation, heck, just sign up for the 100 miler. The fun of the day really adds to the distraction of the distance, are you in a group?

[lgibster]

You will be able to do it as long as you keep riding regularly, as AZfiddle says. I was in your position last year. I think my longest ride prior to the 65 mile ride was around 49. The end was tough for me, but at that point, I thought well why would I quit with another 10 miles to go. I also rode around 14mph avg. (If that!)
Will you be riding with anyone? that certainly helped me. I know on the other thread you mentioned you don't do the group rides often, but they may help you hook up with someone around your same ability. Or maybe even more advanced then you, but willing to hang with you on the ride.

YES I am fortunate that my brother has already agreed to ride with me. I talked him into in last year and now he has switched from running to cycling. He is a LOT better than I am so he can pull me when I get tired.

[lgibster]

Update: I managed a 42.5 miles this last Sunday. Mostly flat terrain and I was out of gas at the end. Does anyone have trouble eating solid foods during a metric century? I tried the "Cuties" on Sunday and towards the end they bothered me a little. I use the GU packs on longer rides and they seem to keep my legs from cramping.

Any ideas as well on the best Chamois Cream a.k.a. "butt butter"? I am going to try for 45 miles or maybe a little more on Sunday if the weather will cooperate. Thanks for the help.

[Owlie]

I can't handle solid food on hot days. Anything more solid than a Shot Blok stands a good chance of becoming pavement decoration, or at least that's how it feels. (I'm okay with almonds provided I eat them a couple at a time, and spread it out, though. Weird.)
If it's a long ride, ~50 and up, say, I'll stop for real food, but I'll take a long break to digest.