AIDS century -- Ithaca NY

[abarensfeld7]

Hi ladies...
Wondering if anyone in this forum is planning on riding the Sept 10 century around Cayuga Lake?

[yzylan]

I've never done a century, though I ride a reasonable amount. Any thoughts on how hard this would be for a first-timer? I'm new to central NY and just getting a handle on the terrain...

[Trek420]

Yz,

you can do this! You say you ride a "reasonable ammount". Everything's relative so how far do you ride now?

There are links here to training guides for a century on this thread

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...hlight=century

check those out and tell the nice ladies on TE where you fit into that, we'll help 8-)

If you can ride a metric century or training ride before this ride you will be fine.

I don't advise people to do this, it's do as I say not as I do. For ALC3 and ALC4 my longest training rides were 30 miles. I did the Cinderellla beforehand both years (easy metric) just 50 miles of the Primavera this year (kick your b*** century, forgot my helmet, DOH, started late and did only the first but hardest part). Yet this year I did all but 10 miles of the 7 day ride 585 mile which includes two centuries. Wasn't the fastest thing on 2 wheels but I felt good.

What was different this year is I increased the intensity. Once a week I did hill repeats, or a hard spin class or what Spazzdog describes here, jumps:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...ighlight=jumps

The increased power got me in each day, gave me the recovery I needed to go again each of the 7 days and got me up most hills (ok I walked a little). But again, do as I say not as I do, if you have not done a metric before you need loooooooong rides, lots of 'em. I feel first-time century riders need to know how to manage the logistics: getting going early enough, getting in and out of rest stops in a timely manner, and most important how to stay hydrated and fed on the bike.

[yzylan]

Trek--

Thanks for the encouragement and the nitty gritty advice! I just moved from San Diego, so I haven't quite got my routines in place here, but back there I typically rode 3 or 4 days a week, with the longer rides in the 30-35 mile range. The most I've ever done was 45 miles, and that was unintentional! (New bike, no cyclocomputer, and a wrong turn in La Jolla.) But after a month of moving (some riding, but nothing too strenuous), I would need to really kick it in gear to be able to do a metric century. The terrain seems not quite as brutal as some of the canyons around San Diego, but I haven't ventured too far from Clinton yet, and I can imagine that Ithaca is pretty hilly.

I read something on Bicycling online about a quick and dirty training schedule for a century and it echoed the high-intensity approach you've recommended. Maybe it's doable...

Thanks again. I definitely want to do a century at some point. It's just that September seems awfully close.

--YZ

[Trek420]

deffinately doable. September is close but start now and build up a slow but steady increase in your mileage. Do one hard day a week (jumps, hill repeats, that killer spin class), never do that back-to-back and at least one longer ride.

What does NOT work is doing a whole lotta miles right before the event. Build up slow.

Then as I told Lorri, coach/founder of the Velogirls before I went "If all else fails I'll just eat, drink, hydrate my way through the ride". Take care of your body.