[Closed] 100 miles... How easy?

I said this in another thread too, but when I did my LeJog last year two of the participants were older ladies on 26" hybrid, sit-up type bikes. They completed the 1,000 miles in the same 10 days that the rest of us did. They'd only been cycling for about 9 months before the trip.

well, i completed my first century today, rubbish time of 8 hours so i've now got something to improve on. feel fine, only thing that aches are my shoulders

when i did my first century, i just went at my own pace, after ten miles or so i found a bloke who was happy at my pace and we stayed together for the rest of the ride give or take a few miles where he dropped back. the best advice i can give is to stop at the water/feed stops only if you need to and not because you want to and only then for a short period of time. Five minutes at the water stops and fifteen max for lunch. eat a little and often and keep your fluid levels up. keep the cadence up and your legs spinning.

100 miles is surprisingly easy, resist the urge to set a target time and just enjoy it.

Solo or in a group Rocketdog? Well done though by the way!

I'm being told I'll be "looked after" as long as I'm ok managing a normal 16-17mph average... Which so far I have been on 60 mile group rides I've done. So hoping I'll be ok, and if not, suppose there's always going to be slower people to ride with too!

on my tod following the route of the shakespeare 100

ah sorry, thought it was a sportive, just enjoy it, there should be a few petrol stations on route for mars bars and pepsi, just enjoy the quiet roads and the countryside! a good meal the night before really does help too!

Did my first century the other month, you can read about it [url= http://shedbrewed.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/bloody-chuffed.html ]here[/url] if you so wished. I just knew I was going to do it when I booked the day off. The route was hilly, it was bits of Wales after all, and it rained and blew cold for the last 30 miles but it was ok. I no doubt broke many rules by having fishcake and chips for lunch in Hereford, and then a mug of coffee and some cake in the afternoon but I'd rather eat food than gels. A banana 15 miles from home so me the rest of the way.
Good luck and if your head is in the right place you'll be fine.

100 on your tod in 8 hours is pretty good I'd say RD. How did you feel afterwards?

Reckoning that as long as I stay in groups it'll be more like 6:30 for me, but then could easily stretch a lot longer if I don't manage that!

as i said, feel fine, finished today just after 7pm, achy shoulders is about it, legs feel about as tired as they do after a 40 mile MTB ride

the 1st 50 miles was the hardest, after that it was metaphorically downhill all the way

never really ridden with a road group so know nowt about slipstreaming etc

bike was a cotic x with discs and mudguards, so not exactly light or aerodynamic!

Rode the Liverpool-Chester-Liverpool 90miler in July, bike was a C456 and the tyres were 1.95 Swalbe city jets.

As said above 45-50 miles and you hit a wall, keep hydrated and make sure you eat well before.

http://app.strava.com/rides/12802762

My mate took the easy route on his Scott CR1 road bike.

http://app.strava.com/rides/12813758

Try a 100 mile time trial next season no drafting allowed then .The race of truth one man against the clock .If you like that then move up to a 12 hour timetrial .Half a day in the saddle .

100 miles in 8 hours used to be standard reliability ride timing back in the 50s .Its what those who didnt race did for a Sunday jaunt.

Inspired by this thread, I've pulled my finger out and am going to do my first 100-miler this weekend - London to Cambridge and back.

I've got a couple of friends who live just outside Cambridge so will be stopping at their place for lunch. Hopefully that doesn't invalidate my 100 mile effort 😛

Nice one Sam - my first 100 (actually 115) was Cambridge > London > Cambridge.

Previous longest was 75. I was nervous about the extra distance but it was fine - I just settled in to a comfortable pace and kept fuelled and watered. Admittedly we stopped a few times - coffee, puncture, water, buying more food - so total time taken was over 8hrs, with just over 7 actual riding. I was functioning entirely on sugar and caffeine towards the end, and reckon I could have carried on for a while longer if I just kept topping up. Don't normally use chammy cream, but [url= http://www.probikekit.com/uk/training-performance/chamois-cream-muscle/chamois-buttr-eurostyle-chamois-cream-5ml-sachet.html ]this[/url] after 70 miles was 62p well spent 🙂

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I didn't use lube but my arse has had some hardening off over the years 😉

OP will give you a better answer next monday, as doing the Stoke on trent tourride on Sunday which is 105 miles,

Went out on Sun gone and did 70miles in just over 4 hrs (to see how the legs were feeling) and think it should be fine.......last section of our ride is v hilly though (killed Cav's ToB,and wiggo gave in the race....is what I'm telling my self for when it gets hard)

How fast is more important than how long. I was more knackered after a fast 70 miler earlier this year than I was after a 140 mile ride I did a couple of weeks later. Just pace yourself (especially on the hills), and eat and drink regularly.

Once you've done your first ton, you'll realise that it's mainly a mental rather than physical barrier.

Hows the prep going Mboy?

This thread inspired me to do my first 100miler on a Road Bike. I managed it riding solo last Saturday in 6h30.
I do lots of short hourish rides normally but actually found the 100 miles at a slower pace much easier than I expected. Im sure you will achieve the time you are after if you are riding with others.

If you can do 60 you can do 100 no prob just dont forget to eat and drink! its easy to do if its a bit cold..also dont get dragged into going faster than your used to stick to your own pace and spin..also i tend not to think of it as 100 miles or 120 miles i find it easyer to think of it as 8 hours on the bike or a whole day out..I did the fred whitton earlyer this year in 8 hours and its amazing how quick it goes

After reading some of this, I thought I'd best put in at least one 100-miler this year. I think my longest single ride this year has been around 65-70 miles, so this was definitely a wee step up. 7.5 hours riding time, with about 90 minutes stopped. I'm sure I'd have been a bit quicker on the "fast" road bike but some of the wee roads are pretty rough and the comfort from 28mm Schwalbe Marathons was appreciated - as were the mudguards given the weather.

http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2012/09/by-klibreck-and-altnaharra.html

Hows the prep going Mboy?

Not as well as I would like to be fair, working almost 5 days a week at the moment AS WELL as studying 2 days a week! Trying to sneak a ride in here and there but not getting far. Not been offroad in week, but gonna sneak 30 miles on the road bike this evening, did 25 with the guys from work on Wednesday evening, and 35 miles the Friday before. I know I'm fine for up to 60 or so though as long as I eat enough, so if worst comes to the worst on the day, I can just bail and do the 60 miler not the 92. But I'm sure I'll be ok.

So, done a bit more riding of late in prep, though was meant to go out today but weather was so crap, I stayed in and did a few extra hours at work instead! Gave me a chance to prep my bike some more at least...

So it's all set to go, 12-25 has been replaced with a 12-27 to get me up the hills a bit better, wheels trued, everything running ship shape etc. Roll on Sunday now!

Good luck.

Have we done the weather 😐

You'll be rite, just eat and drink stuff you're used to and don't try and be a hero in the first 50 miles / get stuck riding with a much faster group than you're used to.

BTW it's still lashing it down over here!!

djglover, do you work for Smurfit Kappa ?

timely thread, I'm doing the Hidden Peak sportive, 80, for the first time at weekend and only have a few 50mile road and 40mile off road rides in the bag.

My first ever 100+ miler (106.5 miles) was on the fourth day of a ten day, 850 mile ride from London to Monaco that took in the Col du Lautaret, Col du Vars and Col de la Bonette, and totalled 45,000 feet of climbing. I think we averaged about 15 - 16 mph every day. Before that I'd only ridden 60 miles at the most, never ridden more than two days in a row (twice), and only done about 400 miles in the 4 months that I'd owned a road bike (actually a CX bike with slicks).

If I can do that on that sort of preparation (and find it much more achievable than I thought), then you'll be fine on a 100 mile sportive. I found the right pacing, regular eating and occasional stops are the most crucial things. Do those right and you could probably do 200 miles.