Anyone rode a century back to back days?



AdamSean

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Aug 11, 2011
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I have been looking forward to riding the famed Silver Comet that runs from Anniston, AL to north of Atlanta, GA for a little while now. What I am wondering is what do I need to do to prepare for such a strenuous weekend? I am looking at 100 miles the first day, staying the night in a hotel and then 100 miles back the next day. Any tips or tricks I need to be aware of?
 
I've done back to back days like that.

Don't overdo it on the first day - eat a big breakfast and make sure you eat and drink during the ride. Refuel well after the ride. Use an energy drink in your bottles so you replace electrolytes you'll be losing in the heat.

You'll probably feel quite tired when you wake up on the second day, but that will pass once you get moving.
 
Originally Posted by AdamSean .

I have been looking forward to riding the famed Silver Comet that runs from Anniston, AL to north of Atlanta, GA for a little while now. What I am wondering is what do I need to do to prepare for such a strenuous weekend? I am looking at 100 miles the first day, staying the night in a hotel and then 100 miles back the next day. Any tips or tricks I need to be aware of?
Back to back centuries can be easy. 100 miles can be done in 7 hours. Then 14 hours of food, relaxation, and sleep. Then 100 the next day.

But if you are finding back to back training days hard, the trip will be difficult.

Credit card. Several spare tubes. A casual attitude. Will all help.
 
If you are interested send me a PM and I can keep you company on part of the ride back to Bama. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif
Not sure if I could match up with your timing, but it could happen......


I do a lot of my 120 minute training starting from the Atlanta zero mile marker. From the zero out to about fifty is very flat so it does not take much effort to keep a decent pace. It really comes down to some basic fitness and bike fit. If you are traveling with one or more in rotation/drafting will make it easier. I hear there are some hills near the state border.

I know that from about 40 miles to the zero marker in Atlanta there are bathrooms and water fountains every so many miles. A bit further out there are stores, but toward the border it is pretty remote. There is a bike shop at mile marker 4.

Best wishes
 
Originally Posted by Yojimbo_ .

I've done back to back days like that.

Don't overdo it on the first day - eat a big breakfast and make sure you eat and drink during the ride. Refuel well after the ride. Use an energy drink in your bottles so you replace electrolytes you'll be losing in the heat.

You'll probably feel quite tired when you wake up on the second day, but that will pass once you get moving.
As a several time rider in TOSRV, I can say this is good advice. Also, find a group to ride with. The more people that can share in a pace line the better. I would hope a tour like this will have at least three organized rest stops. At roughly 25 mile intervals. Take advantage of these! Fuel up, stretch and rest if needed. If you can ride 50-60 miles at a time now, you should have no trouble. Unless you are looking to set some type of personal best time, expect the first day to take about 10 hours total. This is riding, rest stop time etc. The ride back will be about 12-14 hours. Of course take all the regular variables onto consideration, weather, breakdowns and bonking.

Good luck, let us know how your ride went!

Regards,

Mike.
 
When you can dedicate all of your energy into having a good ride and recovery without having to deal with work, kids, bills, etc, it is much easier. Don't burn yourself out the first day, get plenty of foods, fluids and rest in your downtime.

If you do things right, you may actually feel stronger after the first day. I have not done back to back centuries, the closest to it was aggressive Thursday 40 mile group ride followed by a 130 (solo) , 80 (group), 75 (group) Friday to Sunday stretch. I figure that I was pulling 80% to 90% of the time Saturday and Sunday and feeling quite strong.

Does the hotel have a pool, I found that light leg exercises and stretches in the water help with recovery.
 
Originally Posted by maydog .

Does the hotel have a pool, I found that light leg exercises and stretches in the water help with recovery.

Good idea, I forgot about this. If at all possible go to sauna or hot tub for a few minutes then dunk/drench your legs in the coldest water you can find. This will release the lactic acid built up in your legs. On the TOSRV ride the organizers have a massage tent set up at the park for the end of your ride. You do pay for the service, but half an hour of having your legs worked on is worth it!
 
Even if there isn't a pool - you could set up an ice bath in the tub. I have done a few triathlons where they had a larger kiddie pool filled with water and ice. After a few moments to adjust, it feels great.
 
Adam,

Structured training and good preperation is the key - tips and tricks don't cut the mustard.

On the weekend of the event, by all means ride yourself into the ground. It doesn't matter if you have to nearly kill yourself in order to finish and achieve your goal but that's not something you want, or need, to do in training. On the weekend of the ride, if you suffered on the first days ride then that evening is all about sitting, resting, eating and sleeping and nothing else. An extra 1/2 hour in bed sleeping > sitting in a cold bath.

In no particular order:

Structured training leading to a progressing in speed and duration.
Comfy but reasonably aero position on the bike.
Good knowledge of nutrition and feeding.
Lots of rest and plenty of sleep.
 
Thanks for all the good advise. I know I will be able to do it. I just really hope I won't be doing it alone. I am trying to talk my friend into it. It was her idea to ride the Silver Comet in the first place. If I do have to ride it alone, I am going to put on the iPod and just enjoy the scenery. Maybe chit chat with some folks I meet along the way.
 
Here is a short video I did from the Atlanta side. This only shows out to about 20 miles, but this is about how it looks for many more miles.
Very flat in this section so it does not take a lot of effort to keep a fairly decent pace.

I may go to the Alabama border this coming weekend just to get a look instead of participating in my club's annual century. (kind of bored with this event)
If I do I will post up the profile data.

 
......also if I am able to do this next weekend I can let you know if the trail is open in those miles. Sometimes they close off a section for maintenance or repair. I was there August 28th and they had a small detour, but I forget the mile marker. At least they had a detour this time and it was very short.