How to train for first 100k Ride?

(CLogicRogerC) said:

Any suggestions on the training required to get an "infrequent" cyclist of reasonable fitness
up to readiness for a 100k ride (to complete an Audax on flattish course within the permitted
time limit).

At the risk of being trite,

1. Get on bike
2. Ride
3. Repeat

The critical thing is to make sure your bike is in good fettle and well adjusted - bad fit or
mechanical breakdown is more likely to terminate your endeavour than lack of fitness, being as what
as you is a runner anyway.

A 100k Audax is really not an immense distance, especially for someone who is tolerably fit anyway.
The time challenge is not punishing either. I ride 15 miles a day round trip to work, and that keeps
me fit enough to do a century (100 miles) at will with no special training. Any of the club's Sunday
runs (which can be 80 miles or more) is well within my capabilities, again with no preparation.

But if you're really keen to measure how well you could do, I recommend that you find the local CTC
District Association (<http://www.ctc.org.uk>) and ride along on some of their shorter Sunday runs
to test the water - you will probably be surrounded by people who will be able to help if you have
issues with knee discomfort or anything. You don't need to be a member to ride along, and you'll
have a chance to assess some local teashops :-)

I reckon that you'll be doing the 80 mile Brisk ride within a few weeks, and will be shooting for
Paris-Brest-Paris and that custom Roberts within a month. Hang on, I'll get me bike....

Guy
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<<I ride 15 miles a day round trip to work, and that keeps me fit enough to do a century (100 miles)
at will with no special training. Any of the club's Sunday runs (which can be 80 miles or more) is
well within my capabilities, again with no preparation.>>

Wow, thats v different to running, where you really need "time on your feet" in training to complete
a long event....that was the reason for my question really.

In changing from running to cycling I didn't want to set unrealistic goals and then not train
appropriately.

I'll carry on doing my short (3 miles each way) commute 3 times a week and chuck in one "long slow
ramble" and one faster 1-hour ride and see how it goes.

RC

"CLogicRogerC" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi

Better introduce myself as
injured-runner-using-old-bike-to-maintain-fitness-until-injury-cleared-up.

Call me Roger for short 🙂

Any suggestions on the training required to get an "infrequent" cyclist of reasonable fitness up
to readiness for a 100k ride (to complete an Audax

on

Quoted message said:

flattish course within the permitted time limit).

With running marathons the key sessions were a long-slow-slog, a race-pace-steady-session and
occasional fast-intervals-with-recoveries.

Plus of

Quoted message said:

course easy leisurely recovery runs.

Is it the same when trying to train for a bike event?

It might be similar if training for a race, which you aren't.

You already have the general fitness to complete 60 miles, what you my not have is specific muscle
training which as already suggested you'll develop by riding your bike. Also your knees may have to
adjust, again building up gradually will ease them along. While trying to avoid the Grandmother/egg
scenario don't forget to allow recovery periods between rides (you probably know more about this
than me being a marathon runner).

The other thing that may hamper you on a longish ride is discomfort. Again just riding your bike for
longer distances will accustom your body and discomfort will at the least ease, but it is important
to have the bike set up correctly and have a saddle that suits you. Saddles are personal, what suits
one may not suit another but I think one general rule is to not be swayed into thinking a soft one
equates to comfort. Usually the extra padding feels nice for a start but in fact your bum squirms
around on it rather than sitting on it leading to discomfort.

Pete

(CLogicRogerC) said:

<<I ride 15 miles a day round trip to work, and that keeps me fit enough to do a century (100
miles) at will with no special training.

Quoted message said:

Wow, thats v different to running, where you really need "time on your feet" in training to
complete a long event

Yes, very different. I'm not sure what the physiological reason is, but I suspect it's mostly about
the fact that the bike supports your weight, and the gears allow you to turn the effort down to
whatever feels right. A bike is the most efficient form of transport known to humanity, of course.

Quoted message said:

In changing from running to cycling I didn't want to set unrealistic goals and then not train
appropriately.

I know it seems odd, but most of the audax riders I know don't train in any formal sense. They just
ride their bikes for fun, and sometimes clock up a brevet along the way.

Quoted message said:

I'll carry on doing my short (3 miles each way) commute 3 times a week and chuck in one "long slow
ramble" and one faster 1-hour ride and see how it goes.

That will probably do it :-) But the more the merrier - try taking the long way home sometimes.

Guy
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"CLogicRogerC" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi

Better introduce myself as
injured-runner-using-old-bike-to-maintain-fitness-until-injury-cleared-up.

Call me Roger for short 🙂

Any suggestions on the training required to get an "infrequent" cyclist of reasonable fitness up
to readiness for a 100k ride (to complete an Audax

on

Quoted message said:

flattish course within the permitted time limit).

With running marathons the key sessions were a long-slow-slog, a race-pace-steady-session and
occasional fast-intervals-with-recoveries.

Plus of

Quoted message said:

course easy leisurely recovery runs.

Is it the same when trying to train for a bike event?

Given that you are reasonably fit the alternative approach is to wait till the day, get on the bike,
ride the 100k, get off but maybe don't sit down for a week 🙁 Possible but none too enjoyable

100k is no great distance for someone who is reasonably fit. The time requirements of and Audax are
normally OK though not generous -- remembering that all stops have to be included in your average.

Get a few miles in your legs. Start gently, increase until you are comfortable doing say
40k/25miles. From there 60k/40m is a breeze -- though it is putting you into the region where some
top up food will be needed.

Take food (energy bars are good, nuts & raisins are a favourite of mine). Eat regularly through your
ride. Drink plenty of water.

Your enjoyment will be improved by making sure the bike fits and is comfortable, the saddle is
comfortable and at the right height and the tyres are suited to the road and pumped up HARD.

Have fun

T

Just do plenty of brisk 15 to 35 mile rides. That's what I do and it keeps me fit enough for the
very occasional ~100km ride - without special training or preparation at all.

~PB

The Lonely Planet recommends the following to get to cycle fitness:

Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun Week1 10km rest 10km rest 10km rest 10km Week2 rest 15km rest
15km rest 20km rest Week3 20km rest 20km 25km rest 25km 20km Week4 rest 30km rest 35km 30km
30km rest Week5 30km rest 40km rest 35km rest 40km Week6 30km rest 40km rest rest 60km 40km
Week7 30km rest 40km rest 30km 70km 30km Week8 rest 60km 30km rest 40km rest 90km

If you already cycle regularly you should be able to cut out the first 4 weeks of the above training
programme.
--
remove remove to reply

<<Get a few miles in your legs. Start gently, increase until you are comfortable doing say
40k/25miles.>>

Cheers - thats a useful benchmark to have. In the past Ive just jumped on the bike after years of no
cycling and after 35 miles in one go Ive been v sore and with trashed muscles - aim of my question
was to get an idea of how to pace things to avoid that this time around.

Cheers,

RC

In article <[email hidden]>, one of infinite monkeys
at the keyboard of [email hidden] (CLogicRogerC) wrote:

100k on a bike is a short ride, unless you're on "challenging" terrain.

Many years ago, we did a quick 100K in preparation for my first 'proper' cycling holiday[1]. After
nothing more than the Girton-Cambridge journey (about 4Km, flat), 100K was enough to get some
sunburn, but none of the tiredness/stiffness/soreness you might expect after unaccustomed serious
exercise. And that was after four years of debauchery, aka the student life..

If you're past a certain age, that might be different. Or maybe not, considering the number of
people doing serious rides in their eighties and even nineties[2].

[1] Cambridge to Oxford via Edinburgh and many other great places ...
[2] Now there's something to hope for ...

--
Wear your paunch with pride!

In message <[email hidden]>, CLogicRogerC <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Hi

Better introduce myself as
injured-runner-using-old-bike-to-maintain-fitness-until-injury-cleared-up.

Call me Roger for short 🙂

Any suggestions on the training required to get an "infrequent" cyclist of reasonable fitness
up to readiness for a 100k ride (to complete an Audax on flattish course within the permitted
time limit).

I find commuting 15-20 miles every day gives a sufficient level of fitness so that I can go out and
do 50-60 miles without too many problems. Anything further than that and I would want to put in some
rides of 40-50 miles to get in better shape.

Graham
--
Graham Glen

This summer I did a charity ride from Chesterfield to Worcester, some 100 or so miles. 6 weeks prior
I upped my usual weekend sortie by 45 minutes or 1 hour each time and found this to be suitable. I
usually ride about 3 - 4 hours a week.

One thing that struck me was that it was only ever a 100 mile ride once, once the first mile was
covered it then became a 99 mile ride... and so on.

I reckon your own synopsis below is spot on.

Good luck !

"CLogicRogerC" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi

Better introduce myself as
injured-runner-using-old-bike-to-maintain-fitness-until-injury-cleared-up.

Call me Roger for short 🙂

Any suggestions on the training required to get an "infrequent" cyclist of reasonable fitness up
to readiness for a 100k ride (to complete an Audax

on

Quoted message said:

flattish course within the permitted time limit).

With running marathons the key sessions were a long-slow-slog, a race-pace-steady-session and
occasional fast-intervals-with-recoveries.

Plus of

Quoted message said:

course easy leisurely recovery runs.

Is it the same when trying to train for a bike event?

RC

CLogicRogerC said:

Hi

Better introduce myself as
injured-runner-using-old-bike-to-maintain-fitness-until-injury-cleared-up.

Call me Roger for short 🙂

Any suggestions on the training required to get an "infrequent" cyclist of reasonable fitness
up to readiness for a 100k ride (to complete an Audax on flattish course within the permitted
time limit).

With running marathons the key sessions were a long-slow-slog, a race-pace-steady-session and
occasional fast-intervals-with-recoveries. Plus of course easy leisurely recovery runs.

Is it the same when trying to train for a bike event?

You've gotten a whole lot of advice to the contrary. However, you're describing pretty much the sort
of training regimen bicycle magazines print every year as guidance for getting ready for centuries,
and it's generally a good idea.

It is true that a 100K ride isn't especially long -- especially if you're
comparing against brevets. In fact, the randonneur group in my bike club
never puts on a 100K brevet -- 200K is the shortest. A very few clubs in
North America put on 100K brevets, but to compensate for the very short
distance, they seek out the most difficult, challenging terrain available.
A "flattish" 100K -- good luck, maybe things are different in Europe.

I would advise you to ignore the advice that says "just get on the bike and ride," and equally
ignore the advice to just do some short commutes. If you aren't a cyclist, you probably should start
in the 20 mile range and work your way up, increasing the distance by no more than 10-15% each time,
giving yourself time between rides to recover.

Once you get up to the 50 mile distance you might just go for it; but many people find the jump from
50 to 62, 64, in some cases 70 miles (some groups have a funny idea of how long 100K actually is) to
be taxing. Another thing is there are additional factors in Audax that aren't present in any old
ordinary ride. If you really wanted to do well, you might want to be sure you can do the distance by
having done it already before; this will leave you at ease to deal with the other factors without
the stress of not being sure you can do it, or not knowing from experience how to pace yourself for
a longer ride.

Besides - cycling is fun. The more of it you do, the more you enjoy it.

The other replies say it all really. I have no idea what the time limit for a 100Km Audax actually
is, 6 hours for 100miles is respectable and very doable by a leisure rider with some training. You
need to adjust your body for several hours in the saddle and I mean your backside, arms back and
neck, lots of 30 milers will give you the fitness but in my experience sitting in the same position
for longer than usual gets uncomfortable. This will come with increasing your distance each week. I
would recommend you do at least one ride of the duration you expect on the day just so you know what
you'll feel like. When I was just starting serious cycling I averaged about 12mph comfortably, thats
5 minutes a mile so at that pace non stop your 100km would have taken me 5 hours. Audax time limits
include your stops don't forget.

"CLogicRogerC" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi

Better introduce myself as
injured-runner-using-old-bike-to-maintain-fitness-until-injury-cleared-up.

Call me Roger for short 🙂

Any suggestions on the training required to get an "infrequent" cyclist of reasonable fitness up
to readiness for a 100k ride (to complete an Audax

on

Quoted message said:

flattish course within the permitted time limit).

With running marathons the key sessions were a long-slow-slog, a race-pace-steady-session and
occasional fast-intervals-with-recoveries.

Plus of

Quoted message said:

course easy leisurely recovery runs.

Is it the same when trying to train for a bike event?

RC

In message <[email hidden]>, CLogicRogerC <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

<<I ride 15 miles a day round trip to work, and that keeps me fit enough to do a century (100
miles) at will with no special training. Any of the club's Sunday runs (which can be 80 miles or
more) is well within my capabilities, again with no preparation.>>

Wow, thats v different to running, where you really need "time on your feet" in training to
complete a long event....that was the reason for my question really.

<snip>

Quoted message said:

I'll carry on doing my short (3 miles each way) commute 3 times a week and chuck in one "long slow
ramble" and one faster 1-hour ride and see how it goes.

Things is, while it may sound like it to you at the moment, 100K on a bike isn't actually a 'long'
event - it's the sort of distance that someone out for a day ride might do without thinking about it
(for me it depends on the teashop frequency....). If your are talking about 200k or 400k then some
more serious preparation might be in order.

If as you suggest you can get in a couple of longer rides in a week that should probably do
the trick.
--
Chris French, Leeds

"CLogicRogerC" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi

Better introduce myself as
injured-runner-using-old-bike-to-maintain-fitness-until-injury-cleared-up.

Call me Roger for short 🙂

Any suggestions on the training required to get an "infrequent" cyclist of reasonable fitness up
to readiness for a 100k ride (to complete an Audax

on

Quoted message said:

flattish course within the permitted time limit).

With running marathons the key sessions were a long-slow-slog, a race-pace-steady-session and
occasional fast-intervals-with-recoveries.

Plus of

Quoted message said:

course easy leisurely recovery runs.

Is it the same when trying to train for a bike event?

Harden up your bum, this is the only really limiting factor for a fit person. A slow 100km is no
effort at all.

I went on the London to Southend last year with a friend the most amusing thing for me was that down
a shallow incline my bike would accelerate past a pedalling mountain biker even if I wasn't
pedalling myself. So get yourself a proper bike ;-)

(CLogicRogerC) said:

In the past Ive just jumped on the bike after years of no cycling and after 35 miles in one go Ive
been v sore and with trashed muscles

Usually the result of mashing the gears or poor fit. I urge you to buy a cheap computer with
cadence, and keep your cadence above 90rpm. My average cadence is about 95-100 on an upright and
105+ on a confortable bike[1].

[1] Give in to your backside, young Jedi! The Dark Side is stronger - wind resistance is futile!

Guy
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chris French said:

Things is, while it may sound like it to you at the moment, 100K on a bike isn't actually a 'long'
event - it's the sort of distance that someone out for a day ride might do without thinking about
it (for me it depends on the teashop frequency....). If your are talking about 200k or 400k then
some more serious preparation might be in order.

Good point. 100k is just round the corner, really. 100 miles is not *that* far. 200k? You'll need
the Thermos and a second water bottle. Definitely.

Guy
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154760180 "Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

(CLogicRogerC) said:

<<I ride 15 miles a day round trip to work, and that keeps me fit enough to do a century (100
miles) at will with no special training.

Quoted message said:

Wow, thats v different to running, where you really need "time on your

feet" in

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

training to complete a long event

Yes, very different. I'm not sure what the physiological reason is, but I suspect it's mostly
about the fact that the bike supports your weight, and the gears allow you to turn the effort
down to whatever feels right. A bike is the most efficient form of transport known to humanity,
of course.

Thought a canoe is more efficient?

Simon

Steve Palincsar said:

On Sun, 02 Feb 2003 06:43:40 -0500, CLogicRogerC wrote:

..

Quoted message said:

I would advise you to ignore the advice that says "just get on the bike and ride," and equally
ignore the advice to just do some short commutes. If you aren't a cyclist, you probably should
start in the 20 mile range and work your way up, increasing the distance by no more than 10-15%
each time, giving yourself time between rides to recover.

I am sure that for most of the people on this ng, especially those of us who commute over 20 miles a
day every day, riding 100k is just a matter of doing it. It just requires a bit more time in the
saddle but no particular effort. I don't know what kind of time you would be expected to do it in at
an Audax event, but it seems a usual minimum average is 15kph and 100k at 15kph on the road and
assuming it's not all uphill, should be doable by anyone who wants to, with no more preparation than
daily commuting. Higher averages might indeed require some sort of training regime.

Rich