training for 90miles

Eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty. Don't try to carbo load before the event unless you have experience in it and train daily. Is this a supported event or do you have to carry your own supplies? If you are carrying your own, take power bars and/or gels. These have a better weight to energy ratio. If the event is supported, eat fresh fruit at the stops. I always liked to grab a ham and cheese sandwich too, there is something about riding that makes me crave ham and cheese😕. But get the most carbo dense foods as you can, especially as you get closer to the end. Drink water to start and then start adding sports drinks as you go along. Good luck.

Carb parties are something done by groups of riders the evening before a long ride. People get together and mainly eat a lot of pasta which as kdelong has already noted is substantial in a long ride. Now you obviously don't need to have other people around to eat, I was merely saying to take in carbs the night before so as to be prepared. And bananas for potassium to prevent cramping. Take some bananas with you on your ride, stick 'em in your back pocket of your riding jersey along with some power bars. If you have aid stations, you'll be offered those items there as well.

As for as riding preparation goes, not too much is needed IMO if you are planning on seven hours to take on 90 miles, I've done 100 miles in 5:17: ? solo with two stops with no real training other than just going for it (6:34:? my first 100 miles without stops but did have afew group rides of 40 and 50 miles under my belt), pro's do 100 miles in less than 4 hours, pro triathletes 112 miles in the same basic time, perhaps a slight bit more. In other words, I don't think you'll be too overexhausted at the end of your 90 miler as they are apparently giving a lot of time to get it done so take your time if you aren't planning on breaking any land speed records but a few good twenty milers that when you feel good about them you can extend to thirty milers and so on in the meantime would definately help you out but make sure and give yourself plenty of rest inbetween those workouts and once you start riding regularly towards your goal, do not stop as in don't take two weeks off or a month as it will be harder than just getting on the bike and riding 90 miles.

You'll be fine. Just ride, listen to your body and have good time and good luck.

Refuelling is crucial for long distance riding. You can’t carry a three course meal with you so you need to choose the right mixture of food to keep you energized and that you can easy carry on your bike. Also bear in mind that the stomach is not ready to absorb heavy food while you are training hard.
Here’s a few ideas you might try.
Water
Essential. You need to keep hydrated during heavy exercise. The body loses water fast especially on a long distance ride. Dehydration will lead to a dip in your performance and also begin to affect your health. You can experience headache and cramps, so make sure you have enough water. You will probably have to stop to refill your bottles. Don’t hesitate to do this. Keep hydrated, by the time you are feeling thirsty you are already dehydrated.
Drink lots of water the evening before your ride and drink plenty more before you begin. You will need to stop along the journey to refill the water bottles. Always keep hydrated.
Energy Drinks.
I love energy drinks. They provide you with quick energy and contain glucose for the muscles. Your muscles need topping up because after an hour or two of exercise your glycogen levels will begin to drop.
Energy Bars.
These are great because they are easy to carry and easily digestible. They contain the nutrients you will need and are high in energy. Look for bars that are easy to chew, easy to digest and contain about 80% carbohydrates, 10% protein and 10% fat. Energy bars are dense so you will need to drink plenty of water to make sure you digest them.
Bananas are a great source of easily digestible energy. The day before the bike ride I personally would eat a high energy food like pasta.

this is great, thank you. Sorry to ask, but being sort of new to all this, could you recommend any specific energy drinks / bars - some of them look expensive compared to others, is is 'you get what you pay for' or can I be wise in purchasing?

OldBoy said:

this is great, thank you. Sorry to ask, but being sort of new to all this, could you recommend any specific energy drinks / bars - some of them look expensive compared to others, is is 'you get what you pay for' or can I be wise in purchasing?

If you have about thirty to forty bucks to spend, I'd recommend Cytomax for the enrgy drink. This comes in powder form which you mix yourself ( follow instructions for both mixing and intake) and albeit I'm not sure of the size of the tubs that Cytomax is sold in, it will last you for some months and is worth the money and can be found at most nutritional stores such as GNC.
As for energy bars, Power Bars from Sun and Ski (usually cheaper there, about $1.50 each if I remember correclty) and even those breakfast/snack bars called Nature something or anothers whole grain work just fine.
Gu Gel Packs from Sun and Ski or any cycling store also. These are little gel packs for energy that are easy to take with you and easy to digest, also about $1.50 each, maybe $2.00.

If you decide to buy power bars or energy drinks be sure to check at discount stores like Walmart, Kmart, target, etc if you have them where you live. They often have them at a much reduced price.

Bottom line.... Hammer Perpetuam.. All the hard core guys will usually agree with me. All the hammer products are really fine for us endurance guys. Check out Hammer.com

Rock😄

roadhouse said:

Carb parties are something done by groups of riders the evening before a long ride. People get together and mainly eat a lot of pasta which as kdelong has already noted is substantial in a long ride. Now you obviously don't need to have other people around to eat, I was merely saying to take in carbs the night before so as to be prepared. And bananas for potassium to prevent cramping. Take some bananas with you on your ride, stick 'em in your back pocket of your riding jersey along with some power bars. If you have aid stations, you'll be offered those items there as well.

As for as riding preparation goes, not too much is needed IMO if you are planning on seven hours to take on 90 miles, I've done 100 miles in 5:17: ? solo with two stops with no real training other than just going for it (6:34:? my first 100 miles without stops but did have afew group rides of 40 and 50 miles under my belt), pro's do 100 miles in less than 4 hours, pro triathletes 112 miles in the same basic time, perhaps a slight bit more. In other words, I don't think you'll be too overexhausted at the end of your 90 miler as they are apparently giving a lot of time to get it done so take your time if you aren't planning on breaking any land speed records but a few good twenty milers that when you feel good about them you can extend to thirty milers and so on in the meantime would definately help you out but make sure and give yourself plenty of rest inbetween those workouts and once you start riding regularly towards your goal, do not stop as in don't take two weeks off or a month as it will be harder than just getting on the bike and riding 90 miles.

You'll be fine. Just ride, listen to your body and have good time and good luck.

Im new to the forum.......... but Did you say you did 100 miles in 5 hours and 17 min without little training? or did i misunderstood?