[Closed] just decided to attempt a 100 mile ride tomorrow.

Pedal really steady, eat really regularly, drink really regularly, you'll be fine.

That's the spirit. JFDI, wing it, all's good ... at worst it's a learning experience : )

I love honest tosh.

47 and of large build 😉 I did my longest ride ever couple of months ago, 60 miles on a gravel bike with a few decent climbs.

Proud moment for me but I couldn’t walk for a week.

Pedal really steady, eat really regularly, drink really regularly, you’ll be fine.

This.

If you’re not pressed for time then make a day of it. Stop for lunch early. I recommend stopping for lunch a second time early afternoon too.

@oreetmon fair play to you that is a good distance for sure 👍

am 46 myself but feel a lot older sometimes lol

thank you all for the kind words ☺

Definitely keep fuelled, fluid and food, try to mix food up between sweet and savoury so as not to have huge sugar rush(es)/crash(es)

As you say, you have the day so don’t rush, just amble and enjoy the views and you’ll be done before you know it

Best of luck fella

If you’re not pressed for time then make a day of it. Stop for lunch early. I recommend stopping for lunch a second time early afternoon too.

I second @sockpuppet 's excellent idea of two lunches.
Add in a cake stop too. That way you've just got three 33.3 mile rides. 🙂

I second @sockpuppet ‘s excellent idea of two lunches.
Add in a cake stop too. That way you’ve just got three 33.3 mile rides. 🙂

Arithmetic's not your strong point? 😝

It's mostly in your head, if you've made up your mind to do a 100, you're half way there

Your head will get you through. That and plenty of food and drink. I went through 8 bottles yesterday when out for 10 hours. Also don’t forget the suncream like I did. Grrr.

Good on you!

My advice (as a slow overweight plodder) is to eat, drink, drink and eat, repeat to the end. Maintain a steady pace and try not to go into the red. Eat and drink well before you get hungry, try to avoid too much protein/fatty foods as it slows digestion.

Alternate take:

Have a good breakfast and lots of water before you start.

Pick a point to point ride, it feels like you're going somewhere rather than just doing a big loop. I look for places that are 100 miles away and have a good rail connection to somewhere close to where I live and head there. I've done Lincoln, Cardiff, London, Peterborough. All fun routes for different reasons.

Plot your route (I use Strava) and just follow it. Saves fretting about the wrong turn.

Always get over half way before you stop. I like to have got to 65 miles before I stop if doing a solo century. I'll have a bar or 2 and some gels in my pocket but unless I'm pushing hard, I don't need much food if I've had a good brekky.

Related, don't stop for too long. I seize up if I do, for me it's a can of Coke, quick sarny, fill the water bottles and maybe grab a flapack to throw in my pocket. 15 mins max.

My uncle, who is an audaxer, reckons you have the capacity to ride twice as far as your recent, decent bike rideif you take it steady and eat properly. Based on that logic I'll only be impressed if you report back tomorrow that you did 164 miles.

Maybe you'd best leave now. 😁

@tthew ha no chance 😂

I have a plan how i'm going to do it.
It won't all be in one go I have to admit.

I plan on leaving at midnight and cycling devizes to hungerford and back on the road bike (less traffic and I love night riding also). About 24 miles each way.

I will then go out during the day to bath via towpath on my ht MTB. About 20 odd miles each way. Then make up the difference to the magic 100 miles.

I know it isn't all in one continuous ride but this def will suit me for my lack of fitness and staying off main roads during the day (I try and stay off main roads during the day).

Roll on midnight and afterwards the chiropractor 👍🚴

Enjoy it. Different parts of your body will hate you at different intervals and with different levels of severity, but you'll be pleased with yourself the next day.
Don't underestimate how much easier road Vs off-road will be when you're flagging.
Start at dawn, you'll be glad you did, especially when you find you've done the majority of it by lunchtime.
Very jealous, hardly been on any bike this year but plan to do similar and through myself on a long distance ride soon.

That’s not how I’d choose to do it, but each to their own, gotta play to your strengths. Plus I understand about night time riding. It’s great!

Always be a gear easier than you would normally, keep hydrated, nibble constantly and have a couple of proper meals at cafes somewhere

I think your plan sounds harder than just doing a single 100 mile bike ride.
Presuming you will go to bed for a couple of hours after the first 50 then get up for the second bit you might be stiff legged and tired in the proper morning.
Obviously as it's now quarter past 10, if you're getting out a midnight, you've probably hit the hay so you won't see this anyway. 😁

Steady away, lad. Don't think of it as 100 miles think "I'd like to to wander over there, and then round there" and the when you get home you'll have cracked it.

right just going to head out now 👍

thanks for the kind words everyone and will report back when done 😀

unlike a lot of you

😆
From reading these boards, I'll guess its more a case of some rather than the majority 😆

100 miles is a very long way, so other than lots of sandwiches and a flask of really strong coffee, I'd suggest you plan spots into the ride at intervals where you can bug out if its getting much too difficult and get the train home.

@racefaceec90

right just going to head out now 👍

thanks for the kind words everyone and will report back when done 😀

You should be well on your way by now! Good luck mate, I'm a big fan of madcap adventures such as this and I plan at least one or two myself this year.

It also sounds like you are making it unnecessarily hard on yourself. I TOTALLY approve of this as I tend to do the same.😁

You can do it bud, allez, allez!👍🚴

Don’t rely on entirely sweet stuff, take something savoury to eat as well.
Good luck!

bit late now, they set off 7 hours ago! Which completely screws up the early lunch and second lunch strategy .....unless the West country's slipped into a different time zone without the rest of us noticing (still in the 1970's in parts mind)

just returned from the ride,man am i cold lol (it was down to 3 deg c at some points).

i ended up cycling to newbury via pewsey vale,marlbrough,hungerford,newbury. then back again.

strava says i did 67.60 miles in 5:31:16 (told you i am slow). with 2503 ft elevation gain (12 mph av spd). i was riding my planet x spitfire road bike.

if i can work out how to do it i can link the strava ride here if anyone was interested (not many i am sure).

all i can say is i am bloody knackered now,but glad to have done the ride.

i know i am still short at 33 miles (and short at 5ft 5 too) but hooe to do that later today (just not right now lol).

thanm you all for the kind words they mean a lot 👍

now i'm going to collapse somewhere 😀

well done - you need to refuel now

Bravo! Now get some food in to you! 😀

Amazing!

Chapeau, great effort and you’ve inspired me to get out for a ride later on.

Great work racefacec . Make sure you do go out for the follow up. You'll be sorted.

Go go go

Inspired by the HT550, I've been having thoughts of doing long rides again. Not done a 100 miler since 2008/9.
Going to get my gear together and go and do a proper ride today. Will be on the old, heavyweight road bike. I need to relearn what I need to be eating whilst riding too.

Well done on the overnight ride, especially in that temperature, and good luck with finishing the 100 miles later.

I have ridden from Bristol to Pewsey and back via the Bristol & Bath Railway Path and Kennet & Avon Canal. It’s a nice scenic route but the problem with long flat rides like that is that you never stop peddling and that is tiring. If I do similar rides now I try to get off the canal or old railway path every now and again and ride up a hill or two. It’s harder work for a short spell but the down hills give your legs a break from constantly peddling.

Nice work. I am planning on riding my road bike for the first time since December, in the morning. Probably around 30-40 miles depending on how I am feeling. I've only done about 3 bike rides in 2021 so far and feeling like I am right at square one with fitness.

Great work!

Good work fella. Eat plenty please. 👍

Well done, that's a good effort and something to be proud of.

I have ridden from Bristol to Pewsey and back via the Bristol & Bath Railway Path and Kennet & Avon Canal. It’s a nice scenic route but the problem with long flat rides like that is that you never stop peddling and that is tiring.

Plus the K&A surface is narrow, bumpy and muddy if it's wet. I wouldn't make it part of a long ride. The railway path is a great way in and out of Bristol if you live there, but best ridden when it's quiet.

Great effort, well done. Get a big fat breaky down you and get out again, the final 33 miles will be a piece of piss.

*imaginary smashes of non-existent like button.

well finally did the second ride. it was only on the k & a canal devizes to bradford on avon viaduct and back on my ht kinesis sync 27.5" mtb.

tbh i just wanted an easy ride that i could just enjoy the wildlife and chill.

2nd ride

distance 35.17 miles
moving time 3:15:48
elevation gain 538 ft
av spd 10.8 mlh

the sum total distance of both rides 102.7 miles

8 hours 53 mins time

elevation gain 3041 ft

am bloody knackered now but well chuffed to finally do a 100 mile ride again (even though it was in 2 parts with a big gap between the rides on the day.

i was quite surprised that my legs felt ok on the canal ride (i had slept a few hours and freshened up and eaten a meal). was knackered but could stay in the highest gear on my bike 32 x 11 admittedly slow pace though.

one of the best things about today though was the wildlife that i saw (especially the midnight ride)

i saw quite a few deer,barn owl,a fox and even a stoat that ran across the riad with some prey in its mouth. i couldn't believe it lol

if anyone else is thinking about doing something similar and thinjs they might not be the fittest etc. trust me you can do it for sure 👍. i am not fit at all but sheer bloody mindedness got me through (as well as all your good wishes,advice etc thank you 😀👍

Well done.

I've not done anything over 60 miles since 2018(ish). Used to regularly ride from Sunderland up to Parkhead Station on the C2C route. Flat and fairly easy but most importantly, no traffic.

Fantastic, well done. Must admit I’ve been hanging on hoping that you’d finished it off today!

Well done op, all you missed in this adventure was a crash of some sort but that's not mandatory!😁

Great work!👍

Awesome effort, well done

Well done 👏👏

Well done on a super effort. I did get out for a couple of hours this afternoon which most probably wouldn’t have happened without your post.
Bask in your glory,you’ve certainly earned it!

Excellent effort sir! Good work and we’ll done

100 miles on the road is hard, never mind venturing off.

Fair play mate.

Would like to here about your recovery/physical and mental state over the next few days.That's the bit I would struggle with.How are you going about it?

Is he alive?

ah apologies just woken up

@monkeycmonkeydo tbh am just going to be sitting on my arse playing on the console (surfing the web etc) as i usually do.

am def feeling it today in my sit bones and dead leg feeling,but it's not too bad tbh.

just taking it easy tbh.

thank you all for the support and advice,it definitely helped for sure 👍

i hope to go out on a ride monday-tuesday on my mtb but can say for certain it won't be 100 miles lol.

Good work. How long a gap would there need to be for this to qualify as two rides not one big one?

@corroded being honest it was two seperate rides (i had a gap of 11-12 hours between the 2 rides).

i hope to try and do a 100 miler in one go one day if i can.

Any plans for active recovery today/tomorrow?I bet your eating for England!Perhaps a bit of a sunbathe might help with the old muscle aches.I tend to use a massage thing and some ibuprofen gel on the sore bits.Works for me.

It's a long time in the saddle so use chamois cream. Take electrolyte tablets to help with cramp. Eat and drink little and often. Stop for a rest and stretch every 20-25 miles. Theres no shame in walking any steep bits plus it helps with stretching out the old hamstrings.

Cafe/pub/ice cream van stops are what really makes long rides for me.

Try to smile as much as you can and try to enjoy it even the really hard bits.

I'd say good luck but you don't need luck, you'll be just fine. 👍

in all honesty no active recovery just sitting and watching yt,playing on console etc.

i definitely wouldn't recommend how i do things though. people's advice here is a lot more sensible and will make it a lot better for doing stuff like this (i didn't really eat much when riding),and need to remedy that/learn how to eat whilst riding.have never been good at doing that tbh.

i need to take my own advice and do what people recommend about cycling distance. i know i'm an idiot lol.

I'd recommend trying an Audax if you want to know how best to pace a century. They are cheap as chips and you get badges for completing them. They're nothing like sportives (much more relaxed) and are ridden by quite a few older folk who can cycle some serious distances at a rather lovely pace. They have set cafe stops too.

Check them out for an event near you.

https://audax.uk/choose-a-ride/calendar-events/

Raceface. Just getting my bearings. Were you at the Bath end of the Bristol Bath cycleway at around 10am on Friday?

@rollindoughnut no it wasn't me,i was asleep at that time and never headed as far as bath.just to bradford on avon.

Ah. I met someone else who was attempting their first century then. Wonder how he got on.

Splendid effort, even more so as you consider yourself out of shape. 100 miles and 9 hours in the saddle takes physical and mental effort full stop. Chapeau.

Hats off to you, what a great effort.

Rest easy and have a beer the morra