You’ll be fine, i did 90 miles yesterday having only done 70miles as my biggest ride before that

Save as much energy as you can by getting on a few wheels, the concentration needed for this will prevent boredom.

Michelin Pro 3s are a great tyre, I weigh 72 kgs and I run mine at 100 psi, which is fast and comfortable.

There will be three or four feed stations; make sure you stop to rest, stretch your back and eat some energy-rich food. It shouldn’t be hot but make sure you keep drinking and it helps if you put some maltodextrin in your drinking water or use an energy drink, but carbohydrate based not sugar. If you’re prone to cramp, take some kind of salt supplement as well.

Most sportives I’ve done had a wide range of bikes, including heavy shoppers and hybrids. If you are worried about your image – or just want to improve your forward visibility – most MTB helmet peaks are removable.

Pedal-wise, I use CB Candys for touring and they are just fine. An Eggbeater and a flexible sole might lead to a sore foot but you’d have likely experienced that already.

All this ‘jumping on wheels’, ‘getting on the back of groups’ etc. not really ‘riding’ a 100 miler if you’re using others is it? Do it on your own then you’ve genuinely ridden a 100 miler. Sorry and all that.

Boblo – Worraloadofbollox

Fair point Boblo ,but I am always on the front 😆

Why? Drafting is recognised as reducing effort by what, 25 – 30% if that’s the case, you’ve only ‘really’ covered 65 – 70 miles.

Would it be the same if you had a bungee tow or drafted a vehicle? Of course not, silly.

<edit> Not willy waving just differentiating between a 100 miler with help and 100 miler without. They ain’t the same.

I’m no roadie at all, i’d never ridden slick tyres really before and had never ridden more than 60 miles really, but I did London to Brighton and back to London yesterday, a total of 112 miles on a 26ib Croix De Fer CX bike, baggies and a Camelbak

For me the key was keep eating and drinking, stay at a pace you know you can sustain, if you must stop, make sure it is only briefly to fill bottles or eat and spin up the hills (especially Ditchling Beacon in my case)and most importantly make sure your saddle and bars are ones you are used to and comfortable with.

<edit> Not willy waving just differentiating between a 100 miler with help and 100 miler without. They ain’t the same.

He does have a point, I think its maybe come across as a little confrontational but I find doing 100 miles in a group far far easier than doing it on my own. Sat in a large bunch, you’re maybe on the front a maximum of 8-10 times in 100 miles. On your own, you’re on your own….

Hi mBoy, yep fitted slicks to it, 28c wire beaded Gatorskins, which i found OK for my purposes as i was worried about running anything skinnier on CX rims. I do think that if you ride reguarly you’ll be fine mate, expecially of you are riding with others and chatting away and keep refuelling.

Agree for the most part. But take some Gels as backup. If you’re *really* struggling for the last 20 miles, your stomach will thank you for some quickly absorbing gels.

Oh and eat what you train with. Dont use energy drinks etc for the big ride if youve never used em before. If your body deosn’t agree with a certain brand (it can happen) you dont wanna find that out on a 100m ride.

Good luck! I have a 145km sportive in a couple of weeks….with 2750m climbing. Thats the bit I’m worried about. 🙄

So, by this argument, riding a 100 miler on a full susser with knobbly tyres is actually more like a 120 miler 😉

100 miles is 100 miles. Some factors make it easier, some make it harder, but it’s still a good old ton. Enjoy it OP

I did 100 miles to just to see if I could do it. Did it one other time, then that was it for me. Too time consuming/boring. I do ride solo with no stops though.

Well, if you want to make it as easy as possible…take the bus! All I’m saying is these grand claims of ‘having completed such and such’ have to be seen in the context of style. You only have to have a quick look at the West Highland Way double thread to realise this.

Getting a tow for a hundred miles is simply not the same as properly riding a century under your own steam. Full stop, end of. You can con yourself it is if you like but the OP’s own statement of “I can just about manage 30 miles solo and it feels like 60” makes my point very clearly.

Anyway, enjoy your sportive.

You must be local to me joeegg. That climb out of Eggleston is ‘interesting’ after 70-odd miles, eh 🙂

They do for some reason, I’m happy for someone to sit behind me all day. It’s not like the rider behind is forcing you to do anything. I’d rather sit on the front all day on social rides, I can’t stand it when someone wants to show me what they can do.

Eggbeaters are okay, though tbh they’d be my last choice – sorry to sound negative. Then that said loads of audaxers use them over far greater distances.

That’s what I was thinking, even the down hill bits where you don’t p[edal 😐

I reckon you’ll be fine. I did my first 100 mile last weekend around the Cotswolds for a local school and charity. I haven’t ridden much further than 45 miles for about a decade and nothing further than 35 miles this year. I was hoping to get some training in which didn’t happen for one reason or another. I do about 50 to 70 miles a week commuting (in total) and apart from two 30 mile rides in the last month did nothing different. The furthest I have ever ridden before that was about 60 miles but that was about twenty years ago as a teenager.

I did it on my hardtail with 1.9 Schwalbe Land Cruisers, baggies and a Camelbak. The first 60 (ish) I managed to stick with the guys on road bikes (I know it was a relaxed pace for them) but did the last 40 pretty much on my own. I got cramp in both thighs when I briefly stopped at mile 80 and the last 20 hurt a bit. A bit of a pep talk to myself, some jelly babies and I got through it. I reckon it is more in your head than your legs by that point.

I tried to drink plenty and take a bite of a mars bar, flap jack, energy bar, jelly babies every 20 – 30 minutes or so. Towards the end I found it hard to eat but forced myself to. I woke up the following day to find no real aches (which surprised me). Overall time was a bit under 8 hours which while not setting the world alight I was pleased with for a first attempt on my mountain bike. I reckon if I can do it, it sounds like you’ll breeze it.