Tips and suggestions from previous riders of this tour:
This is a tough ride.
- 92 miles on the combination of paved and unpaved trail will be much harder than most century rides (100 miles on roads).
- You should train by riding at least 35-50 miles per week for the 2-3 months prior to the ride.
- Do a 70 mile or more ride before the tour.
- Do some of your training on gravel roads or unpaved trails.
Training on dirt
If you live in the Grand Rapids area, you can do some great practice rides on the WPT: start at Sand Lake and ride the unpaved trail north to Howard City (8 miles) or Morley (14 miles) and back. Work up to going to Big Rapids(29 miles) and back. If you can do that, you'll have no trouble on this ride! You can also find unpaved country roads or dirt trails in your area to ride. The longest section of unpaved trail currently is 29 miles, so aim for doing a similar distance on dirt before the ride.
Commit Early, Train Often
If you register early and commit to the ride, it will be easier to get out and train. Proper training is the key to an enjoyable ride. Ask your friends and co-workers to support your ride with pledges.
Change is (NOT) good!
If you think you need new shoes, saddle, or other equipment for this ride, get it a few weeks ahead of time. Probably the worst thing you can do is try a new saddle or shoes just before any big ride. You need to let your body get used to new shoes or saddles, and you need to be comfortable operating equipment such as clip-in (clipless) pedals. I still remember the poor guy on the first year of this ride who bought and installed a new saddle the night before the ride. By Big Rapids he was sore, by Cadillac he was in a lot of pain.
Hydrate
There are food stops about every 25 miles (about every 2 hours) where you can refill your water bottles, so make sure you are drinking plenty of water or sports drink during the ride. A good rule is take a drink every 15 minutes, even more often if you feel thirsty or start to feel leg cramps.
Pace yourself
This is not a race, but you certainly want to finish in a reasonable time. If you find yourself riding slower than expected, that's OK, just make sure you don't compound the problem with long breaks at the rest stops. You do want to use the food stops to get off the bike for a bit, stretch your muscles, refuel (eat) and rehydrate (drink and refill water bottles), maybe use the toilet, but don't sit around and let your legs stiffen up. It will just be that much harder and more painful to get going again. Except for the lunch break, aim for no more than 15 minutes at a rest stop. I recently read an article that recommended less than 10 minutes at a stop.
Training Articles
(just remember to include some dirt training in these plans)
- Bicycling Magazine
- a four week plan for procrastinators
- About.com
- Riding 100 miles in a day is within your reach
Finally, here is a collection of tips from
RBR's Coach Fred.
Here's Help
You too can complete a long ride, even a double century, when there doesn't seem to be enough time to sufficiently train for it.
In a perfect world you'd gradually increase the distance of one long ride each week for at least 8 weeks until you could ride about 3/4 of the event distance at your goal pace. This would give you enough base to actually enjoy the full ride.
But let's see how to succeed if you can't do ideal training. First, 3 general rules:
---Understand that it won't be easy. You'll have to accept some suffering if you want to ride a long event on short training. Don't plan to do it fast.
---Focus on the workouts that count. Let's say you have only a month to get ready. Do a long ride each weekend, starting at a distance you can handle and increasing it about 10-15% weekly. Then ride easily during the week before the event.
---Don't crosstrain. If you usually mix running or some other aerobic sport with cycling, stop doing these alternate workouts during the month before the event. Ride instead so you get as much cycling adaptation as possible. Continue to weight train your upper body, however, because you need strength to support your body during the long ride.
Now, 6 techniques & tactics:
---Start too slow. Ride the first 1/3 of the event at a pace that actually feels too slow. Continue at the same pace or pick it up slightly during the middle 1/3. Then if you feel strong, you can let it loose in the last 1/3. Even if you don't, by starting slowly you'll have a fighting chance of finishing on your own terms.
---Eat and drink. Stop at every aid station so you can stay hydrated and well-fed. In between stops, carry enough fluid and food so you don't run out.
---Don't dismount for long. When you stop, don't dally for more than 8-10 minutes or your muscles will stiffen. Visit the Porta Potty, replenish food and fluid, then eat and drink when you're rolling again.
---Stay below your threshold on climbs. Ride hills at a steady pace well below your maximum. Going anaerobic on early climbs is a sure recipe for total exhaustion later in the ride. Have gears low enough so you can spin up hills no matter how steep.
---Catch a draft. Join a compatible group and take brief turns at the front. Even if the group disintegrates during aid station stops, drafting for any time at all can save valuable energy.
---Be patient. Stay relaxed and in control. Don't keep pushing to go faster and get it over. Sensibly use all these tips to keep the ride enjoyable, and the finish will come.
(Adapted from Coach Fred's Solutions to 150 Road Cycling Challenges, a helpful eBook especially for cycling newcomers.)
In a perfect world you'd gradually increase the distance of one long ride each week for at least 8 weeks until you could ride about 3/4 of the event distance at your goal pace. This would give you enough base to actually enjoy the full ride.
But let's see how to succeed if you can't do ideal training. First, 3 general rules:
---Understand that it won't be easy. You'll have to accept some suffering if you want to ride a long event on short training. Don't plan to do it fast.
---Focus on the workouts that count. Let's say you have only a month to get ready. Do a long ride each weekend, starting at a distance you can handle and increasing it about 10-15% weekly. Then ride easily during the week before the event.
---Don't crosstrain. If you usually mix running or some other aerobic sport with cycling, stop doing these alternate workouts during the month before the event. Ride instead so you get as much cycling adaptation as possible. Continue to weight train your upper body, however, because you need strength to support your body during the long ride.
Now, 6 techniques & tactics:
---Start too slow. Ride the first 1/3 of the event at a pace that actually feels too slow. Continue at the same pace or pick it up slightly during the middle 1/3. Then if you feel strong, you can let it loose in the last 1/3. Even if you don't, by starting slowly you'll have a fighting chance of finishing on your own terms.
---Eat and drink. Stop at every aid station so you can stay hydrated and well-fed. In between stops, carry enough fluid and food so you don't run out.
---Don't dismount for long. When you stop, don't dally for more than 8-10 minutes or your muscles will stiffen. Visit the Porta Potty, replenish food and fluid, then eat and drink when you're rolling again.
---Stay below your threshold on climbs. Ride hills at a steady pace well below your maximum. Going anaerobic on early climbs is a sure recipe for total exhaustion later in the ride. Have gears low enough so you can spin up hills no matter how steep.
---Catch a draft. Join a compatible group and take brief turns at the front. Even if the group disintegrates during aid station stops, drafting for any time at all can save valuable energy.
---Be patient. Stay relaxed and in control. Don't keep pushing to go faster and get it over. Sensibly use all these tips to keep the ride enjoyable, and the finish will come.
