Century Bike Rides: Training Tips for Beginners

After we recently published "Century Bike Rides for Beginners", we received requests for training advice.  Luckily, we found some serious cyclists from our favorite cycling forum to relay their training advice.

Here is what "Calico Cat" and others (including the Athletic-Minded Traveler Team) suggest:

If you are starting from scratch -- meaning ground ZERO:

1. Bike fit.  Make sure you have your bike fitted by an expert.  It will improve comfort. Know how to fix your bike if something goes wrong. You can likely take a class at your local bike store.
2. Slowly build.  Start building mileage over time.  Add mileage in 10% increments.  Do this slowly and do it ONLY when a "set" distance becomes easy.  Remember you are building up to handling 6+ hours in the saddle.  (If you average a very easy 12 mph, you'll finish in just over 8 hours.) ** See ride specific advice below.
3. Train to terrain, meaning if your Century is going to be hilly, ensure that your training rides include some elevation changes.
4. Keep track.  Whether it's a training diary or your excel spreadsheet, keep track of your progress in terms of mileage, how you felt before and after ride, what you ate and anything else that may help you refine your ride experience.  If you like tracking stats, get a bike computer and/or use a heart-rate monitor.
5. Adjust.  As you settle into longer distances, make adjustments.  How's the saddle, your padding in the shorts, shoe angle etc.?  Find comfort now.  How much food can you carry?
6. Eat well.  Eat 2 hours before riding (ideally).  Banana and an almond butter and jelly sandwich is a good combo meal.  As you increase your distances pay attention to what you have eaten and how you feel.  For longer rides carry food.  Our team likes Clif shots, Gu, and energy bars without chocolate -- since it melts.  Go for a balance of carbs and protein and hydrate.  We favor Gatorade diluted with water.  Also if you find yourself getting hungry, you waited too long.  You want to maintain your glycogen stores to avoid "bonking."
7. Recover.  Do NOT overtrain.  Active recovery is fine, but most serious athletes still don't relax enough.  Your muscles need time to rest and re-build.  Anything you do on a recovery day should be super easy and under an hour.  Another idea is to train hard for three weeks and then ease up significantly for the fourth week.  These rest weeks can do wonders for the body and mind.
8. Pay attention.  Watch for the signs of overtraining.   Are you having a hard time sleeping?  Is your resting heart rate elevated?  Are you feeling burned out and irritable?  Do your legs feel heavy?  Are you rides suddenly more tiring?
9. Bonus Rounds.  If you are more competitive, consider some high intensity training which will build your power.  Century rides are about endurance, but if you want to improve your time, high intensity rides can help.

The Training Rides:  Advice

• As mentioned above, add distance slowly.  Plan to cycle 10 to 20 miles in week one and then build from there.  Your goal is to reach 100 miles and it could/should take you 10-15 weeks.
• Cycle 5 days a week.  Take at least one day completely off and consider weight training or some other activity the other day that will let your body recover.
• Use the weekends for the long rides.  Likely those rides will be in the 20-30 mile range for the first month, then to 40 miles and then, after approx. two months, 55-60 miles.  You may hit 65+ as you approach 10-12 weeks of training.  For the weekdays, the distances can be much shorter -- 10 to 12 miles versus the longer 25 miles; or 15 to 25 miles when your longer ride 40 miles.  Vary the mileage and intensity.
• Join a group.  There are many group rides that cover anywhere from 30 to 70 miles.  It's mentally easier to be part of a training ride. Check with your local bike shop.  Athletic-Minded Traveler often highlights group rides in its Gear Up section!
• Some cyclists train every day. We don't recommend it. You need at LEAST ONE DAY OFF!  A natural day to take off?  The day after your longest ride.  Some Century veterans claim you need only 2.5 to 3 hours at most in the saddle at any one time to prepare.  Once you can comfortably pass the 3 hour mark, your endurance is strong and it becomes more about proper nutrition and comfort.

This is an example training plan from About.com. Click here for the link and verbiage.

Century Training Plan