Fall is an ideal time to conquer a century ride. The temperature is mild and because your "A" races of the year are done and dusted, you can focus more on enjoying yourself rather than your power output.
Instead of cruising through another century ride, use this season to seriously train to achieve a new personal record. It can set you up for a stellar season for the following year by providing a solid base of threshold mileage. It will also give you a goal to shoot for while you're putting in long miles of base training.
If you're considering pushing it for 100 miles, you'll need some help. Here are some ways to improve your time on the clock.
More: 4 Training Tips for Century Rides
Logging oodles and oodles of miles will not make you faster. If you train at the same output, you're not going to magically show up on race day and be able to perform at a higher level.
To improve your time, even for a long race, you'll need to add interval training at threshold pace once a week. This will increase your VO2 Max and prepare you mentally and physically for the demands required to "race" 100 miles.
Do the following interval set either on a trainer or out on the road (being careful of traffic of course): Complete five sets of 5 minutes at 85 percent of your max heart rate, with a 2-minute easy spin in between sets.
If you want to be a stronger cyclist, the best way to do it is to ride with people who are stronger riders than you. Sure, you might get dropped at first, but every week you show up you'll get stronger and more fit. The improvements will show on race day.
Riding with others is also a good way to pass the time and let you practice drafting.
More: 12 Tips for Riding Your First Century
Theatre performers don't just show up on opening night and hope that they can pull off their performance based only on regular rehearsals, right? They need to make sure they can hit the high notes wearing those awkward costumes and with the stage lights in their faces. It's no different for cyclists on race day.
Make your dress rehearsal as realistic as possible whether you're signing up for a 50-mile ride halfway through training or using your last long ride as a test run.
Fuel with the same nutrition you plan to use on race day, practice how and when you take in fuel and liquids and your planned pacing. Try to keep going and practice staying in the zone the entire ride.
Once you commit to a century ride, that's usually when life decides to throw you a few curveballs. Whether it's that project that gets thrown your way at work, unexpected travel, childcare issues or illness, you can plan on something interfering with your training schedule.
That's why it's important to have a clear-cut plan to increase your mileage. This doesn't mean that every single weekend you're going to be able to hit those numbers—it's more for you to keep track of where you should be so you aren't cramming in a 90-mile ride at the last minute.
More: Preparing for a Hilly Century
Plan to increase your long ride by no more than 15 miles per week. Remember to include a few rest weeks too (preferably once every three or four weeks) so that you don't fatigue from too much training. If you make a smart plan before you start your training, you'll be able to jump back on track when something unplanned comes up.
You've probably heard this a hundred times, but it bears repeating: Nutrition is the key to optimal performance. Here are some basic nutrition tips.
1. Plan to consume 100 calories to every 12 ounces of fluid you take in per hour. For example, if you plan to eat 300 calories per hour on the bike, you'll need to take in 36 ounces of fluid during this time.
2. Make sure to consume between 10 and 20 grams of protein within 30 minutes of finishing your rides or workouts.
3. Practice your nutrition before the event. Don't buy a new flavored gel or flashy new hydration bottle the day before an event. Every single piece of fuel, hydration or carrier system (and heck even clothing) that you show up to the starting line with should have been tested during your dress rehearsal.
More: 6 Tips for Century Ride Rookies
Think lifting weights will bulk you up too much to be fast? Think again. What type of lifting you do is, much like nutrition, a very individual thing. Plan for two solid weight-lifting workouts a week to build the power and stamina you'll need to shave serious time off your century ride.
Focus on strengthening the opposing muscles as much as your "cycling-specific" muscles to achieve the optimum muscle mechanics and to prevent injury. Cycling taxes your hip flexors, quads and gluteus maximus, but by incorporating exercises that work your hamstrings, calves and gluteus medius, you can generate a more powerful, efficient pedal stroke.
We've all been there: It's race week and you're a bottle of nerves, so you head out on an "easy" two-hour spin the day before the event to relax. Don't do it.
If you're looking to really push yourself across a 100 miles, you're going to need to have fresh legs when the gun goes off. Include a few short, high-intensity exercises the week before the event, and spend most of your time eating well, sleeping well and hydrating. Book a sports massage no less than three days out from your event (any closer and you still might have some post-ART soreness).
Avoid early-morning workouts in favor of extra sleep, and fill your plate with veggies, lean protein and nutritious carbohydrates. For some of you, tapering properly will be mentally the hardest part of your training—but come race day your body will thank you.
More: 12 Common Century Ride Mistakes
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