View Full Version : The day before a big ride.
akelman
10-07-2010, 06:52 PM
I'm doing Levi's Gran Fondo this Saturday. And while I'm reasonably confident in my ability to get through a century, even one whose topography promises to crush my soul, I'm curious if people have advice for the day prior to the big event. Do you ride at all? A slow and short spin? Or do you stay home? Do you eat special foods? Or do you, in hopes of prompting corporeal visions of Eddy Merckx, fast in honor of the biking gods?
I drink a lot of water.
Ride not at all or maybe something short and very low gears.
Eat well.
rustychain
10-07-2010, 07:27 PM
Rest. Clean your bike. Rest.
rugbysecondrow
10-07-2010, 07:46 PM
Really great advice re: my first century...http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=78226&highlight=Century
Also I ate this based on a suggestion here and I felt great. I have eaten it multiple time with much success:
Pre-ride meal:
Boil pasta, preferably whole wheat spagetti. Go just a smidge beyond al dente. Drop it all into an olive oil coated frying pan. Crack a number of eggs on top of the pasta, mix in a little cilantro, some pepper. Splash with Frank's or some other hot sauce. It's not super flavorful, but puts gas in the tank.
OtayBW
10-07-2010, 07:51 PM
My take on the pre-ride meal: Steel cut oats with banana. Good for at least 50 mi....
Drink a bottle or two of cheap wine and eat as much hot Mexican food as you can find. Works for me.
AngryScientist
10-07-2010, 08:04 PM
works for me every time: pasta and beer, carbs, dont leave home without them.
Louis
10-07-2010, 08:31 PM
Install a new type of saddle, raise it 2 cm, and drop your bars about 2 cm.
That way you're certain to finish in a much faster time. :p
Jack Brunk
10-07-2010, 08:37 PM
Eat a good meal the night before. You will then lose 60 percent of what you eat(during 7-8 hours of sleep) and you need to refill 2 hours before the ride starts. Otherwise have a great ride. 6-7 hours of off the chart fun.
fiamme red
10-07-2010, 08:43 PM
Most importantly, don't forget to shave your legs. ;)
-dustin
10-07-2010, 08:45 PM
is this your first century?
if you've been riding a lot, I wouldn't do anything crazy tomorrow, other than relax.
I would've hydrated today.
Get a good sleep tonight.
Eat.
akelman
10-07-2010, 08:49 PM
is this your first century?
Nope. But it's my first in a long time. Anyway, I'm in fine shape, so that's not really a concern, I don't think. It's just that I'm just curious about people's pre-ride rituals.
-dustin
10-07-2010, 09:02 PM
The day before my last century, I rode 84mi, didn't eat well, drank a lot of water, had 2 rather large vodka tonics, and slept 5hrs on a floor.
Don't do that. It's not a recipe for success.
MattTuck
10-07-2010, 09:03 PM
Make many changes to your bike, especially related to contact points, maybe swap out your chain rings or cassette, make sure to really change up your cable tensions and maybe even check your wheel for true and make some pre-emptive changes to spoke tension.
Just kidding, don't do ANY of that.
Seriously, relax, make sure you're well fed with quality food, and relax.
GOOD LUCK!
bobswire
10-07-2010, 09:16 PM
No nookie and you'll be fine, frustrated maybe but a lot of pent up energy for the ride. ;)
fiamme red
10-07-2010, 09:22 PM
No nookie and you'll be fine, frustrated maybe but a lot of pent up energy for the ride. ;)http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pozzato-no-sex-before-the-world-championships
Filippo Pozzato has revealed he is happy to abstain from having sex if it will help him stay focused and win the world road race title in Melbourne.
The Italian Katusha rider, who celebrates his 29th birthday today, while racing at the Vuelta, has a reputation of being a playboy who lives in Monte Carlo and drives around in a Ferrari. But he has told Gazzetta dello Sport that he has not had sex for five months, since breaking up with his longtime girlfriend during the Giro d'Italia.
"Staying away from women isn't a problem for me at the moment. For the world championships I'm willing to make that sacrifice and lots of others," Pozzato said.
Well, he came close to winning, but not quite.
The day before my last century, I rode 84mi, didn't eat well, drank a lot of water, had 2 rather large vodka tonics, and slept 5hrs on a floor.
Don't do that. It's not a recipe for success.
I read this.
Then I read the last line.
This made me laugh.
Out loud.
onekgguy
10-08-2010, 12:01 AM
There's no secret formula here. A decent meal the night before with enough time for it to work through your system is a good idea. A good breakfast is more important though. Drink along the way but not to excess and eat occasionally during the last half or third before your body tells you to.
Kevin g
How about electrolytes? Is it advised or not to start taking them the night before?
Oh yeah, and not too much hard liquor before the ride. Sleep a lot.
1centaur
10-08-2010, 07:14 AM
Best not to start with an electrolyte deficit. If you have reason to think you might be low on one or more electrolyte, won't harm you to top up. Sometimes being short of potassium or sodium has crept up on me from diet or prior dehydration and become obvious during a ride.
Ralph
10-08-2010, 07:22 AM
If me.....Eat well, drink a lot, and rest up before a long ride. If I were starting the long ride at a relaxed pace, then I wouldn't ride at all the day before the century.
If I was going to treat a century like a race (which I've never been strong enough to do), and start out fast, I think I would ride a couple easy miles the day before.
OtayBW
10-08-2010, 07:23 AM
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pozzato-no-sex-before-the-world-championships
Filippo Pozzato has revealed he is happy to abstain from having sex if it will help him stay focused and win the world road race title in Melbourne.
The Italian Katusha rider, who celebrates his 29th birthday today, while racing at the Vuelta, has a reputation of being a playboy who lives in Monte Carlo and drives around in a Ferrari. But he has told Gazzetta dello Sport that he has not had sex for five months, since breaking up with his longtime girlfriend during the Giro d'Italia.
"Staying away from women isn't a problem for me at the moment. For the world championships I'm willing to make that sacrifice and lots of others," Pozzato said.
Well, he came close to winning, but not quite.
I've tried this experiment, replicated many times and with a control. Not significant at a=0.05. I am duty-bound, however, to continue the research.... :banana:
palincss
10-08-2010, 07:33 AM
If me.....Eat well, drink a lot, and rest up before a long ride. If I were starting the long ride at a relaxed pace, then I wouldn't ride at all the day before the century.
How, then, would you cope with doing two centuries back to back?
tuxbailey
10-08-2010, 09:58 AM
Have a nice steak dinner tonight, best to buy imported beef from Spain.
Actually, do have a nice dinner tonight, drink lots of fluid. What I usually do is that on my way to the ride, I drink a bottle of water, then I am fully hydrated.
Oh, make sure you eat breakfast.
Ralph
10-08-2010, 10:27 AM
How, then, would you cope with doing two centuries back to back?
I wouldn't punish myself that much. I just know that as a person who rides almost every day, my old legs seem to do better if I spin them a little almost every day, even on an off day where I maybe only ride 5-10 easy miles on almost level ground. But I would probably not ride at all before a long hard century, if I was riding with some old guys like myself where we started slow and I had the chance to work the "kinks" out of my legs.
For some of you guys....a century is just a good workout, no big deal. You need no special preparation. Not so with me. I have to approach a century as a very special difficult ride.
What would you guys eat for breakfast?
akelman
10-08-2010, 01:33 PM
What would you guys eat for breakfast?
My people have always been partial to the blood of Christian children.
akelman
10-08-2010, 01:38 PM
I suppose it's possible that blood libel jokes are off limits. If so, apologies all around.
goonster
10-08-2010, 02:15 PM
What would you guys eat for breakfast?
Egg McMuffins, as many as possible, and mebbe bring one for the ride.
Do not eat fried chicken the night before.
OtayBW
10-08-2010, 02:34 PM
What would you guys eat for breakfast?
Like I said above, steel cut oats (I like it with banana) will keep you going a long way without flooding you with sugar. YMMV...
My people have always been partial to the blood of Christian children.
I've tried that. Tastes like chicken blood. Gave me the runs, too. And I was shaking like those goons in "The Book of Eli." :no:
pdmtong
10-10-2010, 09:26 AM
Soooooo. How'd you do? That was one of the best organized and supported rides I have done fantastic views and challenging terrain. The course kept me engaged until the bike path. There I just pretended to be Fabian and motored home
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