Advice for going looooong (Double Century Rookie)

[jcs7282]

Looking for any advice, experiences, cautionary tales, tips, tricks, et cetera related to going on a loooong ride – say 200mi +.

Earlier in the summer a friend planted the idea of doing a small group double century around the time of the solstice. For various reasons that never happened, but, I have not been able to shake the idea of doing a double century ever since. I have the opportunity to ride ~100mi to the start of an upcoming event, where I’d join some friends there for another ~100mi. I think I could do it but the prospect of doing it is daunting.

A bit about me and this idea FWIW:
-I have ridden 100-110mi multiple times this season, including routes with significant climbing (8-11k feet) so have no concerns with a “regular” century
-Longest ride ever was B2VT last year (149 mi, 9k feet)
-If I did this I would be riding overnight to the early morning start (no sleep, few if any stores open…would self-support)
-Weather is looking good, dry and not too hot during the day

Main concerns are the whole riding overnight part and just the whole mental challenge of riding through ~7 hours of darkness…only to ride another 100! But I would be riding with friends on the back half, which I think would help mentally.

Anyway, if you have any experiences/tales/advice to share about doing something like this, I appreciate your wisdom!

[spoonrobot]

What is your start time? Midnight?

Riding overnight as part of a double century is a slightly different question but here's my take on a more normal double century. Like you my longest ride prior to a double was 150 miles.

I've only done two but they went well and ended up just being centuries that took twice as long. I mean I did the same things I do on a century until I hit two hundred miles. Ate, drank, sang songs and pedaled along - they were hard and I was glad to be done but like I said they went well.

The only thing I did different than a normal century was stretch several times an hour from the beginning. I can brute force a century riding with poor posture and pedaling squares but I knew that wouldn't work for ~12 hours so I made sure that every opportunity I was stretching on the bike while coasting down a hill or fast flat section. Paid more attention to posture and position and made sure to move my hands around on the handlebars often.

I also found loneliness an issue on both my rides as there were extremely long stretches with no cars, people or things to look at. Just rural forest and grassland. These two rides were the only time I listed to podcasts in the past several years and it helped immensely. I have not ridden overnight but have ridden for 4-5 hours in darkness and I suspect riding overnight may invoke a similar feeling.

I'd also recommend packing a little extra clothing. Even though it's summer, riding through dawn after a full night may feel much cooler than it would otherwise. Having arm/leg warmers may keep you from getting a summer chill, which is almost worse than in the winter.

[benb]

If it's Solo/unsupported for that distance I'd be thinking fenders & a bag to be prepared for changes in the weather.

I did B2VT last year and in 2016 and the hotter weather in 2018 really made it harder for me. 2016 as soon as it started to get hot it rained and that helped me a lot. I know my challenge on longer and longer rides is dealing with heat.

For me to have the most fun with a huge ride like this I think I'd rather do it on my own schedule where I can pick the day with the best weather and then I can time it to when I feel most fit too, least pressure.

B2VT and rides like that seem to try and straddle our bad/cold/wet spring weather with the hot humid summer days that come later. Really tough.

I also slept really badly before B2VT last year.. anything 150+ again I really want to make sure I get a good night of sleep.

[srsoltis]

The week before your ride:

1. Get lots of sleep.
2. No caffeine.
3. Eat well.
4. Test your lighting to ensure it is bright enough and lasts long enough.

On your ride:
1. Bring warm clothes; it is cold at night.
2. Make sure you drink fluids.
3. Have fun.

If you can ride 150 miles, you can ride 200.

[benb]

You didn't say where you're doing this either...

There are lots of 200mi routes that would be less thank the 9k feet of climbing B2VT had last year. That could be a big factor.

That big 5 mile climb at mile 135 last year was pretty horrible that deep into the ride. The 5 mile descent afterwards felt like one of the best ones I've ever had though!

[jcs7282]

Ha, I was intentionally being vague so as to remain non-committal!

But I'd be riding from the Boston burbs out to the start of D2R2, doing the 160k route. I rode the 180k last year solo. Doing 160k this year with friends.

If I did the ride to the start, I'd be looking at something like a 11PM departure to ensure plenty of time to get to start and get some food/coffee/water before "starting" again...

Without a doubt this would be the hardest thing I have ever done on a bike (and, perhaps physically ever in my life...but once ran a marathon on little training and I do not think I'll ever be in that much pain from a sport again, I hope)...but that's the point I guess! If it was easy I wouldn't be wondering if I could do it!

[YesNdeed]

I've done the Atomic Smasher 200 twice, totaled 231 miles last Summer, riding to/from the start/finish from home. What I didn't do last year which I did do the first time around in 2014 was put in some big rides leading up to it, say 120 and 140 milers. This was very helpful, and last year hurt so bad that I never want to anything like it again ().

Plan to eat real food at some point. Seriously, like a hamburger. Ok, beef might be a bit heavy to carry in the gut, but get a good dose of protein, along with a balance of mono and poly saccharides (fast and slow digesting carbs...think fries and a Coke). At around 120 miles and after a big climb, Los Alamos was a good stopping point, and about the time I was getting pretty sick of roadie gels and such. I had a salt bagel with a heaping amount of cream cheese. This did the job quite well, and I was ready roll after that and a coffee, with about 30 minutes of downtime. Did I mention salt?

Electrolyte pills are a good idea. I like Hammer Endurolytes. Plan on sweating A LOT. Needless to say, plan on numerous water stops. I obtained a bar bag for additional supplies, and this was great. It also made for a safe refuge for my phone in all of 3 different downpours I rode through. I'm really glad I didn't get struck by lightening, as a hiker in that same area in the Jemez Mountains did last week. He was airlifted to a hospital. He also happens be a cyclist.

Start early, like, 5 AM early. Mile 160 on through 200+ is a difference world from the average century, and it's not possible to know long it's really going to take. I kept a comfortable pace since I wasn't sure how it would play out in the latter portion of the ride. Having a bailout option is also a good idea. The loop I did didn't really have that option after Santa Fe about half way through, and went through some remote areas. I brought a separate power storage thing for when my Garmin ran out of power, which it did at 180 miles. But, I brought a micro USB cable and not Garmin's proprietary charging cable, so it availed me nothing. I Strava'd the remaining miles directly from my phone.

In the end, it was an absolutely amazing ride and emotional experience. Riding a bike takes on a spiritual experience when encountering such a vast array of sights and climate changes. It was 12K+ feet of climbing, if I recall.

[benb]

Originally Posted by jcs7282

Ha, I was intentionally being vague so as to remain non-committal!

But I'd be riding from the Boston burbs out to the start of D2R2, doing the 160k route. I rode the 180k last year solo. Doing 160k this year with friends.

If I did the ride to the start, I'd be looking at something like a 11PM departure to ensure plenty of time to get to start and get some food/coffee/water before "starting" again...

Without a doubt this would be the hardest thing I have ever done on a bike (and, perhaps physically ever in my life...but once ran a marathon on little training and I do not think I'll ever be in that much pain from a sport again, I hope)...but that's the point I guess! If it was easy I wouldn't be wondering if I could do it!

You going to ride home too? So much for "maybe not as much climbing as B2VT". You could easily be looking at 15-20k feet of climbing.

Maybe hook up with New England Randonneur for some of there other rides to build up. I haven't done anything but their 100k rides (plus riding to/from the start) but they do a great job. My kind of event in the way they keep it low key. You could do the 200k and 300k or something as preparation.

I did a solo 120 mile ride leading up to B2VT last year.. it was a super tough day with about 7k feet of climbing and I was really on the fence with whether that one actually helped or hurt.. It wasn't quite long enough and yet it was stupid hard too and maybe too close to the event. (I rode to the Pack Monadnock Summit from Boston Suburbs and back.) I would want to get that dialed in before going longer.

These rides are almost divorce inducing for me though, not so eager to do one again right away. The amount of preparation looks really selfish from an outside perspective.

[jcs7282]

No way on the ride home, that would make it 300mi!

I have friends I could hitch a car ride home with!

[cp43]

Originally Posted by jcs7282

Ha, I was intentionally being vague so as to remain non-committal!

But I'd be riding from the Boston burbs out to the start of D2R2, doing the 160k route. I rode the 180k last year solo. Doing 160k this year with friends.

If I did the ride to the start, I'd be looking at something like a 11PM departure to ensure plenty of time to get to start and get some food/coffee/water before "starting" again...

Without a doubt this would be the hardest thing I have ever done on a bike (and, perhaps physically ever in my life...but once ran a marathon on little training and I do not think I'll ever be in that much pain from a sport again, I hope)...but that's the point I guess! If it was easy I wouldn't be wondering if I could do it!

Is the point of this to do the double century? Or to ride to D2R2? If the latter, can you leave Friday morning, and camp at the start? That's what I'm doing. PM me if your plans are flexible, and maybe we can ride out together on Friday.

Reactions to sleep deprivation on the bike will be very personal. It doesn't bother me much, I have no trouble staying awake on 24-30 hours rides. One of my friends has started to fall asleep while riding at 24 hour ride. Another has had hallucinations towards the end of a > 24 hour ride. (Both of them, and I, will be riding the 160K also) If you're not sure how you'll respond, you'll probably want to get some sleep before riding D2R2.

Benb makes a good point about New England Randonneurs. I do a bunch of their rides. If you're thinking about long distance riding, look them up for next year.


Chris

[jcs7282]

Originally Posted by cp43

Is the point of this to do the double century? Or to ride to D2R2?

The point is to get in a double century. Sort of a "two birds, one stone" opportunity for me. I've got young kids so getting chances to do stuff like ride 200 (or 100, for that matter) are few and far between.

Normally I'd camp the night before and hang out, but I'm trying not to miss any bedtimes for the kiddos this year. So, although I'll leave in the middle of the night, it doesn't count against me since they'll be sleeping by then!

Perhaps we'll cross paths on the 160k route. I'll be the guy on a blue Zank with red wheels, you'll see me from a mile away.
John

[KidWok]

Wear a watch that has a timer continually starts over like a Timex Ironman. Set the time interval to 15 minutes. Make sure to take a big drink every fifteen minutes. Maybe take on some food every other time it rings. For hot days, set the timer to shorter intervals to make sure you're getting enough hydration.

I like using a touring handlebar bag to store all my food. It's big, easy to reach into, and I can stay on the bike longer by carrying more food and water. One of the things I hate when doing long distance rides is stopping too long and letting my legs cool off. Would much rather take a sandwich to go on the bike and take small bites of it over a longer period of time while moving along than taking half an hour off the bike to take in a bunch of food, only to feel my stomach weighed down and having cold legs when getting back on the bike. A big bag also allows for a variety of foods so it doesn't get boring eating the same bars and gels. I used to stuff a whole package of Fig Newmans, Clif Bloks, ham or turkey sandwiches cut into quarters, apples, and a frozen water bottle to keep it all cool that I could drink later. Stop by a fruit stand for some Rainier Cherries or Raspberries.

Tai

[benb]

Originally Posted by KidWok

Wear a watch that has a timer continually starts over like a Timex Ironman. Set the time interval to 15 minutes. Make sure to take a big drink every fifteen minutes. Maybe take on some food every other time it rings. For hot days, set the timer to shorter intervals to make sure you're getting enough hydration.

Most computers can do this too, so no need for an extra watch.

If you've got a PM you can probably get a Garmin or whatever to alarm you based on kJ or something instead of time, which is a bit crazy.

Honestly if the goal was to ride 200 I would just go ride 200 and not try and hit the D2R2 goal at the same time. Then you're on your own timetable and not worrying about making it to the start of D2R2 at the right time or letting down friends.

[cp43]

Originally Posted by jcs7282

The point is to get in a double century. Sort of a "two birds, one stone" opportunity for me. I've got young kids so getting chances to do stuff like ride 200 (or 100, for that matter) are few and far between.

Normally I'd camp the night before and hang out, but I'm trying not to miss any bedtimes for the kiddos this year. So, although I'll leave in the middle of the night, it doesn't count against me since they'll be sleeping by then!

Perhaps we'll cross paths on the 160k route. I'll be the guy on a blue Zank with red wheels, you'll see me from a mile away.
John

Sounds good, have fun!

I'll be on the big white 44 Huntsman, also difficult to miss

As others have said, make sure you eat and drink enough on the overnight. It's easy to get behind on that.

If you have the time, I think a nap at the D2R2 venue will be a very good idea. An hour or so will make a big difference.

Hopefully I'll see you out there.

Chris

[jcs7282]

Ooooh a 44! Never seen one in person. I will keep an eye out! So much eye candy at D2.