Ride Preparation

Question
It is June 8th and yesterday I decided to do a 66 mile ride for the American Cancer Society on July 12th! I currently ride (mountain bike) an average of 20-25 miles per ride 1-2 days a week.  I am very much interested in not just doing this ride but finishing strong.  My longest -recent- ride (about a week ago Sat-May 30th) was about 35 mi and I was spent.

I'm told the terrain is relatively flat with rest stops every 15 miles or so.  Right now I average about 14-15 mph and my current rides include some unpaved paths (no singletrack -yet) and some hills.  I do spinning when not on my bike (solo-due to scheduling conflicts with classes) and I average about 30-45 per session after my weight training workouts.

I need a program that will get me prepared for the ride quickly.  My current ride/training route is an 8-mile loop with a 2-mile extension (but at decreased pace)...there is another ride that is 20-miles one way that I have yet to work up to; To get ready for this ride I am prepared to substitute some gym days for ride days and I am outfitted for night riding.

Please advise, and thank you!
japii


Answer
John,

I salute you for embarking on a nice long ride over a half-century.  Working up to it shouldn't be a problem.  First things first, you can choose to use a training plan.  There are plenty available online if you search for "bicycling metric century training plan"
Here are a couple,
http://bicycling.about.com/od/trainingandfitness/a/century.htm
http://www.healthytippingpoint.com/2009/05/metric-century-and-triathlon-training...

If you want to try to make a plan yourself, here are some helpful basic principles that I follow when I am not racing:

- Try to ride 3-4 times a week at least.
- Vary the distance and the route, perhaps doing one long, one medium and two short a week.  Most people do their long rides on Saturday or Sunday.
- As best you can, only increase 10-20% per week or so.  With biking this isn't so rigid as running, but it is very good rule of thumb.  If one week your long ride is a max of 25 miles, try not to make the next week long ride more than, say, 30 miles.  You still have time to work up to around 60 miles by the week of 12 July.  And 60 miles will get you in striking distance of your 66-miler.
- In terms of scheduling, set out a regular schedule that includes rest and stick to it.  For instance, short, faster ride Monday night, Tuesday gym (core work, situps, etc., rest), Wednesday medium ride (with some hills or speedups), Thursday rest or go for a nice walk, Friday short easy ride, Saturday long ride, Sunday chores.

In addition to building the training schedule, here are some tips you should consider in conjunction with your training:

- Practice eating and drinking what you will be eating and drinking on the ride.  That means try out Gatorade, water, bananas, bagels, Gu gels or whatever else the race promoter will have at the rest stops.  You can usually have a good guess at what will be there by who the ride sponsors are.
- When you train, put a premium on not stopping, no matter how slow you go.  You will need to build up your tolerance for time in the saddle as much as your physical endurance.
-Wear proper bike shorts and a bike shirt - Comfort is essential for enjoyment and bike clothing is made to be very comfortable when on a bike.  

This, of course, is just a start.  Feel free to ask me further questions about what I have said her and what you want to know,

Graeme