Rock Your Next Century Ride

Nicole DrummerNEO Endurance Sports & Fitness, LLC"Get the personal attention you deserve!"

The Basics: The Century Ride

● 100 miles of pedaling bliss● Requires cardiovascular and muscular

endurance● Typical times are 5-8 hours● The more prepared you are, the more

enjoyable the event

The Basics: The Bike

● Make sure you have good equipment○ A comfortable saddle is key!○ Keep your bike clean & tuned

● Make sure your bike fits you

● Know how to change a flat tire

● Most bike shops offer some kind of basic maintenance class. Take one!

Preparation: Know The Course

● Is it flat? Hilly? How much elevation change? Are the hills steep or gradual?

● Weather patterns○ wind, storms, heat, cold?

● Learn the route - have a cue sheet with you just in case

● Know where the support/aid stations will be and what they will provide

Fitness Requirements

● Long day in the saddle, 5-8 hours. But it is an aerobic event.

● Muscular endurance is needed...keep the legs from fatigue!

● Depending on base fitness, "time in the saddle" can get you to finish.○ But why not do a little more?

Training: How Often?

● Ride 3-5 days per week○ Long Ride ○ Intervals (1-2x/week)○ Easy "recovery" rides

● Even 30 extra minutes can be beneficial to fitness if you can squeeze it in your schedule.

Training Specifics

● Have a plan

● Progressive builds with structured recovery

● Include intensity○ 50% easy○ 25% aerobic endurance (still conversational)○ 10-15% "tempo" (sub-threshold)○ 5-10% threshold○ Small bit above threshold (VO2 max, 10s sprints)

The Long Ride

● Most plans will start you out at about 20-30 miles for your first "long" ride.

● Progressively build to about 80○ do not need to do a century before your century if

you are training properly.○ Build 3-1 , 2-1, or 1-1, depending on recovery needs○ Example:

■ week 1: 20 miles■ week 2: 30 miles■ week 3: 25 miles■ week 4: 40 miles

Intervals - Tempo

● Tempo intervals are sub-threshold○ 80-90% LT power○ 85%-95% of LTHR

● Moderately hard...we often spend a lot of time here○ Pros & Cons of this zone

■ Too much time we get good here but not above■ Can be a solid boost for fitness

○ Good to do Tempo work for century training because it is likely a bit faster than what you will ride during the event.

● Can add tempo intervals to long rides

Intervals - Lactate Threshold

● Improve fitness by working your lactate threshold.

● First determine your threshold power or HR● Then setup progressive intervals where you

work just below.● Example:

○ week 1: 3x8min/3-5min recovery○ week 2: 3x10min/4-6min rec○ week 3: 3x6min/3min rec ("Easy Week")○ week 4: 3x10min/3-5min rec

● Progression depends on your fitness & ability to recover.

Intervals - VO2 max

● Shorter & harder intervals work on VO2max○ VO2 = maximal oxygen uptake by our muscles

● As we age, we want to make sure we are doing VO2 work

● VO2 = hard to very hard effort○ 120%-140% of LT power or >105%LTHR

● Example:○ week 1: 2 sets of 4x30s VO2 w/30s recovery○ week 2: 2 sets of 6x30s VO2 w/30s recovery○ week 3: no VO2 work during easy week○ week 4: 2 sets of 4x1min VO2 w/1min recovery

● Get the recovery you need

Recovery Rides

● A critical component to training....this is the easy spin.

● Blood flows to the muscles but there isn't much stress so it aids in recovery.

● It should be VERY EASY!○ "Take your bike for a walk"○ Social cruise but be sure to spin the legs!

Come to my weekly Friday evening rides at Cafe Velo, 5:45pm, for an hour easy ride!

Critical Cross-Training

● Strength Training○ core stability

■ front, back, and side○ "functional" strength

■ total body movements...multiple joints■ Body weight exercises are great

● lunges, squats, push-ups, pull-ups...● get those glutes, and strengthen the muscles around the

knee

● Flexibility & Body Maintenance○ Yoga!○ Foam rolling/stretching on your own○ Massage

Nutrition & Hydration

● Know what the event will have and practice with that

● Try different strategies in training to see what leaves you with the most energy

● Many products out there, but real food is an option

● Eat & drink at regular intervals to keep blood sugar more stable

● Learn your rate of fluid loss● Have a nutrition/hydration plan and train with

it

Track Your Training

● Technical or non-technical methods○ Garmin Connect○ Strava○ TrainingPeaks○ Pen & Paper○ Excel Spreadsheet

● Try to detect patterns of when things go well or when they don't

● Monitor improvement and look at long-term trends

Have A Plan

● Set a goal & train for it

● Have an event plan○ Travel logistics○ Pre-event details (expo/meals/etc)○ Event details (pacing/hydration/nutrition)○ Post-event celebration!

● Rock your next century!

Need Help With Your Plan?

Nicole DrummerNEO Endurance Sports & Fitness, LLChttp://neoendurancesports.comnicole@neoendurancesports.com719-235-8209