Training for Century?

Glm <[email hidden]> wrote in news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I've been riding for around 7 weeks now, after a break of some 17 years.
I'm now 36 and not totally unfit (although there is still a long way
to go, of course). In the last few weeks I have had several rides of
60+ miles and most of the time seem quite able to average 17-18mph on
shorter routes (longer rides have been tough to measure).

If you're already doing regular 60 mile rides, you should have adequate
fitness for a 100 mile ride over the same sort of terrain (similar hills,
etc.). Obviously, if you're only doing flat rides and the century is hilly,
you should do more hill training.

The main difference between a 60 mile ride and a 100 mile ride is nutrition.
You don't need to eat or drink much on a 60 mile ride. You will need to
refuel and rehydrate regularly to reach 100 miles. If you're doing an
organized century ride, there will probably be rest stops every hour or two
with pleanty of food and water for you.

Glm said:

<snip><snip>
Further, would it make sense to knock alcohol on the head for a few
weeks? Have already cut it down from 20-odd bottles of wine per week
(*ahem*, let's not go there) to less than 4, but am thinking that
perhaps complete abstinence would make a significant difference?

It does make a pretty big difference. I stopped drinking completely a
little over a year ago after getting up to 200 pounds on a 5' 7" base.
The fringe benefit was that I lost weight and got into better shape
almost without trying since I was taking in less calories. Alcohol is
kind of like a funny carb that just happens to make you feel better,
for a while at least. I think there are 6 calories per gram (?), so
it is like eating too much.

Quoted message said:

I have also refrained from starving msyelf during the day only to eat
two tons of food each evening in unhealthy (albeit most salubrious)
restaurants. This is helping my energy levels.

Much better to eat a big breakfast and decent lunch since you can
burn it off during the day. A light dinner will then be all you need
before bed. You should wind up with more energy throughout the day.

Quoted message said:

I live in Manhattan and can ride every day, at least for an hour or
two. I can also spend Saturdays and Sundays on the bike.

Any thoughts regarding how I could maximize the value of this time
would be appreciated.

Never use elevators, just run up the stairs, at least unless you have
to go to the 50th floor. Also, as this group knows, I advise running
even across the street whenever you can just to get a little workout
on some muscles and get the heart going just a tad quicker.

Quoted message said:

Thank you ever so much.

Glm

Pedal, pedal, pedal.
Bill Baka

--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

Quoted message said:

The main difference between a 60 mile ride and a 100 mile ride is

nutrition.

Quoted message said:

You don't need to eat or drink much on a 60 mile ride. You will need to
refuel and rehydrate regularly to reach 100 miles. If you're doing an
organized century ride, there will probably be rest stops every hour or

two

Quoted message said:

with pleanty of food and water for you.

I would also add that he needs to stretch at the rest stops after the 60
mile point. Don't think that you can skip the latter rest stops. You need to
get off the bike and use your leg muscles in walking and stretching and give
your back muscles a rest, too. I think you will also find the need to stand
up and get some blood back into your butt more often after the 60 mile point
(while riding). Also, at the 60 or 70 mile point, take a cup from the rest
stop and drink the Gatorade and then take the cup into the Porta Potty with
you. Pee into the cup and have a look at the color of your urine. That will
alert you to whether you are not hydrating enough. If it is dark yellow,
you know you are behind in your hydration.

Pat in TX

Glm <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

My question is, therefore, what can I do to prepare myself for this? I
used to ride 100 miles most weekends when I was a teenager, but that was
more than 20 years ago and I never really trained for it. Clearly, now my
starting point is significantly lower and so I may need to spend some time
practising!

I recommend using one of the training schedules you can find on the
internet. Doesn't matter if it's from a different ride - the
principles are the same. I did a Google search on "century ride
training schedule pace" and found a suitable schedule from a Wyoming
ride: http://www.cyclewyoming.org/Training.htm. I've also seen some
which include two rest days per week, if you can't ride 6 days.

Quoted message said:

Further, would it make sense to knock alcohol on the head for a few
weeks? Have already cut it down from 20-odd bottles of wine per week
(*ahem*, let's not go there) to less than 4, but am thinking that perhaps
complete abstinence would make a significant difference?

I like my beer, although 2 is my limit. I think I continued having a
beer or two in the evenings up until 3-4 days before the event, and I
was fine. If you do phase alcohol out entirely, though, you'll rest
better, and that translates to better recovery. A lot of folks will
tell you that recovery is really what training is all about.

Quoted message said:

I have also refrained from starving msyelf during the day only to eat two
tons of food each evening in unhealthy (albeit most salubrious)
restaurants. This is helping my energy levels.

Good nutrition is a definite benefit and will also aid in recovery.
Since a century ride takes more than 3 hours, you might also look into
carbo-loading: you don't eat a lot more, you just change your ratio of
carbs for 3-4 days prior to the event. This allows you to retain more
water (in fact, if you do it right you're supposed to gain 2-3 pounds)
which your body can then use during the event. Think of it as
nature's Camelback. ;-)

Quoted message said:

I live in Manhattan and can ride every day, at least for an hour or two.
I can also spend Saturdays and Sundays on the bike.

Any thoughts regarding how I could maximize the value of this time would
be appreciated.

Thank you ever so much.

Good luck! If you prepare adequately, your first century can be an
awesome experience.

JR

Pat wrote:
::: The main difference between a 60 mile ride and a 100 mile ride is
::: nutrition. You don't need to eat or drink much on a 60 mile ride.
::: You will need to refuel and rehydrate regularly to reach 100 miles.
::: If you're doing an organized century ride, there will probably be
::: rest stops every hour or two with pleanty of food and water for you.
::
:: I would also add that he needs to stretch at the rest stops after
:: the 60 mile point. Don't think that you can skip the latter rest
:: stops. You need to get off the bike and use your leg muscles in
:: walking and stretching and give your back muscles a rest, too. I
:: think you will also find the need to stand up and get some blood
:: back into your butt more often after the 60 mile point (while
:: riding). Also, at the 60 or 70 mile point, take a cup from the rest
:: stop and drink the Gatorade and then take the cup into the Porta
:: Potty with you. Pee into the cup and have a look at the color of
:: your urine. That will alert you to whether you are not hydrating
:: enough. If it is dark yellow, you know you are behind in your
:: hydration.
::
:: Pat in TX

That's an interesting idea, Pat. However, where do you put the cup? 🙂

Seriously, I always pee deep dark yellow after my rides - if I pee. It seems
that all of the water I drink goes out the skin and my mouth.

Ken said:

Glm <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I've been riding for around 7 weeks now, after a break of some 17 years.
I'm now 36 and not totally unfit (although there is still a long way
to go, of course). In the last few weeks I have had several rides of
60+ miles and most of the time seem quite able to average 17-18mph on
shorter routes (longer rides have been tough to measure).

If you're already doing regular 60 mile rides, you should have adequate
fitness for a 100 mile ride over the same sort of terrain (similar hills,
etc.). Obviously, if you're only doing flat rides and the century is
hilly,
you should do more hill training.

The main difference between a 60 mile ride and a 100 mile ride is
nutrition.
You don't need to eat or drink much on a 60 mile ride. You will need to
refuel and rehydrate regularly to reach 100 miles. If you're doing an
organized century ride, there will probably be rest stops every hour or
two
with pleanty of food and water for you.

Hmmm...I've definitely been eating and drinking a lot on my rides. Last
week, for instance, my ride was 69 miles. I drank three large water
bottles (one was water I purchased at a store) and about 80-90 ounces of
water from my Camelback. I took in about 20 grams of carbs per hour, one
time with 20 grams protein. I also ate one powerbar type thing. (I count
the bar as 20 grams of carbs.)

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

Quoted message said:

That's an interesting idea, Pat. However, where do you put the cup? 🙂

I don't follow your question, exactly. I pull down my shorts, pee in the
cup, and then throw the cup in the porta potty.

Quoted message said:

Seriously, I always pee deep dark yellow after my rides - if I pee. It

seems

Quoted message said:

that all of the water I drink goes out the skin and my mouth.

This is NOT good for you. Once, a couple of years ago, I did a ride and
didn't pee during it. Afterwards, I noticed that my urine was brown! That
surely got my attention. I make sure I hydrate during the rides, now. On a
funny (to me) aside, when I got home from the Hotter 'n' Hell Hundred last
Saturday after riding 102.7 miles, I was so thirsty that I was drinking
water constantly. The reason it is funny is that I was so tired I had
trouble falling asleep---but I still had to get up 3 times during the night
to PEE! Groan! That is the last thing I wanted to do! On the other hand, I
didn't have any problems getting back to sleep (just problems making sure I
was fully on the bed before I conked out again).

On the HHH, I stopped at rest stops 3, 6, and 9 just to pee. I wanted to
make sure I still could!

Pat in TX

Quoted message said:

Pat wrote:
::: That's an interesting idea, Pat. However, where do you put the
::: cup? 🙂
::
:: I don't follow your question, exactly. I pull down my shorts, pee in
:: the cup, and then throw the cup in the porta potty.

No, no...I was thinking they'd have those plastic cups at the reststop. So,
to carry one with you, you've got to stash it somewhere....I know how to pee
in a cup, man! 🙂 (I don't like peeing in a cup, mind you, cause you might
miss or it might get full.....)

::
::
::
:::
::: Seriously, I always pee deep dark yellow after my rides - if I pee.
::: It seems that all of the water I drink goes out the skin and my
::: mouth.
::
:: This is NOT good for you. Once, a couple of years ago, I did a ride
:: and didn't pee during it. Afterwards, I noticed that my urine was
:: brown! That surely got my attention. I make sure I hydrate during
:: the rides, now.

I always drink -- it is more a question of how much. I'll tell you that I
don't ride around felling like I need to drink -- that's no fun.

On a funny (to me) aside, when I got home from the
:: Hotter 'n' Hell Hundred last Saturday after riding 102.7 miles, I
:: was so thirsty that I was drinking water constantly. The reason it
:: is funny is that I was so tired I had trouble falling asleep---but I
:: still had to get up 3 times during the night to PEE! Groan! That is
:: the last thing I wanted to do! On the other hand, I didn't have any
:: problems getting back to sleep (just problems making sure I was
:: fully on the bed before I conked out again).

🙂

::
:: On the HHH, I stopped at rest stops 3, 6, and 9 just to pee. I
:: wanted to make sure I still could!

Wow. I never pee on my I ride....on my weekend rides I could stop at a
firestation to pee, though. But frankly, I don't want to have to pee out in
the middle of nowhere. God forbide if I had to take a dump.

Of course, Martin W. Smith is telling me over in the LC newsgroup that if
you don't drink enough water while LCing than performance may be hindered --
but that discussion is in the context of needing to drink [censored] of water
BECAUSE of LCing -- I'm not convinced of that. The recommendation of
drinking enough to get 4 or 5 clear pees a day seems good, but doing that on
a ride seems problematic. How does one find time to get that much water and
doesn't it make one uncomfortable on the bike?

Bob in CT wrote:
:: On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 02:58:26 +0000, Ken <[email hidden]> wrote:
::
::: Glm <[email hidden]> wrote in
::: news:[email hidden]:
:::: I've been riding for around 7 weeks now, after a break of some 17
:::: years. I'm now 36 and not totally unfit (although there is still
:::: a long way
:::: to go, of course). In the last few weeks I have had several
:::: rides of 60+ miles and most of the time seem quite able to average
:::: 17-18mph on shorter routes (longer rides have been tough to
:::: measure).
:::
::: If you're already doing regular 60 mile rides, you should have
::: adequate fitness for a 100 mile ride over the same sort of terrain
::: (similar hills, etc.). Obviously, if you're only doing flat rides
::: and the century is hilly,
::: you should do more hill training.
:::
::: The main difference between a 60 mile ride and a 100 mile ride is
::: nutrition.
::: You don't need to eat or drink much on a 60 mile ride. You will
::: need to refuel and rehydrate regularly to reach 100 miles. If
::: you're doing an organized century ride, there will probably be rest
::: stops every hour or two
::: with pleanty of food and water for you.
::
:: Hmmm...I've definitely been eating and drinking a lot on my rides.
:: Last week, for instance, my ride was 69 miles. I drank three large
:: water bottles (one was water I purchased at a store) and about 80-90
:: ounces of water from my Camelback.

I got a hydration pack but have not used to due to my preconceived notion
that it would be uncomfortable to have on while riding 69 miles!

I took in about 20 grams of
:: carbs per hour, one time with 20 grams protein. I also ate one
:: powerbar type thing. (I count the bar as 20 grams of carbs.)
:

So that's about 100 g's of carbs and 20 grams of protein, right? 480 kcals
doesn't seem unreasonable to me, at all. I guess the powerbar has protein
in there too, so that adds some more calories.

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]

[...]

Quoted message said:

Of course, Martin W. Smith is telling me over in the LC newsgroup
that if you don't drink enough water while LCing than performance may
be hindered -- but that discussion is in the context of needing to
drink [censored] of water BECAUSE of LCing -- I'm not convinced of
that.

LC diets tend to be higher in protein and you need to keep yourself well
hydrated to avoid hitting your kidneys too hard.

Quoted message said:

The recommendation of drinking enough to get 4 or 5 clear pees
a day seems good,

It's unnecessarily high. How can you live spending so much time going to
and from the toilet? People in Western societies are already very well
hydrated. You don't have to go stupid.

Quoted message said:

but doing that on a ride seems problematic. How
does one find time to get that much water and doesn't it make one
uncomfortable on the bike?

It would vary a lot depending on conditions. If you're sweating a lot, for
example, you wouldn't retain as much fluid. On a cooler day you don't have
to drink so much.

--

A: Top-posters.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?

Quoted message said:

::: That's an interesting idea, Pat. However, where do you put the
::: cup? 🙂
::
:: I don't follow your question, exactly. I pull down my shorts, pee in
:: the cup, and then throw the cup in the porta potty.

No, no...I was thinking they'd have those plastic cups at the reststop.

So,

Quoted message said:

to carry one with you, you've got to stash it somewhere....I know how to

pee

Quoted message said:

in a cup, man! 🙂 (I don't like peeing in a cup, mind you, cause you might
miss or it might get full.....)

Oh, where you went wrong is the cup! I was talking about getting a cup of
Gatorade from the volunteers at the rest stop on the Century ride. They use
paper cups--full sized paper cups.

Quoted message said:

I always drink -- it is more a question of how much. I'll tell you that I
don't ride around felling like I need to drink -- that's no fun.

I have something that happens occasionally and that is I will NOT have the
urge to pee and so I will jump on my bike and ride. Three miles down the
road it hits me that I need to pee desperately--but the next rest stop is
still about 7 miles away. And that's not a fun feeling, either. One guy
said to me, "Wow, you're moving right out!" and I just gritted my teeth and
said, "You would too, if you had to pee as bad as I do!"

Quoted message said:

::
:: On the HHH, I stopped at rest stops 3, 6, and 9 just to pee. I
:: wanted to make sure I still could!

Wow. I never pee on my I ride....on my weekend rides I could stop at a
firestation to pee, though. But frankly, I don't want to have to pee out

in

Quoted message said:

the middle of nowhere. God forbide if I had to take a dump.

Oh, I bet you will need to pee if you attempt a Century ride.

Quoted message said:

Of course, Martin W. Smith is telling me over in the LC newsgroup that if
you don't drink enough water while LCing than performance may be

hindered --

Quoted message said:

but that discussion is in the context of needing to drink [censored] of

water

Quoted message said:

BECAUSE of LCing -- I'm not convinced of that. The recommendation of
drinking enough to get 4 or 5 clear pees a day seems good, but doing that

on

Quoted message said:

a ride seems problematic. How does one find time to get that much water

and

Quoted message said:

doesn't it make one uncomfortable on the bike?

As to that (water needs), I only worry about how I feel during the ride. I
didn't "carb load" or anything for this HHH ride, but I did drink Gatorade
at each rest stop that I visited. I ate two half bananas, 2 little cookies
and a smoked sausage with sauerkraut wrapped in a flour tortilla. I have now
done 3 Century rides without carb loading, and I did just fine all three
times. In fact, I did a personal best of 6 hours on this ride (and with no
weakness, etc. after it).

Pat in TX

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

:: Hmmm...I've definitely been eating and drinking a lot on my rides.
:: Last week, for instance, my ride was 69 miles. I drank three large
:: water bottles (one was water I purchased at a store) and about 80-90
:: ounces of water from my Camelback.

Quoted message said:

I got a hydration pack but have not used to due to my preconceived notion
that it would be uncomfortable to have on while riding 69 miles!

At first, it does seem heavy, but remember---it gets lighter as you go on.
By the end of the ride, it is so light and empty that it is barely
noticeable. Having said that, though, I have noticed people with 2 water
bottles on the Charity rides and they do just fine. For me, though, I find I
don't drink as much water if I carry the bottles. It's just less convenient,
especially in the wind.

Quoted message said:

I took in about 20 grams of
:: carbs per hour, one time with 20 grams protein. I also ate one
:: powerbar type thing. (I count the bar as 20 grams of carbs.)
:

So that's about 100 g's of carbs and 20 grams of protein, right? 480

kcals

Quoted message said:

doesn't seem unreasonable to me, at all. I guess the powerbar has protein
in there too, so that adds some more calories.

I don't worry about counting any of that. I don't even carry the protein
bars.I have tried them in the past and they just taste like sludge. If I
carry anything, I carry those individually wrapped cheese sticks.

Pat in TX

Quoted message said:

DRS said:

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]

[...]

Quoted message said:

Of course, Martin W. Smith is telling me over in the LC newsgroup
that if you don't drink enough water while LCing than performance may
be hindered -- but that discussion is in the context of needing to
drink [censored] of water BECAUSE of LCing -- I'm not convinced of
that.

LC diets tend to be higher in protein and you need to keep yourself well
hydrated to avoid hitting your kidneys too hard.

Quoted message said:

The recommendation of drinking enough to get 4 or 5 clear pees
a day seems good,

It's unnecessarily high. How can you live spending so much time going to
and from the toilet? People in Western societies are already very well
hydrated. You don't have to go stupid.

Quoted message said:

but doing that on a ride seems problematic. How
does one find time to get that much water and doesn't it make one
uncomfortable on the bike?

It would vary a lot depending on conditions. If you're sweating a lot,
for
example, you wouldn't retain as much fluid. On a cooler day you don't
have
to drink so much.

So how do you drink enough to keep your kidneys going? I have done about
80 to 90 miles in one 9 hour day while drinking over a gallon and not
had to pee until about 2 hours after I got home. My stomach was sloshing
the whole ride but I was sweating a lot too, being a 90+ degree day.
Is there some drink that gets absorbed faster, besides beer which always
makes me want to pee right away?? On some of my 1 hour max burn cardio
rides on hot days I have weighed in before and after and come in about 4
pounds lighter. That is about 1/2 gallon per hour and I don't think the
stomach absorbs water that fast, and I can't ride after drinking a 1/2
gallon of beer, no way.
FWIW I live in the hot central California valley where 90s and 100s
are common in the summer, still nothing to compare with someplace like
Arkansas where it gets to be 98 degrees and 98% humidity. State sport
should be sweating in place. My dad lived there so I know about that.
Bill Baka

--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

Pat said:

Quoted message said:

:: Hmmm...I've definitely been eating and drinking a lot on my rides.
:: Last week, for instance, my ride was 69 miles. I drank three large
:: water bottles (one was water I purchased at a store) and about 80-90
:: ounces of water from my Camelback.

Quoted message said:

I got a hydration pack but have not used to due to my preconceived
notion
that it would be uncomfortable to have on while riding 69 miles!

At first, it does seem heavy, but remember---it gets lighter as you go
on.
By the end of the ride, it is so light and empty that it is barely
noticeable. Having said that, though, I have noticed people with 2 water
bottles on the Charity rides and they do just fine. For me, though, I
find I
don't drink as much water if I carry the bottles. It's just less
convenient,
especially in the wind.

I don't ride with my camelback, except for very long rides. They are
heavy, but when you're riding for 5-6 hours and there's nothing around,
you need water.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I took in about 20 grams of
:: carbs per hour, one time with 20 grams protein. I also ate one
:: powerbar type thing. (I count the bar as 20 grams of carbs.)
:

So that's about 100 g's of carbs and 20 grams of protein, right? 480

kcals

Quoted message said:

doesn't seem unreasonable to me, at all. I guess the powerbar has
protein
in there too, so that adds some more calories.

I don't worry about counting any of that. I don't even carry the protein
bars.I have tried them in the past and they just taste like sludge. If I
carry anything, I carry those individually wrapped cheese sticks.

Pat in TX

Quoted message said:

I like the carbs and whey protein (I carry dextrose and whey protein). I
carry some bars, too, as I don't eat breakfast and my stomach likes solid
food after about 4 hours (although the protein does help). Also, some
studies indicate that taking protein during a ride spares muscle. I'm not
sure if this is true, but I feel better when taking protein during a long
ride as opposed to just carbs. I'm estimating my carb intake, and it's
probably lower than that. However, I do take in about 60-80 grams of
protein before, during, and immediately after my ride and about 100 grams
of carbs during the same time. For short rides (less than 2 hours), I
take only water.

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

Pat said:

Quoted message said:

::: That's an interesting idea, Pat. However, where do you put the
::: cup? 🙂
::
:: I don't follow your question, exactly. I pull down my shorts, pee in
:: the cup, and then throw the cup in the porta potty.

No, no...I was thinking they'd have those plastic cups at the reststop.

So,

Quoted message said:

to carry one with you, you've got to stash it somewhere....I know how to

pee

Quoted message said:

in a cup, man! 🙂 (I don't like peeing in a cup, mind you, cause you
might
miss or it might get full.....)

Oh, where you went wrong is the cup! I was talking about getting a cup of
Gatorade from the volunteers at the rest stop on the Century ride. They
use
paper cups--full sized paper cups.

Quoted message said:

I always drink -- it is more a question of how much. I'll tell you
that I
don't ride around felling like I need to drink -- that's no fun.

I have something that happens occasionally and that is I will NOT have
the
urge to pee and so I will jump on my bike and ride. Three miles down the
road it hits me that I need to pee desperately--but the next rest stop is
still about 7 miles away. And that's not a fun feeling, either. One guy
said to me, "Wow, you're moving right out!" and I just gritted my teeth
and
said, "You would too, if you had to pee as bad as I do!"

Quoted message said:

::
:: On the HHH, I stopped at rest stops 3, 6, and 9 just to pee. I
:: wanted to make sure I still could!

Wow. I never pee on my I ride....on my weekend rides I could stop at a
firestation to pee, though. But frankly, I don't want to have to pee
out

in

Quoted message said:

the middle of nowhere. God forbide if I had to take a dump.

Oh, I bet you will need to pee if you attempt a Century ride.

Quoted message said:

Of course, Martin W. Smith is telling me over in the LC newsgroup that
if
you don't drink enough water while LCing than performance may be

hindered --

Quoted message said:

but that discussion is in the context of needing to drink [censored] of

water

Quoted message said:

BECAUSE of LCing -- I'm not convinced of that. The recommendation of
drinking enough to get 4 or 5 clear pees a day seems good, but doing
that

on

Quoted message said:

a ride seems problematic. How does one find time to get that much water

and

Quoted message said:

doesn't it make one uncomfortable on the bike?

As to that (water needs), I only worry about how I feel during the ride.
I
didn't "carb load" or anything for this HHH ride, but I did drink
Gatorade
at each rest stop that I visited. I ate two half bananas, 2 little
cookies
and a smoked sausage with sauerkraut wrapped in a flour tortilla. I have
now
done 3 Century rides without carb loading, and I did just fine all three
times. In fact, I did a personal best of 6 hours on this ride (and with
no
weakness, etc. after it).

Pat in TX

Quoted message said:

During my 70 mile bike rides, I typically pee at least 4 times.
Personally, I like drinking water and have always drank a ton of water,
unless the ride is short or it's very cold out. I'm different than Pat --
I do some carbo loading before the ride (typically fruit the day before),
some during, and some after. However, I lift weights twice a week and
ride three days a week.

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

Pat wrote:
::::: Hmmm...I've definitely been eating and drinking a lot on my rides.
::::: Last week, for instance, my ride was 69 miles. I drank three
::::: large water bottles (one was water I purchased at a store) and
::::: about 80-90 ounces of water from my Camelback.
::
::
::: I got a hydration pack but have not used to due to my preconceived
::: notion that it would be uncomfortable to have on while riding 69
::: miles!
::
:: At first, it does seem heavy, but remember---it gets lighter as you
:: go on. By the end of the ride, it is so light and empty that it is
:: barely noticeable. Having said that, though, I have noticed people
:: with 2 water bottles on the Charity rides and they do just fine. For
:: me, though, I find I don't drink as much water if I carry the
:: bottles. It's just less convenient, especially in the wind.

that interesting....here in SC, I've only seen one person wearing a hydro
pack on a charity ride. Everyone else is using water bottles, with rest
stops every 15 miles. maybe I'll get the hyrdapack out....

::
::
:::
::: I took in about 20 grams of
::::: carbs per hour, one time with 20 grams protein. I also ate one
::::: powerbar type thing. (I count the bar as 20 grams of carbs.)
::::
:::
::: So that's about 100 g's of carbs and 20 grams of protein, right?
::: 480 kcals doesn't seem unreasonable to me, at all. I guess the
::: powerbar has protein in there too, so that adds some more calories.
::
:: I don't worry about counting any of that. I don't even carry the
:: protein bars.I have tried them in the past and they just taste like
:: sludge. If I carry anything, I carry those individually wrapped
:: cheese sticks.

I carry Balance or cliff bars and glucose tablets. I only use both if I'm
doing 60+ miles, however.

Pat wrote:
:::::: That's an interesting idea, Pat. However, where do you put the
:::::: cup? 🙂
:::::
::::: I don't follow your question, exactly. I pull down my shorts, pee
::::: in the cup, and then throw the cup in the porta potty.
:::
::: No, no...I was thinking they'd have those plastic cups at the
::: reststop. So, to carry one with you, you've got to stash it
::: somewhere....I know how to pee in a cup, man! 🙂 (I don't like
::: peeing in a cup, mind you, cause you might miss or it might get
::: full.....)
::
:: Oh, where you went wrong is the cup! I was talking about getting a
:: cup of Gatorade from the volunteers at the rest stop on the Century
:: ride. They use paper cups--full sized paper cups.
::
::
:::
::: I always drink -- it is more a question of how much. I'll tell you
::: that I don't ride around felling like I need to drink -- that's no
::: fun.
::
:: I have something that happens occasionally and that is I will NOT
:: have the urge to pee and so I will jump on my bike and ride. Three
:: miles down the road it hits me that I need to pee desperately--but
:: the next rest stop is still about 7 miles away. And that's not a
:: fun feeling, either. One guy said to me, "Wow, you're moving right
:: out!" and I just gritted my teeth and said, "You would too, if you
:: had to pee as bad as I do!"
::

I must be drinking way too little water. funny thing is, my two male riding
buddies don't drink much water at all. I'll be upset if my girlfriends
needs to pee every 10 minutes once we start riding together. I hope she
doesn't mind going in the tall grass or behind some trees.

::
:::::
::::: On the HHH, I stopped at rest stops 3, 6, and 9 just to pee. I
::::: wanted to make sure I still could!
:::
::: Wow. I never pee on my I ride....on my weekend rides I could stop
::: at a firestation to pee, though. But frankly, I don't want to have
::: to pee out in the middle of nowhere. God forbide if I had to take
::: a dump.
::
:: Oh, I bet you will need to pee if you attempt a Century ride.

Perhaps.

::
::
::
:::
::: Of course, Martin W. Smith is telling me over in the LC newsgroup
::: that if you don't drink enough water while LCing than performance
::: may be
:: hindered --
::: but that discussion is in the context of needing to drink [censored]
::: of water BECAUSE of LCing -- I'm not convinced of that. The
::: recommendation of drinking enough to get 4 or 5 clear pees a day
::: seems good, but doing that on a ride seems problematic. How does
::: one find time to get that much water and doesn't it make one
::: uncomfortable on the bike?
::
:: As to that (water needs), I only worry about how I feel during the
:: ride. I didn't "carb load" or anything for this HHH ride, but I did
:: drink Gatorade at each rest stop that I visited. I ate two half
:: bananas, 2 little cookies and a smoked sausage with sauerkraut
:: wrapped in a flour tortilla. I have now done 3 Century rides without
:: carb loading, and I did just fine all three times. In fact, I did a
:: personal best of 6 hours on this ride (and with no weakness, etc.
:: after it).

Wow....I don't think I could manage a century with no carb loading and so
little to eat. I've never been on a charity ride where they have real food
DURING the ride. It's usually just cookies, fruit, and something to drink --
but BBQ afterwards.

You must be a superLCingman.

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 17:04:48 -0400, Roger Zoul <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Pat wrote:
::::: Hmmm...I've definitely been eating and drinking a lot on my rides.
::::: Last week, for instance, my ride was 69 miles. I drank three
::::: large water bottles (one was water I purchased at a store) and
::::: about 80-90 ounces of water from my Camelback.
::
::
::: I got a hydration pack but have not used to due to my preconceived
::: notion that it would be uncomfortable to have on while riding 69
::: miles!
::
:: At first, it does seem heavy, but remember---it gets lighter as you
:: go on. By the end of the ride, it is so light and empty that it is
:: barely noticeable. Having said that, though, I have noticed people
:: with 2 water bottles on the Charity rides and they do just fine. For
:: me, though, I find I don't drink as much water if I carry the
:: bottles. It's just less convenient, especially in the wind.

that interesting....here in SC, I've only seen one person wearing a hydro
pack on a charity ride. Everyone else is using water bottles, with rest
stops every 15 miles. maybe I'll get the hyrdapack out....

I wore one on both my rides last year. It helps carry spare tubes, etc.
On long rides, I typically carry water bottles and a pack.

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 17:04:48 -0400, "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

that interesting....here in SC, I've only seen one person wearing a hydro
pack on a charity ride. Everyone else is using water bottles, with rest
stops every 15 miles. maybe I'll get the hyrdapack out....

Remember you don't have to fill it full - in fact my strategy is to get the
smallest possible one and fill it 1/2 or 3/4 full. This minimizes the
weight and encumbrance factor. The convenience of that sip tube is just too
nice to forgo on very long rides. I'll probably get my support crew to hand
me the pack on the second half or something when I do mine this fall.

What I like even more is the system that triathletes use, with a sip tube
like those on hydrapacks, but they carry the water in bottles on the bike
frame as usual. The sip tube sticks up just far enough on the front of the
bike for easy reach. I've not seen an actual setup - not sure if they
jury-rig the bottles or if you can purchase an actual system like this.
Anyone know?

-B