Hi, I want to train for a 5 hour century. I'd like to find a week by week plan that will get me to my goal. I'd like to be able to complete my goal by November. Can anyone suggest a pre-made plan or know of anything similar to what I'm looking for? I haven't cycled much in the past 3 years. But I used to ride all the time. I put 7000 miles on my bike in 2007. But I have maybe ridden 600 miles since 2008. I'm in fairly good shape right now but certainly not in good enough shape to ride a century in 5 hours. I could probably ride 100 miles in 7 to 8 hours right now. Also I am a 22 year old male if that matters at all. So does anyone have any suggestions for a training plan?
A Training Plan for a 5 hour century
- Thread starter Vortigal
- Start date
Ride lots and when you do ride, ride at over 20mph average.
Are you looking at completing the ride at 5 hours or there abouts or will 5hrs and 59 minutes do - there's a big difference there. Don't forget the time frittered away at rest stops etc...
As for training, if you were to go out and cruise around at a "concerted effort", one that you could maintain for 90 minutes to 2 hours and required some concentration to keep going, about how fast would you be riding?
A couple of easy things to look at/do:
Shorter efforts - intervals of around 20 minutes. Great for building aerobic power. Not rocket science - ride for 20 minutes at a close to just sustainable pace, rest for 5 minutes or 10 if you're farked and do another 20. If you're fit or have a bit more time - do 3. Typically done at L4 pace - based upon Andy Coggan's scale of death - close to threshold, or just a tad under your FTP if you have a powermeter. It hurts but it's very effective.
Longer efforts - 2 to 3 hour rides. There's no real need to do 100 miles in training, 60 to 70 miles will do but for the "meat and potatoes" training 3 hours at the most will do it because you won't be riding the 100 miles this hard. 3 hours at a pace that requires some concentration to keep going and if you're doing this with friends then it'll be at a pace where conversation is difficult but not impossible. The first hour will seem ease and if paced right (and you've kept up with food/drink) the last hour will be hard despite going at the same 'effort'. If you don't eat and drink enough you'll crack around the 1hr 40 to 2hour mark.
Combine the two and you'll do OK. If time is limited during the week do the shorter efforts in the evening and the longer rides at the weekend. But the key thing is rider often and ride with purpose. Twiddling 42x19 at 13mph isn't going to cut it for you.
The other things are food/drink. You need to stay hydrated and keep the glycogen topped off. Look at about 200 to 250kcals an hour MAX, perhaps less if you're small. Fluids - a regular bottle every hour or so around 75F or a big 24oz bottle for the same time if closer to 90F. It might seem like a little much at first but you'll need to find out if it works for you before your ride. Same with the food intake. I typically use something like Hammer Perpetuem, which is basically a carb/protein drink that gives me the food/fluids in one handy dandy bottle. On longer rides I'll also take a bite to eat just to basically stay used to eating on the bike.
Do not "drink to replace" on very hot days. If you know it's going to be hot on the ride, drink more in the preceding days to stay well hydrated and stick to no more than a 24oz bottle per hour unless it's crazy hot - 110F+
Other things. Efficiency - good bike fit, good tires inflated to the correct pressure, well fitting clothing and stay relaxed on the bike. Those 1/10ths of a mph all add up over 5 hours.
Are you looking at completing the ride at 5 hours or there abouts or will 5hrs and 59 minutes do - there's a big difference there. Don't forget the time frittered away at rest stops etc...
As for training, if you were to go out and cruise around at a "concerted effort", one that you could maintain for 90 minutes to 2 hours and required some concentration to keep going, about how fast would you be riding?
A couple of easy things to look at/do:
Shorter efforts - intervals of around 20 minutes. Great for building aerobic power. Not rocket science - ride for 20 minutes at a close to just sustainable pace, rest for 5 minutes or 10 if you're farked and do another 20. If you're fit or have a bit more time - do 3. Typically done at L4 pace - based upon Andy Coggan's scale of death - close to threshold, or just a tad under your FTP if you have a powermeter. It hurts but it's very effective.
Longer efforts - 2 to 3 hour rides. There's no real need to do 100 miles in training, 60 to 70 miles will do but for the "meat and potatoes" training 3 hours at the most will do it because you won't be riding the 100 miles this hard. 3 hours at a pace that requires some concentration to keep going and if you're doing this with friends then it'll be at a pace where conversation is difficult but not impossible. The first hour will seem ease and if paced right (and you've kept up with food/drink) the last hour will be hard despite going at the same 'effort'. If you don't eat and drink enough you'll crack around the 1hr 40 to 2hour mark.
Combine the two and you'll do OK. If time is limited during the week do the shorter efforts in the evening and the longer rides at the weekend. But the key thing is rider often and ride with purpose. Twiddling 42x19 at 13mph isn't going to cut it for you.
The other things are food/drink. You need to stay hydrated and keep the glycogen topped off. Look at about 200 to 250kcals an hour MAX, perhaps less if you're small. Fluids - a regular bottle every hour or so around 75F or a big 24oz bottle for the same time if closer to 90F. It might seem like a little much at first but you'll need to find out if it works for you before your ride. Same with the food intake. I typically use something like Hammer Perpetuem, which is basically a carb/protein drink that gives me the food/fluids in one handy dandy bottle. On longer rides I'll also take a bite to eat just to basically stay used to eating on the bike.
Do not "drink to replace" on very hot days. If you know it's going to be hot on the ride, drink more in the preceding days to stay well hydrated and stick to no more than a 24oz bottle per hour unless it's crazy hot - 110F+
Other things. Efficiency - good bike fit, good tires inflated to the correct pressure, well fitting clothing and stay relaxed on the bike. Those 1/10ths of a mph all add up over 5 hours.
Swampy1970 is correct. Simply go out and ride at 20mph for 5 hours (or 16.7mph for 6 hours). No problem.
I regard 6:00 as the dividing point between recreational and serious riding. Of course, serious riding requires you to do the ride alone.
If the training to do a sub 6 hour ride was easy, serious riding would require a 5:30 time. But the training is hard. I would try to do enough riding so that 20 miles at ride pace was easy, then 30 miles and work up to 80 miles. Even then the last hour of your 100 mile ride will be hard. Most likely it will take several if not many attempts to reach your final goal. The more training you do. The longer the rides. The easier it will be to attain your goal.
There is no need to do special efforts above ride pace. You will do enough hard work on days when the weather, terrain, or clock is against you. No need to take rest days. There will be enough of life's obligations to give you days off.
Food and water needs are personal. Find what works for you. I can handle 1000 calories at the 50 mile point of a 100 mile ride. Fall is tough season for water. Some days are hot enough to require more than a bottle an hour. Other days are cool enough to get buy with almost no water. Food and water depend on what you train your body to expect.
I regard 6:00 as the dividing point between recreational and serious riding. Of course, serious riding requires you to do the ride alone.
If the training to do a sub 6 hour ride was easy, serious riding would require a 5:30 time. But the training is hard. I would try to do enough riding so that 20 miles at ride pace was easy, then 30 miles and work up to 80 miles. Even then the last hour of your 100 mile ride will be hard. Most likely it will take several if not many attempts to reach your final goal. The more training you do. The longer the rides. The easier it will be to attain your goal.
There is no need to do special efforts above ride pace. You will do enough hard work on days when the weather, terrain, or clock is against you. No need to take rest days. There will be enough of life's obligations to give you days off.
Food and water needs are personal. Find what works for you. I can handle 1000 calories at the 50 mile point of a 100 mile ride. Fall is tough season for water. Some days are hot enough to require more than a bottle an hour. Other days are cool enough to get buy with almost no water. Food and water depend on what you train your body to expect.
Pretty aggressive goal. First, let me make some assumptions about your goal. I assume you mean 100 statute miles and not 100KM. Also, I assume you want to do a 5-hour century solo (or at least no drafting).
The first thing you want to do is to pick your course. Your goal is zero climbing and zero wind, so a track would be great. But, assuming you're going to use roads, find a route or multiple loops of a circuit that is as flat as possible. Also, be flexible in planning your ride date. You want the lightest winds possible. I don't know your size and weight, but it should require only a little more than 200 watts to maintain 20mph on the flat with no wind. Introduce some climbing and wind and you'll see that number shoot up to 250 watts. Training for 5 hrs at 200W versus 5 hrs at 250W is like night and day.
As to training, you need tons and tons of aerobic efforts (min 10mins). But, you're better off doing repeats of aerobic efforts <= 30mins rather than just going out and riding for 5 hours at a constant pace. So, do something like 20mins at aerobic pace + 10mins recovery pace, then repeat, repeat, etc. You'll be able to gauge how fast to ramp up your training time by your cumulative fatigue. If your rides begin to compromise your rides the next day, then you probably don't want to increase the intensity or duration until you can do back-to-back days without a problem.
Finally, try to borrow a TT or tri bike with deep dish wheels, if you don't have one. Reducing your frontal area will be huge.
Good luck. Tough goal.
The first thing you want to do is to pick your course. Your goal is zero climbing and zero wind, so a track would be great. But, assuming you're going to use roads, find a route or multiple loops of a circuit that is as flat as possible. Also, be flexible in planning your ride date. You want the lightest winds possible. I don't know your size and weight, but it should require only a little more than 200 watts to maintain 20mph on the flat with no wind. Introduce some climbing and wind and you'll see that number shoot up to 250 watts. Training for 5 hrs at 200W versus 5 hrs at 250W is like night and day.
As to training, you need tons and tons of aerobic efforts (min 10mins). But, you're better off doing repeats of aerobic efforts <= 30mins rather than just going out and riding for 5 hours at a constant pace. So, do something like 20mins at aerobic pace + 10mins recovery pace, then repeat, repeat, etc. You'll be able to gauge how fast to ramp up your training time by your cumulative fatigue. If your rides begin to compromise your rides the next day, then you probably don't want to increase the intensity or duration until you can do back-to-back days without a problem.
Finally, try to borrow a TT or tri bike with deep dish wheels, if you don't have one. Reducing your frontal area will be huge.
Good luck. Tough goal.
I second almost everything RappDaddyo said. He pretty much hit the nail on the head.
My one slight disagreement is that I would suggest longer efforts. You need a lot of 2hr rides in the Tempo range (L3) to do this (can be either high or low L3 depending on the day). Keep the pace steady (no rests) and go about as hard as you expect to during your century. So try to average 20mph on the flat not counting stop signs and lights etc. When you encounter hills lift the pace up, then back to L3 at the top. (However, I wouldn't recommend doing rides that are very hilly in training for this because that's not what you're training for and the descents can end up giving you too much rest.)
My one slight disagreement is that I would suggest longer efforts. You need a lot of 2hr rides in the Tempo range (L3) to do this (can be either high or low L3 depending on the day). Keep the pace steady (no rests) and go about as hard as you expect to during your century. So try to average 20mph on the flat not counting stop signs and lights etc. When you encounter hills lift the pace up, then back to L3 at the top. (However, I wouldn't recommend doing rides that are very hilly in training for this because that's not what you're training for and the descents can end up giving you too much rest.)
I agree with this modification to my prescription, especially as he approaches the date of his ride. My focus was on him building his aerobic capacity, hence the focus on L4 efforts. But, it is certainly psychologically if not physiologically important to adapt to the multi-hour steady efforts.
Considering that Vortigal thinks he can ride 100 miles in 7 hours: That places his L2 around 100 to 120w. L3 based on those numbers seems to be at most 180w. He has no hope of riding at 200w (L2) if he is only training at 180w (L3).
His sole purpose now should be to transfer his "fairly good shape" into bicycling. And he can determine if his bicycling shape is sufficient to reach his goal. There is no way he is going to build much strength in the few months that he has.
His sole purpose now should be to transfer his "fairly good shape" into bicycling. And he can determine if his bicycling shape is sufficient to reach his goal. There is no way he is going to build much strength in the few months that he has.
Actually, there is a pretty well documented thread on this forum where a guy in his 60s went from FTP ~150W to over 250W in about 3 months with lots of structured L4 work. So, I wouldn't rule out Vortigal getting to a multi-hour sustainable power >200W in three months. His current fitness is not predictive of how his body will adapt to structured training.
There's also a big difference between riding a century in 7 hrs because you ran out of gas after 2 hrs and made some rest stops, and riding a century in 7hrs when you're really fit and were going all out for the full length of the ride. I suspect he's in the former camp. If he's in the latter camp then nothing is going to get him to 5 hrs by November.
There is so much we do not know. But I don't expect this fellow to have a device to either measure his power or his heart rate. Seems a bit much to talk about training levels.
I disagree on talking about training levels.
Before I owned a power meter it was the influence of a lengthy thread (it's killing me....) where people were discussing with the OP on how to improve via training levels. I was new to all of this and had no idea of training levels and did not have a power meter, but it was not too early for me to lurk on the thread and learn a little. Because of that thread and getting to know some of the major contributors to sensible posts that I began to improve. No telling how many others were influenced by that thread as well.
Never too early in my opinion to start learning sound principles, but it could be a harder or slower path of success if you go by the old trial and error method.
Thanks to those who take time to make sensible training posts.
I was out today doing my daily 54 miles. 105 degrees in the shade and there was no shade. I stopped at a drinking fountain to drink some and dump a lot of water on my head. There was a strong Cat 4 - local team kit, shaved legs and all, there doing the same. He left 30 seconds before me. Had a minute or so on me by the bottom of the hill. 2 miles later the gap was only 15 seconds (it is amazing what a couple minutes at 400 watts will do) and he noticed I was not far behind him. He would get out of the saddle and work hard for a bit and then look back. I would be back there bored and yawning. This was repeated several times. I finally got tired of it and rode 500 meters at 500w. He was surprised to see me on his wheel. He soon took a wrong turn on the path ( hard to do but ...) and arrived at the turn around a minute after me. We parted company there. I thanked him for the company he provided.
Looking at my power numbers - a good portion of my ride (and I just ride around), 1 hour out of 3 hours, was L4 or higher. Looking at my heart rate numbers - only 5 minutes was above recovery and not by much. Maybe I should do my training based on "sound principles."
I am not sure that a guy who rides as little as the original poster is riding is going to benefit any more from "learning sound principles" than from just riding around.
So, you rode for 3 hours in 105+F heat. 1 hour was L4+ and some 400 to 500watt efforts...
... yet only a couple of minutes of heart rate above recovery ride effort?
Does not compute.
I think people should stop making the pilgrimage to Lourdes, France and instead revel in the Holy Waters that Old Man drinks. The proverbial fountain of power.
... yet only a couple of minutes of heart rate above recovery ride effort?
Does not compute.
I think people should stop making the pilgrimage to Lourdes, France and instead revel in the Holy Waters that Old Man drinks. The proverbial fountain of power.
Swampy ----
I am also old, have a bad leg, and don't train very hard.
Perhaps your idea of training zones is a bit naive.
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But this thread is about a guy who wants to ride a century in under 5 hours. And for that he needs to be able to produce 200w for 5 hours. (I guess he can buy some speed, but ...)
I am also old, have a bad leg, and don't train very hard.
Perhaps your idea of training zones is a bit naive.
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But this thread is about a guy who wants to ride a century in under 5 hours. And for that he needs to be able to produce 200w for 5 hours. (I guess he can buy some speed, but ...)
I have re-read the OP's request. He didn't ask for opinions on whether his goal was feasible or even achievable. He asked for suggestions on training plans. But, as to the feasibility of his goal, I do think it is feasible based on his original post. He rode a lot as recently as 2007. He is getting fit again and not getting fit for the first time. The first year I decided to get into racing, I was regularly training 60 miles/day 5x per week plus a race each weekend after about 3 months. I never actually tried to ride solo for 5 hours at 20mph, but I know that I could have done it. So, is the OP's goal challenging? Yes. Is it unattainable? I don't think so. If he can put in ~3 hours/day on the road and takes some advice on structured training, I think he can do it.
I have a very good understanding of training zones - whether if be Peter Keens 4 levels based on heart rate, which was the in thing back in england from the early 90s or Andy Coggans 5 levels of pleasure. Personally, on very hot days I find my heart rate is elevated and that even at L1 power my heart rate might be hovering around where it usually is when the power is hobering around low L2. Doing an hour of L4, which is pegging best 25mile effort and having a recovery ride heart rate probably means that something is up with your ol' ticker. If my heart rate did that during a L4 effort I'd be worried or at the very least very curious. I've got a dodgy lung to go with that dodgy leg of yours... Cycling is, as Andy Coggan says, "an aerobic sport damn it" You can buy plenty of speed - aero bars and some basic testing can net nce gains. Simple stuff like a plastic disk wheel cover ($70?) works about as good as the carbon equivalent. You can rent aero wheels for the weekend if one so desires - a set of zipp 808s or HED Jet 60s or 90s is just a phone call away - excessive, yes... but very plausible if the OP is dead set on really getting under 6 hours. plus having a set of bling bling wheels is ace and makes you want to ride fast!An old Guy said:
Lycra shoe covers, a tight fitting non-flapping shirt and TT mitts can trim a whole slew of time... There was a guy on the very mountainous Alta Alpina who did all 8 passes with a giro aero helmet. Not sure how much that helped on the hills but on a flat century that'd be worth more than a minute or two... ... And of course there's the whole nugget of learning to ride in a pack and draft - the ultimate aero advantage. Tandar - it's a built in device in ones noggin that's like radar but it detects tandems, the ultimate drafting machine on two wheels. Worth every last drop of sweat to get on the wheel of one of those bad boys as 350+ watts for a few minutes after 150 miles on the Davis double this year proved. Once on the wheel and out of the gutter life was good... Feeding - how to eat feed properly to keep yourself humming along nicely and hints/tips on getting in and out of rest stops fast. But the guy needs some speed and endurace in his legs and needs to be bang out 20mph and change in training for 50 to 70 miles with regularity closer to the event and when time doesn't permit that he needs to go faster during the time he's got. It ain't rocket science.What I was really looking for is something like a training plan on calendar. Something that I can just wake up look at my calendar and know what I need to ride that day. I've just been riding and don't really have a concentrated plan. Also I am 6'5" 165 pounds. I don't have any way of measuring power output. I'm 6'5" 165 pounds. I live in Tucson, AZ so its stupid hot most of the time. I know that my goal is difficult. I have a lot of free time before I go to work in the late afternoons and I'm willing to put it all into cycling in the next few months in order to reach my goal. Also I meant 5 hours or less, not anything longer than that.
The problem is you don't want to finish a 100 miles (and there are lots of training calendars for that) you want to do faster than most people can. There is a 100 mile ride in Tulsa during the Tulsa Tough bike races. Those who ride the 100 miles in under 5 hours get a t-shirt of something. About 1/2 the people who try fail. And they draft.
As Swampy said you can buy a lot of speed. Ride in a group. Get aero equipment. That might save you 1/2 hour. Don't get dehydrated or hungry. Another 15 minutes saved there.
But it is not about writing things down on a calendar. (The smart answer is to write down ride 100 miles in 5 hours on the last day. Sort of worthless but that is the goal.)
You need to go out and find out how fast you are now. If it turns out you can ride 19mph for an hour, you are in a lot better situation than if you can only ride 16. It is even better if you can ride 19mph for 2 hours or longer. At that point you can start thinking about buying speed and working on your longer rides.
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Calendar suggestion:
Use 3 types of days. Rest days. Long days. Short days.
I would use 1 rest day a week. 2 or 3 short days a week and 3 or 4 long days a week. Rest on the rest days. Ride the short days hard (if you like doing intervals do what Swampy suggests). Ride the long days easy enough to finish but hard enough that you are tired at the end. It is ok to take a break for filling bottles and grabbing a bite to eat.
Look at your calendar and see what days allow you to do the long days and mark them long. Toss in the short days. Add the rest days.
Of course, I expect your long days will get longer as you progress - 100 miles in 6 hours one day a week and 50+ miles on other days toward the end would be reasonable. I would also expect your hard days to stay hard but your power output would increase as you progress.
Once you get to 19mph for 4 or 5 hours on your long days you might decrease your short day efforts. Might even take more days off.
You might notice this is goal oriented - try to do a bit more each day.
Old Guy, if you ride 54 miles a day, even in the extreme heat, and can put out 400-500W in the middle of the ride just to catch some guy you don't know, but now you're old and have a bad leg and don't train very hard, I've got to wonder what pro team you rode for, or what kind of race titles you have?
I'm wondering because the ride you described sounds like more than the fastest guy I know here would attempt in 105F, and he was World Master's champ for a few years. Maybe I'm just jealous, because at 105F heat index, such as we've had for a couple of weeks now, my HR is above recovery level almost all the time....certainly on every climb.
a) his HR monitor does not work correctly b) Or he is not telling the truth c) he is SOT d) Both b and c
Obviously if he has this kind of detail to his ride he can show us something to prove the claim. Since he has been asked multiple times his background with no response I doubt any will be coming soon.
Sorry bad leg, 105 degree heat, daily 54 mile rides, old guy but can not take a post with that much in it at face value.
-js
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