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tturbotom said:
In previous rides I have learned to take breaks on the bike.... it has worked on my shorter rides (50 miles).


the soundbite that we hear over and over and over....

"Everything changes after 130 miles."
 
Physical. That includes your brain. When you're off on a 40 mile ride, you can will yourself into those last 8 miles.

Doesn't quite work that way at mile 174.

"Don't become a Zombie." :)
 
Discussion starter · #24 ·
Well it's been some time since I posted. I dropped the ball last year and never did the double. I started a new job in the middle of last summer which greatly reduced my available ride time. This year I am more determined than ever to conquer a double. I have started planning and will initiate a training program in the next week or so to condition myself for the ride in late July- earlt August. Aside from my personal goals and planning I would like to rally up at least 5 people to join me on the ride, for safety and friendly company. Comrades from start to finish would be best but would accept anyone that would like to join in along the way.
 
Answers from RedRex

The first set of answers from RedRex are great. It's been a few years from my last double century, but I remember that when the sun goes down, and you're tired, and still a long way to go, it's nice to have a few more layers to put on. It's also nice to stop for a cup-o-noodle or soup.

Coke is great to get a boost. Real food is great, too. typically, after 150 miles, all I want to eat is fries and a hamburger. Soup is great, it's easy to digest, and warm. I've been surprised to discover that chili works very well too.

There's a lot of debate regarding headlights and mtb people are more qualified than me on the subject. But best AAA-powered rear lights are Mars 3.0 and Mars 4.0.
 
no matter how fast or slow you ride a double....

Everybody is playing, "beat the sun".

At some point you start to think about where you are and where you are going to be when the sun squeaks down in front of you. It's a very primitive way of riding, in terms of goals, and is one of the many reasons why these distances appeal to me so much.


Anybody doing Devil in two weeks?
 
Discussion starter · #29 ·
Aside from actually completing the ride, "beating the sun" it a serious goal. As I am sure many people have the same practice, I will depart at sunrise and race the sun to the finish
 
Discussion starter · #31 ·
Not a bad idea. I plan on running a blinking rear for the entire ride. I would want to get a cheap front light that I can throw out after the sun comes up. I want to ride with as little as possible.
 
Nice to hear from you again. And kudos on continuing toward your goal.

I didn't post early in this thread because I really didn't have much more to add. That said we have a few things in common.

I did my first double (supported) in 2007 and had a great time. Of course I wouldn't have said that the first 24 hours after I finished. Everything will hurt, but a couple days out I felt almost back to normal.

I had planned another double toward the end of last year, but some health problems that eventually led to surgery made that unattainable. This year I stared in better shape than I have been in for a couple years and I am going for a CA Triple Crown. My first two doubles will be in June.

To echo what others have said, 50% of finishing a double is training, and 50% is attitude (mental preparation). Maybe it leans even more to mental. You have to know that you are in for a long ride and be ok with that. My first double took an hour longer than I had hoped, but I finished in pretty good shape, had no major troubles and finished in daylight. SO I considered it a success. Sounds like you are prepared to sit on a bike that long, this is good. Friends I ride with tell me they can't imagine riding for that long a time. They would "get bored." As if riding itself weren't entertainment enough.

I will do a last long training ride of about 150 miles about 3 weeks before my first double. (samr one I did in '07) My coach tells me 130 is adequate, but I like the longer ride if only for the mental aspect. It is convenient for me because the timing coincides with a local century. I ride from home, do the century and ride back. Voila, 150 miles with support for the middle 100, perfect.

I look forward to following yoru progress. BTW starting an hour before sunrise is a good idea. The start time for my last one was 5 AM and we got to see not only the sunrise, but a beautiful full moon set over the Sierra Nevada Mtns. Isn't riding a bike great??
 
most importantly

theBreeze said:
50% is attitude (mental preparation). Maybe it leans even more to mental. You have to know that you are in for a long ride and be ok with that.
This bears repeating over and over, even reminding those who have done these things a lot.

Sunday I did 102 miles, 8,000' climbing, 95 degrees out, on my fixed gear. Near the summit of a 2,000' climb, which just followed back to back a 2,000' descent (remember descending is not rest time on a fixed) and a 3,000' climb, I was shot. Only 55 miles in, and I wanted to quit. Everything hurt, feeling a bit queasy, and just plain wore out. To make matters worse, I have a 24 hour race in 2 weeks, so wearing out at 55 miles was not good. But, I tried to force myself to remember that things always get better. And you know what? Within 5 miles of backing off a bit over some rolling terrain, I felt 100% again all the way home. Amazing. So, other than preparing, pacing, eating and drinking (those small things), I think the number 1 thing to remember on long rides is that at some point you will feel like total crap. You will hurt, feel nauseated, hate what you are doing, question why you ever wanted to do this, contemplate how much you can sell your bike for when you get home, but, it will pass. It always, always gets better. Remember also that everyone goes through this at some point, but at different points in the event. The guy passing you at 150 miles when you feel horrible, you'll probably see later.

I've noted this before, but I've been so bonked and dehydratated that 400 miles into a 508 mile event I actually blacked out on the bike. Everything shut down. Probably should have quit. But, I stopped for 30 minutes, ate and drank, and then was ready to go strong for the last 100 miles. It was bizarre, but very much a good example of how this stuff works. It always gets better. Force yourself to think about that when you are hurting. When you finish you'll be glad you did.
 
RedRex said:
I'll spew out some bullet points that have stuck with me, I've done around ten doubles in California...

It sucks for everyone after 140 miles. Know this before you start. It just does. Knowing this makes it easier to prepare for mentally. You know it's going to suck, embrace this and move on.

Spare butt butt'r. I take the single-use packet and reapply after 100 miles.

Do not drink water. Have calories in your drink.

Carry something to keep warm.

Real food rocks.

Whatever light you choose, make sure you have a backup. You don't have to ride 180 to train. Ride 100 as much as you can. 110, 120, hard 100s. This year will be my fourth (cross fingers) CA Triple Crown, and our Saturday training rides are 100 miles as hilly as we can make them. We've all decided that riding 160 is counterproductive. Instead, we ride to work each day and then go for one hard 100 every Saturday.

A handlebar bag is a good thing.

Stopping is good. Stopping to eat real food is even better. Heavy jersey pockets really, really SUCKS after half a day.

Anyway......doubles are great. Just remember the first thing I listed at the top.
Selected a few favorites from this excellent advice. I sweat enough to trash most anything in my jersey pockets so I usually ride with a handlebar bag and a bag that Klik Fixes to the seatpost. In them I carry a few Pay Day candy bars, powdered HEED, some BodyGlide, a dry jersey and gloves, arm warmers and a light-weight, water resistant jacket. I like one water bottle and one HEED bottle.

I hit my first slump at around 85 miles, recover for a while and hit my next one at about 130miles. After that, something hurts most of the rest of the way. It's been feet, shoulders, neck, lower back, hands, and stomach. Luckily, it's never been all of them. Doug's recommendation about aero-bars works for me, too. I put the arm rests on mine higher than I would for a time trial. It's about getting off my hands more than getting aero-dynamic.

The best words of wisdom I ever got on the subject came from an ultra-runner. "It doesn't always get worse." Maintaining optimism is incredibly important. If you start getting grumpy, eat something immediately.
 
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