I have a few questions for the cyclists on the forum.

This fall there is going to be a rather large race. My uncle will be racing and he is trying to talk me into joining him. The cost of entry is $300 which is raising money for a good cause and also probably helps thin down the crowd to the most serious participants.

A few months ago I got into a good routine of riding 6-10 miles every few days. But I’ve been primarily riding singltrack on my mountain bike on beginner and intermediate trails. I rarely ride on the street. I don’t even have a road bike…I have a Fuji cyclocross bike and a Marin gravel bike. I suppose maybe I could make one of them work.

How long would you prepare and condition before you entered a road race that has distances ranging from 22 miles on up to 100 miles?

Do you think three months is enough time to prepare if you’ve already started riding a mountain bike 18-24 miles every week?

Never have raced. Never have done one of the multitude of event rides here in Colorado. Honestly, in the last two years I've really let it slide. Or, maybe at 61 I no longer have the desire. But, I bought my current bike 12 years ago so I've gotten my moneys worth out of it.

Most of the bike events here allow you to either race or just putter along behind the racers. That way everyone gets to take part. If there is a similar event where you are, you can try it out to see what works.

Depends entirely on the terrain. If the course is mostly flat, 3 months should give you enough time in your current physical condition to prepare even for a 100 mile ride by training somewhat seriously. I said ride not race because you likely won't be competitive in that short of time training, but I have confidence you'd finish in a respectable time.

If there is any amount of significant climbing however on the course, you're fucked. Not saying it's impossible to finish such a race (thinking 50-100 miles), but 3 months may be enough to do just that, get you to the finish. Everyone may have gone home though by the time you get there. Racing with climbing is a totally different animal. It sucks your energy like nothing else if you aren't well trained for it.

Having said that, you should definitely do it if you don't mind spending the $300. Such a great experience riding in a bike race. You'll get your ass kicked, but do it anyway.

By the way, you need to be riding a minimum of 20 miles a day, working up to at least one "long" ride a week (35-50 miles) in order to be ready for a 100 miler. You don't even need to do a 100 mile ride in order to do a 100 mile race, but you definitely need to get your legs used to those 50+ mile rides at least.

Not really a “race” but I did a 50 mile “event” many years (35?) ago. It was a fun party atmosphere in Mexico (Rosario to Ensenada) that kicked my ass hard due to the mountains on the course.

More recently, I have been riding pretty consistently for a year now and have entertained the idea of the annual “Seattle to Portland” 200 mile ride (the 2-day one, not the 1-day one).

The two obstacles keeping me from doing it are 1:SEATTLE and 2:PORTLAND both absolute shitholes I have no interest in seeing in person these days.



If I was thinking about this, my first question would be Do I want to “compete” or just get the “experience”?

I’d want to know what the terrain was like (elevation gain, hills, etc.). Then see what the average time was over the different distances to figure out what kind of average speed is needed to make a respectable showing and if me and my bike were capable of that.


I know I can average 15 mph on relatively flat terrain for 40 miles (or more). Add in 1200-1500’ of elevation gain and that average drops down to 14 mph or so.

I did an 80 mile ride on Memorial Day with 2100’ of elevation gain and averaged 13.3 mph moving speed. Along with 6 hours, 2 minutes moving I had 41 minutes stop time. I thought that was pretty respectable for a 59 year old man who was grossly out of shape just 14 months earlier.

I wasn’t “competing”, just riding. I just had a distance goal in mind with no time limit. Having done that distance now, if I wanted to get a better time over the same route, I could probably shave 30-40 minutes off the riding time increasing my average speed to 14 mph or so and would have been good with two 10 minute reset stops. As it was, some of my stop time was due to a crash and a couple of photo ops along the way.


Gearing of course makes a big difference. My bike is a 1x10 Mountain bike with a 32T front sprocket, 11-48T rear cogs, 29” wheels and 47c (1.85”) tires. Top end flat terrain speed is about 22mph at a cadence of 90rpm but only for short sprints. At my “cruise” cadence of 75rpm, one gear down from top speed, I am going 15.5 mph on flat road.


As for training, I’ve ridden either Peloton/NordicTrack or “real” bike EVERY day for over a year now. Currently I average about 10 miles a day give or take and also do rowing and elliptical workouts. For the month of May I rode over 650 miles between NordicTrack and MTB since I participated in a Wounded Warrior 300 mile challenge fundraiser. I have gotten pretty consistent day to day and every 2-3 days I do an “active recovery” day with shorter distance/lighter effort.


My personal inclination if I was training for an event would be to ride the event distance (or a little more) at 80-90% effort, then a couple of light days of maybe 1/2 to 2/3 distance or so at full effort, followed by another event distance ride and repeat the cycle until I was happy with my performance.

Heading into the actual event, I would probably ease off the three days prior doing 2/3 distance, 1/2 distance, 1/3 distance each day to be fresh.


On my 80 mile ride, it was an unplanned “day of” decision to ride. I had ridden 16 miles on Saturday, 10 miles on Sunday (along with 30 minutes on the rower) so I wasn’t really “rested” when I headed out with a 75+ mile goal in mind.

I also did 5 miles on the NordicTrack on Memorial Day after the 80 (to keep my streak alive) and another 15 miles on Tuesday the day after. If I knew I was going to do 80 miles, and there was a “performance” component, I would have planned lighter workouts on Sat/Sun and planned an “off day” on Tue so I would have been able to push a lot harder on the ride.


I’d be pretty hesitant to pay a $300 entry if I was just wanting the experience unless it was for a REALLY good cause that I wanted to support. For that kind of money I would expect to “get” something more than a workout

For a supported ride, the event experience, maybe a T-shirt or jersey I think $100 or so would be my limit.

So much to say.

Mountain biking is nothing like road cycling.

If you put 25mm or 28mm road tires on your fuji that would suffice for a road bike for you. Assuming the front chain ring is at least 52 cogs.

You need to be riding 20-40 a day minimum.

Yes, 3 months is enough time to train for it. You need to be riding 6 days a week at least 120 miles a week.

you need to do a lot of interval training to build your strength

you need to do distance to build endurance

You need to be riding on the road and averaging at least 18 mph for your "race pace" If not more.

Get a good helmet! You need to protect your brain! Do some research and spend some money.

There are some race/riding with other "rules" you need to learn. Join a cycling club in your area and do group rides with them.

You need to be able to draft and not bump wheels with another rider. If you bump the guy in front of you, then you are going down.

You should ride an organized half-century and century ride prior to racing just to gain experience of riding with others.

There are many non-race bike rides that are fundraisers which you would be better off doing over a race. Ride for the Cure etc...

Bicycle racing is intense, it is not a fun day of bike riding.

I don't mean to deter you. Just pointing out that you need a lot of know-how, be comfortable riding a road bike in a race, and riding in a group. If you have a chance to watch a bicycling road race in person do so. If you want to see something really impressive watch a Criterium in person. Don't be the casual rider who shows up to do a race.

I've done numerous time trials, and many many organized rides, centuries, back-to-back centuries and even going up to 266 miles in 1 day and 370 miles over 2 days.

Never entered a road race, but I can see how that might happen....

I and a good friend, may or may not have entered an active runway (19), in the fog at night at Eglin AFB in January of 1978 on our murdercycles because we could not see 20 feet in front of us, trying to get back to the barracks, taking a "shortcut" that one of us will deny recommending, to the grave.

Although, I did break the promise that I would never go to the Matador Club again.

But that was 10 years later. And that's like 70 years in dog, and Crew Chief...

Some years ago (25??) did the "hotter-n-hell" ride out of Witchita Falls ,Texas during late August starting line consisted of 11,375 riders with 3/4 of the riders signed up for the 100 miler.... at the head of the ride were some riders racing for money with a winning time of 3hrs 13minutes averaging 33(?) mph or better....................If riding a mountain bike or modified off road bike with good road tires.... areo bars to get in a tucked position for less wind drag.......some type of toe clip or clipless pedals for better transfer of energy from legs to pedals.......... learn how to and practice drafting the bike in front by 4 to 6inches(just like a nascar racer)if possible.... .but if your front tire makes contact you will go down and maybe take the other bike also...Probably should be doing 20 to 30 miles EVERY day and throwing in a 40 to 50 miler in at least every 6 to 7 days or less...... If possible the training miles should be on simular types of roads and terrain........................... Just go do it and have fun and make some memories and bragging rights..................................... drill sgt.

I raced road circuits years (decades) ago with a local team. Odds are there will be several groups that you will see at the start, that you will not see again unless it's a circuit and you're being lapped. Many/most of these guys are ridiculously strong if teams show up.

If it's a small circuit crit with tight bends/corners, I'd avoid it. They're dangerous when there are large groups hitting corners and the testosterone is flowing. I've seen guys get hurt pretty bad, including organ punctures/damage from bar ends (I think).

I hung up the road bike when the world shifted their eyes to their cell phones and "infotainment system" became a phrase. I mostly run now, but I did some MTB single track last weekend that was pretty great. If you ever want to come up to PA. I'll show you some amazing trails.

Are you entering an actual race? Or is this an organized event where you are riding on the road?

The difference between the two is the difference between a 5.56 and 9mm cartridge.

I will assume it is an organized event. And in that case, you will be fine. You already have a base from 20+ miles of singletrack each week.

Up your riding time / miles some over the next 3 months. And then when you pick your distance, if it is more than what you have done in training, start just a little bit slow. It should feel slightly easy at the beginning. That way, when you are at the end, you still have enough in reserve to finish strong.

I would suggest incorporating longer rides into your preparations. You essentially need to build up your endurance so that you can ride 5x longer in one day than you are currently doing in a week. Also, if you try to build your volume too quickly, you may injure yourself.

Also, don't forget nutritional needs during your 100 mile ride, otherwise, you will bonk and likely won't be able to finish.

To further echo what SOTAR said, there is a big difference between riding by yourself and riding with others. It is much more dangerous riding with others, and the risks are real. I have a friend who is an experienced rider who broke her femur during a crit because another rider bumped into her. Also, the riders around you may not be experienced which can further cause problems. On a recent 50 mile ride I was on, an inexperienced rider dropped their cell phone which skidded along the ground for yards causing a crash behind him. You have to always be attentive. You will experience physical and mental exhaustion on a ride that long.

I have done some races, and it is fun no matter when you finish. I would ride every day if possible, with a long ride on the weekend. Long, as in 30 miles minimum, and 50 is much better. Take a day off after the long rides.

Three months of training will help, and hills are great. I grew up riding steep hills, and the first race I did I smoked most riders as the hills were just rolling hills. So I agree with a statement above, in that hills training would be extremely helpful.

It is not aerobic capacity alone. Your seat. Your neck. Your wrists. Your feet. All must be brought to a level where three hours ride is possible. Then after lunch another three hours. And hydration is a must. When and how much matter. Riding is a complex symphony of body and machine. It is not possible to ride a century without riding 20, 40, 60 well. So much to learn.

I haven't road raced on bicycles but did get up close when I rode as a motorcycle escort at the Hotter'n'Hell 100 at Wichita Falls, TX. I was amazed at how close the riders in the pack were. At that speed one little mishap would be disastrous. Those guys were serious. I just stayed out of their way and managed traffic for them. Sure looked like a lot of fun for a top notch rider, though.

I raced road bikes competitively for about six years in my mid to late 40s including criterium and road races up to about 40 miles. When I was really fit and competitive, I was averaging 150-200 miles per week on my bike, most of that in group rides at a very fast pace. In addition to a high level of fitness, you will also need a very high level of bike handling skills and experience riding at high speeds in a large pack of riders to be even remotely competitive.

Is this a USA Cycling sanctioned road race or more of a charity ride/grand fondo type of deal? If the latter, depending on the distance you select, generally someone of average to above average fitness should be able to complete it. Most of these type rides are like a typical local 5K r half marathon where you will have a mix of elite athletes trying to win overall or age category, all the way down to people just out to enjoy some activity on a nice day.

All of the above is useful information. I raced for 7 years and rode 500 miles each week for training. Mileage varied each day depending on the type of workout the day required. Training required days of specific activity; recovery, sprinting, endurance, interval, light workout, and racing on the weekends. None of this happened overnight.

The best thing you can do is set a realistic goal for yourself and start there. If you're riding 18-24 miles a week now, I'd see if you could do the event and cover 40-45 miles at a pace comfortable to you and use that as a baseline and motivation to start increasing your mileage, speed and building endurance so that next year, you can increase that distance. Trying to do too much too fast will only make for a long day in the saddle and it won't be fun.

You definitely want to do as others have mentioned; stay hydrated and your body fueled with high protein foods like power bars, bananas and other easily digestible foods. I've seen too many new riders forget to do the simple things and then they "bonk", it ain't pretty. Basically the body runs out of fuel and shuts down.

Also, make sure you use an anti-chaffing lubricant of some sort on the areas where your body makes contact on the saddle. Some of us used baby or talcum powder while others used a "butter" of some sort. I know "Body Glide" makes a great product for runners and most likely has one for cyclists but my glory days were in the 80's and before some of the more sophisticated products they have available now. Do a little research and find out what others recommend.

While I'm on that topic, get a pair of riding shorts with a pad in the crotch and wear the shorts without underwear. Don't worry about what others think of you while in the spandex attire; they were made to minimize the discomfort while sitting on a saddle for extended periods of time. I know mountain bikers get away with shorts but they can bunch up and create high friction areas and rub you raw.

Also, I recommend wearing 2 shirts. I always wore a tight fitting t-shirt under my jersey to have a sliding surface for the jersey to rub on should I go down. Having the jersey next to your skin allows it to grab the road and immediately rip/tear leaving your skin exposed quickly. This makes any "road rash" worse than it might be.

As mentioned, get the best helmet you can afford. If you're not used to riding in groups or your bike handling skills are not what they could be, stay away from other riders. I know the big kids want to stay within 6" of the rider in front to draft and reduce their work but touch a wheel and you'll find out why I recommend wearing 2 shirts.

Lastly, go have fun. Set a realistic goal and feel good about all you've accomplish while training and doing the ride.

Please give us updates on your riding/training and then, after the big ride, give us your thoughts about the entire process; the good, bad and the ugly.

I'm sure those of use who replied to your thread look forward to hearing how you do...Semper Fi

Stickman we are talking a lot about cycling on Sigforum but I like it! I ride both mountain and road. I am not fast and I don't race but I have done some long rides and have done plenty of reading up on training. Lots of good info above. I rode the Hotter N Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls, TX 30 years ago and rode 62 miles (100km, metric century) last year. It's a fun ride with 10,000 cyclists.

#1 difference for road riding is traffic. Get $20 rechargeable LED tail light so cars see you. And yes learning to ride in a pack (the peloton in racing) is a skill.

As others have said I would ride 4 to 6 rides per week with 1 long endurance ride and 1 or 2 days of intervals. For the weekly endurance ride, you could start with 25 miles and increase your distance 5% per week.

The silly looking road cycling clothes do come into play when you start riding 3, 4 and 5 hours. Get the shorts with the chamois (bibs are even more comfortable). I wear them on 2+ hour rides and the jerseys with pockets in the back are helpful to hold snacks, flat fix kit, CO2 cartridges, etc. Bike fit is important on 2+ hour rides. Seat height, handlebar width, stem length all may have to be fiddled with to be comfortable.

On Tuesday or Wednesday I try to do intervals to get my overall speed up. 30 seconds all out, 30 seconds rest, and repeat 10x. Or 4 minutes fast, 2 minute rest, repeat 4X. Dylan Johnson's videos on Youtube, are really good. He had a good video on polarized training which I think is the right philosophy. He also has good ones on how to set up a 6 or 10 hour training week. Most bike shops have weekly organized group rides. They are helpful to learn good routes, and it is safer in a pack in traffic. There are at least 10 per week in Oklahoma City.

Tons of good advice already As Sig Marine mentioned, chamois butter. When you start going past 40 or 50 miles it helps. It's kinda weird putting gunk on your stuff but it feels better later.

Nope....and I have never regretted it. The amount of fitness needed is crazy and bike handling skills need to be exceptional. Not my idea of fun.

If it was a timed grand fondo or a fun ride I would do it.

10 years ago I did a Tour de Cure charity ride and had a blast even if I suffered the last 10 miles. Early on I miss shifted and dropped my chain losing the main group. I rode solo for the majority of the ride but it was well supported with rest stations every 10 miles. Every cyclist should do a century once in their life

My wife did one of the Leukemia 100 rides back in 1999. As I recall, she trained with a group a couple of times per week doing 25-ish miles each time. She did maybe 10 miles on her own a few times in between. I think they “trained” at least 6 weeks before the event in Las Vegas. She made the entire route. The sponsors she recruited either donated a lump sum or a per mile amount.

According to her, you want a road bike. Those fat tired off road bikes or even the standard bicycle tires will make you work harder than needed. You also want a good seat, although depending on terrain you may or may not use it.

Good luck!