# I want to try for 100 miles in a day



## S.Giles (4 May 2014)

Hello,

Although I'm not a beginner, I spent many years just cycling short distances of a few miles. The last few years, however, I've been upping the distances I ride, and yesterday I did 60 miles for the first time. Apart from a slight discomfort in the knees, I felt fine.

This has given me the idea of trying for 100 miles in a day, and I'm thinking of doing it in the following way. There is a 9+ mile circuit that runs past my front door, and comprises quiet country roads with beautiful scenery and a few small hill climbs. It has occurred to me that I could cover 100 miles if I completed 11 laps of this circuit. A lap takes me 45 mins, so if I started off fairly early in the morning, I could do, say two laps, and then have a half hour break at home with a cup of tea, etc, and this would average one lap per hour. Continuing in this fashion, I could complete the 11 laps, with the advantage that if I _did_ need to give up, I'd only ever be, at most, 4 1/2 miles from home, with free drinks and food available all day. If I start at 9:00am, I'd be finished by 7:30 - 8:00pm.

Does this seem like a good idea? Does anyone have advice on maximising my chances of success? Is there anything I haven't taken into account? It would be nice to hear from anyone who has just attempted 100 miles in a day, or who can remember the first time they did.

I guess the repetitive nature of the laps would not appeal to everyone, but I'm becoming strangely attracted to the idea.

Thanks

Steve


----------



## buggi (4 May 2014)

it might be a bit boring and too easy to go home. Why not pick somewhere 50 mile away and cycle there and back. Or do a sportive or charity ride that is supported (free food!) bcoz there are other people you can talk to, to distract you from the pain.


----------



## cosmicbike (4 May 2014)

I like the idea, but why not try adding different rides together. I have a number of 'usual' rides which are between 10-15 miles long, and the furthest from my front door is about 6 miles. I tend to combine the different rides to give a distance I want, and still never get that far from my front door.


----------



## Edwardoka (4 May 2014)

Yeah I agree with @buggi that doing 9 mile laps would be extremely tedious and you would likely end up losing heart and giving up before the end. All of my longest single-day rides (the longest of which was 153 miles) have been achieved because either I had a concrete objective (ie. I was riding somewhere, it was an event, or there was no easy bail out option and I had to keep riding simply to get home). Going out and trying to grind out a century over the same route repeatedly sounds like some kind of special hell.

Instead, pick somewhere 100 miles away, ride there, and get the train back!
Tip-wise, eat and drink regularly, pay no attention to miles or average speed, instead enjoy the scenery and being out on the bike, and stop periodically to stretch your legs and take photos.

If you can already ride 60 miles without much discomfort it wouldn't take much (if any) training to bring your mileage up to the magic 100.


----------



## Cuchilo (4 May 2014)

I would do one of your 60 mile rides and leave the laps for the last 40 .


----------



## Broadside (4 May 2014)

I agree with the other comments, on my first few century rides if I was within close distance to home then I would have bailed out. Go somewhere further so you can't bail would be my advice, then when you successfully complete it you will have a great sense of achievement. 

Of course if you are set on the idea and it is the way that agrees with you then go for it!!


----------



## jazzkat (4 May 2014)

I too would hate the idea of laps, but I know someone who did it to train for a big sportive and he hated it!
Pick some where to go that's 50 miles away, ride there and back and enjoy the challenge/adventure


----------



## MikeG (4 May 2014)

I wouldn't do laps. Ride out to somewhere (pick a cafe) such that once you get there, the only way of getting home is to keep on turning the pedals until you've done 100 miles.

Riding past your door every 45 minutes would just give you too many excuses to stop, and, jeez, cycling is supposed to be fun: going round and round in circles would be tedious beyond words.


----------



## Mr Carr (4 May 2014)

I agree that cycling should be fun, so don't try laps. Start early in the morning and pick a flat (ish) course. 

Take all day and enjoy the countryside. The miles will fly by.


----------



## vernon (4 May 2014)

buggi said:


> it might be a bit boring and too easy to go home. Why not pick somewhere 50 mile away and cycle there and back. Or do a sportive or charity ride that is supported (free food!) bcoz there are other people you can talk to, to distract you from the pain.



I'd baulk at shelling out £30 for a sportive's 'free' food.


----------



## vernon (4 May 2014)

Pick a destination fifty miles or so away that has no rail services between the destination and home. Once you've finished the outward leg, you have no option but to pedal back home.


----------



## Rob3rt (4 May 2014)

Sounds boring and unnecessary. Plus you are talking about spending 25% of the time sat at home drinking tea...


----------



## uclown2002 (4 May 2014)

Rob3rt said:


> Sounds boring and unnecessary. Plus you are talking about spending 25% of the time sat at home drinking tea...


A bit more than 25%!


----------



## buggi (4 May 2014)

vernon said:


> I'd baulk at shelling out £30 for a sportive's 'free' food.


 true, but its sign posted as well which helps if you don't know the area.


----------



## uclown2002 (4 May 2014)

+1 to your 60 mile route then add the laps.


----------



## ColinJ (4 May 2014)

You felt fine after 60 miles so 100 should be doable if you eat and drink plenty, pace yourself well, avoid excessive hills and don't try it in foul weather.

I think the laps would do your head in. Your mind would give up before your body!

Giving yourself a bailout option implies doubt in your ability. You can do it, so just do it! 

I suggest one of these 2 options:

Catch a train to somewhere a 100 mile ride from home and ride back. That is much better than riding out and catching the train home because every pedal stroke brings you closer rather than taking you further away. Also, you don't have to wait for the train at the far end and travel back tired and sweaty.
Do a loop centred on home. You could do a smaller loop twice, once in each direction. That would not feel like you were repeating yourself.
It might help you to have company for the ride. Somebody from CC would be happy to join you if you wanted company. Where in Yorkshire are you?



buggi said:


> true, but its sign posted as well which helps if you don't know the area.


For the cost of entering a few sportives you could buy a GPS device which would solve that problem forever!


----------



## S.Giles (4 May 2014)

Thankyou for all the well-considered replies.

The consensus is definitely _against_ the idea as it stands. Although I understand the thinking regarding the repetition/boredom aspect, going round in circles is a feature of many sports, and yet plenty of people are passionate about them (F1, anyone?), and this is a scenic run in the Yorkshire Wolds we are talking about with an exhilarating downhill run right at the end of each 'lap'. I also only have to 'tolerate' it once - I won't be doing this every week.

The comment about 25% tea-drinking made me smile. I have many days that are _100%_ tea-drinking, so that's a 75% reduction straight away! I have no doubt whatsoever that my tea-drinking capacity is up to the challenge :-)!

What I like about the idea is the complete lack of A roads and traffic lights, very little traffic, 100% nature and nice scenery, and the ten opportunities to rest in comfort throughout the ride. As suggested above, there are variations on the basic route that could be introduced if things get too repetitive.

Here's what I propose to do by way of 'dipping my toes in the water'. I'm going to try doing two laps, then a break, and then another two laps. If after that I'm bored out of my mind, I'll abandon the idea. If, on the other hand, I'm encouraged, I'll set a date and give it a go. Sound reasonable?

Steve


----------



## MikeG (4 May 2014)

S.Giles said:


> ....... I'm going to try doing two laps, then a break, and then another two laps............ I'll set a date and give it a go. Sound reasonable?



It sounds like you'd already made up your mind. So I am not really sure why you asked us.


----------



## Pat "5mph" (4 May 2014)

For my first (and only to date) 100miles last year I did a local 50 mile sportive, moderately hilly that lots of friends attended, so plenty of company even though I kept my pace, not really riding with anybody in particular.
Made my way back on a different route, a totally flat one  then got lost near home, so ended up over the target.
Tip: if you decide to venture further for this, take some lights with you in case you're still on the road by sundown.


----------



## jay clock (4 May 2014)

+1 for sounds dull. If you can do 60, do another of 75, then for the 100. Persnally I think doing the 60 and then doing laps is a bad idea too as you will get home then have to keep going


----------



## S.Giles (5 May 2014)

Well, I decided at about 1:00pm yesterday to give my trial a go. Did two laps, drank tea (and ate a banana sandwich, FYI:-), then another two laps (another tea, another banana sandwich, and a whiskey). It seemed a shame to stop at this point (the cycling, that is, not the whiskey), so I kept on going, this time doing three laps before the next break. To cut a long story short, I finished at about 15 mins after midnight, having done 102.55 miles (according to my computer). Total ride time was 8 hrs and 51 mins, so I'm not exactly speedy (in my defence, there was quite a headwind on some parts of the circuit early on in the day, and _lots_ of hills).

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The scenery is so nice I didn't mind it looping every 9 miles. The last few laps were done in darkness (and it gets _very_ dark at night on the Yorkshire Wolds). The perception of speed is totally different when chasing a puddle of light. I actually found the hills easier in the dark, because it's difficult to gauge how steep they are, so it's just a case of selecting the best gear and pedalling like you would on the flat (you're just not going as fast, but can't really tell). This has the effect of seeming to 'flatten out' the gradients. It does require a much greater degree of concentration not to end up in a hedge at night, though.

Wildlife spotted included a deer and some bats (and a lot of flies, some of which resembled flying pebbles when in collision with my head!).

My wrists are feeling the strain, but the rest of me could have carried on if I'd needed to. After about 40 miles, I seemed to have gone through some kind of barrier, and knew I was going to finish.

Steve


----------



## Edwardoka (5 May 2014)

Congratulations, you proved us all wrong!


----------



## S.Giles (5 May 2014)

Thankyou. I'm nothing if not contrary.

Please pardon me for asking advice and then completely ignoring it!

Steve


----------



## The Jogger (5 May 2014)

Well done Steve on completing the century and keeping to your plan, I think it was a great idea so if you needed to bail out it wouldn't of been a problem. Also it will now give you the confidence to do a different route if you want.
I might try this method. Well done again.


----------



## Cuchilo (5 May 2014)

Nice one !


----------



## uclown2002 (5 May 2014)




----------



## Big Nick (5 May 2014)

Good effort!


----------



## jay clock (5 May 2014)

Extremely impressed. And well done for ignoring us! A nice mental barrier to have broken. The sort of thing to recall next time you do something difficult on the bike


----------



## jay clock (5 May 2014)

Also just spotted that you posted it at 0153 and edited at 0222!


----------



## ayceejay (5 May 2014)

I was going to suggest doing half in one direction and half the other way round but since the job is done and dusted I won't bother.
Well done that man.


----------



## S.Giles (5 May 2014)

Thanks for the positive comments. I can feel the muscles in my legs today, but no pain, as such, and my knees came though the ordeal with flying colours!

*I was going to suggest doing half in one direction and half the other way round but since the job is done and dusted I won't bother.
*
That is a good point, although there would be a _horrendous_ climb (called Trundlegate) with the route tackled in the opposite direction. I've only ever done Trundlegate twice in a single day, so five or six times during a 100 mile trip would certainly be a challenge!

Apart from that, I found that I settled into a pattern, and I don't think that (I personally) would have benefited from any disruption to it. Maybe one day I'll be fit enough to do _all_ the circuits anti-clockwise_, _though!

_*Also just spotted that you posted it at 0153 and edited at 0222!*_

Strangely, I wasn't in any hurry to get to bed (which I eventually did at about 4:00am).

Steve


----------



## ianrauk (5 May 2014)

Well done....


----------



## rb58 (5 May 2014)

Top job. What's next - 22 laps? Go on, you know you want to


----------



## S.Giles (5 May 2014)

22 laps, Ouch! I'll get back to you on that one! Doing it anti-clockwise would be a challenge, though. If I'm reading the data correctly, there's 452 feet of climbing per lap, which makes 4972 feet in total. The 8 mile round trip to Tesco was enough for today!


----------



## Pat "5mph" (5 May 2014)

Congratulations on your first 100! 
You done it your way and it worked, plus we got you lots of suggestions for the next one


----------



## gbb (5 May 2014)

When I was riding decent distances, most important, i'd head out into the wind first, get the hard stuff done with early on, leave yourself energy fotthe easy home run. Secondly, if you normally average say 15mph over a reasonable distance, set out to average 14. That 1mph drop conserves a lot of energy, I found I could ride all day by just knocking off a bit of effort.
Passing your front door ?..never worked for me, I'd think as I neared home..maybe I can get another 10 in...but as soon as I passed the bottom of the road, sod it, thats enough. I hadnt the drive to carry on. Perhaps you're made of sterner stuff than me..


----------



## S.Giles (6 May 2014)

Look at it this way.

If you're doing (say) 9 mile laps, you're always riding _towards_ your front door. The moment you pass it on one lap, you're only 9 miles away from passing it on the next. There's no way on Earth I'd have _turned back _having passed it!

It does seem I'm less bothered by psychological concerns than some. Maybe I'm too _stupid_ to be prone to psychological hangups! Maybe the rough-and-tumble of 53 years of (the not-so-easy) life has made me tough as old boots. Maybe a bit of both?

Steve


----------



## Cush (6 May 2014)

I like S Giles idea of a 100 cycle ride, it is many years since I completed a 100 mile walk in 40 Hours and a number of years since cycling a 100 in one day. I do intend to attempt cycling a 100 before my 71st in August but (a) I will be a lot slower than Giles and solo (b) My route will be a linear, that follows a rail track, so I can (1) get a train back home (2) Chicken out if things go wrong. Expected times at the moment 04:00 or 5:00 start to catch last train home at 17:55.


----------



## Edwardoka (6 May 2014)

Inspired by this thread and a jokey question I was asked in a job interview on the other side of the country, I cycled 100.5 miles yesterday from Glasgow to Dundee. Can barely walk now though


----------



## MikeG (6 May 2014)

Edwardoka said:


> ........Can barely walk now though



So what?!!!  In a week's time you'll have forgotten that entirely, and you'll still be walking around feeling very pleased with yourself. Well done!


----------



## jay clock (6 May 2014)

Edwardoka said:


> Inspired by this thread and a jokey question I was asked in a job interview on the other side of the country, I cycled 100.5 miles yesterday from Glasgow to Dundee. Can barely walk now though


tell us about the job interview!


----------



## Edwardoka (6 May 2014)

jay clock said:


> tell us about the job interview!


They asked me what I did in my spare time, I mentioned that I cycle a lot, they jokingly asked if I'd cycled to their office.
I hadn't... until yesterday :-) (I got the job)


----------



## S.Giles (7 May 2014)

_*"(I got the job)"*_

Well done (on both accounts)!

Steve


----------



## MikeG (7 May 2014)

S.Giles said:


> _*"(I got the job)"*_
> 
> Well done (on both accounts)!
> 
> Steve


Steve..........how about using the "reply" button? Everyone else on the forum manages it.


----------



## Scoosh (8 May 2014)

Edwardoka said:


> They asked me what I did in my spare time, I mentioned that I cycle a lot, they jokingly asked if I'd cycled to their office.
> I hadn't... until yesterday :-) (I got the job)


Nice commute  ...


----------



## Edwardoka (8 May 2014)

Scoosh said:


> Nice commute  ...


Not perhaps one for doing 5 days a week!


----------



## Scoosh (8 May 2014)

Takes the pressure off needing to re-locate immediately ... 

You'd be well fit for CC Ecosse rides too !


----------

