{"id":3687,"date":"2019-05-08T13:23:44","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T18:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.360velo.com\/?p=3687"},"modified":"2019-05-08T13:48:38","modified_gmt":"2019-05-08T18:48:38","slug":"how-to-prepare-for-century-grand-fondo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.360velo.com\/how-to-prepare-for-century-grand-fondo\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Prepare for a Century Ride or Grand Fondo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Doing a Century ride seems to be a common goal among cyclists. There seems to be a rite of passage in achieving your first 100 miles on the bike. Before I started cycling I could not imagine how anyone could possibly ride their bike that far or for that long. And once I started cycling, I still thought doing a century was something I was not going to be able to do for a very long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out that having a good plan can get you there sooner than you think. This post will give you a roadmap to prepare you for your first Century, Grand Fondo and similar long events that are not as demanding as the Dirty Kanza 200<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to build time in the saddle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Assuming you have been riding once or twice a week already, the focus should be on increasing riding volume to build a good endurance base. To do that, focus on time<\/strong> in the saddle for your rides, not distance<\/strong>. You can continue doing shorter rides during the week, and start adding volume on the weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the busy athlete, combining short workouts during the week on the trainer with longer weekend rides is also a good way to prepare. This could be for example two short, intense workouts during the week and one endurance ride on the weekend that keeps getting progressively longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting ready<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Build time on the saddle slowly, starting with one to two hour rides on the weekends, six to seven weeks from the event. Add 30 to 60 minutes in subsequent weekends. You can also break it up doing a little shorter but harder ride on Saturday, then a longer and easier ride on Sunday. These back-to-back days help build endurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be ready for your Century ride or Grand Fondo, you should have done one ride of four to five hours, two to three weeks before the event with the goal of targeting saddle time versus distance, as mentioned above. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, use these long rides to experiment with your nutrition and hydration, so that you know exactly what kind and how much food, water and electrolyte mix you will need to keep you going strong. More on nutrition\/hydration below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The week before the event is your “taper” and it should be easy. Keep active on the bike by riding easy outside for one to two hours and doing one or two short easy rides on the trainer incorporating some high cadence and similar “opener” intervals. Alternatively, sign up to train with us<\/a> and we will take the guess work out of your training and help you adjust your schedule when life gets busy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n