Ed Gamester
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100 Miles in a Day, eh?

When I signed up for the Gold Challenge, the only way to complete the road biking challenge was to take part in a series of organised group cycles. Not being a fan of organised things (or other people), I asked whether I could do something different, on my own…somewhere far, far away, where people have cake for breakfast and spend all day playing video games and drinking rum. Oh, and they cycle from time to time.

Today, I received an email, informing me that I would indeed be allowed to do my own road bike challenge! The only catch is that it has to be an endurance cycle of over 100 miles in a single day. Having researched this online, it appears to take a lot of training before this is possible…

So, naturally, I’ll give it a go. I might even train for it! How hard can it be, eh? It’s basically running, but with wheels…right?

4 Comments
    • Steve
      Mar 29, 2011 at 4:29 PM / Reply

      Good luck! Essentially, you are correct. Being a little knowledgeable on the discipline might remove some pain, but pain is temporary, right? A couple small items for your consideration: invest in a pair of cycling shorts (trust me on this, you’ll be happy you did) and consider how you intend to ingest calories over a 7-8 hour period (an absolute requirement if you do not intend to pass out.

      • murorga
        Mar 30, 2011 at 6:55 PM / Reply

        Thank you kindly for your advice, Steve. Being totally ignorant about cycling, I am pretty much just assuming that anyone can cycle 100 miles in a day if they have:

        a) Lots of training.
        b) Fantastic planning skills and appropriate equipment.
        c) A shameless lack of regard for reality and personal safety.

        Lacking both (a) and (b), I’m essentially relying on (c) to carry me on this one… Having said that, I will certainly take your advice about the cycle shorts, as I am borderline terrified of the potential damage to my crotch. I made also invest in a padded stainless steel codpiece…

        Despite being aware of arthritis, cancer and the perpetual agony of Bad Faith, I’m nevertheless also going to agree with you that pain is temporary. Kind of like life is temporary until you die… I know what you mean though; the glory of completing such an event will dwarf the exceptional and excruciating torment I will no doubt have to endure for hours upon end. In fact, getting lost and having to sell my bike for juggling lessons (so I can barter for food by entertaining townsfolk) is higher up my list of concerns than pain is…at the moment anyway.

        You’re also entirely correct in assuming that I don’t want to pass out during the cycle, however tempting it might be. Having yet to find a realistic way to attach some kind of intravenous KitKat-drip to a bicycle, I may have to take your advice and look into more flexible ways of taking on lots of energy. Any advice you could offer would be gratefully received; are there any drinks or lightweight energy-bars that you could recommend? I’m expecting to burn somewhere in the region of 5000 calories…which is an awful lot of chicken. To this extent, I shan’t be relying on poultry to keep me going. I’ll stop writing now.

        Thanks Steve!

        • Steve
          Mar 30, 2011 at 11:03 PM / Reply

          c) can take a you long way – I know it has for me. Remove the possibility of quiting from your mind. All that remains, however unpleasant it may be, is not quitting. Ta da!

          If you’re going on an organized, fully-supported ride, there will be feed stops every 12-20 miles or so. You’re going to want to take full advantage of those. Eat energy bars or anything with lots of carbs. Check the nutritional information on the energy bars. The basic formula is 30-40 grams of carbs for every 30 minutes you ride. That’s about 16 ounces of sports drink, or roughly 2/3 of a water bottle. Don’t worry too much about protein – that’s for recovery. You’ll be needing energy for the ride and that can be found in simple carbs. Eat and drink a little bit throughout the ride – don’t gorge yourself at the rest stops.

          Make sure your bike has been checked out by a mechanic. Consider what kind of bike you will use. If you have a mountain bike or a cruiser bike for pedaling around the neighborhood, life will be harder for you than if you have a proper road bike.

          Have fun and good luck!

          • murorga
            Mar 31, 2011 at 9:13 AM / Reply

            Sounds like I’ll be needing a road bike then, thanks Steve!

            As for the ride itself, it will likely be neither organised or supported. It will be me, a bike and a hundred miles of pain. Plus, apparently, a billion energy bars!

            Thanks for all the advice Steve; I’ll start bulk-buying immediately!

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