How to ride 100 miles (1) : Don't

The last time I rode 100 miles it was non-stop, a time trial, and I completed it in 5 hours 1 minute. I was miffed, as I wanted to do it in "evens", a time trialling term for 20mph average, so to miss out by one minute was incredibly frustrating. It was the only 100 mile time trial I did. I was around thirty then, today I'm ecstatic if I average 16mph, and usually do less. Still, it's more about the enjoyment and surroundings now (and the cake) rather than the speed. I've been hankering at doing a century ride for a while, and now with the Alzheimer's Society 100 mile in August challenge I've the perfect excuse. So, how do you ride 100 miles? 

1 : Don't. I have a course planned that will split the distance down into a series of manageable chunks, so the idea is to ride for a while, stop for refreshments, get back on and do some more, stop for more refreshments, and so on until reaching the century. My typical ride is around two hours / thirty miles, so I'm looking at three chunks of around thirty miles, each of which will be a less daunting ride than a straight one hundred.

2 : Cafes. Refreshment stops are to be an experience, not a necessity. Why drink a takeaway coffee and snack standing up at a Nisa Local / Tesco Express / Garage when you could be sitting on a comfy chair with a cup of decent coffee and a sizeable slab of cake? Much more relaxing and revitalising, and if the weather is inclement much more cosy. The only down side is you could be tempted to stay too long, with the risk of seizing up and facing a struggle to get going again. So, plan your route to include a good cafe at the end of each split. And remember to check opening times of your intended cafe - there is a cracking looking cafe in Devon that I planned to stop at on my Devon Coast to Coast ride only to find that a) it didn't open on Monday (when I was going South) and b) it closed a quarter of an hour before I arrived on the Tuesday (going North). 

3 : Progress goes up, not down. Tick off the miles as they go past, rather than looking at how far there is left to ride. It's better to celebrate completing twenty miles than think that you've still got eighty miles to go. 

4 : Be a mobile cafe. Carry extra food in your pockets, and drink lots of fluid. I'll probably take two or three Eat Natural bars of different flavours and textures, a couple of Trek White Choc and raspberry protein bars (other brands of bars are available of course!), a couple of energy gels and take two large water bottles on the bike, which I'll refill with water at the cafe and pop a hydration tablet in. These will supplement the cafe stops and will ensure you don't run out of energy miles from the next cafe stop. Not too many though, it'll be a struggle to fit into your pockets and unwanted weight.

5 : Don't look at the road. Enjoy the surrounding scenery and countryside, take it all in. Don't slump and stare straight ahead at the road - it'll make the ride seem longer and more of a struggle. Obviously keep an eye on where you're riding though - you don't want to end up in the ditch or in a huge pothole! 

6 : JFDI!

So that's the theory - next step is to put it into practice with my first ride on my take on the Alzheimer's Society 100 miles in August challenge.