Posts: 20,896
3/7/13 8:45 A

Couldn't think of a better way to celebrate being 60 years young! :-)

The main thing is just to get out and enjoy your bike and the great wide open road! ESPECIALLY with the company of others who love doing the same thing! Pay attention to your body...it will tell you when to slow down or when to jazz it up and pick up the pace!

If you really take to road cycling you might want to consider picking up a road bike along the way as you may find it easier to rack up the miles on one of these as opposed to a hybrid.

Couldn't hurt to try one out sometime at your local bike shop...?

Don

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3/6/13 2:56 P

Advice is good. You have to work up to that. There are so many programs you can find on the net. The best one is the one you can follow.

Have HR monitor and learn yourself.

You need a good base and probably some position and efficiency work.

Intensity, Duration, and Frequency! Stress + Rest = Adaptation

SparkPoints: (5,694)
Fitness Minutes: (9,429)
Posts: 163
3/6/13 12:34 P

I always do better with a goal in mind, so I think you're brilliant to set a goal. My advice is gradually increase your time in the saddle and take at least one day a week off the bike.

Every year I set a goal of riding a century by the end of the season (which is late October/early November around here). I pick a date I'm going to do the century, and then work backwards. Every weekend has a suggested ride length, and I generally add three to five miles a week. (I commute by bike most days, so I'm getting a good base that way.) I keep it flexible: in lieu of the suggested mileage, I can go ride hills (which I hate going up (hence the username) but LOVE going down!) or go for a mountain bike ride.

I've yet to make it to 100 miles, but I believe I've fixed the problems that have plagued me in the past (saddle sores (wrong saddle height) and runners knee (lots of stretching & self-torture with a foam roller)). The journey is as important as the destination; whether I make it to a century is less important than all the riding I do in preparation for it.

Enjoy yourself! There's lots of advice out there, much of it more scientific and better than mine. Fuel right, train smart, and listen to your body. And keep us updated - I get motivated reading about other people working toward their goals.

Edited by: HILLSLUG98239 at: 3/6/2013 (12:35)

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Posts: 1,223
3/6/13 9:06 A

Sounds like a great goal and you're in a wonderful part of the country for that kind of ride. I'm not to the point of making that kind of ride yet but I'm getting there. Good luck!

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3/5/13 10:19 P

Good luck! It's an admirable goal.

I'm currently reading this.

www.amazon.com/Distance-Cycling-John-Hughe
s/dp/0736089241

It's been useful. I've also taken the liberty to share some links. I have a similar goal to yours and have been boning up on my reading.

www.blayleys.com/articles/firstcentury/ind
ex.htm



www.wellnessworksinc.com/blog/2009/06/what
-to-bring-on-a-century-ride-or-more/

www.active.com/cycling/Articles/8-FAQs-for
-Century-Ride-Newbies.htm

www.active.com/cycling/Articles/6-Tips-for
-Century-Ride-Rookies

www.adventurecorps.com/way/centtrain2007.h
tml#v2010

www.active.com/cycling/Articles/Determine_
your_century_nutrition_plan.htm

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3/5/13 10:08 P

What a great goal. I suggest you find someone to ride with and just ride. Increase your miles every week and find some organized rides and participate in them. Remember this is fun.

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3/5/13 7:54 P

You can do it. Just start by researching a training schedule.

Posts: 607
3/5/13 6:57 P

Hi Everyone, I'm going for a goal for my 60th birthday; I'd like to ride 100 miles in two days. I don't turn 60 till summer so I've begun a "training" program. I love riding and have been reading and talking with everyone I can about how to go about this. So any input gratefully accepted. I'm doing well so far. But need to keep in mind the whole turtle and hare story so as not to get to obsessive about riding. I have an aluminum hybrid, a helmet and a cyclocomputer. That's about as much into "stuff" other than maybe safety stuff that I want to get. My motto: Do it before you buy it." (Although there is a lotta' cool stuff out there.) I look forward to "talking" with all of you.
Tish