UMCA_Tips

1www.ultracycling.com/standings/umc.html

UMCA Year-Rounder ChallengeJohn Lee Ellis, [email protected]

Tips for Year-Rounder

Copyright 2006 by theUltraMarathon Cycling Association, Inc.

John Hughes, Managing DirectorPO Box 18028

Boulder, CO [email protected]

www.ultracycling.com

Riders

Reprinted from

UltraCycling


ContentsI. Resources UMC_Tips1.pdf

Introduction to the Mileage Challenge John Lee Ellis 3Larry Schwartz Profile Ed Fleming 5Mileage Challenge Submission Forms 6Mileage Challenge Complete Rules 9Hub Ride Leaders 13

II. Training UMC_Tips2.pdfEndurance Training Pete Penseyres 15Training for Centuries Lisa Marie Dougherty

Choosing a Century 17Riding a Fast Century 18Strength Training 19Planning Workouts 20Developing Power on the Bike 21Moving to Longer Rides 22

Spontaneous Speed Ed Pavelka 24III. Equipment & Clothing

Choosing a Long-Distance Bike Lon Haldeman 26Points of Contact Mileage Challenge veterans 29Shoes John Bayley 32Tires John Bayley 33Shorts Wade Baker & Drew Bourey 35Cold Weathe Clothing Mileage Challenge veterans 37Raingear Terry Zmrhal 39Sample Equipment List John Hughes 41

IV. Nutrition UMC_Tips3.pdfEating for Endurance: Ten Mantras Susan Barr, Ph.D. 42Caloric Requirements Susan Barr, Ph.D. 43Eating for 100 and 200 miles Susan Barr, Ph.D. 45Electrolytes and Fluid Replacement Kevin Setnes & Karl King 47Overhydratrion and Hyponatremia Lulu Weschler 49Cold Weather Training Ed Burke, Ph.D. 50

V. TechniqueCadence Pete Penseyres 52Pacelines Pete Penseyres 53Climbing Ed Pavelka & John Hughes 54Descending Pete Penseyres 55

VI. RecoveryRecovery: Part 1, Nutritional Aids Ed Burke, Ph.D. & John Hughes 57Recovery: Part 2, Non-Nutritional Aids Ed Burke, Ph.D. & John Hughes 60Self-Massage Josh Simonds 63Saddle Sores Bernie Burton, M.D. 66Crotchitis Bernie Burton, M.D. 68

Vii.MentalWhat to do when the ride stops being fun John Hughes 70


Many of us enjoy getting out on a long ride withfriends or just by ourselves and doing sothroughout the season. Its the satisfaction of aday on the bike under mild spring sunlight,winter gales, summer thunderstorms, stiff moun-tain climbs, and easy rolling countryside. Ourseason may have high points and peak events, butthese are against the backdrop of consistentendurance riding.

Such a season might include:

a brevet series culminating in a 1200K a week-long or multi-week tour double centuries over varied landscapes fast centuries or leisurely centuries!every

weekend with friends

a long ride every month of the yearThe UMCA Year-Rounder Challenge (Y-R) pro-vides a structure to motivate you throughout theseason and to recognize your personal achieve-ments. The Y-R is designed to showcase consistentperformance in cycling throughout the year.

The Y-R has different divisions to recognizedifferent goals. Rides are categorized by distance(Century or Long) and type (Organized or Per-sonal ride).

Organized events have a name, start/finishlocation, starting time(s), route plan, registrationor sign-in, an organizer, and advance publication.They neednt be blockbuster events with a t-shirt,water bottles, and a cast of hundredsthey can bea simple club ride 90 miles or longer. And in anumber of locales, UMCA Hub organizers runrides on a regular basis (see p 13).

Personal rides you design yourselfyou can rideby yourself or with friends and document bycollecting store receipts at a few points along theway. Personal rides augment organized eventswhen the latter are scarce, or when youd justrather do an ad hoc ride!

Year-Rounder DivisionsRides are counted in these divisions, plus thecombined mileage from these divisions.

Organized Long Division: Organized rides of 150+ miles. You must complete at least 150 miles ofthe ride to receive credit. You will receive creditfor your actual, on-route mileage.

Organized Century Division: Organized rides of90 - 149 miles. You must complete at least 90miles of the ride to receive credit. You will receivecredit for your actual, on-route mileage.

Personal Long Division: Personal rides of 150 +miles documented by receipts and/or witnessverification. For credit, you must complete atleast 150 miles in an 18-hour period.

Personal Century Division: Personal rides of 90 -149 miles. For credit, you must complete at least90 miles in 11 hours including off the bike time.

Combined Division: Combined mileage from theabove divisions.

IntroductionBy John Lee Ellis

Riders with at least 1,000 miles are eligible for the Accelerade/Endurox R4 Team Purchase Program. To order, contactChris Facas at 1-877-ENDUROX x604. Accelerade is designed to increase endurance during rides and Endurox is to

improve recovery between rides. For more information go to www.enduroxr4.com.


Recognition and AwardsThe Year-Rounder recognizes these awards:

Larry Schwartz award: Riders complete at leastone Mileage Challenge ride in each month, with atmost two make-up ridesaward is a medal.

Gold: 3,000 or more Combined milesaward is amedal.

Platinum: 5,000 miles in the Combined division including at least 2,000 miles in one of the otherdivisionsaward is a medal.

Whos Who: the top five Platinum riders in eachdivisionaward is a plaque and mention inUltraCycling.

Riders pay a $10 participation fee to fund theawards.

The Y-R year runs from December 22nd throughDecember 21st. A century on 12/27/05 wouldcount toward the Y-R 2006 standings. This givesriders a break for the holidays as family time.

Ride SubmissionWithin 14 days after the event.

Organized Rides, web-submission: If an eventpublishes results on a website, you should submitvia web-form at www.ultracycling.com/stand-ings/umcsubmissions.html.

Individual Organized and Personal rides: Mailthe single-ride form (other side) to the address onthe form. For Organized rides include a cue sheetor event flyer. For Personal rides include storereceipts showing date, time and location.

Multi-Stage Organized rides: Mail the multi-stage ride printed form, with ride documentationto the address on the form.

Questions?Contact John Lee Ellis, Y-R chair,[email protected]

Ultracyclist of Distinction

5) RAAM - Complete solo or teamRAAM (including corporate RAAM).

Each rider earning the Ultracyclist of Distinc-tion will receive a plaque from the UMCAand will be honored in UltraCycling. TheUMCA is also having a custom jersey or vestdesigned which will be available only toriders who earn the Ultracyclist ofDistinctionUltracyclist of Distinction.

Looking retrospectively, multi-disciplinaryultra riders such as the following would haveearned the Ultracyclist of Distinction: WadeBaker, Sam Baugh, Jim Cartwright, WolfgangFasching, John Guth, Nancy Guth JohnJurczynski, Kevin Kaiser, Russ Loomis, JurRobic, Marc Pritchard, and Ralph Pruitt.

The Ultracyclist of Distinction is the highestaward that a UMCA member can earn. Toearn the Ultracyclist of Distinction a cyclistmust demonstrate outstanding performancein three out of four consecutive years, with2005 as the first year in which a rider canearn credit. Further, a rider must achievedistinction in at least two UMCA programsduring the four years. The programs andstandards are:

1) Year-Rounder earn at least Platinum(5000 miles).

2) John Marino Competition earn atleast 85 total points.

3) Records set one or more recordstotaling (at least) 500 miles.

4) RAAM Qualifying - qualify forRAAM (except through team RAAM,which is counted below)

Ride calendar at:http://www.ultracycling.com/events/rides.html


Larry SchwartzUltraCycling Hall of Fame 2004 Inductee

I was fascinated with how far I could go under my own power.

by Ed Fleming

Ride, ride, and ride some more.

After retiring as an Engineering Senior Managerfor Worldcom, in 1999 at the age of 38 thats whatLarry Schwartz did. The stock markets irratio-nal exuberance was good to me.

Larry was a Texas rider through and through.Although he lives just outside of Dallas in Wylie,he loved to ride the roads of the Texas hill countrynear Fredricksburg.

In 2002, Larry logged 22,980 miles in the UMCAMileage Challenge. He was leading the 2003 UMCwhen he was stuck and killed by a school bus inMay 2003. Larry, who was wearing a helmet, wasstruck by the bus mirror.

Larry was a regular on the PAC Tour circuit. Herode every mile of the 01 Northern tour, the 99Oregon Trail tour and the 95 Southern tour.Before retirement, he rode nearly 17,000 miles peryear! In 2001 he ramped up to about 21,800 miles,for first place honors in the Mileage Challenge.

First place was no stranger to Larry. He scoredfirsts in the 2001 RSD 24 Hour Challenge inCanada, the 98 Waco, TX 12 Hour Shootout, the97 Texas Ironbutt, and the 94 Oklahoma CityTinbutt.

In a 2001 interview Larry said: My interest inultra grew out of riding in general. I started ridingin January 88 as a New Years resolution. I wasntoverweight or anything, but just thought Id betterget some exercise. I was fascinated with how far Icould go under my own power. I still rememberthe excitement I felt having ridden five miles tothe next town! Four months later, I finished myfirst century. Last year, I decided to focus on theUMCA Mileage Challenge. Having my days free,it became easy to tack on another 25 or 30 miles towhat Id been riding anyway.

I like the multi-day tours because someone else

gets to do all the grunt work. Think about PACTour, for instance. Theres nothing to do forweeks but worry about where the next turn is,and where lunch and the motels are. I dont wantto lose my ability to do distance tours. I seepeople in their 60s and 70s still doing ultras. Ithink riding that long is attainable.

I see people in their 60s and 70s doingultras. I think riding that long is

attainable.

When I was working, some of my most creativesolutions to problems came while riding. Othertimes, Im kind of like Homer Simpson. Youknow how someone will ask him something andhe just goes blank? I seem to block everythingout.

He was so smart, but he just wanted to be a kidand be happy, said his brother, Ron Schwartz ofSt. Paul. To this day, when he comes to visit mykids, he watches cartoons with them and goessledding with them.

When he was killed, he was engaged to marry hislongtime partner, Judith Jolly.

She recalled one of their cycling triumphs, theRSD [for rubber-side down] Twenty-Four HourRace in her native Canada in 2000.

Larry, then 39, set a course record and personalbest of 410 miles in 24 hours. Judith won her ageclass with 328 miles.

It was a high point for both of us, because weboth did it, she said. We both set personalrecords. Larrys course record still stands, shesaid.

In addition to his brother and fiance, Mr.Schwartz is survived by his parents, Norton andEthel Schwartz of Boca Raton, FL.

Ultracycling Hall of Fame: www.ultracycling.com/about/hof.html


HomeEvents CalendarCurrent ResultsStandingsYear-RounderRecordsTrainingEquipmentNutritionAbout the UMCASite Index

UMCA Year-Rounder ChallengeRide Submission FormsY-R Century and Long Divisions Singe Event Form(For Electronic Submission)* Indicates Required Field

Ride Submission FormsIt is the riders responsibility to submit rides, which may be submitted in the following ways:

If results are published on the event website, use

If results are not published on the event website,use for single events

or use for multi-stage events such as tours

Single Event Form for electronic submissionwww.ultracycling.com > standings > ridesubmissions (illustrated below)

Single Event Form (on page 7)

Rider Information

* Name

* City

* E-Mail

* Address

* State/Prov * Postal Cd

Country

Event Information

* Event Date

* Miles Ridden

* Event Name

Century credit: 90 - 150 miles; cyclist must complete at least 90 miles.Long Ride credit: 150 or more miles; cyclist must complete at least 150 miles.* Event URLRider Notes

Send Form

Fill out the entire form then click the Send Form button.

Multi-stage Event Form (on page 8)


UMCA Year-Rounder Ride FormRiders

Name ____________________ Address ______________________

E-Mail ____________________ City, St. ______________________

Event Name or Description ___________________________________

Date ____________ Distance you rode (at least 90 miles) _______

Division (check):

q Organized Century q Personal Century q Indoor Personal(90 - 149 miles) (90 - 149 miles) Century (6 hours)

q Organized Long Ride q Personal Long Ride q Indoor Organized(150 miles or more) (150 miles or more) Century (6 hours)

Personal Ride Start Location ________________________________________ Time ______

Verification Finish Location ________________________________________ Time ______

LocationStore, Road _________________________________ Town, St. ________________________________

Time __________AM PM Miles Thus Far __________ q Receipt Attached (or)Witness Witness

Name _________________________________ E-mail _________________________________



Name _________________________________ E-mail _______________________________



Name _________________________________ E-mail _________________________________



Name _________________________________ E-mail _________________________________

1/10/06

Organized Ride Officials Name ______________________________

Verification Signature ______________________________ Date ______

Submission: within 14 days after the event:Centuries Attach event documentation or receipts and send this form to:

John Lee Ellis, 2155 Dogwood Circle, Louisville, CO 80027

Long Rides Attach event documentation or receipts and send this form to:Don Norvelle, 1701 S. Hillside, Stillwater, OK 74074


UMCA Year-Rounder Ride Form( Use this form for multi-day tours, camps, etc. with discrete stages, not for multi-dayevents like 1200Ks. )

RidersName ____________________ Address ______________________

E-Mail ____________________ City, St. ______________________

Tour / Camp Name or Description _____________________________

Dates ____________________

Divisions: Stages of 90 - 149 miles count in the Century DivisionStages of 150 or more miles count in the Long Division

Submission Within 14 days after the tour attach event documentation and submit this signedform. For multi-week events, intermediate submissions are encouraged. Send to:John Lee Ellis, 2155 Dogwood Circle, Louisville, CO 80027

Date Description Miles Division Officials(C or L) Initials

Rides Officials Name ______________________________

Verification Signature ______________________________ Date ______


Complete RulesLast updated 2/10/05

The UMCA Year-Rounder (Y-R) is a year-longmileage competition designed to showcase consis-tent performance in ultra-distance cycling throughthe season. Riders are recognized both for indi-vidual achievement (attaining certain mileagelevels) and in competition with others (top mile-age riders in each division). The rules are in thefollowing sections:

I. Y-R Divisions

II. General Rules

III. Recognition and Awards

IV. Rules for Organized Rides

V. Rules for Personal Rides

VI. Rules for Larry Schwartz Award Rides

I. Y-R DivisionsRides are categorized in these divisions, by dis-tance (Century or Long) and type (Organizedevent or Personal ride) as follows:

Organized Long Division: Organized rides of150+ miles. You must complete at least 150 milesof the ride to receive credit. You will receive creditfor your actual, on-route mileage.

Organized Century Division: Organized rides of90 - 149 miles. You must complete at least 90 milesof the ride to receive credit. You will receive creditfor your actual, on-route mileage.

Personal Long Division: Personal rides of 150+miles documented by receipts, tracking graphand/or witness verification. For credit, you mustcomplete at least 150 miles in an 18 hour period(and maintain an 8.33 mph average after that).

Personal Century Division: Personal rides of 90 -149 miles documented by receipts, tracking graphand/or witness verification. For credit, you mustcomplete at least 90 miles in an 11 hour periodincluding off the bike time (and maintain an 8.33mph average after that).

Combined Division: Combined mileage from theOrganized Century and Long divisions andPersonal Century and Long divisions. Overall Y-Rstandings are shown in order of Combined Divi-sion mileage. However, excelling in a givendivision (for example, the Organized Long Divi-sion) is a worthy goal, and is recognized as such

(see below).

II. General RulesUMCA Membership: To get Y-R credit for a ride,a person must be a UMCA member at the time theride was completed or submit a membershipapplication postmarked within 14 days after theend of the ride.

Y-R Year: The Y-R year runs from December 22ndthrough December 21st of the following year. Forexample, a ride on December 27 would counttoward the following year. This gives riders aquiet period during the holidays.

Tandem Mileage: Rides may be done on a tan-dem bicycle (or triple, etc.) and the rules for theabove divisions apply. A tandem rider accumu-lates tandem mileage independent of partner(s).For recognition levels, a riders solo and tandemmileage are pooled. UMC standings are alsoshown pooled.

A tandem rider may do different rides withdifferent tandem partners, and the partner neednot be a UMCA member. But a given tandem ridemust be ridden with no more than one partner,except for reasons such as illness, injury, or logis-tical approved by the Y-R chair.

Indoor Mileage: You may ride indoors "centu-ries" (six hours) for credit in the Y-R, so long asthey follow the UMCA Indoor Challenge rules.You may ride up to twelve a year (viz., enough toqualify for the Larry Schwartz award). Indoorcenturies are submitted in the normal way asPersonal rides, or as Organized if ridden as partof an organized indoor event, publicized as perthe Y-R rules.

For credit in the Indoor Challenge you mustsubmit the ride separately to the Indoor Chal-lenge.


Other Rider Classifications: There are no mensor womens or age-based separate divisions in theUMC because cycling speed and endurance arenot major criteria in the Y-R.

III. Recognition & AwardsThe UMCA recognizes one consistency-basedaward and three distance-based levels of accom-plishment. (The rider's award will reflect thehighest distance level achieved plus LarrySchwartz award if qualified.)

Larry Schwartz award: completing at least oneYear-Rounder ride in each calendar month, withup to two make-up rides - award is a medal.

Gold: 3,000 miles or more in the Combineddivision - award is a medal.

Platinum: 5,000 miles in the Combined division,including at least 2,000 miles in one of the otherdivisions - award is a medal.

Who's Who: the top five Platinum riders in eachdivision - award is plaque and mentioninUltraCycling.

Standings: are published in UltraCycling through-out the year and on ultracycling.com. In addition,Y-R participants can receive standings updates viae-mail. To be added to the distribution list send ane-mail to year-roundernews @ ultracycling.com

IV. Organized RidesOrganized Events: Organized means that theevent must have: a name, start/finish location,starting time(s), route plan, registration or sign-in,an organizer, and advance publication.

Publication of Organized Events: Publication cantake the form of flyers (distributed to bike shops,for example), announcement in club newsletters,advertisement in local papers, publication at thenational level (e.g, in American Randonneur), etc.,or if the ride is part of a ride series publica-tion of the ride series (see below). The ride or rideseries must be publicized at least 14 days inadvance. The organizer can provide some ridedetails later or change them as circumstancesrequire (for example, change of route, change ofstart time) so long as the organizer provides ameans for participants to learn of details andchanges in a timely manner.

Electronic Ride Publication: Publicizing anorganized ride or ride series on a website or by e-mail is sufficient provided: the existence of the web page or e-mail

distribution list is publicized as above (e.g.,club newsletter), and

interested riders will be provided with aphysical notice, if they request.

Sending out notice of a ride to a personal e-maildistribution list or posting the ride on a web-pageis not by itself sufficient.

Publicizing a Ride Series: Individual rides in aride series can be publicized electronically - solong as the ride series as a whole is publicized asabove.

Ride Submission: You may submit your ride inany of these ways:

Webform from the rider is strongly preferred.Go to www.ultracycling.com > standings >ride submissions. Include the event name,date, actual distance ridden, and results-pageweb link for the event;

Single-ride printed form (for single-stageevents) on page 7 signed by an eventofficial, plus the events flyer or route sheet mail to the address shown on the form,

Multiple-stage printed form, (for multi-stageevents) on page 8 with info as above,

Ride Submission Deadline: Rides must besubmitted within 14 days of the completion ofevent. (For multi-week tours, riders are encour-aged to make weekly intermediate submissions ifconvenient.)

The Organizer: Remember that most events arenot organized with the UMCA in mind, and mostride officials have a lot to take care of during andafter an event. Remember also that it is yourresponsibility not the UMCAs or the rideofficials to assure that the ride submissioncontains the proper info and is sent to the Y-Rchair within the deadline.

Add-On Mileage: A ride organizer may provideadd-on mileage options to allow the ride toqualify for Y-R credit.

Complete ride calendar at www.ultracycling.com/events/rides.html


An individual may also add mileage to the orga-nized ride to make it a longer personal ride pro-vided:

1. the rider documents the personal part(s) ofthe ride as per the rules,

2. the total distance puts the ride in anotherdistance division from the organized event.

Examples include a 60-mile club ride as part of a90+ mile personal century or riding a 200K brevetas part of a personal long ride. However, riding a300K brevet in the midst of a personal doublecentury would count as a 300K organized ride.

90-Mile Minimum: The 90-mile minimum forCentury Division rides is meant to take intoaccount organized rides billed as a century inconcept, but which, because of routing constraints,etc., fall slightly short of 100 miles. It is not meantto suggest that 90 miles constitute a century per se.

Unusual Events: The Y-R chair will considergiving credit for exceptional events which do notmeet the rules. E.g., a) if an event is shorter than 90miles and the terrain and cycling conditions areexceptionally difficult; or b) if the distance meetsthe rules but the event is so difficult that it doesn'tmeet the average speed requirements. Include anexplanation of the details with event submission.

Multi-Day Rides: A ride extending beyond 24hours or across day boundaries will count as asingle, extended ride as long as an average speedof 200 miles per day (8.33 mph) is maintained. Forexample, Paris-Brest-Paris, with a 90-hour cut-offfor its 1200km distance, requires essentially thataverage speed.

Multi-Stage Events: A multi-day series of stages(for example, a multi-day tour) counts as a seriesof individual rides which may be eligible forCentury or Long Division credit, depending on thelength of the stage.

Mileage Deviations: You are credited with youractual on-route mileage (no credit for riding to orfrom the event, or getting lost en route).

The actual distance may differ from the published

distance because of last minute route changes(including detours for safety reasons), inaccuratemeasurement of the route, add-on mileage op-tions provided by the organizer, etc. If youractual mileage differs from the published, you cannote the reason on your submission.

V. Personal RidesTime and Distance: Riders on Personal ridesmust average at least 8.33 mph including off-the-bike time. Personal Century rides must be be-tween 90 and 149 miles at an elapsed average ofat least 8.33 mph, i.e., 90 miles within 11 hours,etc. Personal Long rides must be at least 150miles at an elapsed average of at least 8.33 mph,i.e., 150 miles within 18 hours, 200 miles within 24hours, etc.

Personal Ride Documentation: Personal ridesare documented via verification points usingthe Mileage Challenge form. Verification pointsmust indicate location, date, and time. Verificationpoints must be made within 10 miles of the startand 10 miles of the end of the ride, and: for Century rides, at approximately 1/3rd and

2/3rds of the distance (e.g., at mile 33 and 67for a 100-mile ride),

for Long rides, approximately every 50 miles.Verification should by receipts (store, ATM, orother receipts) is strongly preferred, showinglocation, date, and time. If a receipt cannot beobtained at a given point, then a witness may signthe form and provide an e-mail address forelectronic verification.

Alternatively, you may use an automated trackingdevice that provides a record of mileage riddenover time, such as certain integrated heartratemonitors or GPS-based systems. The submissionmust show a graph or map of distance over time,plus total distance (rather than, say, a list of GPScoordinates and times).

Ride Submission Deadline: Rides must besubmitted within 14 days of their completion.

Ride Submission: Submit your personal ride onthe Single-ride printed form (page 7) plus yourverification receipts (or tracking device log). Mailto the address shown on the form.

Mileage Measurement: Use your bikes odom-eter/computer to ascertain mileage, if it is accu-rately calibrated. Otherwise, or if your computerfails en route, you may use map mileage.

Why ride alone?Join a hub ride or

become a hub ride leader.See page 13.


Record Attempts: Time or distance-based UMCA-sanctioned individual record attempts count asPersonal Division rides. Submit the officials logand results for verification. Examples would be a24-hour record attempt or a border-to-border statecrossing.

Permanent Randonnes: A Permanent is arandonne run under brevet rules, etc., but riddenon a date agreed upon personally between riderand organizer. Therefore, riding a Permanentcounts for Personal Division credit. http://www.rusa.org/perminfo.html

Support Crews: If you have a support crew for aPersonal Division ride, your support crew mayobtain or provide verification on your behalf.

VI. Larry Schwartz AwardRidesParticipation: Year-Rounder participants areautomatically included in the Larry Schwartzaward.

Ride Submission and Tracking: A LarrySchwartz participant simply submits Year-Rounder rides in the usual way. The rider does not

UMCA 24 Hour Championship& RAAM Qualifier

September 2, 2006 Iowa

Same Divisions as in JMC:

Men under 25 Women under 25Men 25-49 Women 25-49Men 50-59 Women 50-59Men 60-69 Women 60-69Men 70 and over Women 70 and overTandem M/M Tandem M/FTandem F/F Recumbent

24 Hour Non-Drafting RAAMQualifier 2 JMC points

12 Hour Drafting Race 1 JMCpoint

6 Hour Drafting Race

Organized by Joe Jamison and Dave ParkerMore information: www.ultramidwest.com

[email protected][email protected](309) 235-4284

need to denote that any particular ride countstoward a given month's Larry Schwartz credit ormake-up.

Make-Up Rides: Larry Schwartz award aspirantsare strongly encouraged to ride at least one Y-Revent every month. However, since severeweather or injury may prevent that, a rider maymake up at most two missed months per year, byriding extra one(s) earlier or later that same year.For example, if the rider completes no ride inFebruary, riding two in March can make up forFebruary.

Participation: All Mileage Challenge participantsare automatically included in the Year-RounderChallenge.

Indoor Centuries: Indoor centuries that count asY-R rides earn credit for the Larry Schwartzaward.

Calendar Month Credit: A ride that span monthsis credited to the month in which the ride starts(for example, a 400k brevet which the rider startson May 31 and finishes on June 1) or, if a make-up, to the made-up month.


Hub LeadersCaliforniaOak Park / Mulholland Hwy / Ojai / PCHChris Kostman and AdventureCORPSVisit http:// www.adventurecorps.com for thecurrent scheduleSign up for the "Club Training Rides" newsletter athttp://www.adventurecorps.com/lists.html

Orange CountyOrange County Wheelmen Saturday CenturiesChuck [email protected] up for the OCW Saturday Century e-mail listat www.caltriplecrown.com/EMailLists.htm

San DiegoBarclay Brown(858) [email protected]/sdl

San Fernando ValleyDawn Derlighter(818) [email protected]

IllinoisCreteDavid DeGroot(708) [email protected] also Iowa/Illinois & Illinois/Wisconsin

Illinois/WisconsinChicago suburbs & S. WisconsinBob Meinig(630) [email protected]

Iowa/IllinoisQuad CitiesJoe Jamison(309) 755-6801 home; (309) 235-4284 [email protected]

KentuckyLouisvilleBill Pustow(502) [email protected]

MassachusettsAshfieldRuss Loomis(413) 628-4002 [email protected]

BostonDave [email protected]://trailwatch.net/longrides.html

OhioAkron/CantonDave Watkins(330) [email protected] Stevenson(330) [email protected]/mp/dwatk2300/cycling/hub.html

Hub RidesHub leaders lead rides most weekends in many parts of the country. These are low-key 100+ mileridesno T-shirts and no catered rest stops. If you are tired of riding alone, contact one of the Hubleaders and find out about the next ride. Or sign up to be a Hub leader. Contact Dave Buzzee,[email protected], (614) 519-7921.

What does a Hub leader do? Designate a starting time and place; Hand out a cue sheet or give verbal directions; Suggest regrouping points to eat and drink; Ride, eat and drink.

Get involved, make some new friends, and introduce folks to the joys of endurance riding.


CincinnatiBob Rich(513) [email protected]

TennesseeMemphisJeff Harris(901) [email protected]

MurfreesboroCary Way(615) [email protected]

TexasDallas/Fort WorthGreg Dean(972) 220-1789 home;(800) 262-1113 ext. 1789 [email protected]

Washington, DCCrista Borras(202) 365-3738 week ends(202) 662-4557 weekdays (Noon to 7:30PM)[email protected]/

Riders with at least 1,000 miles are eligible for the Accelerade/Endurox R4 Team PurchaseProgram. To order, contact Chris Facas at 1-877-ENDUROX x604. For more information goto www.enduroxr4.com.

*Effects of a carbohydrate/protein beverage on cycling endurance and muscle damage.2004 (M. J. Sanders, M. D. Kane, M. K.Todd; James Madison University).

Major new sports science study* confirms the enormous benefit ofadding protein to a sports drink. The independent study comparedAccelerade to a conventional carbohydrate sports drink, and showedprotein-powered Accelerade delivers:Greater Endurance Extends endurance 29%Less Muscle DamageReduces muscle damage 83%Faster Recovery Extends endurance 40% in a second exercise

test 15 hours later

Why your sports drink should contain protein.1. Protein extends exercise endurance.2. Protein helps deliver more carbohydrate energy to

working muscles.3. Protein reduces muscle damage.4. Protein helps muscles recover faster so youll have


Training for endurance is straightforward, but noteasy. You simply identify your target event on acalendar, back off six to eight weeks, and doweekly long rides building up to 75% of yourtarget distance. If your target event is a centurythe first of July, you reserve one day a week inMay and June to do rides up to 75 miles. This 75%rule works for any cycling event up to 24 hours.In the latter case, youd build up over six to eightweeks to an 18 hour training ride! If your targetevent is longer than 24 hours (e.g., RAAM), then a24-hour ride every week or two over the last six toeight weeks may be the best preparation.

Lets assume that our goal is a century ride by July1, but its March. What now? We need to build abase so that by May were ready to ramp up thedistance. There are no good shortcuts to puttingin base miles. If you try to build up too fast, therisk of injury or burnout increases. A good rule ofthumb is to only increase total riding by 10-15%per year and to also limit monthly increases to 10-15%. Building this way should allow us to ride fordecades with smiles on our faces!

Weekly long rideBy the end of base training, the goal is to comfort-ably ride 1/3 to 1/2 of the target distance. Sincewell be riding a century in by July 1, our basepreparation goal is to ride 50 miles by the end ofApril. We live in San Diego, so this much riding ispossible; if you live in Minnesota, you might onlyride 1/3 of the target distance (33 miles). If youretraining for something longer, like B-M-B orRAAM, then by the end of your base, you shouldbe able to ride 1/2 of the daily riding time, e.g., 12hours if training for RAAM.

Since were training primarily for endurance andnot for speed, the most important ride is theweekly long ride. The purpose of the long ride isto train your muscles and cardiovascular system,and also your digestive system. A secondarybenefit of this ride is psychological. If the long

rides can be done comfortably, then our confi-dence in completing our target event will in-crease.

The long rides should increase by 5-10% everyweek, at the same rate as the weekly total. Youmight try to build up a little faster, but then throwin an easy week every four to six weeks, to allowyourself to recover. The long ride should beabout half of your total weekly training volume.This works for long rides up to about 200 miles.

The long ride should simulate the planned eventas much as possible. For example, if youreplanning a tour, with rest stops every couple ofhours and a break for lunch, then ride that way. Ifyoure targeting a race, than train with minimalstops. Only riding time counts, so deduct thetime spent at breaks, fixing flats, etc. If possible,simulate the terrain and weather conditions youexpect for the event on the weekly training rides.

Pace yourself on the long rides so that you feelgood at the end. You may want to do these withother riders to make them safer and more fun, butplease dont try to half wheel or hammer eachother. If you cant carry on a continuous conversa-tion at any time during the long ride (includingthe climbs) then you are going too hard. Theprimary purpose of this ride is to have the slowestrider feel good at the finish. Each rider will getthe desired benefits, even if they feel that they areloafing through most of it.

Identify and eliminate limitersThese rides should also be used to identify thelimiters (i.e., show stoppers) that could stopyou from completing the event comfortably. Forexample, there may be problems with pain ornumbness at any one of the places we contact thebike: hands, feet and seat. This is the time to find(1) a saddle that fits your unique anatomy, (2) acomfortable aerobar position so that you canspend most of your flat and downhill riding timein it, and (3) shoes/inserts that keep your feet and

Endurance Training for CyclistsTraining for endurance is straightforward, but not easy.by Pete PenseyresPete Penseyres won the Race Across America twice (1984 and 1986), holds the RAAM mens average speedrecord of 15.40 mph (1986), with Lon Haldeman holds the tandem transcontinental record (1987, 7d 14h 55m),was a member of Team Lightning that won HPV RAAM (1989, 5d 1h 8m), was a member of Team Bicyclingwhich set the 50+ RAAM record (1996, 5d 11h 21m) and is a national champion road racer.


knees happy. Knee, neck, back, or ankle problemscould also show up for the first time on these longrides. When you identify a potential show-stopperon a long ride, fix it before the next weekend.

Use the long rides to experiment with eating anddrinking. There are many good articles on nutri-tion. Figure out what works for you. Do you ridebetter with pastries and Pop Tarts? Or withHammergel and Spiz? When you find somethingthat works for you, use it for the rest of yourtraining rides and especially for your target event.

It helps to do these long rides in one loop or oneout-and-back. Then, if you are at least halfway andstart to tire, the fastest way home is to keep going.This is especially important as your longest ridesapproach 24 hours. When I was training for soloRAAM, several of my 24 hour rides started nearhome on Friday nights and went around the eastside of the Salton Sea. At about the halfway point Ialmost always rode through a low point butmanaged to continue because every pedal stroketook me closer to home.

Other trainingThe long ride is half of your weekly training -what do you do for the rest of the time? If youre

building your base, increasing your enduranceand trying to get comfortable on the bike, thenjust ride. You need to ride at least four days aweek to get fitter, so try hard to fit in the rides. Ibelieve the best way to get in regular rides iscommuting. You might take a short route on theway to work so you dont work up a sweat andthen take a longer route home. Other options areSpinning classes or riding a trainer. Youre betteroff riding briskly for 45 minutes three nights aweek, than getting out for a couple of hours onlyone evening.

A couple of months before your big event, youshould start doing a couple of short, hard rides aweek. Again, specificity is key. If youre doing amountainous century, go out and hammer in thehills. Or hammer into the wind. If youre peak-ing for a fast, flat 12 hour race, do a couple of fast,flat rides a week, focusing on staying aero andmaintaining a constant effort. Of course, you alsoneed some easy miles for recovery.

If you are just getting started with distanceevents, these suggestions may help you completeyour first long rides in comfort and a smile onyour face.

Good luck in your Year-Rounder rides!For more expert how to advice about long rides and many other aspectsof road cycling, please visit us a www.RoadBikeRider.com. Run by EdPavelka, veteran of team racing in RAAM and the Furnace Creek 508. Ioffer a free weekly e-mail newsletter along with a complimentary e-Book fornew subscribers: 29 Pro Cycling Secrets for Roadies. No cost or obliga-tion! In addition, our online bookstore has two-dozen helpful how topaperbacks and e-Books thatll boost your ability.

Check us out at www.roadbikerider.com/bookstore.htm


Only a week ago, you stirred long before the sunfinished traversing the opposite hemisphere of theearth. Now sunbeams kiss your cheek as you sipyour morning coffee and gaze at glistening drop-lets tumbling from tips of shrinking icicles. Youreyes come to rest on your bicycle, a neglectedcompanion. Soft tires and a sprinkle of dust addto the appearance of disrepair. The spirit of thedawning spring fills you, though, and you attackthe task with zeal. Within minutes, your bicycle isgleaming and begging to be taken for a ride.

A few days back in the bicycle saddle return toyou a few years of your life. The exhilaration ofthe awakening world adds a snap to your legs.One mile ... two miles ... three miles. Hmmm ...maybe thats enough for the first day. As youcycle back home, an idea flashes in your mind.

What if I kept going? What if I rode 50-miles toOhmygoodnesston ... or 70-miles toYouvegottabekiddingburg ... or century toAreyoucrazyville? What if I rode for 24-hoursstraight? How far could I go?

The ultra cycling bug has bitten you! A drive toexplore your Id ... your Ego ... your very selfconsumes you. A limit that has always been therebut never threatened has become a target. Perhapsyoull reach it. Perhaps youll fall short. Perhapsyoull press up against it and shoulder it up a fewnotches.

The Century Pages are for the bicycle rider whohas discovered a desire to expand personal experi-ence by bicycle riding greater distances. Riding acentury in a single day may be quite challenging.

Perhaps your goal is to ride a century everymonth. Or perhaps compete in the CenturyDivision of the UMCA Mileage Challenge. Withcareful preparation cycling a century can be funand rewarding experiences. Each page concen-trates on a different aspect of preparing for andcompleting a century. At the conclusion of theseries, there will be a brief discussion on movingbeyond a century to a double century. The leapisnt as large as you may fear. The key is simple:Get out there and ride your bicycle!

Lets start from the beginning. The first thing youmust do is select a century. There are three typesof century rides:1. a personal, unsupported century,2. an organized brevet, and3. a fully-supported century.

A Personal CenturyA self-planned century has the advantages offreedom in scheduling and route planning. Youdont have to wait two months for the century ordrive halfway across the state to reach the cen-tury. However, you do have to anticipate routeproblems on your century. Unfamiliar roads maybe gravel or under construction. You have tocarry enough bicycle tools in case you have amechanical mishaps with your bicycle. Unlessyou scrounged up a cycling partner, you willbicycle the century alone. Also, dont expect tosave money by planning your own century ride!The fee for an organized bicycle century is gener-ally minimal, often less than the cost of food for along, solo century.

The Century Pages

#1 Choosing A Century to Rideby Lisa Marie DoughertyLisa Marie Dougherty has been a serious bicycle racer since 1994 and century rider. She is a licensed USCF racer(Womens Category 2). As a ultra marathon cycling racer, she qualified for the Race Across America in 1996after completing the Bicycle Across Missouri race in under 50 hours. She has won the Ultra Marathon CyclingAssociations 24 Hour Championship race three times. In 2003 she won the womens division of the FurnaceCreek 508. She is married to Eugene Dougherty, also an accomplished racer himself.

The Century Pages include:Part 1: Choosing Which Century to Ride.Part 2: Riding a Fast CenturyPart 3: Strength Training for a CenturyPart 4: Planning Workouts for Training for a CenturyPart 5: Power on the Bike for a CenturyPart 6: Moving to Double Centuries and Longer Rides


A BrevetA brevet requires a minimal fee but provides amap of the bicycle route which usually includesinformation on supply stops along the way. Thereis no mechanical or food support but there areother participants who can function as eithercompanions or competitors. Brevets come in avariety of distances. Century riders should startwith the shortest option, the 200 km (125-mile)brevet.

An Organized CenturyThe best type of bicycle ride for new long-distancecyclists is the organized century. This century has

one fee that covers all food and mechanicalassistance along the way. The route is well-established and a multitude of cyclists will par-ticipate, especially if the century has a goodreputation and the weather is favorable. How-ever, you are at the mercy of the century organiz-ers. If you dont like the food, you have to eat itor starve. If you cant make it to the food stop intime, they will close it before you get there.

Now that you have selected the century or centu-ries you want to do, you need to plot a course ofaction and begin preparations. Mark your calen-dar! We have a lot to talk about before thoserides!

So youre back on the bicycle again, training forthe dawning season. A list of events have beenhighlighted on your calendar. Your motivation ishigh as you visualize yourself among the fastestcyclists, wrapping up a century in less than 6hours ... maybe even five hours! How can you getthe form to hold such high speeds over 100 miles?

First, remember that the most important facet totraining is mental preparation and attitude. Itmay help to recognize that 100 miles isnt very farfor an ultra-marathon cyclist. Most professionalcyclists compete in races of 100+ miles, averagingspeeds over 25 mph. The 1998 Tour de Francecovered 2,420 miles in 23 days with only one rest.

Professional female cyclists also face challengingraces although distances rarely exceed 100 miles ina single day. The 1998 Tour Cycliste Feminin,covered 839 miles in 12 days with no rest days.Five days involved distances of over 75 miles andthe maximum stage distance was 91 miles. Aswomen continue to advance in cycling, the diffi-culty of their races also advances.

The primary difference between a 100 mile raceand a 100 mile tour is drafting. In a race, you havea field to cruise with unless youre feeling spunkyand take a flyer or fading fast and drop off theback. Otherwise, you get the pleasure of suckingwheel while saving 30 to 80% of your energydepending on wind conditions and the spread of

Century Pages #2

Riding a Fast CenturyTraining like a racer will do more to increase your average speed on centuries than grinding through mega-milesat a steady, moderate pace.

by Lisa Marie Doughertythe cyclist towing you. In a century, most ridersare recreational so you may spend the bulk ofyour time battling the wind alone. Even the fastcyclists often prefer solo riding or lack the skill tosafely ride in a pace line. So dont plan on findinga group of experienced, ambitious cyclists to draftat your next century. Joining a well-oiled paceline at a tour is not unheard of, but it is unlikely.

Training like a racer will increase youraverage speed on centuries.

Training like a racer will do more to increase youraverage speed on centuries than grinding throughmega-miles at a steady, moderate pace. Big milesare certainly necessary when an ultra-marathoncyclist is preparing for multi-day events likeRAAM qualifiers, PBP and RAAM. Such a train-ing tactic, however, will destroy leg speed forshorter distances of 150-miles or less. It is impor-tant to realize that 100 miles is not an ultra-marathon distance so training like an ultra-marathon cyclist is not the best way to decreaseyour century time. Training like a road racer willincrease power and speed without preparing yourbody for the huge stress of real ultra-marathoncycling which you wont encounter anyway. Atultra-marathon distances, the body must bemaintained in a steady state where the cyclist isconsuming as many nutrients as he or she is


burning up, continuously maintaining a steadyflow of energy over many hours or several days.For shorter distances, the cyclist can upset thisbalance and consume less on the bicycle. Thisallows the body to focus on cycling rather thandividing its energy between digestion and cycling.

In the next column, I will discuss specific training

Century Pages #3

Strength Trainingby Lisa Marie DoughertyCyclists who work on their lower body strength in addition to performing specific upper body, abdominal andlower-back exercises in the off-season generally discover an increase in power and comfort on the bicycle.

tips utilized by road racers that can help increaseyour average century speed. If you want to doyour fastest century, you cannot train like anultra-marathon cyclist.

Forget the mega-miles, protein powder, bikelights and PSVs ... grab your gel packets, carbohy-drate drink and local cycling buddies. Its time totrain for speed.

Riding fast takes strength but strength does notnecessarily produce speed. A successful trainingprogram includes drills that assist in the conver-sion of strength gained in the weight room tospeed on the bicycle. Cyclists who work on theirlower body strength in addition to performingspecific upper body, abdominal and lower-backexercises in the off-season generally discover anincrease in power and comfort on the bicycle.Continuing weightlifting 1 or 2 days a week,throughout the season assures maintenance of thestrength gained in the off-season.

This is particularly true for women who tend tohave more difficulty building and maintainingstrength than men. Weightlifting allows a womanto develop greater lower body strength than ispossible on the bicycle alone. Performing selectupper body exercises also gives a woman greaterpower in sprints and on short, steep climbs wherepulling on the handlebars increases the forceapplied to the pedals. Since most women wontbulk up like men do, weightlifting offers womenall of the advantages without the disadvantage ofadding a lot of extra muscle weight.

The best resistance exercises for cyclists are thefollowing:

1. leg press and squats, multi-muscle exerciseswhich focus on the quads and hip flexors,

2. calf press or raises,3. back extension to develop lower back strength,4. stiff-legged dead lifts or leg curls to strengthen

the hamstrings and gluteus maximus,5. abdominal curls, and

6. seated or bent rows to develop the middle andupper back and the posterior surface of theshoulders.

Hamstring exercises are important because over-development of the quadriceps, typical in mostserious cyclists, must be balanced with develop-ment of the hamstrings to avoid hamstring tears.Also, hamstrings are used in the bottom part ofthe pedal stroke where a slightly backward forceis applied.

Squats offer many benefits. I have found them tobe very effective at strengthening the vastusmedialis obliquus (VMO) muscle, the largequadriceps muscle in the inside/front of thethigh. A few years ago, I suffered patellofemoralsyndrome due to weakness of this muscle. Theinjury kept me off the bicycle for a month. Physi-cal therapy to strengthen my VMO muscle easedmy knee pain so that I could jump into the racingseason which was already underway. Performingthe leg press and squats will also strengthen thehip flexors thereby preventing hip pain after agrueling experience in the hills, a.k.a. BAM or TheMissouri Challenge. This was another wonderfulinjury I experienced early in my cycling career butnever again since initiating a weightlifting pro-gram.

If you have never lifted before, you must becareful when starting a program. It may be wiseto consult a cycling coach or physical trainer tohelp you devise a weight training program andteach you the proper form and execution of allexercises included in that program. Squats andstiff-legged dead lifts are potentially harmful andmust be performed carefully to avoid causing


back or knee injuries. Always start with a lightweight and gradually work up to higher weights.Never lift a weight that is too heavy to allowproper lifting form. If you are subject to joint pain,like me, start light after every significant breakfrom lifting to avoid instigating back, hip or kneepain. During the season, it is wise to reduceweights so that greater focus can be put on thebicycle workouts. This will also lessen the chanceof injury in the weight room which could forceyou to skip races.

If you venture into the weight room in the off-season and at least once a week during the season,you will notice a significant increase in yourpower on the bicycle. Many strength exercises can

be performed on the bicycle but they cannot focusintensely on particular muscle groups like weightroom exercises can. Just as important as thelifting, however, is the conversion of weight roomstrength to on-the-bicycle strength. Specific drillsare necessary to take the general strength youhave developed off-the-bicycle and make itspecific to your sport.

In the next column I will discuss some of thesedrills and explain how each will help you becomea faster cyclist. It is an easy equation: greater legstrength leads to greater force on the pedalswhich produces faster pedal revolutions culmi-nating in faster speeds. Add in a carbo-boost andyou will be riding your fastest century ever.

Now that you have worked diligently in theweight room and acquired quadriceps to rivalMario Cipollinis, the time has come to turn thatstrength and power into performance on thebicycle. There are a number of workouts specifi-cally designed to improve performance in timetrialing and attacking. Each of these will rely onthe strength and power you gained in the weightroom during the off-season.

Time trials are strength-intensive, requiring theability to turn a large gear repeatedly over a longperiod of time. Sustaining a break, bridging up toa breakaway, catching back up to the group aftergetting dropped and motoring up a long, gradualgrade demand the ability to time trial. The effortis gradual and constant as the rider strives to walkthe knife-edge between blowing up and taking ittoo easy.

Attacks are hard accelerations followed by severalminutes of less-intense but still anaerobic effort.Initiating a break and hanging in when the groupjumps to bring back an attack demand skillsdeveloped while training your attack. Power isrequired to accelerate quickly and strength isnecessary to maintain the effort until the chasefails or the break is shutdown. Attack workoutswill also improve your ability to hammer up steephills, another purely anaerobic activity.

Strength and Power TrainingIf hills dont loom somewhere along the routethen wind sweeping over the flatlands is probablysufficient to power Chicago.

Since your main goal is improving your centurypace, you may consider all strength work otherthan time trial development to be worthless. Fora flat century on a calm day, you would be right.However, as most of you already know, suchperfect conditions never exist. If hills dont loomsomewhere along the route then wind sweepingover the flatlands is probably sufficient to powerChicago. Also, from a mental standpoint, devel-oping power and anaerobic fitness gives a greatersense of confidence as well as a stronger feeling ofwell-being. Since every cyclist I have ever metagrees that cycling is at least as demandingmentally as it is physically, any mental edge youcan gain will reap huge rewards.

If hills dont loom along the route thenwind sweeping over the flatlands is

probably sufficient to power Chicago.

Before getting to the workouts, I want to empha-size the importance of adding strength workoutsto your training regimen. The key to escaping thetrap of mediocrity as a cyclist is to vary workouts.Never fall into the trap of getting on the bicycle

Century Pages #4

Planning Workoutsby Lisa Marie DoughertyNever train without a goal. Plan your goal for the day and then go out and do it.


every day with no set plan other than addingmiles to your base. In the early season, it is goodto collect about 1,000 base miles before beginningintense workouts, particularly if you stoppedriding during the winter or significantly reducedyour training intensity. However, once yourmileage base is established, spending every dayacquiring more base miles is a waste of valuabletraining time.

The key to escaping the trap of mediocrityis to vary workouts.

I need to reiterate what I said in my first column.Training advice given here does not typicallyapply to the ultracyclists who participate in 24-hour or multi-day races. These riders rely muchmore heavily on aerobic training than shorterdistance riders. Going anaerobic during ultra-events could be detrimental, whereas professionalracers competing in a 100-mile road race mustfrequently enter their anaerobic heart rate zone.

Planning TrainingTo avoid mediocrity in your century perfor-mances, plan out each week of training beforedoing a single workout. You might even want toplan out your entire season using the macrocyclesystem utilized by most experienced bicycling

coaches today. If you wish to go into this muchdepth, get a book by a knowledgeable cyclist orcoachsuch as Greg LeMond, Joe Friel or ChrisCarmichaeland structure a training schedulearound the events that are most important to you.If you would rather spend less time planning andmore time riding, plan week by week and adhereto one adage: never train without a goal. Planyour goal for the day and then go out and do it.

Although broadening your aerobic base is neces-sary, you should not devote more than three daysa week to long, aerobic rides. Presumably, youcan already survive a century. You know that. Sonow you need to focus on riding 100-miles faster.Riding excessive long, slow miles will not helpincrease your speed. Devoting several days aweek to strength and power workouts, however,will increase your speed by raising your averagespeed, increasing your power in windy conditionsand boosting your hill-climbing abilities.

As an example of power workouts to lower yourcentury time, see Ed Pavelkas article Speed theSpontaneous Way. In the next column, Ill giveyou other examples of anaerobic workouts. Theywill hurt more than the aerobic workouts but theywill also make you faster. Rememberpain nowwill bring you pride later.

Converting weight room power to cycling powerand gaining power through on-the-bike workoutstakes great dedication and effort. The only way togain this power is through interval training.Nobody considers hard interval training to be fun,but every experienced cyclist must consider itnecessary in order to reach his or her potential.

In pursuing your fastest century, it is not necessaryto complete a single 100-mile ride during prepara-tions for the century. Doing a few intense intervalsessions of 25-35 miles each, a few aerobic work-outs and at least one 50+ mile ride each week,along with a recovery ride or two, will prepareyou for rides as long as 200 km. If time is a factorin your training, this should be encouraging. Byfocusing intently on your workouts and gettingthe most out of your time on the bicycle, you will

achieve greater fitness than the cyclist who does300-mile weeks with no intensity training.

Interval WorkoutsThere are a variety of interval workouts that youcan choose among when planning your weeklyschedule. In my last column, I mentioned timetrial and attack workouts. I have discovered thatsprinting workouts are also helpful, even whenIm concentrating on training for an ultra-mara-thon event or a long tour. Sprint workouts loosenup the legs and build quadriceps, hamstrings, hipflexors as well as many of the upper bodymuscles that are neglected in all other cyclingworkouts. In Speed the Spontaneous Way EdPavelka on page 23 describes some great ideas forspeed training for those who cant muster themotivation to do strict interval training.

Century Pages #5

Developing Power on the Bikeby Lisa Marie Dougherty


However, those who have the enthusiasm andwillpower to follow strict interval workouts willprobably witness a faster return on their physicalinvestment. For these people, I will provide someideas for interval workouts that require acyclocomputer and a heart rate monitor.

The most useful interval training for centurypreparation is the time trial, or lactate threshold,interval workout. This involves getting your heartrate up to 85-90% of your maximum heart rate, alevel you should just be able to maintain for 10+minutes, and holding it there. If you go any faster,you become anaerobic and lose all confidence inyour ability to maintain the effortany slowerand you are comfortably aerobic and performingbelow your potential. Ride at a moderate aerobicpace except for one or two lactate thresholdintervals. These intervals should be steady effortsof 10-20 minutes.

Attack, or VO2 max, interval workouts are anothervery useful form of training. These involve get-ting your heart rate above your lactate thresholdand holding it there for 30 seconds to two minutes.These are purely anaerobic intervals and, I wontlie to you, they hurt like hell! The gain in powerand speed is so great, however, that they are worththe pain. Just rememberif it doesnt feel likeyour legs are about to split open and burst into adisgusting burning mess, you arent going hardenough. It is best to approach VO2 max intervaltraining like weight training by doing 2-3 sets of 3reps each.

Longer intervals of 2 to 4 minutes are a mixedanaerobic and aerobic effort These intervals arealso useful and slightly less painful.

To attain these high heart rates during the inter-

Estimating Lactate ThresholdYou can use a time trial to estimate yourlactate threshold.

Pick a course that will take you 30 - 60minutes to complete. The course can be flator a consistent climb, preferably with no stopsigns. Warm-up thoroughly (at least 30minutes) and then ride the course as fast aspossible.

During the time trial, keep an eye on yourpulse monitor and estimate your averageheart rate. If your time trial takes 30 minutes,your average heart rate will be very close toyour LT. If it takes an hour, your averageheart rate will be slightly below your LT.Multiply by 1.03 to estimate your LT.

Note your time, average speed and averageheart rate. Repeat this test every 4 - 6 weeksto gauge your progress.

vals, you can ride into the wind, break speedrecords flying with the wind, hammer up longhills or motorpace behind your buddys Beemer.The key is to get into the heart rate zone any wayyou can and stay at that intensity for the entireinterval. If you do this, you will have the power totackle hills even if you dont train on any.

Hopefully, the ideas presented in these columnswill help you ride your fastest century ever. Onceyou set your new PR, come back here for my lastcolumn and well talk about the next stepprogressing to the double century and 12- or 24-hour race. You have the fitness and callous tush.Now all you need is the confidence and drive toleap beyond the century.

I hope that the ideas presented in these columnshave helped you decrease your century time andincrease your confidence on the bicycle. Perhapsnow you are thinking about pushing beyond yourcomfort zone. Is there a double-century you havealways wanted to do? Do you believe that youcould be competitive in a 24-hour event? Are yousick of reading about the experiences of others at

Furnace Creek 508 and Boston-Montreal-Bostonrather than getting some of your own?

The leap beyond the century may not be as far asyou think. For example, I have done the Iowa 24-Hour Championships four times, but I onlyprepared with mega-miles once. My highestmileage of 406-miles was done in 1999 after very

Century Pages #6

Moving to Longer Ridesby Lisa Marie Dougherty


modest training. In 1999 I concentrated oncriteriums and road races, so I could not trainspecifically for the 24-hour race until my USACycling season was over in late August. That onlygave me about three weeks to prepare.

Minimal TrainingThe worst thing to do is panic and jump from 150-mile weeks to 300+ without an adequate base. Iwould have fallen into the downward spiral ofdeclining energy and may have developed anoveruse injury. A cyclist in decent shape canendure just about anything for a limited amount oftime. The key is to get into the best shape possiblefor the event and roll up to the start line com-pletely recovered and injury-free.

A cyclist in decent shape can endure justabout anything.

Since I had so little time, I maintained my weeklyschedule, with rides generally between 20 and 35miles, while doing a century on either Saturday orSunday. This allowed my butt to get used tositting in the saddle for hours without loweringmy top end. It also got me used to eating on thebicycle. Believe it or not, this was adequate prepa-ration for the 24-hour race. Such minimal trainingwill not enable you to set records or survive amulti-day event like PBP. If you are an oldercyclist, you may not have the recuperative abilitiesto mend after the big event if your preparation isminimal. In such cases, you will need to includemore long rides in your training week.

My big mistake in 1999 was failing to use aerobarsduring the centuries leading up to the big event. Inultramarathon cycling events, aerobars are almosta necessity because they provide additional handpositions and take pressure off your lower back.

Also, they put you into an aerodynamic positionthat significantly increases your average speed.Without getting used to this position, I was onlyable to use the aerobars for about 150-miles.Sitting in the upright position for most of the racecost me at least 10 miles.

Dont get the idea that one century per week inaddition to interval workouts will allow you toleap off the bicycle at the end of 24 hours painfree. Your knees will ache, your tush will be rawand your lungs will be tired of breathing. But youwill have accomplished your biggest ride yet.The soreness will diminish within a day or two,but the achievement will be with you always.

Ride PreparationKeep four things in mind as you prepare to movebeyond the century. Carefully select and prepare your crew. If you

dont have a crew, make sure that you canhandle everything that they normally would.

Prepare your body as best you can. If time islimited, do one 100+ mile ride per week andavoid overstraining. If you have more time,never neglect the shorter interval sessions thatwill build and maintain your top end.

Plan carefully for the event. Know your dietand have all foods and supplements on handat the race. Get there early.

Feed your motivation. You can accomplishanything if you put your mind to it. Dontdoubt yourself on the start line. At that point,there is nothing more you can do to prepare.So charge up, get ready, and give it all youvegot. When it starts to really hurt, stay on thebike anyway.

Itll all be over within 24 hours.

Check out the 12- and 24-hourraces in the John Marino Com-petition! See the inside frontcover of UltraCycling or go towww.ultracycling.com/stand-ings/jmc.html


Speed the Spontaneous WayDuring 25 years in cycling, the number of formal interval workouts Ive done can still be counted on my fingersand toes. The reason is simple: I love to ride; interval training makes me want to do anything but.

by Ed PavelkaEd Pavelka, the former editor of VeloNews and Bicycling, is a veteran of Team RAAM and Paris-Brest-Paris. Heand physiologist Ed Burke, Ph.D. wrote The Complete Book of Long Distance Cycling, which is available atwww.RoadBikeRider.com. Ed shares his decades of experiene through e-Books and e-Newsletters atwww.RoadBikeRider.com

Interval training works, theres no doubt aboutthat. Road racers have been doing it for decades,and theres plenty of proof that it benefits ultrariders, too.

Maybe the most convincing evidence dates back tothe mid 1980s when Pete Penseyres was trainingfor RAAM. He was doing 400-mile weekend ridesas the 86 race approached, but he also was gettinga serious serving of speed. It came from Tuesdayand Thursday 35-mile training races and 7-mileteam time trials on Monday, Wednesday andFriday mornings. He also frequently jacked hisheart rate past his lactate threshold on the hills ofhis legendary 60-mile round-trip commute.

In short, Pete was doing lots of interval-typetraining. The key, though, is that it was lessonerous than conventional intervals because itwasnt governed by a strict schedule and stop-watch. The result was impressive: a reduction ofthree hours in his 400-mile time. Thats more thana 10% improvement. It boosted his basic cruisingspeed by 1-2 mphwithout an increase in per-ceived effort. This paid off big in RAAM whenPete completed 1986s 3,107-mile course in firstplace and set an average speed record of 15.4mpha mark that still has never been seriouslythreatened. He was 43 at the time.

Ten years later, Pete was at it again, training forRAAM this time as a member of the senior 50-plusteam that included Fred Matheny, Skip Hamiltonand myself. A decade of training advances re-sulted in a computer-generated eight-monthprogram from coach Tom Ehrhard. Each of us hadslightly different schedules because our time fortraining varied, but in one way all four plans werethe identical: They called for intervals and plentyof them. Each days workout was precisely or-dered by time and heart rate. Our strategy forTeam RAAM was to ride 30-minute shifts, so weneeded the power to turn big gears at time-trial

speed. But endurance also was essential. Wewould be hammering out 725 miles apiece in lessthan six days (we hoped).

Pete, an engineer who dotes on numbers, boughtinto the Ehrhard program like a day trader jump-ing on an IPO. He knew the value of intensitytraining. He soon began e-mailing us aboutsignificant improvements in lactate threshold andpower output. Despite living near balmy SanDiego, he dutifully sat in his garage all winter,pounding out precise workouts on hisCompuTrainer. Fred, in snowy Colorado, did thesame during the winter and spring. Skip, anotherColoradan, also did lots of indoor intensity,though he escaped some days for workouts oncross-country skis.

As for me, I looked at the very first workout onthe long, long schedule and said theres no way.During 25 years in cycling, the number of formalinterval workouts Id done could still be countedon my fingers and toes. he reason is simple: I loveto ride; interval training makes me want to doanything but. Thats not a good thing. Besides,the Ehrhard program called for such precision(heart rate zones, duration of effort and recovery,hours and minutes per week, etc.) that it simplywasnt possible on my hilly terrain in Pennsylva-nia. I did use my CompuTrainer on winter dayswhen the roads were icy, but unlike Pete I couldnot make myself grind away indoors if it waspossible to get out.

At this point, perhaps you can imagine the anxi-ety I was feeling. My three teammates weregetting fast and strong by dutifully following atraining program that I was ignoring. How couldI get as fit for Team RAAM as they were going tobe? Sure, my fitness was OK. Even in winter Iwas doing about 200 commuting miles each weekwith a six-hour ride on the weekend, but thisdidnt include any intervals. Or did it?


As I thought about it, I realized I was intervaltraining every single day. Another word for it isclimbing. Each days commuting gave me about2,500 vertical feet, all in lumps that pushed myheart rate to my LT for brief periods, then eased itdown on the descents. On weekends, my long,steady distance rides included more of the same. Iwas actually doing quite a bit of intensity, thoughnot with any structure or precision. It was ran-dom, sporadic, spontaneoussort of like Pete inthe old days.

Even so, I knew I needed something more. So Ilooked for other ways to get what intensity gives.I continued doing at least one long ride each weekfor endurance and confidence. I kept my effort upby setting a goal or two, such as trying to pass thecentury mark in less than five hours or achieving anegative split. In addition, other rides included anumber of speed- and power-building techniquesthat could best be described as random intervals.If youre like me and find formal interval trainingdistasteful, give these a try. Your head may findthem easier, but your body wont.

Ride hills on purpose.I have no choice, but you might. Instead of stick-ing to the flats, choose certain days to go climb-ing. Make it a game to bag every significant hillyou can. Ascend some by spinning lower gears,and others by pushing bigger ones (in effect doingleg presses on the bike). Alternate sitting andstanding. By mixing techniques you mix the typesof intensity. Your legs will get a more completeworkout while your heart rate soars.

Ride in fast pacelines.This is what Pete was doing in those team timetrials. Each time you take the front at speed, yourheart rate goes right to LT or even higher. Fifteenseconds later, youre backing off and sliding intothe draft to recover. Over and over. As a sidebenefit, this type of riding accustoms you to beingin a low, streamlined position while close to otherriders at speed. This is helpful in mass-start ultraevents everything from centuries to 12- and 24-hour time trials.

Ride in club races.You dont need a USCF license to get the benefitsof competition. Just join in local training races orgroup rides that get feisty in the last hour. Thinkabout all the jumping, sprinting, attacking, chas-ing and hill jamming that occurs in such rides.

Your head doesnt consider it interval training,but your body gets major results.

Ride as if your life depends on it.You probably know the feeling. A thunderstormis bearing down but youre still eight miles fromhome. Or, you realize theres barely 20 minutes ofdaylight left but youre 25 minutes from whereyoure going. Or, you hear a truck way behindand see a narrow bridge way ahead. Can youmake it across before youre overtaken? Each ofthese scenarios invites an adrenaline rush thatfuels an interval-type effort. (One time in Floridaa lightning bolt passed so close overhead that Icould hear the air sizzle. The remaining 15 mileswere just a blur, literally.)

Ride the wind.Dont have hills for automatic intervals? Youcertainly have wind. Using headwind sections forpower training is a technique as old as lactic acid,but dont think wind has to be an obstacle to bebeneficial. When youve got it behind you, dosome natural motorpacing. Shift up andmuscle your 53x12 past 30 mph, then lock ontothat speed for five, ten or more minutes. Oh yeah,were having fun now! Someday, when the clockis ticking toward the end of a 12-hour time trial,recapture this feeling and get your PR.

Ride and play.Runners often talk about fartlek or speedplayworkouts. Well, cyclists can fartlek as well asanyone. This simple concept encourages you toalternately push hard or ease up as the spiritmoves you. Its probably the purest form ofrandom intervals, sort of like doing a group ridewith yourself. For instance, you might decide tostay in the big ring and jam over several rollers;time trial to the silo whenever you spot a farm inthe distance; sprint for 30 seconds whenever youpass a white mailbox; or chase down any rideryou see up ahead. Use your creativity. Your heartwont care if your intervals come like this ratherthan prescribed by a watch.

Team RAAM, as it turned out, was the ultimate inintensity trainingand by far the most fun wayto do intervals I can imagine. In the 96 race, eachof us rode approximately 70 half-hour shifts as welowered the senior 50-plus record to 5 days, 11hours, 21 minutes. For several weeks afterward,we were so buffed that we broke personal recordswed set years earlier.


What kind of bike should I buy for long distancecycling? I am often asked by riders preparing forour cross country PAC Tours. These riders are justas interested in equipment as are RAAM riders.

Unfortunately I havent found a recipe that pre-cisely matches each bike to its rider. There are lotsof bike calculations for sizing, frame materialstrength and overall weight. Too bad these num-bers dont always explain why some bikes ridebetter than others. Or why two similar riders dontlike the same bike.

During the past twenty years I have ridden anassortment of frame designs across the country. Ihave done PAC Tour with several hundred peoplewho have chosen a variety of bikes for long distancecycling. Most of my opinions have come from theseseat of the pants road tests and discussions withsimilar cyclists.

For this article I will define long distance as anyevent over 100 miles. In other words, whichbicycle would you like to be on for the last half of adouble century a distance somewhere after you aretired and sore and still have a long way to go.

The RideHow many times have you heard someone says itrides great because its really stiff. Does that samebike feel as great at the end of a double century?Some people like stiff bikes all the time. Somepeople like gel saddle covers all the time. I thinkthe bicycle should disappear underneath you.Dont confuse wanting a comfortable bike withwanting an inefficient bike. Aerobars, a goodsaddle and proper fit all improve comfort whilemaintaining efficiency. If all you can think about isgetting off your bike at the end of a ride, you prob-ably arent comfortable or having much fun either.

Frame MaterialsWhats better for an ultra bike: titanium, carbonfiber, aluminum, steel? A better question would bewhat is the best way to use these materials for an

Choosing A Long-Distance BikeWhich bicycle would you like to be on for the last half of a double century?by Lon HaldemanLon Haldeman, the former director of the Race Across AMerica, leads the the PAC Tour cross-country cyclingexpeditions with Susan Notorangelo. He is the two-time winner of the Race Across America, holder of the menstandem cross-country record (with Pete Penseyres) and the mixed tandem cross-country record (with SusanNotorangelo)

ultra bike? The frame design in combinationwith the material will affect how the bike rides.I have ridden many different frame materials onRAAM and couldnt tell the difference on a darknight. All these bikes were built to be comfort-able but also light and strong, so they actuallyrode pretty much the same. There are many off-the-shelf frames that are good ultra bikes. If youare thinking of a new frame, if possible arrangea road test or trade bikes with someone at theend of a long ride. After 100 miles decide whatyou like or don t like.

I have ridden many different framematerials on RAAM and couldnt tell the

difference on a dark night.

Pete Penseyres 1986 RAAM bike was a carbonRaleigh frame designed after a touring framewith 72 degree head and seat tube angles. Sowas Susan Notorangelos 1989 RAAM recordbike which had paper thin steel tubing. Petesand my 1987 cross country tandem frame wasbuilt with aluminum and carbon tubing. Allthese frames were as light as possible and wouldbe considered flexible by most riders. Howeverthey were comfortable, efficient frames that youliked to ride day after day without beingpounded by road shock.

I prefer frame designs that have a stable geom-etry. My TREK Y-Foil has a racing feel yet isvery stable at all speeds. If I were designing acustom steel bike I would duplicate the Treksfront end handling. I also like bikes with chainstay lengths closer to 17 inches than 16 inches.With more room the chain line is better whencross shifting three chain rings. The extra chainstay clearance also helps fenders fit better if youever have to install mudguards for PBP again.

Several suspension systems have been success-ful on road bikes. These designs absorb road


shock and improve comfort for long distances. TheAllsop SoftRide, Air Friday and TitanFlex allincorporate a cantilevered beam which suspendsthe rider 12 to 24 inches from the rest of the rigidframe. The beam is made from carbon fiber ortitanium which dampens vibration from the rider.

Although these suspensions might feel mushy atfirst, I adapted quickly to the smoother ride. TheTREK Y-Foil molds their beam directly into theframe. It is the least flexible beam but still softerthan a diamond steel frame. Each of these designshas worked to reduce weight while maintainingstrength. Many of the new suspension seat postsor front forks could also be added to your currentframe. These suspensions are worth consideringfor your future ultra bike.

If your bike is under 20 lbs and you getdropped on a hill, its not because of the

bike.

WeightWeight equals drag so obviously lighter is better.My rule of thumb is that a bike should weight 12%of the rider. That means a 200 lb. rider = 24 lb.bike or 150 lb. rider = 18 lb. bike. If you are aheavy rider you will have no problem finding lotsof bikes to choose from. Buy the lightest you canafford. If you are a light rider you might developanxiety about how much your 20 pound bike isslowing you down. Dont worry about it. If yourbike is under 20 lbs and you get dropped on a hill,its not because of the bike.

ComponentsAfter working as a PAC Tour mechanic for 15years on very nice bikes, I realized all bikes break.The difference is how easily can they be repaired.For long-distance bike, consider whether you canfix it yourself on the road. If you are riding Paris-Brest-Paris and are standing under a streetlight inthe middle of France with a jammed STI shiftlever, can you fix it? Fortunately there are lots ofgood components on bikes under $1,000 that workwell and can be fixed by human hands.

Every distance rider should be able to: Change and patch a tire and tube; Install new brake or shift cables; Change a spoke and true a wheel; Repair a broken chain, and Realize and fix a problem before you are

stranded.

If you are not a mechanic, have your bike shopexplain the basic adjustments you can make onthe road.

More expensive parts are generally lighter andbetter machined than lesser priced parts.Shimano Ultegra parts work well for the price.Ultegra parts are interchangeable with less expen-sive Shimano parts which are plentiful on depart-ment store mountain bikes. Most Mom and Popbike shops will have similar parts which willwork if you are stranded. Buy the best you canafford but having a working knowledge of how apart works can improve the performance of allcomponents.

When selecting the gears remember to bringlower gears than you think you will need. If theroute is hilly you will need bigger downhill gearstoo. The flatter the route the tighter your range ofgears. A triple crank set allows you to get lowergears with less weight than a larger freewheel.

Personal Cycling Journaland Maintenance Software

WatWare

VeloLoggerLog your personal rides with VeloLogger whileit tracks time & distance on all your bicycles andtheir components. Up to seven cyclists can log rides.

No limit on the number of bikes you cantrack.

Tracks data separately on your wheels, tires,cassettes so you can use them on multiplebikes.

Combine multiple day rides as one singleride.

Record distance, elevation gain, riding time,total elapsed time, ride notes, difficultyrating, course, heart rate info.

Can turn off fields that you wish to not use.

Created by UMCA member Dave Watkins.Visit www.watware.com for more informationand download a free demo version.VeloLogger will run on the following Win-dows platforms: 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XPHome, and XP Professional Edition.


WheelsWhen I bought my first ultra bike the salesmansuggested I might need a second set of wheels forracing. I wondered why anyone would need sparewheels. Twenty years later my garage is packedfull of wheels, each for a different purpose mostof them obsolete with the ever changing technol-ogy of new components.

A good set of wheels can make a junk frame ridebetter. Since most ultra events are ridden at lowpower outputs, many riders can use fairly lightbut durable equipment. If you are using spokedwheels make sure they are built by someone whounderstands bicycle wheels and has a good touchwith a spoke wrench. The beauty of spokedwheels is that they can be repaired on the road.Even 200 pound riders should be able to travelacross the country on 32 spoke wheels with mini-mum maintenance.

The next wheel upgrade would be a set with deepsection rims and minimal spokes. Campy, Mavicand Rolf all make wheels with 12 - 16 spokeswhich are light and fast. If the design has spoke

nipples inside the rim, it is a long process tochange a spoke. You have to remove the tire andrim tape to true the wheel. Most of these compa-nies pride themselves that their superior designsdont break spokes. Ive seen them all breakspokes and have wondered how to fix them onthe side of the road. I prefer the designs withspoke nipples exposed that can be fixed withcommon bike tools.

Spinergy wheels with their bladed spokes havebecome more reliable the past four years. Theearly models broke because of glue and hubfailures. I havent seen one break recently. Thehub bearings still go out of adjustment but can befixed with a cone wrench. If you have a set thatlasts the first 1,000 miles, they seem to be fine forthe next 20,000 miles.

I feel an ultra bike should be treated as a tooltoward results. Lightweight, durability, comfortand efficiency for you should be considered whenshopping for your new bike. Buy the best bike foryour budget...then learn to use it...learn to fixit...and keep training.

Arizona Desert Camp 20067 Different and interesting weeks in ArizonaFebruary 26 through April 3

Wisconsin Training CampAugust 12 - 19Based in Beloit, Wisconsin6 days of 100 miles per day $795Shorter 60 mile route options availableOver 600 miles of well-marked routes onlightly traveled roads are the highlight ofcycling in this area. Each day includes restau-rant breakfast and lunches and interestingcycling destinations. Daily routes alternatebetween hilly and flat farm roads. Eveningseminars by well-known endurance coacheswill make this an educational week of cycling.This camp is a good training week for seriousriders as well as a fun cycling vacation on thegreat roads in the Midwest.

For more information contact Lon Haldeman andSusan Notorangelowww.pactour.com262-736-2453

Southern TranscontinentalSeptember 9 - October 5 $3,495San Diego, CA to Savannah, GA26 days, 2,913 miles, 112 miles per day

This is the classic Coast to Coast Bicycle Adven-ture. We will follow a new route that combinesthe best roads and accommodations. The new26 day format will make the pace of this tourperfect for a September ride. Highlights includethe California Sand Dunes, old mining towns inArizona, the Continental Divide in New Mexico,Old Route 66 in Oklahoma, the Ozark Moun-tains of Arkansas, and the historic Civil Warregions of the southern states.

29www.ultracycling.com/

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