Double-Century Prep 'M' Rides
Mark Abrahams
<dma at abriz dot net>
Last updated 27 February 2008
In the early months of the year — January through mid April —
GPC will put on an informal series of Double-Century Prep Rides.
See the main double-prep page for a ride calendar
and general overview.
See the double-prep TM page for specifics about
the TM double-prep rides.
2008 is the fifth year that such a double-prep series has been offered.
The first three years (2004 through 2006)
I led most of the M-pace double-prep rides.
Since then, things are different:
interest in leading such rides has grown;
many leaders are pitching in; and each has his or her own style.
The remainder of this page is adapted from my double-prep writeup of past years.
It describes how I led M-pace prep rides and my advice for them.
It does not claim to speak for other leaders or rides.
Contents
Audience and Goal
Format
Expectations and Style
What to Carry
More Gear and Clothing Pointers
Weather
General Advice
Background Info
Links and References
Ride Reports, 2006
Ride Reports, 2005
Audience and Goal
- Audience:
These rides are for strong, experienced, self-sufficient riders.
Having ridden doubles or fast centuries previously is helpful.
Attitude and good old determination are essential.
- Goal:
To properly prepare to ride a fast double-century; in particular,
the three doubles of the
California Triple Crown Stage Race.
Dates for the this year's Stage Race doubles are noted on our our
main double-prep page
Format
(The following format was used in years 2004-2006.
With more leaders, there is now more variety in format,
but I'm keeping these notes here for reference.)
- Ride pace: As measured by the
GPC pace scale:
medium M in January, faster M in February, and (with luck)
MB by March.
Slower riders, including TM riders, will be on their own.
They are welcome to band together,
but ride leader is not responsible for this.
Note there are usually separate
TM-pace double-prep rides.
Starting in 2008, there are also MB-pace double-prep rides.
- Distance: Start at about 95 miles and work up.
- Hilliness: You bet! You were planning to prepare for the DMD on flats?
- Rides will be Saturdays: Every Saturday, except for rain,
except for the second Saturday each month when we ride the
Second Saturday Presto Ride instead,
and except if a similar GPC ride is scheduled close-by on a Saturday.
(2007 update: the SSR will have explicit double-prep presto contingents
for the months Jan - Feb - Mar.)
- Rides will be in the East Bay,
mostly starting from North Berkeley Bart or Rockridge Bart.
Possible out-of-area ride in March.
Expectations and Style
The goals noted above are ambitious.
To meet them, these will be ambitious rides.
I have the following expectations of riders:
- You too have definite goals.
It can be something other than riding doubles, but it should be
something that drives you.
If you're just coming along for the
ride, it would be better to find a different ride.
- Rides will start promptly.
Please get to the ride start on time, and with your bike fully prepared.
Pump your tires and repair any problems the day before.
- Rides will move promptly.
Delays should be minimal.
Pacelines on flat level ground (no wind) should move 20mph or faster.
- Rides will have one decent lunch stop for adequate refueling.
I'm a strong believer in a good mid-day meal for an all-day ride.
- Rest stops will be short (other than lunch)
and infrequent (approx 25-30 miles between them).
We will not stop just because you brought only one bottle and
it's empty —
nor will we stop just because your phone rings!
- I will try to keep the group together — but each rider needs to help
with that.
What to Carry
Carry the same items you would for an actual double, including:
- Minimum two extra tubes. Three is better.
- Two water bottles (or similar water capacity) on any day
70 degrees or warmer.
- Tools: anything you might need for a field repair.
You must be self-sufficient
(club policy).
- Lights: taillight and emergency headlight, or better.
We may often be pushing against dusk.
- Energy food, where you can reach it while pedaling.
Bring at least two "bars" (or equivalent),
and plan to have at least extra one "bar", or similar,
available at all times for emergency anti-bonk.
- Fenders, kickstand, touring racks, heavyweight commuting bike,
fixie, singlespeed, searchlights with 10-hour
batteries . . .
leave them all at home unless you are really strong.
Did I mention we climb hills? Lots of hills?
More Gear and Clothing Pointers
It's important to regulate your body temperature — especially on all-day
rides when air temperatures can vary by 20 degrees or more.
But it's just as important not to hold up the group while doing so.
- Arm-warmers and leg-warmers are encouraged. They are easy
to roll up and down while pedaling and the group keeps moving —
no delay to anyone.
- On days which are not cool enough to require leg-warmers,
knee-warmers are even faster to deal with.
- For cold days: a second pair of arm-warmers over the first
can work well, and is just as fast to adjust
(choose fabrics which don't bind to each other).
- For cold days: skull caps, neck gaiters,
and toe-booties all go on and off fairly quickly.
- Long tights are slow on and off. Save them for the coldest days when
you're sure they won't need to come off.
- Long-sleeve jackets and Camelbaks are discouraged.
They require much more time and fussing to adjust and/or remove.
A Camelbak together with a long-sleeve jacket is particularly
cumbersome.
Too often I have seen a group leave behind a rider who is still
fumbling with this combination.
Exceptions: (1) Certain small bike frames do not allow two full-size
bottles, so a Camelbak may be needed.
(2) Very hot rides may benefit from a Camelbak.
In either case, practice so you are fast with it!
Weather
- Riding in rain is a waste of time.
- Rain, or probability 10% or greater, will cancel, shorten,
or postpone a ride, depending on weather specifics.
For example, if it's raining in the morning but dry in the afternoon,
we'll ride in the afternoon.
- If forecast is doubtful, contact the leader
before 9:45pm the night before,
or between 7:15-8:00am the day of the ride.
- With rides scheduled every Saturday, we won't suffer for lack of
miles . . .
we'll get occasional Saturdays off, as ruled by nature.
General Advice (!)
I have been asked for recommendations for the rest of the week:
Number of days to ride? Which days? Mileage?
For an answer, I would not presume to prescribe a detailed regimen.
All sorts of coaches and coaching programs are available both locally and
over the internet to do exactly that.
If you don't want to pay a coach,
the links and references given below
contain great advice, including many specifics.
That said, here is my advice on the essentials for preparing to
ride a fast double.
Every one of the points below will help:
- At least once a week, starting in Jan or Feb, ride hard.
Intensity matters.
Do intervals, sprints,
fast group rides,
hard hill climbs,
practice time trials, or the like.
These should be so hard that your legs are drained well before
covering your normal weekend distance.
Unfortunately, GPC does not offer this type of ride,
with the exception of
the Tuesday Evening Rides and
the Monthly ITT.
But those don't start until the spring, so until then you're
on your own.
- Enough miles to bring your weekly average over the course of
a month up to roughly 150 in Jan-Feb, roughly 180 in Mar-Apr.
More can help (and I personally aim for a bit more)
but smarter — and intensity —
is more important than more.
- Practice your bike handling skills.
Cornering, descending, pedal stroke, bike posture, drafting,
pacelines . . . all that good stuff.
Good form, an efficient stroke, and strategic wheel-sucking
will all help you go faster and last longer.
- Variety.
Do not do the same type of ride all the time.
- Some rest days each week.
Perhaps once a month, a lighter-than-usual week.
- Which days of the week? If you're planning on the Saturday double-prep
rides, ride short and easy on Thu and Fri so you're well-rested for Sat.
Except if you are really strong, in which case please show up
on Sat all tired out from the day before! Unless you need practice
riding in the rain (and cleaning your brakes and drivetrain,
and picking glass out of your tires), ride on days it is not raining.
- Off the bike, regularly do upper-body workouts and stretches.
Your back, abs, arms, and shoulders are all darn important for long
rides.
- If it's not fun, you're doing something wrong!
Background Info
2008 will be my ninth year riding double centuries
and my fifth year leading double-century prep rides.
As of 2007,
I have completed 41 doubles -- of which several were self-supported
and four were on tandem -- plus a few near-misses and DNF's.
So I've seen it from both sides.
In 2005 I placed 9th in the
California Triple Crown Stage Race.
In 2003 and 2001 I placed 11th.
Just finishing this race is not so easy!
Over those years I've formed some definite views on
riding doubles and preparing for them.
On "training":
Notice I never say training for a double,
because to me that is simply the wrong word —
it flatly fails to convey all that is needed.
You can train soldiers. You can train seals.
You can toilet-train small children.
Some women train submissive mates.
And, I'm told, in the Bay Area people train a lot more submissives than that.
But, as a bicyclist, I prefer to prepare.
Successfully riding a double, especially a reasonably fast one,
has three aspects: mental, physical, and logistical.
Shortchanging any one of them is asking for problems.
Proper preparation of all three requires more than mere training.
That's why these are 'prep' rides.
Any further commentary is for when I see you on the road!
Links and References
-
California Triple Crown web site:
the central site for California doubles:
- Chris Kostman (Adventure Corps)
essays
are good, though you may need to excuse his attitude at times.
In particular:
- John Hughes essays:
-
Cycling Performance Tips (CPtips.com), by Richard Rafoth MD,
gastroenterologist and doubles rider.
A wealth of info, structured as an on-line book. Samples:
- RoadBikeRider.com
includes material from Fred Matheny, Ed Pavelka, and many more.
-
Planet Ultra Training pages
(and yet again).
- The
Diablo Cyclists web site gives double century tips and insights
from some of their members.
Two good pages on that site are:
However, I disagree with Diablo Cyclists' page
16 Weeks to your First Double Century
which recommends weekly mileages well over 300,
and which omits adequate recovery weeks and tapering weeks.
(More important, every expert cited here would also disagree with
that omission.)
If done correctly, weekly mileages no more than about 160-200
suffice — especially for a first double century.
- Various books, such as:
- Mail me your suggested link or reference.
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