Additional Century Advice

One quick note on Spencer's last post and then onto my advice: vaseline can "suffocate" your skin a bit. You won't be using too much, so you shouldn't run into problems, but you should give it a test ride prior to the century because being out there for 60 (even less) can suck if you haven't tested it out yet. Either way, regardless of what you wear, you should consider some type of lube.

Nutrition

Now, first thing's first. If you're riding as long as we'll be (well over 3 hours) you're going to need to take in a bit of nutrition while on the ride. There are a few options for nutrition. We'll be providing sports drink mixes on the ride. I believe there will be accelerade, gatorade and heed at our refuel stations. You're probably going to want to bring a second bottle if possible on your frame. If you only have one waterbottle cage, get over yourself and purchase an extra cage. If you just can't defeat your inner-Scrooge, get in touch with Spencer or me as we have additional cages (I didn't defeat the inner-Scrooge, I've just been cycling for way too long to not have accumulated a few additional cages). As far as food is concerned, if you're going 60, you should be fine with water/a sports drink and a few gels on the ride. Remember, even the best athletes in the world, operating at a high level for hours on end can only absorb roughly 220-250 calories per hour. Most sports gels (Gu, Hammer, etc...) come in 90-110 pack servings. These are great. I normally prefer water on the bike to wash the gels down, but you can also do a hybrid sports drink/gel combination or just strictly sports drinks. Either way, being on the bike that long will probably make you want something more substantial than a flavored drink. You can purchase gels in pretty much any sports store. If you want a real selection, visit Wasatch Running or SBR (both in Orem) where they have pretty much every type of gel imaginable. Personally, I prefer Hammer Nutrition products, but Gu Roctane is apparently the best stuff on the market. It's a bit pricey, but one gel has 250 calories in it, thus reducing the amount of gels you need to carry.

As far as pre-race meals, it's important to keep in mind that the real purpose behind food is to provide our body with essential nutrients (think Nacho Libre) and glycogen for our muscles. Carbs are converted to glycogen, which is the fuel for our muscles. This is where the idea of carbo-loading came in (think Michael Scott pre The Office 5k run). However, it is mistaken to think that going to Olive Garden the night before and slamming a huge plate of spaghetti is going to solve your problems. Carbs are processed with the assistance of our dear friend Mr. Protein. Ergo, you need to make certain that you're ingesting more clean protein than you probably do each day (come on people, I'm a student as well, I'm aware of how poorly we sometimes eat). Clean sources of protein are eggs (most of the protein is in the egg whites (most of the cholesterol and dietary fats are in the yolk, but so are most of the other good nutrients), tuna, cottage cheese, fish and poultry. So, pay attention to your diet for at least a few days pre-Century in order to fill up those muscles with glycogen so that you're ready to rock.

All of this information is pretty useful (Shameless self-promotion alert!), but a 60 mile ride can be very doable regardless of your conditioning if you have been on your bike for a few rides. So, why all of the information? You're going to hurt after this ride, but paying attention to your nutrition will help you recover a lot quicker and consequently hurt a heck of a lot less. Should you be as stupid as I may be and try to complete the 100 mile century (who hasn't been on a bike at all like me?), this information is essential. If you don't believe me, ask Spencer. He and I completed a century the day before orientation last year, but we literally almost died in the process because of incredibly terrible nutrition (much worse than we're going to allow for this year).

Rest

This is kind of a no-brainer, so I'm not going to worry about the science behind this. Deal with it. Get plenty of sleep for the few nights prior to this ride. Your sleep two nights before the ride is more important than any other night. So, Thursday night needs to be a good night of sleep.

As far as rest during the ride (yes DURING), that is the purpose of the paceline that Spencer wrote about in his last post. Spencer is a bit more timid in a paceline (no, I'm not taking a shot. He would agree with that) on his bike than I am, so where he likes to ride within a bike length, I like to ride within 1-2 feet of the bike in front of me because the draft is slightly better, and it's harder to break up the paceline like that, although this is a no drop ride. We will have moments where we ride in a peloton (giant blob, see the beautiful photo over there ----->) and moments where we ride paceline. If you start sucking wind, you may feel free to hop on someone's wheel and "suck" off of them for as long as you like. We will all probably have moments of needing a quick break, so don't ever worry about looking like a wimp if you have to do it.

Recovery

One of the first things that I like to do after long workouts/events is hop into an ice bath. If you don't have a $20000 cold whirlpool in your apartment (I can't imagine an apartment that doesn't have one now-a-days), then you can always create one on your own by filling your tub with freezing water and even purchasing a few bags of ice from your friendly neighborhood gas station (filling/petrol station for all of you Brits). Hop in there for 15-20 minutes (this is on the high side, but that's because you have just ridden for over 3 hours), and let your legs bask in the glory of an ice bath. I personally prefer wearing a long sleeve t-shirt rolled up so as not to get wet because it actually does help keep you warm so that you can tolerate the water.

You will also want to drink plenty of water, way more than you think you should (you should be peeing clear people. Yeah, that's another intimate post huh?).

Naturally, a bit of stretching is good for you, as is walking around a bit a few hours after the ride and then doing the same the very next day just to get your muscles moving around a bit.

One importantisimo caveat: after going so long, your body is weak (duh?). That means every part of your body, immune system included. So, you will want to exercise caution in going out and partying with people that evening. It's not taboo, just make sure that you don't hang too close to someone with a cold or you may catch it.

That's a lot of posting and worrying on my behalf. Understand that 60 miles is very doable. Spencer and I are just attempting to make this ride as enjoyable for everyone as possible. After our experience with our own two man, unsupported century last year, which was a lot of fun but also quite dangerous because of our lack of planning, we want to make this a very well-supported, fun ride for everyone.

Oh, and I don't care if I have made spelling or grammatical mistakes. This post is too freaking long to revise.