How to Prepare for a Century

An excellent series of articles from UltraCycling.com tell how to prepare for a century--whether for your first century ever, or your fastest century yet. These articles cover every aspect, from training to bicycle fit to eating to recovery.

Training for endurance is straightforward, but not easy. . . .

It helps to do these long rides in one loop or one out-and-back. Then, if you are at least halfway and start to tire, the fastest way home is to keep going. . . . When I was training for solo RAAM, several of my 24 hour rides started near home on Friday nights and went around the east side of the Salton Sea. At about the halfway point I almost always rode through a low point but managed to continue because every pedal stroke took me closer to home.