LOL ok so I have a pretty good base and honestly don't think this metric will be much of an issue...but my milage is down this year and I haven't done a ride longer than 35 miles. So with 2 weeks to prepare what should I do to get ready?

Specifics: Ride with be the Covered Bridge Metric in Lancaster PA...rolling terrain but no big climbs.

My location: Middle of PA (State College), and the terrain here is steeper uless you try to make it dead flat...then it is about as rolling as the CBM.

My status: 1200-1300 miles in so far this year on a mix of my roadies, fixie and MTB...very little on the MTB, a good bit on the fixie. Longest rides have been over 30 but under 40 miles and recently did a 32 miler with some big climbing.

So I feel strong but don't have the miles under my legs as in past years when I would have over 2k miles by now and would have been riding 40 milers every week. I am thinking of banging out a 30 miler tonight on the fixie (it should be noted I commute almost ever day which is good for 10 miles round trip so I will have those rides this week as well) and then going from there. Going to try to get in a good 50 miler or so in this coming weekend and then not press too much next week so my legs are freshish.

So am I an idiot? :thumbsup: I am not too worried...no need to be right? :idea:

Ride hard for 1.5 weeks - 6 days a week if possible. Try for at least a metric one week before the event. Commute rides are junk miles, so don't think that is "training."


Two days before the event, take the day off. One day before the event, do a short recovery ride.

EDIT -- it's a good idea to use the 5mi commute as a recovery ride.

"Commute rides are junk miles, so don't think that is "training."

It depennds on how you approach the commute and how far you have to ride on the commute... I wish mine was longer.

I do two 15 km sprints a day... my house is at one end and my work is at the other and I usually do this on a fixed gear running 81 gear inches.

After dinner I usually get out for another 20-30 km a day and it isn't unusual for me to come home with 80-90 km on the odometer.

I did a metric century last weekend and it was a breeze despite having to run into a headwind the whole distance on a route that was pretty much uphill all the way.

I don't think those commuting miles could be considered "junk".

"Commute rides are junk miles, so don't think that is "training."

It depennds on how you approach the commute and how far you have to ride on the commute... I wish mine was longer.

I do two 15 km sprints a day... my house is at one end and my work is at the other and I usually do this on a fixed gear running 81 gear inches.

After dinner I usually get out for another 20-30 km a day and it isn't unusual for me to come home with 80-90 km on the odometer.

I did a metric century last weekend and it was a breeze despite having to run into a headwind the whole distance on a route that was pretty much uphill all the way.

I don't think those commuting miles could be considered "junk".

5 miles each way is barely enough for a warmup, so I would consider his junk miles. Good enough for a recovery ride if he doesn't sprint each time he stops. It would be nice to commute 20mi each way, but that's not feasible for most people.

LOL ok so I have a pretty good base and honestly don't think this metric will be much of an issue...but my milage is down this year and I haven't done a ride longer than 35 miles. So with 2 weeks to prepare what should I do to get ready?

Specifics: Ride with be the Covered Bridge Metric in Lancaster PA...rolling terrain but no big climbs.
So am I an idiot? :thumbsup: I am not too worried...no need to be right? :idea:

No need to be worried. Unless you are treating the ride as a race, you have plenty of miles and plenty of distance. If you want to get the max out of the next two weeks, then yes, ride hard for 6-8 days and then ride easy for the last bit, but you really don't need to do anything beyond where you are to prepare for a 65 mile ride. Riding conservatively, staying hydrated, and making sure you take in enough calories on the day of the ride are much more important for you.