[Destin]

I am 17 years old, and currently placing in the top 3 in every cat 2 (sport) mtb race I enter. My results are so good im considering racing expert (cat 1) next year for the extra challenge. Distances are around 12 miles on average, longest ive done this season was 26, and it hurt pretty bad..but I went all out from the start.

I wanna do a 100 mile race next season. What kind of training should I do between now and then? Obviously I need to do some longer training rides to get used to that kind of time on the bike. What else do I need to do?

 

[jnails]

I would make sure to do some base training this winter with emphasis on really long rides at 65-70% of your max effort. You want to slowly build up your time on the bike and mileage - always keep track of mileage, but use time as your measuring point. Decide which 100 mile race you want to do and then put together a plan that starts 2-3 months before it to get yourself ready. You have lots of things to experiment with - nutrition is a big one as you have to feed your body throughout the race. Get it wrong and I guarantee you will at least be miserable if not DNF from the race. Try different things during your training and find out what works for you.

If you have a $100 burning a hole in your pocket i'd buy a 100 mile training plan from Chris Eatough at http://www.chriseatough.com/. I just started a program from him and notice a big improvement already. I'm getting ready now for an event this September. It's nice in that it tells you exactly what you should be doing every week for a 12 week time period.

Another thing that wouldn't be a bad idea is to do a 6 hour race or a 50-60 miler this year to see how you like it and you'll gain valuable experience in the process - helped me get my nutrition down when I got ready for a 6 hour race. There just aren't any short cuts, you have to do the races and training to learn the things you need to know to make you better. Good luck, and make sure to keep it fun!!

 

[Ptor]

What else do I need to do?

Start road racing. You've proven to have the skills and speed needed for mtb racing, so you're ahead of many people looking to start mtb endurance racing. One way to pick up the conditioning and knowledge needed for longer mtb races is to hook up with some road racers. There are other ways to get there, but learning about road cycling will also introduce you to a new skill set. If by chance you're headed off to college soon, hook up with your school's cycling team as a way to get introduced to a neat set of people, many of who probably know a thing or two about road racing specifically and endurance cycling in general.

p.s. -- One other thing, perhaps the only thing in your life that you won't be your best at the age of 17 is an ultra-endurance event (e.g. - a 100 mile mtb race). The local 17 year old-hot shot (national class nordic ski racer, top 3 in local expert/pro-elite mtb races) can destroy me in a 1 or 2 hour race. He can trounce me in a 3 hour event, but by 4 hours he's only beating me. At 5 hours I can put the hurt on him, and by the time 6 hours rolls around his eyes are rolling into the back of his head as I disappear down the trail. But if he keeps going in the sport, as he ages he'll be a force to be reckoned with at any distance. Strangely enough, really long endurance events seem to favor slightly older athletes -- so don't get discouraged, this is one type of event where the best is yet to come.

 

[kosmo]

This may sound hokey, but try and make your first 100 a multi-lap race, and ask some old dude you trust to honestly evaluate you after each lap. At your age, you don't want to put yourself into a Three Week Black Hole of Fatigue, and if you finish 65 miles or so the first time around, you'll likely be ready for the whole thing the next time around.

 

[herrhaus]

Start road racing. You've proven to have the skills and speed needed for mtb racing, so you're ahead of many people looking to start mtb endurance racing. One way to pick up the conditioning and knowledge needed for longer mtb races is to hook up with some road racers. There are other ways to get there, but learning about road cycling will also introduce you to a new skill set. If by chance you're headed off to college soon, hook up with your school's cycling team as a way to get introduced to a neat set of people, many of who probably know a thing or two about road racing specifically and endurance cycling in general.

p.s. -- One other thing, perhaps the only thing in your life that you won't be your best at the age of 17 is an ultra-endurance event (e.g. - a 100 mile mtb race). The local 17 year old-hot shot (national class nordic ski racer, top 3 in local expert/pro-elite mtb races) can destroy me in a 1 or 2 hour race. He can trounce me in a 3 hour event, but by 4 hours he's only beating me. At 5 hours I can put the hurt on him, and by the time 6 hours rolls around his eyes are rolling into the back of his head as I disappear down the trail. But if he keeps going in the sport, as he ages he'll be a force to be reckoned with at any distance. Strangely enough, really long endurance events seem to favor slightly older athletes -- so don't get discouraged, this is one type of event where the best is yet to come.

At 36 now, I finally found a hobby that I enjoy (biking). Last year I did a few shorter events....this year will be my first ultra endurance race (Wilderness 101).

Interestingly, I've done a combination of the things mentioned above by JNAILS (I have a 12-week plan). I've also done exactly what PET has described. I started road riding to increase my base. This has helped me immensely and I'm sure that all the pro's do that. No problem to ride 5-6 hours now. Very little "day after" issues.

p.s PET, I'm sure that your last statement has everything to do with "mindset". Good to hear from someone else tho.

 

[deeppow]

Another good place for prepackage 100 miler training plans is LW Coaching http://lwcoaching.com/?page_id=87. You can probably get they plan adjusted to you XC race schedule as well. I have purchased three of Lynda's plans for the past few years and they work for m.