I’ve been following a 12 week road plan for my first Century mile ride but there aren’t any planned rides longer than 4.5 hours. I know that I will take about 7 hours so a little twitchy if I should be doing more hours in the saddle than set out on the training plan or just ‘stick to the plan.’ Any advice greatly appreciated. Bob
Above 2,5 or 3 hours it doesn’t matter anymore. The energy system you use for the 7hours duration is about the same as per 3 hours.
I did a 300km/180miles(?) ride this summer, which took me 10hrs. Avg watts for that duration was the same as for a good 3hrs endurance ride. So, my advice woud be to trust the plan.
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Thanks for advice 
As Sir Arno says it’s about sustaining the same effort you’d expect to see in a 2-3hr ride you’re over the entire duration of a 
+ miler … 7,8,9 hrs
For me success therein is all down to your feeding plan: when I get that right my stats pretty much flatline AND I finish feeling fine.
I usually try and drop a bit of weight the week before (stay off the drink!) and then I make sure I have a decent breakfast lunch and dinner (good stuff not junk) in the two days preceding.
Some like to have a massive dinner the night before and a moderate early breakfast, I tend to double up a bit on both.
That means for the first couple of hours of the ride I feel pretty stuffed but it gives me time to settle my body and breathing down, just taking liquids on board, before I start snacking around hour 3. Everyone’s different and it’s about finding the foodstuffs and frequency that suit you. I usually snack around ever 45-60mins thereafter
Gels for me are a back up, a last resort to avoid bonking but some take one an hour religiously and nothing else (aside liquids). I like cheddar and it slides down, so take little packs and mini peperamis too.
Point is: find what works for you, food you think gives you energy, most closely resembles lunch and you digest easily.
Having one water bottle and another with a rehydration or electrolyte to avoid cramps is also hugely popular on long sportives. Works for me too.
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@bobplatts,
For the most part, you can trust the training. A 4.5 hour ride is giving you the training you need for a 7 hour ride. Physiologically, as long as you fuel and hydrate sufficiently, your aerobic system and muscular endurance should be sufficient to take you from 4.5 to 7 hours. That being said, the mental component and confidence is another thing. If you’re still nervous and think you’ll feel better going into the century with a 5.5 or 6 hour ride under your belt, then go ahead and stretch out the long rides a bit more. But I think you’ll find that those last couple hours are more mental than physical, regardless of how much you train!
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One last thing to consider is time off the bike in those 100 miles.
You know in Full Frontal where you waddle around like a penguin for 30 seconds between sessions? The psychology of that really helps. Depending where your stops are in your sportive, just two minutes off the bike at ~80 miles will probably refresh you to kick-ass in those final 20.
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Great advice from you all and interesting to read various aspects that need to be considered. Fuelling intake appears to be ‘neglect at your peril.’ Many thanks fellow sufferers
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