Conor: Riding 100 miles for the first time can be a great breakthrough on your cycling
journey. If you're new to the sport, then welcome and maybe 100 miles is your next
step. It can be a big challenge though. It's definitely harder on the legs as it's longer
and it does bring you further afield open up the possibility for some epic, epic routes,
just like this. You're in for a treat today, folks.
[music] I'm going to share with you
some of my own personal tips on how to best manage a 100-mile ride whether you're new to the sport,
or just looking to manage your next 100-mile ride a little bit better. Come on follow me. I've been
told to have a good draft, still waiting on some of the beers I'm owed actually about that good
draft to tell you. I will be setting off from home heading out to Clonmel and the beautiful climb of
The Vee, riding down to the coast and up through Dungarvan. Quick stop on my favorite beach,
Clonea Strand, before the final leg home. I'm getting ready to leave here. I said my
first point is to try to leave early if you can. The reason for leaving early is basically you get
out there, you get a good amount of miles in the legs and by the time it gets to lunchtime,
you've got a good fair whack of your ride done so you don't get two hours in and start feeling
really hungry and want to stop so you can get the bulk of your ride in the bank. Also,
you want to get a nice hearty breakfast in you. I always opt for lovely porridge oats and I'm
going to have about 100 grams, cook it with milk and water and add a few toppings maybe bananas,
cinnamon, peanut butter. Get that energy in the legs ready for a big day out on the bike.
Most importantly as well, sun cream. Never leave for a ride without sun cream. Even
when it's raining, put sun cream on just in case the sun comes out. Without further ado.
I'm off. The weather is looking beautiful today unlike my last long ride where I was absolutely
soaked. Anyway, I've chosen a route on commute that takes in a bit of County Waterford and also
going into County Cork this time. I'm going up famous Vee Climb. If this is your first 100 miler,
try and pick a flatter terrain if possible. A really hilly 100 miles is a tough ask, so maybe
start out on a flatter route to begin with. There are a couple climb things it does break
up the route, it's nice to have a few downhills as well to recover on but just don't go too crazy and
enjoy the view. Hey, finally good weather. [music]
Another little tip as well is maybe start out in a group if you can. It means you can get a little
bit of shelter at the beginning of your ride and then even if the group isn't doing the full 100
miles, you can quite easy turn off and finish up on your own. Now I'd be doing the Isabelle
today if I was riding in the group but as you can see, it's just . Heigh-ho, solo rides are fun too.
[music] First time
at the county on my bike. There we go and I [unintelligible 00:03:52] across the county
boundaries. New territory the first time in three months. Right folks, I've done 23 miles now,
it's been relatively easy. I've taken a pace down a notch, save my energy for later on the ride
because I'm about to be going into those mountains over there, beautiful part of the world to ride
your bike. I'm looking forward to showing it to you. Don't forget to eat in these early stages,
it's so important. I can't tell you how important it is. Don't think of your food but ration it,
you want to get it into you, the more earlier on the ride, the better. You save it until the end of
the ride, it's too late. Even if you start to feel tired and hungry then you have a load of food,
you'll probably just feel even more lethargic as a result, you just end up slogging home.
The best strategy get as much food as you can into you. Think of it as like filling the petrol tank
up, you don't want to be running on empty for too long, you'll just do too much damage. I've
had two bars and one banana already first 23 miles just to get an idea for you. I'm having
another bar now. Trust me, it will pay dividends towards the end of the ride and you'll feel so
much better as a result. [music]
Right here we are at the bottom of the Vee, one of my favorite climbs actually in the
whole world. Just heading up there you would maybe see the road if there was a car on there
and then we'll head over the border back into Waterford. I'll get going. The jungle up here
I love it. Runs across the [unintelligible 00:05:33]. This is Ireland at its greenest.
[music] I'm up 35 miles in. I've
just taken a little break just to admire the view. I need to do this on century. I thought I'd just
take a moment as well to explain to you, even if the weather is amazing when you set off you
can't want to plan just in case it turns a bit. I always like to bring just a light short-sleeved
jersey-- Sleeveless jersey, I should say, not short-sleeved just for any eventuality. Once you
do start climbing as I am now, the weather might get a bit cooler. You want to keep the wind off
your chest which will potentially give you a bit of a chill. [unintelligible 00:06:15] the stuff
in your pocket or if you don't have space in your pockets, you can just stuff it in the top of your
jersey like that, gives you a bit more space. As well, if you're going for a real long ride,
any long ride really, you want to make sure your equipment is in good working order. I gave it a
good wash before I set off, tires for any slits or any stones, bits of glass that might have
worn their way in there just in case. Also, make sure you bring supplies. I always like to bring an
extra tube with me on a longer ride. In here, I've got my [unintelligible 00:06:47] burrito
wrap as you can see there. I've got two tubes in there. I've got an Allen key set
and I've got a chain-link tool just in case break the chain so I can sort myself out.
I've taken the opportunity to have another little stop here because it is absolutely
beautiful. I'm getting more food in. This is a jam, peanut butter, and honey sandwich.
[unintelligible 00:07:12] a bit of homemade food because you need your energy in you. Again,
I stress this again you need so much food in you. Focus on carbohydrates, flapjacks, gels,
bars. You just need to get the energy into your legs if you're going to make it through
your century. We can take a nice scenic spot to enjoy a bite to eat, nothing wrong with that.
Energy bars are also great because they are easily digestible and they're really convenient
in a simple packet put them in your pocket, fit quite a lot in it actually, pack a lot
of carbohydrates in a small package, that's why I love them as well especially on a long ride. Just
be careful not to stop for too long as you will find difficult getting going again so I like to
be brisk with my stops and get up and off the road again. Come on, Conor, on that note onwards we go.
Take your rubbish home with you, in your pockets. There's no excuse for littering. Never ever,
ever. Put it in your pockets. I do not want to see any littering about otherwise I'll come and
find you. I'll be like a big grumpy ugly troll following you around until you pick your litter
up and put it in the bin, you hear that? Back into County Waterford there we go.
[music] Don't forget to drink. Similar to food really,
little, and often just keep sipping throughout the day and throughout your ride. If you can,
use a drink mix that will replace any electrolytes lost through sweat and even better use one with
some carbs mixed in as well and it'll help keep with those energy levels topped up. It's just
another way of getting the carbs into you which is so important on a long ride. I think if it's
really hot, try to drink maybe two bottles every hour and if it's mild temperature,
aim for maybe two bottles every couple of hours but don't forget to drink.
Another good quick little tip is to try and find out, before your ride, if there's any places
on-route where you can refill your water bottles for free. Churches for instance are a great little
tip, they often have a fountain on the outside of the building that you can actually fill your
bottle up with. Also, do a quick google search of your country and find if there's anywhere where
there's listings or water fountains where you can refill your bottles. In Ireland, for instance,
there's a site called refill.ie that will list all the stations where you can refill your water
bottles. It just saves you having to stop and going into a petrol station or a shop, buying
single-use plastic to fill your bottles up. It's a shame to use single plastics and also, it means
you are wasting time when you could be out on your bike. Don't forget to drink. Thought you were
going to forget that, sorry. Okay, right. I've been [unintelligible 00:10:06] with you too long
now. Come on, Conor. Time to crack on. How many miles have I done? 40 miles, so 60 miles to go.
[music] Conor: Ride Resumed. Another day in the country.
[music] Conor: Lots of cows. Lots
of sheep. Beautiful air around here. Love to bring my gravel bike here, actually, and go up into the
mountains. I used to do a lot of my efforts on this road, actually, especially if I had
a headwind. Actually, a really long climb from this side and you'd be slogging away. These roads
are so heavy. No one really knows until they come here to Ireland and experience these back roads.
[music] Conor:
I'm starting to feel it in the legs now, but I've just knocked out a good amount of miles. I've got
17.2 miles to go. I don't think it really matters who you are. If you do 100 miles on your bicycle,
it's going to get tough at one point or another, so you're going to need a bit of mental strength.
Just because you're starting to feel it, don't let your head drop. Keep your morale high.
Also, I think the benefit of using a route on a bike computer, towards the end of the ride,
when you're beginning to tire, you don't get led astray onto any main roads or make any wrong
turns. You can plan your route to be on back roads and minor roads to finish off your 100-mile ride,
which means when you're starting to get tired and lose concentration, you're on quieter roads, not
on busy roads. In my opinion, that's a lot safer. Last little push now. Better crack on. Come on.
Come on legs, you can do it. I'm still having fun though, I promise you. It's what it's all
about. It's kind of like the paradox, the cycling paradox. We love it but it hurts, but then you
get views like that and it all becomes worth it. Now you are on that final push. This is
a good time to take a caffeine gel. Just a good way of giving yourself that final little boost,
keeping yourself alert. Come on, Conor. Home time. Hundred miles in the legs. Going to be a good one.
[music] Conor: I feel alive.
[music] Conor: I've had to do a little detour.
Roads have been blocked with a load of cows. [music]
Conor: I've actually never been down this road [chuckles] before. Now I know why there was cows
on it. Proper rough one. I forgot how hard 100 miles is, but anyone can do it,
especially if you take into account some of my tips. Especially fuelling, I think,
in the beginning of the ride. It's so important because if you don't do it, once you get to the
end, there's no way to reverse that. 100 miles, I'm still made to bring the bin up. I tell you.
I've finished. 100 miles in the bank. I'm tired but I feel great to finish
it off. Tell you though, I'm not as fit as I used to be, but I guess that doesn't matter
anymore. It's about the enjoyment. It's about enjoying those 100 miles. I'll tell you what,
I'm looking forward to a post-ride beer and a bit of a burger or something.
I'd love to hear from you guys. What was your first 100-miles and what are your memories of
it? Please let me know in the comments section below. Also, I think we should get a poll going
on the GCN app. Have you ridden 100 miles before or would you rather do something a
little bit shorter? I'll be interested to hear what you all think about that one.
I'm off to find some food. I'm starving. Thanks for watching, everyone. I'll see you later.
Got me through legs, thank you. Thank you. [sings] I want to film here but this sheep
is standing its ground. It's seen me and it's standing to its-- No. See? That's what you get
when you try and mess with this. Jog on. [00:14:28] [END OF AUDIO]