Coach me onto a 200 and beyond

[HeltorChasca]

I have done half a dozen 100s now and I'm hooked. I'm getting round in just under 5 and a half to six hours. Average at 18-21 kph

I'm going to up the anti and do a 130 and a night 150 before embarking on my first 200 (Trains, Plains & etc from Warmley hosted by ACB)

What extra kit, food, physical and psychological preparation do I need to get round? Same speed? Slower? Longer rests at controls? What?

I would be grateful for your tips.

[Wycombewheeler]

I tend to do 200s as 2 100km rides with a lunch stop in the middle.
2nd 100 always takes longer than first. so with a time limit of 13 hours, assuming 1 hour oflunch stop, I would suggest you need to be hitting 100km in 5.5 hours tops. Stop for an hour eat well rest and go again. Try to minimise time at controls other than halfway: get your proof, take on calories fill eater bottle then go again.
Are you managing to eat while moving? or use energy drink?

I don't think you should need any extra kit, with a early start time in June you should be able to finish before sunset.
Night riding you may well need a helmet light to ride route sheet or check garmin. Try not to use the backlight it really drains the battery and you want it to last to the end.
I'm not sure what benefit you expect to get from you planned night 150. Some say they like riding in the dark but in my mind riding in the dark is what you do when you can't finish in the daylight.

[Feanor]

A 200 does not need you to carry any extra kit or food over a 100, in general ( unless it goes over totally inhospitable terrain with no possible stops ).

Take the same kit as you would on a 100, but plan a decent feed stop mid-way.

Otherwise, don't over-think it.

[valkyrie]

Feanor is right, you don't need any extra kit. Speed you're going at is fine, just do the ride and don't worry too much about time/speed. In the unlikely event that you finish out of time you'll still have ridden 200km in a day. If you carry as much fat as me then you don't actually need to eat anything at all on a 200km, but a decent cafe stop is a big part of the day out as far as I'm concerned.

For a night ride (not the 200, which you should finish pretty much in daylight) it's worth checking what the possibilities are for buying food and drink. If it looks like there's longer gaps than you're comfortable with then you could take a few snacks. I normally only carry Fruit Pastilles or Tangfastics but if there's going to be a long night stage then I'll throw in a Mars Bar as well.

Night rides can get cold so an extra layer is worthwhile.

I never ride with a head-torch. I've a tiny one for dealing with mechanical issues but it lives in the saddle bag unless required. I use an Etrex Vista GPS and I leave the backlight on all night, never found it to have much impact on the battery.

[Revellinho]

Stopping for an hour might work for some but a lot of riders like to keep the legs turning over.

[Ben T]

I don't often do a 100 in much less than 5 or 5.5 hours but I can usually do a 200 in 11 or 11.5. A 100 will often have two cafes, but there wouldn't be 2 cafes in each half of a 200 AND lunch, thus 5 controls in total - there would optimally be 3.

[Pingu]

From my experiences of doing 200s with Mrs P, having two stops rather than one may work better.

[Wycombewheeler]

I don't often do a 100 in much less than 5 or 5.5 hours but I can usually do a 200 in 11 or 11.5. A 100 will often have two cafes, but there wouldn't be 2 cafes in each half of a 200 AND lunch, thus 5 controls in total - there would optimally be 3.

This is true, if the 5.5 to 6 hours includes 2 comfortable stops the pace is fine.

[HeltorChasca]

These comments are great. Thank you, you're all to blame for pushing me over the edge. I'll bug you more at a later stage for even longer distances. (He says)

My reason for doing the night ride (Dartmoor Ghost) is purely for the that reason: It's at night. I like riding at night because of the change in 'feeling' of the ride. It smells and sounds different and different portals and levels of awareness peak. It's wrong which makes it right.

[Banjo]

Im sure you will do a 200 easily. I try not to think of all the kms left to do but break the ride into smaller less daunting stages .

You may want a windproof if it gets chilly towards the end of a summer 200 or a night ride and a small amount of food such as cake bars flapjack etc to give you a boost if you are flagging between controls. 

good Luck

[hellymedic]

Just do it!
Be prepared for weather changes, hunger, thirst, mechanicals, getting lost.
Keep comfortable- stop any minor niggle becoming a major pain ASAP.
Just do it!
Enjoy!

[LEE]

Simple:

- Drink before you're thirsty
- Eat before you're hungry
- Save any macho sprinting for the final 10km not the first 10km
- Take your time and look at the scenery

You'll get there no problem.

Oh yes, if you have even the slightest comfort niggle on a 100km ride then I can guarantee that riding another 100km won't make it go away ...fix it.

[Phil W]

A 100 you can get away with not eating or drinking a lot (or nothing at all). On a 200 lack of eating and drinking can catch up with you in the second half of the ride. So practice being disciplined about eating and drinking and tackling dehydration or lack of energy as they occur rather than trying to push on.

Not essential and I didn't start carrying 2 water bottles till I did my first 300, but an extra water bottle can ensure you can ride between controls without needing to top up water.

[SoreTween]

You'll be fine, you only need 17 kph when moving to have good stop time. 10, 40 &10 mins at roughly 50 k intervals and you still have time for a visitation. 
Fuel is the issue for those of us whose body is not used to deep efforts so carry snacks that work for you. Some eat nuts on the move, doesn't work for me, too dry. Others swear by gels, 3 gives me the shits. Mini pig pies & cheese works for me as a 2 minute junction stop snack. Cheese on toast or omette is my personal rocket fuel at a longer break. What goes down easy for you?
If you do a 100 without being the tin man in the morning JFDI, you're ready.

[hellymedic]

An extra bottle of water can be used to wash a face or soak a hot hat as well as a drink.

[Somnolent]

Any controls in the first 80km - these days I don't usually stop unless it's to be sociable.
Then there's time for a more leisurely stop at (or even beyond) halfway.
I'll eat something from the bar bag at the first signs of hunger though. 

[LEE]

An extra bottle of water can be used to wash a face or soak  a hot hat as well as a drink.

Sounds like the start of a "100 uses of an extra bottle of water" thread.

- You can bring your pet Goldfish along

[TigaSefi]

On a 200, I stop for a full English between 110km-125k for 30 minutes and then get going again . I don’t faff at other controls. You won’t need much more equipment than you do for 100. Do dress for the weather though and maybe take a thin waterproof for the unpredictability of the unique UK weather. On a good day, I can complete a 200 in 8 hours on a bad day, 9 hours.

[grams]

I find the amount you need to eat is proportional to hours in the saddle rather than distance. So if it's going to take you 12 hours to get round you'll need to eat more times than faster riders. If you have lunch halfway you may find yourself hungry and bonking somewhere around the 150 km mark, so look for opportunities to eat before you reach that point.

[alotronic]

You are fit enough... extra gear? None really, dress for the weather as you would on a 100 and remember it might be a little colder at the end due to end of the dayness.

For my money longer rides are about *conditioning* - saddle comfort, what you need to eat and when, wrist aches, how fast to go (or not), whether you need company or want to ride alone (or a mix). You won't get any of that knowledge by staying at home!

And on a 200 you will a almost certainly have a dip at some stage - well I do. Don't panic, have something to eat, slow down for 20 minutes, work it through without putting yourself in a big hole. You can recover on the bike.

The main thing that will trip you up is self expectation! Lower your expectations about speed and just spin around and you will be fine.

[vorsprung]

"Longer rests at controls" no don't mess about.  In and out of that control as quick as possible.  Eating as quick as possible.  Remember to fill your water bottle

[Ian H]

You don't need much luggage on a 200 (I carried the same on a 300 a couple of weeks later).

[mr ben]

Sounds like you can do a 100 km without difficulty, so you will manage a 200 km - it's just a couple of 100 kms.  Which you can do, as already demonstrated.

Warning: this is a slippery slope.

[Wycombewheeler]

These comments are great. Thank you, you're all to blame for pushing me over the edge. I'll bug you more at a later stage for even longer distances. (He says)

My reason for doing the night ride (Dartmoor Ghost) is purely for the that reason: It's at night. I like riding at night because of the change in 'feeling' of the ride. It smells and sounds different and different portals and levels of awareness peak. It's wrong which makes it right.

I think you mean responsible for guiding you to the one true path, not pusing you over the edge.

[Julian Smith]

Just signed up to do my first 200km. The Herts High Five

209km cycling event starting from Ware. Controls at Ashridge Estate, Chiltern Gateway Centre, Ardley and Anstey, plus 6 information controls.

 A tour mainly through Hertfordshire lanes with visits to the highest points in Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Essex.

Done part of the route on the 100km a few years back. Will take note of the tips given here.