NAIL YOUR FIRST CENTURY

Got your eye on a sportive this spring? We have essential advice to help you tackle your first 100-mile ride

YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO 100 MILE TRAINING SESSIONS

“There’s no need to ride 100 miles before your first 100-mile sportive,” says Simon Jobson, professor of sport and exercise physiology at the University of Winchester and co-author of Ultra-Distance Cycling: An Expert Guide to Endurance Cycling (Bloomsbury). “If you’ve done a 60- or 70-mile ride you’ll probably find you have what it takes on the day to go the extra miles.”

YOU CAN GET THE ‘EXPERIENCE’ IN ONE WEEKEND

“If you’re struggling to find the time to do long rides, try doing two shorter rides on successive days, for example 60 miles on Saturday and 40 miles on Sunday,” says Jobson. “The Sunday ride will help you get used to the sensation of riding when you’re tired, which is how you’re going to feel at the end of your big ride.”

FOR A LONG RIDE, TWO LOTS OF 20 IS PLENTY

“One decent ride of at least 40 miles a week (20 miles out and 20 miles home again) should be enough for a “long” ride, as long as you’re managing to do some shorter, harder sessions during the week,” says Jobson.