WAM 50/300

[marinman]

Has anyone done this in the past? Can you share your experience?

http://www.wishmich.org/Page.aspx?pid=778

Most I've done is 50 miles (riding alone) -- 100 will be a stretch, but I wonder if it would be doable in a larger group/team. Can you recommend a training schedule to get me up to 100? Or maybe I should just stick to the 50?

thoughts?
Mark

[Boyneboy]

The WAM is a great event with support like no other ride.

Now to answer your question or at least try. It is much easier to ride in a group and with 700-800 riders it is easy to find a group at your level. However it is still 100 miles a day for three days in a row and only you can really answer this question.

Depending on what your limits are you need to start riding at least once a week and work your miles up until you can do close to 100 miles. Try some early season local rides that have long distances where you can get used to riding in a group and see how much easier it is. After you do a long ride go out the next day and see how you feel and how quick you recover.

[G.Cook]

Ride from now untill July 22 as much as you can everyday . 20+ miles a day if you have the time .
You don't necessarily have to be riding a 100 miles a day to do the WAM . Just that consistant road milage on a some what daily basis will do fine .
You need to feel comfortable riding in traffic .
You don't really need a high end road bike BUT a decent well maintained road bike is preferable in my opinion .
Find some lbs group road rides to learn and be comfortable riding in a group of road riders .
If there is a 100 mile ride before then i.e. The One Helluva Ride , enter it to gauge your progress .
Have fun , it's a great supported charity ride .

[marinman]

My weekly miles hover around 100 - maybe 130 on a good week. Usually I'm on the bike atleast 2-3 times a week. Doing all ~42miles of Hines is no problem (avg HR is 160bpm), but going any further would require changes in what I carry to eat, etc.. I have *no* idea where to start with this. My guess is that I could push out 60-70 maybe more if I was given things to keep me going along the way

[G.Cook]

You will have all meals provided . Plenty to eat for b-fast,lunch and dinner .
SAG stops about every 10 miles . Lot'sa food and refreshments . All you have to carry is what you want to carry .
SAG wagons patrol the route including bike repair ,to a certain extent , during the ride and after and no it isn't free except the air .
Some folks don't even go the 100 miles but catch a ride after 10 miles .They would like you to at least do that much .
It is not a race ( well sorta ) but they would like you to be off the road around 4pm , after that you are on your own .
If you are already doing that much mileage just pump up the days on the bike to 4-5 .
They also provide a pre-ride meeting for those new to the WAM ride to inform and answer any questions about the ride and what to expect . It is a very well organized operation .
It ain't and shouldn't be all that scary . They want you to enjoy yourself , meet folks have fun on the bike . It's not a death march .

[tholtz]

This year will be my fifth on the WAM. A great ride with great people for a great organization.
I have gotten my teenage kids to ride as well and its been wonderful for them. I agree with the other posters
ride as much as you can and try to ride a 60-75 mile ride at least once before the WAM- mostly to develop a butt callus.
I'm a member of the Midland Flatlanders and if you live near Midland we would be happy to have a new member.

[Doc_d]

If you're riding 40 miles 3x per week you'll be fine by the time the WAM rolls around. As others have said try to get at least a couple 60+ mile rides in. Plan to do another single day century prior to the WAM . Again as someone else said, the helluva ride is great.

Once you can ride 60 miles, I think you are past the physical hump. At that point it just becomes mental dealing with discomfort on the bike and such.

Make sure your bike is ready to go. I like to make sure I'm on fresh tubes. I've noticed the rubber around the stem on tubes that over a year old has a tendency to deteriorate. It might just be the brand of tubes I use. But for the time, effort and money I spend in attending the bigger rides it's not worth worrying over a few dollars worth of tubes. The same thing goes for tires. If they are worn, replace them. I also tune up my drivetrain, clean the bike, tighten all fasteners, adjust brakes, etc. I like to do all this at least 1 week before a big ride. That gives me time to put some miles on the bike to make sure everything is working correctly and to work out any kinks.

Give yourself a 1 or 2 day break from riding before the event. This will make sure you're physically recovered and mentally hungry to get on the bike.

Eat a high-carb meal the night before and the morning of the event. Don't eat anything you are not used to eating otherwise you might find it disagrees with you.

Be proactive on century rides. Eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty and move around before you are uncomfortable.

Riding in a group definately makes things easier. Also having people to chat with will keep your mind occupied.

Don't watch the miles. Enjoy the ride. It's going to be a long day on the bike your first time. If you're eyes are glued to the mileage it will make it even longer. Enjoy the scenery, enjoy the company and enjoy the ride.

Depending on your max HR (mine is 190) I wouldn't go out trying to average a HR of 160 over a 100 mile course. If your max is like mine, 160 BMP is 84% of your max. It's all too easy to go out gung-ho for the first 30 miles and find yourself in a world of hurt in the last 70. If you really want to test yourself, plan to go out easy and finish strong. Maybe shoot for an average HR of 140 - 150 (70% - 75% of max) in the first 75 miles and then if you have the gas hammer the last 25.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

[utabintarbo]

Good tips!