Training for Touring?

Question

I've been biking ten miles a day pulling my 35-40 lb. daughter in a cart behind. I can't really go any further since I have my daughter with me. I just pace a little harder each and every time, and my route has a fair amount of steep hills. I average around 13-14 mph. Would you say continuing this regimen would be sufficient for eventually doing some touring for around 100 miles?

Answer 1

100 miles at one time? No, I don't. Over a couple days - sure.

Answer 2

I pulled my son on the back of my trail bike for years. Last year I got into Road Biking and the difference of a Road bike vs. a trail bike let me go much further on my first ride.  So if you don't have a nice light road bike, I'd consider that before I attempted a Century.  I road my first Century at the end of the season last year.  I started out riding 35 mile rides, then moved to 45 miles and later 50 mile rides.  I think you'll have to be able to do something like that to really be ready.  Keep taking your daughter out, but substitute one long day a week and you'll be there before you know it!

Answer 3

working up to a century, you should be comfortably riding 25+ miles 3 or more times a week. I assume your daughter won't be on the century ride with you? I'd try to ride farther distances without her a few days a week. centuries for charities tend to be well suppoted with rest stops and sag wagons. club rides going for some longer miles tend to not be as well supported, so not all centuries are equal! charity rides tend to be easier going for pace and terrain as well. after all, they want to attract more participants, to raise more money.

Answer 4

It's doing good things for you, yes.  However, you can't subsitute ten miles for a hundred miles.  At least not a hundred miles in a day.  If you want to do, say, thirty a day for a couple of days, that's a different story.

For a hundred in a day, you'll at least need to do some fifty-mile days, if not seventy-five.  You need to gradually increase your mileage.

Answer 5

As others have eluded to you are not putting in enough mileage. What you are currently doing is great for building leg strength but what will get you doing a century is not having enough long duration saddle time. You need to focus on some long rides, now if the 100 mile ride you are planning on doing is an all day or weekend endeavor with plenty of stops you might be able to do it but you definitely will know it the next day. (in others words your legs might be ready but your butt won't be.)