Building endurance for long rides like a 100-miler requires smart fueling, pacing, and mental strategies—not just putting in the kilometres. Anthony and Sarah break down the five golden rules that separate riders who suffer from those who thrive, plus they tackle the mystery of salt stains on pro shorts and give you easy aerodynamic wins for your gravel or solo rides.
Key Takeaways
- Start fueling before your ride: Increase carbohydrate intake the day before (50% of calories from carbs), then again on the morning of the ride to set yourself up for success
- Negative split your long rides: Pace conservatively early and aim to go faster as you progress, just like pros do in ultra-distance events—it's mentally powerful and requires practice
- Break long rides into mental chunks: A 200km ride feels manageable if you segment it into 50km sections with stops, making it psychologically easier to sustain effort
- Eat and drink early and often: Aim for 50-120g of carbs per hour depending on intensity; set alarms on your device so fatigue doesn't make you forget to fuel
- Maintain a steady cadence of 85-95 RPM: Keeping high cadence conserves energy and prevents muscle glycogen depletion, especially critical in the final hours when cadence naturally drops
- Don't let ego override your plan: Stick to your pacing strategy and fueling goals rather than getting caught up racing others, which will derail your event performance
Expert Quotes
"If you're thinking about doing a long ride on a Saturday morning the planning for that actually starts on the Friday where you're starting to up your carbohydrate consumption"
"Pacing is so important we we don't think about it enough—if you look at everyone that rode Badlands they were putting out their best efforts really earlier on and it's just not a good way to do it"
"When someone's Cadence starts dropping below 80 RPM and they start turning that gear you know they're in trouble—the inverse extends to long rides where you want to stay in the 85 to 95 RPM range to conserve energy"