Question:
I recently resumed riding at age 39. For the past five months I've tried to ride 15 to 20 km’s, three times a week. Recently I decided to ride a century that’s a month away. What should I do to get ready?

Answer:
If you've been doing only 45 to 60 km’s per week, completing a 100-km ride that’s just four weeks away -- and having fun doing it -- may be out of reach. It's easy to get injured or end up exhausted and out of commission by the side of the road. We certainly don’t recommend trying to increase your mileage that much.

Here’s the rule of thumb for long, one-day rides: You can do your average weekly mileage in one ride if you just want to finish. So if your weekly average is no more than 60 km’s, doing a century will really be pushing it.

If you still want to try, it's crucial to get in long rides on three consecutive weekends between now and your target date. The first one should be about 40 km’s, the second around 55, and the third about 70. Eat and drink well before, during, and after these rides. Go slowly -- your only goal is to finish. During the week, do two or three easy recovery rides of about 45min –1hr each.
This isn't optimum preparation but it will give you a fighting chance to finish the century.

Should you fail to finish the long training rides, this will tell you that you shouldn’t expect to finish 100 km’s. Choose a century ride later in the season or next year to give you time to build a better base.

Good Luck!