I should also mention that I am diabetic, so nutrition while cycling is very important. I have very tight control over my blood sugar levels (I average between 4-6mmol/l for both fasting and post meal). With the amount of energy I'll be expending, I obviously want to avoid hypos.

Congratulations, Tyson!  I have no advice... but chansen is a cyclist, right?

Hi Tyson,

Good for you.

Chansen does a lot of riding.  I suspect that he is much more knowledgeable about the minutia than I am.

I follow the Freddie Mercury philospophy, "Just get on your bike and ride."  Though to be completely honest that was yesterday's philosophy now I'm more John Deacon, "I'm in love with my car."

Hardcore Queen fans probably understand that perfectly well.

Again, congratulations on getting in the saddle.  I should probably look into getting myself a new steed also.

Grace and peace to you.

John

Thanks for thinking of me, but I only do a bit of mountain bike racing, a 1 hour weekly race series, 8 hour and 24 hour relays, and a couple of 50km point-to-point events. I'm no expert in this sport - I revel in my mediocrity.

I have a road bike, but it mostly gets used when the trails are too wet to ride. I'm allergic to dump trucks, which always seem to find me. I could be on an abandoned road, and find myself passed disturbingly close by a dump truck. It's uncanny. Dodging trees is more my thing.

There are very good sources for this info though, Tyson. 

First is any cycling group or club in your area. I'm thinking of joining one this year. If you have a Felt, I don't think they make a bad bike, or an inexpensive one. You will not look out of place in a club, and the good ones bring along newbies really well. You learn to ride in a peloton, and get to pick the brains of locals for not only nutrition, but where in your area to get it. Bike stores are usually the place to start - they know the local clubs, and generally give members 10% discounts.

Second are the myriads of online cycling forums. I sometimes go to mtbr.com, which is great and active and has regional forums, but that's a mountain bike forum. roadbikereview.com isn't bad but not as active, or r/bicycling on Reddit can be good. If you find a good roadie forum, let me know.

Edit: Missed that it's a Felt Z5. Nice choice. Carbon frames are much better on your body than aluminum, and the 105 grouppo is pretty much the best you'll find for the money. I'd be looking for a club if I were you, to get the most out of yourself and that bike.

Edit 2: Start shaving your legs yet? ;)

Wow Tyson. That's ambitious and should be fun.

I've cycled the Ride to Conquer Cancer-in the mountians from Calgary once, The AB MS 150 (which is really 180) and the AB MS Mountian Tour.

So I peeked at the website of your group. Here's some cheap but solid advice DO WHAT THEY TELL YOU.  It's really that easy. They want you to succeed. and so they suggest a three day "practice" where you do distance 3 days in a row.  Your butt will thank you for doing this. Really.

I take minimal stuff on my bike, a sesame snap bar, advil, sunscreen, a little camera, and sport beans. Carry what ever works well for you for energy food.

I also carry a spare tube. There's usually lots of marshall around with pumps but not always the right size of tubes and patching sucks.

I'm assuming you have clipless pedals. They are great for saving energy and using muscles on both up and down strokes.

My other advice is to ride with a group.It's great for practicing and can sure make a difference in a wind.

Have fun!

Thanks for the advice everybody.

Tabitha. Yep, I have clipless pedals. They do make a huge difference. It took a bit to get use to them, even just "riding" on my trainer (still lots of snow here in Portage la Prairie), but I have gotten use to them and they really do make peddling seem easier. 

Hi Chansen. I was worried a bit at first with a carbon frame bike, hearing all the stories of complete failures due to cracks and such. But after some research, I see that carbon is stronger than steel and aluminum and the stories are a bit overblown. From what I've read, any crash that would damage a carbon frame, would also damage an aluminum frame, I just won't be riding back home. I'm pretty pumped to get outside and give it a good workout, though. 

Thanks for all the advice as well. I will definately be seeking out riding club and forums. 

Tyson,

WowI  too love cycling.  T am an amateur triathllete.  I am only doing sprints, so I am avoiding the nutrition thing.  I do  know that if you are reading up on it, Joe Friel is the go to expert for nearly every endurance sport and has the least amount of confusing information about it all. 

you can mix your own nutrition drinks with water, a bit of salt, some sort of vitamin base and a bit of lemon juice.  Some people like to ad honey, but watch the sugar as it burns you out without enough protein.  Bananas are a really quick and good source of energy, potassium, magnesium and fuel and easy to stash in a pocket in your bike jersey.  Protein bars can be stashed in the sapre tubes pack or whathave you. 

I ENVY you this ride!   don't know if you have ridden your road bike a lot on the open prairie highways but if the wind is blowing hard remember to use your granny gears and make like you are going up a  steep mountain.  This will curtail all frustration.  I learned that the hard way from cycling a  lot of the prairies.  it got me ready for BC and especially the Islands where it's bumps and illegal grades all the time.  Some days are just grumpy no mater what.  But, yes I want to be able to work myself to four to six hours of  biking at a time.  This is not an easy task in the saddle and I don't like padding.  Makes it worse.

Carbon is a tricky beast. In bending and shear, it completely blows away aluminum and steel. However, give it a good whack in the right spot, and you can break it. Something that might not even dent an aluminum or steel bike can destroy a carbon fibre bike.

Early carbon bikes lacked reinforcement in key areas, leading to cracks near the steering tube, mostly. Those weak spots have been fixed.

Also note that while carbon fibre is stronger, manufacturers are on a mission to save weight. Your Felt is just over 18 lbs, which is quite light and anyone who doesn't know high end bikes will pick it up and think it's light as a feather. Cannondale makes a sub-11 lb bike that costs as much as a Honda Civic.

So, while nothing on the road should hurt you, try not to hit it with a baseball bat, and watch how you anchor it to a car rack.

Hi Tyson - I have no tips to offer - but lots of admiration for your courage & determination!  My personal response was - well, at least that should be a pretty flat course across the prairies!  Is that so?  Is there likely to be wind?  If so, hopefully at your back! 

I have a friend who is an Ironman athlete - she trains with a group & various coaches & speaks highly of that.   You might want to consider finding a coach for some suggestions on positioning, form, pacing, bike-set up etc.  Might be money well spent!

P.S. she also says prayer's really helpful during those tough moments on the road! (pass over that comment,  chansen!)

No worries. Any mind calming technique works. Cycling is a game of strategy, but sometimes, you have to clear your head and just go. It helps as well to push the pain aside. I've been known to just "zone out" and become numb to my surroundings, put my head down, and just pedal. By the time I lift my head, I'm suprised how far I've gone, and how long I was "out" for. If I think too much, I seem to tire more quickly.

 chansen!  

Caution: the following is only for people who don't mind physiology and don't find women's bodies ookey if they are described in anything but Playboy, or born again standards (extreme NA society standards for all women)

Yes, it's a mind game.  It's all a mind game.  Staying alive is a mind game for me. 

I am in perimenopause and have dealt with pain in the saddle, I have quit using any padding at all in my shorts, and this has helped a lot.  but now I know that triathletes after menopause can and do get labial reduction to save pain from the seat, not only are they riding $5000.00 plus bikes but getting $5000.00 plus labial surgery. 

Honda Civic's to one side, most pro's are not riding a series of bikes at that price most of the time.  Most pros do not do the Tour et al.  There are a lot of minor league pros and amateur pros who ride anywhere from 3 - 6 hours a day.  There are some of these types around Gabriola, Ladysmith and Nanaimo, Parksville for sure.  It's quite funny that the people that ride the least (casual) are the most pretentious and most competitive and the people who ride all of the time, are easy and you wouldn't generally know what kind of kilometres they are putting in, unless you ask or take a look at their legs, that is. 

When one takes on an endeavour of a sport of some kind, it is always, so great to be released from the fashion and body image craze.  Great cyclists have massive legs, for the most part, unless they are obsessed with weight reduction in which case they are playing Roulette with their skill.  Real cycling gives you greatly defined, massive tree trunk legs.  In fact women cyclists and speed skaters are the only women with big thighs that I know of that can a. carry them off, b. carry them off with pride and c. get compliments on them from everyone. 

Holy Cow !!!!!!

and jlin - there's another for cyclists & speedskaters -  d) have to get their pants tailor made - no hope of off-the-rack stuff fitting those thighs!

Hey Tyson - how's the training going? 

eat what you run over

(which is a bit more problematic for human children...)

eat what you run over

(which is a bit more problematic for human children...)

eat what you run over

(which is a bit more problematic for human children...)

Inanna - must one run them over three times before eating?  

Carolla,

I laughed at that statement.  I am starting to get into better shape and some of my jeans are definitely bulging at thigh.  I have to tug a them to get them off my calves.  AND I LOVE IT.  THIS IS GREAT! My big challenge this year is to finish my swims in times that I can actually do, rather than have panic attacks in the open water.  I am training hard into areas of the unknown for this.  It is scary, I never want to do it and I am learning so much from each workout.  I actually am so specific on workouts that I am not sure how I am going to perform at all.