Bicycling Magazine's Century Training Program: 100 Days to 100 Miles (Paperback)

by Marla Streb (Author) "The concept of a Century Ride is not easily arrived at..." (more)
Key Phrases: Date Sleep, Workout Notes Mon, Total Hours (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A complete training program for riding—and enjoying—cycling’s fastest growing challenge

To ride a century means to cover 100 miles in a day—no small feat for riders at any level. But the century is becoming cycling’s equivalent of the marathon, with more and more century events scheduled for thousands of riders across the country. Now, champion pro cyclist Marla Streb provides a thorough manual for anyone who wants to train for this distance. She offers guidelines for:
• customizing a training plan based on fitness level and century pace goal
• getting proper bike fit and choosing the right equipment
• training and ride-day strategies for optimal fueling and hydration

Backed by Bicycling magazine, the world’s leading bike magazine and a proven authority on long-distance cycling, this book is an indispensable guide for recreational and competitive cyclists alike.

About the Author

MARLA STREB is a U.S. National Championship– and World Cup–winning cyclist and author of the book Downhill: The Life Story of a Gravity Goddess. She currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (March 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594861846
• ISBN-13: 978-1594861840
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #226,790 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A lot of fluff, little substance, May 22, 2007

By	Aileen Sandridge (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Most of this book is taken up with little personal stories and anecdotes and narration that I simply found boring and useless. Only two pages were really useful: those that contained the suggested beginner training program. But that is easy enough to find online, so overall, I consider this purchase to be a waste of money.

If you want to learn more about Marla and her brother, this book is for you. If you want to learn more about training for a long bike ride, you will be disappointed.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Training for a Biking Century for Newbies (and Experts can learn alot too!), August 30, 2006

By	Jon Cragle "biking geezer" (Bellingham, WA USA) - See all my reviews

I must confess that I rode a single speed bike with a banana seat growing up. I rode throughout the seasons in the hot, muggy, windy and cold Iowa weather. I rode to school, friends, baseball, etc. I lived on my bike, but then somehow when I "grew up" and went off to college, joined the Navy, got married and had children I lost that old friend of biking. Here I am a 41-year old, single father to five great kids, having suffered through pain and divorce. Then during Spring Break my older brother reintroduced me to my long-lost friend, the bike. I didn't want to just be a sometimes rider, no I wanted a goal to reach toward. What better way than to ride the much coveted "Century", a 100-mile ride that's biking's version of the runners marathon. I picked the date for my attempt, September 17, 2006 in the town of Bellingham, WA. Now, how to train for this? A quick search on Amazon and like destiny I found Marla Streb's book and it included everything I thought I'd need.

I devoured the book, reading how she, the world famous mountain biking champion wanted to introduce her older brother Dave to the joys of biking. Dave, was like a kindred spirit of mine, since he had the same pressures of family, children, work and how could he find time to ride 100 miles, let alone train for it?

The book is written for the novice in mind, but expert riders can glean alot from Marla's experience and expertise. Written in a story mode, the reader is taken from the early "idea" germinating between Marla and Dave, so much so that the reader will feel like they're being mentored in the same way.

Marla includes a suggested 100-day training plan that can be adjusted accordingly, although it will fit most people. Second, each week you see both Dave and Marla's progress with their rides each day of the week, which make them great for newbies and experts alike.

The book is written with each chapter covering one week each of the 100-day plan. You can extend the time if you want a little extra time, but I wouldn't recommend doing a crash-course training of less than 100 days before your first Century ride. The book covers the following:

Chapter 1: Day 1 through 7 - "The Talk"
Chapter 2: Day 8 through 14 - "The Ideal Training Plan"
Chapter 3: Day 15 through 21 - "How to Setup a Training Plan"
Chapter 4: Day 22 through 28 - "Motivation--Getting Out the Door
Chapter 5: Day 29 through 35 - "No Time to Ride"
Chapter 6: Day 36 through 42 - "Road Rules"
Chapter 7: Day 43 through 49: "The Equipment"
Chapter 8: Day 50 through 56 - "Dynamics of Group Rides"
Chapter 9: Day 57 through 63 - "Self-Assessment and Adjustments"
Chapter 10: Day 64 through 70 - "Strengthening Your Base"
Chapter 11: Day 71 through 77 - "Pain Hurts in a Good Way"
Chapter 12: Day 78 through 84 - "Fine Points"
Chapter 13: Day 85 through 90-"Preride, Nutrition & the Taper"
Chapter 14: Day 91 through 99 - "Important Details"
Chapter 15: After Your Century Ride

As you can see, the book covers alot of ground, yet does it in an easy-to-read and detailed manner, while never being "dry, technical reading". We have the advantage of having Marla Streb, a highly accomplished racer to mentor each of us, as she does with her brother Dave in the book.

If you're planning to ride long-distance rides, unless you're a seasoned pro, I highly recommend that you get this book and pour over it, dog-ear it, make notes in it, like I've done and you'll feel extra prepared mentally and physically to tackle the 1/2, full or double-century rides.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars waste of time and money, August 28, 2007

By	Miguel Renteria (newark, ca, usa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

this book is just filled with personal stuff. its more like a diary. it has very little useful info. i cant believe bicycling magazine allowed this to get published. dont waste your time with this book and get something else with actual cycling info