Pace yourself
Let’s start with the obvious. You’re not going to be able to go all-out for six hours, and if you set off all guns blazing you’ll probably find yourself flagging long before you reach the finish line.

Don’t burn all your matches in the first quarter. Aim for a steady flame — you’re endurance pace, also known as Zone 2 (for those who ride and train with data), feels relatively comfortable and you should be able to hold a conversation.

You will have to dig a little deeper on the climbs, but you can recover on the descents to even it back out. If you pace it right, you can light your final match in the last hour and burn the box to the finish line.

Build up gradually
We’ll go into more depth on how to train for long distance cycling below, but the golden rule is: build up to it gradually. Adding on the miles to your training too soon is a one-way ticket to overtraining and injury.

Instead, try adding 10% to your weekend-long rides to develop leg strength, aerobic fitness and the all-important mental toughness to go long.

Pedal smarter, not harder
When you’re going long, you’re going to get to know your bike pretty well. So it’s important that you work with your bike — choose efficient gear to save your legs.

It’s wise to pedal with a higher cadence in a lower gear, which will cause less resistance — and less muscle soreness over the duration of your ride.

A 100km cycle isn’t just a challenge on the legs. It can be a real test of mental strength too. So it’s always good to go together, especially if you’re new to long rides. Don’t underestimate the mood-boosting properties of having somebody to share the experience with, and drafting other riders will save you a lot more energy.

Going together is also great insurance against things going wrong.