I had to pull out the tng log. My 1st IM distance was the Endurance Triathlon (Sunapee,NH) back in 1990. I did 4 100+ rides prior. Finished in 10:55. Looking at my tng log, I didn't taper to well. Raced a 10k the wknd before and the wknd prior to that I did USTS Norfolk (oly distance tri). Guess I was young and foolish then.

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18x Ironman, 3x Hawaii
US Army (Ret.), Vietnam Vet ('71-'72)

Probably less than you think you need. Just ride more miles. Not necessarily all in the same ride.....

Had to look back as well. Three is what I did: 100, 105, 110.

I'll end up doing about 4-5 total going back to last November for my first IM this year. I'm focusing on raising my fitness more than practicing long rides. Long rides and runs are counter productive to increasing training load.

I mentioned to a buddy that a 5.5 miles circuit near my house very closely approximates the total elevation per mile of my IM. So I could ride 18 laps laps and simulate the race. My friend replied... sure... OR... you could ride 12 laps a LOT faster instead. How many times do you need to practice riding relatively easy for 5 hours?

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TrainingBible Coaching
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For me it has to do more with the mental aspect than physical. If I do a few century rides and come off feeling great then I know doing 112 and then a marathon is achievable.

Scheduled for 3, only had time for 2 due to having to ship tri bike 3 weeks before the race! :-(

100% off topic: USTS Norfolk...remember much about it, like course set up, etc? Curious if any of the current local races are a descendant

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IG: idking90

I agree. This was my takeaway after my first IM last year. That riding 4ish hours hard seemed more beneficial than riding 5.5-6 hours at IM pace. Sure, I needed a couple of long rides to practice pacing and nutrition, but building fitness seemed better with slightly shorter rides. It also helps that you get off the bike sooner, and gives you more time for napping and recovery.

1

0. I did a couple over 60, one 85 mile charity ride (was in the saddle longer than I was on race day), and 3 70.3's last year before the 140.6 in September.

Could I have ridden more? Sure! Did I crash at mile 99.9 because I had never been over that magical barrier? Nope.

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/kj

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I'm thinking a solid tempo pace..70.3 pace for 3-3-1/2 hour to get to maybe 210-220 TSS... then jump off and run 3-5 miles @ IM pace.

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100% off topic: USTS Norfolk...remember much about it, like course set up, etc? Curious if any of the current local races are a descendant[/quote]
Sorry but I can't remember anything about this race except that the course was flat. I did it twice but don't remember anything about the course. Looking at my results, it was a fast course. I did so many races in VA and NJ that they all just get jumbled together.

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18x Ironman, 3x Hawaii
US Army (Ret.), Vietnam Vet ('71-'72)

I've finished 8 IMs and never done more than one 100-mile bike ride before each of them. My last two IMs, I simply did 4 1/2 hours on the trainer as my longest rides. That yielded a 6:14 bike split for IMAZ and well over 8 hours at IM Tahoe, but generally I ride in the 6:10-6:20 time range.

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Before my 1st IM my longest ride was 72 miles.

I ride lots of 3.5 hr rides b/f an IM. I'll ride 100+ if there is a destination. You may need to ride 100+ psychologically, but it really isn't needed physically.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

Maybe I have too much spare time on my legs but for each of the seven that I've done, I have usually done at least five, six hour rides and each year, one of these was on the race course (Penticton). Doing this was highly beneficial for the first one, as it really helped with confidence on race day. As other writers have said, a key part of this 100 mile/6-hour ride is actually more about the run and seeing how your body responds and what it needs after all that saddle time can be helpful. It is a great time to experiment with your nutri and your pacing.

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http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

What's your goal? If your goal is to complete the answer may be one thing. If your goal is to go sub 10 it may be another. I would disagree with many of the posters above. I think that the long ride of 5-6 hours is very beneficial especially when combined with a short run. Remember you are racing for twice that long. Preparing for race specificity is important. Additionally I'd say that you can't just lolly-gag these rides either. They should be paced above your IM pace.

I have only ridden one 100 miler in my life - right before my first Ironman. I don't ever feel like training that long and have had good results with many 80 mile rides @ goal wattage leading up to IM distance races.

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New Training/Racing Log - http://www.earthdaykid.com/blog --- Old Training/Racing Log - http://colinlaughery.blogspot.com

I've done five IM's. The only time I ever rode 100 miles was in the lead up to Ironman Canada last year and that's only because I was a little scared of those hills coming from a very flat place. Otherwise my longest rides were 4:00-4:30 in length. I just try to make sure those rides get in the TSS ballpark of my race day ride.

My IM bike splits have been in the 5:00-5:40 range.

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What will matter more is what you do in that 100 mile ride and your other long(er) rides vs how many 100 mile rides you do.
I can design an 85 mile ride that will be much, much more demanding than the 112 you will face in an IM. Or I can design a 100 mile ride that will not prepare you as well as that 85 mile ride for your race.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
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I think for your first IM, you should at least do one so that you "know" you can do it. I think it's more for a psychological than physical edge. When I am racing, and I get close to 100+ miles, that's when things possibly start to get sore or uncomfortable, doubts may start to creep in, and the last thing I want to pile onto those things is that "Can I actually make it." Also, comfort at 80 miles is not the same as comfort at 100 miles. You may realize you need to tweak something towards the end of the ride.

I agree with other posts you dont necessarily need to ride 100 mi to prep for one. However, it is good to ride probably at least one to gauge your endurance and recovery time. suggest 50-80mi and spin spin spin. Try to build up more endurance by keeping rpm high. Then a few short rides before the 100 mi to keep legs loose.

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Under eating is just as good for you as over training.

I typically shoot for 5-6 rides of 110 mi (ranging in duration from 5 to 5.5 hours and TSS from 250 to 320+), usually followed by a 3-6 mi run. I know it's against ST conventional wisdom, but it's worked well for me. (Though not well enough to KQ yet.) But, I wouldn't do that as often if I wasn't able to recover enough for my other key workouts. I rather enjoy the workout, especially this time of year. It gets to be a burden, though, come middle of the summer when I need 9+ bottles to stay hydrated. Not looking forward to the return of humidity.

3 total.
Several 70-80 mile good quality, focused rides.

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Owner of a few Speed Concepts since 2011.