So you're back on the bicycle again, training for the dawning season. A list of events have been highlighted on your calendar. Your motivation is high as you visualize yourself among the fastest cyclists, wrapping up a century in less than 6 hours ... maybe even 5 hours! How can you get the form to hold such high speeds over 100 miles?

First, remember that the most important facet to training is mental preparation and attitude. It may help to recognize that 100 miles isn't very far for an ultra-marathon cyclist. Most professional cyclists compete in races of 100+ miles, averaging speeds over 25 mph. The 1998 Tour de France covered 2,420 miles in 23 days with only one rest.

Professional female cyclists also face challenging races although distances rarely exceed 100 miles in a single day. The 1998 Tour Cycliste Feminin,covered 839 miles in 12 days with no rest days. Five days involved distances of over 75 miles and the maximum stage distance was 91 miles. As women continue to advance in cycling, the difficulty of their races also advances.

The primary difference between a 100 mile race and a 100 mile tour is drafting. In a race, you have a field to cruise with unless you're feeling spunky and take a flyer or fading fast and drop off the back. Otherwise, you get the pleasure of sucking wheel while saving 30 to 80% of your energy depending on wind conditions and the spread of the cyclist towing you. In a century, most riders are recreational so you may spend the bulk of your time battling the wind alone. Even the fast cyclists often prefer solo riding or lack the skill to safely ride in a paceline. So don't plan on finding a group of experienced, ambitious cyclists to draft at your next century. Joining a well-oiled paceline at a tour is not unheard of, but it is unlikely.

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Despite this, training like a racer will do more to increase your average speed on centuries than grinding through mega-miles at a steady, moderate pace. Big miles are certainly necessary when an ultra-marathon cyclist is preparing for multi-day events like RAAM qualifiers, PBP and RAAM. Such a training tactic, however, will destroy leg speed for shorter distances of 150-miles or less. It is important to realize that 100 miles is not RAAM so training like RAAM rider is not the best way to decrease your century time. Training like a road racer will increase power and speed without preparing your body for the huge stress of real ultra-marathon cycling which you won't encounter anyway.

At ultra-marathon distances, the body must be maintained in a steady state where the cyclist is consuming as many nutrients as he or she is burning up, continuously maintaining a steady flow of energy over many hours or several days. For shorter distances, the cyclist can upset this balance and consume less on the bicycle. This allows the body to focus on cycling rather than dividing its energy between digestion and cycling.

In the next column, I will discuss specific training tips utilized by road racers that can help increase your average century speed. If you want to do your fastest century, you cannot train like an ultra-marathon cyclist.

Forget the mega-miles, protein powder, bike lights and PSVs ... grab your gel packets, carbohydrate drink and local cycling buddies. It's time to train for speed.

Training for Centuries

• Part 1: Choosing A Century to Ride
• Part 2: Riding Fast Century
• Part 3: Strength Training
• Part 4: Planning Workouts
• Part 5: Power on the Bike
• Part 5: Power on the Bike
• Part 6: Moving to Longer Rides