Hi there - when is the event?

20-21st July narak

I ventured into road biking in January 2012 & took part in a 130 mile sportive in June that year, so 3 months is a bit ambitious but i'm sure it can be done with the right attitude! You really need to getting regular high mileage rides in, you'll probably be spending the best part of 8 hours in the saddle for the event, the most i did in training was about 6hrs at a time but this would have been most weekends. just spend as much time as you can in the saddle and if you can i would recommend a bike fitting to make it more comfortable. get to grips with nutrition and hydration upfront though, they will be important on the day/night. You should make sure you are used to eating/drinking high energy foods well in advance.

A good rule of thumb for distance/endurance training is to add about 10 miles a week to your long rides. Most people can be a bit more ambitious to start; so you might be able to jump to, say, 25miles continuous. I would imagine you'd want to get up to at least one ride of 100 miles before the event. On your schedule, this would have you clocking a long ride every weekend till July. If you could then get in 1-3 quicker, harder evening rides a week I'd imagine you should be well set for the ride.

Good luck!

Here's an extract from a sportive training document that i read prior to my event, these are not my comments but have a read yourself...

SPORTIVE TRAINING/BIKE TIPS
The following will cover two main areas; the bike and the man riding it!
Contrary to popular opinion, cycling isn’t just about getting fit and climbing aboard
– there is as much technical content and physical technique involved as any
other complex sporting activity.
The critical areas are:
Bike Fit - Bike Posture - Technique - Physical Conditioning - Preparation
Obviously diet and hydration are also critical, but this isn’t going to cover those;
the rule is simple, however –
Lose weight, eat whilst riding and keep hydrated!
During an endurance bike event I would be eating every few minutes after the
first 45 minutes or so, carrying various carbohydrate sources about my person. I
personally use High 5 Carb drink. In descending order, dried figs, bananas and
potatoes are the fastest to digest and process – but for practical reasons I use
figs and concentrated carbohydrate drink, having carried a banana for the first
half hour and then consuming it. I always use a gel every hour, or just before a
big climb or series of ramps you will burn between 700 and 1000 calories per
hour whilst riding at reasonable intensity, so it is essential to refuel regularly.
You will need to take on board a reasonable amount of water per hour, and
Again, regular intake is essential. You may need more if you sweat freely or if it is
hot. As it happens, I use much less water than most people, so half a litre an hour
is fine for me.
I discovered during my first events that stopping at all the food stops wasted huge
amounts of time, and although I ended up within my target time I still felt
disappointed that I could have saved over an hour by organising my own calorie
intake better.
Tip number 1 for a Sportive; plan a nutrition/water strategy which
minimises time at Feed Stations
.If you seriously want to perform to optimal ability in a long distance event with a
significant level of climbing, then you just have to be as lean and light as you can
be.
So diet is crucial; and contrary to popular belief, this doesn’t mean giving up lots
of goodies. I am 6 feet tall, 42 chest and weigh 76Kg. I drink far too much wine
and eat chocolate and all sorts of other things. But I do have a regime; no sugar,
skimmed milk, no butter, always low fat rice pudding, etc and I eat immediately
after exercise to replace carbs and protein. I use Recovery Drink to help this.
Everyone can work out their own regime, but there is simply no substitute for
weight loss on a bike. It IS possible to shed a few kilos, and this will make the
single biggest difference to your 100 time
So, to Bike Fit/Posture
As I said, the ideal spec for this type of ride at an average amateur level is a
comfortable sportive
Style frame and a seat/bar differential which isn’t too radical obviously the bike
has to be comfortable but also reasonably quick, and of course these days there
are plenty of sportive Geometry frames around. Aluminium tends to be rigid over
long distances, and steel is typically heavier but more responsive. Carbon fibre is
ideal, but may not be as durable.
The most important characteristics of the bike are its size and its geometry; too
“aggressive” geometry and you’ll end up with a crippled neck, back etc.
Tend towards slightly large rather than slightly small – it is more comfortable that
way. Don’t have the saddle massively higher than the bars as this will also cause
discomfort.
Tip number 2 – go to a bike shop and have a proper sizing/fitting done. This
will give you
Your measurements and ensure that your own bike is set up correctly.
The length of the top stem is important; if you rest your elbow on the front tip of
the saddle and have your arm parallel with the stem there should be about a
couple of inches maximum from your finger tips to the front edge of the
handlebars. When you’re on the bike, your back should be more or less parallel
with the top stem whilst down on the handlebars.
In terms of height, when at the bottom of the “downward” stroke of the pedal your
foot should be at a slight angle, toes pointing slightly down and forward. Your leg
extension should be about 90 to 95% of fully straight. You shouldn’t be able to
put both feet on the ground at standstill. Handlebar
width should be almost the same as your shoulder width. Cycling is all about the
efficiency of your levers (i.e. your legs), and the longer the lever the better.
The most important other factor in comfort and speed is actually the wheels;
when buying a bike, spend money first on the frame, then on the wheels, then the
group set.
Tip 3 - if you want to make a fast and material upgrade to a decent bike,
then make it the
Wheels
They shouldn’t flex too much when you’re out of the saddle climbing, but too rigid
and they’ll transmit too much road vibration. The tyres should be 700c by 23mm
Technique
Note above comments, but also: Aerodynamics will add between 1 and 2 mph to
your speed – and of course conversely, poor Aerodynamics will chop that off
again. Put another way, you will save energy by being the right shape on the
bike, and waste it by not being so. When riding at speed, you should be down on
the bottom section of the handlebars, with your backside moved slightly forwards
on the saddle to engage your quads fully. Your feet should describe a circle, but
your toes should remain pointing slightly downwards and forwards throughout the
circle.
When riding uphill or into a headwind, you shift back in the saddle to engage your
gluteal muscles fully, and your feet should now have the heels down at the finish
of the stroke to fully engage your calf muscles as well. You should have your
hands up on the top section of the bars to help you sit back. Don’t rock from side
to side; efficiency is all about transferring all the energy straight down through the
cranks. Your upper body should be as still as possible. Any upper body
movement just displaces energy.
The best technique requires that you maintain even cadence with the pedals; i.e.
you shift gears to maintain the same number of revolutions. Around 80 to 90 per
minute is good.
When climbing, best technique is to remain sitting and drop down the gears; if
you have to stand on the pedals, and then do so for short bursts only.
I have to say here that I am from the Pantani School of Climbing; I do get out of
the saddle a lot, and I need to as I don’t have the upper leg strength to stay
seated. But good climbers can power up climbs whilst firmly rooted to the saddle.
When on an extended flat section, spin the pedals at a higher cadence in a
medium high gear rather than driving a big cog with your quads.
After strenuous uphill effort, don’t stop pedalling to rest on the downhill – just spin
a small gear to encourage the lactic acid to disperse.
And of course, breathe deeply, slowly, and through your nose as well as your
mouth!
Conditioning
You probably know a fair bit about fitness training, but here are the basics;
To ride a long way, you need to train a long way..... Not every ride, and not every
week – but it just isn’t possible to deliver a great time on a Century ride if you
have only ever ridden 30 miles
This means “LSD” as we say in the peloton (but not the recreational drug
variety...). In other words, get out and do a few 60/70 milers, and if possible, a
longer ride before the target event.
Without being arrogant, any reasonably fit cyclist can go and ride 70 miles, and can
probably ride 100 miles, but if you want to ride it in style, then you have to get the
miles into your legs, and more importantly, into your head.
Long, Slow Distance
Winter is when you build basic stamina and get comfortable on the bike for
extended periods.
I keep a training diary when I am aiming at an event; it helps motivate me or
make me feel guilty,
Whichever is appropriate at the time?
I personally ride 6 times per week, including at least one or two 2/3 hour or more
rides.
The more the better, within reason At some point you will need to do some harder
rides, but leave those until just before the event.
Concentrate for the next couple of months on getting into the saddle and just
building up stamina, aerobic capacity and leg strength.
Don’t ride fast – stay within 70% of maximum heart rate at all times.
Use a heart rate monitor, and stay disciplined. Sprint sessions, if you are already
quite strong do little for the build up towards a Sportive.
Finally, Preparation
It is essential to train at least some of the time in the same gear, carrying the
same load, etc as you intend to do the event in.
Never introduce changes or innovation immediately before the event, and
become completely accustomed to the food, gels, clothes, hydration packs, etc
that you will use in the event

Scudder76 - so do you think then if I did a 15 mile ride this weekend and then make sure I add on 10 miles a week to my long ride (which would get me to 105 miles in 10 weeks), that would work well?

That's the right idea, but I'd bet that you could actually do 20, or 25 this weekend , and then add to that. It's about acclimating to the 'but-in-saddle' as much as it it the physical training.

Also:
-A previous poster mentioned taking to long or too many breaks. I was taught that breaks should be shorter than 5 minutes (quick loo and a water refill) or longer than 30 minutes (allowing to eat a bit more, start digesting, and really rest yourself. On a 100+ mile ride I'll only take one longer break.
-You might want to learn what the event's minimum speed is. There will most likely be a pace at which the route closes, and that's your minimum speed to train for. (Who cares if you're the last to finish; finishing itself will be a thrill!)

How did you find your 130 miles last year?

I found it gruelling to be totally honest, i wasn't prepared enough but there was <11,000ft of climbing overall! i started getting cramps half way around, which just became more & more severe the longer it went on, this is where getting the nutrition/hydration right is very important.

when I start seeing food on the side of the road thrown as trash but I seriously consider stopping to graze on it

I can so relate to this comment! I know i'm ready to eat when ALL i can think about is food.