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I completed my first Century...

2K views 22 replies 22 participants last post by  Beantown 
#1 ·
Ok, so it may not be that big of a deal, but I still feel compelled to report that I have logged my first 100 mile ride on Saturday. How people race for that distance is still beyond me.

My average speed with 18.1 mph. It took me 5 hours and 30 minutes. I was doing two different loops that involved traffic lights.

The last 15 miles were the worst. The heat was here (Phoenix, AZ) and I had bonked already. As your typical idiot, I forged on anyway.

I had a TT guy pulling me for 20 miles at around mile 60. God bless him. The rest I did solo.

Surprisingly enough, today I feel pretty good.
 
#2 ·
Not surprising that you feel good - 5h30 means that you're in top shape. I've done many centuries, but chances are I'm never going to do 5h30. Fastest was 6h15...

Centuries are nice, you ride long enough that you can see lots of stuff, but it doesn't feel really-too-long-never-again like doubles.

Pierre
 
#3 ·
Congratulations.

The first one is always an accomplishment.

Now that you know you can do it some of the excitement goes away but they are always fun.
 
#6 ·
Nice!

I've been riding a while but still have yet to pass that milestone. I weekly do 60-70 mile rides but for some reason the extra 30 is daunting. I'm aiming to do it solo within the next couple of weeks, hopefully. 5:30 is great (even being pulled part way), I'll be happy with anything under 6:00:00

It's beyond me how people do solo double centuries in a day. Even if I was physically up to it, I would be bored silly half way thru.
 
#9 ·
Way to go!

I've done 4 centuries now; never as fast as yours! 18mph is about the fastest I can average solo for any significant distance.

That first one was tough, I remember training for it and struggling through the last 10 miles, then sitting down in numb exhaustion afterwards. But the one I just did recently was much easier, even though we climbed a little mountain here in Massachusetts.
 
#11 ·
I did one Sunday as well. I too bonked at mile 70 as I was only intending to ride for 60 and didn't bring enough food. Time for an ego check I guess. Come prepared or don't ride it is what I should have told myself. After the crash last sunday, I had a fairly large amount of roadrash on my left hand still, so being able to only hold the bars in one spot without bleeding was the other challenge I faced. The hip didn't bother me, but the hand...ouch!


 
#12 ·
Century

I remember my first century. I am sure that I went slower than 18mph. It was a real mental barrier for me. Prior to that the longest ride I had done was 70 miles. Since then I have done dozens of centuries. A couple of years ago when training for Ironman I was doing a century every saturday! Now, I feel like I could ride a century on any given day. After you do a few, it gets easier and easier (probably a mental thing). After doing 100 milers every weekend, a 60 mile ride seemed like nothing. I would reach my 30 mile turn around and couldn't believe that it was time to turn around already. Congratulations, now you don't have to be indimidated by that distance again!

Mike
 
#16 ·
Timmons said:
Ok, so it may not be that big of a deal, but I still feel compelled to report that I have logged my first 100 mile ride on Saturday. How people race for that distance is still beyond me.

My average speed with 18.1 mph. It took me 5 hours and 30 minutes. I was doing two different loops that involved traffic lights.

The last 15 miles were the worst. The heat was here (Phoenix, AZ) and I had bonked already. As your typical idiot, I forged on anyway.

I had a TT guy pulling me for 20 miles at around mile 60. God bless him. The rest I did solo.

Surprisingly enough, today I feel pretty good.
I did 91 miles the first day of the MS ride last year to Gila Bend and that is the most I have done. I live in Goodyear and can't imagine doing that many miles this time of year in the valley. I did ride Congress to Prescott and back last summer which was 85 miles with about 5000' or so of climbing.

Where did you do this?
 
#17 ·
Timmons said:
Ok, so it may not be that big of a deal, but I still feel compelled to report that I have logged my first 100 mile ride on Saturday.
Actually, it is a big deal in the real world. It's just that on this board you're hanging out with a bunch of people for whom doing a century is fairly commonplace (or who can claim it is under their internet persona, and no one will know they really spend all day surfing the web and eating Cheetos :)), so you tend to downplay it by comparison with others. You rode 100 miles, and that's a pretty big deal. 99.8% of Americans couldn't do that without a significant training buildup, and most of that 99.8% would be amazed at you for even trying.

This is a great board, but sometimes we set the bar a little high. Good on ya for your accomplishment.

And, BTW, riding in Texas, I can appreciate what it means to do a mostly-solo century in July in Phoenix. I just spent a week in Indianapolis, and it seemed pretty hot the whole time I was there, but then I got home and realized just how big that difference between 89 and 99 degrees really is when you're riding 50, 70 or 100 miles.
 
#18 ·
very nice. 100 miles is far, any way you slice it.

Think of it this way. If you had to run an errand in a car that was 100 miles, round-trip, you might thing, "that's a long drive." In a car.

You just did it under your own power. That rules. And you went fast.

Think of that ride every time you see one of the "average americans," 50 pounds more lipids clinging to their frame as they clamber into their SUV, and feel good about yourself.
 
#19 ·
Congrats to you! I just completed my first yesterday. And just like you, my last 15 miles were the worst. It started looking like my planned route was going to come up short so I added miles that included two monster hills. I sure felt that later into the ride. Now that that's under my belt, I gotta do one of the Brevet thingys!
 
#21 ·
That's awesome!

Building up to it myself. I got into riding because it constantly amazes me just how far you can go on a bike if you stick with it. Plus, I'm one of these:

"Think of that ride every time you see one of the "average americans," 50 pounds more lipids clinging to their frame as they clamber into their SUV, and feel good about yourself."

I'm trying desperately to change it though.

p.s. What's a cheetoh? It's been so log since I've had one I don't even remember what they taste like. Amazing how your eating priorities change when actually monitor your input and try to maximize it.
 
#23 ·
Yo Needham Dave!

NeedhamDave said:
I've done 4 centuries now; never as fast as yours! 18mph is about the fastest I can average solo for any significant distance.

That first one was tough, I remember training for it and struggling through the last 10 miles, then sitting down in numb exhaustion afterwards. But the one I just did recently was much easier, even though we climbed a little mountain here in Massachusetts.
Sounds like you did the Climb to the Clouds
I ran the 75 mile water stop on that one.
I was envious of all the riders.
Perhaps catch you on another CRW century/ride
 
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