bobbyl1966

What average speed you do in 100 miles. How long time take you do that ride. What tools you have with you innertubes water food you take in that ride. what bike do you use and chainring size and cassette size in that ride. How long you ride before you tried do the ride 100 miles.

deex

I'm training for a century from key largo to key west and I ask myself some of these questions. It is a supported ride so no need for tools but training and nutrition are a big part of the equation for me. So far I'm hitting the wall at around 45 miles. My legs stiffen up a lot and I need to rest them out for at least 20 minutes.

Fastfingaz

Bobby those are general questions that have very specific answers,, what I can do and what you can do could be very different ,,,, Why don't you tell us your physical fitness level , how long you've been riding , what is you longest ride ,,, if you are riding hills you will need different gears meaning chainring and cassette,,,, my first century took me almost 8 hours almost killed me but I improved on the next 2 ,,, I think that if you can ride 75 miles you can do 100,,,,,

bobbyl1966

thank you for the answer. yes you say good all people is different. My physical fitness level is very good I used do that 20 miles daily after work. i work in warehouse most of the day pickup boxes. general for 49 years old i am now i am in very good fitness level.. I ride around 5 years but lately i have stop to ride because i am too bussy. I go for ride in hilly trail most i used to go have elevation from 700 feet to 900 feet. this bike trail one way is 10 miles i do that ride in around 45 minutes to 50 minutes some days. In that trail once i have do 40 miles. and that with old steel bike too tall for me. Now in the last 3 years no have ride much but i want start again

bobbyl1966

in that hilly trail i have used different bikes but most i had same chainring and freewheel 52/42 and 14-28 but in other bike i had 50/40 and 13-30 cassette. But never really i know if i have select the correct gears for that trail

79pmooney

How hilly is the route you are planning for the 100 miles? How many, how steep and how long are the hills? That information will make a big difference.

You will need some food and enough water. How much water will depend on the temperature and can vary a lot. You should also bring spare tubes, patches and tire irons and know how to use them. I carry the hex wrenches for most of my bolts (usually 3,4, 5, and 6 mm) and often a spoke wrench. A leatherman in my pocket.

Yesterday I rode 70 miles easy but steady with no stops except to relieve myself. Drank 1 1/2 waterbottles (the high for the day was 60 degrees) and 1 and 1/2 Clif Bars (but had a big pancake breakfast). I am in mediocre shape (and 62 yo), but I have been riding for many decades. I probably averaged 15 mph. I would have done well to knock that down to 14 mph if I wanted to add another 30 miles on. Also eat and drink more in the first 70 miles.

Ben

cb400bill

At age 49, I did my first century in July of 2009. That was about 2 years after I had got back into cycling after taking a break of over 30 years.

I just looked up my riding for that year and 31 miles was the longest ride I had done before doing that century. It was a humid 90F that day and it took me 7:15 and I averaged 14.1 MPH. I carried a spare tube, a CO2 tire pump, and two water bottles. There were three SAG stops with food and drink. The terrain around here is rolling hills mixed with flattish farm land. My bike was my Cannondale Synapse triple with a 30/42/52 front and a 12-26 cassette.

Don't overthink this. Just get out and ride.

Drew Eckhardt 

It depends on lean and total size, fitness, freshness, terrain, and drafting on flatter ground. I ride at 135-138 pounds so I'm slower than naturally bigger people on flat terrain but faster up-hill. It's the off-season so I'm down at least 10% on power, although I still ride enough my maximum pace is the same from 3 to 8+ hours. I haven't been adding time or intensity and had an easy week before so I was as rested and fast as I could be. No mountains would have saved a lot of time. Riding in a pace-line not solo would have made the flat parts faster.

After neglecting long distance rides for nearly 19 years I rode another century in January - 108.8 miles, 8:06 moving out of 8:48, 7100 feet via Garmin (9196 corrected on strava which should be wrong), 3700kj, 116W average, 138W when pedaling, 134W normalized.

strava
ridewithgps

13.5 MPH moving average over the whole ride, 16.5 over the last 34 "flat" miles with only 200 feet of elevation change at 119W which is an even pace split. After 3 hours I stopped 10 minutes to buy and eat a cookie which was a mistake because it made me cold, and 3 minutes to pee and refill my water bottles after 6. Otherwise I only stopped for traffic, donning or doffing clothing, and a few peeks at cell phone maps.

I had 4/5/6mm hex keys, a chain tool, a spoke wrench, two tire levers, a pair of nitrile gloves (I hate finishing rides with dirty hands), master link, patch kit, and spare tube in a wedge pack; full-length frame pump; and another spare tube in a jersey pocket. That's what I usually carry on all my rides, although I omit the second tube when there isn't so much debris washed onto the road shoulders by the rainy season. I also run my chain a few full-links long so I can still shift into large x large without damage after removing an inner link due to bending or breaking it. I've used all the tools at least once in a few decades.

I had 2 25oz water bottles in frame mounted cages like I do on all rides over 3 hours. I refilled about 1 1/4 at 35 miles/3 hours and 70 miles/6 hours; and had finished most of one by the time I got home almost 3 hours later so that's about 88 ounces of water. I weighed the same after finishing and peeing, so I over-hydrated a bit - generally you only need to drink when thirsty. With little insulating body fat and 50-60 degree weather I don't sweat much (1/3 to 1/2 I did with middle-age spread) so you'll probably need more. Usually electrolytes from food are sufficient and you don't need more than plain water.

I ate every hour - 4 Clif bars at 250 Calories each (half at a time) and a cookie for ~1100 calories total of of 3700 - 4600. I carried the Clif bars in my jersey pockets where they were convenient for snacking while riding. I ride enough and eat few enough carbs not riding I'm mostly fat powered, although if that wasn't the case ~250 Calories/hour is the most people can digest.

I rode my regular road-bike with 700x25 Continental GP4000SII tires, 50-39-30 x 13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23-26. The low gears are nice for climbs hitting 17%. The close cogs are nice when it's flat. Going down a straight steep hill tucking works as well as pedaling so bigger gears as with an 11 or 12 starting cog don't add to enjoyment as much as ones in the middle or other end of the cassette.

I finished 2014 with 5200 miles then 2015 with 7600 (low due to a broken collarbone) with 800 miles in each of the preceding three months (usually 25-30 miles every weekday, 50-70 every Saturday) before I resolved to get back into riding long distances for 2016 although you don't need to ride that far provided you pace yourself appropriately - I didn't ride over 50 miles before my first century as a much younger guy.

Your mileage will vary. 100 miles is about like riding 3-5 hours, although there's less room for mistakes with bike fit, water, food, and riding too fast. I think people can ride about their weekly total at once when they avoid those problems, although the longest ride + 50% rule-of-thumb minimizes the risk of getting those wrong.

Don't expect your phone battery to last - I was down to 15% in spite of leaving the display and GPS off when not needed although ridewithgps was still running. I printed a cue-sheet about an inch wide and attached it to my top tube so I would have been fine without the GPS, although it gave me warm fuzzies.

bobbyl1966

you are very good rider.

Drew Eckhardt 

Nah, it's almost entirely saddle time.

Ride 4-6 days each week. Make one ride a long one twice as far as the others at least every few weeks. Don't have more than two hard days a week because factors affecting endurance (oxidative energy system, slow twitch fibers) and higher intensity (glycolytic energy system, fast twitch fibers) respond well to different training stimulus and more hard days increase stress without improving performance faster. Don't ride fast enough you're breathing hard on your long ride because that won't be sustainable over longer distances and you can go farther and faster at a steady pace. Aim to maintain the same pace on the same grades in the first and second ride halves. Add 10% to your time per week, taking a lower volume/intensity one out of every 3-4. Once you get to 25 miles on your usual rides and 50 on the long one (125 miles a week) you can probably ride 100 miles all at once in similar terrain. Try 70 miles before that so unpleasant surprises (you bonk, your saddle or shorts prove uncomfortable, your knees hurt, whatever) happen closer to home. Doing that after your rest week or following a short-and-easy day will have you feeling better while riding far.

You should be able to fit the weekday rides in by eliminating unnecessary things in your schedule (like watching TV) or replacing driving to work with riding. Bright LED lights let you ride without sunlight, and going to bed at the same not-too-late time will have you waking before sunrise. Layers of cycling clothes make riding early or late pleasant.

I was commuting 1.5-2 hours by bike except on Wednesdays when working 60 hour weeks.

caloso

The only time I've ever done a 100 miles is on a training ride with teammates. We rode to the ride, which started in the next town over (20 miles), rode the ride (60 miles), and rode home (20 miles).

Here's the strava file: https://www.strava.com/activities/375110260/overview

6 hours total, 5 hours moving time. I didn't do anything special, just carried the standard stuff (flat kit, pump, cell phone, food, money, two bottles). I ate a fair amount more than usual.

Rode my everyday road bike (Ridley Excalibur). Standard road gearing (53/39 front; 12-27). I think I just used my training wheels, not my race wheels.

How long had I ridden before trying 100 miles? 42 years, I guess.

chasm54

Look in the long distance forum. There's a stuck thread there called "tips for riding a century".

Jim from Boston

Fya:

.

devianb

My average speed is around 12-13 mph and takes about 7-8 hours. I start out slow and steady for the first 50 miles, then pick it up on the return trip home. I make frequent stops to take photos and cruise around once I reach the nearest city. Tools I bring are: innertube, tire lever, CO2 pump with 2 16g cartridges, patch kit, and an allen key. I carry 60 ounces of liquid minimum and usually about 6 protein/energy bars or something of substance.

I have a Leader MTB with 700 x 25 tires, bullhorn bar, 48T front ring with 12-26 cassette (9 spd). I have been riding since I was 6 (34 now), but it was only in the past 5 years I did any serious distance trips.

Machka 

Here ... this thread is in the Long Distance Forum and might help answer some of your questions.

https://www.bikeforums.net/long-dista...g-century.html


As for average speed ... it depends. I've done a lot of centuries. Some have been quick centuries and some have been very long centuries ... and everything in between.

exmechanic89

100 miles isnt that big a deal - if you just get out there and do it you'll probably surprise yourself. I dont think a lot of prep is necessary either if you're already doing regular rides. I did 70 miles yesterday on fairly hill roads, and could've ridden 100 but ran out of time, as I had to meet my wife for dinner. I normally ride around 50, but decided to go a bit farther. I take water and an energy bar for 50 miles, and would probably add a light sandwich and more water if doing a full century.

This was on a late 80's mid level steel road bike, btw. Nothin' fancy.

KingCat

How much training do you need ? When I was younger my dad was a very good marathon runner. I would average about 3-5 miles on my runs. When I was 20 yrs old I asked him "how much training do I need to run a marathon". He answered, "the better question is, how do you want to feel when you finish the marathon"

Maelochs

This is the kind of thread that made mne sign up at BF. The joking threads are fun and all, but there is so much info here shared so well and kindly ... thank you all.

CliffordK

Each person is different. I'm not real fast, but I can plod along for a long time. Maybe 11-13 MPH, depending on whether I'm loaded or not, terrain, and actually how far I'm riding (which can be substantially further than 100 miles in a day). I was towing coming back from Portland a week ago, and probably only hit about 9 MPH... which made for a long, hard day.

What you carry will depend on the details of your ride, and perhaps the possibility to acquire supplies and replenishing. If yo have a place to stop and eat, then no need to carry food. Likewise, replenishing water can help a lot.

My basic tool kit for everyday riding includes a couple of tubes, pump, patch kit, multi spoke spoke wrench, chain tool, multi-tool.

A simple 100 miles might be the same.

300+ miles might include spare spokes and a few more wrenches and tools. Plus some added gear for those multi-day trips.

Jim from Boston

Nicely said, @Maelochs. I have previously replied to this thread on the Living Car Free Forum ”What you got from BF transportation forums?”

kcjc

5:20ish to 6:40ish moving time depending on the terrain. Add an hourish for stops. Fastest was relative flat, 1,500 feet elevation gain while longest was close to 10k gain. Had plenty of company so the work is shared. I actually haven't done one solo but that's the eventual goal. If you can do a sixty on your own, a century especially with company should be no problem. Speed is relative for me and I rather have company to make things interesting. I just happened to be riding with a bunch of guys that are very fast and hoping one day to finish with them. I always carry two tubs, a patch kit, levers, 4-6 allen, two CO2 and inflator, spoke wrench, mini pump, two bottles, Tums, ibuprofen, and couple of fruit/nut bar and fig bars. Good luck and have fun.

canklecat

Thirtysomething years ago, when I was in my 20s and in great shape, bicycling at least 20 miles a day, I still wasn't sure I was ready for a solo 100 mile ride. The hospital I worked for had a very casual but fun cycling club and that camaraderie really helped the miles go by. I found those 75, 125 and 250 mile rides went by easily with a compatible group.

Back then most groups had some sort of sag wagon, a support vehicle. So we didn't need to carry all our own backup supplies, and if folks had mechanical problems that couldn't be repaired, or couldn't finish the ride, they weren't abandoned.

After resuming cycling last August my longest single day ride has been only around 30 miles. I'm slowly working my way toward longer solo rides.

I haven't joined any local clubs, other than for some casual group rides of around 10 miles or so, followed by beers and chatter. So my plans for longer rides are more geared toward self sufficiency.

I have a trunk bag large enough for a weekend's worth of moderate weather camping gear, spare tire and tubes, food, etc. It also handles my weekly grocery shopping trips, usually loaded with 30-40 lbs of stuff. For the past month I've kept the bag loaded with at least 10 lbs of stuff, needed or not, for my 10-20 mile leisurely exercise rides, just to help with conditioning in preparing for a weekend camping trip.

At this point my main challenge is asthma and back/neck spasms. My overall physical conditioning could handle a 100 mile ride now, although I'd want to leave myself 8-10 hours to finish.

But the real challenge to a longer ride is the perseverance, which can be helped with a riding partner or group. It helps to have something to distract you from the nagging discomforts and little voice that tempts you to quit.

DrIsotope

I generally lack the mental fortitude to complete a century-- I've only done two. My first was in September of 2015, after just under 8 months on the bike. 109.4 miles @ 16.6mph. Good speed because 90% of it was on the Santa Ana River Trail. My 2nd was on December 30th of last year, 114.9 miles @ 15.1mph. My pacing was way off and my total elapsed time on the Garmin was 8:56:13, on a day with a whole 9:17 worth of sunlight. It's a pretty strong motivator. I still had the legs to make a double metric, but pulled into the driveway at the 115 mark as it was fully dark.

My personal advice to anyone opting to ride their first imperial century is to plot out a lap course-- say 20-25 mile laps, then repeat that lap until you hit 100. That way you're never too far from home, and if you make it to 60 or 75 or whatever and decide your body isn't up to the century, you just ride home. I've done lap Metrics without getting more than 2 miles from my house. Disclaimer: I rode both of mine unsupported and solo, so they were both more mental tests than they were physical.

Drew Eckhardt 

I'd plan a definitely achievable route for better scenery then add bonus miles when it goes well (or not).

After getting back in shape I figured that 85 miles with more would be fine like 70 was with less climbing but wondered about 100 so I started with an interesting 85 miles and detoured on my way home to hit one of my 25 mile weekday routes.

While I ride the same two 25-30 mile routes every weekday of every week (that gets me a 15 mile stretch without traffic lights in a county with 1.9 million people close enough I can ride there and back before work), more than once in a day would be too much even with middle-age patience.

I rode two solo unsupported centuries in the last fourteen days (January 30th and February 13th). Mentally they were easy with enjoyable scenery I didn't usually I see, quite meditative except when I was riding in downtown San Francisco traffic.

RobbieTunes

I'm 57, and have done a bunch.
Best: Solo 18.2 mph, felt the worst and treated it like a challenging workout, which it was.
Worst: 14.2 mph, felt the best and rode without urgency, with friends.

You have to decide how you approach it. A solo shot is a different animal than a group ride with planned stops.

Solo: I ride with a sense of tempo. I drink every 10 miles, 1/2 large bottle. I eat 2 nutrition bars every 20. I stop at 40 and 80. I'm glad to be done and know it was a workout. My shoulders are sore, arms a bit sore, butt a bit sore, feet OK, legs are shot, pretty much. The last 20 are not fun, not work, just getting done. I don't plan much else that day.

Group: We ride steady but don't push it. I stop when they stop, drink when I feel like it, eat at the stops. We stop about every 15 miles or so. About 2/3 through we start thinking about what else we have to do that day, but we're all glad we did it and are amenable to another.