Frosty Camel

I considered a century to be the "holy grail" of bicycling. Something that extra ordinary people could do but I was never going to see it. My last attempt at 100 miles was about 4 months ago and I completely ran out of steam at a little over 80. I went as far as I could and couldn't even stand when I stopped. Had to call for a ride.

Well today I did it!!! 104 miles!! I'm so proud I just had to share!

https://www.strava.com/activities/88449927

So now I have the bragging rights but I don't think I will ever attempt it again. The last 20 miles were not what could be considered fun by any definition, and the last 10 were absolute torture.

But I made it!!

2 wheeler

Congratulations on a great achievement! I'm 60 and would need to do a lot of prep riding to even consider a century, although I did a bunch of them when I was younger.

Ya done good!!

Frosty Camel

Thanks 2 wheeler. I'm elated!!

Lanceoldstrong

all hail The Centurion! Great job!

Reelin

Congrats!! Great job!!

jsigone

Thumbs up!!!

aramis

Nice job! It's not easy.

But you did a 104 mile ride and there were only 2 strava segments? I can go on a 10 mile ride and there will be 2 dozen segments with hundred (sometimes thousands) of people on them.

donalson

great job man... I've never done a full century (did a metric)... I was lucky enough to do a nicely organized ride with some friends that where willing to tow me along... it made it enjoyable doing it with friends and despite being under trained for it I finished fairly strong (well other then a wheel that lost a few spokes :-/

HonestOne

Yay, WOOO! Good for you
- Aaron

JimF22003

Many a mom has said "one's enough I don't need to do that again" after having the first baby.

But a lot of those babies have brothers and sisters

Congrats!

kflagg 

Way to go simply awesome!!!

MattInFla

Outstanding!!!!!!

SammyJ 

AWESOME! My dream still!

ChiefTJS

Outstanding!! I've done a few halfs this year, I'll be looking for a full next year. Hope I can join the club.

TrojanHorse

Well done! Did you ride that alone? Centuries with a small group are probably more fun.

Regardless, my first one featured a miserable mental wall right about 80 or 85 miles too. Once you know you can do it... the wall shrinks.

Good luck on your next one.

phread59

Hey Frosty that was some humpin there. Great job, I for one applaud you're effort.

Mark shuman

WonderMonkey

Very nice! I say you will do another but you will be more aware of how good of shape you have to be in before you attempt it.

LabRat2k3

That is great. I don't know if I will ever get to the point where I could do it, but I would like to try some day.

Frosty Camel

A very rural area + a lot of people with a sedantary lifestyle = Very few cyclists . In my town there's one guy I've seen bike past my work a few times. I don't have a clue who he is or where he's coming from. There's also a husband and wife that I've ridden with, a few mountain bikers, and that's it.

Yep, did it alone. I am the Lone Cyclist.

Thanks for the Kudos everyone!!

10 Wheels

Congratulation on the effort..Solo ones seem so long and slowwww.

WobblyLegs

Seeing this post just made me grin very widely! I'm proud of you and I don't even know you! Well done

JoeGrizzly

How do you build up for a century?

Gnosis

Congratulations on your first century ride, Frosty Camel!

However, I'll add that riding a century ride just once doesn’t provide a heck of a lot in the way of bragging rights, as in essence it conveys that you deemed it so daunting that you decided against ever riding another century. See what I mean? Not much to brag about.

But it's definitely a gratifying personal achievement and that achievement becomes all the more significant when you find yourself riding numerous century rides per year without giving its difficulty a 2nd thought.

There are many on this forum who ride a dozen and even more than 2 dozen century rides every year, now THAT qualifies for some serious bragging rights, but oddly, their achievement far outweighs any need to brag about them, so instead they deem it gratifying that they’re capable of doing so at whatever their age.

So I’m not raining on your parade, but instead trying to get you to realize that century rides get easier the more you ride them and eventually you may find yourself riding much greater distances just as I have (i.e., a 200-mile ride in late August of this year). I only rode 8 hilly century rides in 2012 and that was the first year that I ever rode a century ride, so my point is, it doesn’t take all that long before you can progress to far greater distances, but it won’t happen unless you possess the desire to accomplish such distances and you can't accurately determine the scope of your limitations via a single successful century ride, as they do get easier each time (short of riding them in sweltering humidity, which is always more difficult).

I hope it doesn’t turn out to be your only century ride, in which case, I wish you much success in your future distant rides.

HelpMeRhonda

Not raining on his parade - RIGHT

Just blowing a little smoke up your own ###

10 Wheels

Gotta agree with you....