Panza

2014, September. 40 miles into the ride it started pouring torrential downpours with thunder. I had my waterproof shell but I was soaked from my legs shoes gloves and helmet. At one point it was so bad I had to shelter under a school. The weather reports earlier said that Sunday was going to be beautiful and sunny. They were absolutely wrong. I took my long johns off in the last 10 miles and biked in the humid musk and accepted I would be soaking wet but it would be more airy.

I also lost my wallet on this ride -- my Louis Vuiton wallet with 80$ all my cards I used for work. It was a gift. Damnit.

My first century sucked.

jlafitte 

So it was the first but not the last, no?

"To suffer is to learn."

Panza

Absolutely not the last. I have another century planned for next week, was to have one today but I was struck by a car earlier in the week and I'm recovering. : ) Will take a lot to get me off 2 wheels.

guidoStow

When I was in 7th grade I took part in a fundraising ride from East Moriches, NY to Montauk Point. After the celebration lunch, I didn't want to put my bike in the van for the trip back to the beginning so I just rode back. 111 miles for the day. I've loved long distance riding ever since.

Machka 

Bump ... for the 2017 season.

unterhausen

I think you're just trying to make me feel old, because there are only a couple of centuries that I remember at all from when I was a teenager.

wipekitty

Ohhhh yes. Short version: my first century was horrible, but also amazing.

In 2009, I thought it would be a good idea to sign up for the Buffalo Bicycle Classic, a charity ride for scholarships at the University of Colorado - Boulder. Being a dopey broke grad student who just liked riding my bike around, I had no idea about real cyclists or cycling culture or anything - I didn't have special shoes or a jersey or even padded shorts and gloves. I'd been doing my 66 mile RT commute between Denver and Boulder a few times a week on an old Nishiki that had become a FG/SS, and thought it would be fun to try an organized century.

So, I showed up on my crappy bike with comfy clothes and a messenger bag with my stuff. The serious cyclists made fun of me, and plenty of those showed up for the event. Around mile 40, I had enough of not coasting, and flipped my wheel over to the single speed freewheel. Not long after that, I took a wrong turn on the course and ended up near Fort Collins.

The last 10-15 miles were awful. Everything hurt: my legs could barely turn the cranks, I could barely move my hands to hit the brakes, and I wanted to chuck my saddle into the trash and never sit on anything again. Dark clouds started to roll in, and the wind was picking up. But, I finished the ride - and with the wrong turn, had put about 112 miles on a single speed!

I'd banged myself up pretty good, which led to some problems. The worst was some temporary nerve damage in my right hand - I couldn't start my car with my right hand for about a week, and writing on a chalkboard (my source of income was teaching college courses) was very interesting. After a few weeks, the damage fortunately reversed itself.

Despite the pain, and that awful stretch at the end of the ride, there was some wonderful feeling I had afterwards that I have never been able to replicate. I'm not sure what it was - perhaps something that comes from pushing your body to its limit and beyond. I can still get a cycling high, but nothing that intense. Every long ride since then has felt like chasing the dragon.

DTG

My true first century was the Pioneer Century. I was training for STP and a friend mentioned I should ride that first since it had more climbing in 100 miles than STP had for the double century. It kicked my ass but it was a good time, that was 2014. Since then, I have ridden about seven other centuries and those long rides as someone mentioned before where it's 50+ miles out and back.

hobbitman

My first century was the 2015 Hot 100 in Lascassas, TN. Between my friend going over the bars at mile 33, a snapped masterlink at 55, getting lost just past that, a blowout at mile 70, and the additional mileage imposed by getting lost I'd say we earned it. Total mileage ended up being just over 109. Oddly, after doing this ride fixed I can't stand riding bikes with gears anymore, and that's what used to get all but the commuting mileage.

Machka 

Got any century plans this year?

If we ride one this year, it will be our first since ... well ... you can read all about it in the Rowan thread in my sig line. It would be nice to get one in this year, if possible ...

zowie

My riding buds encouraged me to join them on the Montauk Century in the 80s but I didn't think I could do it. What the hell would I do if I got stranded in Suffolk County?
I signed up to do it in 2001. I was suited up and about to walk out the door in the wee hours of the AM and the phone rang. Serious family medical emergency. Couldn't do it.
Finally got to it in 2006. Yay.

GuessWhoCycling

First century was back in 1998. Solvang Century. We heard there was a killer hill on the ride so a buddy and I trained on mountain roads climbing 5,000 ft on our rides. We rode together and flew through the ride in 5 1/2 without pushing too hard. We hit the WALL they spoke of, rode over it and wondered where the hill was.

First century on a tandem was in Brawley Ca. Wide open desert/dairy land setting. It got super windy! We toughed it out the first 30 miles with sandstorms and all. I remember feeling good about the ride as there were only about 200 bikes registered. We were on our tandem, basic steal, basic wheels when we were passed by another sweet looking tandem with nice wheels about 5 miles in. the couple pulled up on the side of us and said, "you should get a tandem like ours, they are faster and so much nicer to ride!".

But a mile later we hit some super wind. Ended up passing them as they stopped to catch their breath on the side of the road. Smiled as we rolled by then after we passed, put our heads back down and continued grinding it out without smiles.

Ended up completing the ride after the wind settled 30 or 40 miles in. The SWEET tandem dropped out of the ride because it was too tough. Saw them the next day at the hotel heading for breakfast. I told them all about completing our ride on our average tandem.

MattTheHat 

I remember if fairly well...it was yesterday.

I spent more time off the bike than I wanted, but since I haven't logged many miles over the past 6 weeks this didn't surprise me. Around mile 82 I had to get off to do some stretching. And at mile 84 I had to stop for lunch as I was bonking pretty seriously. I had three protein bars for the first 82 miles. Time on the bike was 7:07:41 total time was about 8 hours. A good 20 miles or more of the ride involved slowing down and stopping for traffic lights. Lots of them here in the Dallas area.

I was really hoping to have a moving time of less than 7 hours, which I think I would have done if my route had less traffic lights. The constant slowing down and speeding back up was a real time suck.

-Matt

ctpres

My first century was Katy Flatland 100 in 1988. Got doored by sag wagon at about half way point. Had to stand on wheel to make it rideable and still managed to finish in under 5 hours. That ride proved to me that riding with injuries ( if possible ) is far better than stopping.

curbtender

Ha, yes, when I hit mile 114 I had to admit I was lost.

NoWhammies

My first Century was the Skagit Spring Classic. After that I was hooked. Great way to spend the day with some great people.

delbiker1 

My first 100 miler was on a day that I did not set out to do 100. It was in 2016 about a month short of my 64th birthday. I was riding an Airborne Zeppelin titanium that I had purchased used the month before. I was riding solo on a sunny morning, low 70s and a light wind from the SE. I put in 30 miles and was feeling really good. The weather was looking stable and I had the day off.The thought of going for 100 crossed my mind. I stopped at home to fill water bottles and get snacks and decited to go for it. I stopped for 5 to 10 minutes every hour or so and hit 100 miles in 7 hours, 18 minutes, including the downtime. I believe I would have been under 7 hours if not for a flat at 78 miles. My legs were tired, my lower back and neck and rear were sore, but overall felt good. Next morning I did an easy paced 22 miles and had minimal stiffness/soreness.

friday1970

Tour de Livingston
104 miles total
Around mile 82 or so, I picked up a riding buddy after leaving the GM Proving Grounds loop. He was around 21 years old or so, about 20 years younger than me. I was worried I was slowing him down, so I felt like I had to keep a 16-17mph pace. After about 5 miles of this, he says "If you want, go ahead of me. I'm having trouble keeping up". I was so surprised that I was faster than a thinner, younger guy!
I slowed down and we rode together the rest of the way. Just a few miles before the end, we got poured on by a heavy localized storm. We rolled into the finish wet, tired, and grinning ear to ear. It was both our first centuries.

jlafitte 

If I remember right... It was 1988 during my graduate program at Florida State, To provide some diversion from studying, I purchased a new Trek 360, a twitchy 12-speed crit bike. I rode that thing all over. After many half centuries on the St. Marks trail, I couldn't resist the idea of a bike ride to the beach. Starting in Tallahassee, around the capital circle, all the way down 319, through the state forests to the Gulf shore. Hung out with the sunbathers for a minute, then rode back. One water bottle, a couple bananas, seven hours. Priceless.

Jmpierce

My first century was in 87 I think. IT was either the Apple Cider Century or one in Evanston IL. I've ridden a number of them since then.

My hope is to do a RAGBRI or self supported week long bike packing trip.

Working on a bike now.

TheDudeIsHere

Very well I think for a beginner. 1998, a couple buds and I would regularly ride a 5,000 ft 20 mile climb on a local mountain road weekly over a 4 month period.

Plus plenty of longer 60 mile flat course rides.

Did the Solvang century (claims 5,000 ft gain). Sure didn't feel like that much gain.

Felt comfy the whole way, finished in 5:30 minutes taking turns at the front with 2 buds.

Some people made a big deal about the wall. Not even sure what it was, 7% climb for a mile I think. OF course climbing 5,000 ft every week for months, we missed the wall somewhere.

"Did you see The Wall?", not me, did you see it? Nope, but we must have climbed it somewhere!

Stormsedge

Started riding in Jan17, switched to Domane in Jul17, rode my first century in Oct17 at Clarksville, TN...the Sunrise Century. Fairly flat, good ride...finished in the last two dozen or so.

FLYBYU

My first century was from Saskatoon to Batoche and back. It ended up being about 118 miles.

My friend had ridden his mountain bike there two weeks prior and told me it was around 60 miles (he didn't own a bike computer). He wanted to go again and walk around the old battlegrounds at Batoche, so I went with him. I took my mountain bike with slick tires. It was a good ride, but on the return leg it started to pour with rain and I had to use a plastic garbage bag I had as a makeshift poncho to stay warm.

noglider 

Actually, no, I don't remember my first century ride. Hmm, I wonder why.

unterhausen

If you remember the '70s, you weren't there, that's why. I vaguely remember some centuries from back then, but not which one was first. I might still have some patches from riding centuries, I think they are in the garage.