groverdill

I’ve been a casual rider ever since racing BMX in the 80’s. Mainly I ride the local rail trail for 10 or 15 miles at a time, with a little mild mountain biking and boardwalk cruising at times. So far, my longest single ride was 60 miles for a charity ride on my Cannondale hybrid. Last month I signed up to ride 100 miles for the American Heart Association in February, which I completed despite several snowstorms and significant rainfall. So I did the 100 miles in a month. Stepping it up, I’m currently about halfway through riding 100 miles in a week, and doing quite well. My next goal, and one I’ve had on my to-do list for several years, is to ride 100 miles in a single day (yes, I know it’s called a century). I realize road cyclists do this on a routine basis, which is why I’m asking for advice here. What do I need to know? What challenges will I face? How should I prepare? I’m determined to get it done this year so I’m turning to the experts. Thanks!

Mike

NVFlinch 

1. Make sure your bike fits you and is comfortable. Ditto clothes - take what you may need.
2. If there are hills on the century course, make hills a large part of your training miles.
3. If you can easily do 100 miles per week, then you can do a century. No need to ride longer than 50 miles in trainng, but a lot of your rides should be 40-50 milers.
4. During the century, start slower than you think you should, then slow down! Don't get caught up in all the excitement and go out too fast. Your race, your pace. Read this advice again, then read it again.
5. Eat, drink, eat, drink, etc. If you feel out of energy or feel that you're 'done', it's a food and drink problem. Oh, and make sure you use electrolites in your drink, or what you eat.
6. Cut the century into pieces: Your first goal might be mile 25, next the upcoming rest stop, then another achievable milestone, etc. Makes it a lot easier than counting down the whole 100 miles. Rest when needed, if needed.

There's nothing magic about a century - it's just a mile done 100 times. Anyone can ride a mile! You can and will do it. The biggest obstacle is your mind; once you do your first century it becomes clear how easy they actually are. My goal for this year is to do the Tahoe century, and that's part of my recovery plan after haing my pelvis smashed in a bike car acident last November. Last year I did the same century - being off the bike for the month after surgery. Oh, and I'm 73. Like I say, you CAN do it.

Jughed

Don't stop at every rest stop for 10-15 min a pop. Your legs will feel like concrete every time you get back on the bike.

I aim to stop every 30+/- miles, refuel, hit the mens room and go. And by refueling, I mean filling up the water bottles and my jersey pockets with stuff. Get in and get out.

Read number 4 above again, then read it again. Start easy, keep your pace at a conversation level, do not go into the red zone on climbs or during headwinds.

CAT7RDR

I've only completed a handful of flat centuries and none recently.
What I do recall, is make sure you keep a schedule to hydrate and fuel your ride.
Find out what works for you on say a 100 KM tide. This will work on an Imperial century as well.

Finally, this rarely gets mentioned, design a route that will captivate your attention so that the ride does not become a chore but an adventure.
Great scenery makes the miles fly by.

Good Luck!

Iride01 

If it's a organized ride you are signing up for. You need to know how far apart the food/drink and potty stations are. And if you are anything like me, then that morning start time will have you focused on that first port-a-potty location so you can get rid of that second pee in the morning that seems to come too soon for some of us.

Otherwise, do you have enough drink and any food you wish to eat to make it between the feedings stations? If you use a special mix in your bottles you might want to take enough with you to finish the ride. As some people don't do well switching to the stuff that is offered at those stops.

Know what the SAG time is and whether or not you have a chance to make that. Some rides seem to be getting more strict and are picking up the stragglers instead of just letting them finish in their own time.

You'll save energy if you ride with a group. But you have to find a group that rides at the speed you can comfortably maintain. If you pick a group that is too fast for you, then you'll be worse off for the remainder of the ride. So if you are in a group and are going 10 mph fast than you normally do and feeling great, then you might want to drop out and find a group that is only 3- 5 mph faster than your normal solo speed. At least till you know whether or not you have the stamina to last the 4 to 5 hours or more you might be pedaling.

Don't forget to hydrate all during the ride. I drink a few gulps every ten minutes. Others probably drink every 15 minutes. But don't wait till you get to the feed stops. Once you get dehydrated, it might be days before your body recovers. If you feel a lingering fatigue after any ride, then IMO, you probably didn't hydrate well.

groverdill

Wow! Four replies so far and they’re all great! I’m learning already. Thanks, and keep ‘em coming!

Mike

wheelreason

I'm going to assume you have a well fitting, bike in good working order, with adequate gearing for the course (because that's obvious) and add do not do last minute changes or repairs without having a chance to ride the bike before the event.

1. Start out as slow as you can possibly stand, and then slow down some more.
2.. Drink and eat often and before you are thirsty or hungry.
2a. Eat and drink things you are used to, not new things you haven't tried.
3. Do not over dress, (Big fan of arm sleeves and a shell or vest that fits in a pocket)
4. Sunblock and lip balm are your friends.
5. Relax upper body and arms, and change hbar hand positions periodically
5a. Stand up every so often to change position and stretch some
5b. Look out for squirrels if riding in a pack or paceline (and don't get sucked into going with one that's too fast)
5c. Ride predictably, specially when passing or being passed.
6. Don't rush rest stops, but don't linger too long.
7. Do not "train" for the ride for 3-10 days, tapering off, and erring on the low side.

indyfabz

That last paragraph cannot be emphasized enough. I shared a room for a while with a newb at the end of the first day of an 80 charity ride of over 1,000 participants. He hooked up with some much stronger riders until he eventually bonked and injured his knee. He never stayed the night because his parents drove 3 hours to pick him up. They were not happy.

Jughed

And if its an out and back ride...

If you feel like you are just flying on the way out, like you are just cranking the pedals with ease - you have a tailwind and will pay for it the entire way back. Out in 2.5 hours, back in close to 4...

PeteHski

Pacing, hydration and nutrition are the main things to consider. Eat and drink little and often. Pace slower at the start and don’t eat or drink anything you haven’t tested beforehand. Also don’t wear anything brand new, especially regarding contact points ie shoes, shorts, gloves.

Eric F 

In regards to hydration and nutrition, I set my Wahoo computer with a reminder every 30 min..."EAT!". For me, this means a gel or a big swig off the high-carb mix in my bottles (I run carbs in my bottles and plain water in a hydro pack). I try to keep a fairly steady carb intake for the whole ride, with a couple of larger hits along the way. My preference is a pack of energy chews mid-morning, and a protein bar around lunchtime. Tip: Drink before you're thirsty and eat before you're hungry.

big john

I used to do organized centuries and I always stopped at all the rest stops. I always snack throughout the ride. If they provide lunch I hit that, too. I don't have an issue getting started again like some people seem to. If my legs stiffen it just takes a couple minutes to get going.

Also, I don't mind riding those things alone. If friends are there I will ride paceline with them but I am wary of strangers. Sometimes I will draft strangers but not often. If I do I try to check them out first. I would rather ride solo than get mixed in with a bunch of people I know nothing about.

If I get a muscle cramp I will just spin at low power. After a while they usually go away.

Above all, have fun. Chat with other riders, crack jokes, and enjoy the day. This part might be tough if you're riding a solo century.

Koyote

Lots of good advice above which I won't repeat.

Here is my tip, in case no one has mentioned it yet: you can ride as far as you want if you just keep pedaling.

indyfabz

And don’t forget to wave. (Just kidding.)

Steve B.

Avoid picking up on a group that is riding harder then you should be going. It's OK to ride alone and at the pace you know you can handle

13ollocks

when I’m soloing long distance, all the conversation is scintillating, and all the jokes are hilarious. 😀

Pantah

It's been mentioned a bunch and is always worth bringing up a 100 more times and that is pacing. Namely, don't go out hard or even at the pace you're used to riding at for, say, a 15 mile ride. This applies to any endurance sport, such as running and biking. Happens all the time in the races I run where someone will go out hard and try to stay on someone else's tail, run out of steam and fall way back. I call it running someone else's race and it never works. If someone passes you, it's a good chance it's because they're faster. If they're not, you'll eventually re-pass them.

Remember, most century rides are just that, rides not races. The number 1 goal is to finish and enjoy the ride.

Again on this one but water and food, You'll consume a good amount of both.
I can tell you out of experience that running out of water on a long ride is no fun. Thankfully, you'll be on an organized ride with rest stops so you'll be able to refill along the way and grab snacks. Still, be prepared and start with your own snacks and full water bottles.

Calsun

I would not overthink it. Going at 15 mph one covers 100 miles in less than 7 hours which is not that difficult. Riding one hundred miles the following day is a different matter. My first 100 plus mile ride was when I was a teenager living in Altadena and I bicycled to Santa Barbara to visit a former neighbor who had moved there with his mother. Road back home the next day and never thought much about it.

It is a good idea to stay hydrated and to bring snacks you can eat during the ride. Two water bottles will be more than enough if you start the ride well hydrated. If you get dehydrated your blood thickens and your heart works much harder and heat stroke is a potential problem. Around that time I road 100 miles to visit friends in Cabazon and I came very close to having heat stroke as the heated pavement was raising my core temp to a much greater degree. Being on the pavement during the peak heat load period was very unhealthy as I realized later. A local Dallas marathon runner died during the Olympic Trials when he experienced heat stroke.

I love raisins as a snack as the sugar goes quickly into my blood stream and I can eat them one handed. I use a small handlebar bag for a few small snack size boxes of raisins. Add a bag of nuts to munch on and your will be in good shape. I have found a high carb breakfast of pancakes fuels me for long days of riding. Pasta the night before for dinner (carb loading) also can help and was a common practice for pro bike racers before the advent of snack bars that the riders are paid to promote.

rm -rf

For training, I want to be able to ride 60 miles "comfortably" in the months before the 100. Comfortably still allows for some discomfort at hands, shoulders, saddle, and feet, but nothing major. If I'm at 50 miles of the 60 thinking, "oh no, 10 more miles", then I need to ride more of these longer rides. These 60 miles rides become just another long day ride, no big deal, tiring but good. (my usual riding is 40-50 mile rides approx 3 times a week in the spring, summer, fall, and mostly indoor in the winter.)

I mostly ride 100 in event rides, where there's lots of other riders and lots of rest stops. The other riders, friends or just riders going at my pace, help make the ride time go by quicker, compared to riding solo.

Every time, I think "we are pretty far along now", and look down at my bike computer distance. It'll show something like "21 miles" or "23.5 miles". What! more than 75 to go! Oh no. But later, at around 50 or 60, I'm thinking "I'm still good, lots of reserves, nice day, it's going to work." Sometimes, the last 5 or 10 miles are tough, other times not bad at all.

Random11

Lots of good advice here. Eat, drink, and don't push it too hard. I'd emphasize that you need to stay hydrated. Dehydration can sneak up on you if you're not paying attention. You can feel that you're getting tired, but you may not realize you're getting dehydrated until it's too late.

Sierra_rider

Tons of good advice so far, so I'll just speak to the mental aspect of riding 100 miles. I can't speak for everyone else, but I occasionally have moments of struggle during long/hard rides/events. I refer to the low-part of the ride as the "crux," and it usually involves a feeling that I want nothing more than to end that activity. It's usually brought on by physical fatigue, but is mostly mental in nature IMO.

Obviously don't ignore signs that are pointing to a potential medical emergency, but if you find yourself in that struggle, remind yourself that it's only a temporary situation. When I'm at one of those low points, I just tell myself that in the grand scheme of life, those points are just mere hours or even just minutes of discomfort. Without getting too philosophical, I'll then move onto a thought about how I'm experiencing something that the average Joe doesn't get to experience...also that nothing worth doing, is easy. With this positive thinking, I'm almost always able to make a mid-ride recovery.

My final tip, is to "break" the ride up in your mine...not necessarily for any logistical purpose, but just to have small objectives you can accomplish during the ride. On a flattish century, maybe that's breaking it up into quarters...in a local mountainous century, I broke the ride up into mountain passes climbed.

rsbob 

If you can either ride with a buddy, or make a friend, and ride with them. The miles will fly by when you have someone to chat with and distract you.

dennis336

I can attest to the advice many have given regarding pacing and hydration. My first century I didn't do either very well. I finished, but at the 75 mile mark, I was really hurting. If you start out slow and find you have lots of spare energy at the 75 mile mark, you can always pick up your pace then. You'll learn a lot riding your first century and will apply the lessons learned to subsequent rides.

The other thing I would note is to pay attention to the weather forecast. On my second century, I did better on pacing and hydration but the temperatures went deep into the 90's which, for me, is way too hot. The heat really got to me. As with my first century, I finished, but was hurting. I won't do a long ride in that kind of heat again!

On another ride, the weather forecast was for the sun to break through and a light morning rain to stop early in the A.M. It didn't, and the ride (ended up just doing a metric century) was cold, wet, and raw.

Take note of the weather and where your comfort zone is, what for you, may be the extremes of heat or cold.

noimagination

If it's an organized ride:
Start well back in the pack, to avoid the squirrels at the front who race out like they're doing a 5K TT. I've seen more riders taken out in the first couple of miles than in all the other miles combined. The poster above who mentioned looking out for squirrels (i.e. squirrely riders) wasn't kidding. I've seen some crazy riding in charity rides, some people are incapable of holding a line even if they're surrounded by other riders, and/or they're just oblivious to the fact that other people exist. Keep a relaxed pace at the start - you have lots of time to go faster, if that's what you want.
I would carry enough food/drink so that I could skip the first rest stop. The first one is usually mobbed, and it may take too long to get what you want/need, so you get too cool and your legs feel like lead for a while after you get re-started ("take 5" is a cliche for a reason - try not to stop for more than 5 min. at a time). Also know where the last stop is, so you don't blow by it and then run out of food/drink. The last stop is usually heavily used also, but riders are stretched out enough that you generally don't have to wait. If you're far back in the pack, then maybe stop at the next-to-last stop instead and get enough to carry you to the end, in case the last stop runs out of supplies.

If it's a solo ride:
You've already had a lot of good advice, above, about pacing, hydration and nutrition. The only thing I have to add is that, for me, many small drinks/snacks are better than less frequent big drinks/snacks.
Plan a route that looks interesting to you, but try to avoid too much climbing, if possible. If there's a particular place to which you've always wanted to ride, now's your chance. Having a goal like that can help with motivation.
Also make sure that there are enough refueling spots along the way (keeping in mind that some places close on Sundays), or have someone meet you at some point to resupply you with drink/food. I generally carry enough drink for 80 miles, then I need to resupply. It's possible to carry enough for the full hundred, but liquids are heavy. Food is usually compact and light enough that carrying enough for 100 mi. isn't a problem.

Have fun. I've enjoyed all of my centuries, and I've had some beautiful riding along the way.

pdlamb

Agreed, with the caveat that you refill those two water bottles every chance you get -- at least every couple hours -- and drink. Water in bottles does a rider no good, water that's been drunk does a body good.

I'm mostly agreeing because I'm being picky about wording. Someone who's riding at the 15 mph mentioned above for seven hours probably needs more than two bottles of water. And of course that depends on reasonable spacing of rest stops; 3 hours between stops ending with an hour's climb will be problematic.