Sculptor7

This year I hope to complete a century ride and I am wondering what actually constitutes a 100 mile ride. That is, in what period of time must one complete the 100 miles? Have ridden 51 miles in about 5 hours on my comfortable but heavy (38 lbs) Schwinn hybrid, if I took 10 or 11 hours to do 100 miles could I still consider that a century?

Actually planning on using my road bike which should give me a little extra speed.

Robert Foster

If you are asking about an organized Century as long as you ride the 100+ miles you have done a century. Some of them have time limits but that is only for SAG support and rest stop workers.

livin4eternity

Is a centrury always measured in miles or can you count kms? Or must those be specified as "metric centuries"?

dewaday

To me, if your focus stays on the ride and you complete 100 miles, it's a century. If you stop for a two hour nap I think your stretching it. I don't think it's time to complete as much as intent, and you're the best judge of that.

Count kms?, why not just count feet and get it over with

digger

A metric century is 100kms.

A "traditional" century is 100 miles (162km). When someone says "a century", 100 miles is assumed.

Since my bike 'puter is in kms, then for me to ride "a century" I have to reach 162km on it.

Try not to get to caught up in "how" it is measured, these terms are sort of a language, based on tradition, and anyone new to cycling would have to learn this "language."

Maybe "have" is a strong word, it is not like your forced, but you would have to become accustomed to it.

Edit:
As to time it gets kinda tricky; Excluding timed events - I think that if you complete it in "one sitting" - it is a century. Now that doesn't mean you cannot get off your bike, or even take a nap, but when you start the ride, you complete it. Not stop, go home and complete the next day.
It is a grey area and not easily defined without SOME loophole.

Robert Foster

When searching for events in the US they are divided as Centuries and metric Centuries for the greatest part. There is quite a difference between 100 and 62+ miles. That last 40 miles makes a lot of difference to your body. At least it does for me.

digger

Yup. For me 100kms, no problem, do one almost every weekend.

Once I start getting to 130ish kms, I start to get....uncomfortable. So "a century" requires a bit of preperation for me and adjustment to riding style - relaxed pace.

Artkansas 

I would say there is a time limit. 24 hours.

DieselDan

Should be 100 miles in one ride with reasonable breaks for food, hydration, nature, traffic, and mechanical breakdowns.

sknhgy 

Closest I've gotten - 75 miles - I stopped for water and ended up snoozing for about 20 minutes on a trailside bench. Had my helmet for a pillow. I vaguely remember people riding by and kind of chuckling at me.

stapfam

Only if you have lights.

Take it this would be the first organised ride for you and you will find that this will bring a bit of pace to your riding. But go at your pace and enjoy.

Get yourself up to around 70 miles and then you will be able to do 100 miles.- Providing you eat enough- drink enough and do the 70 miles oftem enough.

digger

This is a very interesting topic. It is curious to read that you apply a time limit of 24 hours. I don't necessarily disagree, but the perspective is interesting.

So lets say I ride the first half of that century from 2pm to 6pm on day 1. Go home, sleep and complete the next part of the ride from 7am to 11am.

To me, that's 2 seperate rides, but falls within the 24 hour window that Artkansas mentioned.

What if I ride 3 hours, take a break for 7, ride 3, break 7, then ride another 3 to finish, that totals 23 hours. Is that all that one ride, or 3 seperate rides?

I'm pretty sure I know what you mean Artkansas, the ride has to be completed within a day, which is technically 24 hours but really means within 1 period of daylight, no sleeping or unreasonable extended breaks.

Keith99

Personally I'd go with does it feel like one ride? I don't consider a centruy any big deal perhaps it is becaseu I did a organized double before an organized century.

To me a huge break in a ride would not keep a ride from being a century. If I rode to the beach and spent a few hours there I'd still condifer it a century (or since I don't care more like tell my riding partner, yes that counts if you want it to).

What I would count as 'breaking' the century is if I stopped to rest for a prolonged period, and even there a lot would depend on if I 'needed' the rest or if it was just so peaceful somewhere that a nice nap seemed good.

Sculptor7

Seems like it was a fair question judging from the active response. Guess for me personally, any stops for mechanical needs, food, hydration, toilet breaks and brief rests not exceeding 20-30 minutes would be acceptable. If I end up taking a two hour nap I think I would feel like I had compromised the achievement. On the 51 mile ride I stopped for about 20 minutes for refreshment about halfway through. Also a few momentary pauses to examine the roadside fauna.

digger

Now just a gal-dang minute!

You stopped to look at flowers and animals? On no, my friend, this is unacceptable and considered a HUGE departure from the accepted norm. You've comprimised your ride and it would NOT be considered a century.

Tsk...tsk...tsk.

dewaday

Aw now, he did say fauna. I say as long as it was just animals he's okay, flowers would be beyond the pale. We need a ruling body for these sorts of controversies.

10 Wheels

Stopping more then twice ( too p) on a 100 mile ride should Void the Century title.

dewaday

^^^he said "Void"

digger

I respectfully disagree. Stopping to smell the roses or to feed, pet or sodomize the animals is strickly forbidden.

Stopping to poke a dead carcass is acceptable, but only when the carcass is obviously 3 days old or more.

dewaday

What if I (hypothetically speaking), were to sodomize the roses and feed the carcass? Would the time factor come into play?

Velo Dog

I'm surprised how often this comes up, as though there were some cutoff--if you can't do it under X hours, it's not really a century.
At least from my standpoint, if you do it in essentially one shot, it's a century. Rest stops and even meals are fine (one of our local clubs does a century with a full, multi-course buffet at about 60 miles, roast beef and dessert and everything). Stopping for the night in a Holiday Inn probably makes it two rides.
My first century, at age 44, took me eight hours. I've done faster ones since, but I just turned 65 and probably won't match them again. But if I start at 7 a.m., ride 100 miles and finish at 7 p.m., I'm going to say, loudly and clearly, that I rode a century.
I'll probably mumble the time, though.

BlazingPedals

You shouldn't sodomize carcasses if they've been dead for more than 3 days. Stick to the fresh ones.

digger

No, no no, no, no, no

It is forbidden to sodomize the LIVE ones to count as a full century

But it is okay to POKE the dead ones to count as a full century.

Ugh, I mean really, YOU people....

cyccommute 

Since you are the one pedaling, you can decide the rules

Some organized centuries might have time limits...the Leadville 100, for example, only gives belt buckles out to those who finish under 12 hours. When the League of American Wheelmen were doing sanctioned centuries in the 1890's, I think the cut off time was 10 hours...on an Ordinary That puts mountain biking's toughness to shame...not to mention modern geared 16 lb super bikes

But if you are doing this on your own, it's between you, the clock and your bike computer.

caloso

Personally, I'd say it means riding 100 miles in a single calendar day.