My first century was in Sept. 2019. I was fine until the rest stop at the 60 mile mark when I ate way more than I expected. I started to fade by the 70-75 mile mark though the big problem was my back giving out. The pain was so awful I had to repeatedly get off the bike and I felt like I limped home for the last 10 miles.
The course was relatively flat and consistent so any speed changes are mostly a result of power output changes. Speed in kph 20 km increments riding entirely solo:
0-20km 28.5
20-40km 30.4
40-60km 30.9
60-80km 29.0
80-100km 29.1
100-120km 27.1
120-140km 28.3
140-160km 26.9
Previous to the century my longest ride was 2h10m. The century took me 5h39m riding time. In retrospect, I'm surprised I made it as long as I did before falling apart. Recommendations would be do 100 kilometers some time and/or ride your bike for 4-5 hours at a slow pace. You don't actually have to ride 100 miles but just being on your bike for a while should let you know if you have fit issues like the above poster mentioned.
I also drank way more than I expected.
My FTP isn't a lot higher than it was 2 years ago but my ability to sustain punishment on the bike is certainly higher.
Last edited by guachi; 08-28-21 at 10:43 PM.