Originally Posted by
Random11
Perhaps an interesting comparison is the Tour de France, where cyclists cover approximately 21 centuries in a month. Marthoners can't run 21 marathons in a month. One reason might be that you don't have that pounding of your joints on a bike, but another might be that it's easier to do a century on a bike than run a marathon.
Lots of variables in cycling. I did a century with 12,000 feet of climbing in the first 75 miles. @210 pounds that was pretty tough. I've done a number of 10,000 foot centuries including one that finishes with a steep climb. I did a 9000+ foot century in the mountains with a cold, hard rain for 40+ miles. I did a charity century when the headwind was so strong people were walking their bikes on flat ground. I did an 85 mile ride on a loaded touring bike where we traveled through the mountains and finished with 40 miles of stiff headwind. That ride took 11 hours. I've lost 11 pounds of water weight on rides. I've ridden when it was so hot and dry I got a bloody nose.
I've also done easy, relatively flat centuries in nice weather where we just cruised along and finished fresh.