Fixitman

I mean it is just a number why do we think in terms of 25, 50, 100 does a ride have to be divisible by 5 ?

Yesterday I went out for a training ride my rough goal was around 100 miles. I did not have an exact route mapped out so I just added bits and pieces as I went along. As it turns out at mile 97 I was passing the road that goes down to my house.
I could have easily ridden another 3 miles, but really just to say I did 100 miles that seemed kind of silly. So instead of putting in 3 meaningless miles I went home and spent a few more minutes with the family.


So how about you. Would you have ridden the 3 miles, or would you have gone home?

jbarham

I'd have gone the extra 3 miles, but you're right ... it's not important to anyone but you.

TVS_SS

well if you didnt do 100, it doesnt count.

sorry, better luck next time

AngryScientist 

whats the point of quantifying anything?

if your employer told your your annual salary was was 100,000 and paid you 97000, would you complain?

if the leaders stopped at 23 miles into the nyc marathon, would they still have run a marathon?

its all about goals, if you were happy riding 97, then thats all that matters unless you were in an organized ride or race.

personally i routinely ride routes that end whenever the loop is over, regardless of actual mileage.

mastronaut

Quitter!!!

estabro

I am sure there are a lot of runners that are happy going 26.1 miles and then stopping.

LesMcLuffAlot

Solution. Ride to time not distance. Your body doesn't know the distance you rode, it only knows duration and intensity. Join the modern era and leave distance training to the runners.......

kleinboogie

Goals work to keep us motivated and to see progress. Once you do 100, the centuries I ride are more like 106, then it can be about improving time, finishing with less fatigue, going a different route, improving nutrition before, during and after the ride, just to say you did it, hanging with buddies, doing a charity ride, whatever.

There's lots of reasons why 100 is a good number. First of all it sounds big and 99% of the population think we're crazy for doing it. I'll never forget the first time I did 80 back in 1994. My neighbor said he didn't even like to drive that far. That's when I knew I had sort of "crossed over" and darn if it didn't feel good. Ride for your own reasons and try not to get hung up on the numbers.

Back to your original ? If I wanted to say I did a century then yes, I'd do it. If it didn't matter as you imply then no, I'd go hang with the family and post about how silly 100 is. Enjoy.

silversx80

100 miles is a very important milestone. Although many people who can do 100 could possibly do a little more, doing a little under doesn't have the same effect on mentality. You get to say, "I finished my century today," instead of, "I almost finished a century today, but I could have if I wanted to."

heavyMetal

Next time, do 102 miles. Yeah, the round numbers are meaningless, except as milestones for our own narcissism. The round numbers are also more convenient for answering that Monday-morning question in the break room, Starbucks, wherever, "What did you do this weekend?". The answer "I cycled 100 miles on my Scaramouche road bike" is a little easier for your compatriots to grok than 97. Or you could just round up.

Vireo

All good points. Arguably, the last 5 km of a 100 mile road race would be the most exciting as they fight for position at the head of the peloton and catch the break-away. Yeah that would suck not to see that because they just stopped.

I think the 100 mile thing in training is just to get it done as another milestone. There's a sense of satisfaction in acheiveing your first 100 miles self-supported. With enough motivation you don't stop at the century mark and shoot for a double metric (~125 miles) and double centuries and so on.

big john

If my employer gave me $97,000, I'd kiss his ass.

jonathanrules

agreed

FixdGearHead

I considered riding 100 miles as a milestone in my cycling, just a rite of passage or sorts; it means nothing to me now to ride a "Century", but before I did it, it was a quantifiable goal.

Random things that I have always listed in my head as milestones over the years in my quest of cycling bliss:
- Clipless pedals <check>
- Ride 100 miles <check>
- Switch from shorts to bibs <check>
- Shave legs <check>
- Race <check>
- Race and win <......stupid goal anyway>
- Ride in Italy <maybe next year>

no real rhyme or reason to any of them, and doing any of them doesn't make one more of a cyclist than someone who hasn't in my opinion.

noisebeam

Heh, my first organized century ride reported 99.4mi on my very well calibrated computer which matches GPS to .05mi. All my friends who followed the exact same route got over 100.

urbanknight

I did a 98 mile "century" with a group near me that is doing a century every month for the year 2009. At our rest stop, we had a discussion on what the minimum miles a ride should be allowed to be and still be calle da century. Some said 95 because it rounds up, others said 97 or 98 because 5 miles short isn't close enough, and a couple of guys said 100.000 or it doesn't count. Those two guys rode about a mile past the finish and then back.

dark13star

I just ride the route I've planned. I had a similar temptation this summer, getting home from a solo ride at 98.2 miles. I had climbed 6,800' and I was beat. Sure I could have ridden around the park a few times, but what for. 100 is just a number. Some rides are more, some less, and 100 miles with no climbing is a hell of a lot easier than the 98 mile ride I did.

noisebeam

I think runners have it both better and worse. A marathon has some historical significance so it makes sense as a distance. But a half marathon to me is just plain stupid as a distance or goal/accomplishment. Just call/make it a 20km.

DataJunkie

It's a nice number. That is all.
However, 1000 is ten times as nice. So go ride 10 centuries.

billyymc

In the time it took you to think about posting this, log on, post it, and read whatever responses are here, you could have ridden the three miles.

rdk409

Obviously, you wish you would have done the last three miles or you wouldn't have posted this thread looking for reassurance! LOL! Face the facts bro, you quit with three miles to go.... LOL!

noisebeam

If it is still within 24hrs and you haven't yet showered you can hop on the bike, put the 3mi in and count it as a century by some classifications.

hoodooguru

I would have rounded up.

datlas 

It's just a round number but can be a very meaningful goal for some cyclists.

Live and let live.

Me? I have not used my computer for ages and don't count miles....I just want to enjoy the ride!

Quijibo187

There's a guy in our group, that wouldn't surprise me if he rode in circles around the parking lot to finish a century if he was that close.