What counts as a century?
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Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
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You all have good ideas....but I have the real answer.
If you got/bought a t-shirt/jersey for the "event," then it was a century (distance covered of course). If there is a cutoff time, then you need to be in by that time.
If not, it was just a long ride.
Same with marathons.
Done plenty of both.
You're welcome 😁
If you got/bought a t-shirt/jersey for the "event," then it was a century (distance covered of course). If there is a cutoff time, then you need to be in by that time.
If not, it was just a long ride.
Same with marathons.
Done plenty of both.
You're welcome 😁
Marathon is a race, a century really is just a long ride.
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It really comes down to the spirit of riding a century. Someone who rides an unsupported 50 mile loop that starts and ends at home, eats lunch and goes out and rides it again should constitute a century. Eating at home is no different than any place else, especially unsupported and not an organized event.
Riding the 50 mile loop early in the morning, coming home, getting a massage, hooking up an IV, and taking a couple hour nap might be pushing it.
Likewise, finding a 25 mile primarily downhill and riding it 4 times in a day, being shuttled up to the top, just to get 100 miles is not really in the spirit of riding a century. Though technically being in the saddle for 100 miles with the occasional movement of the cranks.
John
Riding the 50 mile loop early in the morning, coming home, getting a massage, hooking up an IV, and taking a couple hour nap might be pushing it.
Likewise, finding a 25 mile primarily downhill and riding it 4 times in a day, being shuttled up to the top, just to get 100 miles is not really in the spirit of riding a century. Though technically being in the saddle for 100 miles with the occasional movement of the cranks.
John
Last century I rode, I did 53 miles, got the new COVID shot, rode a few miles more, had lunch at a pub, then rode the remaining 46 mile. Did that count? Sure felt like it on the hills back home.
Agree with you on the get a ride uphill, ride downhill one, though. That one's really not primarily under one's own power--It's basically powered by the potential energy stored by the drive uphill.
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*edit* Dang, rsbob beat me to it.
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OK, so I think I figured out the formula:
Whatever I do to get to 100 miles in a day is a century, what anybody else does is just a bunch of rides in a day. I am the cool kids table, dammit.
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I have become comfortably numb...
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Last edited by Wildwood; 09-14-22 at 01:45 PM.
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If it's in the same day, it's a century. Walking 24 miles isn't a marathon because a marathon is a running race. A century is a 100 mile bike ride, not a race, who cares if you cut it up in segments? Actually, who cares what you or I or anyone else calls it? I call it a century to give myself a mileage goal for the day, I'm not putting it up on some Galactic scoreboard.
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Last century I rode, I did 53 miles, got the new COVID shot, rode a few miles more, had lunch at a pub, then rode the remaining 46 mile. Did that count? Sure felt like it on the hills back home.
Agree with you on the get a ride uphill, ride downhill one, though. That one's really not primarily under one's own power--It's basically powered by the potential energy stored by the drive uphill.
Agree with you on the get a ride uphill, ride downhill one, though. That one's really not primarily under one's own power--It's basically powered by the potential energy stored by the drive uphill.
Another aspect of riding is destination riding. Some of the best rides are just picking a place to ride and going there. That shouldn’t get lost in the numbers.
Unfortunately as I age the destination might be picking up the neighbor’s mail when they are on vacation. Still hits the century mark, the only change is the unit of measure.
John
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It all depends on whether, when you're doing that non riding stuff in-between, you're still on a ride.
I do multi-day brevets, and I consider them a single ride because the clock is ticking. Even if I'm in my overnight hotel sleeping, I'm still on the ride. Because during that whole time, the ride is what life is all about. If I'm eating, it's to fuel the ride. If I'm sleeping, it's because I need sleep to carry on or because supplies are not available at night. But if I decide to DNF at the overnight, and ride home the next day, that was two rides. It's a state of mind.
I once did a 1000k brevet that was such a stupidly fast course that on the 2nd overnight, we had a campfire with hotdogs and marshmallows, then time for 8 hours of sleep. I call that one pretty marginal about being a single ride. The clock was ticking, but there was so much off-bike time it felt like multiple rides.
I do multi-day brevets, and I consider them a single ride because the clock is ticking. Even if I'm in my overnight hotel sleeping, I'm still on the ride. Because during that whole time, the ride is what life is all about. If I'm eating, it's to fuel the ride. If I'm sleeping, it's because I need sleep to carry on or because supplies are not available at night. But if I decide to DNF at the overnight, and ride home the next day, that was two rides. It's a state of mind.
I once did a 1000k brevet that was such a stupidly fast course that on the 2nd overnight, we had a campfire with hotdogs and marshmallows, then time for 8 hours of sleep. I call that one pretty marginal about being a single ride. The clock was ticking, but there was so much off-bike time it felt like multiple rides.
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If you ride some miles then go home take a shower, change into normal clothes do something unrelated to cycling then Lycra up and ride some more putting you up to or over 100 miles then no. It’s not a 100 mile bike ride aka a century ride. You’d just have the honor of saying you had rode 100 in one day. Still impressive if actually done.
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It is what it is, but more importantly; is not what it is not. Whatever will be will be. The future’s not ours to see…. Clear now? T-shirt please.
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If it's in the same day, it's a century. Walking 24 miles isn't a marathon because a marathon is a running race. A century is a 100 mile bike ride, not a race, who cares if you cut it up in segments? Actually, who cares what you or I or anyone else calls it? I call it a century to give myself a mileage goal for the day, I'm not putting it up on some Galactic scoreboard.
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What counts as a century? - Bike Forums
So what counts as a (metric) century? - Bike Forums
Last edited by big john; 09-14-22 at 08:14 PM.
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