PeteHski

I wouldn’t do this a few days before. I would do it at least a week before and then do a couple of short rides in the lead up, with plenty of rest

blacknbluebikes 

I think folks are being nice and encouraging, but I'll say it: what you're describing says you're not there, yet.
Yes, you will survive it, that's for sure. But it will not go well. You need to be in a place more like "I have done two 45 milers, do you think I can do 62?"
You're not there yet. Get a 50 under your belt, on your own terms.

rsbob 

You certainly can do it but considering your present mileage it won’t be pleasant. But then some people only care about accomplishment regardless of the suffering aspect. My preference is to be able to get through a century with just a little bit of reaching, but that is me.

Typically people riding centuries or metric centuries will gradually build up their mileage up to 80% before making the leap to the event. This usually takes places over months. Best of luck.

10 Wheels

Rest up Three Complete Days before the Ride.

On the Ride Stand and Stretch your Back, Arms, and Legs
2,000 Mile Month for me.

hevysrf

I won't break 3000 for the year.

rm -rf

You should ride at least 40 miles (45 would be better) before the ride. That's a confidence booster, and you'll see if you can tolerate sitting on the bike that long.

~~~

Being one of the last riders to finish isn't great.

Our local event ride planned for the slowest riders to do about 10 mph. The routes were hilly though, and that really slows down the average speeds. An equivalent flat ride might be a 12 mph average?
We did accommodate one rider that was determined to finish, keeping track of where he was on the course. He finished over an hour after the rest of the riders. That's not really fair to the volunteers.

Event rides are great for riding much longer (or more elevation!) than my usual distances. The frequent rest stops with food and water are really helpful. Riding with some other riders helps the time go by quickly.

But I've been in the "last few riders on the course" group a few times. The rest stops can run out of many kinds of food, and there's at least a little personal or event support driver pressure to go a little faster, or be transported back. And the post ride meal is often just about out of food too!

Jumpski

Some great advice with all the replies here. Of course, you might be able to complete the said ride. Slowly increase your mileage gradually. After all, you could complete a metric century at a later date. Having fun is part of the experience, so good luck.

OldTryGuy

Back when riding was easy, having fun WAS ALL of the experience.

galyons

I am 72 and I broke my hip in a fall cyclining near Mt. Lassen, Northern California 6 years ago. I rode a coupe of 36-40 mile organized rides since then, but have not forced myself back into a regular riding regimen. At the start of August I committed to a metric century on Sept. 30 in Sacramento. My experience is that there is no replacement for "butt on saddle" time. As has been stated, your butt, hands and wrists will make the ride miserable, if you have not conditioned them. I want to enjoy the ride. For me, that means I train up to ride more than the target distance each week, AND at least 70-75% of the target distance on the last couple of weekends before the ride. I have "pushed" it before. It was not fun!

nomadmax 

Cycling technology is great. But, I've accomplished more with ignorant optimism. It's only a bonk, go out and find your limits if you truly want to improve. No one here can definitively tell you what they are. You can measure watts, cadence, miles etc, but the will to accomplish something can not be measured.

Eric F 

Earlier this year, a lady I know (55yo) did a full 100mi century. She has only been riding for a few years, and her riding habits tend to be 8-15mi MTB rides 1-2 times per week, and some occasional indoor riding. In the 3 months before the century, she did 3 road rides - 25, 45, and 75miles. She completed the century. It was hard, but she had a good crew to roll with. They took their time and had fun.

If you have people to ride with, it makes it much easier. Trying to do a ride like that without at least one friend can be grueling.

rumrunn6

fwiw - I shy away from group rides & prefer not having the distraction of other riders, my speed compared to others, or a preset distance. I get more joy tuning in to my own ride. I've had fun going on progressively longer rides, learning from others here on BF & experimenting with my own nutrition, hydration, supplements & bikes. I think if I ever wanted to join a large, organized group ride, I'd want to know I've done the distance in a reasonable amount of time, before doing it with a group. if I ever decided to just go-for-it I'd have a plan B & a plan C. meaning looking at the route & deciding in advance, where I could turn around or create a smaller circuit & work my way back to my car. I find it very helpful to have some type of computer so I'll know where I am, in terms of distance. for example on long rides, knowing where I am on the last 10 miles, helps me gauge my effort & adjust my expectations. those are always the most difficult miles for me. & I don't like thinking the end is just ahead, when I have another 5 miles to go. knowledge is power