# Century



## dponder (Nov 5, 2009)

I'm aiming for a century in May. I'm new to cycling, and this forum, and can already tell this is going to be addicting. I'm in decent shape from racquetball, running, & swimming, but I don't have cycling legs quite yet. My first ride was 11 mi last week and did another 20 today. Going out for another 20 tomorrow. Can I get the miles and training I need to complete the century in May?

Please share thoughts on what training will be most effective. Just logging miles? Or something more than that? Thanks.


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## deadlegs2 (Oct 3, 2009)

Find other rides to do before.. Do a 50mi and a 100k or 2 or 3.. Going from 20mi rides to a century is a tall order..


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## barry1021 (Nov 27, 2005)

dponder said:


> I'm aiming for a century in May. I'm new to cycling, and this forum, and can already tell this is going to be addicting. I'm in decent shape from racquetball, running, & swimming, but I don't have cycling legs quite yet. My first ride was 11 mi last week and did another 20 today. Going out for another 20 tomorrow. Can I get the miles and training I need to complete the century in May?
> 
> Please share thoughts on what training will be most effective. Just logging miles? Or something more than that? Thanks.


Welcome to cycling and welcome to RBR. Absolutely you can, especially if you are in an area where you can ride all winter. There have been several threads about this if you do a search. here is one

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=185865&highlight=century

You can create a training program that will stretch your miles out over time. As you go over a few hours on the road, you will have to focus more on nutrition and hydration and learn what works for you and what doesnt-you are probably talking roughly six hours in the saddle, so any issues with fit that you haven't noticed at 20 miles will take hold. IMO u want to be doing a 70-75 miler a few weeks before the event to be confident of doint it.


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

It depends on where you live. 
If you live in Alaska, it might be tough to get in shape to ride 100 miles, by next May.


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## Rider5200 (Sep 7, 2007)

Congrats on wanting to do your first century! What event are you doing? 

As barry1021 said, you can certainly do this. Most century training plans will have you start 8-10 weeks out from the event. Just follow a plan a build your miles week-to-week. As the rides get longer, think more about hours of training vs. miles. For example, your century ride will take 6-7 hours, so one or two 5 hour rides a few weeks before would be good. Concentrate on hydration and nutrition. The old "drink before you are thirsty, eat before you are hungry" will serve you well.

Get a bike tune-up at the start of your training and resolve any fit or equipment issues then. If problems come up later, it could impact your training schedule if your bike needs to be in the shop for any length of time.

Lastly, check the details of your planned event. Is it a charity or fun ride? If so, the organizers will post route and elevation details. Be sure to check the amount of climbing involved and train appropriately. For example, if the century has 5000' of climbing, you will need to include ample climbing in your training plan. If you trained on flats for the whole time, event day will be a very long day for you.

Have fun, enjoy the challenge and keep us updated on your progress!


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## AdamM (Jul 9, 2008)

My $0.02 would be if you're brand new, you'll be better off spending the next six months working on riding a quality 20 or 25 miles as compared to training to do a century. You can always add distance later.


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## MerlinAma (Oct 11, 2005)

I think Bicycling Magazine has a 12 week century training plan. You have more than enough time, especially since you seem athletic to some degree. 
Go for it!


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## dponder (Nov 5, 2009)

Rider5200 said:


> Congrats on wanting to do your first century! What event are you doing?


I'm shooting for the Horsey Hundred in Georgetown, KY. Here's a link to last year's event:

http://www.bgcycling.net/index.php?Itemid=71&id=42&option=com_content&task=view

Several guys I'm riding with are going to do it and invited me to go along with them. 100 miles seems daunting but I'm pretty competitive so I'm up for it.

Thanks for all the advice so far. I've been trying to read a lot about training and nutrition on this forum, a lot to learn. I'm borrowing a friends bike right now, thankfully he's roughly the same height as me so it works pretty well (I'm 6'4"). I'm saving money right now so I can buy something when tax return season comes around. The worst part about borrowing someone else's bike is that you are at their mercy in terms of riding; and riding on the weekend is out of the question. But, he's been very generous and rides almost every day, so finding time to ride with him isn't all that difficult.

Looking forward to this!


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## andrew9223 (Jun 16, 2009)

Honestly I dont know how old you are or how good of shape you are in. I dont think it takes alot to ride a century. I started cycling again at the beginning of 2008 after a 10 year break. The Second week back I did a century. It hurt like hell and took me 7 hours but I did it. If you pace it out and dont try to race you should be fine. I don't see why any fit person under 50 couldnt hop on a bike and ride 100 miles if they really wanted to.


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## asad137 (Jul 29, 2009)

I started riding ~seriously in mid-august. Did mostly 30ish mile rides once per week, some solo, some group. One weekend in early October I did about 40 solo. The next weekend I did 63 solo. Weekend after that I did 92 with a friend of mine, though for a good fraction of the time it was effectively solo since she had trouble keeping up on the hills and when we were drafting I was almost always pulling. With a group, 100 would be no problem.

Asad


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## ptfmb71 (May 16, 2007)

Even if you went out today....you could probably do 100K (although it could take you all day and you may suffer much more than you want). That's why it's important to progressively do longer rides until you hit that distance.


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## BassNBrew (Aug 4, 2008)

Three years ago I bought my first bike and started riding in March. In June of that year I completed the Assualt on Mt. Mitchell in the top 1/3 and weighed about 210 lbs at 40 years old at the time. You have ZERO worries.

Learn about nutrition, hydration. Get the hours in on the bike. Worst part is sitting on the saddle that long when you're not accustomed to it.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

I admire your ambitions, but this is more of a dream than a goal. Centuries somehow have this magical vibe to them, but it takes a lot of homework/fieldwork to accomplish these. There's plenty of training, but perhaps more important to get your bike figured out. It took me about 2 seasons to develop my cadence and find a seat/chamois combination that would work for 50 miles after many painful mistakes......

Like others have said, slowly start building things up. Step 1....make sure your bike is THE right size. Step 2, get it fitted to you. Step 3, figure out the seat/shorts combo.


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## dponder (Nov 5, 2009)

I appreciate input on both sides of the equation.

Just as an update, rode 24 mi today at 18 mph. The guys I road with said the hills we climbed were solid hills so I'm optimistic. There were 4-5 "solid" hills and some rolling scenary along the way. Going up hills isn't my strong suit at 235 lbs, but getting down them sure is fun when gravity works its magic. If I can stay close climbing, I can usually close the gap once I make it to the top and we start to flatten out.

Cycling is a blast!


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## Einstruzende (Jun 1, 2004)

dponder said:


> I'm shooting for the Horsey Hundred in Georgetown, KY. Here's a link to last year's event:
> 
> http://www.bgcycling.net/index.php?Itemid=71&id=42&option=com_content&task=view
> 
> ...


I've done Horsey 5 times now. (2005 through 2009). It's a great ride and I recommend camping at the Kentucky Horse Park (you can have campe fires!).

The century on Saturday is somewhat hilly, but shorter distances aren't too bad. it's more death by a thousand cuts (lots and lots of rollers), but no single hill stands out. 

I did 170 miles this year, solo, 21 mph average. Probably the best ride I've ever done performance wise (I had trained specifically to go all out for this weekend).

As for doing a century...overrated. Virtually anyone can do it, and with very little training too. They may not enjoy though ...

Attached is a picture that a friend snapped of me the morning of the Sat ride. Notice the elite RBR Lounge jersey.


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## nomit (Jul 13, 2009)

training to just _complete_ a century in may?

i bet you could do one tomorrow if you had the mindset, motivation and some willpower. would probably be going 10mph on the flats at the end, have some inflamed butt skin and might curse the whole idea of biking for the last 30-40 miles if you set out too fast at the beginning, but it's totally doable.

set your goals higher, imho. a sub 5hr century by may, perhaps? 4 1/2 hrs with a group?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/28/eiko.irpt/index.html
if that lady can ride 150 miles on some 45lb cruiser bike in a dress, a 235lb semi-fit male can do 100 miles with 3 days of riding under his belt, on a high-tech road bike, with little to no problem.

HTFU


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

nomit said:


> set your goals higher, imho. a sub 5hr century by may, perhaps? 4 1/2 hrs with a group?


I think completing the century with the max of a 24 mile ride is enough of a dream, 4.5-5 hours just isn't realistic. It's best to set goals and not just set dreams. Without sounding like too much of a wimp, I don't even want to know what my sit bones would feel like without conditioning and the wrong seat/chamois after a century. This doesn't even touch how my legs might feel.


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## nomit (Jul 13, 2009)

its best to set goals that will be truly difficult to achieve, imho, not set goals that are achievable tomorrow. people shouldn't sell themselves short. 7 months is a long time to get faster on a bicycle. spend a lot of time on the bike between now and then, lose 15-20lbs in the process, ride the century with the right group that's willing to do almost all the pulling for you....its totally achievable.

it's not like your sit bones and legs are going to fall off and be gone for good if you do a century unprepared, or without building up to it. they'll recover, remarkably quickly...when you think about it. so what's the biggest downside? some pain, soreness and a good hard bonk? that's not too bad.


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## evs (Feb 18, 2004)

*I used this guide...*

to build up to my century this sept. Try to get a fast 25 in there once a week. That will put some speed in your legs and the long endurance ride once a week to help you out with saddle time for your butt and more endurance. It's also training just to sit on the seat for 6 hours.  But it will come with more riding. Might I add I was riding fast 25's once a week plus some other good rides early in the season so I had a good base going in to this training program. Good luck.


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## dponder (Nov 5, 2009)

AdamM said:


> My $0.02 would be if you're brand new, you'll be better off spending the next six months working on riding a quality 20 or 25 miles as compared to training to do a century. You can always add distance later.


What is considered a quality 20-25 miles?

We (3 people) did a 27 mile ride yesterday at 22 mph.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

A 22mph average with under 100 total miles under your legs? Are your sure your speedometer is set up correctly?


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## Triker (Sep 27, 2004)

If you are in decent shape a century is no problem. Worst part is getting saddle time in to break in the butt.

I had rotator cuff surgery in February of this year and was not "allowed" on the bike till the end of July. 5 weeks later did a century with 3000 elevation gain no problem in a casual 6 hours. And I'm a 60 yo fat guy. Normally do that ride solo in a tick over 5 hours with stops.

So I think you've got tons of time. Based on the numbers your throwing out I agree with the other poster that suggested a time goal of under 5 or 4.5 hours in a group, a more challenging goal than just a century.


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## dponder (Nov 5, 2009)

spade2you said:


> A 22mph average with under 100 total miles under your legs? Are your sure your speedometer is set up correctly?


I wasn't sure I believed it either. But it wasn't just my speedometer (actually, a speedometer on a borrowed bike), the other two guys had the same average as well give or take a tenth.


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## GerryR (Sep 3, 2008)

andrew9223 said:


> I don't see why any fit person under 50 couldnt hop  on a bike and ride 100 miles if they really wanted to.


Because their azz is likely to fall off without adequate saddle time.


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## AdamM (Jul 9, 2008)

> What is considered a quality 20-25 miles?


It seems to me when you start anything new thing you've got a great window of opporunity to learn the basics correctly and avoid bad habits that are hard to break once they get set in. So by quality I'm thinking more about things like good riding position, caedence, pace, climbing and etc.. If you get those things wired, then it's all good, but thinking to running, avoid cyclings version of marathon plodders. They go long, but slow and have terrible form. It's no problem once you learn to ride fast to add distance, that's a not an issue, but the reverse isn't true. 

Sounds like your going good already, so it's no big deal. Best of luck.


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## Sequimboy (Nov 14, 2009)

*Training Info Site For Century*

You might find the Cascade Bicycle Site useful for training information used in the Seattle to Portland ride. It's a bit of overkill but developed over decades.

http://www.cascade.org/eandr/STP/


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## Hank Stamper (Sep 9, 2009)

dponder said:


> We (3 people) did a 27 mile ride yesterday at 22 mph.



You could do it tomorrow. (assuming a reasonably flat century)


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

OP...sure you can....no real big deal....a century is only a 100 miles....Just make damn sure you have a good/comfortable saddle and you are set up right...NOTHING will stop you faster than knee pain!


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## sweeners (Jul 23, 2008)

AdamM said:


> but thinking to running, avoid cycling's version of marathon plodders. They go long, but slow and have terrible form.


Hope this might be relevant to OP and not a thread hijack. 

To avoid falling into the "marathon plodder" category, how do you build distance and speed at the same time? My event is early July. If I can only get 2/3 spins per month, should I concentrate on distance between now and April and mix speed and distance sessions from there onwards?


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Touch0Gray said:


> NOTHING will stop you faster than knee pain!


Hand pain, toe pain, saddle sore, back pain......there are plenty of things to stop ya, eh?


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## AdamM (Jul 9, 2008)

> To avoid falling into the "marathon plodder" category, how do you build distance and speed at the same time? My event is early July. If I can only get 2/3 spins per month, should I concentrate on distance between now and April and mix speed and distance sessions from there onwards?


Joe Friel is doing a series on coaching novice athletes that gets at what I was referring to: 

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/blog.html

Check it out.


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## deadlegs2 (Oct 3, 2009)

Bonk will stop you.. My 2nd 100k I got through 50m and felt ok..12 miles to go.. Course was mismarked and at 62 I saw a sign saying 17 miles to the finishing town..I suffered on but I saw grown adults on the verge of tears for the last 17 miles.. I've seen the same thing in centuries at the 80mi and 90mi marks.. As I said before the OP ought to do some 50mi 100ks before his planned century.. Bonking at 50 during a century is not fun or rewarding or healthy..


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

Granted, I've only done maybe 8 or 9 centuries.....but if you can ride 50, without getting off the saddle, you should be good to go for a supported century with rest stops.
BTW there is a difference between a century and a metric century! I generally don't even bother changing clothes if I can't get a good 30 or 40 in!


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## deadlegs2 (Oct 3, 2009)

BTW did someone imply there was no difference between a metric and a century? Sure he can do it.. lots of people ride 10 miles at a time , rest stop to rest stop.. All this telling someone who doesn't even own a bike and who has only ridden 25 miles to " go for it" is kinda funny..He'll be lucky to not be 80mi road kill if he doesn't know how to manage his effort past 50miles.


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## chocy (Feb 4, 2009)

As a person who tried a solo century three months into my first season, I can confirm that you can do it. but It will be hell. 


Remeber that 20-30 mile shortish workout and century requires a different mindset. Century is all about pacing yourself so that you finish the distance whereas for 20-30 mile ride it is short distance either all out TT style riding or hard interval workout. The comfort on the bike (if you need to be OK on your bike over 60 miles in my opinion) is more important and endurance is more important. ALso you need to know how to hydrate yourself and supply sufficient nutrition as well. 

I thnk you have more than enough time to get there. Just need to slowly increase the mileage every weeekend. I say if you can do metric century or more casually century should be a rewarding achievement. (though it can still test you. For me 80-90 miles seem to be the test of the will segment.)

good luck and enjoy the process!!


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## Tweezak (Dec 6, 2008)

I did my first century this year and it didn't go well. I was in great cycling shape and fatigue was not an issue. The problem was dietary: THERE'S TOO MUCH FREE FOOD!! 

I'm an opportunistic feeder and when there's unlimited vittles in front of me I find it difficult to rein myself in. I pigged out at too many of the rest stops and with the hard work I was doing, my stomach stopped digesting. My gut bloated like a dead possum in the sun. As a result I was unable to take in any nutrients and I bonked severely. I managed to finish but I really suffered. It was a few hours before my stomach started accepting food again and even then it was very difficult to swallow.

Two weeks later I did another century. This time I nibbled snacks here and there. Very little eating. My main nutrition was in the form of a Gu pack every 25 miles or so. Of course I had a sandwich for lunch but nothing huge or heavy. At the end of the 100 I felt like I'd just ridden 20 miles. Fresh and strong. It was amazing.

A week later I did another century with lots of hard climbing. I employed the same tactic and had the same great results.

So, be warned. It is very easy to eat too much on a century.

Oh...I'm not a racer, just an enthusiast. Note that I do a lot of miles. I ride 30 miles a day round-trip to work. That adds up to about 600 miles a month so I'm in pretty decent condition but I don't get a lot of long-distance training. This didn't seem to hurt me in the centuries because of the frequent rest stops.


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