# How long does a century take



## human powered

There's a century in San Diego next weekend which starts between 7 and 8 am, and I've got dinner plans starting at 4. Realistically, I need to be done riding by 3pm. Is 7 hours a reasonable time for a century? I just started riding a month ago and my longest ride so far was a 50 miler this morning which was pretty casual as I was going slow not to drop my buddy. Our average speed was 14mph, but I was holding back. Can a reasonably fit first timer complete a century in 7 hours or less?


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## RyleyinSTL

How many stops will you make? How long will they be? How long will you take for lunch? Will you eat at a restaurant or have 6 power bars? What if you have 3 flats? How about a 20 mph head wind? Will it rain for 3 hours? Will it be +50F or +100F? What is your usual average speed? What if your neck starts hurting half way? Is there 6000ft of gain or only 1000ft?

Basically only you can answer this question. It's like asking "how long will it take me to run a marathon keeping in mind I have only ever run a half marathon and when I did that I didn't do it all that quickly?"

If you have only ever gone 50 miles previously I'd cancel your dinner plans.

Whatever you do, have fun!


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## human powered

It will not rain, this is San Diego  I would guess that my rest stops will be 5 minutes every 10-20 miles. I'll only be eating bars/gu unless there is food at rest stations.


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## budmol3

If you are talking about the Giro di San Diego Granfondo. It climbs Mount Palomar and has over 8000 feet of climbing. Seems like quite a leap to expect 7 hours with that experience.


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## NJBiker72

human powered said:


> There's a century in San Diego next weekend which starts between 7 and 8 am, and I've got dinner plans starting at 4. Realistically, I need to be done riding by 3pm. Is 7 hours a reasonable time for a century? I just started riding a month ago and my longest ride so far was a 50 miler this morning which was pretty casual as I was going slow not to drop my buddy. Our average speed was 14mph, but I was holding back. Can a reasonably fit first timer complete a century in 7 hours or less?


No. I just Di the Nj Grand Fondo. It started at 7. We finished at 4:30. I probably could have cut a half hour without some waits. Been road riding for four years and did 84 as a prep last week. We had 9000 feet of climbing so not that different. 

Try the medio option if offered given your time frame.


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## RJP Diver

human powered said:


> There's a century in San Diego next weekend which starts between 7 and 8 am, and I've got dinner plans starting at 4. Realistically, I need to be done riding by 3pm. Is 7 hours a reasonable time for a century? I just started riding a month ago and my longest ride so far was a 50 miler this morning which was pretty casual as I was going slow not to drop my buddy. Our average speed was 14mph, but I was holding back. Can a reasonably fit first timer complete a century in 7 hours or less?


How long is a piece of string?


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## RJP Diver

budmol3 said:


> If you are talking about the Giro di San Diego Granfondo. It climbs Mount Palomar and has over 8000 feet of climbing. Seems like quite a leap to expect 7 hours with that experience.


I'm betting the OP will be done riding well before 3pm. 

[wink]


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## Carbon Cow

You can do it... And if your late for dinner you can just blame me, tell them Daryll from the internet said that it would be okay..


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## Donn12

human powered said:


> It will not rain, this is San Diego  I would guess that my rest stops will be 5 minutes every 10-20 miles. I'll only be eating bars/gu unless there is food at rest stations.



I think you should take more time before you do a 100 mile event especially if it has 800ft of climbing. Do they have a metric option? if you are thinking about stopping every ten miles you will miss dinner for sure.


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## human powered

NJBiker72 said:


> No. I just Di the Nj Grand Fondo. It started at 7. We finished at 4:30. I probably could have cut a half hour without some waits. Been road riding for four years and did 84 as a prep last week. We had 9000 feet of climbing so not that different.
> 
> Try the medio option if offered given your time frame.


Thanks. Very helpful. Looks like I will sit this one out and wait for a century where I have the full day.


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## AndrwSwitch

6 hours.

Oh wait, you mean for you?

I don't like to make plans after longer cycling events. If it's a race or even if it's not, and I just want to see what I can do with that distance, I won't be very good company afterwards.


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## drodrigueznyc

you will be exhausted after your ride... and will possibly eat everything in sight at the event especially at the end... which means you may lose your dinner apetite... 

if you're riding with friends you also have to take into account their riding habits.. I would say a good average is 7 hours... unless you are a fast paced rider with minimal stops.


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## mpre53

It's simple arithmetic. Let's say you average 15 mph. It will take you about 6:40 to ride 100 miles at a 15 mph average. That's with no rest stops, just continuous riding at that average pace. "Holding back" at 14 mph on a 50 doesn't mean you can maintain 15 over 100 miles. Once you get to 70 miles you'll be in uncharted territory. Stuff starts to hurt, no matter how well your bike fits. Road vibrations and buzz adds up. Bumps add up.

7 hours isn't a big enough cushion. I would say that, allowing for rest stops, and the waits at traffic signals and other enroute delays, you'd have to average something like 16.5 to 17.5 mph to have a comfortable margin. 3 mph doesn't sound like much, but that's a huge jump from 14.


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## iggivaggi

human powered said:


> There's a century in San Diego next weekend which starts between 7 and 8 am, and I've got dinner plans starting at 4. Realistically, I need to be done riding by 3pm. Is 7 hours a reasonable time for a century? I just started riding a month ago and my longest ride so far was a 50 miler this morning which was pretty casual as I was going slow not to drop my buddy. Our average speed was 14mph, but I was holding back. Can a reasonably fit first timer complete a century in 7 hours or less?


Only in america...


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## tlg

What if you get a flat? Multiple flats? Broken chain? Other mechanical problem?


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## Jetmugg

It depends on how fast you go.


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## Jetmugg

If you get in with a couple of fast groups along the way, you can cover a lot of ground in a hurry. Think in terms of 20mph average speeds during steady pacelines on a big ride. Have you ever ridden in a paceline? Are you comfortable riding in close proximity to others (close enough that you could put your hands on their handlebars without wrecking)?


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## tanksl

1 century takes 10 or so decades


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## Cyclin Dan

I wouldn't plan anything for the evening after your first century if I were you. 

I do a lot of centuries. Some are done in under four hours (elapsed time) and some take much longer. I did a century with 10k feet of climbing this year that took about 7.5 hours. 

I'm not extremely fast, but I do a lot of bike riding and have a lot of experience with endurance cycling events. 

Don't do the ride, or cancel your dinner plans. I'd suggest the later =)


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## pigpen

Too many factors. Climbing will kill your average speed. If you start at 7 and have to be off the bike by 3, that gives you 8 hours. 

I have done a century (solo on a mountain bike) in less than 6hr. I have also done one that took 9 hrs with 12,000 feet of climbing and two flats.

Do the century, cancel dinner plans.

If you cannot cancel dinner and still want to do the ride be aware that you will feel like crap. That amount of milage jump will hurt come the last 20 miles.


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## viciouscycle

tanksl said:


> 1 century takes 10 or so decades



Metric option?


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## eekase

human powered said:


> Is 7 hours a reasonable time for a century?......Can a reasonably fit first timer complete a century in 7 hours or less?


Whenever the wife says, "what time can I expect you home" before I head out for a ride, be it century or 40-50 mile group ride, I always add a buffer. Flats, potty breaks, grab a post ride beverage, etc. 
I would pass on the dinner plans, do the ride, that way you have a good estimate next time you do a century. 
Have fun, enjoy the ride!


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## iclypso

tanksl said:


> 1 century takes 10 or so decades


Pretty rash assumption that OP's velocity (read: average speed) is << c relative to the course.


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## RobbMaxx

HumanPower, 
If you are talking about the Giro di San Diego Granfondo, or the Nick Venuto Century, cause there is a HUGE difference in the two... You can finish the Latter, not the former... in 7 hours, but I doubt you will want to speed home, shower and get cleaned up after riding 100 miles for your first time... I would say ride it and enjoy it.


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## Kristatos

human powered said:


> Thanks. Very helpful. Looks like I will sit this one out and wait for a century where I have the full day.


If it was the Grand Fondo/Giro di San Diego there is a 66 mile option (Medio Fondo) that omits the climb up Palomar. You still get a couple good hills in that ride, and it would be a great way to earn your beers/dessert at dinner that night.


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## human powered

It was the Giro di San Diego. I think I'll just go out for a 100 mile ride on Saturday and enjoy dinner on Sunday. Thanks for all the advice.


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## Redhead

You can go out for dinner 7 nights a week. A century ride only comes along now and then. I say do the ride!


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## Andy M-S

Cyclin Dan said:


> I wouldn't plan anything for the evening after your first century if I were you.
> 
> I do a lot of centuries. Some are done in under four hours (elapsed time) and some take much longer. I did a century with 10k feet of climbing this year that took about 7.5 hours.
> 
> I'm not extremely fast, but I do a lot of bike riding and have a lot of experience with endurance cycling events.
> 
> Don't do the ride, or cancel your dinner plans. I'd suggest the later =)


I'll second this advice for a couple of reasons.

1. When I did my first century, I think it took me just under 10 hours. 
2. Dinner plans? You will, in all likelihood, want to kill and eat a bear. Assuming you make it off the course in 7 hours, you may find you're making a pig of yourself.
3. After eating, you will sleep. Not very good dinner company when you're face down in what's left of the desert cookware.

Seriously, my spouse and I had plans to go dancing the night of my first century. We had the time, but I looked like a refugee. Don't risk it.

Oh, and 100 miles takes significantly longer than 2x50, in my experience. There's a wall between 50 and 70 miles that not everyone can climb...


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## Donn12

My first 100 mile ride will be in 2 weeks. To prepare I have ridden 70 miles two or three times and 80 twice. The most recent was 80 and the difference in how I felt vs when I started (neck stiffness, back, rear end) was night and day. The first time I did 70, I wanted off the bike NOW. The last time it was no big deal at all, I just ran out of time. I also do lots of 40- 60 mile rides and I have cranked the speed of these up quite a bit. You dont want to go too fast and being in a big group should help, but you also dont want to go too slow and have to be on the bike for an extra two hours.


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## dougclaysmith

My two cents, 

Not enough time and you will be in no mood to go to dinner after. 

My last century, I started at 8am, and ended at 2 pm. Actual saddle time was 5 hours and 15 minutes (just shy of 20mph average). I stopped twice, once at 35 miles and again at 67 miles. 

When I got back to my car, I sat there for 20 minutes and did nothing but breathed and drank fluids. 

After I eat massive amounts, I drove home and crashed. I was done, I wanted nothing to do with the rest of the day. The last thing I would have wanted to do was get dressed and go out to dinner. 

Being you are new to cycling and only done 50 miles so far, the 100 miles is going to really test you, even if you are already in good shape. 100 miles is a long way, you can do it, but I would suggest that ride is only thing on your schedule for the day.


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## human powered

OK. So here's how it went down. 

I left home this morning at 7:43am intent of riding my own century with a start and finish line 20 feet from my bed and shower, and with much less climbing than the Giro Di San Diego. I headed North to the Rose Canyon Bike Path, then through UCSD and up along the coast to Camp Pendleton. 

I hit mile 50 somewhere in the State Park just before San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant and turned around feeling pretty good. At this point I was averaging 17mph and I would make it back home with time to shower before the 4pm dinner. 

Heading back south again, I fell in with three guys trading pulls and rode with them for maybe 5 miles averaging between 20 and 24 mph through that section. I think that was a bit of a mistake and I felt pretty tired after leaving them behind. I was just entering Pendleton and had 40 mile to go. 

Around mile 60 I was feeling pretty slow and tired but got a second wind around mile 70 and was good until mile 87, the Torrey Pines Hill which I had been dreading knowing that there was no way around this climb. I clicked into low gear and took my time. 

When I reached the top I knew I would be able to finish. All the big obstacles were behind me and the last 10 miles are the same as my daily commute home from work so I know them well and could put my mind on autopilot. Those last 10 miles fell away slowly, but I got home at 2:30 with enough time for a shower and to lay down in bed for a bit to rest my tired back and shoulders. 

My wife didn't get home from work until 4 so I had a solid hour to chill before we left. Even so, when we got to my parents place for the family dinner, I was worked. I was light headed until the second course of dinner, but after a bit of Matzah Ball Soup things were right again and I was able to participate in the conversation though I can't say I was the life of the party. To my surprise I'm able to walk without any problems right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if I'm sore tomorrow.

Stats (from Strava): 
my first century
solo ride
100.0 miles
3,194 feet of climbing
6:03 moving time
6:49 total time


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## Byron M.

Awesome job!! I am in San Diego also, I know the Torrey Pines hill, and absolutely hate it. lol My longest ride so far is a 60 miler, I am eager to do a century. We sound like about the same experience level, I would love to ride with you. Let me know!

What is a good resource to hear about these rides in our area?


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## Solopc

Well done. The first of many for you, I hope.


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## GOTA

Very nice. Glad it all worked out


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## Blue CheeseHead

RyleyinSTL said:


> How many stops will you make? How long will they be? How long will you take for lunch? Will you eat at a restaurant or have 6 power bars? What if you have 3 flats? How about a 20 mph head wind? Will it rain for 3 hours? Will it be +50F or +100F? What is your usual average speed? What if your neck starts hurting half way? Is there 6000ft of gain or only 1000ft?
> 
> Basically only you can answer this question. It's like asking "how long will it take me to run a marathon keeping in mind I have only ever run a half marathon and when I did that I didn't do it all that quickly?"
> 
> If you have only ever gone 50 miles previously I'd cancel your dinner plans.
> 
> Whatever you do, have fun!


Oh, come on, there is nothing quite like sitting at a dinner table and then jumping up cause your leg(s) cramped.


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## MercRidnMike

All depends on what you're riding, what the terrain is like, how fit the motor is, etc, etc...

My first Century was on a 5x5 FS mtb and took a little less than 8 hrs, including various stops and real food at the 1/2 way point. My second was on a SS and took maybe 1/2 an hour less.

My next one will be significantly faster now that I actually have a proper road bike


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## BostonG

human powered said:


> after a bit of Matzah Ball Soup things were right again and I was able to participate in the conversation


Mazel Tov! Matzah ball soup makes everything OK.:thumbsup:

Shana Tova.


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## Kodi Crescent

Go out to dinner. Eat drink and be merry (or Mary, if you swing that way). Skip the ride until you have more miles under your belt.


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## pletharoe

10 decades
1200 months
5200 weeks
36500 days
87600 hours
5256000 minutes
315360000 seconds

Or thereabouts.


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## Not-So-Fast

pletharoe said:


> 10 decades
> 1200 months
> 5200 weeks
> 36500 days
> 87600 hours
> 5256000 minutes
> 315360000 seconds
> 
> Or thereabouts.


5 scores


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## ralph1

Watch this clip, should explain everything.....

The real meaning of MPH- The Original- TCHappenings - YouTube


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## bryon

There is a century ride close to me here that the top finishers come in under 4 hrs. 3hrs and 45 minutes to be exact. It is also very flat.


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## ralph1

bryon said:


> There is a century ride close to me here that the top finishers come in under 4 hrs. 3hrs and 45 minutes to be exact. It is also very flat.


That's fast!!


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## LuckyB

ralph1 said:


> That's fast!!


30.67 mph? That is fast!


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## Undecided

LuckyB said:


> 30.67 mph? That is fast!


Even at 26.67, it's fast . . ..


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## PlatyPius

100 years...


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## itsmebusyguy

so, how did you do?


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## ChilliConCarnage

Redhead said:


> You can go out for dinner 7 nights a week. A century ride only comes along now and then. I say do the ride!


A century ride comes along anytime you have 100 miles of road you happen to want to ride on. That could be any day. Just because somebody makes an "official" century and charges you up the wahoo to ride on it doesn't mean you can't do it yourself any other day on any road of your choosing.


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## dlhuillier

If you are me - 6 - 6:30 with a break for lunch.


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## mpre53

If it's an organized century, they key is, you should finish before they run out of beer.


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## nolight

You will be so thirsty and tired you wouldn't feel like eating dinner at 4! Start making bed plans instead.


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## King Arthur

human powered said:


> There's a century in San Diego next weekend which starts between 7 and 8 am, and I've got dinner plans starting at 4. Realistically, I need to be done riding by 3pm. Is 7 hours a reasonable time for a century? I just started riding a month ago and my longest ride so far was a 50 miler this morning which was pretty casual as I was going slow not to drop my buddy. Our average speed was 14mph, but I was holding back. Can a reasonably fit first timer complete a century in 7 hours or less?


Do 100 mph it will take just one hour, 50 mph - 2 hours, 25 mph - 4 hours, 20 mph 5 hours, 10 mph- 10 hours. You can do the rest of the math.


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## Bushwhacker

Congrats to OP! Just thought I would introduce myself on this thread. I'm new to road riding and I am working on my first century. I've got much to train. I've done 35 mi mountain bike rides with 3500 ft elev. change and 35 mi road miles fairly comfortably. Will be doing 55 mi ride this weekend and hopefully do my solo century in 2 mos.


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## AndrwSwitch

If your MTB rides were on real trails and you felt okay after, you could ride a road Century tomorrow, as long as there wasn't something insane about the course.


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## Bushwhacker

AndrwSwitch said:


> If your MTB rides were on real trails and you felt okay after, you could ride a road Century tomorrow, as long as there wasn't something insane about the course.


I was okay with the mtb rides. However, ive only been riding a road bike for 2 mos. I did a metric century today and my neck and shoulders dont like it. Body is still not used to the position.


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## rti27

i am planning on one next season, thinking it will take me 8 hours.


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## rti27

it will be my first.


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## Srode

rti27 said:


> i am planning on one next season, thinking it will take me 8 hours.


For reference, I've done 3 centuries took 8 hours each plus or minus -all were solo, and the second was a day after the first, all 3 in the same week. I was surprised how good I felt after them, not really beat down, but the speed was obviously lower than most people here would have taken. I'd been riding for 5 months when I did them with my typical rides in the 25 to 35 mile range about 5 times / week. Doesn't seem to me they are that hard when a person paces themselves appropriately for their fitness.


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## SauronHimself

Plainly and simply, you have to average 14.29 mph to stay within your 7-hour goal. My advice is to eat a good breakfast that won't weigh you down too much, take a big dump beforehand, and bring along some lunch and maybe Clif bars or GU packets. Stop for water if you need, but other than that you can probably breeze through this ride if you stay in the saddle the whole time.


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## bikerjulio

Dinner plans starting at 4?


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## LostViking

SauronHimself said:


> Plainly and simply, you have to average 14.29 mph to stay within your 7-hour goal. My advice is to eat a good breakfast that won't weigh you down too much, take a big dump beforehand, and bring along some lunch and maybe Clif bars or GU packets. Stop for water if you need, but other than that you can probably breeze through this ride if you stay in the saddle the whole time.


Yes, good advice here. I generailly ride at an avg. of 15 to 17Mph depending on conditions (wind, heat and my legs!). I'm not good at eatting breakfast so I usually eat a big carbo-loaded dinner the night before and then eat as needed during the ride. I've found out that if all other conditions (mentioned above) are good, then the only thing that might slow me down is spending too much time at rest-stops. Not only do you lose that time, but your legs get "cold" and it takes a while to get the afterburners lit up again. I'll often skip the first rest-stop for this reason and try not to spend more than five to eight minutes at any rest stop thereafter.

That said, a Century is not a race - so unless I have something else I need to be doing that day, I often don't stress the time it takes to complete.


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## Oldermileeater

Congrats on your first century ride.


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## Kalel

I think if your human you will be dead tired after cycling 100 miles(unless your use to doing centuries)...could be wrong though. You definitely need to keep snacking on a ride like that so you don't run out of gas as well. But the real determining factor is how much climbing you will be doing in the century. If it's all flats....then it should be easy. That's probably how I would do my first century...just stay on the flats and I think 7 hours is reasonable enough as long as there isn't a lot of headwind.


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## Vikz250

never done one but his post make sense to me about wanting to kill a bear and eating it!! I was so hungry after my 1st metric i could have eaten a horse or a bear..and he is right my longest ride was only 25 miles prior to my metric and when i hit mile 40 to 45 I was felling all kinds of pains..And my elevation gain was only at 3,455ft and my sad average speed is at 12 mph with a max speed of 35mph..


Andy M-S said:


> I'll second this advice for a couple of reasons.
> 
> 1. When I did my first century, I think it took me just under 10 hours.
> 2. Dinner plans? You will, in all likelihood, want to kill and eat a bear. Assuming you make it off the course in 7 hours, you may find you're making a pig of yourself.
> 3. After eating, you will sleep. Not very good dinner company when you're face down in what's left of the desert cookware.
> 
> Seriously, my spouse and I had plans to go dancing the night of my first century. We had the time, but I looked like a refugee. Don't risk it.
> 
> Oh, and 100 miles takes significantly longer than 2x50, in my experience. There's a wall between 50 and 70 miles that not everyone can climb...


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## regnaD kciN

pletharoe said:


> 5256000 minutes


You're off by a factor of ten, as any devotee of "Rent" could have told you.


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## Haagis58

I completed my first century yesterday, it totaled 105.97 miles and took me 6 hours and 36 minutes of saddle time, roughly 16 mph. This was my first ride over 35 miles and was done 2 months from the date of my first ride on a road bike. I found that the mileage was very achievable once I made the mental decision that completing the entire century was the only option. Also, it was a lot of fun!


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## DaveW88

bikerjulio said:


> Dinner plans starting at 4?


He's going for the early bird special!


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## BBoneCloneMN

M first century took 7.5 hours of ride time with 20+ mph winds through half of the ride. That was with a summer of ver structured training and gradual mileage increases. This summer I wasn't able to train half as much, yet this past weekend, I completed my second century 30 minutes faster than last year. A big part of that was just sheer will. Knowing I'd done it before and believing I could do it again. But it was very HOT so I had to really concentrate on taking it easy, and my rest stops were pretty important and lengthy.

For me, miles 40-70 were the worst. The final rest stop was at 85 miles. Everything from there was just gravy and I found that I had a lot of gas left in the tank to finish much stronger than I'd been pacing. Though I'd guess I was still among the last 25% to finish. Lots of very fast endurance riders out there. Apparently I'm not one of them.


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## Indetrucks

My first century (also happened to be solo) took 5:12min.
Actual saddle time was 4:56

I stopped once on the way back at roughly the 55 mile mark for a Gatorade.


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## Neurotic OCD

As many others have said, how long a century takes depends on a lot of factors. First is the course itself. The first century I did involved 4800 ft elevation gain, it was hot out, and I was riding a hybrid with 28mm tires. It took me over 7 hours.
I repeated the same course a couple months later with a decent roadbike and far less breaks. I finished in 5:40.
A couple of weeks later I did it again, taking again about 5:45 or so. 

Last weekend I rode a different century with a friend who had never done it before. This course had about 4,500 ft elevation gain. We ended up needing 7:30.

Yesterday I rode 136 miles with 5,200 ft elevation gain. I paced myself and needed 8:14


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## Oldermileeater

BBoneCloneMN said:


> M first century took 7.5 hours of ride time with 20+ mph winds through half of the ride. That was with a summer of ver structured training and gradual mileage increases. This summer I wasn't able to train half as much, yet this past weekend, I completed my second century 30 minutes faster than last year. A big part of that was just sheer will. Knowing I'd done it before and believing I could do it again. But it was very HOT so I had to really concentrate on taking it easy, and my rest stops were pretty important and lengthy.
> 
> For me, miles 40-70 were the worst. The final rest stop was at 85 miles. Everything from there was just gravy and I found that I had a lot of gas left in the tank to finish much stronger than I'd been pacing. Though I'd guess I was still among the last 25% to finish. Lots of very fast endurance riders out there. Apparently I'm not one of them.


7.5 hours in the conditions you mentioned on your first century ride is not too shabby (along with the heat, I am assuming the 20+ MPH winds were headwinds).

Actually over-training will hurt your time. Just about all my rides for the last 4 months have been centuries (only 10 days off - not riding at all - in 4 months, and every single day in august was a riding day). But I am going for really big miles this year, not good (fast) time. I am in the Piedmont (between Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va.), and at the present time, I am in the 15 - 17 MPH average on my century + rides. With all the miles I do, I can not do some of the times I did last year even if I wanted to. I am simply doing too many miles, and down a couple of miles per hour on my averages. This year, I am trading time for huge miles. What I am getting at is you are probably well acclimated, and the better time with less training than last year illustrates that. If you were to be riding near your max each day, your time would suffer.

I have known a number of people who seem to hit that wall - most commonly around the 70 mile mark. Back when I was working up to centuries, 70 miles was a hurdle for me. Once I passed that point, I seemed to get stronger. As used to long distance riding as I am now, sometimes I still hit that hurdle at about that point (70 miles or so), and sometimes I have to force myself to shake it off.

Yes there are a lot of fast long distance riders out there. I know a couple of guys who knock off century rides in 5 hours without an effort, and they often come close to the 4 hour mark. They are no spring chickens either. One is 48, and te other is 50. My best is 5 hours, and that was WORK. I'd love to be one of those who ride 100 miles in 5 hours or less routinely, but........

I have sort of been a mentor for another friend of mine who took up road cycling a couple of years ago. He is 49, about 5'9", about 150 pounds, non-smoker, and all around good health conscious. He is about to ride with me on his first century (tomorrow we hit the road at sunrise). He has been doing well with his half centuries and longer rides, and I estimate he will do his first century within 8 hours (actual saddle time). Before my next long up-coming multi-day ride (in a couple of days), I'll try to get on here and post how he did as a general (added) guide for those looking to see the time it takes for different riders to conquer their first century ride.


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## Oldermileeater

I posted a couple of days ago, and mentioned a friend riding with me to do his first century. I mentioned I'd post on how he did before I leave on my long ride. I'll post how he did along with a little info on him, the terrain here, and the weather.

My friend: 49 years old. Always been active. Never a smoker. Only a social drinker. Eats relatively healthy (but most of us also like our junk food). About 5'9" and 150 pounds. Has ridden off and on since he was a kid, but took up riding again on a serious level a couple of years ago. He did 3,100 total miles in 2011, and last year he did 4,200 miles. His mileage to date this year is near 4,500 miles. The terrain is hilly. This is the Piedmont (we're between Roanoke and Lynchburg, Virginia), and the general rule of thumb is about 200 feet of elevation gain per mile in any direction you go, maybe a bit less as you go east of Lynchburg.

Yesterday we headed east to Appomattox to give him a break with the climbing (north or west is heading into the mountains, and even south is hillier than going east). The weather almost could not have been better. Sparkling sunshine, about 70 degrees, and about a 10 MPH wind out of the N.W.. So just about a perfect day to do a first century ride.

The bike he rides is a retro steel frame road bike (as is what I ride). Decent wheelsets and well tuned, but not the lightest machines out there.

He made the 50 miles to Appomattox with just over 3 hours in the saddle. With the two 10 minute breaks on the way, Appomattox was made in 3.5 hours. Coming back was slightly slower. In part because of 10 - 15 MPH headwinds, and part because of distances over 70 miles being new territory for him. The breaks were about the same - about 10 minutes off the bike every (roughly) 20 - 25 miles for him to eat and drink to keep the electrolytes in balance. He did have a tad of lactic acid buildup at about 80 miles, but not much. He completed his first century in a little over 7 hours (saddle time) with a total time off the bike during the ride of about 45 minutes.

I think he did okay. He was happy with the ride, and not overly worn out (to the point he wanted to just collapse) when he got home. His day was 106.4 miles. It really does not matter to me how long it takes people to ride 100 miles (unless it's a race). As long as the ride is enjoyed and satisfying. He is looking forward to another century ride next week.


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