# Dumbest decision to date. Century w/out bike



## Sepo2011 (Apr 9, 2011)

Ok firstly I'm new here and by no means a verbose individual or a person that pontificates on blogs or otherwise. 

That being said I felt the need to share my decision with you all. why? Not sure yet. 

I decided to sign up for a century ride, with the help of team in training. Oh and making my initial bike purchase at the same. Yes initial bike purchase. I have-not ridden more than 10 miles at any time.. I'll be doing the Moab ride in September... I guess at this point wishing for luck or well wishes would not help. I think, with my "buyers remorse" backpack securely on my sunken shoulders, I need an intervention from the all-mighty himself to get through this. and I'm not religious, oh the irony.

I do realize I'm not the first nor the last, but from my vantage point (at the beginning of this journey) it seems far.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

Are all your personal affairs in order? 

Seriously, though... you have time between now and September. If you are in reasonably decent shape and are willing to dedicate the saddle time it will take to prepare, you should be okay.


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## Sepo2011 (Apr 9, 2011)

Opus51569 said:


> Are all your personal affairs in order?
> 
> Seriously, though... you have time between now and September. If you are in reasonably decent shape and are willing to dedicate the saddle time it will take to prepare, you should be okay.


Thank you very much! That's the plan, to dedicate the time. I am hopeful that the fever to continue biking stays with me after Septmber.


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## vontress (Jul 19, 2009)

If you do it right, it should stay in you blood. For me, most important is fun. Secondly I always have a goal of some kind that challenges me. If your having fun and gaining self satisfaction from it, you'll embrace it.


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## pastpob (Jul 31, 2008)

Congrats Sepo2011...I have a very different view from your first statement...it was one of the smartest things I ever did, joining TNT back in November 2009. I too did not yet have a bike, had not ridden a bike in like 20 years and when I did, it was a beach cruiser that I road around college. I had no idea how to shift gears so I told the Team Manager that I didn't know how to do that and she told me that they would teach me. They did and more!

First of all, thanks for taking the first step to help the fight against blood cancers...I personally know people who have benefited from funds raised and research done by LLS. It is definitely a good cause!

You will get out of TNT what you put into it and then some. In other words, if you do what the coaches tell you to do and attend the majority of trainings and do a little bit on your own too, you will be ready for MOAB. Sure, no matter what a century is always going to be challenging, but you wouldn't have even thought of joining something like TNT if you didn't already want to be challenged, right?

Now, cycling is part of my life and I have to give TNTa lot of credit for helping me fall in love with the sport. Yesterday, I did my 10th organized event (7 full centuries and 3 metrics) since my first TNT event in February of 2010. That's in addition to all the miles I've logged in training on my own.

Anyway, don't have buyer's remorse since you could actually test out TNT for around 5 weeks, and if it's not for you or you don't think you'll be ready then you could always back out with no committments.

What chapter/team did you sign up for? If you have any questions or want more insight, don't hesitate to drop me a pm and I'd be glad to give you as much info as you want. Good luck either way!


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## Rollo Tommassi (Feb 5, 2004)

Sepo2011 said:


> . I have-not ridden more than 10 miles at any time.. I do realize I'm not the first nor the last, but from my vantage point (at the beginning of this journey) it seems far.



Welcome! You'll continue to ride those ten miles...over and over again  A century is just "ten" ten mile rides!

Yes, you will need to get some quality chamois time in...but I bet you'll be doing a 60 mile ride by August no problem. Read up on relevant topics here on the board regarding bike fit, equipment and tips on training/nutrition. You aren't alone on the road. :thumbsup:


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## Dajianshan (Jul 15, 2007)

Sounds fun. 

I call them "projects". 

You start with a notion and then lay the groundwork (training) for making it successful. It takes a solid plan for achieving your goal, but with a sound plan and the discipline to stick to your plan, it should be totally possible. Maybe a little help from Joe Freil as well.


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## peter584 (Aug 17, 2008)

You can do it, but really need to train. That is a tough climb, hopefully your team in training for that specifically. It's beautiful though.


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## pastpob (Jul 31, 2008)

The Moab Century has changed for 2011...the "Big Nasty" is no longer part of the century ride. It is only part of the metric...nevertheless, a century is a century and not being prepared to ride 100 miles is not a lot of fun come event day...good luck!


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## olr1 (Apr 2, 2005)

_I do realize I'm not the first nor the last, but from my vantage point (at the beginning of this journey) it seems far._

Remember the wise words of the Buddha;

'The longest journey starts with a single drink, so make mine a tequila'

You'll be fine. Remember that despite all the learned and knowledgeable rubbish that we read on here, it's just riding bikes, and the more you do it, the easier it gets.


Choose a number of routes from where you live, go out and explore, have fun.


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## WaynefromOrlando (Mar 3, 2010)

Your decision is not that unusual really. I remember riders who were riding borrowed bicycles on a century + ride I went on back in the 1980's, riders who chose a 32 lb beach bike single speed for a ride that went over a 3,000 ft pass, riders who rode wearing flip flops, cut-off jeans and a Hawaiian print shirt with no buttons. Several of the young ladies I talked to on that ride had no idea that the ride was more than 100 miles long, and at that point had more than 70 miles to go.

They all finished, so you should have no less success. You will probably feel better at the end when you do finish than they did, but they probably would have a better story.


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## Sepo2011 (Apr 9, 2011)

What chapter/team did you sign up for? If you have any questions or want more insight said:


> Signed up with rocky mountain chapter out of Denver,Co. Thank you I'll keep that in mind as I progress through this.


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## jmx (Feb 17, 2011)

Sepo2011 said:


> I decided to sign up for a century ride, with the help of team in training. Oh and making my initial bike purchase at the same. Yes initial bike purchase. I have-not ridden more than 10 miles at any time.. I'll be doing the Moab ride in September... I guess at this point wishing for luck or well wishes would not help. I think, with my "buyers remorse" backpack securely on my sunken shoulders, I need an intervention from the all-mighty himself to get through this. and I'm not religious, oh the irony.


Depending on your physical condition right now, this may not be a big deal. I hadn't ridden a bike in 20 years, and picked mine up in July. 2 months later I did a century on my own, carrying 10lbs of water with me along the way. The secret is simply to ride your bike. As long as you enjoy going out every chance you get to put some miles in, doing 100 will be a pleasure once sept rolls around.

Good luck, you'll be fine.


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## mness (Feb 9, 2005)

I signed up for the Death Ride (with TNT) without a bike in 2005. You can do it.

I was an avid mountain biker though. But no road bike. For the first few training rides I borrowed a friend's decent road bike while getting a feel for road bikes and shopping around for my own. Of course, looking at new bikes I wound up wanting more than my budget, and wound up getting a 2-yr-old better bike off craigslist. Figured I'd sell it after the event. That was six years ago, and now I road bike more than I mountain bike.

TNT was great, I probably couldn't have done it without them. I raised way more money than the minimum (surprising how generous people could be), and I was VERY well prepared when the big ride came.

Go for it!


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

What month is it now, April? Relax. Unless you're in very poor shape, or seriously overweight, or have some medical issue, you have plenty of time. Just ramp up the distances gradually, enjoy the rides, and don't do yourself any overuse injuries -- i.e., back off when you don't feel good.

Maybe tell us a little about your physical condition, exercise history and age if you want some more specific advice.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Just get a bike fitting and start ramping up the distance. A little muscle pain is ok. Joint pain or numbness is not acceptable. 100 miles is a lot of time on the bike. You'll want to get it right before you get up to that distance.


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## iamcyclingforfun (Apr 25, 2011)

> Several of the young ladies I talked to on that ride had no idea that the ride was more than 100 miles long, and at that point had more than 70 miles to go.


That made me laugh so much! Really, though, 100 miles is not *that* difficult on a bicycle. Just takes some endurance. If you aren't trying to do it in 3 hours, then even a beginner can do it.


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## editedforsafety (May 8, 2011)

I bought a bike in March 2010, and with weather and general ignorance, didn't do much riding before I left on a unsupported Lansing, MI - Milwaukee, WI - Lansing, MI tour with 2 friends at the beginning of may. We did 482 miles over 8 consecutive days, with the two longest days (2 and 4) being 72 miles. I had to deal with wind, rain, and cold nearly the entire way on a bike that weighed 43 pounds loaded, and up until that point I had done somewhere in the range of 125 miles of "training". It was miserable, yet somehow I'm completely in love with the sport of road biking now. I plan on doing a solo century this season, and I'm feeling pretty confident. I've learned a ton since then, mainly in the way of nutrition and generous butt lubing.


You'll be able to do it, especially if you have people with you who won't let you quit. September is far enough away to get yourself in good enough shape to not hate yourself for 87 miles.


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## dgeesaman (Jun 9, 2010)

Sepo2011 said:


> Ok firstly I'm new here and by no means a verbose individual or a person that pontificates on blogs or otherwise.
> 
> That being said I felt the need to share my decision with you all. why? Not sure yet.
> 
> ...


That's a great idea, actually. You don't need a fancy bike but you will want a sound bike that's well fitted to your body/frame. IMHO the sweet spot for a bike is $800-1500 and with a few hundred extra for good shoes, helmet, pedals, and padded shorts. TnT usually gets a discount at local shops.

I'm training now with TnT for Tahoe. Back in January several of the riders had new bikes and had never ridden much as adults. I'm happy to say they're trucking along. We ride Tahoe in one month.

Yes, it helps if you have some athletic ability but everyone in sound physical condition should have little trouble if they follow the team's schedule.

As for the distance, yes it's a long ride. But remember you're on wheels. Just pace yourself and build up mileage very steadily. Leave time for your riding and fundraising - that's probably the hardest part.


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