Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Century-A-Month

Rode centuries 56 and 57 for the year last weekend (double into Oklahoma and back). Number 58 is this weekend. Should exceed 60 for the year without much difficulty.

A Century-A-Month is too easy. Let's start a Century-A-Week challenge next year. In the interest of Domestic Tranquility we'll allow four make-ups. Anyone else game?

I am impressed. A century a month is *not easy :p Maybe Texas makes it easier ?

I squeezed November's century in at the last moment (11/28). I'm lucky the weather wasn't worse.

Distance: 101 miles
Weather: High 53, winds from 11-20 mph
Time: 6:35

The wind was giving me flashbacks of my time in Toledo. Other than that it was a fun ride on a route that I had never ridden before. I took the route from mapmyride.com, which has recently become my favorite mapping site.

11 down, 1 to go. I'm going to try to get December's century done in the first half of the month before the weather has a chance to get too terrible.

I am impressed. A century a month is *not easy :p Maybe Texas makes it easier ?

It wasn't easy getting number 60 today. A stiff 20mpm wind out of the south made for a tough first half of the ride.

We do have an advantage in winter with moderate temperatures. But come summer, the heat requires dedication.

It wasn't easy getting number 60 today. A stiff 20mpm wind out of the south made for a tough first half of the ride.

:) :D


We do have an advantage in winter with moderate temperatures. But come summer, the heat requires dedication.
Well done. Here, it is raining and the wind blows from the south. I quit at 60 km for a hot shower, after a long cold shower on the bicycle. Maybe next week ! ;) ;)

I've been planning out my 12 rides for '08, trying to find organized centuries for all 12. My problem is in finding organized rides for the colder months up here in Seattle. January, March, November and December specifically. (In February I can at least ride the Chilly Hilly which is only 33 miles, but I have a 30 mile each way trip from home to the ferry.)
Anyone aware of an organized ride for those months mentioned?

I've been planning my centuries for 2008 (first year doing so), and have finally decided that Colorado weather is too unpredictable (if you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes). weather.com may be the best ally, and the plan is to knock the winter months off on a day's notice during non-work days. Winter commuting also helps condition the lungs and extremities :)

I've been planning my centuries for 2008 (first year doing so), and have finally decided that Colorado weather is too unpredictable (if you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes). weather.com may be the best ally, and the plan is to knock the winter months off on a day's notice during non-work days. Winter commuting also helps condition the lungs and extremities :)

This will be my first shot at the Year-Rounder, too. I've been commuting year round for a couple years up here, so I'm used to the rain and cold. My soon to be bro-in-law lives in Aurora, CO, so I know from him how unpredictable the weather there is. It makes things even tougher than here in the Seattle metro area.
I'm finally getting a bike that's better suited for long distance than either one of the two I have right now, and I'm looking forward to being able to ride farther than 75 miles w/o starting to get very uncomfortable (as I do on my bikes now.)

I've been planning out my 12 rides for '08, trying to find organized centuries for all 12. My problem is in finding organized rides for the colder months up here in Seattle. January, March, November and December specifically. (In February I can at least ride the Chilly Hilly which is only 33 miles, but I have a 30 mile each way trip from home to the ferry.)
Anyone aware of an organized ride for those months mentioned?

Join the Seattle International Randonneurs (http://www.seattlerandonneur.org/). They have 200Km brevets starting in March. They also have planned rides close to 100 miles in Jan/Feb that could be extended. And there are routes, called Permanents, that could be arranged, possibly with other randonneurs anytime. randonneurs are tough riders and there's always some of them ready to tackle any weather.

I did my December century today, 12/08/07, that completes my year!! wOOt! I rode the beautiful and challenging Wolf Creek Century route, south and west of Eugene in the Coast Range mountains.

Here is the route, be sure and click on satellite view while you are there
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=102549

Maybe I'll do the challenge again in 2008, it was fun this year.

December century DONE today. There was a strong wind from the North west today. Also some quite heavy pouring rain. Not for the faint-minded. Anyway Meulan, Les Andelys, route des crêtes and a small tour in hilly Vexin along the famous Stephen Roche race route, Chateau Gaillard, crossing the Seine and back downwind on the Levallois-Honfleur route. 195 km @ 21,5 km/h. this qualifies. Too bad I failed october (the number was far above the right number, but none in October). I may try it again next year

Well, unfortunately I could not fit in my Nov century. BEtween work, call on the weekends, and an unplanned/emergent trip out of the country the weekend I had planned for it went to crap. I am hoping to get December's in tomorrow. I sure want to get 2008 in, which should be no issue, but I more than anything want to get in a 200 KM and a 400 KM ride. I was thinking to get a 600 KM under my belt, but that kind of mileage and time is past my enjoyment line. Maybe in 2009 just to say I did one and be done for the rest of my riding days.

Mission accomplished.

Distance: 100
Weather: 39-48 degrees, 5-8 mph wind
Time: 6:24

Congrats to everyone else who completed the challenge. Good luck next year!

I rode 115km on Sunday, a 50km ride on Monday, rest day Tues (Xmas), 134km Wednesday and 40km Thursday. Was supposed to go out with some cycle club buddies for a 30km ride this morning but I think I have overdone it and didn't go and plan on staying off the bike tomorrow but hopefully feeling well enough by Sunday to punch out another (metric) century.

December century done 12/23/07. Actually did 110 miles. 4 breaks, some really unnecessary, but I felt so good at the end I could have riden another 50!

I didn't latch on to the Century-A-Month concept until February, and then the weather turned brutal that month. So I really only started in March. I did ride two in June and two in October. Today, close to the wire, I got in my 12th. Only one was an organized ride--the Ride Across INdiana, where I did 167 miles. All the rest were solo.

Today I started at 5:27 a.m. in 26F conditions. It never warmed up like it was supposed to, and a scratched cornea (cause unknown) left me with only one eye open for a significant portion of the ride. It was not my finest hour. But I was very glad to have the challenge to keep me motivated all year, and to successfully complete it, at least on my own terms.

A new baby (due any day) may prevent me from attempting a repeat in '08, we'll see. But I do hope to ride two double centuries--a distance I've never attempted before.

Thanks for giving me the push I needed to do this.

Jack

Just thought Id post my warm up rides...

Sept: Did a 208km from Turangi through to Palmerston(following a 155 rotorua to turangi, yep should of done a little pedal up the road and back to add another 5).

October: Palmerston to turangi, and back after a days rest, had planned another century on that day but a little off on the first day left me too sore. 196 and 206 (different routes). All these rides were around 10 hrs and peak at 1100m, turangi is 400m and palmerston 30m... so there was a bit of climbing.

November: Double around lake taupo(two laps around the lake), just under 13 hrs total, 12:20 on the bike. 1:30 am start which meant only about 3 hrs sleep(nerves!). Had a low point around 5am, wasn't eating enough. The second lap was great, and once out of the hills was passing many of the single lap riders(they started around 7:30am).

December: 160 km out to apiti and back via some very hilly back roads. Have upgraded my bianchi tourer to a sporty Trek and I'm really mssing my granny gear! 6:52 with a halfway stop for a pie and a couple of other short stops. It was hot as hell with the tar bubbling in many spots. Left it till almost 2pm to leave as I was fighting a headache all weekend, so I had to hurry to get home before dark(9pm), it never went away but on the big hills my legs hurt more than my head! Just home before dark. A loop around the block to make 160 exactly.

With six under my belt in a row I'm ready for the new year.

As of yesterday my first month is done.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_aXhhvy2H_Ys/R3vIeONX7_I/AAAAAAAAAEA/3D7LNQ7QAKM/s400/CIMG3433.JPG

170km (106mi). The first post in a long time on my blog. (http://allthesecenturies.blogspot.com/2008/01/halifax-to-eastern-shore-century.html)

January's century done. Did 108 miles solo on 1-13-08. Nice weather, but was definately tired at the end. Had done 62 miles the day before.

Just so we're all on the same page ......

The 2008 Century-A-Month thread is here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=374970