I am planning my own route for a century ride, and was wondering... what is the definition of a century?

If I ride 30 miles in to work in the morning, then 20 miles at lunch, then 50 miles home in the evening... can I then say I did a century?

SharpT

A hundred miles. Or a metric century 100K = 60+ miles. The UMCA cuts you some slack and accepts 90 miles as a century.

A century is done as one continuous ride. Yes, you did a hundred miles. I would not call it a century.

If you left your bibs and jersey on all day at work then it is a century.

A century in my mind is 100 miles in one ride. While the definition of "one ride" is open to some interpretation (certainly many people would agree that stopping for lunch is quite acceptable, and many century rides have a lunch stop) the idea isn't to do multiple rides separated by some unrelated task(s). In my mind, that's not a century. Not that it makes it any less of a challenge or any less worthwhile. It's just different in my mind from doing 100 miles more or less "al at once".

That said, I certainly wouldn't begrudge someone the right to say he/she did a century if the person rode 100 miles on a bike regardless of the circumstances of those 100 miles. Doing that distance in one day is a meaningful accomplishment no matter how it's done.

hmmmm......that scenario doesn't really sound like a century (before/during/after workday), but then again, it's all what you make it. Either way you're getting some great exercise and spending some time enjoying yourself.

Maybe if we put the word "century" in quotes, then it can apply to any other 100 mile situations that the continuous ride century (without quotes) definition doesn't cover. Then people have the choice of riding a century, or a "century". :)

Maybe if we put the word "century" in quotes, then it can apply to any other 100 mile situations that the continuous ride century (without quotes) definition doesn't cover. Then people have the choice of riding a century, or a "century". :)

A CENTURY=100 no stops ... yes u have to pee on yourself
A Century=100 short stops no lunch
A "CENTURY"=100 completed in a 24 hour period
A "Century"=100 completed over the course of a week
A "century"=visualizing the completion of a CENTURY while drinking a beer

I am planning my own route for a century ride, and was wondering... what is the definition of a century?
Metric Century = 100 km (~60 miles)
Imperial Century = 100 miles

If I ride 30 miles in to work in the morning, then 20 miles at lunch, then 50 miles home in the evening... can I then say I did a century?
No.

But you can say "I rode 100 miles on Tuesday," if that makes you feel special. ;)

A century is whatever you want it to be. Typically it is done as a single ride, but there is no official description.

The Ultramarathon Cycling Association (UMCA) Year-Rounder challenge requires centuries to be completed with a total average speed of at least 8.33 mph, including all stops. That's a reasonable standard if you want some kind of established guidelines. This would almost certainly preclude a ride that started and finished before and after work.

But for personal bragging rights, do what you will.

hee hee I love these arguments... One would think the posts here are from seperate members of the UCI and PRO TOUR... hee hee...

Let's see... If I eat lunch it dont count... But what if I eat lunch on my bike(oh I guess I have to add that the bike keeps moving hee hee)...

Indolent.... How about this... I wear an under-T, shorts and jersey... At work I take off only the jersey... Oh how about this addeum... I keep my cycling shoes on all day at work... Wear mountain bike shoes so I can walk in them at work...

I like redden's answer the best :)

While the USCF has their rules... I have the COM http://jnj.homelinux.net/century-of-month-2007/COM2007.html
That I run through http://bikejournal.com which basically says that as long as you do 100 miles within a 24 hour period then you can count it as a century...

I am planning my own route for a century ride, and was wondering... what is the definition of a century?

If I ride 30 miles in to work in the morning, then 20 miles at lunch, then 50 miles home in the evening... can I then say I did a century?

SharpT


I have done that and I have done centuries with lunch stops and I have done centuries with only stops to refill water bottles, eat snacks and relieve myself (I am not in such a hurry that I have to pee whilst riding the bike). Actually what you are talking about above is every bit as hard if not harder to do than an organized century with very few stops. The way you are doing it, it is easy to just go home and say "Why bother?" and suck down a beer and watch TV instead. So sure, they are all centuries.