Fifty Plus (50+) - First Century this past weekend

Well, my son and I rode our first Century Saturday, and completed it! We did very well I thought until about 70 miles or then a headwind and heat started to take it's toll. We did OK, didn't bonk, but took the last 20 miles at a slower pace. My priority was to finish. Fun weekend!

Well, my son and I rode our first Century Saturday, and completed it!

Congratulations to both of you:thumb:

Those last few miles always seem the toughest. Slowing down the pace was a good idea.

Congrats on the big 100. :thumb:

Way to go... your first century with you son to boot. Did you do it in Vermont? I would imagine you had some climbing?

Thanks for the Kudos guys! :) It was the "Prouty" Ride to benefit the Norris-Cotton Cancer Center, and we crossed the Vermont/New Hampshire border four times. There are some hills in the first 40 miles that look pretty bad on the elevation charts, but they did not end up being as bad as we thought they would be. The major factors were definitely wind and heat. We started @ 7:00am, to get what we could done before the heat, and that helped. The weather could certainly been a lot worse, and even though our pace slowed, my goal was to finish a Century, not so much time oriented. In my book, a hundred miles is a lot of miles period, and I felt we did well completing the event. Up until this year, my longest bike ride was probably 12 miles or so, so it's been a year of growth (and loss - as I lost 45 pounds since Jan. 1 too).

This was the 27 annual Prouty ride, so they seem to have it running pretty much like clockwork. The community was very supportive, folks at some points sitting roadside and cheering, folks in cars yelling encouragement (instead of harsh words for a change), great SAG stops, and lots of great volunteers. I thanked one of the volunteers for being especially helpful at a SAG, and he said "no ... thank YOU for riding". Overall, just a great event and a great day. I was afraid that at some point I would be thinking "why did I agree to do this ... never again" - but that never crossed my mind. We were able to get in with a few groups, but never too long due to SAG stops, etc. I would highly recommend this type of event.

Heartiest congratulations. It's a lifetime accomplishment that most never do.

Well, my son and I rode our first Century Saturday, and completed it! We did very well I thought until about 70 miles or then a headwind and heat started to take it's toll. We did OK, didn't bonk, but took the last 20 miles at a slower pace. My priority was to finish. Fun weekend!

So you didn't Bonk- Obviously not putting in enough energy for your first century ride. You have to Bonk on your first Century- otherwise how are you going to recognise the signs of it coming on on the double century.:innocent::innocent:

Well done but it is that 65 to 80 mile mark that hits most so glad you realised it and took the correct steps to avoid it. A century ride is one of the milestaones for all of us- so what is your next "Epic" going to be??

Way to go, both of you! Well done! :thumb:

That loss of energy at 70 miles or so is very common on a century. As you gain conditioning and learn more about your body's hydration, eating and pacing needs during long rides, it will likely become less of a problem.

That loss of energy at 70 miles or so is very common on a century. As you gain conditioning and learn more about your body's hydration, eating and pacing needs during long rides, it will likely become less of a problem.

+1

Now I suppose you are hooked - you will spend your cycling time training for that next century!

Excellent Job............and Great Move Taking It Easy Into The Wind!! Was There Pie Involved?

A tremendous milestone. Losing the weight and doing a century all in half a year is a great, great accomplishment.

How many times have people failed to recongnize you, now that you're getting slim and healthy?

Well done, cllvt, on several fronts!

You rode your first century with your son.

You rode for a worthy cause.

You developed the capability in less than a year.

You finished!

I'd say you knocked that one out of the park!:beer:

Thanks again all. Some answers ... I think we may do another Century in about a month. Need to see how the date works out, and what the map looks like.

Bonking ... I know what that feels like!! I found that out about a month ago on one of the training rides, which was also a crash course on nutrition/hydration/heat! :)

There has only been one person that failed to recognize me initially after losing 45 pounds, etc. Which actually was kind of suprising, as when I last saw that person, I was about the same weight I am now (it was a long time ago). Maybe it was the hair ... my hair is longer than it ever has been. I am kind of one of those eccentric old men with long hair (LOL). Actually, I let it grow mostly because I hate haircuts, and when I was a teenager my ex-Marine Corps drill sargent father would have none of that ... long hair to us was a "Princeton". My wife thinks it's another mid-life crisis, which to me is a good sign if I am having a mid-life crisis at nearly 53 yo!

Good to hear that a 70 mile tiredness is pretty common. I hope to do a little more training, esp. some hillclimbing work, intensity training etc. to improve my bike fitness overall. I imagine that will help somewhat.

You know what amazed me? ... the variety of folks, ages, shapes, and sizes on this ride. Yeah, I am sure not everyone finished but a lot did. There was someone at a sag stop, significantly older than I am, that had done the 100 mile ride from Manchester to the Prouty event, and was halfway through the Century at that point. It does not seem like that long ago, that I thought 50 was really old, and being 50 was probably just taking care of stuff like will, burial wishes, etc. Seems that's not the case (thankfully)! :lol:

You know what amazed me? ... the variety of folks, ages, shapes, and sizes on this ride. Yeah, I am sure not everyone finished but a lot did. There was someone at a sag stop, significantly older than I am, that had done the 100 mile ride from Manchester to the Prouty event, and was halfway through the Century at that point. It does not seem like that long ago, that I thought 50 was really old, and being 50 was probably just taking care of stuff like will, burial wishes, etc. Seems that's not the case (thankfully)! :lol:

Yep, there is a myth floating around out there that you have to be skinny, young, and a highly trained athlete to ride long miles on a bike. It simply isn't so. I wish more people would recognize the cycling can be enjoyed by many different kinds of people.

Chris, that was great you did the century and in so doing you helped others. I am sure your son will remember the ride with fondness in his later years. You did good!

Way to go. You've got the fever. It's time to get another bike.

Congrats!

Sounds like a great ride, double so for finishing with your son.

Well done, cllvt.:beer:

Congratulations!! Sounds like a fantastic, thrilling event, and completing it together with your son must only add to the thrill.

Way to go. You've got the fever. It's time to get another bike.


aaahhh ... please don't even say that, my wife might hear. Actually, I was planning to ride the Century on, and had been training for most of the year on an old bike of mine. I had a series of mechanical failures though, and I did not want to put all the time and effort into it, only to have a mechanical failure keep me from finishing. So I bought (with my wife's support) a new Bianchi via Nirone w/105 about a month before the event. I think that's it for bikes for a while. I buy a new one about every 30 years or so. Problem is I can't part w/the old ones.

As far as riding it with my son, as several folks have mentioned. That was a great experience. We spent many hours together on the road training as well, and I feel pretty fortunate. He stuck with me too, even though he certainly could have finished sooner (being 24 has it's advantages). One nice thing about this event is that you can create teams. Our team was myself, my son, and a friend of mine from work. While my friend rode a 50 miler instead of the 100, we all got together at the BBQ after the event and took some team photos, etc. It certainly added to the fun.