Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - 2009 Century Challenge

I used a Heavy duty mailing envelop as a boot.
Time of pic, the boot had been in for 190 miles.

Nice!

I had to boot my rear tire yesterday around the 47 mile mark into a century. I used half a wrapper from a packet of "Gleukos" electrolyte drink. The drink is horrible, but I'll call the $1.58 price a wash since it made for a suitable tire boot. :lol:

2009 Century Counter:
January: missed it by that much :(
February: 22nd
March: 21st (200k)
April: 4th (300k), 19th

I am going for my first century this Saturday, and I am going to make it a double metric by riding from my house to the event.

I have a new bike (Windsor Tourist), new cycling shorts, and lots of food and drink.

I'll tell you all about it Sunday. Wish me luck!

Luck!

I've heard the first century is always the toughest. Mine (solo) took 10 hours, and my next long ride (79 miles) took under five hours.

Luck!

I've heard the first century is always the toughest. Mine (solo) took 10 hours, and my next long ride (79 miles) took under five hours.

Not so. My first was the easiest, probably because most of the climbing (~2000m) was in the first 50km, unlike later ones, which had some climbs at the end as well. My latest was with a similar elevation profile to the fist, but much much harder due to the pace.

120.21 miles. Fastest century of the year; played the expected wind shift like a fiddle, catching it midway. Got home earlier than normal, then got greedy and tacked on another 20. Finished under a severe thunderstorm warning and tornado watch. Ah, springtime in the Plains states. ;) Rode the last five miles in the aftermath of a downpour and now have to clean the chain. Crap. SWMBO was unsympathetic. She did think the mileage palindrome was cute, though. :rolleyes:

2009 Century Log:
Jan 11, 17, 31
Feb 1
Mar 7, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22
Apr 4, 10, 18, 25

Competed my first century yesterday!!

The Tour Autuaga is in Prattville, AL (Autauga County). It is rural and very very hilly.

I finished 110 miles in 7hrs, 39m.

Did my first century for the year (and 3rd ever) last Saturday- did the "Marko Polo" Permanent, going from Plano to Caddo Mills, Celeste, Blue Ridge. 106 miles, about 10:13 including stops.

I completed my first Century this past Saturday at the Shiner GASP (http://www.shinergasp.com/).

http://i570.photobucket.com/albums/ss141/barrysms150ride/Shiner%20GASP/Dscn9217.jpg

Averaged 14.5 mph, 6:50 saddle time, and 7:30 total.

:D

I completed my first Century this past Saturday at the Shiner GASP (http://www.shinergasp.com/).


Averaged 14.5 mph, 6:50 saddle time, and 7:30 total.

:D

Bout Time.
Congratulations

101 miles today; great weather!

2009 Century Log:
Jan 11, 17, 31
Feb 1
Mar 7, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22
Apr 4, 10, 18, 25
May 2, 9

When Sydney, my oldest female cat, passed away in 2003, I rode a century (100 miles) in her memory. When Sabre, my diabetic male cat, passed away 3 months ago I wanted to do the same thing. It took a while, but I have finally done it, and I spent quite a bit of time thinking of him as I rode.

It rained overnight and I was a bit concerned that it would continue to rain this morning, but the sky was clearing as we set off. My father and I met Willi and Dan at Tim Hortons and we all set off together. Willi and Dan were doing my 300K brevet route, I was aiming for a century, and my father was out for a shorter ride. Willi and Dan sped off shortly after the start - they were on the clock and needed to make their controls in time. My father and I rode more or less together to Sylvan Lake when my father headed for home.

I continued on, and despite the fact that I took a shortcut, I arrived at the Eckville control only about 5 minutes before Willi and Dan got there. Last week there was no wind to speak of. This week there was wind ... and it was slowing me down!

Willi and I rode together for a few minutes after the Eckville control, and then he caught up to Dan and they disappeared in the distance. I hope they did all right on the rest of the 300K.

Meanwhile I was slogging up the hills toward Leslieville ... but I knew that when I reached the top of the last hill, the view is definitely worth it! You can see the whole valley spread out around, with the mountains in the distance. It's beautiful ... the pictures don't really do it justice. :)

A short time later I was in Leslieville. I like the Leslieville store ... it's more than just a small-town grocery store or convenience store. They've got some good stuff in there! I had an orange pop and a delicious, and fairly large butter tart square. Mmmmmm!

I had been watching the clouds, and keeping my eye on two storm cells forming between me and home. Shortly after I got back onto Hwy 11, heading for home, the most distant storm cell sent out a billowy white arm toward me. It started to rain as I rolled into the parking lot of a school, and just as I got under shelter it started to hail. I waited for the hail to pass, and then set off, but the closer storm got me and soaked me. It was like they were hunting me down!! They grouped together and grew into a large thunderhead that followed me back to Red Deer.

I got into Red Deer with 17 km to go. Unfortunately the wind really kicked up because of the incoming storm, so I spent the last hour or so trying to make up 17 km by riding back and forth, and round and round ... often being blown about by the wind, and trying to dodge the rain.

I was exhausted when I got in. This is the first century I've done since November, and the longest ride by far since November. I've gotten out of practice!!

The pictures of this ride are the last 9 in this set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14302884@N04/sets/72157617519339243/

April 18 - 105 miles on all gravel for the Ragnarok 105 race.
May 1 - 115 miles.

I'm doing a 12-ride series with my club, and with my miles to & from I've been over 100 a bunch of times:

3/28: 101 miles - 58-mile group ride, plus solo miles to & from
3/31: 120 - solo
4/5: 101 - 64 miles w/ group + solo
4/12: 107 - 72 w/ group + solo
4/18: 102 - 72 w/ group + solo
4/25: 113 - 82 w/ group + solo
5/6: 108 - 93 miles with one other rider, plus solo to & from

The last ride of the club series is this Saturday - supposed to be 111 miles. My to & from miles should put me over 200k, which would be my longest ride ever. Fingers crossed for good weather!

Not sure I'll keep piling up the centuries at the same pace once the series ends... but we'll see what happens...

101 miles today. Scheduled a vacation day to work on the house, but it was just too nice out not to ride instead.

2009 Century Log:
Jan 11, 17, 31
Feb 1
Mar 7, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22
Apr 4, 10, 18, 25
May 2, 9, 11

2009 Century Log:
Jan 11, 17, 31
Feb 1
Mar 7, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22
Apr 4, 10, 18, 25
May 2, 9, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 30
Jun 15, 19; 22 and 24: RAAM Spotting; 25, 29, 30
Jul 2

2nd solo century of the year yesterday, twice around Stukel Mountain. Its such a beautiful ride I took the same route as the April century, but concentrated on keeping a strong pace this time.

In April I did it in 6:02, this month 5:42. I was on pace for 5 1/2 hours most of the way but a headwind kicked up in the long 25 mile leg home (and I thought I could hear Phil Liggett out there "and now daxr's looks to be in trouble - he's had a splendid effort so far, but it's clear he didn't count on this wind. Has he saved enough to pull it off? We'll be following to see...just look at that determination, fighting the pedals over every turn, the time ticking away, what an effort!")

...pretty well toasted the legs, but its was a great ride. The first long ride this year when I didn't have the allens out tinkering with fit adjustments or tracking down some little noise - everything just smooth and comfy.

May 3 centuries.

2009 Century Counter:
January: missed it by that much :(
February: 22nd
March: 21st (200k)
April: 4th (300k), 19th

Add one more for May 16th, which I did on my fixed gear.

Five for the year isn't very many, but last year I only did 6... so I'm on track to best myself from last year. :)

Doing the CAM Challenge this year. I'm on track so far, but keeping tabs in the SoCal group with some of the other locals. One century a month so far, with two each month in March, April, and May. Should have me ready for my first double come end of June.

This thread needs a serious bump :)

Completed my first century today. 103.xx miles in 5hrs 47 mins of saddle time. Felt great and had fun. The weather was as perfect as you can get and the old Raleigh was flawless and as comfortable as on any of my shorter rides. Great ride!

Road my first century yesterday, 102 miles. End was a bit harder, lots of hills and a head wind. I suppose if it was easy, everyone would do it. I'm happy with my time 7h 22m ride time, 8 hours total. I'll probably not pack on any useless weight as I did this time. Finally a nice weekend in the northeast with a day off allowed me to do it. Definately aim to quicken the pace next time, but my Surly isn't a featherlite either.:)
She rides comfy though.

http://i570.photobucket.com/albums/ss141/barrysms150ride/kfc100.jpg

Second one :D

Katy Flatlands Challenge

101 miles, 17.2 mph, and 5:51 riding time.

This is getting frustrating -- I've done two 78.5 mile rides this year, but only one century! I'm trying to convince my boss to come out for one. He claims he's old and unfit, but on our shorter rides he kicks my butt.

2009 Century Counter:
January: missed it by that much
February: 22nd
March: 21st (200k)
April: 4th (300k), 19th
May: 16th (fixed gear)
June: 13th (200k)
July: 25th (200k, 29m faster than my March time)

Seven! That's one more than I did last year, and I still have a 300k & 400k on the schedule. :)

First double century yesterday!

Got away from longer rides in June & early July, but back on it now.

Earlier this year:
March = 2
April = 4
early May = 1

5/16: 142 miles (114 club ride + to & from)
5/25: 130 (solo, with 10,800' climbing)
5/30: 106 - club ride

longest ride in june = 84 miles :(

7/19: 101 miles (30-mile race + ride with some friends after)
7/25: 116 - club ride
8/1: 208, with 3 friends

I think I'm up to four so far this year. The first was in January, and I think I already reported it in this thread. The second was a fleche ridden in April. I rode across New Jersey and back with four other members of team "Midnight ride of the Sinister Nuts". The third was a 200k I rode on July 4. The route was so pleasant our RBA used it again last Saturday, August 8. For that ride I set aside my fixed gear bike in favor of our tandem, and rode with my wife for her first brevet.

My 80-mile commute is coming up again on Saturday . . . if I'm feeling it, I'll circle around for an extra 20 miles when I reach my destination. :rolleyes:

Did my first century ever two weeks ago during the Pan Mass Challenge from Sturbridge down to Provincetown. It felt great! Stats were 111.3 miles on the first day down to Bourne at an average of 16.3 mph. With rest stops and a lunch it took a little under 6 hours all told. Not sure why but I felt better towards the end. My legs felt great the last 15 miles and I pushed some to the end because of that. Of course I paid for it the next day during the second 92 mile day, but finished strong. Second day we picked up the pace and came in at 17.2 mph average through the hills of the Cape. Legs felt not so great after the 75 mile mark on the second day, but I pushed through to the end keeping pace with my team mates. Damn was I shaking at the end of that. Plus I felt bad because there was no way I could pull towards the end of the second day and keep the same fast pace when it came to my turn.

My 80-mile commute is coming up again on Saturday . . . if I'm feeling it, I'll circle around for an extra 20 miles when I reach my destination. :rolleyes:

Alright! Got in the 80 in about five hours, then woke up my fiancee's brother to join me for another 20.

Got my first century this year yesterday--66 miles on the W&OD trail from Vienna to Purcellville and back, 31 more going the other way to Shirlington and looping out by Regan National Airport and back, and then the final 3 by riding around my parents' neighborhood.

Overall Statistics:
Distance: 100.54mi
Saddle Time: 6h08m46s
Actual Bike Time (incl. rest stops): 7h14m41s
Real Time (incl. lunch + driving between start locations): 9h25m
Start Time: 8:45AM
End Time: 6:10PM
Max Speed: 36.1mph
Avg Speed (saddle): 16.4mph
Avg Speed (actual): 13.9mph
Avg Speed (real): 10.7mph

http://i570.photobucket.com/albums/ss141/barrysms150ride/HHH/IMG_0410.jpg

#3!

2009 Century Counter:
January: missed it by that much
February: 22nd
March: 21st (200k)
April: 4th (300k), 19th
May: 16th (fixed gear)
June: 13th (200k)
July: 25th (200k, 29m faster than my March time)
August: 22nd to 23rd, 400k
September: 20th

Clicked off #3 for the year (and #3 ever) yesterday. 102.79 miles in 5h24m saddle time.

2009 Century Counter:
January: missed it by that much
February: 22nd
March: 21st (200k)
April: 4th (300k), 19th
May: 16th (fixed gear)
June: 13th (200k)
July: 25th (200k, 29m faster than my March time)
August: 22nd to 23rd, 400k
September: 20th

Add Sept. 26th to the list. Knocked out another 103 this morning in 8h 30m.

2009 Century Counter:
January: missed it by that much
February: 22nd
March: 21st (200k)
April: 4th (300k), 19th
May: 16th (fixed gear)
June: 13th (200k)
July: 25th (200k, 29m faster than my March time)
August: 22nd to 23rd, 400k
September: 20th, 26th


Nothing in October (stupid flu), but I did a 200k yesterday. PR at 9h 16m finish time.

11/22/09 - 100.2 - 5:52

Rowan and I rode a century this past weekend. It was both of our second centuries of the year ... my first one was back in May and his was in January. Here's the story .....


When we decided to ride the 165 km distance, I think we were still on something of a "high" from completing the 100 km distance on the Pyrenees Magic. I think we also counted on getting a lot more cycling in than we did between the two events.

As it happened, it poured buckets on the one weekend in between the two rides, so we didn't get out for a ride ... and I started a job that has me standing all day long, putting my back into a great deal of pain, three days before the event.

So with that background we got ready for the Bellarine 165. I was looking forward to this event, not so much for the event itself, but because it would be my first century since May, and it was along the coast of the Bellarine Peninsula within sight of the ocean. Beautiful! I had also ridden basically the same route, but the other direction, in 2004 at the start of the Great Southern. Only I remember none of it because it was dark by then ... so I wanted to see where I'd ridden.

We set off about 5 minutes later than the rest of the riders from Eastern Park in Geelong, but that doesn't bother us because we tend to hang off the back anyway. And it gave me a chance to work on my cue sheet skills. I'm not used to following a cue sheet.

The ride to the first control was pretty good. There were a few hills, but nothing unmanagable. But we didn't have much time to spare when we got there. The ride to the next control was lovely. It was all along the ocean (the bay) which I really enjoyed. It was, however, windy ... so while it was flat, there was the challenge of the wind. And then it poured on us just before the second control. Nevertheless, we made it there with 45 minutes to spare.

Not long after the second control Rowan flatted. There was a lot of broken glass on the course so that wasn't too much of a surprise. But it did eat into our time.

I pulled a lot in this section because I don't mind the wind ... and the wind was steadily increasing. Rowan isn't so fond of wind. I was distracted by the gorgeous scenery ... the ocean was a beautiful dark blue and turquoise colour, and crashed into the beach with large white waves. It was great!!

By about 115 km, I was starting to tire, and my back and right leg started to cramp up and become rather painful. But I still felt fairly strong. However, as we turned out of Bells Beach, we were faced with a massive climb. I couldn't do it. Neither could Rowan. He is usually a much stronger climber than me (he does better on the hills and I do better in the wind), but both his legs cramped badly, and we both ended up walking. We walked a few more hills after that too.

All that walking ate into our time quite a bit, and with 2 km to go to the third control, we were out of time. So we took a shortcut to a main road ... a road we suspected (correctly) was flatter than some of the others in the area. We also had a great tailwind.

At the first gas station we came to, we stopped for a traditional favourite of long distance cyclists ... potato chips and coke! Unfortunately as I set off again, I had a flat front tire. We kept pumping my tire up every 3 or 4 km for the rest of the ride. I still need to fix that tire.

Revived by the calories, liquid, and salt we carried on hoping to connect up with the route again, but missed it and had to backtrack to find it. This added a bit to our distance, and when we pulled back into Eastern Park, we were almost at a century distance. Down the road and back, and we finished a century ... 161 km (100 miles)!! And it only took us ..... 11 hours!!!

It was a century even though it wasn't the one we set out to do. But we learned a few things ... we are both out of shape!! We need to do a lot more riding before tackling a distance like that again. I also need to do a lot more work on my core. And we could both stand to lose a bit more weight. We also need to pay more attention to hydration and electrolyte consumption. Both of us cramped quite a bit, more than we should have, and that might have been prevented by consuming more liquid and electrolytes. So it was a re-learning experience.

The Bellarine Photos in this set are from that ride:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14302884@N04/sets/72157622681266839/detail/

Counter goes to 12 today.

Second 200k in my R-12 series. 10h 41m finish. 3 flats in the first 10 miles. Non-stop 45 degree rain.
It was awesome!

I rode my second in my R-12 attempt today too. Oh my, wasn't it a lovely day to be riding in the Pacific NW? I think I had about ten minutes without rain out of 9 hours on the bike. But it was a dry rain. :)

I rode my second in my R-12 attempt today too. Oh my, wasn't it a lovely day to be riding in the Pacific NW? I think I had about ten minutes without rain out of 9 hours on the bike. But it was a dry rain. :)

I suppose it wasn't all rain. 3 or 4 hours it was less of a true "rain" and more of that PNW heavy mist which just seems to hang in the air and coat everything.
Were you part of the Leschi-Auburn ride with Robert's gang, Geoff and Vincent's 300k group, or just soloing?

I suppose it wasn't all rain. 3 or 4 hours it was less of a true "rain" and more of that PNW heavy mist which just seems to hang in the air and coat everything.
Were you part of the Leschi-Auburn ride with Robert's gang, Geoff and Vincent's 300k group, or just soloing?

True, for part of the day it was just PNW liquid air. It makes you wet just the same. I was part of Robert's gang. The gang sort of disintegrated, but we had a good time together for the first half.