Road Cycling - Did my 1st metric century today...

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Allen H
05-01-04, 07:45 PM
After a rocky start (I rode over some flat piece of metal I didn't see in time not more than 300 yards from the start - instant flatted rear tire, AND a sidewall puncture in the tire itself - bummer :( - cost me an hour to re-start), I completed the Pedal for Paws today in 4:03. So I averaged 16.7 mph on a mostly flat course (with LOTS of stoplights - ALL red - near the start and the finish).

I feel pretty good this evening, so I guess my 1,000 base miles of training was sufficient.

Infinity
05-02-04, 02:14 AM
Congratulations! And at a pretty brisk pace too. Next target, 100 miles?
TrekRider
05-02-04, 04:51 AM
Congratulations! And at a pretty brisk pace too. Next target, 100 miles?

Brisk? Compared to my first metric, 16.7mph is blistering! My average was 13.4mph.

RacerX
05-02-04, 07:57 AM
Hey congrats on the completion and sticking with it though the rough start! We all have those days.
Stealthman_1
05-02-04, 08:01 AM
My congratulations as well, I just had a bad tire day on Friday as well, 3 flats is sooooo aggrivating!!! Glad you stuck with it despite the start, great achievement!!!
hibiscus09
05-02-04, 08:06 AM
Great job!! :) Congrats!
Allen H
05-02-04, 08:53 AM
Brisk? Compared to my first metric, 16.7mph is blistering! My average was 13.4mph.

Well. I had extra incentive. My wife was waiting with two out-of-the country visitors (from Malawi, Africa) we took to their first baseball game yesterday - and that Giants game started at 1pm, so I was cranking just about as hard as I could.

Without the flat, I'd have made it in time easily. Losing the hour, we got there in the top of the 3rd inning.
astonv0l
05-02-04, 07:36 PM
Well done, I'm hoping to do the MS150 in September, any advice would be great, again, well done
Allen H
05-02-04, 09:03 PM
I did a 45-mile and a 58-mile ride as my 2 longest training rides over the past 6-8 weeks (which gave me the confidence I could do a metric century).

I've ridden 300 miles each of the last two months, up from 100 miles in December (the first full month I had my roadbike).

I also tried out different gels and powerbar-type snacks on many of my longer training rides, to make sure what I had on "the day" was something proven to agree with me, just to eliminate that gastronomic risk.
Stealthman_1
05-02-04, 11:17 PM
Your doing great Allen, you probably are ready physically to do more, you just have to remember to keep fueled (I mean be rigorous about it) and you should have no problem with a century. I am finding the biggest challenge to long distance riding, having just completed my first double metric is the food. At greater than 60 miles it becomes one of the most, along with pacing, critical factors. The difference between gutting out a century and enjoying it is pacing and fuel. Ride on!