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

So me and my friends decided to try our hand at a century with little to no training. 1 friend had only been on a bike 3 times. and the rest have been biking about a month. We road 50 miles from Cinci OH to Xenia and back. Total riding time was just under 7 hours. Total time out was about 8 and 1/2 hours. Is it considered a century if we spent about 1 and 1/2 hours breaking? Is this riding time pretty horrible? We spent a lot of time waiting up for others and what not so I think we could have been much faster. someone let me know what approx times are for decent century rides.
Thanks

Century = 100 miles / day. That's that as far as I'm concerned

5 hours riding = 20 mpg avg semi-pro
6 hours riding = 16.6 mph avg weekend warrior
7 hours riding = 14.3 mph avg good job

Not bad for such little experience. Keep it up.

so, uh, a friend of mine, it took him 8 hours, how's that :D

8 Hours = 12.5 mph average - toddler.

so, uh, a friend of mine, it took him 8 hours, how's that :D

If you do it in 8 hours, that means that you got to enjoy the great outdoors for a few hours longer than those other guys! :thumb:

Seriously... look at the people around you. Be proud of your accomplishment. Most folks are so lazy and brainwashed that they just look at you like you're some kind of superhero when you ride 10 miles to work.

8 Hours = 12.5 mph average - toddler.

LOL

8 Hours = 12.5 MPH average = ahead of the control cutoffs

As long as I make the cutoffs... it's fast enough.

LOL

8 Hours = 12.5 MPH average = ahead of the control cutoffs

As long as I make the cutoffs... it's fast enough.

+1, I've completed long rides (400k+) way under that average speed, and they weren't easy rides.

As long as I make the cutoffs... it's fast enough.

I made this joke with a friend who remarked about how slow his last 600k was...

Randonneuring is like med school:
What do they call the guy who graduates dead last in his class from med school? Doctor; same as the valedictorian.

I'm not sure what route you took, but my memory tells me Cinci to Xenia is a pretty hilly trip. So 7 hours is pretty good. I don't think time should be that important to you until you have more experience. Or maybe never. Just enjoy the ride.

i'm impressed. did you enjoy the ride is a more imprtant question.

Most folks are so lazy and brainwashed that they just look at you like you're some kind of superhero when you ride 10 miles to work.

It helps if you wear a cape. They DEFINITELY look at you with admiration then!

5 hours riding = 20 mpg avg semi-pro

Without taking anything away from the accomplishment of the OP, a 5 hour century is nowhere near "semi-prio". Pretty much any halfway decent racer can easily put in a 5 hour century, especially if you are only considering riding time. A "semi-pro" (a rather nebulous term which I will take to mean a cat 1) could probably do close to 4 hours if sufficiently motivated.

Without taking anything away from the accomplishment of the OP, a 5 hour century is nowhere near "semi-prio". Pretty much any halfway decent racer can easily put in a 5 hour century, especially if you are only considering riding time. A "semi-pro" (a rather nebulous term which I will take to mean a cat 1) could probably do close to 4 hours if sufficiently motivated.

+1. True semi-pros are wicked strong. A 5-hour century is more like a ...cat 3/4? Maybe unless it's got 10,000' of climbing. :)

I've never really liked the term "weekend warrior". Especially when an arbitrary scale puts me into that category. I ride pretty much daily (I might NOT ride on a weekend, sometimes). My last century was around seven hours, previous was 6:22. All depends on hills, weather, location (city vs country), and of course - the rider. I'd say finishing a 100 mile ride at all is pretty good, regardless of how long it took. Unless money or a trophy is on the line, it doesn't really matter how long. It matters that it was a good ride, and it was fun.

So me and my friends decided to try our hand at a century with little to no training.Good for you. Riding a bike 100 miles can be a lot of work - but if you're lucky - you can do it whether or not you train.

Just remember, just because you were lucky on this ride, doesn't mean you can ride a 100 miles anywhere in any conditions. A little wind, a wrinkle in your shorts or a few miles of bad roads can make 100 mile ride considerably more difficult.

Good for you. Riding a bike 100 miles can be a lot of work - but if you're lucky - you can do it whether or not you train.

Just remember, just because you were lucky on this ride, doesn't mean you can ride a 100 miles anywhere in any conditions. A little wind, a wrinkle in your shorts or a few miles of bad roads can make 100 mile ride considerably more difficult.

All true... but still a benjamin's a benjamin. Congrats.