bigskymacadam

great post. i'm the guy who's always, "dude, you'll never make it" ... but mostly because there's some time limit or ridiculous speed goal. at my first organized century, they were tearing down all the concessions when i got to the finish.

so yes. planning to go out at a reasonable, easy to moderate pace is key 'specially if 50 miles is what you've put in. the sense of accomplishment at the end is worth it.

BlueTwo

Eating during the ride mantains a base level of calories so that at the end of the ride you have enough energy to eat and sleep or your body will be to weak to recouver correctly ,, also you should drink enough water before the ride --the night before and in the morning so that your urine runs clear , that way all the waste products and toxins are out of the body and don't run to the muscles as your body slowly dehydrates at the beginning of the ride ---- the national cycling team also states that you must eat within 2 hours of heavy exercise or your body will just eat itself - the muscles-- to stay alive

slowandsteady

Not true, aerobic burns glucose, fat burn zone around 55-65% burns primarily fat.

slowandsteady

It most certainly does NOT take 12 hours for food to clear from your stomach. It is anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours. Food may be digested slower during periods of exertion because much of your blood is diverted to your muscles, but it doesn't take 12 hours to clear.

recursive

When I'm worn down, I can feel the energy coming back within 15 minutes after eating. I don't know where you got 12 hours from.

rajman

Did a century on Friday!

First century for me in about 20 years - when I did two centuries back to back on a Toronto - Montreal trip.

Funny thing - the first 70 k was MUCH harder than the last 100 k of the ride. At the 70 k mark I found a golf course that had food, and loaded up. I waited about an hour after eating and then took off. I found that my average rolling speed increased by several km/h (I am pretty slow - my avg speed for the first 'half' was 19.8 km/h, and by the end my overall avg rolling speed was 21.9 km/h) over 15% faster!

It was a hot day for central Alberta (high was 31 C), and there was little or no traffic, and there were no facilities to speak of. For a 150 km stretch there were exactly TWO places where I could buy food/water, and I managed to find one outhouse in addition to that beside an abandoned church (came in real handy!).

For the record I drank over 5L of fluid over the day including 3L of water, 1.5 L of half strength gatorade, and 1L of orange juice (acid is a problem but much more potassium than gatorade). I ate an energy bar (250 kCal), 2 trail mix bars (150 kCal each), and a pretty solid lunch (probably about 700-1000 kCal).

Thanks for the advice Machka, I think it really helped me.

In terms of my training, I have been commuting between 15-25 km every business day since about september, with a couple of one - month breaks, and I have not ridden more than 60 km in a day for about 20 years (I am 37 now).

It seems that you really don't need to train specifically for a century if you take it slow and keep the calories and water coming.

R

P.S. the aftermath has been minimal, my quads, glutes, and arms are a bit sore, and I have been sleeping a lot in the last couple of days, but no injuries to speak of.

P.P.S. BTW my equipment is a Marin Larkspur (urban hybrid) with a fairly upright posture, and 1.25 in semislick tires. I'm sure if I had my touring bike here I could do the centrury significantly faster.

silversmith

I stop about every 10 miles after the first 15-20. But I keep my stops short and don't sit for long.

If I take too long a break I have a hard time getting going again.

About drinking-nutrition: Keep in mind your size and conditioning. I don't have a set formula other than drink alot when sweating alot. I carry a salted nut roll because chocolate melts really bad and then I have to basically suck it out of the wrapper.

Oh yeah, help the local economy and stop at convenience stores -alot. Get treats and a big gulp (diet cherry coke for me, please) and loiter a bit enjoying the air conditioning.

cat4ever

10-12 hours? Does that include a 4-5 hour nap?

Cadillac

Cat4ever,
Not everyone can complete a century in 6 hours as you intimate.
Especially a first century.
The original intent of this thread was to encourage those who have never done a century to give it a try.
In the past, many of these riders have done a half-century; but a full century seems to be unattainable.
Many of these rider average about 13 mph (20 km/hr) riding time and they can calculate that a century would take them almost 8 hours not counting the stops.
When they hear that someone did a century in 5 or 6 hours, they suppose they have to be able to ride 17 to 20 mph with no breaks (or even faster if they stop for a bite to eat). That's quite a burden to put on someone thinking about riding a century for the first time.

While completing a century in 5 hours might be a goal for some, I personally think it is not something I would want to attain. I enjoy completing a century in nine hours including a 30 minute stop for lunch and the sand box.

The purpose of cycling, for some, is to reach a personal best. That is especially great for young people with fast-twitch muscles.
For others, the purpose is to enjoy the scenery and complete the ride.

Randonneuring rides are not races. That's the beauty of randonneuring. As such, it stands in contrast to the current sporting mentality which promotes "winners." Even in the Olympics, it is important to get the gold, silver, or bronze (the other competitors are "chopped liver," I guess). But with randonneuring, everyone who completes the ride within the time-limit is a "winner" and receives the same "prize."

Thus, the important thing is to complete a century regardless of the speed. Then, a century becomes a training ride for the primary brevet of 200 km.

Machka 

Not everyone wants to RACE a century. Some of us like to smell the roses along the way! Some of us prefer to look at the scenery rather than the road right in front of us. Some of us like to stop at interesting little restaurants or shops along the way for a bite of something good to eat rather than consuming powerbars the whole way along.

And new century riders in particular should be encouraged to just take it easy out there and not push the pace. After a person has done a few centuries then he/she can decide if he/she wants to race them, or continue to ride them casually.

ChristopherM

Most people will need a LOT more water.

Heck I can go through a 100oz camelback in 2 hours if its a little warm out.

Phoible

Another thing that most people are neglecting is that century times vary a lot based on factors other than rider skill. For example, the amount of climbing and whether or not you are drafting. When I finished a century with about 8K of climbing in 7 hours (including stops), I was pretty happy with myself. On a flat century with a good paceline going, it isn't hard to average 22 or 23 mph (probably 5 hours total time). Particularly if you are with strong cyclists who don't mind you not taking a pull very often.

fastturtle

I did my first century quite unprepared and survived (although, being kilometric, I didn't know I was doing one), so that would seem to confirm what you say.
Back then all I had was my old heavy 5-speed. I rode 170 km with about 1500m climbing. I carried nothing to drink and nothing to eat (being totally unaware of anything called dietetic or metabolism). I stopped once to buy a few cookies and drink a bottle of coke - I'm not sure if I had money for more than that anyway. When I got to the end, I still had a 200 m climb to do. I was so weak I didn't even have the strength to walk my bike up there. Fortunately, I could grab the shoulder of a friendly moped rider and get myself hauled back to base.
I survived because I was 15 - probably in such circumstances an adult would have ended up in the hospital.
The second century I did a few years later, with very little or no training. But that time it was less hilly, I had a somewhat better bike, and I stopped on the way for a full meal. I was barely better at the arrival, though.
Now I am 42, I ride 10000 km a year, and a century is no more an issue. But it has lost some of its magic.

plodderslusk

I usually ride alone but today I invited a much better rider for a training ride meant to be 60 miles. Ended up a full century. 27 kmh average (not counting breaks !) Nice experience having a wiser guy to pace the trip.

CarreraGT612hp

do centuries really need anything other than any other short ride? i mean, a lot of the advice that's being put in i do for short rides. just asking...