Originally Posted by Black wallnut

Congrats Jarrett2! A first metric is a big milestone and perhaps bigger than a first imperial. It is my thought that the difference in being able to ride 40 miles vs 50 miles is significant in terms of conditioning and strength but beyond 50 miles it becomes more a matter of nutrition, hydration and mental toughness and a metric is far enough to show that you can balance or command all three of those. An imperial century is just a couple more hours or so of the same. You have achieved a level of fitness on the bike that very few ever attain. Keep striving for milestones, now they become more speed and elevation centered than distance unless you only want to achieve milestones rarely.