My first Century Attempt
 

Ok I have taken to road bikes and joing club rides and made small upgrades to my bike. I will be honest when I got the road bike last July one of our club riders asked if I wanted to join them on a Century in February. I said I didn't think I would be ready. Well I have changed my mind and I signed up for the Tour de Palm Springs tomorrow. I even decided to give the whole 100 a try rather than start with the 50 miler. Now if I can just remember all the advice I have taken from this forum and just have a good time. I had the bike serviced yesterday, got three new tubes and have plenty of poweraid and fuel. I hope to take a few pictures to share. :)

Bob

Good luck! You'll have fun no matter what; looking forward to the pics.

Fantastic:thumb:

Be sure to take lots of pictures and enjoy the ride. Just take it easy, stay hydrated and eat to keep the energy going.

You will die.

Kidding! Just take it easy, keep hydrated (hey, is there an echo in here?), rest when you gotta (but not too long lest the legs muscles tighten up) & you'll have an accomplishment you can be proud of for the rest of your life.

The sore butt, on the other hand, lasts only a couple of days. Good trade-off IMO.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

Good luck. Just curious, how long have you been riding and what is the longest ride you have done up to this point. Three yeas ago I thought I was ready for a 60 mile ride. About 5 mile from the finish if someone offered to shoot me I would have let them. Not a pretty site. Boinked big time. Last year 2 centuries no problems.

What they said.

I just got back into cycling after a 20 year layoff last may. Bought a Semi recumbent and did the utility thing for a while. Got a MTB in June and a Road bike in July. I joined a club in July and have been riding three times a week with them up to this date. I average just about 40 miles a ride with two in the 50 mile range. I still take a day off between rides to recover. I have dropped from pushing 260 to just between 225 and 229. After my last 50 I still had some juice left and my legs didn't quit on me.

You'll do just fine. Eat and drink plenty and don't worry about your speed or time. Just ride within your limits and enjoy the ride.

Bon voyage! At least you don't have to get up and repeat the ride the next day... and it does sound like you're pretty well prepared.

No repeat ride but a recovery ride the next day on a butt that someone has been kicking for about 4 hours will hurt.

Take it you are doing the ride with a few mates. Remember they are mates and won't mind if you lag a bit. If the pace is a bit too high- Wave goodbye and keep at your pace. Far better to do a 7 hour ride and finish than a 6 hour one and bonk. And talking about bonking- Watch out for around the 70 mile mark. That is the danger time. I normally have a break around the 60 mile mark and eat something just a bit more substantial than I have been munching all through the ride. Only takes a couple of minutes to get off the bike- Eat your meal- stretch and drink a bottle of energy drink.

First sign for me that I am going to bonk is when I do not feel like eating anything. I would have been snacking on Dried fruit- cereal bars- Cake and I normally take a bit of cheese for protein. I also take a couple of gels with me and as soon as I don't feel right I take one. Takes about 20 minutes for it to take effect so slow down for a bit if you feel the need to have one.

Enjoy the ride and get pics. And just remember that this is your first century and you do not have to set a record time on your first 100 miler.

Sounds like fun. Be safe and enjoy yourself.

Can I come?!?

Actually, whatever his time WILL be his personal best, right? So he WILL set a record. :)

Whatever happens will happen. I've had centuries where I enjoyed nearly every mile, ones where I did fine until the last 20 which were agony, and one I didn't finish - I got in the sag wagon after 65 miles.

You'll know so much more after the first one. I hope it won't be the one and only. I think centuries are pretty fun, regardless of the suffering.

A bit OT/thread hijack but that's encouraging for me at least. My last century - only my 2nd - had me doubting the wisdom of doing any more.

Of course the fact that it rained, sometimes hard, for most of it might have been a factor.

Good luck Bob...may the wind always be at your back.

You'll do great! Looking forward to your post ride update.

On the way up keep your butt on the saddle.
On the way down coast.
Next century is for finding out how fast you can go.
Enjoy the ride, lots of memories and new friends.

How did it go?
 

Robert, I have been cycling a bit longer, but I am working on doing my first Century before my 60th birthday on March 20. Let us know how yours went. You can visit me at http://oldguyonabike.com.

Like Stapfam said, nothing can kill your century quicker than trying to keep up the pace of someone else. Hydrate well and eat enough to keep up your energy. Get some low and high glycemic index food in you and you'll do fine.

Go for it, Bob!

Right now, I'm just wishing I lived someplace where it was even possible to ride a century in February!