Community event today, with plenty of rest stops. Technically 96 miles, but I'm rounding up. Legs were extremely tired, but saddle sore was a huge problem. Instead of riding in a group, me and another rider pulled ahead and took turns pulling. He pulled 80% of the time, because my ass was killing me. I can't imagine doing a 100 mile race nonstop. But I guess it would be a different situation if I had the right saddle, and rode in a pack. I was surprised that most people only brought a small amount of snacks. I brought 5 granola bars and a bag of gummi worms, but only ended up eating the gummi worms. I got a lot of electrolytes from gatorade at rest stops. But man, that saddle sore was 50 miles of nightmare.....

Congratulations on the ride.

Congratulations

did you do it too?

I was going to buy a new saddle but ended up buying new shorts/bib instead; Garneau Sensor 2 I think. They made a huge difference on longer rides, kept my old seat.
And started using chamois cream, DZNuts, that helped with chafing.

Yea people told me about it after the ride. I'm definitely going to doing that from now on.

96 miles is an excellent ride and I congratulate you for it. I personally haven't done it yet. But 96 miles is not a Century. A Century is a milestone achievement for many cyclists, something they aspire to. It's 100 miles or more, not less. If it was me and I knew the ride was 96 miles I would have gone the extra 4 to make it official. I'm not trying to be a jerk or belittle your ride in any way, but 96 miles does not a Century make.

K

Become aware as to what is happening as you ride.

I stand up a lot to give some air and blood flow as I ride.

No, I was not on the same ride as you.

I have to agree that a century is 100 miles or more ... but congrats on the 96 mile ride.

As for your saddle issues, it does sound like you need to be fitted on your bicycle. That's the first step toward a comfortable ride. Good cycling fitness and a strong core can also help to increase your comfortable saddle options. Then, yes, a good saddle is a good investment.

+1.......I've done 34 centuries but if I rounded up on other rides, I'd have about 500!

While I agree with the others that 100 miles is 100 miles, and I hold myself to a pretty strict standard, a 96-mile ride deserves almost as much praise. (I also have to wonder how many times people have thought they rode a century due to a high-reading computer, and unknowingly came up short. )

So, congrats! Keep it up.

That reminds me of the first time in golf I broke 90 by shooting 91...

Technically, anything over 95 miles can be called a century. Lousy rule, but true.

For example, the Wildflower Century was only 96 miles when I rode it. That was an unpleasant surprise when I finished it. I would have done an extra 4, but I had crashed and was injured -- I barely limped to the finish.

I'm calling it a century.

My bike fitter recommended the specialized romin evo 155. I'm either going to get it from ebay, or from the fitter this weekend at a slight discount.


on a side note. I'm flirting with the idea of signing up for my first crit in san antonio this weekend on Sunday. I'm going to houston on Saturday for a second session about my hotspot issue. the thing is I'm still experiencing foot problems. And if I don't get that fixed, I'm going to have to ride with toe straps. would that be a problem?

Just be sure it's a crit and not a "crit"... j/k

Century = 100 miles. If you had 99.6, I would say you were close enough. I would put an * by that one and try again.

I ride like this:......

One word: chamois cream

How long have you been consistently riding and what was your longest ride prior to the 96?

consistently riding since March/April. Did mostly commuting before that; no more than 30 miles/wk. Longest before my century was probably a 70 miler with a friend.

Just remember that a crit finishes at the finish line, on the last lap, not 100 yards back down the road and on the second-last lap.