I booked myself a little stay-cation here in Central Florida for today. Naturally this meant I was going to cycle somewhere. I decided on the hills of Clarmont, FL to log some climbing miles as I don't normally get the chance to make the 30 mile drive over that way. I started off the ride with the intention of doing a 50 mile loop hitting all the big hills we have down here. Towards the end of this loop I was feeling pretty good: the sun was shining, there wasn't a whole lot of traffic on the roads and I really wanted to do 100 miles before the real hot and humid weather kicks in down here. It was noon and I had all day with nothing else going on, so I decided it was time to stretch the ride out into a 100-miler.

Long story short I finished at 100.3 miles. Here's the stats below. For reference I'm 26 years old, began cycling in December, and I'm 6'0 180 lbs.

- 3,200 feet of climbing
- Avg heart rate of 166, max 198
- Avg cadence of 75
- Avg speed of 16.3
- Avg watts 131

Prior to today my longest ride was something like 73 miles, and 40 of those miles was in a A-level group ride, so that doesn't really count. Today was just me myself and I. I felt I rode pretty strong for 3/4 of the ride, sticking to an average of 20-21 in the flats and really trying to pick my battles and push myself on the challenging climbs. However I started to lose steam somewhere around mile 76-78. The climbs I did earlier in the ride, the strong headwind I was fighting as I moved south, and just the general miles finally took their toll. The legs were at max output and I couldn't get the bike above 20mph on the flats anymore. Miles 85-100 I was crawling along...I never saw the speedometer crack 18mph. I worked on maintaining a cadence of 75-80 for these miles.

So a few things. First, I've gotta figure out how to fuel myself better. Most mornings I'm so excited to get on the bike that I skip a real breakfast in favor of an energy bar. During this ride I had a Nature Valley bar at the start, a energy gel at mile 42, and a cliff bar at mile 60. I had green tea and a half a half to start the ride, and refilled both bidons with water 3 times. Second, I've got to spend more time in the hills. Most of my local 50 mile rides see total climbs of 450 feet, so this was a shock to my system. Third, this was my first ride in about two weeks. After today's experience, it's probably not the best idea to jump back on the bike and just ride 100 miles without more recent rides. Finally, I still enjoyed every bit of suffering I endured, however my legs are completely useless at the moment. My goal for next time is to devise a plan to finish that last 1/4 of the ride stronger than I did today.

The important thing is that now you've done a century, you know you can do it again.

There are a lot of threads on what to eat/drink for century rides. I eat 200 calories per hour (energy bar) and drink a lot. I think I went thru five or six water bottles on my last century ride.

You've only been riding since December, so you should still be getting stronger on the bike for a long time to come, which will make things easier.

Well done. Now you know for yourself that it's mostly mental, and the rest is details.

I skipped a lot of the detail as they seemed exactly like you usually see from everyone who just did a century.

1. Congrats! It feels like a big accomplishment!
2. Now you know you can do it. Do it again.
3. "It never gets easier. You just go faster." - Greg LeMond.

Good job on the ride. I wouldn't get hung up on how fast you are going towards the end.

Congrats - I'll be attempting my first century ride at the beginning of May. I'll spend April preparing

Congratulations on your century, I did my first last year and had pretty much the same resuls and rode the same hills, I rode from Clark rd to Clermont, turned around and went all the way to Apopka, then back to Clermont but when I reached the car I was only at 99mi so I had to go a little further just to see "100" on the computer. Next time I plan to pay closer attention to my diet and eat more before I head out. There's a Warriors ride coming up in November that's 250mi and goes from Casselberry to Ft. Peirce. You go 125mi down, stay at the navy base on cots and head back 4:30 the next morning. I'm 43 and plan to tackle it this year, I know I'll be good on the way down but who knows about the trip back?

Out of curiosity, how long did it take you to do your century rides?

I'm still about the hills but congratulations on finishing! Hitting a wall around 80 miles seems to be pretty standard too. Now that you know you CAN do it, you'll find the next one easier. Figure out your nutrition and you're golden.

This is 100% true

Congratulations on the century. I was hoping to do one last year on the ms ride but go a late start waiting for the bathroom and missed the century cut off by about 10 minutes. Only did the 82 mile route. I gel'd between every rest stop so about 1 time an hour and made sure I ate something at every stop. This year I plan to do the century and again will use the gels. They are just a faster source of energy then say fruit. You just can't wait until you feel the need for energy because it is too late at that point.

What's so funny about our hills? Sometimes I even think about switching from the 53 to 39!

I always get a burst of motivation at the 80 mile mark, knowing I only have about an hour left. Don't suddenly find yourself with a slow group unless you want to be riding all day. Happened to me once at the beginning of a ride when I wasn't paying attention. When I realized who I was with, the group I wanted to hang with was long gone.

If you're looking for another century route, google Horrible Hundred and you'll find a fun route with about 4,000+ ft of elevation. Not epic climbs, but far from flat. Clermont is a great place to ride, but be sure to plan where to rehydrate. There's not many stores to find water. Fortunately, the house at the top of Sugarloaf almost always provide a water cooler.

3200 vertical feet over 100 miles is kind of funny.

I no longer do centuries, but then I'm only 82 years 'young' and still ride 100+ miles a week year 'round.
Have done well over a hundred centuries and 6 double centuries.
As for 'hiils' . . . have ridden central Florida and hate to call those things 'hills'!
Most hill work I've done is 22,000 feet of climbing in 325 miles of riding in 3 days and finishing that event at 103 degrees; but I was 25 years
younger then! Oh, and did that on a tandem bike with my wife.
So go out and do your next century . . .

"3200 vertical feet over 100 miles is kind of funny."

Seriously....I live in an area of SoCal where hit 3200 feet climbing on most 40 mile rides regularly.

Thanks for the comments and feedback everyone. Next time I'll definitely look into re-fueling myself more often.

As for the hills, that's alot for Florida! I don't have much concept of what's alot regarding hills, other than my normal ride vs. what I did for the 100.

You have all the information in the original post.

Using the data he provided around 6.25hrs, for me it was about the same. Keep in mind these are solo efforts and I would think riding in a group or at least with a more experienced rider would net faster results. Next time I attempt a century I'd like to finish under 6hrs.

If you don't mind not taking a long break, sometimes you catch a group at the rest stops. Of course they are fresh and relaxed and you are often pooped from catching them, but you're there.

You sir, are my hero.

Cheers!

I'll be doing my first next month. If I can do it under 8 hours, I'll be happy. I think that is a realistic goal, if I factor in time for breaks. How often does one take breaks and for how long? Opinions on the following?

Century Ride Strategy

Miles ridden in a group don't count?

I'm seriously impressed! Only riding since December? And you did a 100-miler?! Even in relatively flat terrain, that is an accomplishment! I've nev er ridden 100 miles- but I know that it's true what they say, that after a few times, it becomes easy- because I know on my longest rides, the first time it's hard; the second time it's easier; by the third or fourth time, it's no big deal. Keep up the good work!