Jack Tone 

Agree. Congrats!

bOsscO

Well done and yes as others have said, sounds like you learned the most valuable lessons for the next one.
One thing different I'll recommend is around stopping during the ride to take breaks. For a 100mile ride, depending on how much climbing is involved, I'd typically take three short 5-10 minute breaks. This allows me to stretch my legs, reminds me to eat/drink more, take in the views (where available). Anything longer than 15 minutes and I tend to cool down and begin to loose interest in finishing strong.

noquarter1

Tried to give you the benefit of the doubt with your Harley comment. Whether or not you believe me isn't really my concern, so this isn't for you. This is for the supportive members like Chuck_M and Bruce19 and others on this forum who have been helpful and encouraging. I already doxxed myself in the Clydesdale forum in the Sept riding log, so I'll do it again. You want to know how I rode 100 miles at 300 lbs? It's because I'm riding for a reason. Feel free to donate, it's a worthy cause.

https://greatcyclechallenge.com/riders/AaronMoller

bOsscO

Don't let the haters get you down noquarter1 ride on; two wheels good.

RCMoeur 

It's a good feeling to see the third digit pop up. My most recent century was in late July on an all-night ride put on annually in the middle of our "off season" by a neighboring club. (see: Where'd You Ride Today? (New & Improved))


My very first century was on a Schwinn Varsity only a month after I started doing organized rides, but I was much younger (and less bulky) then.

I'll echo what the others said. Great job, good lessons, but eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty, be sure the bike is at 100% before mile 0, and just keep pedaling.

So when are you going to do your first double?

indyfabz

Drink more water.

downtube42

Since we have multiple measurement systems, we might as well use them to our advantage.

100 km then
100 miles then
200 km then
200 miles

OP seems to have skipped the first step, or at least didn't document it here.

noquarter1

Wow, a century on a Schwinn Varsity. I started out on a 1986 Cilo Sport but quickly found the gears were not to my advantage with hills. Either the world was flatter or people were tougher back in the day with those gear ratios.

What tips do you have to increase my pace on longer rides?

Not sure on the double, but I've already planned my next century. Not this week, but next week. Going to see what it's like when I apply these lessons learned.

I've been documenting my Sept rides in the Clydesdale forum, but for anyone who is interested, my first recorded ride on Strava was August 7th. I rode off and on in July and started getting more into it in August (hence using Strava).

Aug 7th: 2.75 miles, 7.8 mph pace
Aug 8th: 7.24 miles, 10.8 mph pace
Aug 10th: 8.86 miles, 11.3 mph pace
Aug 11th: 14.21 miles, 13.6 mph pace
Aug 15th: 14.87 miles, 13 mph pace
Aug 16th: 20 miles, 14.1 mph pace
Aug 19th: 4.98 miles, 13.3 mph pace
Aug 22nd: 21.36 miles, 12.2 mph pace
Aug 24th: 7.35 miles, 10.9 mph pace
Aug 26th: 11.21 miles, 3.8 mph pace (first time mountain biking...I sucked)
Aug 28th: 23.03 miles, 14.1 mph pace
Sept 1st: 20 miles, 14.3 mph pace
Sept 2nd: 50 miles, 13.1 mph pace
Sept 3rd: 10 miles, active recovery ride on an ebike, so time/pace is irrelevant
Sept 4th: 33.3 miles, pace unknown, forgot to hit 'resume' on Strava after pausing at a stoplight before I knew it auto paused. Oops. If it wasn't recorded, did it happen?
Sept 7th: 22.6 miles, 15.9 mph pace
Sept 9th: 100.0 miles at 13.6 mph average pace
Sept 13th: 22.7 miles at 16.2 mph pace

So I made two jumps. I jumped from 23 miles up to 50 miles and then I jumped from 50 up to 100 miles. Note that despite being a big fat fatty tub of lard, I've always had decent endurance. I've never been fast, but I could always go a long way (running in college, rucking in the army). So I think the same principle applies here. I'm not fast, but for somehow I've been okay increasing the distance with no serious problems.

I think my biggest barriers are 1) my weight (though I've lost 30 lbs since starting) and 2) my randomness. If I were on a more prescriptive program rather than waking up and thinking to myself "I wonder what I should do today", I think I could make some decent pace improvements. Have been stewing on adding interval training, getting a cadence sensor, adhering to heart rate zones, etc to try and improve. Would love to hear what y'all think and get any suggestions. I basically just get on my bike and go.

downtube42

I generally advise people to increase ride distance by no more than 50%, and only do that when the distance is easy. I've doubled my long ride before, as you have. I still advise no more than 50% increase, for a lot of reasons

A common rule of thumb is your average weekly distance is what you can ride in a day.

Guidelines like these are just that, guidelines. They can be broken, clearly.

Structured training, intervals and long term plans can be very effective at improving performance. I think that's without question. But there's also something to be said for riding your bike because you like to ride your bike. The old adage "ride lots" can also be effective, and can be achieved by doing exactly what you're doing.

If you want and like structured training, or you want performance gains enough to use structured training, then go for it. OTOH, if unstructured adventures strike your fancy, then leverage that feeling and just ride your bike. Lots.

retswerb

Man. I can't even imagine what a roller coaster this year must have been for you. Great job grabbing the bull by the horns this way rather than curling inward into a little ball, I know the temptation must have been there.


I agree with this wholeheartedly. I'd like to get faster myself, and I know that structured training would be the way to get there. But I also know from past experience that, for me, it would likely put me on a path that would lead to not enjoying my time on the bike nearly as much as I do just going out and hunting some new wandrer.earth miles.

aliasfox

Respect. Both for the ride, and why you're doing it.

As for cycling - I've been a roadie for 20 years, and my longest day has been just over 80 miles, though I kind of regretted not biting the bullet and just doing the extra ~19 that day. I'll try to give my two cents, even with my lower-mileage experience:

Nutrition:
- Always be sipping water. Not as in always have the bottle in your hand, but a squirt or two every couple of miles will reduce the bloat that happens from drinking too much at once. Always top up your bottles at rest stops, too - especially if you know you have much mileage or elevation still to go.
- I always fill my bottles with water, but will chug an energy drink at convenience store rest stops - though if you do this, take it easy when you get back on the bike.
- Always have a bar and/or a gel in your jersey pocket. Bars are good for continual fuel, gels are good for that burst of energy (about to bonk, last 8 miles to get home, getting over that last hill). Bonking isn't fun when it's unexpected
- For sustained efforts, I do about a bar every 20 miles, or half a bar every ~10 miles, with a bigger snack when hitting up a true rest stop.

Equipment:
- Frankly, I would rather make the call of shame than use one of those little mini pumps ever again. I had a Blackburn (still do, actually) that is pretty much useless. CO2 can be tricky, but much more effective, as well.
- When I do need to bring a pump (ie, longer ride, riding with others who go out unprepared... etc), I bring a Topeak Road Morph. Infinitely better than a mini-pump, and significantly more portable than a floor pump
- If you run tubed, glueless patches can be useful with the Topeak. Sometimes you flat more times than you have tubes or CO2 for, and a glueless patch + pump can get you home
- New learning from last month: make sure your multitool has the Allen keys you need! I needed the 2 or 2.5mm for adjusting the limit screw on my derailleur (didn't realize a crash had knocked it out of alignment)... and my multitool didn't have it.

Other:
- If I go for longer than ~35-40 mi, I make sure to know where the nicer, bike friendly convenience stores/gas stations/cafes are. Sometimes you just need the food/water/bathroom
- I agree, I wasn't a fan of the Amazon shorts I got. If you find a bib you like, might be worth it to buy a spare, too - you never know when it'll change or when you might tear a pair, so good to have a backup. I don't look forward to the day my favorite bibs become worn out, because the other ones are all... ehhh.
- Sunblock is very important. don't forget the back of your neck or the tops of your knees. I've even had a little area right under my collar get red on longer, sunnier rides.

Lastly, don't listen to the haters. Big guys aren't going to be the fastest out there (unless descending - I can't keep up with most ppl going up, but I definitely have the most fun on the way down!), but the great thing about cycling is that almost anybody can tackle a long day with the right gear and motivation. Best of luck on your next century!

79pmooney

A few thoughts - bring the pump even with cartridges. Bad luck happens. I've done solo centuries with 5 flats, two of which were blown tubes. (So patch kit also. They're light.) I am a huge fan of real frame pumps; the kind that no one uses any more. 100 psi is easy, even for that fifth or more inflation. Hydration - powders and tablets weigh virtually nothing. Very good ones (far better than Gatoraid) are Vitalyte (website is excellent and shipping quick) and Hammer's Phizzies. (Don't quote me on the spelling.) Warmth - armwarmers, legwarmers, shell windbreakers, a hat. For stowage, I bring a stretchy cross-country ski sock and a lengthened toestrap (or two in sequence) and carry the stuffed sock under my tool bag. Bibs or shorts (I use shorts and suspenders. Makes for far easier bathroom stops and clothing changes) - go to a shop and try them on! Buy that first pair from the shop. (Only fair to them.) Then you can go online and buy more with confidence.

Congrats!