In the Long Distance/Ultracycling forum, there is a thread entitled, "Remember your first century (100 miles)"

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ury-(100-miles)

There appears to be quite a number of you completing your first century ... or debating about doing a first century. Congratulations to all of you who have completed your first!! And "go for it" to all those debating about doing a century.

Feel free to add your century to the thread in the LD forum ... and/or to browse through everyone's stories to see what other first centuries were like.


We've got a 2010 Century Challenge thread in the LD forum as well. Some people are doing a century a month (CAM Challenge) but some of us couldn't manage that this year, so the Century Challenge is for anyone who wants to do one or more centuries this year.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...tury-Challenge

yeah..go see the long distance nutjobs. they funny.

I've done a couple this year and I still think it is harder mentally than physically. My phone/radio ran out of batteries last time and that made it challenging.

How does running out of batteries make a century more challenging?

im not all that fussed about completing centuries. sure i can do them if i really want. i'll get back from a sunday ride with my club having done 90,95 miles and my dad will say 'go and do another loop to make it 100!!!' like 100 miles is all that different from 95 fast miles. however, if all you do regularly is much shorter distance rides then props to you for making the jump.

i couldn't listen to my audio books or the radio. i'm not great company for myself.

it makes all the difference. tell your dad he is right and he has a silly son. and get off my lawn.

a century is nothing more than a number, and once you've popped your cherry and done one, it's a meaningless number at that.

89 miles, 95 miles, 102 miles, 121 miles... bfd.

who pissed in your cheerios?

Yes it's a number but "popping your cherry" does stick with you and I think that's all that's being asked for.

I still remember my first and it was nearly 30 years ago. 1981, London to Brighton and back.

botto casts no shadow and has no reflection too.

i don't eat cheerios.

bully for you, but i wasn't replying to the OP. thanks.

Thanks, I was pleased.

i heard london-brighton is a complete nightmare of a ride.

Did my first one when I was 11, with my dad. We did a 4 day, 434 mile ride from near home to Cape Hatteras in NC. Stayed in motels.

Likely we did a few leading up to the ride while training. I didn't do my first organized century until I was 29 or 30. Up until then, they were all solo or with a few friends/family.

My first one was last august.. hadn't done anything further than a metric before that. Club ride labeled "Century of the Century" in W. RI / E. Conn. 6500' climbing in 90 degree heat (for those s. cal folks that is quite a bit out here ) didn't drink enough, eat enough, pace myself in the beginning..

did a flatter 4000' climbing one a few weeks ago and did much better. Planning on doing 200k this weekend on the same loop and will hopefully do as well.

I did 80 by accident in 1994, didn't do 100 until a couple years ago. It hurt like hell. Done a few since but not regularly. 60-70 is enough for me.