So, You Wanna Ride a Century?

So, you wanna ride a century....100 miles....on a bicycle....in one day?

Are you nuts?  Who in their right mind would want to sit hunched over a bike for 100 miles pedaling in traffic, over hills, being chased by dogs, watching for glass so small you can't see it?  Me for one, and I'm guessing you might have the same screw loose as I do since you are reading this.  The difference is I'm talking from the other side of the straight jacket.  Since May of 2012, I have completed 15 century rides, with two being 124 miles, and one being 212 miles.  There are plenty of riders who have done more than that, but I do have the experience to help bring a few more riders into the centurion club.

Why would anyone want to ride that kind of distance in the first place?  This video answers a lot of the questions, and makes some very valid points.  I think that the reasons are about as varied as the people that ride centuries though.  Everyone has their own reasons and motivations.  Some just want the exercise, some want to prove something, some are escaping something in their life, others just like the achievement.  For me, my first century was all about just seeing if I could do it.  After I did, something strange happened.  A 100 mile ride became just another long ride for me.  It was like a 50 mile ride had been for me when I started riding.  It was only ever a struggle to complete that first century, after that, things became different, and I've heard from so many others that have shared that same experience.  You see, there are a few important mile markers in a cyclist's life.  It seems that all cyclists share these particular hurdles when it comes to distance.

The first hurdle is the 25 mile ride.  This is the quarter century, and the distance that an enthusiast will soon want to reach.  It doesn't take long to achieve this goal, but it seems to be the difference between somebody riding a bike and an actual cyclist.  Once you reach this distance, you start feeling different about riding.  All of a sudden you start looking at it through a serious eye.  This is where you start to look at equipment that you probably swore would never enter your house....like spandex.  Yes, it will happen.  I used to laugh at guys riding bikes wearing skin tight shorts and flashy jerseys.  Now...much to the embarrassment of my wife, I have a closet full of matching kits, and gear for all seasons.

The next hurdle comes at the 50 mile mark, the half century.  This is the point where you start to identify with other cyclists, and have looked at rides more as training events than recreation.  You begin to crunch numbers, and analyze your performance a little bit.  You start to figure out ways to climb better, get faster, and you fully realize the need to eat on a ride.  That's right, you have now moved into the realm where eating is as necessary as drinking.  Without food, you will run a high risk of bonking which is when your fuel light comes on and your motor conks out.  The motor, of course, being your mind and body.  However, with each ride around 50 miles you can feel yourself getting stronger and you have probably heard somebody say that they have ridden that century ride.  Unlike at the previous stage where you dismissed the story as a tall tale, you are no actually believing them, and not thinking its all that crazy anymore.

Enter the next stage.....the ONE HUNDRED kilometer RIDE!!!!  That's right, a full 62 miles on your bike.  This is the stage where you really want to consider distances in kilometers rather than statute miles because quite frankly, you can go around and say you rode a metric century, and many wont catch the difference.  Seriously though, this is an important stage in a cyclist's life.  It might just be 12 more miles than your 50 mile route, but once you achieve this distance, you look back on stage one and how excited you were to ride 25 miles.  Now you are riding 62 miles and feeling about the same as you did after the 25 miles.  You have learned how to eat on the ride, and you have learned how your body reacts to endurance riding.  Your body has also learned how to metabolize its fuel, and has become very efficient.  The 62 mile ride will lead to a string of higher mile rides that will take you into the 70 and 80 mile ranges.  While you are adding mileage, these are not hurdles because you realize that nothing much changes with those handful of extra miles.  Wait a minute....nothing changes?  I feel the same after an 80 mile ride as I do after a 62 mile ride?  You now remember that tall tale that you heard about when you were riding 25 miles, that you started to believe when you were riding 50 miles.  Now, you realize that it is just another 20 miles from your longest ride.  You start to think that you can do it...the century ride is possible, and you are almost ready for it!

What does it take?

You have now made it to the last major hurdle in your cycling life before the century hurdle.  You have gotten comfortable with the metric century, and have potentially added some extra miles in here and there.  The 100 miler is just 38 more miles and can't be that big of a deal.  Well my friends, it is kind of a big deal.  You see, cycling is mostly mental, and over the miles, you have built the century ride up to be a super human undertaking.  That means that when you set out on your first attempt at 100 miles, you will be all kinds of apprehensive, and nervous.  That's the first problem.  The second problem is that you have an understanding of the food requirements, but in many cases, the needs actually change slightly when you do a full century.  You will need to be prepared for that.  The last problem is that any fit issue that you have with your bike will be amplified many times over as you bring in the last few miles.  The point of this entry is to help you with these problems, and let you know what to expect, and what you can do to counter these issues ahead of time.  My goal is to help you achieve your goal of riding that full century!

Lets talk about the mental part of a century first.  Arguably this is the most important part of any distance ride.  You need to feel prepared for it before you even put air in your tires.  If you doubt yourself, don't even try to ride it because whether you think you can, or think you can't, you are absolutely right.  You have to start your ride telling yourself that you WILL finish it.  The only way to do this is to work your way up to the distance, and know your body.  Training will put your mind at ease on the day of the big ride.

You have already put a lot of miles under your tires, and you are no stranger to riding long distances.  Always remember that.  After you have a few 62 mile routes under your belt, you are ready to start working toward the 100 mile goal.  It won't take long at all actually.  What I would recommend is to ride as much as you can through the week.  Yes, I know...we have jobs and obligations.  That's not a problem because if you have gotten to the point of riding 62 miles, you have plenty of time to train for the 100.  Base miles are important, and you need to keep that in your program, but don't underestimate the importance of short, intense rides either.  Everyone's needs are a little different, but the general school of thought is short intense rides are as effective as long endurance rides for distance training.  This is great news because the majority of your rides need to be in the 25 mile range.  Remember the 25 mile stage...of course you do.

These are the after work rides, or the rides when you are pressed for time.  Since you are capable of riding 62 miles, 25 is nothing for you right?  Wrong!  This is where you push yourself.  When you go out for these short rides, Think about your body, and how its feeling.  You need to estimate your energy reserves and then ride at a pace that will leave you wrung out at the end of that 25 miles.  That might be a 15 mph pace, or it might be a 25 mph pace.  Either way, let your own body decide, but be honest with yourself.  These 25 miles are valuable, and you need them.  If you aren't feeling particularly strong that day, just back down to a level that you can maintain for the full 25 miles.  Over time though, you will be surprised at the increase in speed of these rides.  The endurance rides will help you with these mini time trials, and the short all out efforts will build you up for the endurance rides.  They seems to go hand in hand.  Look for about 2-3 of these 25 mile rides a week.

After the ride, you should stretch at the minimum your quads, IT bands, and hip flexors.  There are plenty of examples found through Google on options for these stretches.  It would also be a good idea to consume about 24g of protein to help rebuild the muscles.  You were pushing yourself to the limit for an hour or two right?  It goes without saying that any ride where you are pushing limits, or exerting yourself for any length of time you should do this recovery routine.

Once a week, you need to introduce a long ride.  This will more than likely be a Saturday or Sunday ride.  You will alternate weeks, with your base miles falling every other week.  For me, a base ride is 50 miles, but anything between 40-60 will suffice here.  The intensity will be moderate for these rides.  You don't need to go all out, but keep a nice pace that you are comfortable with.  When you are done, you should feel tired, but still wanting more.  A good rule of thumb here is you should be 1-1.5 mph slower than your 25 mile average speed.  This is a moderate effort ride, and it helps to build your aerobic engine and your endurance.  You need to concentrate on listening to your body about food and water.  Get used to regularly drinking so that you are not guzzling a half bottle once an hour.  You want to sip it gradually as you ride to keep yourself hydrated.  You should be consuming about 300-500 calories an hour in food as well.  This is where you can experiment with your food, but I recommend the tried and true high carb foods.  You also want a fair amount of fat in the foods you eat, and a little protein never hurt either.  Stay away from sugary stuff though, as the boost in energy is nice, but the crash afterwards is not fun on a long ride.  By experimenting at this stage, you can see what works at a distance you are very comfortable with.

On the opposite weeks from your base miles, you will add to your distance and put your fueling regime into practice.  These weeks you will add 5-10 miles to your longest comfortable ride.  Lets just assume that the 62 mile ride is as far as you have gone without nearly killing yourself.  Lets start with that distance.  You would do 62 miles on week 2, after your base miles ride the week before.  It would look something like this.

Week 1......base miles
Week 2......62 miles
Week 3......base miles
Week 4......70 miles
Week 5......base miles
Week 6......78 miles
Week 7.......base miles or light short ride
Week 8.......85 miles
Week 9.......base miles
Week 10.....100 miles
***A light intensity, short recover ride is strongly recommended the day after each of these long rides.

This is just one variation on the plan, but you can see how you just easily work your way up to the century.  The idea is with each passing distance week, you are fine tuning your fueling needs, and perfecting your pace. What I have found is that your pace should drop about 1-1.5 mph off of your base mile pace.  This is your endurance pace.  The slow and easy beginning is your investment in a strong finish.  I will get into that a little bit more later.

My first century!

What we have essentially accomplished here is gradually working up to the century ride.  If you are lucky enough, it will sneak up on you and you won't have time to stress it.  For many, the first century ride is the result of getting lost, or feeling pretty good at 80 miles.  These are the best first centuries because you choose to do it AFTER having invested a whole lot of miles.  Let's face it, its easier to convince yourself to ride 20 more miles when you feel good, than buckling up your shoes and saying, I'm going to ride 100 miles today.  its a mental trick of sorts but it really does work out.  If you can, make your first century a surprise...because its always a good idea to have extra food with you anyway.

If your first century is to be a planned on, then you have hopefully put the training time in that you know how your body will react, you know the needs it will have, and you know what pace will work for you.  Also, I hope you know the route, because this isn't the time to try new roads.  Link several of your existing routes together to get to that 100.  Doing this will help keep the stress level down because you will know what to expect in terms of terrain and traffic.  Start the ride calm, and watch your pace.  You will be so excited to get to 100 miles you will be tempted to try to knock out the easy miles quick and hurry up to the second half of the ride.  Resist that urge!!!  I recommend keeping your bike in the small ring for the first 10 miles of your ride to force a high cadence, and easy pedaling.  Remember, this is an investment in your completion.  After the first 10 miles ticks by, move into the big ring when you are able to (not climbing a steep hill preferably).  This doesn't mean to hammer it though, keep your pace where you know it needs to be based on your distance training.  When you are faced with an incline, use a lower gear than you really need to and just spin up and over it.  No sense in wasting your leg muscles when you don't have to.  Speaking of leg muscles, remember that recovery routine I mentioned above?  Yeah, do that after these rides as well.  Even though you aren't exerting yourself the same way you did with the short rides, the distance dictates you need to feed and stretch your muscles after these long rides.

Pay attention to your hydration and food intake.  If you need to, set an alarm for once an hour to remind you to eat between 300-500 calories.  As you can see from the shot of the Garmin above, you will burn a ton of calories on this ride.  You have to replace a good portion of them as you go in order to not bonk in the second half.  Hydration is also very important, and you need to be drinking about a bottle of water an hour, even more in the heat of summer.  Once you get dehydrated on the bike, you won't be able to recover from it, no matter how much you drink.  It is vitally important that you stay ahead of dehydration the entire ride!

I keep bringing up food and hydration, and there is good reason for that.  I've said that riding a century is mostly mental, and that is true.  However, if there is no fuel in the tank, that century ride will be but a dream...or a nightmare.  If you have done the training like I've suggested, you have gradually tweaked your fueling needs over the weeks and found what works, as well as what doesn't.  You have undoubtedly figured out that what does work at 62 miles might not work at 80+.  Something I have discovered over the years about me, is that my body starts to reject solid foods after about 75 miles.  I have a hard time chewing anything, and I cease to be hungry.  Since I am usually self supported, I have only four water bottles with me, and that might not be enough to keep the carbs I eat from turning to cement in my belly.  On rides beyond 75 miles, I have learned that my best bet is to go with a liquid diet for the last portion  of the ride.  Hammer, makes a great product called Perpetuem which I learned about while training for a double century.  This powder is magical for my needs.  It provides the calories and nutrients that I desperately need, only in liquid form that is easy to digest.  I relied on it for the last 50 miles or so of a 200 mile ride and without it, I don't think I would have finished.

That being said, everyone is different and their needs are all different.  Things to consider when choosing foods are, natural foods that are fresh and not processed.  Skratch Labs not only sells great fuel for distance cycling, they also have cook books so you can make your own fuel at home..  There are also energy bars and gels that are packed in calories and nutrients.  All I can say about the gels is I tried one once, and I almost gave up cycling because of it, but others swear by them.  Bananas are a great source of Potassium which gets depleted along with other electrolytes.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a great choice as well.  Lots of carbs, protein, and calories to work with.  A perfect option for this is a kid's lunch treat called Uncrustables by Smuckers.  They are individually wrapped, frozen sandwiches.  You grab one, stick it in your pocket and when you are ready to eat it, it is thawed, and ready to go.  I've found these to be awesome!  Fig Newtons are also a good choice because the fig is a great food to eat, and when you add the breading, you get the carbs and calories.  They are easy to digest as well.  As you can see, there are a lot of options on food, and there are a lot of different schools of though as well on what is best for you.  This is where your own personal experiments comes into play as you are building your miles.

Something to keep in mind when choosing your fueling options is that when you are cycling, your muscles feed off of glycogen which is created from carbohydrates.  You don't want to deplete your glycogen stores too early in the ride, so you should consume mostly carbs which is converted quickly to fuel.  On longer rides, your body will also tap into your fat stores for energy which is a good thing, unless you are a seasoned cyclist with minimal fat stores to pull from.  This is why you need foods that are relatively high in fat when you are riding.  Protein is a good energy source, but it is quick burning on a bike.  It will help to liven you up, but won't really feed your muscles the way they need to be.  Protein is still invaluable for a distance rider though, but it is after the ride where you really need it.  The protein is the building block of your muscles, and will rebuild them after you have torn them down with use.  Unless you are doing just a light ride, 24 grams of protein is needed to aid in the quick recovery of your muscles, and will help keep them from being as sore.

Don't get to this point due to lack of fuel

Also related to your diet and hydration on the long rides is your electrolytes.  As you sweat, you lose valuable minerals that need to be replenished.  The bananas help to replace some of that, but here is where you need the sports drinks, or a dedicated electrolyte beverage.  Especially in the summer months, the need here is very real and essential.  for a century, I will typically carry two bottles of water, and two bottles of Gatorade.  One of them might be replaced with the Hammer Perpetuem depending on my specific needs for the ride though.  If I replace a Gatorade bottle, I will pack some Slim Jims in my jersey for the salt content.  I don't get the calories, but they do give me an energy boost, and replace some valuable electrolytes as well.  The key is to know what your body is getting rid of, and to replace it as quickly as you can.  Never let a deficit get so big that you notice your body is lacking something.  At that point, it's too late!


One last mention on nutrition and hydration before we move on.  We have all heard of carb loading, and I'm sure we all know what that means.  It has a very important place in cycling when it comes to endurance rides.  The night before your long ride, you need to consume a carb rich meal.  Typically, this is a plate of pasta, or something with a bread base.  The goal here is to build up those glycogen stores so that what you are not consuming during the ride, can be forgiven by what your body already has stored up.  However, don't rely on these glycogen stores because they will be depleted long before you are done with your ride.  Also, don't think that more is better here.  Don't overeat the night before.  A good health portion will be plenty enough.  If you go overboard, you will wake up the next morning feeling bloated, and unable to ride comfortably.  Plus, you will have a hard time digesting as you are on your ride, so keep it reasonable.  The morning of your ride, easy to digest foods, low in fiber are a good idea.  Fiber actually absorbs water and will affect your hydration needs.  I like bagels, but rice and eggs are a really good option for a century breakfast.  Again, the idea is to pad the glycogen stores before you get rolling, and to boost your energy with a long duration power source.

Blisters from my shoes after 212 miles

Let's talk about comfort for a bit.  Any fit issue, or comfort issue that doesn't really bother you at 62 miles will become a huge deal at 100 miles.  Before Double Down, I had ridden a half dozen centuries, with two 200 kilometer (124 mile) routes.  I had sorted out all the pain issues, and thought that I was totally comfortable on the bike.  At the end of 212 miles though, I realized that my shoes had hot spots under the top buckle.  I never knew this, and never had any problems with it before.  However, when I took my shoes off, this is what I found.  Any issue that you have will be amplified over the course of a long ride, and you owe it to yourself to address any issue that you might have before embarking on that century ride.

My first professional fit

I am a big proponent of getting a professional fit done.  There are a few different types out there, and they are all a little different.  The goals of these fits are largely the same.  They put the rider in a position on the bike that gives the best balance between comfort and performance based on the needs of the rider.  I chose to go with a BG 3D fit at Paul's Cycling and Fitness.  So many problems were addressed with how I fit on the bike, and so many changes were made.  It was so dramatic that my first ride after the fit felt like the first time I rode a bike.  I was shaky, and the steering was in a whole different world.  However, I soon adjusted to the new fit, and was riding in a much greater degree of comfort, and the performance eventually improved.

The bike fit is only part of the equation though.  Your pants are also very important.  This is where you don't need to skimp.  If you are planning on being in the saddle upwards of 6 hours, you need to invest in a very comfortable chamois that wicks moisture, allows blood flow, and doesn't chafe your skin.  That chamois that works at 25 miles, might not cut it at 100.  Get a high quality pair of shorts or bibs for your long rides.  Trust me on this one.  There is nothing worse than having to stand in the saddle every 10 minutes because your butt is in pain.  However, it is a good idea to work in some standing every so often just to open up the blood flow and prevent numbness over the long miles.  Just click up about two gears and pedal standing for about a minute.  That will alter your cadence, and the way your muscles are working.  Essentially, it will give your body a break from the constant rhythm it is operating in.  Plus, it keeps the nether regions from feeling funny.

Gloves are also important on the long rides, although I argue they are important on all rides.  You need to cushion on the palms to help dampen the road vibrations which will lead to numbness in the hands.  This is always an issue with cyclists unfortunately, but that is why we have the awesome bar design that we do.  The best thing to do on a long ride is to rotate hand position as much as you can.  At least every 10 minutes move from the hoods to the drops, and throw in the top bar occasionally as well.  You can change your grip location in each of the positions to help keep from inflaming the nerves in your hands.  Just remember, that if you are in a group, or in a high traffic area, you need to keep your hands close to the brake levers.

Am I ready?

We've addressed the common hurdles that one must overcome before riding 100 miles.  You've trained, you know your diet needs, and you are riding a bike that doesn't hurt you.  Hopefully, the stress and nervousness of embarking on this length of a ride will be small enough not to matter.  You should be able to start the ride out with a positive attitude that says you WILL complete this ride, and you are confident in that!

We've got you on the road now, and you are pedaling nice and easy to set a comfortable pace for yourself.  The first 50 miles will pass by very easy, but will take longer than you want.  Your legs will be itching to go faster.  Part of that is the reduced pace you have set for yourself, and part of it is the anticipation of what you are about to accomplish.  Once you get to that 50 mile mark, you realize that you are only half way there.  More than likely you are in a group, and have been talking and carrying on the whole way.  This will start to diminish, as the reality of the distance hits you.  The conversation will fall off, and you will start talking about your ride, not how the family is doing, and what you saw on TV last week.  This is where you start getting serious.

You now see the purpose in the slow start to the ride.  After 50 miles, you can't really go any faster, or slower.  You have set the pace and your legs are comfortable there.  Ideally, you are just now starting to feel any amount of fatigue in your legs.  The first 50 was just a warm up, the second 50 should feel like a fast paced 50 on your body, only you will be maintaining your same pace.

When you hit 62 miles, that is when things really start to change.  Your body is in full swing on processing fuel, and you are more than likely living off of what you are consuming more than anything else.  This is where you need to pay particular attention to what you are eating and make sure you are getting the proper calories and nutrients every hour.  Nibbling is a good idea for those who can eat while riding.  For me, I have to stop before I can eat, or I will crash.  This makes it more difficult to eat regularly, but it can work.  You are also going to be entering a dehydrated state by this point, so do everything that you can to stay ahead of the hydration loss.

The last 25 miles of a century are going to be the hardest.  This is when conversation all but stops, and it is replaced with incessant inner dialog.  You start trying to solve the world's problems in your head.  Well, at least that is what it feels like.  In actuality, you are trying to subtract miles to find out how much further you have.  Simple math becomes darn near impossible at this stage.  Logic fails you.  You enter into a state where higher brain function will prove to be impossible.  You can operate a bike, and that will be about all you can do with any appearance of competency.  It is best not to talk at this stage because it will sound like complete gibberish.  To compound that, the person you are talking to won't be able to process what you are saying anyway beyond short sentences.

True story time...In the middle of this group is a friend of mine who went on his first century ride with me in 2013.  At this very stage of the ride, we were coming back into town and he stopped to get something to drink at a convenience store.  He went to pay, and tried to use his driver's license.  The cashier obviously took issue with that, but the logic of license versus Visa was lost on Mike.  As you see, the higher brain function will cease in the last 25 miles.

However, something else will happen in these last 25 miles that defies the lack of brain power.  In these remaining miles, you will find out just who you are, and what you are made of.  You have trained and prepared for this ride, but when you complete it, you will have entered a whole new level as a cyclist.  Something changes within you.  You remember the pain, and the fatigue, and you remember all the voices in your head that say "quit now", "you can't do this", and you remember your heart beating out the statement "You WILL do this."  When you are done, you will be completely exhausted, but you will remember the cyclist you were at 25 miles thinking that the buddy that said they did 100 miles was full of crap.  You will remember the rider you were at 50 miles thinking that some day you might be able to do a full century.  You will all of a sudden realize that you are now the cyclist who has completed that daunting 100 miles on a bike.  You will realize that you have forever changed, and a 100 mile ride is just another long ride.

So, are you ready?