5 tips to surviving your first century ride.

I’ve been an avid cyclist since the day I learned to ride. I did my first long rides in the 4th grade during summer break with my friends. We would ride the river channels in Southern California to the beach, or north into the mountains. These were all-day affairs on BMX bikes, with whatever snacks we remembered to bring. Often we would pool our spare change for a small box of cake mix to share as our in-ride energy boost. I remember one ride we did from Cerritos to Lake Irvine, The last few miles include a pretty steep grade and descent into the park. Here we would get a snow cone, turn around and head home. Turns out it was 50 miles round trip.

Later I was a USCF Cat 4 racer and raced for Orange Coast Community College. It was during this time that I tackled my first century. I was a bit more prepared being a racer with a pro-level 12 speed, lots of miles under my belt, and a better understanding of nutrition, cake mix was no longer in the mix. Century rides in So Cal inevitably contain lots of climbing, which at the time I could handle with ease. At 6'4" as a racer, I wasn’t the fastest. However, I had endurance and if the race was long enough (flat or straight up a mountain) I’d catch the leaders before it was over. So naturally, I gravitated towards longer distance events.

In my 30’s I moved to Phoenix Arizona, actually Anthem north of Phoenix. I was at the foothills of the mountains to the North, and a short distance from, Prescott and Flagstaff. With time on my hands and a love for adventure, I’d seek out long rides in the mountains many in the 100-mile range. From Wickenburg to Prescott, Prescott to Jerome, Jerome to Strawberry, Jerome to Sedona. I miss those rides.

Today, in my 50’s I live in Tampa Florida. The cycling community is a bit different. Tons of triathletes mixed in with snowbirds who enjoy cruising about on one of the many dedicated bike trails. In the winter months, cyclists ride between cities on the Pinellas and the Withlacoochee Trails. Another trail, the Suncoast runs along the toll road from North of Tampa to towards Brooksville. This is a favorite of the triathletes as it never runs into a city and has few road crossings. These trails run from 50 to over 100 miles in length, and as I mentioned before they are busiest in the winter months.

Florida is a pretty good place to ride, I personally cross the bay many times a week on the Courtney Campbell Causeway Trail which takes you from Tampa over across the bay to Safety Harbor, Clearwater, and the beaches. I never get tired of riding along the ocean, especially when you can see it.

Both coasts are great for riding. You’ll see more people on the East coast riding up and down A1A, but it does get pretty congested the closer you get to Miami. It seems there are more local bike shop rides in these areas. On the West coast, it's way more laid back with longer stretches of road and less traffic. I’d say better suited for longer rides. Then there are the Keys. I’ve ridden from Key Largo to Key West 107 miles. It’s a bucket list ride.

Here are my tips to help you choose your first-century ride.

1. Choose The right century

Your first century is a personal achievement. As such you should not feel obligated to sign up for an organized event. In fact, a solo century has a lot of advantages. Honestly, I prefer solo centuries. There is no pressure to keep up with anyone but yourself, giving you the ability to ride at your own pace. However, if you’re the type of cyclist who does not like to ride alone and needs the motivation of others a mass start ride might be the right way to go.

Either way chose a century ride or route that has terrain similar to your local rides. If you do choose a bucket list ride, make sure you take into account travel and lodging on both sides if necessary. Picking a century route that starts from your doorstep is always a good option, especially if you're going solo.

Being in Florida, I spend a lot of my outdoor riding time on flat roads fighting winds and humidity. Without changing my riding routine, I can easily prepare for a flat century. For example, Key Largo to Key West. This route is very flat with a lot of bridges, including the seven-mile bridge. I wrote a blog post and produced a video of the ride for others interested in doing it themselves.

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More recently I completed a local ride from my house in Tampa to Anna Maria Island and back. Very flat out and back route with very few stoplights. I took advantage of the winds and left early so I’d have a tailwind all the way home. The benefit of this ride was that as soon as finished it I was able to start the recovery process by raiding the fridge and jumping into the Jacuzzi.

2. Training

There are a lot of training programs published on the internet to get you through your first century ride. I’ve followed 6-month programs, 4-month programs. These are great for beginners looking to complete a century with little distance riding history. A rule of thumb is this: whatever you can ride in a week (total miles), you can do in a day. So if you're just getting on the bike, I’d find a 6-month program that builds gradually to your century goal.

Choose a training program suited to your current riding capabilities. This past year I was putting on a ton of daily miles due to a COVID-19 layoff. Probably around 100 to 150 a week consistently for around 4 months. When I decided to knock out a century before the end of the year, I gave myself two weeks to prepare.

I reduced the number of rides per week to 4. On Monday I’d do an easy 25 miler, Tuesday I would ride between 40 and 50 miles, Wed an easy 25 miler, Thursday I would do between 60 and 80 miles. My goal was to increase time in the saddle on the longer rides while recovering from the weeks' overall effort in between these rides. It worked, as I PR’d my solo century and felt great afterward.

This year for my 55th birthday I’m aiming for Alto De Letras in Colombia. It’s 50+ miles straight up, and then a nice fast descent right back down the mountain. For that, I’ll have to change my training regiment to incorporate big gears & likely lower cadence for long periods of time. I’ll be doing a lot of work on the Peloton. Stay tuned.

Long-distance riding requires more than just legs and lungs. Many riders get uncomfortable on long rides. Their shoulders, neck, and wrists can get really sore. This is because they are unknowingly holding themselves up as they ride. Over long distances, this discomfort is magnified greatly.

The solution is core work. 10 minutes of core every day or 20–30 minutes a couple of times per week will alleviate this problem. Learn to lighten up on the bike. Nothing has improved my riding more than core work.

Stretching before, during, and after your rides is extremely important as well. Take the time to prepare your body for such efforts. Concentrate on your neck, upper body, and back before the ride. During the ride be sure to stand up for a bit to wake my body up and give other muscles a chance to work. I do this at least every 10 miles. I’ll also stop every 20 miles during my centuries grab a drink or snack and stretch.

3. Nutrition

For such a big effort, you must eat and hydrate to keep the engine running. Drink more than you think you can. At a minimum, drink at least one bottle of water per 20 miles. You can stagger this with Gatorade (or your preferred energy drink), every other 20 miles. I carry two bottles one filled with each and try to drink them both per 20 miles. Plan your route so that you can stop along the way and pick up more as needed.

I typically eat something every 20 miles as well. Eat a good light breakfast before heading out. Once on the road I start with bananas, or squeeze packs of applesauce then in the last part of the ride I’ll switch to gel packs. I plan my routes so that I can stop for lunch some time beyond the halfway point. Don’t eat to fill up, just have enough to get some fuel in you. Also, make sure you eat something that’s not going to upset your stomach. Mexican is my fav, so I’ll stop for some carnitas or tacos and a beer. While you're sitting down waiting on your meal, take this time to stretch and massage your legs a bit.

4. The right bike

For the majority of us, a century ride is not a race, It’s a goal. I have three bikes currently. A custom carbon Landshark, a mid 80’s Rossin Ghibli, and a late 80’s Dave Moulton Fuso LUX. Each is different in material, standover height, and geometry. However, they are all set up to have the same saddle height, and reach (distance between seat and between handlebars).

I rode the Landshark on my Key Largo to Key West ride. It is a compact carbon racer with electronic shifting, more gears than I would ever need in Florida, and carbon wheels. However, In my opinion, carbon bikes are noisy and stiff. They reverberate every click of the shifters or ratchet from the freewheel, and they transfer every bump on the road similar to aluminum bikes.

The Rossin is a steel frame with tight geometry for racing as well. You can’t take your hands off the bars on this one because of the steep head tube and fork rake. This one has the first attempt at indexed shifters by Campagnolo, they don’t work very well so you find yourself switching over to friction shifting the majority of the time. Other than that it rides like butter, swallowing up the little bumps along the way.

The Fuso LUX is a dream ride. Colombus tubing, very forgiving head tube angle, and fork rake. This is a comfortable racing bike and perfectly suited for longer distances. It has proven components (Shimano Ultegra Tri-Color) with indexed downtube shifters. This is my daily ride and my go-to on long distances. Being steel, it’s quiet and rides extremely smooth. It also holds two water bottles and a frame pump comfortably.

Above all the bike you choose for your first century ride, should be comfortable for long distances. Preferably you already have this bike and use it as your daily ride. Cruisers, City Bikes, Mountain Bikes, or bikes with flat bars should not be considered Neither should E-Bikes, or Fixed gears. Although I have personally completed a century on a fixed gear, I wouldn't recommend it for first-timers.

If you are shopping for a bike please consider a used bike. Just like pets, you are doing the world a favor by adopting rather than creating something new. The term “Steel is real” rings true here. There are tons of steel bikes on the road still from the 70’s through the early 90’s. Look for Colombus tubing and mid-range Shimano or Campagnolo components. If you are buying new, make sure the bike is set up and comfortable for long-distance riding.

Avoid aluminum bikes as they really transfer bumps right into your body. Be cautious with Carbon as they tend to do this as well. It does not have to be a super light $5000.00 racer, with electronic shifting. In fact the less technology the better. You want to be able to repair or continue riding if something fails along the way.

5. Recovery

You will have undoubtedly built up some lactic acid during this effort. Your rear end may be sore as well as your upper body neck and shoulders. Be sure to stretch again right after your ride. Drink plenty of liquids, water, anything with electrolytes, beer is good as well for recovery. Eat as needed and consider massaging out the lactic acid you’ve built up in the legs.

I usually massage my legs in the shower or Jacuzzi. Soap and water seem to make the massage processes easier and face it you’ll be pretty dirty from your ride anyway. Knead the calves, and quads working upwards towards your heart. You will feel the lactic acid breaking up as you do this and your recovery time with be greatly reduced.

Try not to be sedentary after the ride. Keep moving, and go about your daily business. Keep replenishing your fuel along the way. The following day, go out and get in a short recovery ride. From there get back into your normal training routine and or start planning your next century.