First Century!



tumbleweed77

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Aug 27, 2006
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Well, I guess this forum is as good as any other... In one week, i'll be doing my first century. While this ride is a supported ride, I'm curious to know what people bring with them... food, drink, and other supplies (bike and personal). currently on my list i've got gels and electrolyte jellybeans, and emergen-C electrolyte powder as my food and drink supplies...It's not going to be terribly cold as it's in palm springs, but it'll be warm by the end of the ride. thanks!:rolleyes:
 
I just go with two water bottles, full of my ride drink to start, a banana and a couple of Clif Bars. The ride mix in supported century's is usually mixed a lot stronger than I like, so when I re-fill the bottle I use half mix and half plain water. I will eat both a banana and add some peanut butter (usually supplied) for the protein at the supported breaks. Enjoy!
 
tumbleweed77 said:
Well, I guess this forum is as good as any other... In one week, i'll be doing my first century. While this ride is a supported ride, I'm curious to know what people bring with them... food, drink, and other supplies (bike and personal). currently on my list i've got gels and electrolyte jellybeans, and emergen-C electrolyte powder as my food and drink supplies...It's not going to be terribly cold as it's in palm springs, but it'll be warm by the end of the ride. thanks!:rolleyes:

I wish you a great ride. I had a lot of questions when I did my first century ride too. Here's a website that helped me prepare:

http://www.ultracycling.com/training/century.html

In my experience I really tried to stay hydrated. It wasn't that warm, but I still concentrated on that. I tried to drink every 10-15 minutes and eat something small every hour. An energy bar or part of it worked great for me. My drink of choice was Acelerade. When I reached a rest stop - which was every 25 miles - I ate a banna or apple etc. and refilled the drinks with Gatorade - which seems to be the norm at rest stops. I also carried two replacement tubes. If you have room, it's nice to carry a tire too. I know that might be considerd overkill, but if you have the room it's nice to have.

Have fun.
 
That sounds pretty good... like the website too... I already know i wont be brining an extra tire (i've got gatorskins on my bike) the two tubes sounds like a good idea... I'm trying to balance and figure out what's going to go in my seat bag and what's going to go into my shirt pockets... not going to carry a backpack. though i'm thinking about taping a gel or two onto my water bottles...not sure yet...
 
tumbleweed77 said:
That sounds pretty good... like the website too... I already know i wont be brining an extra tire (i've got gatorskins on my bike) the two tubes sounds like a good idea... I'm trying to balance and figure out what's going to go in my seat bag and what's going to go into my shirt pockets... not going to carry a backpack. though i'm thinking about taping a gel or two onto my water bottles...not sure yet...
Most centuries are pretty well supported in terms of feed stops. A couple of extra bars or gel packets as insurance is a good idea, as is two full sized bottles but you shouldn't need to carry food for the entire day.

For folks doing their first century I always give the same advice. Be careful not to get caught up in the excitement of the start and forget to pace yourself and don't rest too long at the breaks. A lot of folks go out too hard and fade which is easy to avoid if you just tune into your own best pace. FWIW I've done several with slower friends and find it almost as hard to ride much below my ideal pace as it means a lot more time in the saddle. The other big mistake is taking 30 to 40 minute breaks and having to warm up all over again once you get going. I try to keep breaks to just a few minutes to use the facilities, fill up bottles, eat a bit and restuff my pockets with food. I've seen folks sound asleep at rest stops and have to wonder how they ever got going again.

Good luck and remember to have fun:)
-Dave
 
tumbleweed77 said:
Well, I guess this forum is as good as any other... In one week, i'll be doing my first century. While this ride is a supported ride, I'm curious to know what people bring with them... food, drink, and other supplies (bike and personal). currently on my list i've got gels and electrolyte jellybeans, and emergen-C electrolyte powder as my food and drink supplies...It's not going to be terribly cold as it's in palm springs, but it'll be warm by the end of the ride. thanks!:rolleyes:

Here's another century that is really fun: Montauk Century 2007 - check it out.

keith
 
daveryanwyoming said:
Most centuries are pretty well supported in terms of feed stops. A couple of extra bars or gel packets as insurance is a good idea, as is two full sized bottles but you shouldn't need to carry food for the entire day.

For folks doing their first century I always give the same advice. Be careful not to get caught up in the excitement of the start and forget to pace yourself and don't rest too long at the breaks. A lot of folks go out too hard and fade which is easy to avoid if you just tune into your own best pace. FWIW I've done several with slower friends and find it almost as hard to ride much below my ideal pace as it means a lot more time in the saddle. The other big mistake is taking 30 to 40 minute breaks and having to warm up all over again once you get going. I try to keep breaks to just a few minutes to use the facilities, fill up bottles, eat a bit and restuff my pockets with food. I've seen folks sound asleep at rest stops and have to wonder how they ever got going again.

Good luck and remember to have fun:)
-Dave
haha! that would be odd to see people sleeping at the stops... no, i won't break long cause i tend to cool down really quick... as for sleeping.. that's why i'm not doing the driving! i have plans to hog the couch all that evening :)
 
well guys, I successfully finished my first century and it was so awsome! I want to do more... anyway, thanks for all the great advice... together your advice and what i know worked really well and i didn't bonk except for a little around mile 70 which a gel took good care of... someday i plan to do a double! (i'll do a few more singles b4 i attempt that though).
 
tumbleweed77 said:
well guys, I successfully finished my first century and it was so awsome! I want to do more... anyway, thanks for all the great advice... together your advice and what i know worked really well and i didn't bonk except for a little around mile 70 which a gel took good care of... someday i plan to do a double! (i'll do a few more singles b4 i attempt that though).

Congrats on that. Was it a flat century or hilly? I personally like the flat ones. There are three flat ones that I know about - I can't remember if I told you about them or not. Both of these are on Long Island - Montauk Centry 2007 and Northforlk Century. Both are well supported. Just search for them on the internet using the keyword search. The SEAGULL Century 2007 of course held on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. This one can be interesting - held in the fall. The Montauk is held in May. The Northfork - I think in September. There is another flat ride this year - Bike Virginia 2007. This year it is held on a relatively flat routes - this is a multiple-day ride with plenty of opitions in distances. It is hosted in two cities - pretty cool. Let me know if you need any more info on these.

Keith
 
I'm in my 60's, ride a mountain bike and haven't done my century yet. A couple of weeks ago I did 80. I've been riding for about 6 months and have done 40, 60 (twice) and the 80. I do 20-25 3 or 4 times every week. These shorter rides gave me an indication of my needs.

I will take my Camelback with 24oz Gateraid and 3 or 4 Clif Builder bars. I will wear padded underware AND padded shorts and have FRICTION ZONE cream to help seating comfort. I've found gel gloves and shoes not tightly laced are necessary for me.

I've noticed my challenges after 50 miles are finger and toe numbness. I stand on the pedels and stretch my back and calfs every hour or so and shake my hands and feet from time to time after 5 hours. I use a good sun block cream and a sweatband to keep sweat out of my eyes (burns).

After finishing longer rides it has always been easier than I thought it would be. Have a great ride!

Blessings,
garyj
 
kspangler said:
Congrats on that. Was it a flat century or hilly? I personally like the flat ones. There are three flat ones that I know about - I can't remember if I told you about them or not. Both of these are on Long Island - Montauk Centry 2007 and Northforlk Century. Both are well supported. Just search for them on the internet using the keyword search. The SEAGULL Century 2007 of course held on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. This one can be interesting - held in the fall. The Montauk is held in May. The Northfork - I think in September. There is another flat ride this year - Bike Virginia 2007. This year it is held on a relatively flat routes - this is a multiple-day ride with plenty of opitions in distances. It is hosted in two cities - pretty cool. Let me know if you need any more info on these.

Keith
you know... in my opinion it wasn't very hilly in the aspect that the hills i'm used to climbing are much steeper. though, the mojave desert is not flat so i've have to say it was moderately hilly... especially in the beginning
i'm not going to be able to do another century for awhile due to work unfortunatly... my club has some suggestions for when i'm ready, like solvang, cool breeze, our version of sandiego w/ amtrack and wildflower... i'm hoping to do one in the summer.
 
tumbleweed77 said:
... my club has some suggestions for when i'm ready, like solvang, cool breeze, our version of sandiego w/ amtrack and wildflower... i'm hoping to do one in the summer.

Good job riding your first hundred miler and enjoying it! I highly recommend Solvang if you want to see how fast you can do 100 miles and The Wildflower is just a beautiful and well supported ride.

-Dave