The Century Ride: How I Prepared for a 100 Mile Bike Ride! 

Just completed my first century ride in south Texas. Temps were 50f in the morning heating up to 83f by noon. Winds were non existent then 7-12mph from the SE by mid-morning. I finished in 5hrs 21 min avg speed of 18.7mph. No cramps. I use a LM-NT powdered sodium drink mix mid ride. Last 8 miles I came down with a headache that disappeared the moment I stopped at the finish line. Exhaustion probably. I’m 55yrs old & been cycling for 38 yrs.

My 1st century ride was back in the mid 90s, total miles was 126, did the ride with 2 friends. The bike was a Cannondale hard tail Mt bike with a suspension fork, toe strap pedals, wearing normal tennis shoes and regular gym attire. We took a train from our town in Germany to Koblenz and rode the vineyard and castle lined Mosel river all the way to Trier, total ride time was around 8 hours, it's a trip I'll never forget.

Gearing up for my 7th or 8th century at the end of September. Feeling a bit behind on my miles this year, but we’re starting to ramp up my weekend miles to make sure we’re ready. Luis, if you’re ever in Indianapolis in September, we have an annual century supporting breast cancer every year. Very well supported as well in terms of SAG. ~50 riders, and aiming for 100!

Started riding in April and did my first century in September. And man the amount of togetherness it showed me as a group. Through rain gusty wind and of course food and etc. couldn’t ask for a better group to have done it with. It was an amazing day and one hell of an accomplishment. Most of all the motivation they gave since i was very skeptical about be able to finish.

Doing my first century ride this year. This was really helpful. Pedal safe everyone.

Hey! I was on this ride!

Here in socal in my area you only have 2 choices if you want to do 100milers, hills or coastal winds. Depending if youre going along the coast area which is for me super easy to rack miles versus the centuries i do that follows the river trail then heading back you end up fighting coastal headwinds. Centuries in a group is not the same as centuries solo riding. Group century is so so much easier as theres always someone to draft and its a social ride where everyone watches out for others. Solo rides really tests your mental fortitude especially if youre battling 35miles of non-stop coastal winds which will destroy you regardless of your fitness level. 😂

Green grass and palm trees. I guess Florida is a different reality. Thanks for the video.

Leg cramps happen to me from time to time, especially on a long ride.

WOW i loved every second of this ride yes the people loved them so much the weather off the scale from our weather never did i have the privilege of such a group ride mostly 6 to 8 people in not so good weather eating and drinking was something i had to force my self to do thank you Luis for such videos i was smiling for the entire ride Be Blessed Sir.

Great video and commentary Luis!!! It was a pleasure having you and Lillian join us on this ride. One of challenges I often face on the longer rides is not eating enough. I carry a combination of solid foods such as pb&j, fig newtons, and bananas, along with gels and chews. Even though I map out when I need to eat and have an alert setup on Garmin to find me, I often end a ride with more items left over than I should have. My fluid intake is usually not an issue since on most of the longer rides I have two bottles with an electrolyte mix and a hydration pack with water (I opted not to use it on this ride). Great video again and hopwfully we’ll ride together again soon!!

I'll never forget that my first half century someone was involved in a car accident on the route and had to be medivac'd out from the race via helicopter that was taking off as we were approaching it. Definitely didn't inspire a lot of confidence, but we finished the ride. My life goal since then has been to never need a helicopter to pick me up from a ride. ;)

Luis, come to Seattle for our STP, Seattle to Portland a double century 2-day ride

Great team effort, thanks for sharing with us Luis

I'm preparing for a century this Feb., so this was a timely video for me. I'll definitely make sure I've got enough electrolytes with me. Thanks for the tips!

I relate to the mental difficulty of the long hours this kind of ride requires. I was inspired by the struggle and the accomplishment. Great video.

I host an annual Century from Chicago to Milwaukee. I usually hate centuries but if you do it with a good group of people it becomes tolerable. This years century had a great group of folks with great attitudes. Everyone loved the route and we all finished together. I also cramp typically around the 90 mile mark but push thru. My particular issue this year was a over heated and had to peel layers off on side of the ride and felt like a new man. When everyone works as a team it make centuries awesome.

Well executed ride.

Watching your vids reminds me of riding back in Charlotte. Great rides and great groups of people. Pedal safe!

Okay Luis, I now know how to scare the living hell outta you. Let's go do an Iron Man triathlon! 🤣😂🤭 The socializing looks awesome! I don't have to tell you what a long ride is on a volcanic Caribbean island. Those 30-something sprockets still won't cut it, Florida man!

100 miles is tough. I've done 3 or 4 centuries over the years and they are always a long, hard day on the bike. Nice vid!

So glad you got to do that his century ride. Many years ago I loved doing a couple a year. Favorite was a 105 miler with over 7,000’ of climbing. It’s been a while and am starting up again. After about 75 miles it always becomes very mental, especially when solo. Groups make it much easier.

Respect to you dude, that was great. I have done 2 century rides, the first was on my own and it was tough, I didn't eat right, I didn't drink right and bonked after about 70 miles and that last 30 was awful. My second was on a huge organised event and that was better, we had scheduled stops but i still rode as an individual even though there were thousands doing the ride, I managed to get into some groups for a few miles here and there and thet helped and I made sure i ate right and drank right and knocked about 90 minutes off my time from doing it solo. I would love to do a organised group ride like you have done, it looks awesome and the camaraderie is something I really missed on my 2 efforts. It has inspired me to go out and find a local club to join and seek that cycling friendship I now realise I miss. Well done, great video

I do this all the time. I go 100 miles many times. I went to Fort Pierce to Fort Lauderdale. Done that many times. and from Fort Pierce to Orlando. You need good road planning so you don't end up wasting time because you are lost. The problem with the Fort Pierce to Fort Lauderdale the problem starts on Silver Beach Road because I lose my bike lane until i get to Boynton Beach

YESSSSIR!

Fantastic footage and commentary, always a pleasure to see a new video from you in my queue. And I agree, first stop at 20miles seems early but you thank yourself for it at 60miles! Happy Holidays!

that’s wild, my cramp came around the same mile marker on my recent century in September. Pickle juice and cramp lotion get me through enough to make the field sprint at the finish line! Salt-sticks are the only thing I haven’t tried yet to help once at high mileage on my legs

I've only been cycling for 4 years now, 3 of those with a proper road bike. I'm now at just over 20,000 miles in total. This year I've done a 120 mile, and two 100 mile rides, and one epic 204 miler, all done solo. I did the same 204 mile ride 2 years ago, and a 170 mile ride a couple of months previous to that. The biggest challenge for me is the aches and pains. Cardio wise I'm fine, but I get a sore backside. I'm fine with nutrition and hydration on the century rides, but it's the 204 mile ones that are difficult. Especially when I choose the hottest day of the year with relentless sun all day. It was a nightmare to be honest, and after mile 150 I was really feeling rough. But I found a second wind after eating and drinking lots. It's also a psychological challenge doing those long solo 13 hour rides, partly because it's just you and your thoughts. So I get what you're saying about not liking anything over 5 hours. For me that's part of the challenge, to push through even when I just want to stop....knowing I can't just give up because I'm on my own.

Great vid & as always fun commentary!!😎☮️

Thanks for sharing the ride! I find centuries are tough, physically and mentally. I come out of them feeling a little dazed, with scattered snapshots of sharp memories but the rest is a blur. Cramping can be very bad, so I was worried for you, even though you were close to the finish. You are amazingly strong to bounce back so fast. I try to keep from bonking by eating a third of a Clif bar and taking one electrolyte capsule every 30 minutes. I like bananas and PB&J sandwiches at supported ride restaurants stops but anything heavier than that is too much to digest while riding. I find it easy to make friends with fellow riders throughout the day, but a solo ride is grueling and spiritually cleansing in its own way. They’re all good. Keep healthy!

Luxury to have group rides here. I started doing group rides on Zwift.

The longest ride I’ve taken was from Santa Barbara to San Diego. 170 miles. I got off the Amtrak in Santa Barbara around midnight and headed south. About mile 90 after Huntington Beach my legs started cramping something terrible! Nice idea those salt tabs. I think they’re called thermotabs. I’ll take them along on the next ride. I took the metro link from San Clemente to Oceanside because I didn’t want to get on highway 5 and I didn’t have a pass to get through Camp Pendalton Marine Base. I didn’t used to need one until after 9-11. I did a total of 170 miles but I did give up around Del Mar and took the coaster home… I don’t know how those race across America cyclists can do it. One guy said he saw angels at night with him. When you start hallucinating is when it’s going too far!! I love being able to go from one town to the next. No gasoline, no ticket, just freedom and the sun and wind in your face. In California we have Hike and Bike camp sites. For 5-10$ (depending upon the location) you can pitch a bivy tent, get a hot shower and the even have a store at some locations. I rode from Chula Vista, to Big Sur Campground and back with some of the most breathtaking scenery on the planet. I met many interesting cyclists along the way . A lead programmer from google fulfilling his dream. Another guy from England cycling around the world, a couple from France some from the Netherlands. If you ever get a chance to ride the California coast, do it. I’ve cycled many places (in the world) but that was the one that stuck out in my memories.

Love the NY yankee hat. You hit it right on the nail. I have lost the love for riding longer for 4 hrs. It’s a mental block that can affect you negatively on the road.

I just wanted to say that this video had great content as usual . Take aways : Protein powder pancakes?? ( for me a least is news of course every one at home knows about it 😂). Splitting a large group on a sketchy road ( muy buena idea). Now a fellow cyclist that does over 40 centuries per year told me to eat every 10 miles, how much depends on your weight. I’m 6 ft 1 inch 210 lb to 215 lb Half a bar, a banana, half a gel, raisins…. I can eat more o the first 50 to 60 miles so more fluids with sugar and minerals work better for me towards the end of the ride. Una Coca-Cola y toco el cielo con las manos 😂 at this point. We ride on central New Jersey not too hilly . Muchas gracias por la información de tus vídeo Felices fiestas 🎄🎁

I love long rides. This year did a 200km, amazing! You did really well. Hope one day I can ride with you guys. Currently in Canada, but once opportunity comes, will meet your group rides in Florida.

Enjoyed the vid Lu. Felt like I was on the ride too. Haven’t done many long rides this year. In fact, I’ve only done one long ride and that was just over 99 miles. I bonked towards the second half of the ride as well. My main issue like yours is eating enough food and drinking enough. I’ve never cramped but my energy level gets really low due to lack of food. This video is motivation for me to do better in that area.

Hi there !! loved your video - by Gilmar - Brasil

My first 100 mile plus ride was when I was 15 during a charity ride way back in 1975, Since Jack in the Box was the sponsor there was lots of burgers to be had. At 17 at least 2 time per month I was doing Down town San Jose to Santa Cruz over the Santa Cruz Mountains which had an elevation of 3,700 depending on the rout I would take, it would be round trip ride of 85 miles, nutrition in these days we had no such thing as gels or energy bars nor electrolytes it was a load of Bananas, reason why my nick name was banana brain, I always had bananas in my rear jersey pockets. My gearing up front was 42/53t rear was 7 speed 12/25t and pushing this gearing up the Santa Cruz mountains most would say, I'm crazy.

Great video

Great video Luis! 😊

Leg cramps are often a result of dehydration and/or lack of electrolytes.

The DCC ride stopped every 20 miles. I had a banana and a small 12oz gatorade on each stop. They also had those Cliff Bloks caffeinated chews which were awesome. I had a blok at stops 3 and 4, and I was wired the whole night hahaha. My tri friend gave me packets of that Precision Hydration salt mix-- the purple ones for highly salty sweat people. I mix that into my 1L water bottles with 100g of ClusterDextrin (I like NutraBio Super Carb-- hard to find supplement companies that don't put all this extra crap into their products) and a bit of either gatorade powder or crystal light powder for flavor. I've never ever cramped with this homebrew gatorade, but the time I did A1A on my own with just gatorade and fruit was a disaster.

Nice ride Luis, way to go! You looked fresh at the end!

Looks awesome, a bit further than I am able to ride at present (most so far is 120km). It's crazy how much difference the salts and carbs make from not functioning at all to flying along as per normal. I do get kind of nauseous forcing the food down though. Thanks for the insight, hoping to build up to my first century some time soon.

❤ challenges with time on the bike to complete the century.

Longest ride I've done was about 91 miles on my schwinn phocus 1600.

Really great ride footage and speaking points. Just ran into your channel and I'm enjoying the content.

Well done! Thanks for sharing this with us.

Been riding for 6 years all solo until 3 months ago, did my first century in a group around the Tampa Bay area and felt fantastic. Thanks for the video. Was this your first century?? I don't think you said.

Salt pills?? Ok, this is some new stuff for me. Care to elaborate? I really envy you Florida folks. I’ve been riding my whole life, and I have never known flat ground. There is absolutely no flat ground in any of the states I’ve lived in recently. You are always climbing, period. 15 seconds of descending followed by another 5 to 7 minutes of climbing followed by another 15 seconds of descending followed by another oppressive hill. I had to laugh at the young lady complaining about the rollers early in this campaign. That’s nothing, trust me. Part of my cycling experience has been the challenge of overcoming the literal depression you experience when, every time you turn a corner, you’re faced with another oppressive hill climb. I know a lot of riders claim to love to climb, and God bless them. To me it’s just hell, especially when it is literally all you do on a ride around here.

Megacool

Love centuries I done many can't remember :) Long story short 10 years ago already had done 130mil then a fiend of mine ask me to participate one that was a day apart So I did then few bikers ask me to get much faster that time my speed average 10 to 12 m so I regect & keeping smile @ close to 70mil 2 bikers had Dehydration a guess blood pressure drop wich later learn one of them was hospitalized. That brings a Shame to the team leader Of course to the 3 bikers who had insist asking highr speeds. My reaction was I turn around back home.

So I'm not a racer at all. I'm a super heavy weight, thick barrel chest and barrel chested. But I'll grind out a hundred miles. The Great western weekend in Paso Robles Cali...... treat yourself!!!!!

Love your channel ! Why do you guys use these flickering backlights during daytime?

Regarding salt intake. Is it wise to take on salt throughout the ride? Thanks for an informative video.

So curious about this camera set up.

Every club needs a Cedric

Luis, what is your recommended rim brake wheelset for a century ride? Mid-tier budget that is. Thanks.

Hi Luis. I recently moved to Orlando FL from Miami. I see you rode from Winter Park which is about 10 miles from my house and I was wondering if you could share the name of the group? I would like to join them. Thanks man

My challenge is mainly getting dropped and secondarily eating / drinking enough

Nice...I rode a few warmup miles the day before..I went skating for like 4 hours, came home, took a shower and laid down. Jumped up,got a ride to the start of the NYC Century, dropped an EPH 833 and rode my azz off. When I pulled back into Central Park,I just laid on the ground for a few minutes. Then I rode to the subway,got on the train, rode to my house ,and I was in the house for 2 days, because my body was just DONE>>> Do NOT try this at home because I have done several centuries without actually training and i am sure it was killing me the whole time. All I think of is 90 rpm cadence, slow breathing and eating on the bike. The rest goes by itself..Now Luis is riding these miles because he will win the TOUR in 2024..GO LUIS!!!!!!!!!!!1....oh and bring some glutamine for them muscles,and freeze it in your Camelback...

Im going to get into road cycling for training purposes im thinking about building a vintage road frame .... what should I look for Sir

do you ever climb? leave the state and do some serious climbing with the same amount of miles?

I need help woo return hit me up Louis