Signed up for my first Century!

[Jiffer]

DH and I just signed up for the Amtrak Century in September (100 miles). We decided to ride it on the tandem with our tandem friends. I was totally hyped up to train for it myself on my single, but decided riding tandem with our buddies would be a good way for me to do my first century. I can focus on shorter distances on my single and get in a good base without putting too much pressure on myself. Now I'm off to seek out all the "half-ish" length centuries. I SO wish I could do CoolBreeze in Ventura in August, but I have a conflict that weekend. :(

[Fredwina]

yeah! Unfortunately, several days attacked me at once once I got to work this am, or I would have registered , too:(

[SheFly]

DH and I are doing 175 in two days on the tandem next weekend (this is our annual MS 150 ride, with a century option the first day - see sig). Having done SEVERAL long rides on the tandem, here is some advice for you:

Communication is key! If you need to rest your legs (or DH does) let each other know.
Make sure you have a REALLY good pair of shorts. Long distance on the tandem means a LOT of saddle time.
Make sure your saddle is broken in, and you REALLY like it (see above).
Take a camera, and stow it in DH's pocket (assuming he is the captain) - makes for easy access when those photo opportunities arise, plus, he carries the weight :D
Of course, with ANY century, lots of fluid and food.


Most importantly, have a GREAT time! Centuries on the tandem are definitely fun, and a great way to keep you together. And riding with tandem friends makes it an even better adventure! We will have 4 tandems riding together next weekend.

Do post after the ride, and let us know how it went.

SheFly

[madscot13]

first century congradulations!

[teigyr]

Oh Amtrak is FUN!!!! I was going to try to do it but we need cases for the bikes and I imagine it's sold out by now. It is my favorite century ever. Be sure to bring good food for the train ride back :D

Honestly, it's an easy 100 and while people whine about the Torrey Pines Hill, it isn't that bad. It's hot...at least it was every time I did it but they have ice cream at the top.

I am jealous! Oh man, next year. You picked a good one for your first!

[bikerchick68]

jiffer... Amtrak is a great first century... Cool Breeze only has 3500ft of climbing, but that is still more than Amtrack I believe... and the 3500ft all happens between miles 30-40 in Cool Breeze...

Torrey Pines is only a mile and a half... totally do-able. That's part of my regular ride route thru the whole summer...

I think this will be a great choice! I've not ridden Amtrak Century but HAVE ridden most of the route on my own (72 miles of it anyway) and it's nice! Have a great time...:)

[Jiffer]

Thanks for the enthusiasm, guys. I was completely bummed when I realized we missed registering in time for the train ride back. DH set his alarm to go running this morning and was going register when he got back. Instead, he turned off the alarm and went back to sleep! But we decided to get our own business class tickets and do our own train ride back in even better style. DH has heard people have had to sit on the floor on the "party train" because they over sold tickets. I don't know if it's true, and I was looking forward to riding with everyone, but I'm okay with this. It will be us and the couple riding tandem with us.

I've done Torrey Pines before and, pretty much, hated it! But now I know what to expect and, if that's the worst of it, I'm okay with that. We rode from Carlsbad to La Jolla and back ... 52 miles. That's the farthest we've ever gone on the tandem. Though DH has done several centuries and is a very strong cyclist ... yay for me! :D

I have to say, saddle sore is my worst fear with this century. I've been enjoying getting up and out of the saddle on my single whenever I feel like it. I may be trying out some other saddles. We'll see. How long should I be able to reasonably last in this saddle to know if it will be okay for 100 miles?