Calls for thoughts/advice 1st CenturyRide

Hello, any advice for 1st century ride? I have just learned about "wheelsuckers". Anyway, I won't be sneaking up on anyone. I am worried about starting with 700 people at the same time. I think I need to get going quick in order to finish!

Also, how much gear do you take? I mean, it may start cold, but I don't want to be lugging extra layers. It is the Enchanted Cirlcle century in RedRiver, NM, and the forecast calls for a little rain that day. Any thoughts or advice on gear, starting out, not making a nuisance of myself?

The worst part about a century is the pre-ride jitters.

I normally take a jacket and either tights or leg warmers. If I know it's going to warm up quite a bit later in the day, leg warmers are my choice because they're easier to take off and take up less space.

If you are worried about hauling too much stuff, try a handlebar bag, a large seat bag or take a camel back and strap it on.

Fight the temptation to start quickly for it is the path to perdition. Better to start slowly and take your time warming your muscles up. I also find it relaxes me. And besides, the people who are just tootling along on a ride seem to have the most fun.

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Originally Posted by boy in a kilt

And besides, the people who are just tootling along on a ride seem to have the most fun.

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A fellow cyclist just finished the Heavenly 100 and he said at the start, it was shoulder to shoulder, elbow to elbow aggressive riders who thought they were in the Tour de France. He and his buddy fell back with the other riders and enjoyed it much more. He rode beside a 75 yr old lady who was really enjoying her century. That's how I want to enjoy it when I do my first one.

Life is too long to be doing things like that.

I hammered all the way through my first century. At the end, I was wiped out, mildly hypothermic and I didn't really have any pleasant memories of the experience.

When I did my last century, I was riding with a co-worker who was doing his first one. We rode slower than what I felt should have been my proper pace.

This century is known for it's climbing (Barlow Trail Century for folks in Portland), and at the end, I felt great. I'd helped my friend finish a century (double good on him because he was also diabetic). I rode with some great people, including a 65-year old who had me in stitches for 20 miles with some of her stories.

I know which line I want to be in next time.

Thanks, you guys, you're great! And yes, I have jitters already, I won't be able to sleep all week. I will heed your comments.

You've probably heard this before, but it always bears repeating.
Drink before you're thirsty
Eat before you're hungry
Don't try new things on the big day - stick with the foods and drinks and equipment that you know work for you.

All great comments here. And, confidence is king, so take along whatever you have to in order to feel assured. You'll learn over time what you could have left behind. I still drag a lot of stuff with me, but less and less every time.

Also, don't sweat the jitters and lack of sleep. If it is any help, the night before my first century, I never did get to sleep. Just too keyed up! But, I finished in 8 hours, just fine for my first one!

Don't psych yourself out.

Don't worry about the extra layers, I read on the Enchanted Circle you can drop them off at one of the rest stops! I am sure they have an organized way of tagging them. Oh and everyone is right, don't let the jitters get you too wound up. Before our first MS150 (probably the most nervous I have ever been) I hardly slept. I paid for it by being sick the following Tuesday. I slept 16 hours.

Ride your ride not the crowd of people you will start with.

If it is chilly in the a.m. try arm/leg warmers for they don't take up a lot of space and can easily be peeled off as the ride progresses.

Drink lots and snack along the way to keep your energy reserves fully stocked. Don't be afraid to eat a good lunch at the lunch stop. Don't hang out at the store stops or SAG areas for too long either.

The last 20 miles or so are the worse so find someone to ride with so you can talk and make those miles click by quickly. If you can't find someone to ride with sing all your favorite tunes.

Most importantly, have fun and enjoy they day for riding your first century is a huge event so celebrate it along the way and treat yourself to something really yummy at the end of the ride.

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Originally Posted by makbike

Don't be afraid to eat a good lunch at the lunch stop.

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Lots of great advice. All I would add here is to know yourself and your history with your intestinal tract. I cannot eat a normal lunch at all on big rides...for me it has to be a little all the time, or I get really upset stomachs.

Definitely figure out, though, how to get enough fuel into you.

ETA: Is it an intestinal tract? Or track? I guess it is not a tract, like a tract of land! LOL

Have fun.

Eat, but don't overeat; hydrate, but don't overhydrate. If you need to stop because you are overheating, that's okay. Don't try to keep up with the showboaters who are pushing a fast pace in the beginning.

If you need to sag out, that's okay. If you just need an extra stop on the side of the road to keep on going, that's okay, too.

I like my zephyr jacket with zip off sleeves and a pair of knee warmers, that way I can adjust to the temperature around me.

And yes, have fun. (I reminded myself of this on Saturday when a family of bees decided to fly around me on a hot ascent. I wasn't having fun, so I stopped, turned around and enjoyed the decent and changed my route).

another tidbit from the voice of experience... Porta Potties are at the SAG stop for a reason. Use them. Otherwise if/when you skip one, you may very well end up hunkered behind a small shrub in your road shoes peeing as people (mostly guys) snicker and holler "you OK?" as they ride by :rolleyes: :D yeah, been there and done that. I NEVER skip the porta potties now.

Also, don't forget your Chamois Butt'r... or Assos or whatever... not chafing is a great thing and will make it an enjoyable experience... You can now buy the sample size Chamois Butt'r (REI has them if you have one near you) and carry extra in your seat bag. :)

Have a great ride and I look forward to hearing how well ya did! :D

Everyone has given great advice. I don't have anything new to add except that I always take more than I need. I know I'll never regret having too much, but certainly will regret not having enough. I used an extra big saddle bad last time and carried a ton of stuff (also had a bento box and a small handlebar bag). For me, I know it's extra weight, but the security in knowing I have all I could need for many possible scenarios is woth the extra weight (but you're climbing so that may be a different story). Bring leg warmers and a jacket at the least. They can cram easily if need be.

If it's going to be a hot day, but I'm starting early in the morning, I like to wear a bolero over a sleeveless jersey. Just remember to reapply sunscreen on your arms and shoulders if you go this route when you take off the bolero. My bolero seems to absorb all my sunscreen. :eek:

V.

Zondian,

No one else has picked up on this, but didn't you mention in the welcome thread that you have only been riding for a month? If I read this wrong, then please ignore this!
But if I read this correct, you might want to either give yourself some more time before you tackle a century, or see if there is a shorter option that you could ride instead.

I do not want to seem negative in any way, but a century is a long distance, and if you have upped your mileage that fast, it could lead to injury or at the very least a very unpleasant ride that could taint your opinion of centuries in the future.

again, if I read that other post wrong, then please ignore this!!

tract
1. an expanse or area of land, water, etc.; region; stretch.
2. Anatomy.
a. a definite region or area of the body, esp. a group, series, or system of related parts or organs: the digestive tract.
b. a bundle of nerve fibers having a common origin and destination.

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Originally Posted by zencentury

tract
1. an expanse or area of land, water, etc.; region; stretch.
2. Anatomy.
a. a definite region or area of the body, esp. a group, series, or system of related parts or organs: the digestive tract.
b. a bundle of nerve fibers having a common origin and destination.

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Different than the Luge Track I was picturing for GI. :p :eek:

Though that can sometimes be a good analogy :eek: :D

What about those tracts people hand you with the cartoons and the morality lesson?

In my crowd the rule includes the potties: Eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty, and pee when you get the chance. However, doing centuries I generally don't need them until the end.

When I did the RAIN ride with its mass start, I heard that things were hairy where the racers were in front so I positioned myself in the back 'cause I knew I didn't really care where I finished.

Even if you care where you finish, for your first one you prob'ly want to start near the back ... 100 miles is plenty of time to catch up to people who started out too fast, unlike you :)

Zondian- I didn't realize you just started until I read the getting to know you. Not to rain on your parade but a century is a very different animal. I was in incredible shape (running 5 miles 4x a week and plenty of core workouts) when I did a hilly 76 miler but didn't have much time in the saddle. I barely finished and cried in the car on the way home. I was sick to my stomach, sore all over and felt defeated. That ride left me with a disdain for cycling for a while and questioning if I could ever do a ride that long.

Only you know what you are capable of but I think of a mountainous century like running a marathon. It just takes a long time for you body to be able to go for 6-8 (or more) hours on the bike.

but, there are other distances at a century ride, sometimes as little as 25 miles! So I thought maybe she is doing one of those, and is just excited about the group ride aspect? :confused:

Z, I think you need to be careful about this too. Most cyclists prepare for long distance rides (say anything over 60ish) for several months to get the mileages up there, and that's assuming they've ridden shorter distance rides before, have familiarity with long rides, group rides, any number of things. You learn a great deal about your capabilities on these longer rides, including how to manage your food and drink on your own. In group rides, you'll learn how to watch others for cues that they're slowing or speeding up etc.

If you had indicated you started cycling back in say May or June to get ready for the big 100, etc then I'd be less concerned for you. Even then, most cyclists don't go for centuries in their first road seasons (but some do, and it can be done).

Tell us a little about your training. What has your longest ride been to prepare? We just want to make sure you come out of the experience on the positive side, not injured or hating the experience...

-T

Thank you all for your concern and reality checks, sincerely.

My advice has mental angles to it:
- don't count the miles ahead...take it one mile at a time.
- if you get tired or discouraged, make a deal to go to the next SAG...you'll feel better by the time you get that far.