First century FAIL!

[NoNo]

That is probably why they changed it *but*, they should have told her and she should be sure that the value/quality of the post they put on is good. They shop probably kept the old CF one to resell.... (no they wouldn't get new value from it, but still...I'm not saying they did this as I don't have all the details, but it would be kind of unscrupulous of them if they took a nice CF post and replaced it with a $20 cheapie aluminum one and didn't bother to tell the customer....)

That is why they changed it. But it would have been nice to know. And not only did they swap it out without telling me, but they put in an aluminum post that had some kind of carbon-looking decal over it, so you couldn't tell by looking. That just seems deceptive. I'm more upset about the lazy fitting I got and how much damage I've been doing to myself all this time.

Seacoast Century sounds nice. I have friends in the area, I could find a place to crash/shower/eat.

Two weeks in Italy, and we are looking into renting bikes in the first town we're in. There are supposedly a bunch of nature trails there that are nice to explore.

[channlluv]

You made it 70 miles on a bike that didn't fit? I'm with Catriona. That's impressive, DNF or no.

I'm glad you weren't suffering the next day.

Roxy

[indigoiis]

Why don't you try the Seacoast Century? It starts in Hampton Beach NH, backtracks into MA for 20 miles, and then goes up to Ogonquit and back to NH.
It's in September and you can do it on Saturday or Sunday.

I love Seacoast Century. Go for it! We'll be there!

[NoNo]

You made it 70 miles on a bike that didn't fit? I'm with Catriona. That's impressive, DNF or no.

I'm glad you weren't suffering the next day.

Roxy

Who said I'm not suffering? I had a bit of a limp yesterday as my hips hurt. Today my lower back is cranky and I'm regretting not bringing the heating pad to work. I'll be good in another day or so.

[tctrek]

Way to go, NoNo... you've got what it takes to do whatever you put your mind to do. Gotta love it!

[Reesha]

NoNo-- I totally feel your pain!

My first century ride was a beast with over 3000 feet of climbing, most in the second half and I was riding with a bunch of people I didn't know-- mostly cycling team hammerheads! I paid good money for the registration for a t-shirt, the bbq after... the century took me ten hours. I sobbed as I climbed the last thirty miles or so-- I was in so much pain! I stopped often. I felt awkward that I was making the sag wagon guy wait so long. I crawled into my car at the end and just sobbed-- I'd done it... but I felt kind of humiliated that there was nothing waiting for me at the end and that I'd spent all that money registering for nothing. Bummer!

Anyway, don't let it put you off-- you'll be able to do it, you probably just need to prepare for that kind of long ride a little longer! I haven't done my second century because of my first one yet-- even though I'm getting better!

[bikerHen]

I hope you at least got the shirt Reesha! As one who has often missed the party after the ride I have learned a few things. Collect your shirt before the ride, ride your speed, don't try to "keep up" with anyone and most important leave as early as you can. If I'm doing a 50 miler I always leave with the 100 mile riders. I get drop the first mile and then have a lovely solo ride until the "fast" 50 milers blow by around mile 25. The rest of the ride I have other riders to talk with and I always get back when the party is still going strong. That extra hour really makes a difference! bikerHen

[uforgot]

Hey, you did a METRIC century! Congrats!

[NoNo]

I missed the party the first time I did a metric two years ago. I was so hungry and there was none of the food I had been promised! Glad I'm not the only one here that gets dropped right away. I had wondered if I shouldn't even try until I could get my average speed up, but it's nice to know others do these rides at their speed, no matter what that may be.

[wackyjacky1]

I hope you at least got the shirt Reesha! As one who has often missed the party after the ride I have learned a few things. Collect your shirt before the ride, ride your speed, don't try to "keep up" with anyone and most important leave as early as you can. If I'm doing a 50 miler I always leave with the 100 mile riders. I get drop the first mile and then have a lovely solo ride until the "fast" 50 milers blow by around mile 25. The rest of the ride I have other riders to talk with and I always get back when the party is still going strong. That extra hour really makes a difference! bikerHen

This sounds like excellent advice. When I get my nerve up to try a century, I will remember this.

[Jiffer]

Congrats on the longest ride you ever did on a bike that didn't fit you!!!

I know what it's like to decide whether or not to do a ride that you don't feel you are really trained for. I've been there at least twice. The first time I opted to do the Metric instead of the full century and was glad I did. The other time, I went for it and found I was stronger than I thought. So, sometimes you just don't know until you try. It's also possible that you were having a bad day for other reasons. We all do better some days than others. I've dropped out of long club rides that I was just having a hard time on for ... "whatever reason". And then really surprised myself on other club rides, even getting accolades from "the guys".

I think the more you ride, the more you'll know what your body can handle and not.

Sounds like your LBS did what a lot of LBS's do when they sell a bike. Just do a quick general fit to get you going. I'm assuming you paid money to get the great fit at the other LBS? I went through the same, only my original quick fit was much better than yours, apparently, plus my dh is pretty good at knowing bike fit, so he tweaked my bike a bit more before I got around to paying for and getting the more precise and, ever so helpful, fit. Mine also included tips on riding technique, including my position on the bike, how I was pedaling, verses how I SHOULD be pedaling, etc. My bike fit guy is a cycling coach, so he incorporates more than usual into his fittings, depending on how much you want to pay. He was extremely thorough and it made a big difference in my performance, as I'm sure your fit will make in your performance.

I would say before you attempt another century, make sure you can ride at least 65 to 70 without too much misery about 2 weeks before the event. That's when I knew I shouldn't do a century. When I had done about a 60 mile ride a couple of weeks before and was completely miserable. My back ached and, in general, my body just wanted to be off that bike so bad. I couldn't imagine doing an additional 40. That's when I got my bike fit ... and then did the metric instead. Both were awesome decisions. I then did my first full century less than a month later and, though there was some misery, it was much more doable.

The next time I had to make a decision if I was ready for a century, was in March, when I hadn't been riding a lot since November and this one had a lot more climbing than I'd ever done. I was so close to only doing the half, but decided to go for it. This time, even though I hadn't ridden as much as I thought I should have in the previous couple of months, what I DID do, combined with the base miles I had obtained from all the riding last season ... helped me not only do it, but fairly strongly. I was SO glad I did the whole thing.

Like I said, the more you ride, the more you'll know what you can expect from your body. Learn to listen to it. And if you're really not sure, there's no harm in at least trying. Kudos to you for having the guts to try.