Rode my first Century yesterday. Well actually......

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Thank You ladies. It was a long day for sure. The rest of the group consisted of my boyfriend who had done a few centuries last summer, and 6 (male) experienced long-distance/ Brevet riders. They dropped the hammer from the very get-go and I had to maintain average speeds of anywhere from 13-20 mph just to keep them within eyeshot. This is on a vintage 35lb fendered/steel bike with 3-5 lbs of gear, and It was hot, with temps in the mid 80's.

The first 100 miles were primarily steep rolling hills (river valleys) with a headwind for 60 of it. And of course, the guys could not resist following every gravel road we came across that went the general direction we were heading. (in rural Wisconsin there are a LOT of gravel roads!) A 2-3 mile patch of unbroken ATV trail was a rather fun addition to the ride as well. The ride leader is well known for his affinity for pain..lol..

Thankfully 22 of the last 31 miles were on relatively flat paved MUP trails, so the guys took the opportunity to turn on the afterburners - at an average speed of 22 mph, I could only keep up at that point by drafting. We hobbled back in around 11pm after I don't even know how many hours in the saddle.

My previous longest ride ever was 78 miles which I did last summer. This summer my longest ride was 75 miles done 10 days before this. I'm learning that mileage is largely mental

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