Back Roads Century 2011

[Greenbelt]

Very impressive. I can’t imagine doing a full century yet. I’m pretty strong for the first 20 or 30 miles on weekend rides, but after that I weaken pretty fast, even gobbling food all the while. In fact I don’t think I’ve ridden more than 40 miles in one day since I started commuting every day — now, I often need the weekends to rest and recover, not to train even harder!

[justasaintz]

Congratulations Ann! the BRC was no easy task and I have to agree the food at some of the rest stops was really good.

[Brent]

Congrats! I set a goal at the beginning of the summer to ride a century by the end, and I just finished my second!

[eminva]

Congratulations, Ann! Excellent work, and I think you DID maintain your sense of humor quite well. Great write up.

Liz

[vvill]

Nice. I did it as well, and it was also my first century. I managed to rope a friend in to ride it with me. Those hills in the last 20 miles or so were quite unkind, especially since my arm is still recovering from my accident in August.

I think I had 3 or 4 of those tomato sandwiches, and 3 boiled potatoes (burned my tongue on every one!). I was surprisingly unsore in the days afterwards – just tired.

[consularrider]

Well done Ann!! This was my second year riding the BRC, this year in my new Bike Arlington jersey. My favorite thing of the ride was the tomato and hummus sandwiches (must have had at least four halves) at White Post. I kept looking for Brent, but we never managed to cross paths.

[creadinger]

Congrats on the great ride and thanks for the nice write up! And nice job sticking it to your friends with no faith in you!!

I’ll have to keep this one in mind when I’m looking for rides to do next fall. Is it REALLY hilly? Any long, sustained climbs? My wife really wants to do a century ride. She was thinking this fall she might do her first, but it didn’t quite work out with training. Maybe next year…. I think we need to get her a road bike first – I may post a question about an entry level road bike for a short woman later.

I used to think a 7am start was too early until I did the PMC this year. The main Sturbridge ride starts at 5:30 sharp! Since we stayed at a hotel 15 minutes away and had to drive there leaving extra time for this and that, that meant my alarm went off before 4am. Insane!

Anyway, congrats on finishing so well and now you can say that you’ve ridden 100 miles.

[KLizotte]

Next up is a *double century* for you Ann!

[JimF22003]

This was my fifth time, I think. It was the 3rd century overall I had ever done back in 2004 I think. The first was a solo ride on the W&OD, and the 2nd was the Reston Century.

creadinger, I wouldn’t say there are any long sustained climbs at all. Just rollers. More rollers on the second half than the first half, and some of them are pretty steep. But none of them go more than a couple of hundred yards.

[Mark Blacknell]

Well done, all. (And I’m totally with you, Consularrider, on those great tomato sandwiches.)

~

If anyone is still thinking about trying their first century, the Seagull Century is coming up in a couple of weeks. It’s about as easy as a century gets – dead flat (except the bridge, I suppose) and wonderfully supported. All one really needs is sufficient saddle time in advance (varies by person, but you should be comfortable in the saddle for 3+ hours, I think) and a decent sense of pacing.

[SteveTheTech]

Congratulations,

That sounds like a fun challenge.

Did you feel like riding the next day?
The last distance ride I did I wanted to get back out there the next day.

[justasaintz]

there aren’t really any “big” hills. However as you get closer to the end any long incline would seem like a hill. Not to mention the second section seems like a never ending roller coaster.

I agree on Seagull century as a introduction to century rides. While its all flat, its more important to feel comfortable in a saddle for extended periods.

Steve, I don’t know if its a good idea, but I do feel like going and riding the next day. I guess a cool down ride wouldn’t hurt right?

[Timur]

I just started biking last April but a couple of months of training allowed me to do a century without TOO much effort by early July. W&OD roundtrip with a few miles here and there in Arlington. The second one was a doublecentury, Burlington-Montreal-Burlington in two days. Doable if you have the time and determination. I recommend playing some music and eating before you are hungry and drinking before you are thirty. And if you are a guy get some baby powder or cream for the sensitive areas

[americancyclo]

@Timur 8649 wrote:

drinking before you are thirty.

I did most of my drinking before I was 30, but I still dabble now and again, even though I’ve passed that milestone.

welcome to the forum, and cycling!

[Arlingtonrider]

I second the welcome, Timur. Those are pretty awesome accomplishments for someone who just started biking so recently. Americancyclo – you are too funny!

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