Did my first metric century (bike ride)!
Just wanted to start another general cycling discussion thread, this time about longer rides.
I did my first metric century (100km) ride last Saturday, as part of an organized event here in the Bay Area. The ride took us through Marin county, which is the region just north of the Golden Gate bridge for those unfamiliar, and it was absolutely beautiful the whole way. The ride itself was wonderfully organized and supported: there were rest stops / feed stations every 20 miles or so, stocked with really great food, water, and sport drink mixes. There were also medics riding the course and support vehicles to help with mechanical issues, or to give you a lift back to the start if you had to tap out.
It was my first time doing a longer ride like this. I only signed up for it about 6 weeks ago and I am so glad that I did. Training for this really forced me to learn about cycling longer distances, from planning routes, to essential items to bring with, to proper nutrition, and beyond. I went from doing 10-20 mile rides a couple of times a week to doing this 62ish mile ride (with 4000ft of elevation) in 6 weeks, which I am super happy about!
Now that I can ride these distances, it's totally changed the options that feel open to me and I've been having a blast exploring my area. I'm no longer intimidated by routes with decent climbs or long distances, which has really opened up a lot.
Anyway, I absolutely loved it, and if anyone has been thinking about doing something similar take this as your sign to 100% do it!
Wow congrats! Super impressive. My friend was riding somewhere along with you! I’ve had a hard time comprehending the distance you all rode. Watching his training has been nuts. He biked 50mi one day to join me for a 25 mile bike ride. I was absolutely exhausted and so sore afterward, I can’t even imagine how he felt. And that was only 1000 ft incline!
I have absolutely zero interest in pushing my body that hard, but cool to see the people who do and can!
Congratulations!
Cycling has become one of my greatest sources of life adventure. I've found it really empowering to realize that normal people can do these sorts of distances, given the will and some patience to practice.
Once you've opened up 50 miles you're well positioned to do serious exploration with really fulfilling opportunities to connect with the world. Even cooler, with a bit more patience you can accumulate this into multi-day rides and super-charge your adventurous ambitions as far as you want to take them.
That's the trajectory that took me from rides around town to biking across France. A few years ago I couldn't have imagined an adventure that ambitious. Now I have that packed away as one of my most amazing travel memories. And thinking about what other routes I could design with the entire world as a canvas is fantastically inspiring. I and my bike can literally go anywhere. I bet you and your bike can too.
I'd love to share more enthusiastic chat about this as much as anyone's up for it.