There's a kind of magic that comes from watching a bike computer tick over to triple digits.
It's mileage with gravity, an accomplishment of significance. A challenge that doesn't necessarily turn you inside out. And yet, if you need a full day on the bike to work through some dark stuff and emerge, drained and hopeful, on the other side, a century can do that too. Somewhere in that number, there are hours of joy, effort, and exhaustion, along with a sense of bucket-list satisfaction that your legs can carry you from city to city on their own power.
Whether you set out on your own 100-mile adventure or sign up for an event, riding your first (or 100th!) century is a goal worth targeting and celebrating. But first, you'll want to consider your training and fueling strategy. We've got expert advice that can help, as well as stories from cyclists whose lives have been changed by the quest to hit 100 miles in a single ride. Get ready to have a hell of a party at the finish line.
NAIL YOUR NUTRITION
Most cyclists underestimate their energy needs to complete an endurance event, says Namrita Brooke, Ph.D., a nutritionist, coach, and veteran century rider. Fuel early and often. Start with your first snack about 30 minutes into the ride, and focus on easily digestible carbs, such as energy bars.
Eat about 60 grams of carbs per hour, Brooke says. "That's about 240 calories per hour while you're actually riding." For an organized century event, she recommends carrying enough fuel to cover at least half of that-so, one gel or one bar for each hour you'll be riding. That frees you up for additional aid-station or gas-station snacking on bananas, trail mix, pretzels, or other salty-sweet delights. "If you find boiled, salted potatoes at a rest stop, you've found the gold at the end of the rainbow," Brooke says.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 04, 2022 من Bicycling US.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 04, 2022 من Bicycling US.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
ONE MAN'S OBSESSIVE CRUSADE TO Take Down Zwift Cheats
Indoor cycling and virtual racing are booming, and so are the ranks of digital dopers abusing the platforms.
WHAT I LEARNED WHEN LOST IT ON A MOUNTAIN BIKE
A lifelong roadie tries singletrack for the first time. It did not go as planned.
THE UNLIKELY HERO WHO RECOVERED OVER 200 STOLEN BIKES IN ONE AMERICAN CITY
It was a sunny day in the summer of 2022. There were some things I had to move into the house, so I left the garage door open. I was gone less than 15 minutes.
YOU CAN BE MORE THAN JUST A CYCLIST
I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR SPORTS, starting with the usual team ones such as football and baseball. But that faded in favor of more individual pursuits. Watching my dad roll down the driveway to go for a ride, I wanted to do the same. The bike was my first taste of freedom, a freedom to do it my way.
THE RIGHT SADDLE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
UP UNTIL RECENTLY, I WAS, AT BEST, A TWICEa-month cyclist.
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE RIDER YOU USED TO BE
CYCLISTS OF ALL LEVELS GO THROUGH various phases or eras over the years they spend in the saddle. For the vast majority of riders (myself included), these things happen privately, without fanfare.
BIKES MAKE THE WORLD A MORE INCLUSIVE PLACE
LIFE'S A BEAUTIFUL PUZZLE THAT COMES in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CYCLING SCENE, ANYWAY?
I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF INVOLVING myself in a few populous and dramatically different cycling communities.
CHOOSE GEAR THAT INSPIRES YOU TO HAVE FUN E
EVEN THOUGH I TEST LOADS OF CYCLING gear for a living, sometimes I get locked in on particular items and find it difficult to enjoy competing products, even if those products have obvious advantages.
WHY YOU DESERVE A CUSTOM BIKE
Custom. The word evokes passionate opinions about what constitutes a custom-made bike and who gets to ride one. There's this idea that they're wildly expensive pieces of functional art meant only for the fittest, fastest riders.
