I’m considering increasing my mileage over the winter and thought I would aim for a century.

So, for valid bragging rights should I be aiming for – 100 miles without getting off the bike, 100 miles with only a brief toilet stop, 100 miles in one day or something in between?

whats the question ?

100 solo at the very least.

100 miles in one day I reckon.
I did it a few weeks ago, had a great time. It’s all about that point where you think that you can’t go on but you do and finish. The weather was kind to me and I tried to find a mostly flat route and I had 2 punctures.

whats the question ?

Read it again Pickle, it’s not that hard.

It’s simple;

Go out of house with bicycle

Go back in house when you’ve ridden 100 miles.

Stop for tea and cake is ok.

Stop for an overnight sleep at a hotel isn’t ok.

100 miles is 100 miles. Doing it without more than a pee stop is more impressive than doing 2 lots of 50 with a cafe stop in the middle but it’s still 100 miles altogether. Don’t bother doing it solo, you’ll most likely get bored, unless you really enjoy being by yourself.

Epic fail,talk in kilometers if you want to impress the masses 😉

Pooing or weeing yourself is nothing to brag about! 😀

I stopped for a nap in the sunshine on a 115 miler. Didn’t soil myself, by my arse hurt by the end.

It’s funny how things move on. Last winter I did my first 100 miler on the road and it was EPIC.
Now consider 100 miles at about 15mph as a recovery ride.
Has just dawned on me as I write this how big a step that is.

bragging rights

??

I’d say if it is one continuous ride, even with brief pitstops, it counts. If it’s continual, i.e. there are significant non-essential stops during the distance, it doesn’t count.

100 miles in one day I reckon.

Impressive stuff!

are we talking road or mountain biking here?

But as above get on bike, ride for around 50 miles, ride home. Its nothing to brag about. Its just a bike ride.

Sod ‘bragging rights’, just go out and enjoy it.

Otherwise, what’s the point?

To me it’s ride in one day with only comfort/food stops & those stops can’t be at your own house until the final triumphant stop

As for those who boast a century as 100k then you’re 38 miles-ish away from glory

Done a few road century’s I’d love to build up to an offroad one, that’d be really tough I think, most I’ve done on dirt is 62

Now consider 100 miles at about 15mph as a recovery ride.

Poor recovery ride )

Solo and no cafe stop is a fair 100 miler imo. Bonus points for doing it in the rain or off-road.

nedrapier – Member
I did a 77 mile bike ride once, had a nap in the sunshine, then did a 77 bike ride. Didn’t soil myself, by my arse hurt by the end of the second bike ride.

FTFM

I did the Exmoor Beast 100k last Sunday, I stopped 3 times, once at the traffic lights in Dunster, once to change my gloves and once to put my chain back on. I’m sure if I was doing the 100ml route I’d have stopped more but that’ll have to wait for next year. 😉

Just get going, then get your entry ready for the next London-Edinburgh-London in 2017.

if its bragging rights you want then youll be doing it in 4hours give or take.

anything else is just slacking.

No stopping for a pee either. Wanger out the shorts and pee off the side of the bike like the pro’s.

Trent Lowe show’s us how it’s done…

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvdkfW6b5ks[/video]

As for those who boast a century as 100k then you’re 38 miles-ish away from glory

I’d say extra glory points if you stop just short of 100 as if it’s no big deal 🙂

I just assumed it was 100 miles or kilometres in a day. I didn’t realise there was rules. It’s really not a big deal either – unless 4 hrs is your target 🙂

Go have a look at what the Audax folk are doing.

timidwheeler – Member
I’m considering increasing my mileage over the winter and thought I would aim for a century.

So, for valid bragging rights should I be aiming for – 100 miles without getting off the bike, 100 miles with only a brief toilet stop, 100 miles in one day or something in between?

100 miles isn’t that far on the road, even I can do that.

If you want bragging rights then do it under 5 hours (assuming you’ve got a few decent hills on the route).

But really, anything less than 200miles in a day is just playing at it. I only ever felt impressed with myself when I did that.

I’d say extra glory points if you stop just short of 100 as if it’s no big deal

I once did 99.8miles.

I was absolutely guttted.

But it was over the NYM’s from Middleborough to Scarborough and back, taking in what felt like every gradual incline and near vertical decent into a haripin (i.e. no easy coationg bits!) so I was also completely broken and beyond caring.

mrblobby – Member
…I’d say extra glory points if you stop just short of 100 as if it’s no big deal

Sounds as much fun as coitus interruptus 🙂

timidwheeler – Member

I’m considering increasing my mileage over the winter and thought I would aim for a century.

So, for valid bragging rights should I be aiming for – 100 miles without getting off the bike, 100 miles with only a brief toilet stop, 100 miles in one day or something in between?

Just wondering what something in between getting off the bike or not would be , or what something in between a brief toilet stop or not would be ?

There are a couple of 200km audax coming up if you fancy 130 miles minimum speed 15kph

As a serious answer. Do it in a day and you’ve done it. You can stop as often as you want. Slow and steady will get you there.

My first century was on a mountain bike, mostly on the road. I just set off and rode, stopped about 50 miles, ate some stuff and then set off again. After that I had a few stops here and there to pee or eat but mainly just took my time.

Let us know how you get on. Consider finding some like minded people to help you along.

7 hours max ride time, preferably less than 6. Anything other that that doesn’t deserve bragging rights

Cheers for the replies. I will be using my hardtail and it will be a mix of on and off road. I think I will just follow Samurai’s advice.

I was only joking about the bragging rights btw. I’m not taking this particularly seriously 😀 I just like to set myself little targets.

And while we are talking bragging rights, in the early 1880s folk were doing 170 -185 miles in a day on penny farthings on roads we’d consider as mtb territory. All on skinny, really skinny, solid tyres.

But a 100 mile ride is a good thing to do, it’s largely psychological, and it’s a good barrier to break.

But you will quickly find all the little misadjustments on your bike, and probably make the discovery that you can talk to your arse – “Shuddup! there’s only 5 miles to go, and I don’t care if you’re on fire”.

You’ll also discover that no matter how long the ride the last mile is the hardest. 🙂

Edit: don’t worry, I don’t think anyone took you seriously about bragging. Enjoy the ride.

I rode the length of Salisbury Plain and back literally non-stop and solo in August. It was a shakedown for something else and I religiously ate something and drunk something every thirty minutes. It took four hours and to be honest, I could have easily gone for another four hours. That was 61miles of gravel.
I want to do a century at some point- I got close on the Maxx Exposure as I got lost and ended up riding 95miles of SDW (overnight) 😀

It’s all in your head- give yourself plenty to focus on, eating, drinking, chasing/pacing your average speed etc and it will fly by.

Unfortunately, other than the occasional kudos on Strava, nobody will care 😉 😀

I would be more impressed with 100 miles, 100 beers, 100 pee stops…

I’ve only ever ridden 100+miles twice and I have never been what I’d consider fit enough to do so

First was the south downs way, so non-technical offroad. Was bloody hard work. I can barely remember the last 25 miles or so.

Second was a 200Km road race sportive Audax. All very civilised and involved a ferry trip half way through but I near-enough bonked towards the end and started having little tantrumy rants every time the road turned upwards, even by 1 degree 😳

Haven’t the time or inclination to do another

Do a 100 miles on a turbo, now that would be impressive. 8)

You could get your mates round to watch therefore not needing to brag as they’d have seen you do it.

Don’t be silly Eyerideit.

Strava doesn’t work on turbos.

timidwheeler – Member
Don’t be silly Eyerideit.

Strava doesn’t work on turbos.

Yes it does

Old touring adage was 50 miles in 4 hours 100 in 8 hours.If you factor in stopping for lunch that should be quite easy ,moving speed about 14mph ?

Just doing the mileage will feel like a good achievement, and doing in a day with a few stops all counts. Off-road (or a mix thereof) is much more of an achievement too. I did the Marmott route this summer and that was 100 road miles (no l’Alpe d’Huez at the end, TT’d up it the day before!), it was bloody tough but doable and i’m not exactly super fit. Make sure you drink and eat regularly though, before you feel hungry or weak. It’s too late when you feel like that and will make things so much harder…also get your tyres hard to make less rolling resistance, sod grip!