The Metric Century (100KM) A Month Challenge ChatZone

[Lilliburlero]

Weather looks good tomorrow, so I`m going to have crack at doing a 100 km ride in the morning for the 100 km challenge and a 50 km evening ride for the 50 km challenge. The morning 100 km ride will be a nice and easy solo spin, but the evening 50 km will be a group ride averaging 19/20+ mph

Lets see how my little legs cope

Well, I did it . I probably went a bit too fast on the 100 km ride, but I`ll put that down to the great conditions and the flat route. The evening ride with the lads was ok until fatigue set in around 10 or so miles from the end and I was blowing out me arse .

1x100 km & 1x50 km challenge ride bagged in one day

 

[Lilliburlero]

Imperial challenge next year. Only 10k more

Not sure that I could do the winter months, but never say never

I`v got a couple of imperial tons in this year with a 200 km audax coming up next month and I know I have strength to do them, but not sure if I have the will .

 

[cosmicbike]

Imperial challenge next year. Only 10k more

I was thinking imperial century challenge next year, but haven't done a ride that long yet. Max for me so far is 72 miles, so I guess with a lunch break I could get to 100...

 

[tallliman]

This months ride completed. Not the easiest and (due to some chain slip) ended up walking my first bit of a hill for a while.

 

[graham bowers]

I was thinking imperial century challenge next year, but haven't done a ride that long yet. Max for me so far is 72 miles, so I guess with a lunch break I could get to 100...

I'm not that fast, so for me it would mean cycling in the dark in the deep winter months. It just feels less safe to me, but I know there are counter arguments............what does the panel think??
PS I've done 5 imperial centuries this year.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

I'm not that fast, so for me it would mean cycling in the dark in the deep winter months. It just feels less safe to me, but I know there are counter arguments............what does the panel think??
PS I've done 5 imperial centuries this year.

I'm not the quickest rider and my knockabout bike makes me slower so my winter rides are partially at night. There is a certain amount of pleasure to be had from riding in the dark and if you are lit up well the motorists mostly give more room than they would in the day.

I run two lights front and rear for redundancy and like Busch & Muller Ixon IQ Premium up front so as to see where I'm going without dazzling oncoming road users. These are quite a bit cheaper if bought from Rose Bikes in Germany.

For the rear Phaart Bleep lights from Planet X are very bright and very cheap. With freshly charged AAAs I can easily leave them on constant for a whole 10 hour ride.

I like a bit of retroreflective stuff on me or on the bike as well and there is lots of choice there.

 

[cosmicbike]

I'm not that fast, so for me it would mean cycling in the dark in the deep winter months. It just feels less safe to me, but I know there are counter arguments............what does the panel think??
PS I've done 5 imperial centuries this year.

I've not done any, but I reckon I'd be looking at about 8 hours+ at least to start with. I quite enjoy riding in the dark on the quieter roads. The biggest issue for me is time away from the home. SWMBO works also, and someone needs to get home to the dogs which gives me 6 hours max, so I'd have to flex the ICAM rules a bit and have lunch at home...

 

[Sea of vapours]

I've thought about it too, but I'm not keen on the dark and not at all keen on avoiding it by starting at daybreak, though I probably could. The real issue is the risk of ice on just about any worthwhile route around here during winter though. So, I'm sticking witih proper, metric centuries ;-)

 

[Donger]

I'm impressed that some of you are even talking about regular imperial centuries. I still get pretty much wiped out by metric ones, and it's time in the saddle that does me in, normally taking about 6 hours, including at least one café break. I've only ever done one imperial century, just to get a monkey off my back, and for days afterwards I felt like I'd been dropped onto an anvil, legs akimbo.

Just so that I'm not that bloke who only ever does the minimum12 qualifying rides every single year, I've thrown in a couple of spare ones this year .... and I've tried to make sure that most of my centuries include some proper hills as well. 3 trips to the Cotswolds, 3 to the Malverns and 2 in the Welsh mountains (The Tumble and the Gospel Pass) so far this year.

Contrary to all the well-intentioned received wisdom on several different threads in this forum, for all the effort, I haven't lost an ounce in weight though! (Still over 20 stone). I can't imagine there are many people my size and weight doing this sort of challenge, so I reckon I'll just carry on doing my thing and claiming everything as veterans' super-heavyweight records.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Re winter, I have a bike kitted out with Schwalbe ice spikes but the idea of doing even a metric century on that is a bit far fetched for me.

My first winter imperial century was done on snow stud tyres. I wouldn't particularly recommend it.

 

[cosmicbike]

Fortunately we don't often get ice around here. I suppose if we got enough then I could have a go at doing the distance on the ICE Trice, I've done one of my metric 50s on it this Summer and provided I'm not in a rush it would be ok.

 

[tallliman]

Having done one imperial every month (bar this one due to injury) this year. The hardest ones were the first two due to the dark and cold. As long as you can be a bit flexible in the week you take for It, you can avoid the ice. I left late for mine, aimed to be home in the dark and it was quite fun!

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I'm not that fast, so for me it would mean cycling in the dark in the deep winter months. It just feels less safe to me, but I know there are counter arguments............what does the panel think??
PS I've done 5 imperial centuries this year.

I get out as early as I can and do the dark riding first when the traffic is normally quieter.

 

[ianrauk]

I was thinking imperial century challenge next year, but haven't done a ride that long yet. Max for me so far is 72 miles, so I guess with a lunch break I could get to 100...

A good lunch break, a later refreshment stop, cycling with chums then an imperial is easily achievable. Even in the winter months.

 

[ianrauk]

I'm not that fast, so for me it would mean cycling in the dark in the deep winter months. It just feels less safe to me, but I know there are counter arguments............what does the panel think??
PS I've done 5 imperial centuries this year.

Safer then mixing it with daytime traffic imo