The story behind your first century ride (either Metric or Imperial)

[Aravis]

I've never really bothered with counting kilometres.

As a teenager in the 1970s I did a lot of rides in the 50-60 range on a heavy three-speed town bike, and I think I used to record them. I remember stretching to 82 miles in 1979, and following year, on a Viscount Aerospace, to 95 miles. But I resisted going over the 100 because I thought I'd have to disown my past, and that is pretty much what happened. My first century was on July 23rd, 1982, and I have few recollections of what I did before that.

In 1982 I was living in Cheddar, Somerset, and I finally decided the 100 had to be done. I rode from there to Harpenden, where my mother's brother still lives. I expect I had a following wind. At the time I estimated the distance at 148 miles, and modern methods give results pretty close, so that number is good. Towards the end I bypassed places like Rickmansworth and Watford on a splendid dual carriageway which is less useful to cyclists these days.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

But we didn't have the electronic measuring devices we have now, we just went out and enjoyed riding our bikes, I only ever got to find out how far we had ridden if one of the lads told me, usually the following week after they had spent time with a map and worked it out.

Brings back memories of the old ticker type mileometers on the forks, or of measuring off a map with a length of cotton. At one time I bought a device that looked like a pen with a wheel, you wheeled it over your route on the map and it showed the distance against a moving band along it's length. But the wheel was nurled so was destroying my maps. My maps of course were Barts (Bartholomews) Half Inch.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Brings back memories of the old ticker type mileometers on the forks, or of measuring off a map with a length of cotton. At one time I bought a device that looked like a pen with a wheel, you wheeled it over your route on the map and it showed the distance against a moving band along it's length. But the wheel was nurled so was destroying my maps. My maps of course were Barts (Bartholomews) Half Inch.

I've had the clicker on the forks and I've done the measure with the length of cotton as well. The thing about those rides were that most of the time I didn't know where I was, we were riding a track one Sunday and I asked the fella next to me what was the town I could see in the distance and he replied "Derby" I asked where is Coventry and he replied "the other side of Derby"

 

[rugby bloke]

Some great stories here, especially tales of kids heading off into the wilds on their own.

My first metric century was the Birmingham - Oxford ride, back in the early 90s. Signed up for with it with my wife and a mate for a bit of a laugh, being a regular rugby player at the time I figured that that was all the training that I would need. On the day it chucked it down all the way but being young and bloody mined we pushed on to the end. We got a train back to Birmingham, then my wife's overloaded Renault 5 - 3 people, 3 bikes, blew its head gasket and we came back to MK in the cab of a AA lorry ... the perfect end to the perfect day !

My first imperial century was much more straight forward - 2015 RideLondon - pretty much got on my bike, rode 100 miles and then got off ... not much of a story. The only thing that surprised me was that I thought it would be a one off, once I had ticked it off I would not need to repeat it. I did not appreciate that once you have the cycling bug it stays with you.

 

[Tin Pot]

Hmm, I think I've only done one 100 mile plus ride and that was last year.

Stripped off the wetsuit, put on my shoes and helmet and stumbled through the mud to get the bike - the shoes were a bad idea. By the time I'd got to tarmac my cleats were clogged up with mud so it took a while to clip in (while riding over speed bumps ) and as it dried it sealed them in...

Weather was mostly grey but a bit too warm for me, the route around Bolton a mix of urban and rural with some good views from the top of Sheep House Lane across the dales. One particular ascent starts on a crowded street so cycling through screaming hordes a few inches away was incredible!

After two loops it was a huge relief to pass the turn off and head for the transition line.

Lots of cameradery with other riders on the highs and lows, it was a great ride but I'd blown my ITBs out through poor riding position and my dismount saw my knees give way...but boy it was a great feeling to have 112 bike miles in the bag.

 

[nickyboy]

I haven't been cycling for that long so my first imperial century was in 2013

https://www.strava.com/activities/57732003

I got to Alsager no problem, then punctured. I had only brought one spare tube with me and my mini pump was only capable of about 70psi and I still had the best part of 50 miles home to Glossop. Oh, and it was a Sunday too so no local bike shops open. So I called home and was told Halfords in Crewe was open on a Sunday so I went there, they pumped up the tyre properly and I bought another spare tube. The only other thing I can remember about the ride was asking a chap who was mowing his lawn if I could have some water. He was incredulous that anyone could be so foolhardy as to cycle so far.

 

[hopless500]

Mr Hop and some friends were planning to cycle from Vietnam through to Thailand. I wanted to go, and having not cycled for years, I got on my bike and started pedalling. I gave myself the target of being able to do the Wymondham 100 to keep me at it. Cycling from and back to the car put me at 103 miles.....
I then got to cycle over 1000 miles across SE Asia

 

[Accy cyclist]

My first 100 mile ride was in 1977(aged 16),when a few of us rode up to Silloth in Cumbria. It took 2 days,so i don't think it was an official 100 miler,as we camped out for the night half way there. My first non stop 100 miles(two 30 minute food stops)was on the 8th of May last year when i went with the local CTC to Silverdale then onto Settle then back home. It took me 8hr 51mins 42secs to complete 104.12 miles averaging 11.8mph. I was quite chuffed with myself as that week i did 293 miles in total,with a 78 mile run 4 days before the 100 mile run.

 

[NorthernDave]

As a kid (early teens) we used to go all over on our "racers" - we'd be out all day on our Falcons and Claud Butlers (12-speed, you know ), although in the pre-technology days (early/mid 80s) we never kept a record of our mileage.
Now I'm riding the same roads with GPS, I reckon some of those rides could well have been metric centuries, but I guess the reality is that we'll never know.

So, officially my first metric century was just over a year ago, on Saturday 12th March 2016 and was a square-ish loop that took me as far east as Ricall, then north to York, west to Wetherby and back home, with a couple of local loops to round it up to 62.25 miles, 100.18km, in a touch under 4h 30m - still one of my quickest metric centuries.
I can remember calling in from the garden for Mrs ND to Google how many miles was 100km in case I needed to go round the block again!

I've got a few more in since then, but like one or two others, it's often time that limits my rides - it's not always fair to tie up a huge chunk of the weekend chasing miles.

My first imperial century was a bit more recent - last weekend, Saturday 1st April - 100.08 miles in 7h 36m at an average of 13.2mph on the Wiggle Vale Vélo, a ride I mostly enjoyed but blooming hard work at times, but it's a milestone achieved. And one I probably won't repeat for a while...

 

[briantrumpet]

Got the bug in 2010, started riding longer and longer over the summer, and signed up for the 108-mile, 10,000ft Tour Ride from Minehead to Teignmouth. That much was a good idea.

The less good idea was then (after a shower) changing into a dress suit to play in AJs Big Band in a marquee in Teignmouth, to welcome the Tour Ride participants to Teignmouth. Two hours of standing on slightly wobbly legs...

 

[derrick]

When i was really young i think i must have been about 14 years old, me and a couple of mates rode to Southend and back, i don't know how many miles it was as we had no way of measuring it. i know it took all day.Done loads of 100 milers since i think London to Cambridge and back was my first 100 miler on a proper road bike at the age of 59, But the only ride i really remember was my first 200 miler with the club must have been 62 for that one. 100 mile rides are to easy.

 

[User32269]

Summer 1983. The first 100 miler was accidental, chaotic, and painful. My mate Ian was seriously into running, then caught the cycling bug with vengeance. We set off from Liverpool, I was on an old 5 speed heap of a racer. Our mate Paul rode something similar. Ian by now had a hand built Pete Matthews; it was stunning! The intention was a jaunt to Chester and back in time to get the bikes on the ferry home.
Once over the river Ian started hammering on the big ring. Being young and male, Paul and myself gritted our teeth and hung onto our super fit mates back wheel. It hurt like hell! Got to Chester, I was dying, Paul was not really a cyclist and was in bits! We scoffed our butties and sweets then decided to have a couple of pints. Ian telling us all the time that lager was good carbohydrate. He then suggested, after seeing a road sign, that it would be a good plan to head to Wrexham. Off we went.
Ian was still giving it big licks all the way, Paul and myself were muttering about death being a decent option to escape the agony. In Wrexham Ian, the crap nutritionist, persuaded us that more lager based carbohydrates would help our return journey. This stretched into a couple of hours sitting in the baking sun necking beer.
The run back to Chester was a nightmare, Ian on his made to measure lightweight bike, set a brutal pace. We somehow made it. We stopped, pooled what money we had left together, and took on board some more carbohydrates.
I recall the tortuous ride back into the Wirral being all slightly uphill! The signs for Birkenhead agonisingly ticking off the miles. Arriving in Birkenhead, nearly at the ferry, someone, I don't remember who, pointed out we had no money to get over the river. Ian was seriously overjoyed at this and immediately began plotting a route to Runcorn Bridge. We also had no food or liquids.
All I remember about getting back was looking at my stem. Possibly crying. Walked like John Wayne for days after. Paul, to the best of my knowledge, never rode a bike again!

 

[HLaB]

My first GPS imperial ton (Garmin Edge recorded) was back in April 2009 (that coincides with my first drop bar road bike) but I know I done some earlier than that on the old Sirrus. I think I got the bike at the end of 2005 so my first ton would have been the summer of 2006 or 2007 not that I can recall it exactly.

 

[Ian H]

When I was 15 or 16, sometime in the 60s, my mate Matt suggested we visit his uncle in Aldermaston. We both only had heavy small-wheel Raleighs, but off we set from West London, to arrive at Aldermaston some 65km later. Matt's uncle wasn't in, so we turned around and pedalled back home.

Straight along the A4, since you ask.

 

[ColinJ]

When I was 15 or 16, sometime in the 60s, my mate Matt suggested we visit his uncle in Aldermaston. We both only had heavy small-wheel Raleighs, but off we set from West London, to arrive at Aldermaston some 65km later. Matt's uncle wasn't in, so we turned around and pedalled back home.

I was talking to a fellow oldie earlier today about when we were kids and how we would go round to see friends. No mobiles or Internet and sometimes not even landlines. I would often get round to a mate's house only to find that he had walked round to mine by a different route. Sometimes it would take hours to find each other and then we would have the same problem trying to track down our other mates. It's a wonder that we ever actually got together!