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

[yerteasoot]

Cycled 118 miles from Amsterdam to Turnhout in Belgium, took me 9 and half hours which I was delighted with. My bike was a triban 3 looking back I wished I had a better bike

 

[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.

And today, approximately 50 years later, I rode my Combwich Century route to check it ahead of the AUK event on the 16th April.

 

[Dogtrousers]

This may be my most pointlessly pedantic post ever.

I had an analogue clicker counter on the front forks / wheel.

I think a clicker counter, although mechanical, is actually digital, not analogue.

 

[Ron-da-Valli]

This was my first 100 mile ride. It is still run every June and is now called the Bob Clift Memorial Ride. I will be doing it again this year for the umpteenth time.

 

[Racing roadkill]

This may be my most pointlessly pedantic post ever.



I think a clicker counter, although mechanical, is actually digital, not analogue.

Not in 1980 something it wasn't.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Not in 1980 something it wasn't.

Even mine in the 70s were digital. They count clicks, so they're digital
End of pointless pedantry.

 

[Aravis]

Even mine in the 70s were digital. They count clicks, so they're digital
End of pointless pedantry.

I'm not sure they were either analogue or digital, any more than a cabbage is.

Isn't the distinction mechanical/electronic, as you kind of implied earlier on?

 

[Dogtrousers]

I'm not sure they were either analogue or digital, any more than a cabbage is.

Isn't the distinction mechanical/electronic, as you kind of implied earlier on?

No, the word "digital" has nothing to do with whether something is electronic or not (although in common usage these days "digital" = "computery")
An analogue measure is continuously variable, a digital measure (the clue is in the name, digits) deals with countable things. A speedometer (a continuously moving needle) is an analogue device. A "mechancal digital counter" (google it) is digital. A player-piano is digital. A gramaphone record is analogue.

The clicky mileometer combined with the wheel forms an analogue to digital converter. It digitises the analogue signal (rotating wheel, continuously varying distance) into a digital signal (the numbers on the display).


Edit. I think cabbages are probably analogue. Peas, on the other hand ...

 

[Domus]

After cycling for just over a year, I foolishly booked onto a cycling holiday in Tuscany. My background is Long Distance Walking and have had a couple of fantastic walking holidays in Tuscany so I was hooked.
Included in the holiday is entry to The Granfondo Firenze on April 23 just two days into the holiday on a strange bike (De Rosa with Campag)
I am really looking forward to the whole experience and so have been upping my riding.
Living within striking distance of Rossendale and Calderdale there are lots of climbs to train on. My speed has remained fairly constant but the climbing, while not easy has become less painful.

I went out a couple of weeks ago to do a 50 miler and did so with a little energy to spare so a week later I added a loop through Hebden Bridge and the famous Cragg Vale and got home after a cracking day out with 101 kms on the Garmin.

Still grinning even after a gruelling 28 miles around Belmont and Rivington in the bitterly cold wind on Thursday.

I am still a little apprehensive about the Granfondo but not as much as before.

 

[cyberknight]

1 st metric century would have been a club run a few years ago, aiming to do an imperial century as part of the cc giro sportive in may,
75 mile route , 5 miles each way to the start gives me 85 so i plan to have dinner their and i know the area and can easily tootle round to top it up. I would like the crack 6 hours for it .

 

[TheDoctor]

I started cycling to Cambridge, and got a bit carried away!
I did have something of a tailwind, and nothing else I needed to do that day, so I carried on to Ely, stopped for lunch, then continued past Kings Lynn and got to Hunstanton. It took some time to summon up enthusiasm for the ride back to the train station at Kings Lynn. 112 miles, that was.
The following day, I went out for a 21k ride to get me up to a double metric century for the weekend.
I was a bit fitter then...

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I did my first imperial century June 2013. Was my first year of "proper" cycling, i.e. going out riding for the sake of just riding rather than pootling to work.

I packed a rucksack full of food and snacks and I don't think I stopped to eat anything, first and only 100 were I wore a rucksack.

Didn't get further from home than 13 or 14 miles on the whole ride and didn't ride another 100 until Jan 14 when I joined the imperial a month challenge and I've done at least one a month since then. Notched up my 60th imperial last week.

and here is the Strava link https://www.strava.com/activities/61398322

 

[riceylad]

Sheffield to Whitby was my first 100, actually 132miles, then back the next day quite hard