Where I’m starting from
Of course, it’s one thing to dream about 100 miles, another to pedal them. For a long time, I used my bike mainly for commuting. I was a regular cyclist, but I was rarely riding more than 10 km at a time. About ten years ago I got into triathlon and started doing some long rides in the lead-up to my half-ironman, which included a 90 km bike leg. That race is still the longest ride I’ve ever done.
Recently, my passion for cycling has been reignited thanks to my girlfriend discovering cycling for herself. We share the fun and come up with adventures and challenges for ourselves, like this century ride. These days most of our rides range from quick 20 km lunch outings to 60 km weekend rides. We’ve done a few longer ones too, and one that matched the 90 km of my triathlon.
All of this is to say I’m not starting from scratch by any means. But there’s still a big difference between the occasional 70–90 km ride, which takes about four to five hours, and a 100-mile effort that’s going to keep us in the saddle for most of the day.
Preparing for My First 100-Mile Ride: Why Even Do It
What it really takes to ride 100 miles
To finish a century feeling strong, it’s not just about having good cardiovascular fitness. It’s about training your body to be durable over many hours. That means:
Endurance: being able to ride consistently for 6–8 hours without fading.
Body conditioning: handling the strain on shoulders, neck, back, core, and hands from sitting in one position.
Fuel and hydration: learning to keep the engine topped up for the long haul (I’ll cover this in detail in the next article).
Comfort: making sure your contact points: saddle, bars, pedals are set up so small issues don’t become deal-breakers.
If you train only your legs and lungs but neglect the rest, you risk finishing the ride not just tired, but wrecked.
Hitting the right milestones
While every rider is different, a few milestones are worth aiming for in the lead-up to your first 100 miles:
Consistency: Build up to riding regularly through the week, even if the rides are short. Frequency matters more than one-off monster efforts, especially when it comes to avoiding those little aches and pains.
The long ride: Gradually stretch your weekend ride so you’re comfortable with staying in the saddle for long periods. If you can get to 70-80 miles, you’re safe.
Strength: Include some intensity, climbing or tempo efforts to build resilience, not just endurance. It’s impossible to avoid climbs in my area when covering 160 km, so I have to be ready for climbing.
You don’t need a rigid training plan, but you do need structure. Think of it as building layers: short rides for habit, long rides for endurance, and rest for growth.
Common mistakes to avoid
Lots of riders hit snags on their way to a century and I’m no exception. Here are some of the most common ones and yes, I made all of them at some point.
Ramping up distance too quickly – I didn’t get injured, but I did push myself into illness that wiped out several weeks of riding.
Turning every ride into a test – It was easy to see progress when I started riding more. I was tempted to chase new personal bests every time I got on the bike. The result? Way more fatigue than progress.
Skipping recovery days – Once the cycling bug bites, it’s hard not to ride every day. But I’ve discovered that the joy of fresh legs after a rest day is well worth it.
Leaving fueling to chance – Some of my early longer rides were basically hunger fests. I’ll get into the details in the next article, but suffice to say, practicing what you’ll eat and drink before the big day is essential.
Ignoring comfort issues – Hoping problems would magically sort themselves out just left me sore. A proper bike fit turned out to be a game-changer, and I’ll share more on that later in the series.
My progress so far
As I write this, I’m about a month away from the weekend I plan to tackle the 100-mile ride, and overall, I’m happy with how things are going. The consistency I’ve built since the start of the year has really paid off. These days I’m riding 4 times a week, with one or two rides stretching beyond 3 hours. I’ve added more climbing into the mix too, and I’m now comfortable tackling long ascents even towards the tail end of a long ride. My pacing has improved as well. I’m learning how to hold back early so I can stay steady later on.
That said, a few question marks remain. I still haven’t gone beyond 90 km, so I don’t know how my body will respond after 5 or more hours in the saddle. And those little aches and pains are still part of the picture, mainly a stiff neck and, on some rides, discomfort in my hands and feet that tends to creep in around the 4-hour mark.
Taken together, the century feels within reach. What gives me the most confidence is simply the time I’ve been spending on the bike week after week. At the same time, I like that it’s not a guaranteed success. The uncertainty is part of the challenge, and part of what makes it feel like an adventure.
Next time, I’ll dive into nutrition and hydration, arguably just as important as fitness when it comes to turning long-distance cycling into something you can not only finish, but enjoy.