How to Train for a Century Ride
Training, Nutrition, and Route Planning from a Cycling Coach
A century ride can be a fun way to challenge yourself on a bike and is a great goal to set. Photo by Catherine Harnden
If you’re looking to test your personal grit, or make new friends at a social pace, the century ride is a great goal to set. No matter which 100 mile route you choose, the outcome will be a grand adventure.
Maybe you’re a distance runner looking for a low impact alternative to log mileage, or an avid Peloton rider looking to explore outside and level-up. The beauty of the century is that most cyclists can go out and ride one given enough time. But to keep it fun, there are some preparations one needs to make in advance. I'm a cycling coach and nationally competitive cyclist who trains cyclists to reach their goals. This guide’s training plan and tips will help you maximize the fun and minimise the risk throughout your journey.
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A century ride requires a different training regimen than other ways to cycle for fitness, but each ride can be rewarding. Photo by Catherine Harnden
Training
How to Assess your current fitness level
Take an honest look at your current fitness levels and training schedule. Blocking out time to ride longer distances at a consistent speed will be more beneficial than interval training of shorter rides for this venture.
For example, suppose you are currently riding your stationary bike for seven days a week doing 30-minute digital instructor-led HIIT rides (High Intensity Interval Training — the workout where the Peloton instructor has you sprint through the 90’s Pop song). In that case, you should aim to restructure your training plan for endurance. You’ve got 3.5 hours per week to dedicate to cycling. Here’s how to use that time to build up endurance.
You can build up to the century ride by increasing time in the saddle. Photo by Catherine Harnden
How to develop your pace
You’ll need to develop a sense of pace (what speed/effort level you can sustain) to base your training rides on. Steady-state training is the goal. Meaning, you’ll need to plan for long outdoor rides.
Unlike running, you can build up to the century ride by increasing time in the saddle, rather than having to steadily increase mileage following the ten percent rule. In running, the ten percent rule suggests that since running is an impact sport, you should avoid increasing your weekly mileage by more than ten percent to prevent an overuse injury. In contrast, for cycling, you can increase your mileage as much as you have time and daylight for.
To build endurance for longer rides, go out for two to three hours and keep it fun. Photo by Catherine Harnden
How to Develop a Century ride training plan
To build endurance, aim to ride for two to three hours for most training rides. If you only have the above-mentioned three and a half hours per week to dedicate to cycling, aim to structure that time into two efforts. For example, your training schedule may include say a Tuesday one-hour ride and a Friday two and a half-hour ride. The intensity of these longer outdoor rides will be lower to learn what a realistic average speed you can maintain for this long effort will be.
The easiest method of keeping track of how you’re doing is to monitor your average speed, time, and distance. To do so, you can use the Strava app, which can track these metrics for you and allows you to follow routes and connect with other cyclists in your area.
A bike phone mount is a low-cost accessory that enables you to see your activity in real-time to learn your pace and route more efficiently. Essentially, it’s the cyclist’s version of Apple CarPlay. Once you’ve established with confidence your comfortable average speed for a two- to three-hour ride, you can then add some distance goals to your training plan.
Knowing your comfortable average speed and endurance abilities means you can route a longer ride that meets your goals but remains fun. Photo by Catherine Harnden
Example endurance cycling goals include:
50 kilometers! // 31 miles
80 kilometers // 50 mile ride!
Metric Century! // 62 miles
130 kilometers // 80 miles
160 kilometers // Century Ride! (100 Miles)
It's key to establish an honest and comfortable average speed. Then, from this number, you can do the math to successfully route a longer ride that meets your goals and still remains fun.
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A simple sandwich can be a rewarding way to fuel for and during a century ride. Photo by Catherine Harnden
Nutrition
Looking at nutrition, it can be easy to get carried away with exciting sport performance products such as gels and blocks. These are sugar- and caffeine-based fueling methods designed to be consumed as a mid-race effort.
Think about it this way: During the average day of office work, if you were only to eat candy and gummy bears, there’s a high chance that you wouldn't feel well or perform your best. You can apply the same concept to a long ride.
Plan to consume a simple sandwich such as peanut butter and jelly, waffles, a granola bar, or my personal favorite Feed Zone Portables cookbook recipe: Cinnamon Apple Rice Cakes. You can see a sample recipe here: Blueberry & Chocolate Coconut Rice Cakes
Keep snacking on the simple sugars as well, but do plan to save the caffeinated performance products for the last 40 minutes of your ride.
Related: The Best Food Dehydrators
Whether you are crewed or self-supported, hydration is an important part of preparing your body for a century ride. Photo by Catherine Harnden
Hydration
Drink mix can also be a good idea. Visit: The Best Electrolyte Powder for a detailed look at what is available and how to choose. Again, do play with different kinds and dilution levels to find what works best for you. What works best for you will likely be slightly different than the rider next to you. On average, plan to drink one bottle per hour.
A bottle of fluid per hour, in terms of its make-up, is a case-by-case scenario. If someone hasn't habitualized hydration (such as if you're a newer cyclist, juniors U18s, or do your riding only on the weekend), I steer them towards finding an electrolyte powder they find tasty.
Then, I suggest filling the two bottles on their bike as:
(1) one full-strength electrolytes bottle and
(2) one plain water, no additions.
That way, if they miscalculated the intensity of their effort (got excited and messed up their pace) or any stress-induced fatigue factors in play they didn't account for, they will still have a good ride because they have the option to drink a full-strength drink mix bottle.
Having the clean split between bottles makes it easier to change/customize hydration as you learn to anticipate your body’s needs. If your front bottle cage has the tasty hydration mix and you’re someone who isn’t already in the habit of drinking enough, you’ll reach for it more often to build that habit.
Usually, your taste buds will also tell you when it’s time to drink straight water instead of a drink mix.
It’s good to have both options because a drink mix is the easiest way to take in nutrients/energy/carbs while on the bike. Having your second bottle as water allows it to be an easy method of washing the taste of sugar out of your mouth and modifying how much drink mix you’re intaking without compromising taste.
Related: The Best Water Bottles
Read More: The Best Water Filters and Purifiers
Having a bike gear checklist can make it easier to get out the door whether it is race day or training day. Photo by Catherine Harnden
What to Wear
Whether you’re embarking on a training ride or the full century bike ride, getting out the door from a busy life can be challenging. So to ensure you have everything you need, lay it out in advance — from socks to sunglasses.
Here’s a sample checklist that you can modify to fit your needs.
Century Ride Gear Checklist
Bike Shoes
Socks
Knee Warmers + Arm Warmers (if the anticipated temperature is below 65*F / 18*C)
Padded Bike Shorts
Short-Sleeve Bike Jersey
Bike Gloves
a stashable rain/wind shell
Helmet
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
It’s worth splurging on a good pair of cycling shorts. Photo by Catherine Harnden
Cycling Shorts
What to look for in cycling shorts
Do splurge on a pair of high-quality cycling shorts. Cycling shorts contain padding called chamois, and in addition to providing a cushion for your sit bones, they also are specifically engineered to reduce the risk of saddle sores by managing chafing and moisture. In addition, quality is linked to price, so the higher range options will have fewer seams, resulting in fewer potential friction points.
Bike shorts are designed to fit and pad your genitalia. As of now, they are available in two options. Choose the one that will provide the most comfort for your anatomy.
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SHOULD I GET BIB SHORTS?
There are also bike shorts called “Bib Shorts.” Bib shorts have shoulder straps similar to suspenders in both look and function. Typically, bib shorts fit better, the straps take any potential waistband pressure away, and the straps prevent your cycling jersey from riding up. However, the choice between bib shorts and non-bib shorts is a matter of personal preference.
CYCLING SHORT SIZING AND CUT
There are a variety of size and cut options available in today’s market, so if you find that your shorts are too tight around your thighs, restrict your breathing, or the bibs fall off your shoulders, know that this should be the most comfortable and well-fitting piece of clothing you own. Therefore, it is worth taking the time to visit a bike shop to find the perfect fit.
Even with the perfect fit, you will still experience some discomfort when first logging more time in the saddle, such is the nature of a long ride. To prevent sore sit bones, stand up for a few pedal strokes at a regular interval. As you drink from your bottle in intervals to finish one bottle per hour, follow up the hydration with several standing pedal strokes.
Areas where you should not experience any pain, no matter how much time you spend on the bike, include your knees, neck, back, hands, and feet. Additionally, no part of your body should feel numbness. If you are experiencing pain or numbness, seek out your local bike shop for a professional bike fit immediately. The seemingly minor adjustments they may make to remedy your position will make a critical difference in the long term.
Bike gloves can make a big difference on a long ride. Photo by Catherine Harnden
Bike Gloves
Bike gloves can make a difference in comfort on a long ride. In addition to helping manage hand sweat to maintain grip, the padding is designed to relieve pressure and road vibrations.
SHORT-FINGERED GLOVES VS LONG-FINGERED GLOVES
Long-fingered gloves tend to be geared towards mountain bike rides. Their primary function is to manage sweat and maximize grip. Short-fingered gloves are designed with road cycling in mind and typically have more pressure point padding.
However, the type of glove that works best for you is a matter of personal preference. If you prefer long-fingered gloves, see our story on The Best Mountain Biking Gloves for potential options.
Bike Jerseys
WHAT KIND OF BIKE JERSEY SHOULD I GET FOR A CENTURY RIDE?
Unlike gloves, there is a performance advantage to wearing the road-cycling-specific bike jersey. Mountain bike jerseys favor a looser fit and lack rear pockets. They are truly designed to be worn in the woods, which means reflective safety accents aren’t a priority. Most road jerseys have built-in reflective accents to help with visibility to oncoming traffic. Additionally, road bike jerseys feature three large pockets that allow you to stash essentials such as nutrition, cell phone, flat kit, and money in an easy-to-reach, aerodynamic position on your lower back.
Bike jerseys tend to come in ¾ front zip and full-length front zipper options to help with heat management. The difference in zipper length is typically price. When choosing a road jersey, most brands offer a “Club Cut” and a “Race Cut” in fit options. The difference is taper and fit. “Race Cut” indicates a more form-fitting jersey to prioritize aerodynamics. “Club Cut” means the jersey will be more flattering on a broader range of figures and slightly less aerodynamic. In training for a century ride, either fit will serve you well. While a “Club Cut” jersey is less aerodynamic than a “Race Cut” jersey, it still far outperforms a mountain bike jersey or sun shirt.
Helmets
Bike helmets are an essential piece of safety equipment. For guidance on helmet selection see our story on The Best Road and Commuter Bike Helmets.
Related: The Best Mountain Biking Helmets
Whether you are crewed or self-supported, its important to outfit your bike to be prepared for whatever the century ride may throw at you. Photo by Catherine Harnden
How to Outfit your Bike for a Century Ride
Your bike should be equipped with two water bottle cages, and you should anticipate the need to refill your bottles every two hours.
Front and rear blinking lights are also necessary.
A flat tire kit consists of 2 tire levers, a tube, a small hand pump or C02 inflator + spare cartridge, and a multi-tool (folding Allen wrench set). For your century ride training, bring a second spare tube as an add-on to a traditional kit.
If you find carrying these essentials in your jersey pocket to be uncomfortable or bulky, you’re not alone. Many cyclists opt for a small saddlebag. The saddlebag also has the added benefit of staying packed between rides, rather than risking forgetting your tire levers as you transfer them out of your pocket each day. It can also provide a secure place to stash your I.D. and money for rest station stops.
Related: The Best Handlebar Bike Bags
Related: Bike Touring Packing List
To make your first century ride memorable and enjoyable, choose a scenic route. Photo by Catherine Harnden
How to Choose a Route Plan for a Century Ride
Canadian Century vs. 100-mile century ride
You’ll also need to decide what kind of century you’d like to ride. I’m personally fond of the “Canadian Century,” or the metric century, which is measured in kilometers. Most cycling metrics are based on kilometers, so this can be a nice way to tackle the term “century” as a trial run for your true 100-mile ride. One hundred kilometers equates to approximately 62 miles. The true century ride most commonly referenced means 100 miles, usually on pavement, unless otherwise specified as gravel or dirt. Planning a trial run in the form of the 100-kilometer ride is a great stepping-off point in a training plan for the 100-mile ride.
How to find new cycling routes
To decide where to ride your 100-kilometer effort, or the full 100 miles, phone a friend, or several friends. The best way to learn new roads is to ride them with a friend who knows them. Visit the local bike shop and join in on community rides to learn great new routes and make new friends who likely will join you for your century ride. A cyclist friend can send you their ride route and you can follow it as a GPS route as you go.
Read More: Guide to Cycling the Great Allegheny Passage
It’s well worth driving to a scenic area for your first century ride. Use Strava or other apps to find a long ride with minimal hills. Photo by Catherine Harnden
Using Strava for a Century Ride
Online resources such as Strava can be a great tool to see what roads are popular as well. Filtering by segment on Strava ahead of time can be helpful as well to prevent any surprise terrain. As you filter, note where the segments titled along the lines of “Heart-Attack Hill” or “Grindy-Mcgoo” are, and plan an alternative route. Steep hill climbs and long gradual (grinding) climbs will be more taxing than flat and rolling terrain. During a big day, a big hill climb can make your century feel far longer.
If you’re limited in route choices, don’t be afraid to drive to an area with optimal roads. Frequently, those areas host a variety of charity fundraiser rides. A charity ride is the most supportive atmosphere in which to start riding longer distances.
When researching which event to join, try searching for a Gran Fondo. A Gran Fondo is Italian for “Big Ride” and is a term used to describe a type of long-distance road cycling ride. Visit BikeReg.com, an online race registration website containing event calendars and sign-ups for recreational events by region. By attending a hosted cycling event, your century ride route will be guaranteed to be safe, exciting, and supported.
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One of the joys of a long bicycle ride is to visit refuel stops along the way. Photo by Catherine Harnden
Planning out stops on a century ride
How to take breaks on a century ride
While it’s true that you don’t want to stop riding so frequently as to add hours to your ride time, some strategically planned refuel stops can make all the difference between an enjoyable steady ride and a long haul.
Plan training routes that have any combination of gas stations, personable farm animals, roadside pie stands, scenic shaded tree tunnels and rivers, fresh new pavement, a bike path segment, or coffee shops. You will be riding for more than two hours at a time to complete the distance, and you will need to stop to refuel approximately every two hours as you empty your water bottles. You should anticipate to be riding for 7 hours total (plus breaks), but don’t worry if it is taking you longer, as long as you feel healthy and safe.
My personal favorite stops on long training rides are gas stations. There’s nothing that tastes quite like a neon-colored cane sugar soda at mile 60. Except perhaps, a neon-colored-slushie frozen drink at mile 80. So, if your long rides are occurring during hot summer days, do allow yourself the time to enjoy an ice cream or slushie, but try to keep the pit stop under 15 minutes.
How long should breaks at a rest stop be during a century ride?
When at a rest stop, the longer the break, the harder it will feel once you begin riding again. So prior to stopping, as you arrive at the gas station or coffee shop of choice, try to remember to downshift to a lower gear. By shifting to the easier gear before stopping, you’re making it easier on yourself when you aim to resume pedaling.
Related: The Best Touring Bicycles
Whether you are self-supported or riding in a supported event, always have someone to call for safety. Photo by Catherine Harnden
Create a Cycling Rescue plan
How to prioritize safety, nutrition, and comfort on a century ride
Whether you’re mapping your own long distance ride, or taking long training rides in the lead up to a supported event, it is important to prioritize safety, nutrition, and comfort. These are the three categories from which the most commonly occurring ride-ending problems come.
Have someone to call
Have a call for a rescue plan, meaning if you truly need to abandon your ride due to weather or fatigue, have someone who knows your location and can come to pick you up. Before you start riding, let someone know your route and approximate time of departure and finish.
Carry repair equipment
A flat tire is a commonly occurring mechanical fault that can derail a ride. To ensure this isn’t the cause of an early end of your ride day, be sure to bring a flat tire kit that contains the proper tools to fix not one but two flats. Also, be sure to know how to use this kit at home before you need it out on the road. For more details, see this guide from REI on What to Bring in a Bike Repair Kit.
Use safety equipment
Another safety essential is a front and rear light. No matter what time of day you plan to ride, these lights are imperative to increase your visibility to passing cars. Plus, there are laws by state that mandate a front facing white light, and a rear facing red light.
Related: The Best Mountain Bike Lights
Bring identification
Do bring a form of identification. Personally, I prefer to wear a Road ID bracelet for peace of mind. However, a low-cost alternative I like to equip athletes at training camps is a laminated credit card-sized piece of paper containing their name, emergency contact, known allergies, and health insurance information.
Race day can be exciting! Remember how you trained and don’t change anything—from the clothes you wear to the way you eat and drink. Photo by Catherine Harnden
Nothing new on race day!
There is a tried and true saying in the racing world that goes, “Nothing new on race day.” Meaning, whatever you intend to eat and drink for the century ride should be the same as or similar to what you know your body responds positively to during training. This event day concept can also be applied to all control variables, from clothing choices to flat tire repair kits.
Making friends and the social aspect of a group ride can be one of the most rewarding parts of a century ride. Photo by Catherine Harnden
Enjoying the Journey: Tips for Pacing and Group Riding
Now that we’ve established that your bike fits, your bike is equipped with the necessary tools to keep you safe, you’re on a great route, and you have nutrition and hydration in mind, it’s time to talk add-on adventure! Keep it fun!
Tips for Pacing
If you’re choosing to ride a century outside of a road race setting, don’t feel pressured to speed up your pace to one that is faster than enjoyable. You’ll be covering a lot of terrain; don’t be afraid to enjoy the scenery. You won’t come out as the fastest person on Strava to tackle that stretch of pavement, but you will likely be having more fun than the KOM (speed record) holder.
Group rides are the most fun with lots of communication and a willingness to learn and share what we know. Photo by Catherine Harnden
Tips for Group Rides
For your first group ride, arrive ego-free and willing to communicate and ask questions. It’s helpful to brush up on basic hand signals (e.g., potholes, turns) before arriving; however if you’re not confident in taking your hands off the bars in a group, just communicate with your peers. They’ll likely help you gain the skill and give you plenty of space to practice, especially with your water bottles. The more that you ride in a group, the more comfortable it will feel. Overall, trust in the process and enjoy the ride!
If you’re riding in a group, allow the weakest member to set the pace up any climbs. On flat and gradual terrain, they’ll stay tucked in the draft. Meaning that to avoid wind, they’ll be riding directly behind you as close as their bike handling skills allow. On climbs, it’s best if they set the pace and match their speed to keep the ride fun for all.
If it’s a large group, as you crest a hill, maintain speed even though it requires less effort. The tail end of your group will still be on the challenging climb section, and if you increase your speed immediately after reaching the top, you will drop your friends behind you. They will fall behind and have to put in extra effort to catch back up, which may stress the fun factor of the ride.
Related: The C&O Towpath Bicycling Guide
The author Catherine Harnden on a Refuel stop. Photo courtesy Catherine Harnden
About the Author / Why You SHould Trust Us
Hi! My name is Cat (Catherine) Harnden, and I'm the Head Mountain Bike Coach and Assistant Alpine Coach at Stratton Mountain School, a winter sports academy established in 1972 that has graduated 118 National Team athletes, 46 Olympians, who've gone on to win 6 Olympic medals.
When I'm not coaching, I compete in the elite (pro) women's category for cross country mountain biking. I've competed at the world cup level in downhill. Prior to focusing on mountain biking, I also competed in and podiumed at the national level in road and track cycling.
