Century Bike Ride for the Beginner – UPDATED 2020 – Free Century Training Plan
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Just like a marathon, a century bike ride is a popular goal between beginner cyclists. Long and hard enough to make it a challenge, but short enough to allow everyone to complete. A century ride is a total of 100 miles, hence the name “Century”, while a 100-kilometer ride is named a “metric century”
The feeling of completing your first 100-mile bike ride is compelling and often or not you see more and more of these people trying to better there times the following year.
The average cyclist typically finishes a century ride in 7-8 hours. Though this highly depends on your skill level and how much time you spend stopping over the course of the day.
How Hard Is It To Ride A Century?
Riding along watching your miles tock over on your cycling computer is a satisfying experience. But like most things, it isn’t always easy. Riding 100-miles will not only put your fitness to the test but also your skills, bunch riding, and general cycling know-how.
How much training is needed to ride a century? This depends on your fitness and how fast your body adapts. Your age can also play a role in this, and typically the older you are the longer it will take.
Planning a gradual approach is the best way towards riding your first 100-mile bike ride. Work up your longest ride to roughly 80-miles. Once you have reached this point you can then add longer rides the day after.
Focus on increasing your mileage slowly, riding too much too soon will put you at risk for an overuse injury. Potentially sidelining you for a while.
If you can stay consistent in your training and stay constantly fueled during the 100-miles, riding a century is not as difficult as one thinks.
If you are feeling nervous about the distance, try entering a half century ride midway through your training. This will not only give you a benchmark of where you are at but also give you time to practice your nutrition and group riding.
Century Bike Ride 2021
There are many events around the world that cover the 100-mile distance. Choosing an event close to you for the first time is the best choice. This will allow you to ride parts of the course in training and allow you to ride any harder parts of the course. If there aren’t any close events, look for an event that is relatively flat. Your first 100-mile bike ride should be enjoyable and keep you from overreaching too much. Choosing a flatter course will give you that added comfortable that you will get to the finish.
Once you have done your first event, you can start looking at more challenging 100-mile events. Push yourself a little more or pick a flatter course and try to beat your previous time.
Century Ride Training Plan
A century ride (100 miles) is no walk in the park for the beginner. Riding your first century is the equivalent of running a marathon in cycling terms. You wouldn’t plan to run a marathon without any training and trying to ride a 100 miles is no different. Significant training is needed and ideally, you should follow a century ride training plan to guarantee an enjoyable experience.
Generally, most beginners training for a century bike ride should spend at least four or more months training for the 100-mile event. The more time you allow yourself to train, the better you will feel and perform on the day. While for most people this is doable, others might struggle to find the time to train for four or so months.
Our Century ride training plan provided by our cycling coach is aimed at these people. Beginners with limited time and can only commit to a 12-week Century training plan. A simple to follow and moderate mileage will allow you to fit it around your busy schedule.
Our Century bike ride training plan is available online and accessible from any mobile or computer device. With an easy to understand calendar, our workouts are well detailed and easy to understand. You will also be able to note milestones you have reached, follow your fitness improvements and track your rides by heart rate, speed, and even power.
Free Century Training plan – 22 Week Training Plan
Below is a free century training plan for anyone looking to ride their first 100-miles. Designed for the complete beginner from scratch, slowly build up your mileage to finish your first event.
Week 1
Workout 1 | 5 mile Ride |
Workout 2 | 15 mile Ride |
Workout 3 | 10 mile Ride |
Week 2
Workout 1 | 5 mile Ride |
Workout 2 | 20 mile Ride |
Workout 3 | 10 mile Ride |
Week 3
Workout 1 | 10 mile Ride |
Workout 2 | 25 mile Ride |
Workout 3 | 10 mile Ride |
Week 4
Workout 1 | 10 mile Ride |
Workout 2 | 30 mile Ride |
Workout 3 | 15 mile Ride |
Week 5
Workout 1 | 10 mile Ride |
Workout 2 | 35 mile Ride |
Workout 3 | 15 mile Ride |
Week 6
Workout 1 | 10 mile Ride |
Workout 2 | 35 mile Ride |
Workout 3 | 20 mile Ride |
Week 7
Workout 1 | 10 mile Ride |
Workout 2 | 40 mile Ride |
Workout 3 | 20 mile Ride |
Week 8
Workout 1 | 10 mile Ride |
Workout 2 | 45 mile Ride |
Workout 3 | 20 mile Ride |
Week 9
Workout 1 | 10 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 45 mile ride |
Workout 3 | 25 mile ride |
Week 10
Workout 1 | 10 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 50 mile ride |
Workout 3 | 25 mile ride |
Week 11
Workout 1 | 15 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 60 mile ride |
Workout 3 | 30 mile ride |
Week 12
Workout 1 | 20 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 70 mile ride |
Workout 3 | 30 mile ride |
Week 13
Workout 1 | 20 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 80 mile ride |
Workout 3 | 35 mile ride |
Week 14
Workout 1 | 15 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 90 mile ride |
Workout 3 | 20 mile ride |
Week 15
Workout 1 | 30 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 60 mile ride |
Workout 3 | 40 mile ride |
Week 16
Workout 1 | 30 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 90 mile ride |
Workout 3 | 45 mile ride |
Week 17
Workout 1 | 35 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 100 mile ride |
Workout 3 | 50 mile ride |
Week 18
Workout 1 | 40 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 110 mile ride |
Workout 3 | 55 mile ride |
Week 19
Workout 1 | 45 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 120 mile ride |
Workout 3 | 60 mile ride |
Week 20
Workout 1 | 45 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 130 mile ride |
Workout 3 | 60 mile ride |
Week 21
Workout 1 | 45 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 145 mile ride |
Workout 3 | 70 mile ride |
Week 22
Workout 1 | 30 mile ride |
Workout 2 | 45 mile ride |
Workout 3 | CENTURY! |