Cycled 110 Miles - First Century

Rob85_

So yesterday I cycled from Hampton (SW london) to my parents near Bournemouth (Boscombe), 110 miles in total, my first century and a satisfying day.

I set off early at a relitevly slow pace, trying to keep my cadance high and my legs fresh for as long as possible. Stopped in Winchester for some snacks I carried with me and to stretch a bit. In the end the last 20 miles were hell, I was kept going purely by thinking of what food I would eat when I arrived.

Lessons learnt:

- I need to try some different foods, I had a few gels, mars bar, cereal bars.. need something else not so sugery.

- When planning a route on Garmin Connect double check the route for gravel and one way streets. I had to carry my bike through a bit of the New Forest around the small town of Canada.

- My Garmin Edge 800 seems to like to send me back the way I came if I take a wrong direction. I need to trust my instincts and stay on the main road rather than a random country lane heading north, when im generally heading in a South West direction.

- The wind helps massively, Wind from the north east kept me going a reasonable speed even if I was slacking. 17 mph average - taking just under 6 1/2 hours.

I definetely can improve on yesterday but happy to finally cycle over 100 miles after getting my first road bike in September and having a very lazy winter.

lc1981

Sounds great, and a good average speed too (especially if that includes carrying your bike around Canada ).

supermurph09

Well done Rob!

Davdandy

Well done that man,and only since September,kudos to you Rob.

As for carrying your bike through Canada,i think i would have taken the plane.

pinkteapot

Well done! Wonderful milestone.

Cleat Eastwood

brilliant - you must really love your parents - or owe them money. Garmins can send you the wrong way its to do with over plotting the route at a turn - but 110 in chilly conditions is V well done indeed.

elderone

Superb ride,and an achievement for sure,well done.Also brilliant average by the way.

canny_lad

Great effort, well done!

TommyB61

Well done,.Rob...tremendous achievement!

forgotrafe

Well done on the century - it's a great feeling.

As for the Edge, I've written a guide regarding using them for navigating and you might find it useful:

http://www.forgot.co.uk/edge-800/

My advice is to not use Garmin Connect for planning route, but I also give details on the best way of downloading the route, best maps and configuring the Garmin in the first place.