Our Century

In cycling the term "century" means a ride of 100 miles (I know that probably just blew your mind). On RAGBRAI last year, we discovered that the organizers always plan one day with an extra optional loop which the serious-to-hardcore cyclists can take to get their mileage up to 100 for the day, and complete a century during the week long ride.

We found ourselves challenged enough with the normal distance each day of RAGBRAI, generally averaging somewhere between 60 and 70 miles, so we definitely passed up on the century. In fact, I believe by the time we got to the optional loop, the organizers were actually telling riders it was too late in the day to take the loop and safely make it to the overnight town before dark. After that experience I had a hard time fathoming the idea that we would ever complete a century with our current cycling skills and equipment (we have hybrid bikes and no special toe clips or clip-on pedals to improve our efficiency).

What a difference a year makes! We planned our first round trip ride between Ames and Des Moines for today, which we estimated to be 92 miles. At the crack of 7am we were leaving our driveway, taking the bike lane on South Dakota out of Ames to Slater where we jumped on the High Trestle Trail to Ankeny. Once we reached the trailhead, we headed west on 1st Street towards Saylorville Lake until we got to the Neal Smith Trail, and completed the final leg into downtown Des Moines.

We reached our lunch destination of Fong's Pizza around 1:30pm, and found we had gone 48.1 miles! Some of that distance was extra riding we did while trying (and occasionally failing) to follow a detour near the end of the Neal Smith Trail, due to the high water of the Des Moines River. But still, with the slightly-higher than expected mileage, I realized that by the time we rode back home, we would be within a few miles of a century.

This was too good an opportunity to pass up! But first, I had to convince Amy. I casually suggested it while we were leaving Fong's to plant the idea in her head.

Here is a picture of her pondering this thought while we were on the north side of the Saylorville Lake dam.

By the time we were on our way back through Slater I had pretty much gone to self-pity, explaining that this would probably be the only time in my life I would ever be this close to a century; how could we not ride the extra five or so miles!?

I am not above self-pity.

I also promised I would never ask her to do a century again. Ever.

Amy came around, and once we got to Ames we took a few (quite a few) extra laps through the streets in our neighborhood in order to get up the requisite three digit odometer reading.

The final tally: 100.2 miles!