LET'S GET READY TO HUNDOOOO!

How to TRAIN, FUEL, and PREPARE to ride your strongest century ever.

- Caitlin Giddings

There's a kind of magic that comes from watching a bike computer tick over to triple digits.

It's mileage with gravity, an accomplishment of significance. A challenge that doesn't necessarily turn you inside out. And yet, if you need a full day on the bike to work through some dark stuff and emerge, drained and hopeful, on the other side, a century can do that too. Somewhere in that number, there are hours of joy, effort, and exhaustion, along with a sense of bucket-list satisfaction that your legs can carry you from city to city on their own power.

Whether you set out on your own 100-mile adventure or sign up for an event, riding your first (or 100th!) century is a goal worth targeting and celebrating. But first, you'll want to consider your training and fueling strategy. We've got expert advice that can help, as well as stories from cyclists whose lives have been changed by the quest to hit 100 miles in a single ride. Get ready to have a hell of a party at the finish line.

NAIL YOUR NUTRITION

Most cyclists underestimate their energy needs to complete an endurance event, says Namrita Brooke, Ph.D., a nutritionist, coach, and veteran century rider. Fuel early and often. Start with your first snack about 30 minutes into the ride, and focus on easily digestible carbs, such as energy bars.

Eat about 60 grams of carbs per hour, Brooke says. "That's about 240 calories per hour while you're actually riding." For an organized century event, she recommends carrying enough fuel to cover at least half of that-so, one gel or one bar for each hour you'll be riding. That frees you up for additional aid-station or gas-station snacking on bananas, trail mix, pretzels, or other salty-sweet delights. "If you find boiled, salted potatoes at a rest stop, you've found the gold at the end of the rainbow," Brooke says.