By sharing my journey, I hope to inspire others to embrace challenges, adapt to setbacks, and celebrate their achievements, no matter how small or large.
Setting out on a century ride requires preparation, determination, and flexibility. On July 3, 2024 I embarked on a 100-mile journey that tested not only my physical endurance but also my ability to adapt to challenges along the way.
What Went Well
- Water, route, aidstation stops, food, set up
What Didn’t
- Mechanical issues: Flat tire (better innertube for pump – long stemmed)
- Sun Protection: No sunscreen for legs
- Lack of Knowledge Pulled over for not going with the flow of traffic
- Technology: Forgot to start strava
What Would I Do Differently
- Gear: Phone mount, Mirror for bike handle, Sunscreen for long rides
- Better reset during breaks like stretching
- Better assessment calls – should have sat down for 30 seconds after the flat and analyzed what my best course of action was. A bike shop as .5 miles away I could have stopped there and got this squared up probably faster and had my tire pumped up more
Needed fixes
- Get bike serviced
- Handlebar mirror
- Phone holder
Breaking the day down
The day started off with a 4 am alarm: morning routine, getting the dog squared up and getting ready to leave: top off bottles and get some fruit down.
I was on my way by 6:15 only an hour in to realize that I didn’t start my strava up facepalm
First realizing this was a low blow because I wanted strava to say 100 miles, it took the wind out of my sails. I ate a bar and quickly shifted my mindset. I find whenever something comes up for an event like this, getting some food down seems to help change the mood most of the time. I realized it doesn’t even matter what strava says because I’m doing this for the personal challenge.
I started from my house and took the road to valley green. Then went through the Wissahickon on forbidden drive to the rocky steps, got lost and rode around the city for a little bit before hitting the ben franklin bridge. It was cool riding around on the Schuylkill River Trail seeing lots of people getting after it.
Around 9:45 somewhere in early Jersey I got pulled over by the police for speeding driving on the wrong side of the road.
Apparently bikers have to go with the flow of traffic, while runners and walkers can go against the flow of traffic, which still doesn’t make much sense to me.
The cop was cool – probably because I was cooperating with them – we shot the shit and within 10 minutes I was back on my way. During the stop I got my battery bank out, ate a cliff bar and drank some water.
Around 1, I saw another biker posted up on tilton road. If you know tilton road then you know there isn’t really any reason for a biker to be on here unless they are doing something long and far. I stopped and we shot the shit for a few. His name was John and he was heading from Long Island New York to North Carolina! How dope is that?
I got to the Ocean City boardwalk around 2:34, 8 hours into the day, only to realize at 2:35 – one minute later – that I had a flat tire. It was hot, I was beat down, and this just dealt another low blow. I wanted to get to AC and call it a day already.
Thankfully I had a spare tube (actually two), a cheap pump, and some shade to get this job done. It took a little longer than expected. The first tube valve stem wasn’t long enough for this pump to grab it, so I had to throw the second one in. This worked, but after 1,000 pumps I only could get the tube to inflate half way (35 psi vs 70 psi)
Looking back, I was pretty much at a bike shop and should have just used their resources to keep it moving. That won’t always be the case, but for this situation would have been the better call I feel like: to just head to the bike shop.
An hour after that, I finished. Corie met me at the Ocean casino, we ate some food, laid out on the beach, had a few beers, good convo’s with tons of laughs, stopped at one of our favorite restaurant (monster vegan), saw someone lighting fireworks off in the middle of the street, and finally made it back to our bed to a deep, much needed, sleep.
Post ride, I don’t feel beat up like one does after an ultra marathon. I’m mentally drained yeah, but not physically hurt or jacked up (besides my ass area from the seat.) The legs feel used but nothing compared to running, really just a different type of used feeling.
I took it easy the rest of the week (Thursday – Sunday) and plan to get back into my routine with my weekly workout flow on monday. I’ve been eating lots of good food, hydrating, and doing some type of movement like light biking, yoga, and some sort of light strength exercises.
Completing a century ride is not just a physical accomplishment but a test of mental endurance and adaptability. Yeah, there were challenges faced during this journey, but there’s something about reaching the finish line and the lessons learned along the way make it a valuable experience. I look forward to applying these insights to future rides and continuing to grow as a cyclist, but more importantly as a human.
Joe DiAndrea 