From Zero to Century: My 6 Month Journey to 100 Miles

When my coworkers invited me to ride the Denver Century, I impulsively said yes. I hadn't ridden more than 30 miles at once, didn't own a road bike, and lived at sea level in Texas while the ride was in high-altitude Denver. But I wanted a challenge.

I started with a new bike, a Specialized Roubaix SL8, and a structured training plan, balancing road rides with Zwift sessions on a Wahoo Kickr Core. The journey wasn’t smooth. A bad back, sickness, moving from Texas to Colorado, and bike mechanical issues all threw setbacks my way. But I kept pushing.

As my endurance grew, I tackled longer and tougher rides, from 30 to 50+ miles, fine-tuning my nutrition, tire pressure, and even switching to a waxed chain for a smoother ride. I joined group rides, tracked progress on Strava, and embraced the Colorado cycling culture.

Race day arrived, and the Denver Century pushed me to my limits. At times, I wanted to quit, but I realized the biggest challenge was mental, not physical. Crossing that finish line was an incredible feeling, and now, I’m hooked. Next up? The Triple Bypass in July 2025.

Training For A Century Ride

My coworkers asked me if I wanted to ride 100 miles on bike with them for the Denver Century, and with me feeling lazy and fat since Covid, I said yes. Why? I wanted to feel something, I wanted to accomplish something physical, or maybe I can't say no to friends and I don't want FOMO. The reason doesn't matter, I said yes, and now I have 6 months to build up some endurance. The ride is in September, and it is currently February; The ride is in high-altitude Denver, and I am currently at sea-level Texas, doesn't matter city.

I Need A Bike

I have never rode over 30 miles in a single session and I don't have a road bike; I have a rock solid hard-tail mountain bike that I love, but I wasn't about to ride that for 100 miles. I needed a bike and I have the same issue a lot of people with some disposable income have: GAS (gear acquisition syndrome). I sold my last road bike several years back, and I really loved riding it and I always wanted a nicer and lighter road bike, so I used this opportunity to justify buying me one. I bought a nice carbon one in a color I love; white. A Specialized Roubaix SL8 if you care. Did I spend more than I needed?

Ya, but I love it.

Ride The Bike

I mentioned I currently am in no name suburbs Texas, with cars everywhere, riding around on the roads isn't pleasant. I need to supplement my training indoors too so I can meet my hours and distances I want to ride. I had a trainer, it was okay but super noisy; but a better trainer, Wahoo Kickr Core, love it. Texas is also hot in Feb and Mar for some reason too, this trainer alleviates that issue too.

It is currently week 4 of training for me, so far I have put in over 15 hours and 150 miles in the saddle alternating between road miles and virtual miles on Zwift. I need to increase the training duration and intensities. I really love riding the bike, but I know this 100 miles won't be easy, at least I am looking forward to it.

I had ChatGPT churn out a training plan for me. Why? Because I don't want to sift through the garbage of Reddit comments and pretentious forum posters. I just needed some rough guidelines and I am sure the LLM has digested some. Here is what it came up with:

Month 1-2: Base Building

• Week 1-4: Start with shorter rides at a moderate pace, aiming for 2-3 rides per week.
• Week 5-8: Gradually increase the duration of your rides, incorporating one long ride per week, building up to around 30-40 miles.

Month 3-4: Increasing Endurance

• Week 9-12: Continue to increase the length of your long rides, aiming for at least one ride per week of 40-50 miles.
• Week 13-16: Introduce some interval training to improve speed and endurance. Include hill repeats and tempo rides during the week, while keeping your long rides at a steady pace.

Month 5: Specific Preparation

• Week 17-20: Focus on building your endurance further with longer rides, aiming for 60-70 miles on your longest ride.
• Week 21-24: Start simulating the conditions of the event. Incorporate back-to-back long rides on weekends to get accustomed to riding on consecutive days.

Month 6: Tapering and Final Preparations

• Week 25-28: Begin tapering your training volume to allow your body to rest and recover before the event. Reduce the duration and intensity of your rides while maintaining some short, easy rides to keep your legs fresh.
• Week 29-30: Rest and recover in the days leading up to the event. Focus on proper nutrition, hydration, and getting plenty of sleep.

Additional Tips:

• Cross-training: Incorporate some cross-training activities such as strength training, yoga, or swimming to improve overall fitness and prevent overuse injuries.
• Nutrition and Hydration: Pay attention to your nutrition and hydration during training rides, and practice fueling strategies to maintain energy levels during the event.
• Bike Fit and Equipment: Ensure your bike is properly fitted to you to prevent discomfort and injury during long rides. Practice with any equipment you plan to use during the event, such as hydration packs, bike shoes, and cycling apparel.
• Rest and Recovery: Listen to your body and prioritize rest and recovery to avoid burnout and over-training. Adequate rest is essential for muscle repair and adaptation.

Seems reasonable and do-able. I also quickly glanced at other cycling websites, and it was pretty much aligned with what other sites suggested as well.

Week 5 Sucks

My back went out slightly and I haven't been on a bike at all. My back has been shit since I was 21. I got back from a 2 week trip in Peru to pain in my leg. It was later confirmed to be sciatica. MRI also confirmed the fluid sack between my lower 3 spine vertebrates were bulging out and pressing against my spinal cord.

Fast forward to today, about twice a year I experience muscle spasms that keep me in bed for a few days at a time; or my spine gets un-aligned somehow and I can't stand upright and I walk crooked. This week has been the latter.

The topic of my back pain and recovery & rehabilitation is a whole story on its own that I may someday write about, so others going through the same thing have can find some solace or schadenfreude.

Week 6 Sucks

I have been sick with a stomach bug all week and I have been in the middle of preparing a move back to CO as well as preparing to sell my house in Texas. I haven't got any riding done whatsoever. I am not worried about getting back on the horse though; I will still make it to the finish line despite some setbacks. I am eager to back to riding.

I Moved Back To Colorado

I didn't get any riding in for a month! It was a long a busy process of keeping the house clean and empty for showings full of stress and paper plates. I have finally settled in back where I belong; Colorado!

Week 9

After moving I finally got my first lazy 1-hr 11-mile bike ride in. It wasn't hard, but at altitude of a mile high, it wasn't easy either. I am excited to get back in the saddle.

Week 10

This week is starting off strong. I subscribed to Strava to start tracking my rides (along with my spreadsheet). I was friended by 2 friends who are well accomplished in fitness activities and that gave me the motivation I needed to get more rides and workouts in. I did a 1 hour ride at 6pm, and I am usually just a mornings only workouts type person, but this social motivation definitely works for me and I can see why Strava is pretty popular.

Riding is getting easier, but my ass is getting sore.

This week I have done my first long ride at 2 hours for 25 miles (on my bike trainer on zwift). It felt great. And I definitely felt like I could go for another hour but I had other responsibilities and no food prepped for the ride, so I will plan on doing a longer one before the week is up.

Bike Computer

I picked up a Garmin Edge 540 with speed and cadence sensors for bike. I mainly wanted the navigation without having to kill my phone battery, but I also am a stats and numbers nerd so I like the metrics as well.

Breakfast in Boulder

I biked 22 miles over 1 and a half hours from Broomfield to Boulder to meet up with my family to have breakfast. I started at 6 am and arrived at 7:40 am. It was an awesome ride. I was supposed to take only an hour, but I wanted it to be longer so I made a loop around Broomfield first before taking the 36 bikepath to Boulder.

Week 11

I had 2 short rides and 1 long ride this week. Not much to report on other than my ass is getting better at sustained rides.

Medium Bike Ride to Louisville (6/1)

I rode a 30.7 miles in 2h 22m with plenty of hill climbs behind Superior and up to Louisville and back to Broomfield. It was my longest ride yet and I feel that I did great on it. I now need to work on fueling during the ride because after the ride I was definitely more tired than I feel like I should be, but luckily no headaches or aches.

Longer Rides

• (6/19) 38.6 Miles
• (6/30) 54.8 Miles
• (7/7) 44 Miles

Bad Week (7/13)

For some reason, I was feeling out of shape and my heart rate was higher on my weekly long ride, so I cut it short. And when I got home, I inspected my bike and noticed some drive chain alignment issues and my bike was down for week while I rested and fixed my bike.

The front derailleur is a Shimano 105 R7000, and the user manual kinda sucks. It took me forever how to align the FD just right, since it is a braze-on style and it kept wanting to fit into a mount a certain way which would cause the FD to rub the chain the in climbing gears. I was a sigh of relief once everything was aligned properly and I can't wait to get back on and go for a ride

New Tires (7/24)

In preparation for my upcoming group ride, I decided to get new tires as I felt my current tires don't inspire confidence when turning at higher speeds or tighter corners. I bought 2x Continental GP 5000 tubular tires after reading several suggestions on the internet. The rubber feels really amazing and so far they feel great.

These tires also started my questioning what air pressure I should run at, and that is when I found Silca Pro Tire Pressure Calculator. And after plugging in the numbers, it says I should be running my tires at 65/60 PSI! I always just pumped my tires up to about 90% of the stated max pressure, so around 85-90 PSI. I was a bit skeptical at first, but a quick test ride makes me a believer in this calculator and lower air pressure in the tires. (I run 32mm tires).

52.0 Mile Ride Group Ride (7/26)

Had an awesome ride with my co-workers who will be riding the century with me. We rode from RiNo Denver out to Golden and back. We made it about halfway up lookout mountain before we turned around because on of the riders was struggling pretty hard with the climb. Overall it was super fun group ride!

I was concerned about traffic since I had never biked in Denver before, but luckily 95% of the ride we were on bike paths! I love when Colorado takes care of their cyclists.

The new tires and and new air pressure settings were amazing. The bike felt nimble yet confident! I can't believe how I was riding before that change.

Wax the Chain (7/29)

I was tired of greasy chain marks on my leg and cleaning up oil/lube so I decided to wax my chain. I bought a tiny slow-cooker and Silca's secret chain wax, and waxed my chain. It was a lot easier than I expected! The first 20 minute ride after a newly waxed chain was definitely a little rough, but after the chain loosened up, I have never seen it so clean before. Time will tell how good the wax will hold up.

I don't like having to buy a slow-cooker, or more stuff in general, to support a hobby, but I am fan of doing things myself vs paying others to do it for me.

Maybe I will look into tubeless wheels next.

Team Kits (8/1)

Since the century will be with my co-workers, we decided we wanted a team kit, so I have put together some rough ideas and I am currently working with Primal (a Colorado bike clothing brand) to get an awesome design for us.

More Seat Time

At this point I feel confident on my fueling and ability to ride longer. I am just adding more seat time both on road and on the trainer. I have been hitting at least one long ride a week.

Buffalo Bicycle Classic - Epic 75 (9/8)

I signed up for the 75 mile ride in Boulder. Once a year they shut down Boulder Canyon Rd for this ride and I crushed this opportunity.

Denver Century - 102 Miles (9/28)

I loved it. It went very well. I realized it was all a mental game. There were times where I felt like I wanted to quit thinking I could go no further; but that thinking was all in my head.

I enjoyed it so much, I think I am going to sign up for the Triple Bypass for July 2025.