# Century ride > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Century_ride > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Century_ride.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_ride > Source revision: 1342187570 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|100km road cycling ride}} {{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}} thumb|250px|A century ride in Illinois A '''century ride''' is a single day{{Cite web |last=Lozano |first=Vinson |date=December 29, 2023 |title=What is a century ride? |url=https://rocketcyclist.com/what-is-a-century-ride/ |access-date=March 7, 2026 |website=Rocket Cyclist}} [road cycling](/source/road_cycling) ride of 100 kilometers (62.1 mi) in metric system countries or 100 miles (160.9 [km](/source/kilometer)) in imperial system countries. Riding a century is known to be physically and mentally challenging, and riders will often train in advance for these rides{{Cite web |date=2025-06-18 |title=How to Prepare for a Century Ride: A Complete 100-Mile Guide |url=https://365cycles.com/blogs/general/how-to-prepare-for-a-century-ride-a-complete-100-mile-cycling-guide |access-date=2026-03-07 |website=365 Cycles |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2025-07-14 |title=How to Train for a Century Ride: A Cyclist’s Complete Guide |url=https://cyclingguider.com/guides/how-to-train-for-a-century-ride-a-cyclist-s-complete-guide |access-date=2026-03-07 |website=cyclingguider.com |language=en}}. These rides are often organized as a cycling club-sponsored event. Many cycling clubs sponsor an annual century ride as both a social event for cyclists and as a fund-raiser for the club’s other activities. The origins of the century ride are obscure, but [Dora Rinehart](/source/Dora_Rinehart) did century rides in Denver, Colorado in the 1890s{{Cite web |title=What is a Century Ride? |url=https://www.granfondoguide.com/Contents/Index/931/what-is-a-century-ride |access-date=2026-03-07 |website=www.granfondoguide.com}}. The [Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV)](/source/TOSRV) began in 1962 with two riders. The Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour started in 1972 with eighty riders{{Cite web |date=2022-11-14 |title=History - Ottawa Bicycle Club |url=https://ottawabicycleclub.ca/rlct/history/ |access-date=2026-03-07 |language=en-US}}. The Apple Cider Century dates back to 1974{{Cite web |date=2026 |title=Apple Cider Century |url=https://www.applecidercentury.com/ |access-date=March 7, 2026 |website=ACC}}. == Ride lengths == Club-sponsored century rides typically offer several options for cyclists of varying abilities, such as… * Quarter century, 25 km (15.5 mi) * Half century, 50 km (31.1 mi) * Double century, 200 km (124.3 mi) Double century rides are usually scheduled near the [summer solstice](/source/summer_solstice) to take advantage of the longer daylight hours, and begin at or before dawn. The term '''Imperial century''' is sometimes used to indicate that 100 miles in the [imperial system](/source/imperial_system) is used instead of the implied 100 kilometers, more common in the [metric system](/source/metric_system). The term '''Metric century''' is used inside the United States and United Kingdom to indicate that 100 kilometers (62.1 mi) is being ridden. A double metric is the shortest distance in [randonneuring](/source/randonneuring), long distance rides in multiples of 100 kilometers. Unlike centuries, riders in a randonneuring event, or brevet, pass through checkpoints on the route ensuring that the entire route is being completed. Amateur brevets are generally a test of endurance, rather than speed. Brevets also differ from centuries in being self-supported, riders either carrying or purchasing supplies along the route. == Sponsorship == A ''sanctioned'' century ride is organized and conducted under the rules and liability protection of a sanctioning organization, such as the [League of American Bicyclists](/source/League_of_American_Bicyclists).C.W. Coles & H.T. Glenn, ''Glenn's Complete Bicycle Manual'', Crown Publishers Inc., 1973, p 28-29, {{ISBN|0-517-50093-0}}. Sanctioned rides typically have rest stops every 25 miles or so, where water, food and toilets are available for cyclists. On a ''supported'' century ride, the route is patrolled by a [sag wagon](/source/sag_wagon) to assist riders with bicycle maintenance, or provide transportation back to the starting line for those unable to ride the entire course. Sanctioned rides are almost always supported. == North America == The larger, more unusual and better known annual century rides in the United States and Canada include: * [El Tour de Tucson](/source/El_Tour_de_Tucson) in Tucson, Arizona in November, as many as 9,000 riders. * [Apple Cider Century](/source/Apple_Cider_Century) in southwestern Michigan in late September, as many as 5000 riders. * [Hotter'N Hell Hundred](/source/Hotter'N_Hell_Hundred) in Wichita Falls, Texas, with some 14,000 cyclists in 2009. * [Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day](/source/Ride_Around_Mount_Rainier_in_One_Day) (RAMROD), hosted by the Redmond Bicycle Club in Enumclaw, Washington. * [Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic](/source/Seattle_to_Portland_Bicycle_Classic) (STP), hosted by the Cascade Bicycle Club, with as many as 10,000 riders every July. * [Tour of the Scioto River Valley](/source/TOSRV) (TOSRV) in Columbus, Ohio, organized by Outdoor Pursuits, which drew about 3000 cyclists in May 2011 for the two-day, 210-mile round-trip to Portsmouth. * Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour (RLCT), Ottawa to Kingston and back, 2000 to 2500 riders. thumb|A rest stop at a sanctioned century ride in Oregon. Many [multiple-day group rides](/source/Bicycle_touring) include a century ride in one or more segments of the course. For example, Ride for AIDS Chicago in Illinois is a two-day, 200-mile charity ride in which cyclists complete the first century on Day 1 and the second on Day 2. Ride the Rockies in Colorado often includes at least one century-optional day, as a detour from the shorter main route, as does the [Bicycle Ride Across Georgia](/source/Bicycle_Ride_Across_Georgia). The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, better known as [Ragbrai](/source/Ragbrai), has included a century day every year since 1973.{{cite web |last1=Joens |first1=Philip |title=RAGBRAI releases details for 17-mile century loop, 57-mile gravel day options in 2023 |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/life/living-well/ragbrai/2023/04/21/routes-for-century-loop-and-gravel-day-on-ragbrai-50th-2023/70076207007/ |website=Des Moines Register |access-date=10 July 2023}} == Other countries == There are Imperial centuries in the UK,{{cite web| url=https://www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk| title=Upcoming Cycling Sportives and Events| website=uk cycling events| accessdate=August 2, 2020}} while in Ireland and Europe there are metric and double metric events. ==External links == * [http://www.bikeacentury.com/ Bike a Century], a directory of annual century rides. == See also == {{Portal|Sports}} * [Challenge riding](/source/Challenge_riding) * [Cyclosportive](/source/Cyclosportive) * [Gran Fondo](/source/Gran_Fondo) == References == {{Reflist}} {{Cycling}} Category:Bicycle tours Category:Cycle sport --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Century ride](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_ride) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_ride?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.