My First Century Ride: 101 Miles Around the Bay

There's a moment around mile 70 when your legs stop arguing with you. They've moved past negotiation, past bargaining, and arrived at a quiet acceptance. "Oh, we're doing this? Fine."

The Ride: Bike Around The Bay

Bike Around The Bay — a century ride along the Texas Gulf Coast. 101.2 miles, flat terrain, Gulf breeze, and a whole lot of time alone with your thoughts. I finished with a moving time of 6 hours and 36 minutes, averaging 15.4 mph with a max speed of 23.3 mph. Heart rate averaged 149 bpm, which tells you I was working for every one of those miles.

Training Like a Developer

I approached training the way I approach any big project: break it into smaller pieces.

Month 1: Base building. 30-mile rides, 3 times a week
Month 2: Progressive overload. Adding 10% distance each week
Month 3: Long ride weekends. 50, 60, 70, 80 miles
Month 4: Taper and race prep

Sound familiar? It's basically sprint planning for your legs.

The Parallels to Software

The thing nobody tells you about endurance cycling is how much it's like shipping software:

You can't cram. There's no "pull an all-nighter" equivalent for fitness. Consistency beats intensity.
Nutrition is like dependency management. Skip it and everything falls apart around mile 60.
Your plan will change. Wind, hills, rain — you adapt or you bonk.
The last 10% takes 50% of the effort. Miles 90-100 are a different sport entirely.

Race Day

October 24, 2020. Rolling out at 7 AM along the Gulf Coast with 101 miles ahead of me. The flat terrain around Galveston Bay meant no big climbs (only 117 feet of elevation gain), but that also meant no downhill recovery — just you and the pedals for nearly 8 hours total time on the road.

I finished in 6 hours and 36 minutes of moving time. Not fast by any standard, but I finished. And crossing that line, I felt the same thing I feel when I deploy a project that actually works: tired, proud, and already thinking about the next one.

What's Next: Triathlon

The century was proof that I can do hard things if I plan and stay consistent. Next up: adding swimming and running to the mix.

Same approach: think big, start small, do it now.