My First Century Ride: 100 Miles of Lessons

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 Goal

A century ride — 100 miles on a bike in a single day. For non-cyclists, that sounds insane. For experienced riders, it's a rite of passage. For me, it was the first real milestone on my path toward triathlon.

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:

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

Race Day

I finished in 6 hours and 42 minutes. 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. A sprint triathlon is on the calendar for later this year.

Same approach: start small, iterate fast, don't skip rest days.