Completed my first century on Friday!

The (half) Summary!

The Route (minus from my home to a McDonald's in town)

The Bike

TL;DR BIKING IS THE BEST

I started out on Friday around 8am, heading up a rail-to-trail that stretched 30 miles northwest, took an old highway, another bike trail for 11 miles, then the final leg was 55 miles down the Little Miami Scenic Trail. Total distance from home, 124 miles.

I ended up getting to my destination around 9pm. Google said 10 hours, but after awhile, I was lucky to hit 10mph. On my normal commute (4mi) I can hit 25 easily. The fastest I've ever gone was 40mph, and it was in a 30mph zone.

I had to shut down Strava after 70 miles due to battery concerns, but at least it recorded my first metric century!

My bike (which was a gift to get me to the gym last year) is a Next PowerX from Walmart (yes, I know I need a better bike. I also need a job to pay for it). It weighs 45 pounds, has full suspension, and tires made for gripping dirt. Your standard cheap MTB from Walmart.

I was planning on staying with friends for a few days down in kentucky, and packed clothes, food, water/gatorade, any tools I'd need to fix a problem, two innertubes, patch kit, and a few odds and ends. Total pack weight, 25 Pounds. So all together, with my 200 pounds, there was a lot of weight to move.

Last month I wrecked my bike. Flipped over the handlebars, bike flipped over me, my whole left side was wrecked, and I'm pretty sure I have a bruised rib. (going to the doctor when my insurance clears) Amazingly I didn't hit my head, but I could have easily been worse off. I haven't forgotten my helmet since.

I'm fairly new to biking (at least enjoying it anyway) and I can't wait to get a real road bike and go farther distances. Have an adventure.

I hope to be able to bike across my state (Ohio-Erie 300-something miles) in the next two years, and I hope to get some people together to bike across the US within ten years. Altogether, I'd say this trip, painful as it was, has done nothing to quell my desires, it's just added fuel to the flame.

I've never felt more accomplished than I did friday. I went from a lazy 275lb couch potato to 200 and biking for fun at least 3 times a week in less than a year. I'm even organizing rides to nearby cities for youth at a local church.