The NYC Century Bike Tour is making a comeback. Do you have what it takes?

What does it take to complete a 100-mile bike ride in vehicle-choked New York City?

Cycling enthusiasts new and old are angling to find out, prepping for the return of the NYC Century Bike Tour on Sept. 21. The once-annual 100-mile ride gained a loyal following over its three-decade run before its 30th — and supposedly final — tour in 2019, eventually attracting up to 5,000 cyclists each year.

It’s making a one-time comeback this fall, according to the nonprofit Transportation Alternatives, the advocacy group that runs the event. The tour will honor Roger Herz, a longtime cycling and public transit advocate who died in 2022 at the age of 88.

“ People are super excited that this is coming back,” said Bronxite Edmundo Martinez, who participated in multiple Century rides in the 2010s. He said it was once considered a “rite of passage” for a certain segment of city cyclists. “It was a way that you saw everyone in the cycling community,” he added. “It was almost like prom, graduation, homecoming.”

Gothamist spoke to half a dozen cyclists who are planning to participate — some for the first time and others who have taken part before — about what they’re doing to get ready and what it takes to make it the full 100 miles. There are also shorter routes available for those who aren’t up to the physical challenge, including a family ride.

Some attempting the “full century” said biking 100 miles was less daunting than it sounds, and requires less preparation in an urban environment where there are places along the route to grab a snack or bask in air conditioning than it does outside the city. The Century winds through every borough except Staten Island.

But others said they were taking their training seriously, increasing the distances they bike regularly in the weeks leading up to the ride and making sure to fuel properly on the day.

Martinez said he is trying to regularly do rides of 20, 30 or 40 miles to prepare, opting to bike along greenways as much as possible to avoid interruptions. He said he didn’t make it the full 100 miles on his first two NYC Century rides, despite being determined to complete them.

“ I would just get filled up with cramps or just not have the physical stamina and energy that it takes,” Martinez said.

On his third attempt, he said, “ I just went there to go ride and have fun and enjoy the experience and I ended up completing the full century.”

Advice from a doctor and century veterans

For endurance riders, fueling up, staying hydrated and getting enough sleep ahead of time is key, said Dr. Hasan Swindell, an orthopedic surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian’s Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

He suggested eating more carbs in the days leading up to the tour. “That's what's going to be used for the energy source amid an endurance activity,” Hasan explained.

Some riders also emphasized the importance of a comfortable bike.  ”What suffers is your ass,” said Dan Miller, who has ridden 100 miles before on his own but is doing the NYC Century Bike Tour for the first time this year.

He added: “You've been sitting for so long and you’re like, ‘I don’t want to be sitting anymore.’”

But some cyclists said group rides like the Century are as much about solidarity with other cyclists and getting to see different sides of the city as they are about exercise or an act of physical endurance.

The Century gets permits to operate but doesn’t close down streets, instead opting to provide a clear picture of the city’s cycling infrastructure.

It started “pretty informally” in 1990 with about 200 riders who wanted to “show the possibilities of a city that is much more effortlessly bikeable,” said Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives.

Three decades later, it had grown to about 5,000 participants. During that time, the city also added miles of bike lanes and many more New Yorkers began opting to get around on two wheels, according to data from the city’s Department of Transportation.

The city’s cycling contingent has continued to grow steadily since the last Century Tour in 2019, city data shows, but many are still deterred. More than 40% of New Yorkers surveyed by the Department of Transportation in 2022 said they never ride a bicycle because they don’t feel safe.

Joshua Magpantay, a 26-year-old living in Park Slope, said he discovered his first “social” ride, or organized group ride, during the pandemic, and added that in recent years, more of his friends have started biking, too.

He is planning to do the NYC Century Bike Tour for the first time this year. But cyclists in the city don’t have to register for a formal ride to test their endurance. Some who spoke to Gothamist said they’ve ridden 100 miles along other routes such as the Empire State Trail, which travels north through Manhattan into the Hudson Valley.

Magpantay created his 100-mile ride around the city a few weeks ago, recruiting his boyfriend and a friend to do it with him. It ultimately took 12 hours to complete, but Magpantay said it was worth it.

“ There’s this great hill that looks at City Island and Pelham Bay across the Eastchester Bay that's just idyllic,” Magpantay said.

Transportation Alternatives is still finalizing the routes for the 31st NYC Century Bike Tour on Sept. 21. General admission is $105 for adults and $60 for kids under 14.