Century in 50 States

Illinois

I lived right next to the Illinois border for 4 years, but for some reason have only ridden one century in Illinois. In 2008 I started out on the Illinois/Iowa border and did a nice ride in the Illinois countryside. Most of the area I was riding through looked a lot like Indiana, so I didn't take many pictures.

The start point of my ride.

Looking fat above the Mississippi River. Illinois is over my right shoulder.

Looking fat by the state line.

Iowa.

A little break along the way.

Flat farmland. I'm used to this.

Kentucky

In 2008 I did a solo ride of the Horsey Hundred route in Georgetown, Kentucky. As the name suggests, the Horsey Hundred is a fun, hilly route through the heart of the Bluegrass.

Here's the map.

No major climbs, but plenty of rolling hills.

I went in February. It was warmer than Indiana at the time, but still cold.

Michigan

I lived in Toledo, OH from 2005-2007, so I was very close to the Michigan border. I did a few centuries in southeastern Michigan as parts of longer training rides in preparation for some brevets I would later ride in Ohio. I have also raced in the Kalamazoo area, but while I was racing I didn't see much of the local scenery.

The Michigan/Ohio border. There are no welcome signs on these county roads, just signs indicating a different county.

Southeastern MI has some nice dirt roads. I remember watching Paris-Roubaix in the spring, then waiting for a rainy day to go ride these roads. Obviously it was nothing close to Paris-Roubaix, but it was fun.

MI is no stranger to corn.

Straw wall.

Ohio

I lived in Ohio from 2005-2007, so I did plenty of centuries there. All of my Ohio riding has been restricted to the western portion of the state. Northwest Ohio tends to be flat and windy, while southwest Ohio provides some rolling hills. Ohio was home to the longest ride I had ever done up until 2017, a 400-km (250-mile) brevet in the Cincinnati area.

If you're looking to put Ohio on your map, I would suggest heading to the rolling hills surrounding Cincinnati. Just keep in mind that I haven't been to southeast Ohio, which looks promising.

Fall colors in Secor Metropark, just outside of Toledo.

Fall was my favorite time of year to ride in Ohio.

MUPs are nice when they're empty like this.

Ohio has its share of beans...

...and corn.

This was one of my regular roads in Toledo. I was very happy to see the new pavement.

Birds

Early fall.

Calvin's Challenge (12-hr race), 2010.

Looking tired after Calvin's Challenge, 2010.

Indiana

Indiana is where I was born and raised and where I first learned to ride a bike, so it makes sense that my first century was ridden in Indiana. I became "serious" about cycling in 2004 with the goal of riding across Indiana at a popular organized ride known as RAIN (Ride Across INdiana).

I rode my first century in 2004 and my first RAIN in 2005. I did RAIN for the next 5 years and if any of you are looking to put Indiana on your map, RAIN is the ride I would recommend.

If you ride in northern or central Indiana you can expect flat terrain and cornfields. Southern Indiana is home to some rolling hills, and if you can't make it to RAIN my recommendation would be to head to Brown County and ride in the Nashville/Brown County State Park area.