Originally Posted by
unterhausen
I don't think you have to ride the whole thing in a single go, unsupported. You can ride it in pieces. Also, it pays to have volunteers pre-ride parts of the route. Scouting in a car is fine as long as you aren't using a gps to navigate.
It has become practice in some regions for the organiser and officials to pre-ride the route together under all the normal rules and qualify as finishers of the event if they get in under the required time... for the very important following reason:
To check the route for errors in the instructions (which are more common than most people are prepared to admit);
To check the distance readings on the computers used to set the course (to ensure some semblance of accuracy); and
To check road conditions, including signposting, surface and traffic flows.
There is a duty of care that lays with organisers to ensure that all those facets of the event are taken care of before the participants set off.