Originally Posted by
nuke_diver
1st (metric) century for me on Friday. I know the "real" cyclist don't consider it a real century but it was for me...
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How would a solo 100km compare to an organized 100miles with stops for food/water. Do the stops make a huge difference?
Congrats on your first metric! Don't let any one tell you it isn't real. The fact that you yourself may be able to do longer rides in the future doesn't diminish the significance of this one for you. Others' opinions don't count anyway.
About centuries, all my long rides have been solo, just hop on the bike and ride a route I'd casually planned out so I wouldn't waste too much time at each intersection while staring at a map or GPS. I sometimes go places where I might find frequent food and water, but sometimes not. So I carry some of both and stop when convenient. I'd think a single Cliff Bar isn't enough to eat! If you eat a little bit every half hour to an hour or so you can go (almost) indefinitely. Don't ever let yourself get hungry or dehydrated or de-salinated. So the stops on an organized ride would seem a real blessing. Don't stop for too long though; get back on the bike and go.
Those epic 10,000 ft climbs however don't sound like fun, but it depends on how steep the worst grades are. I've done routes with 3600ft elevation gain and 10-12% grades. Too many of those will cook me on a hot day. So take my advice with a grain of salt. Literally.