Unagidon

Around 60 miles. Get's boring riding alone after a while.

valygrl

94, on a loaded tour bike, in a headwind, in south dakota. the last 15 miles i was going about 6 miles per hour. long day.

edit to add - with a strong enough headwind, even your ipod may not be able to keep you company.

Medpilot

Since I've got back into biking, 60mi has been my longest. The hardest was only 55mi but it had twice as much elevation gain.

Machka 

I'm fine riding solo during the day ... there's lots to see and think about ... but when night falls, that's when I have difficulty riding solo. That's when the thoughts about what might be lurking out there start creeping into my mind, and I spook easily at every little noise.

Riding with someone during the night helps alleviate that.

kuf

I dunno if you'd call an Ironman race w/no drafting solo or not. If so, 112mi.

thebarerider

125 miles. The temperature was supposed to be in the low 90s, but it ended up in the low 100s by mid afternoon. It was a pretty long day.

Doohickie

I have the opposite reaction. I did my first group ride last weekend (at age 46), and I kind of felt like I was missing out on a lot of scenery because I was talking to other people.

8Lives

Hmmm, good question but I'd say no. You get a lot of support along the way, and I think there is a big difference riding "around" people and plenty of water and rest stops versus a true solo effort. Not that Ironman isn't hard, but in my experience it is just different from a solo long ride.

Mine would be earlier this year in Marin - 115.4 miles, 6:45 riding / 7:27 total (loooong lunch stop) and flatish 6,100 feet of climbing. I left lunch at about 60 miles with two full bottles and when I needed water (it was in the 90's) I had no place to stop and nowhere to refill for about 15 miles. A rest stop would have really helped.

Mash Master

riding in the valley solo is in a class by itself. you are lucky nobody ran you over and stole your bike.

Dubbayoo

Maybe 50 miles. I never train for centuries when I do them.

joshandlauri

65

rtruectoc

did 85 solo last week. the last 20 i started going a little crazy, talking and singing to myself

Machka 

So how have the rest of you solo long distance riders handled getting water?

I've been fortunate that on my long solo rides, I've gone through itty-bitty towns in the middle of nowhere, and can pull up to the grocery store there and get something to eat and drink without worrying about my bicycle. But I think some of you live in more populated areas.

127.0.0.1

236 miles, 1 day

1 lap around Lake Champlain, stopped only to buy bananas and sodas

salt just caked to me all over

Neurodoc

~34 miles.

I don't do much solo riding. Either my husband goes with me or I go with the local bike club, which sponsors a ride of some sort every day.

patentcad

112 mi. And of course I did have to scale Mt. Doom for mile 112 you friggin Wussies.

fourteenbucks

49.67 miles on this trail...

uga8589

Solo was a tad over 120, although I have high hopes for a double century in 2009.

cheg

64 mile, flat (around Lake Worth in Florida) on a folding bike in about 5 hours total.

dgasmd

I stop in gas stations to reload water/drinks and to get something to eat. Most times I do carry a few powerbars or gel stuff. I know of a few places along the way too that I can stop and get water from a hose or faucet. I am not pickie about the water source, so that helps. Lots of people I know would not dare to drink anything that does not come from a bottle, but the idiots would down drinks in restaurants with ice that comes from tap water!!

juggleaddict

154 miles over 2 days : ) single speed too! granted, it was just silver comet trail, so it was populated, and flat (other than the 13 mile trek to GET to the trail start and back at the end of the trip.

. . . georgia tech to alabama and back in 2 days, it was a nice relaxing fall break : )

Machka 

I'm one of those people ... with good reason. The quality of water in small towns around here is often not the greatest. Throughout the summer there will be several water bans on in the small towns throughout the prairies. And unless it's boiling hot, I don't like ice in my drinks ... but if there is going to be ice in my drinks, I like to know that the water has been deemed OK in that town -- that there are no water bans on. Most restaurants will let you know.

patentcad

154 miles over two days does not count.

Machka 

Unless he road right through the night, as you would with a 600 km brevet.

juggleaddict

k, 90 then : ) (first day, to the state line and back to the hotel) i'm still proud of it on a freakin langster