I have been riding for about 2 years now and have been looking into group rides. I tried the spectrum ride last summer and lasted about 3 miles. This year I am able to keep up for the entire ride reasonably well. Now that Im interested in racing and might try it soon, I am wondering how the spectrum ride compares to a race. In other words, can somebody who regularly rides the spectrum ride tell me how difficult it is compared to a race (such as a cat 4 or 3 race).