Originally Posted by
oilman_15106
So this would be like having a job where you are on call 24 hours a day. If the phone rings at 4 am you run to the garage and jump on the bike for a century ride?
My answer is 90+ % of the readers of this forum could jump on a bike and finish a century ride. How some might feel for the next week or so is another story.
Just to clarify and prevent thread drift, the OP question defined the goal as being able to ride a century with a couple of day's notice (just to give yourself a chance to taper off a bit if you've been over-training) and being pretty comfortable at that distance, which was defined as:
"- finish at a decent, but not race, pace
- riding comfortably - which means not just finishing, but having enough time on the bike so that when I do a century-length ride my butt, neck, hands, feet, etc. are accustomed to hours in the saddle
- feel pretty good the next day -- like I could do another long ride the next day, even if I don't."
So, being able to finish but not feeling good for the next week or so doesn't qualify.
And, you don't have to be on 24-hour call. Assume at least 4 8 to 72 hours notice.