Originally Posted by
BillyD
All you folks who profess no interest in 100 miles anymore, I wonder if you'd feel that way if we had an outstanding and competitive American pro cycling team like we did back a dozen+ years ago when a century was the standard for anyone who wanted to be considered a serious cyclist. Just saying, I think the pro scene has a large motivative influence over the cycling scene.
I race P/1/2 domestically. I probably only need two hands to count how many 100+ mile races I've done out of literally hundreds of races. The 100+ mile ones are easier because they are relatively flat. Distance doesn't mean much when you're in a pack. A hilly 85 is twice as hard as a 110-mile flat race.
I don't remember there being a "standard" mileage at which a cyclist would be taken seriously. Even putting out big power numbers doesn't matter if you can't read a pack. I've seen a lot of strong guys fizzle out because they didn't understand the game.