Originally Posted by SmokinMiles
I'm a newbie here on this forum. I searched and found some info from you all on RAIN (thanks Mr. Octopus)
My main concerns are
1. Should one meet his/her sag at alternate locations rather than the rest stops? Are the rest stops really crowded especially early on?
2. What type of food/drink is provided at the stops? There is no mention of what will be available on the website.
3. What time would you recommend arriving at the starting area?
4. Have any of you done this ride without sag? I've done 3 centuries completely on my own relying just on rest stops and convenience stores. Do you really need rolling sag the whole way?
The other main concern I have -being in the saddle that long- I'll have to deal with on my own!
Thanks in advance for your help....Crystal
1. Meet at the designated stops. There's enough room. Meeting outside of the stops is always possible, but just make sure it's off the road. Too much other stuff going on.
2. I didn't like the fare provided at the stops for sure. If you don't like tap water from a hose then bring your own bottled. Lunch is well stocked with food. The other stops are typical type of century stops.
3. Be there before the time listed on the site as the start time. The earlier you are there the farther up in the mass start you'll be. Last year I got there with about 10-15 minutes to spare and I was in the dead back of the pack...just meant that I got to practice my handling skills as I climbed through the ranks.
-Note on this...the group rolls through Terre Haute first. There are a lot of traffic lights, and most of the pack does not have the luxury of a police escort. Half of the pack will stop at red lights, and the other half will just blast through. With this many riders it becomes very dangerous. If you plan on obeying the law then shout it...or you'll get hit from behind.
4. I have not done it without sag. While I have done long rides un-supported I wouldn't do this one un-supported. Most other rides are a loop...if you have a bad mech you can usually limp back to the start. Here you can't. 1 way. There are some long stretches without stores. There are many who have done this ride un-supported though. Hey if something happened I'm sure you'd discover how nice others in the community are.