How Long Should I Wait To Do First Century

[NoNo]

First off, good for you for setting some lofty goals. Always nice to have something to work for. But a word of advice on the 5 Boro Ride: be prepared to walk more than ride. I tried it for the first time last year and HATED it. Far too many people that don't know how to ride in a group. Either you were dodging people who randomly stopped for no reason, or you were getting buzzed by some kids trying to fly through the crowd. And then you would just stop for 5 or 10 minutes, slowly inching forward. We never rode smoothly for more than a few minutes, and I was very tense from worrying about people crashing into me. We actually had to stop about halfway as in 4 hours (in the rain) we'd only gone 17 miles Plus at one of the many stops a guy came up beside me and tipped over onto me, thereby knocking me over and onto my brother. My front rim got bent and I was really annoyed. I've heard that if you skip the official start and pick up the course near the park, it's a lot better. I wish someone had told me these things, that's why I'm giving you a heads-up.

[PamNY]

I have to second the advice about 5 Boro. I live near the start and no way would I ever do that ride -- it's so crowded that I don't see how you could possibly move fast enough to keep a bike upright. If you do a Google image search, you will see the problem.

Having said that, I know people who do the tour every year and love it. But definitely avoid the start if you can.

[backinthesaddle]

I am riding with a charity, we are supposed to get first dibs and get to ride out in the front. Do you think that will make a difference or am i deluding myself.

[marni]

bear in mind that if you can ride 75 miles you can always manage 100- just envisionn it as one of your local rides. For me the last 25 miles is the equivalent of an easy ride to a local coffee shop I sometimes do on Sundays.

Also bear in mind that even though you may be theoretically starting at the front of the pack, to avoid any problems, you havee to be able to ride fast enough to stay ahead of the pack including hammerr heads and show offs.

good luck !

marni

[Zen]

How long should you wait?
personally, I'm waiting until I'm 70 so it'll be extra remarkable.