Wow, I just read this thread for the first time and it's been a while since the last post. I'm really curious how this saga is playing out!

I can feel for both you and your reluctant friend ... but mostly for you. I'm wondering if she got the new bike and if she likes it and if it maybe motivated her to train more. Before you said she was getting a new bike, I agreed with the post that said she'd never finish the century. If she's only riding once a week on a comfort bike ... and not already strong from any other form of exercise, that would be a large feat to accomplish even for someone who really WANTED to do it.

If time is an issue, she can get some good training in in a short period of time. She can do a 30 minute ride with some intervals, for one.

As for you, you have already gotten a lot of advice on how to do your weekly ride with her and still challenge yourself. The century itself is what I'm thinking more about. After all these months of training, you're going to want to do your best century possible, which you won't be able to do at her pace. Here's what I'm thinking. First of all, there's still a lot of time between now and July, so things could change drastically. She could get her act together and actually get close to your level, things could stay pretty much the same and she could ride much slower than you ... or she could just give up and decide not to do it. (I'm thinking the longer the "long rides" get ... the more likely she may decide this is not for her.) At any rate, if I were in your shoes, I would be prepared that she is going to do the century and she is going to do it slow. I would ride with her for the sake of the friendship. BUT ... I would SO plan another century shortly after it, and THAT can be you and your other friend's big goal to do at your pace. The century you do with your reluctant friend can be a training ride for your "real century".

And then once this century with the reluctant rider is over, you have no more obligation, other than if you choose to ride with her once a week and employ one of the many training tactics you can do when riding with a slower rider. My husband usually rides his mountain bike when he rides with me (and a lot of other people, actually, cause he's just way too strong!). Other things he does, especially if on his road bike, is he will ride in a slower cadence, get out of the saddle and stand for long periods of time, burst up the hills and wait at the top, and, of course, he does all the pulling. However, there are days when he is tired from a hard effort the day before ... or several days in a row, and especially if he's on his mountain bike, I can actually ride a little stronger than him ... particularly if he's in recovery mode and I'm in fast paced mode.

Maybe you can switch bikes with your friend when you ride together! You ride the heavier "comfy" bike and she can ride your road bike! Haha!

Another thought I had about your friend, if her husband seriously wants to support her riding, they might consider a tandem. Then she'd be right there with him and anyone else that can go the pace the two of them together can go (at least your pace, if not faster, I would imagine ... depending on how strong he is). That's how my husband got me into cycling. We got a road tandem and eventually I was ready for my own bike. We no longer have the tandem, but just tonight he was bringing up the idea of getting one again, cause he misses riding together more.

Well, I'm really curious how this thing plays out, so do keep us posted. We can call your soap opera "As the Wheel Spins"!