Originally posted by hannes
oh, yes. It's a road race I plan to enter. They have the options for 25, 50 and 100 miles.

Races vs. Rides

hannes, I'm not sure about your event, but since this is the New Rider forum I thought I'd post a bit about the differences between rides and races.

Generally when you have options on distance the event is classified as a "ride".

A road race will have catagories (in the US, on the road, a female new to the sport would race Women's Cat 4) and each catagory has it's own set distance. You pay your entry fee, the riders line up at the start (there may be other catagories starting with you, but you are not racing them) you all start at the same time and the first woman across the line wins.

A ride is also a paid event. You may or may not get a number or a "fanny flag" (something to identify you as a participant in the event). There may be a mass-start or a suggested start-time, but you will see many riders leave before and after that time. You will usually be given a map and/or cure-sheet. Rides also have plenty of food and water stops and a support vehicle (you'll encounter the term SAG=support and gear).

The goals (and rewards) of participating in a paid ride are many. They can include supporting a favorite charity, camaraderie, ogling fit guys in lycra (one of my personal favorites!) and meeting personal fitness goals. The point of a ride is usually not to "finish first", but to finish well. If you feel great and made a few friends along the way, that's a "successful" ride.

Some people *do* ride these paid rides like a race. Racers and fast recreational types will sometimes use these for training, they usually ride the longest route available and leave fairly early.

As usual, YMMV