I know, I know- it depends. Terrain, weather, etc. But I am thinking of doing a century ride and am having a hard time grasping what the effort really is. I come from a running background, so maybe other runners who have done a century can help- is it like a marathon? I see training plans out there that look like you can be riding a century in 9 weeks (to finish, not for speed) if you are at least reasonably fit to begin with, which sounds more like a 5K- but somehow I don't think a century is like a 5K! Anyone want to ballpark it for me? Also, the century I am considering is 5000 feet elevational change over 100 miles- but that is all they say. Would that send you screaming from the room, or does that sound pretty reasonable? Knowing what I do of the area, it probably means lots of rolling with a few biggies.