Scott Martin

What’s a better cycling experience -- road race or organized ride? We finally have the answer to this age-old question, thanks to a recent weekend when I did one of each on subsequent days. You be the judge.

Event
Race: Sea Otter Classic, Monterey, California Ride: Tierra Bella Century, Gilroy, California

Distance
Race: 53 miles (85 kilometers)
Ride: 35, 63, 100 or 120 miles (60, 100, 160 or 200 kilometers)

Cost
Race: $49 plus mystery $10 refundable payment to USA Cycling
Ride: $50

Pre-event
Race: Get up at 5 a.m., inhale oatmeal, drive to venue, park in bumpy faraway field. Stand in line waiting for registration to open at 7 a.m. for 8 a.m. start. Stand in line to get number. Stand in line to get mystery $10 refund from USA Cycling. Stand in line to get goodie bag containing inner tube, tiny sample of chamois lube and 3-month-old cycling magazine. Stand in line at porta-potty. Do 3-minute warm-up. Listen to announcer’s AARP jokes. Go.
Ride: Get up 7-ish, savor eggs, toast and coffee. Use own bathroom with reliable toilet paper supply. Put on ride wristband that organizer mailed the previous week, drive to venue. Go.

Support
Race: Water or energy drinks in feedzone at base of steepest climb, where 2 riders topple over trying to grab bottles while in oxygen debt.
Ride: Rest stops every 10 to 15 miles containing water, energy drinks, sandwiches, cookies, grapes, orange wedges, trail mix and baked red potatoes seasoned with rosemary.

Scenery
Race: Manzanita bushes and barbed wire fencing, for 7 laps.
Ride: Green hills, hot springs, rivers, reservoirs, farmland, falcons, deer, wildflowers.

Post-event
Race: Medals to top 3. Everyone else: “Hey! Keep the road clear!”
Ride: Live music, ride patch for everybody, all-you-can-eat pasta dinner plus ice cream and 3 kinds of pie.

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