I am signed up for IM AZ this year. Read somewhere that your long rides are better done alone so it forces you to experience the mental challenge of maintaining focus. Riding long with a buddy or group is infinitely easier of course even when you keep distance to avoid drafting…be interested in heairng points of view on this…
No way I would do my centuries alone. Besides the mental challenge issue, a buddy is added safety - an extra cell to call an ambulance or set of eyes to read runaway plates.
I did some 100s by myself but would also take advantage of local organized ones but ride alone during them. Aid stations along the way and once you get past the initial 10 miles or so the groups spread out.
Up to about 80 miles I would ride a loop in my area and use my car as an aid station. It would come out to every 22 miles. It was populated but with a wide riding shoulder. This allowed me to avoid being in the middle of nowhere if something happened and also if a friend wanted to join me for a loop or two they could easily to it.
There is a lot to be said for riding by yourself. Plan on doing at least 1 by yourself. You don’t want to get used to relying on a friend for company or encouragement but it is safer to be in an area where if something happened you could get rescued. Also be sure to carry ID, insurance card, cell phone and some cash in case you need to be identified or get suck 
No headphones either! You can’t use them on an IM and IMO they are super dangerous especially if you are tired.
My longer rides have been with my cycling group. The benefits of the group are numerous but in general those rides don’t train specifically for a long course tri ride. I have found that I can ride alone in the presence of a group in large organized tour. As an example, I rode the Solvang Century pretty much by myself and without resting at each sag stop as did most of the other riders. I did spend about 15 minutes drafting before I reminded myself of my training goals.
I go solo. The first and only time I tried a long ride with a friend he begged me to turn back at mile 40. All this while he was trying to prove his manhood by setting too fast a pace.
I do very often long rides both alone or in company.
Club/group rides: pros: it’s easier mentally and it’s social; safer (most of the time ;-); you can discover routes you don’t know about.
cons: the pace may not be what you want either for the entire ride or for portions of it; If you have a bad patch, you don’t learn to tough it up on your own, as you will be during the race; stoppings can be a problem: I prefer to ride with minimum amount of stopping, many people don’t; the timing in training can be different for people aiming for different races, hence different aims and pace.
Rides alone: pros: you control everything, from pacing, route (e.g. hilly vs flat), stops, etc. It’s mentally the best preparation for the race; you can try new routes, get lost, it’s part of the fun of exploring new areas; it’s a good exercise in self reliance: can you plan and rely on yourself?
cons: safety can be an issue; boring, but see mental toughness;
You can also go with your shorter club ride and carry on alone. I do that often (e.g. this morning). The pace is usually too fast for a long ride, but it makes for a hard session: when everybody goes home, you turn left and carry on …
Club rides are fun and can be very pleasant if you are in the perfect company (same mentality, pace, fitness, aims, etc), but it can feel also a waste of time if things don’t go the way you want /need. Overall, I tend to ride with company when it’s not an important ride in my training, but for key sessions I go alone.
2 types of routes: long loops or out-and-back. Good for diversity, but at some point you are pretty far from home. Series of loops: I have a 60km loop passing not far from home. I can repeat 3 times to train for a 180km IM bike ride. It’s perfect to control the pace, easy first loop, IM pace second, reality check third to see if you can maintain what you thought was IM pace.
Nutrition: I normally carry all my food, 3 - 4 bottles of sport drink and/or water (bike is heavy but it’s training). If I ride <120km, no need to stop. >120km, I stop once to buy water.
Solo
But then again I have no one to ride with in the first place
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Call me unsociable, but I prefer to do all my riding alone. The only exception being if I bump into any mates on the road I might talk shit with them for a few minutes at the start or end of a ride, but that’s it. Long, short, hard, easy…every ride has a purpose and I’d rather get it done without distraction.
I’m a loner. Everybody I train with only does sprint distance. So, alone I go.
Great time to think and enjoy the world around you.
"I go solo. The first and only time I tried a long ride with a friend he begged me to turn back at mile 40. All this while he was trying to prove his manhood by setting too fast a pace. "
LOL! - Been there - now riding solo on my long adventures
Like a few others on here, I’m a lone wolf. I have never trained with others. I like to be able to make changed to my route, pace, etc. without having to consult anyone, and I can tell you from training for 3 IM’s (now training for my 4th), that once I get to race day, that 112 goes WAY faster than any of my 100-mile plus training rides alone since I’m with 2,000 plus other riders in an IM.
Been there too. Or, someone shows up unprepared and I end up having to support them along the way. I did a 60 mile loop that was hell with someone one day. Afterwards she said that was twice as far as she’s ever ridden before. Last time I took a training ride with her.
How many 100 or 100+ training rides do you usually do before an Ironman?
I know you asked TriBodyboarder but I’m going to answer. I’ve done 3 IMs and have increased the number of 100s each time. First was 3, second was 4 and my last one was 5 or 6, I forget. I’m no where near competative in my age group but each time I’ve been glad I’ve upped the number purely for the head games I usually play on the bike course. My last one I had a great time on the ride and I think that was because I’d put in more long miles than my first two.
Nah, any reply helps.
I am training for my first Ironman Wisconsin, and I have been trying to figure out how times i should ride the course before hand since i have access to it…
thanks
Slower people get faster. Remember when you were slow? I do. In any case, I don’t support lone rides. No way of proving it actually happened : ) Tree falls in a forest…that’s not even your computer, poser!
Personally I’d do it at least twice. Is it a double loop? I forget. Getting familiar with where you can take on nutrition, any sharp corners or rough road and just the confidence you will gain will make a big difference on race day.
For Lake Placid, I never rode it or drove it before race day since I live on the opposite side of the country. Ah the ignorance of a first-timer. I did the full Canada course 2 times and started/stopped in Okanagan 2 times. I did CdA loop 2 times so I was pretty familiar with it on race day.
I do most of mine alone.
Along with the various reasons here, I also have a flexible schedule, and sometimes take advantage of a free weekday by going for a long ride then. Hard to get people to come join those.
Honestly, I have trouble going 4-6 hours completely alone. In fact I doubt I have ever done 4+ hours alone (plenty of 50-60 milers but never a Century). I have a couple people to go with on Sat. or Sun in spring and summer and they usually ride at a similar pace. Three of us trained for IM CDA together and all rode similar times (5:45ish). I think doing my 4 or 5 longest rides with others of similar ability was beneficial. I don’t buy the solo training/mental focus/toughness thing for IM training. If you have friends who go @ similar pace for SB or R, use them!
Would drive me crazy going solo. The boredom - do you talk to yourself? Not to mention the safety factor. I’ve done 100+ miles with just my wife, but much prefer a larger group.