Last Gasp

I'm getting nervous and excited for my first charity ride, The Last Gasp. It's a 62 mile ride from Sandwich to Provincetown on Cape Cod benefiting several local charities. The ride isn't til Sunday, but I barely slept a wink Friday night. Sure hope I get a good night's sleep Saturday or it's going to be a long ride.

Any tips on what to eat the night before the ride? They're having a pasta dinner for the riders, but I read that if you don't normally eat a lot of pasta, a pre-ride carbo load isn't necessarily the best thing.

Relax.... I still get stomach butterflies the morning of a charity ride, and i have been doing them for six years. Try to to some breathing relaxation techniques the morning of the ride, or listen to some calming music just before you ride. It takes more energy to feel nervous than it does to be calm and you will need that wasted energy for the ride.
Just think of the ride as a very large group ride and ride it at your own pace. Don't do what I have done in the past....start out fast to burn off all that nervous energy and then hit the wall half way through.
Just eat what you normally eat and have fun :p

Great advice. Thanks. I do have a relaxation tape that I use for stage fright. I'll listen to that. I really appreciate the tip about going at my own pace. I can see starting out like gangbusters and then not having anything left for the hills that come at the very end (thus the name Last Gasp).