Melissa,

Welcome.....If you haven't already, you might also want to check out Bay View Bike Club ( http://www.bayviewbikeclub.org/ ). Bay View is much, much more low key than Cream City ( http://www.creamcitycycleclub.com/ ). Don't let the name fool you, about 1/2 of Bay View's rides start on the west side of town.

Bay View rides
slower (our "fast group" probably averages around 14mph and we have riders that will toodle in at 10mph). There is almost always a shorter route, but there are distances that will get you get training for a full century.

I've ridden with both groups -- great people in both clubs, but I prefer Bay View as it skews more non-competitive. The ride schedule starts up in April, but there are a few rides between now and then for the hearty (e.g., on Jan 1 there is usually a ride to watch the polar bear swim at the lake front).

Good luck training for your metric...which one are you going to do?