I'm doing my first road race in two weeks. Panoche Valley in California. It's 40 miles with 2,000 feet of climbing. Not supposed to be any killer hills, just easy to moderate one's in grade and length, which is good, cause I kinda suck at climbing, but make up for it pretty good on the descents. I do pretty good on rollers, which I'm hoping this is more like.

Past results show only 10-ish women typically compete in the Cat 4 and none of them seem to be on teams with anyone else in the race. So I shouldn't be a loner competing with any teams.

I need to be in the low 18 mph average range to be somewhere in the running with the other ladies, per past race results and an email I got from the organization. I'm really not sure if I can do that, depending on what the climbing is really like, but I apparently have found the guts to try! At least I'll find out what a road race is like and will be faster for having trained for it and done it, even if I come in 10 minutes behind everyone else!

I'd love any racing tips you guys might have. Thanks!