Road biking rules?

[RoadRaven]

Geonz has pretty much covered them I think...

One more though -

If you have aero bars on your bike, do NOT use them when riding with others

[indysteel]

I'm not sure about the "race" vs. "tour" debate as I'm not familiar with this event (being from the midwest), but here are my thoughts about the ride in general based on my own experience as a relative newbie. I started riding in early June with a hybrid and on a road bike in late July. Ever week, I try to add mileage (both overall and on my "long" rides"), but I've tried to do so gradually. For the last month, I've been consistently doing about 130-160 miles a week, with long rides in the 40-55 mile range. On Sunday, I completed my longest ride to date at 61 miles at about 17 mph. Minus the wind, it wasn't horrible but I can't say that it was easy either.

For me, there was a big adjustment to rides in excess of about 35 miles.
I'm in good shape, but it's a lot harder than I thought it would be to spend over 2 hours in the saddle. Put differently,there's a bigger difference between a 30-mile ride and a 60-mile ride than just 30 miles (at least for me). As my rides have gotten longer, I've had to learn how, when, and in what amount to take in extra food and drink, which isn't always easy. I've also learned to be much more disciplined about moving around in the saddle, standing up periodically, dealing with mental exhaustion, etc. I'd like to do a century--and I think I could with another 6 weeks of training--but it might have to wait until next season.

Your enthusiasm is fantastic (and I don't want to dampen it), but I would encourage you to be conservative in what you ask of your body as you get used to riding longer and longer distances. If you choose to do a longer distance for the Tour, i.e., 60 miles plus, I'd recommend coming up with a training schedule that allows you to gradually increase you mileage between now and November. There are several books out there that show how you can prepare for a century in 10 weeks' time.

And between now and then, I'd also recommend that you do some group rides. Even if you don't race per se, it will help you prepare for the Tour. At our local club, they pair you with a mentor who'll show you the ropes. Maybe they do the same in your area.

Have fun whatever you do!

Kate