Quote Originally Posted by Lisa S.H. View Post

Myself, I consider a 9-13mph pace a "stop and smell the roses" speed. In fact that's my usual average range with hills, ...and I don't even stop to smell anything!
You should decide what is right for YOU and then go with it, whether that means giving it your best shot and working towrards it, or cancelling it.
That is the pace I would consider "stop and smell the roses" too. Actually, now that I've had a chance to reread the leader's response and look over other material about the tour, I think I misunderstood what she wrote. I had written to ask if she would advise against my husband riding his hybrid since we would be going at a "leisurely" pace (which I imagined to be 10-13 mph). She replied that "leisurely" meant something different--depending on your skill and fitness level. She then described these people on the tour who COULD ride a hilly course with an average speed of 14-15 mph. I think I put those two sentences together and skipped the middle bit. I now realize she wasn't saying that these amazing people thought this pace was leisurely, just that they could do it, and that leisurely does indeed mean different things to different people. She did advise against bringing a hybrid, which is probably a good idea.

I think the challenge to be overcome, for me, is a mental one. Low self-esteem has been a stumbling block for most of my life. When I lose my confidence about something....well, the effects are quite dramatic. I have noticed that my ability to climb hills, for instance, has a great deal to do with what's going in inside my head. If I'm relaxed and believe I can do it--by golly I can do it. If I'm feeling anxious about my ability to climb the hill--by golly, I can't do it. At least not without stopping.

With that in mind, I'm going to try the same course again this week and see how it goes before I decide what I want to do. I'm sure my husband would not like to go through a 9 day repeat of today's performance. I imagine he would support (with grumbles) any decision I would make about it. Especially, since I was the one who wanted to come on the tour in the first place.