Hi Barb - and welcome.

Sounds like you 've been doing pretty well so far. You'll probably find when you do the 25 , if you're with loads of other people the miles just disappear. I went out with a friend I haven't seen since for about 8 months and the ride turned into a major gossip and catch up session. Before we knew it we'd clocked up 20 miles without even noticing!

But get some shorts - it'll make all the difference. Short are to cycling as trainers are to running and in my experience you get what you pay for. Also, when you're looking you might notice they often tell you how many panels the short have and the more panels the better.

Shorts also seem to be quite personal so try on as many different pairs as you can find because the difference between brands can sometimes be vast. Our club kit is at the cheaper end of the market and several of us were complaining the shorts weren't very comfortable, but another person said they were the most comfortable short's he'd ever had!

Good Luck with your ride and your shorts search. Let us know how you get on.