help! need advice for doing 585 mile ride during menstruation

[bikerz]

I hope it's ok to resurrect this thread...

I have looked ahead on my calnedar and I see that I'm due for my period smack in the middle of the ALC ride in 2006 - and that means 3-4 days of misery and discomfort.
[I'm sure no one who knows me is surprised I am already worrying about this!]

I've read all the diva/keeper threads, and I'm just a little concerned about the porta-potty-total-lack-of-privacy scene - I can just see myself frantically fussing around with the keeper while long lines of cyclists tap their shoes in impatience!) - and then how to discreetly clean up?

So I'm thinking of trying menstrual manipulation - ideally, I'd just like to shift my cycle by about two weeks - then let it continue on its merry way, without interfering with the ride. It seems like shifting the cycle would be less disruptive overall than trying to skip it entirely, and I've got 9 cycles to get it figured out!

I have never used birth control, so I don't know much about the effects, except what I have read. Does anyone have any tips or relevant experience? I will of course be discussing this with my doc in the next couple of weeks, but any tips from you guys would be greatly appreciated. I'm also googling this issue, but, not surpisingly, there's not much out there...

Thanks