HELP!!! Training for a HUGE ride

[Trek420]

Train the best you can. Don't risk permanent damage to the knee by trying to catch the group.

Remember these are rides not races. You may need to find another group that rides your pace like a local club novice ride, doing short flat rides. If you're starting to do base miles now with a goal ride what when?? and your teammates are prepared to do the BIG ride and basically doing test rides you'll need to find a way to ride your ride and train your pace.

Ride the miles you can do at the pace you can, then ride your ride. With good time management at rest stops, riding within yourself you'll see them cheer you every day at the end.

Try to catch them at this point and your riding days are over, done, you'll never ride again.

Worse yet, people trying to extend themselves too far, trying to catch a group they feel they should ride with, trying to beat a perceived goal time on a charity ride do what's called stoopid sh)t and end up being a danger to themselves and others. This is your ride this year, you started late, injured your knee and instead of cross training like swimming which would have put you in great aerobic shape and protected the knee did not train, now you're behind the goal.

But that's ok, Ride your ride, ride easy, think of it as the start of base mile training for NEXT YEAR.

Next year you'll ride with your team, this year your base miles start right now.

Remember the real fun is at the back of the pack.

Trek - California AIDS Ride 4 crew, ALC 3, 4, 6 rider, ALC 5 Training ride leader - 420