Yes, my first reaction when I heard about the ride was that all of the people who did it were absolutely crazy, haha. But each team each year consist of mostly beginners. Really. A bunch of my teammates hadn't been on bikes since they were 10 years old. But the whole thing is definitely possible for beginners. It's the cause we're riding for that drives us.

So my therapist said I could start riding. The furthest ride I did before last Saturday was about 24 miles, and then we did a 75-80 mile team ride. I made it for 50, but I started feeling kind of light headed and blank (Like it was just the road, my bike, and me perpetually turning my legs). Maybe it's because I wasn't eating or drinking enough?

This Saturday's our century test, and we have a 10-hour time limit. Past team members have said that we're all ready for it and that the whole thing will be psychological above everything else (i.e., physical preparation, etc.). They said if we can do 20 miles, we can do 100. Which goes against everything I've ever read about training for a century.

After all this time, I still can't take my water bottle out and drink from it while I'm on my bike, so I think I'm just going to pause every 15 minutes to take a quick drink.

Does anyone have any other advice on riding a century? It shouldn't be THAT bad. I mean, it's like doing four 25-mile rides...right?