Thanks for the encouragement ladies! I definitely want to try again, but I think I should get in a few more long rides beforehand. I am very excited about my bike finally fitting right. In two years, it's never felt just right.

I didn't feel like I was overexerting myself to keep up with them, and I definitely think they were holding back to conserve their energy. It's just that in past years when we've done rides, they usually disappear and I'm riding by myself for several hours. Even my brother (whose friend noticed would leave me for dead on the side of the road) commented on how well I rode. But it would be nice to find someone that was more at my pace and also a hill slug so I'd have some companionship on these long rides. Oh, and the route wasn't too horribly hilly. It's about as flat a ride as you're going to get in Connecticut. I've always thought New Jersey would be a great place to try a century