Remind me why I'm doing this??

[arielmoon]

I agree with ttaylor. Sounds to me like you are very prepared for the MS ride. It is not a race. It is a charity ride!

It is possible you didnt have the best ride with the best group that night but I wouldnt let one experience set the tone for the fantastic things you are doing.

Personally I like to ride with stronger riders on the weekly group ride because my riding partner is not as strong as me. I can push more when I ride solo but the group can really make me push that little bit more. I can really see and feel a difference afterward in my speed and endurance.

[mayanorange]

tt and ariel- thanks guys. I haven't done a big ride before. All I have to go on is a couple suggested training things I found online who insist you should do about 80% of the final distance before the big ride, so that's why I have been aiming there. I'd like to keep up a decent pace although I tend to be a stop and smell the roses cyclist. DH isn't, so we both kinda compromise on speed. We've been joining this wed night group as a shorter let's go fast ride, but it alternates between like last night where the boys dust one or both of us and the leader asking us to take the slow group who usually didn't start training as early as us, so it's a pleasant ride, but not a speed workout.

[ttaylor508]

Seriously, you are going to do just fine if you find a good pace and just keep it. Make sure to drink, eat and rest before you think you need to. If you wait until you are actually feeling thirsty or hungry or tired, it takes you a lot longer to recover and you'll be heading straight for BONK. Try to enjoy the event, like Ariel said, it isn't a race and you will feel a lot better if you finish strong than if you trudge through the finish line with your last bit of energy. Since this is a big group ride, it should be fairly easy to find a nice group that is going your pace.

My GF just finished her first century and she had major doubts about whether she had trained enough. I kept telling her she was way more prepared than she thought. She finished and felt great at the end.

[fidlfreek]

Mayanorange! I totally know how you feel! I too have been at a place in my life when I took anti-anxiety meds and being late taking one always put me in a bad place!

Nobody mentioned that sometimes riding w/ guys just sucks. Pretty much I enjoy riding w/ guys only if its MY ride and they ride at MY pace. My rule w/ my BF is he can either ride only in his little ring or bring his mountain bike. My regular group rides are with women who never let anyone crash and burn. In fact I have been pushed up hills in that ride and I have also pushed a gal up a hill. You just need to find the right group! Don't let some silly boys kill your passion for the bike!

Also, maybe you want to pack an emergency gu *just in case*? It never hurts to have a little extra...

[arielmoon]

I did my first century last fall and my longest ride going into it was 65 miles. Riding strong on shorter rides, I think, allowed me to do the century at a decent pace even with the additional miles. Also, the first 30 miles were a breeze due to the size and speed of the group like a big peleton just pulling us along. I think we averages 22+mph for that first 30 miles!

Riding with guys can suck but on the other hand, the guys I ride with regularly think riding with me sucks They dont like getting beat by a girl.

[Loraura]

A women's only group ride was suggested to me by a friend, and I've gone twice now. I've never ridden so hard for so long, but it was great. While I was by far the slowest/weakest rider, they didn't drop me. When I started to fall behind despite my max effort, a stronger rider would come along, put her arm around my waist and give me a boost. I wasn't expecting that. But boy did it make the difference between me quitting and calling DH to come get me, and sticking it out to the finish.

I know I'll get faster and stronger as I keep going back. It also has motivated me to work on my weaknesses between group rides.

I'm looking forward to the day I'm helping a weaker rider up a hill.

[ttaylor508]

A women's only group ride was suggested to me by a friend, and I've gone twice now. I've never ridden so hard for so long, but it was great. While I was by far the slowest/weakest rider, they didn't drop me. When I started to fall behind despite my max effort, a stronger rider would come along, put her arm around my waist and give me a boost. I wasn't expecting that. But boy did it make the difference between me quitting and calling DH to come get me, and sticking it out to the finish.

I know I'll get faster and stronger as I keep going back. It also has motivated me to work on my weaknesses between group rides.

I'm looking forward to the day I'm helping a weaker rider up a hill.

Sounds like you found a really awesome women's group!