Hi Kim,

I generally eat pancakes about 45 minutes before hitting the road. I have a very strong stomach and don't seem to have problems with anything I eat on the road.

Payday bars are great (for me, anyway) because they don't melt, are cheaper than Powerbars and similar bars, and have some protein, fat, and salt in them too, all of which help me on a long ride - but everyone is different. Straight low-fat carbs just seem to get burned too fast for me and I'm hungry again in an hour.

I don't race so can't offer any replies to those questions. I do think riding with men whenever you can really helps with increasing speed, though. My husband averages 18-20+ mph, and riding with him and/or him and his buddies is a BIG workout for me. I push, push, push while he is cruising!

Of course, when you start out, you'll just have to do whatever speed you can do and try to increase that over time with training. Don't do too much too soon or it is easy to get injured. I had an ITB (ileo-tibial band in the leg) injury in early May on a Century ride and had to go very easy for a month after that. I think I had increased my mileage too fast without enough of a base.

As for speed, my average speed has increased from around 14.5 mph in the fall to 16.5-17+ now. A lot of gals are faster than me, but I am 42, so I blame age! I don't think I could take the pressure of racing, but I wish you much good luck and fun with it!

Emily