Hibiscus09:

I'm only a beginner so I don't know if my advice is worth anything but I would say not to be afraid of the 22 mile rides. It just sounds like a long ride but it isn't really. The very first ride I took was a 15 mile ride and it was on a really old decrepit bike with nonworking gears and brakes, as I soon found out. I think the real difficulty is in whether your riding with people who have a higher cadence then you do. . The bike clubs around here ride at a very fast cadence that most beginners would not be able to keep up with. I know I can't and I've recently run into a few people who decided cycling wasn't for them because they went on a ride or two with the local bike clubs and were dropped because they couldn't keep up. I hate to see people give up on something they might have had an interest in because they had a bad experience once. Anyway, if you can, try riding a 22 miler on your own. I'll bet that you can do it without any problem at your own speed.