Quote Originally Posted by Bike Chick View Post
I did the ride 2 years ago with half as many miles as you and didn't have any trouble and I ride a compact. It's an enjoyable, beautiful, well-organized ride with LOTS of people. If you are worried about the hills, stay away from the fried chicken and ice cream for lunch (they feed you very well) because there is always a whopper of a hill right after the lunch stop. Take your checkbook with you too because there are lots of vendors there with end of the year merchandise. Most of the hills are rollers and there is only one that is a really tough--and that's right at the end. If you have that many miles on your legs, you shouldn't have any trouble.
If I do the Hilly, it will most likely be with a compact, so am I am glad to hear that you didn't have any trouble. However, would you say that it is generally inadvisable? I have a spare triple that I could theoretically install, but I was thinking of putting that on my friend's bike to convince him to ride with me. But do you think that we should both have triples? (I climb a little better than her does) My compact has served me well on the few hilly rides I have done this year, but I just don't know what I will need for this ride.