You girls don't let shame or embarrassment prevent you from racing. If you do, that is shameful. I entered my first race in over a decade last year just to see what I had left. I had no idea I'd come in 3rd and soooo close to 1st. I was just interested in giving it a good effort and finishing without crashing.

kaian, don't worry about size. Two women I've ridden with in Pittsburgh are about your height and very good riders. One beats me up hills consistently. She is built for climbing. She rides a lot year round. I take time off. The other one would be better than me, if she changed her training up some. She lacks my endurance and speed. She can hang as long as she's drafting. Over long distances, she loses a lot of energy and falls off. On a couple of days of hard riding, I took her. I studied her the first day and part of the second day to know when to make my move. Again, some may think it's evil, but that is part of being competitive. Know your competition.

ladyjai, I don't know how to train for long distance racing. I've never done it or been interested in doing it. I did my first double century this year and had a good time. The guys I rode with were dying so I rode their pace. I suspect you'll have to ride an awful lot just to get the conditioning necessary. How many miles have you ridden this year?

What I have shared are things I picked up along the way. I am sure others can provide a lot more, and probably better, information. Two heads are better than one.

Pittsburgh usually hosts a pre-season cycling clinic, which is very good. If any of you have an interest, I would recommend it. Last year they had two Olympic cyclists, DeDe Berry and Christine Thorburn. They were fantastic! Very humble and the one thing they stressed, to have a racing career like their's, is a support network. You can't do it alone. I gotta' tell ya', holding DeDe's olympic medal was a real thrill!