Wow Mary - thanks for all the advice! You're a very accomplished cyclist, good work! I know STP doesn't have much climbing, but I'd eventually like to be able to regularly do 5,000 feet of climbing in a day, someday. Maybe not this year, it looks like most of the rides I have planned are around 3,000ft. But I'd like to know that I could do hills on long rides just in general. Last summer I regularly did 25 mile rides 3 days in a row, etc. Of course I was on a hybrid bike at the time, so my road bike should be a little more efficient, and I'd like to up those distances. So I'll definitely use that advice and practice longer rides, two days in a row before STP. I was kind of worried how I would feel the next morning after all that work and sleeping in a tent!

-Jessica