ACG- Everything that TREK says about the ride is absolutely true! Send me an email and I"ll send you Cat's email. She is the interpreter for the deaf on the ride and lives in So Cal. I"m sure she can give you some suggestions as to who you can train with down there.

Also, do as many organized rides as you can. This means starting as soon as you can- perhaps the ride in Palm Springs (I think that's in Jan or Feb) as a good beginner as it is flat and there are a few options on the distance.

Work up to metric centuries and then century rides as these are distances you will be covering on the actual ride. You need to build your endurance. The only way to build endurance is to ride long rides. There just isn't any other option. I did weight training as well (for upper body strength)and I rode at least 4 and sometimes 5 times a week.

Riding for 7 days is hard work no matter how you look at it. Although the rest stops are fun and keep the daily ride interesting, you have to have the mental stamina to do this ride successfully.

How is your fund raising going? If you can get your minimum of $2500. done sooner than later, you can then concentrate on training. I trained AND raised money all the time. When I reached $2500, I raised my goal as I wanted to include as many people on my sponsoring team as I could. Please feel free to contact me for support. Of course, this goes for anyone on this site who is participating.