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[newbie]

Thanks everyone. I rode twice this week already and I'm doing a 30 miler on Monday. I'm pretty nervous about it. I think I've figured out the basics on gears. Still can't imagine riding in clipless shoes

And I'm not 100% certain I'm wanting to do the "big" ride anymore. I'm going to see how 30 goes. I've only done 14 so this is doubling what I have done so far and I"m not sure I"m ready.

But I like biking-for excerise, not for the "sport" of it. If that makes sense. I like running, but not marathons We shall see how this goes.

Thanks for all the tips

[ny biker]

Thanks everyone. I rode twice this week already and I'm doing a 30 miler on Monday. I'm pretty nervous about it. I think I've figured out the basics on gears. Still can't imagine riding in clipless shoes

And I'm not 100% certain I'm wanting to do the "big" ride anymore. I'm going to see how 30 goes. I've only done 14 so this is doubling what I have done so far and I"m not sure I"m ready.

But I like biking-for excerise, not for the "sport" of it. If that makes sense. I like running, but not marathons We shall see how this goes.

Thanks for all the tips

When I first got into cycling (back when I bought my mountain bike in 1998) I thought people who did centuries were kinda crazy. I actually rode mostly on paved trails, 10-25 miles at a time. After a couple of years a friend invited me to join him in a 65-mile ride on the C&O Canal towpath. I spent 6-8 weeks increasing my mileage and did the ride, and since then my concept of "long" vs "short" rides has changed. I did a few centuries, then decided I prefer not to go more than 60-70 miles per ride. But 25 miles still seems short to me.

In contrast, my sister just likes to get out on her bike for half an hour, and she's never been interested in long rides. And I have a friend who recently signed up for a 300 km ride -- all in one day. Different strokes...

Have fun on Monday!! If you're having hot weather, make sure you're prepared with plenty to drink (figure 1 bottle per hour) and some snacks that are easy to digest, preferably with some salt.