Hi there! I checked out the Bike-Aid site - you're gonna do some hills girl! You're training now, so that's good, and I believe you mentioned spin classes? Those really helped me last year with hills, keep it up. Do you have to have surgery for your back? Have they given you any recuperation time? My dad had disc problems, he was lucky, a week in traction, and religious about exercise has kept it in check.

Do you still have your hybrid bike? You could ride the trails you mentioned on the hybrid, and ride your new bike on the street. That's actually a trick some of the AIDS riders used, they trained on heavier bikes, then switched to their lighter road bikes about a month before the ride. You could also get some "bomb proof" tires for your road bike - I like Panaracer Pasela TG. Bike Nashbar carries them (Item #PA-PSLTGK). In fact, I'd recommend them for your big ride too. I used them on the AIDS ride, and had NO flats.

You'll need to get used to riding in traffic - your trip will be on streets and highways. Do you have a local bike club? That might be a good place to start, go out on group rides and get used to riding with traffic. It's not as scary as it sounds!

Any other hints for her California Girls? I'm tired and starting to ramble.....