Whew! I finished my first 50 mile ride at the Napa Tour de Cure yesterday. What a great experience in a beautiful location! It was windier and cooler than I had expected and the last 5 miles were the toughest for me. At that point, I felt like my pedaling wasn't getting me anywhere but eventually I finished! I'm going to do another TdC ride in a month.

It was a big relief that the only issue I had during the ride was leg fatigue - I was pumping my tires and I discovered that there were two small cuts/gouges on my back tire but thankfully it didn't penetrate into the tube. I had extra tubes but no tires. I guess it's time to start looking into a replacement even though the tires have only been ridden about 500 miles so far. What is the difference between folding and wire bead tires? Any recommendations for a tougher tire? My friend recommended the Continental Gatorskin Hardshell. Tires are yet one more thing for me to learn as a cyclist!