Greetings from Seattle! I'm a 52 year old who started cycling last August with the idea of losing some weight and training for the Seattle to Portland ride (a two day, 200 mile ride) on July 12, 2014. To sign up for the associated training series, they said that we should be able to ride 25 miles at 10-18 m.p.h. on the flats. So, I trained through the winter on flat courses and was able to average about 14 m.p.h. and signed up for the 12-14 m.p.h. group. The training series started yesterday with a 30 mile ride. I kept up with everyone on the flats, but I struggled significantly on every hill, whether short or long for two reasons, I think. Lack of training and no clipless pedals. I've got the pedals and will need to train with them. But here are the questions: 1. Do I have enough time to train for the STP this year...hills and all?
2. If so, what is the fastest way to increase my endurance on hills? I am not afraid of hard work, but I want it to count.

Thanks for all of your suggestions!

Trish