pam..... i'm NOT fast! i keep saying that! i've NEVER said i'm fast! as a matter of fact... i'll go one further! where you say you are slower on hills but faster on flats.. well.. i'm slower on BOTH! (hell... i'm even slow on descents... and not that much from being afraid of them... just cuz i can't get going! i pedal and pedal and i still get passed! ugh!) the majority of people PASS me on rides!! there are a few... VERY few that i pass.... (usually they are older.. but not always... there are oldsters out there that can fly past me!) all you have to do is look at the KOM stats... i'm THREE from the bottom of women! yes... i was third slowest of the women! but i finished! THAT is what was important to me! heck.. i cried when i checked in i was so proud i had finished all three rides! i didn't care what my overall time was! my forte is endurance..... (and stubborness!)

hubby "yells" at me constantly cuz he says if i would "train" i would probably be faster.. but dagnabit...i want to have FUn when i ride! sure.. it would be fun to be faster.. finish faster... but that would mean hurting during all my other rides! *gasp* i do think that those of you that belong to a club may have an advantage too, though... i ride by myself 95% of the time! even on organized rides... i pretty much ride by myself unless i can convince hubby to ride slowly with me! with club members to ride with.. you have the motivation... and friendly competition to keep up.... but i'm getting sidetracked!

now you want a completely opposite take on this ride!? nesdog over at bikeforums called it relatively flat! now THAT i would say is a wrong assessment! i don't consider it a flat century! lol!

i just don't want to scare off anyone.... cuz i truly think it's a doable ride! (and i'll bet some of these other new would probably even beat my time if i were doing the century! but alas.. i'm a glutton for punishment!)

again.. i'm NOT trying to come off as an elitest... but i'm NOT! i ride for fun.... i ride to see what i can do.... but i'm NOT fast about it!

so are we friends again??????