HI all, Thanks for the encouragement. I used to tell my troops to hydrate or die, and today got my first cramps ever while riding and pushed through them though at a slower pace after emptying my bottles since I realized it had been over an hour since I last had a drink from them. I refilled a bit later and the cramps had quit...left glut. I made it back riding into a 14 mph headwind and finished with a 15.9 mph average for the ride. I can't seem to break the 16 mph mark on the trail....so many crossings to make probably don't help. Road miles I'm hitting 17 in hilly terrain, so feel comfortable enough at the 75 mile mark on roads as my max so far.... It get dangerous around here with the car drivers not paying attention..on their cell phones and so on doesn't help. Ride safe, hydrate, and see you at a century or maybe even a double next year.
Oh, found a bike today for the endurance rides an old Italian bike with Campi and so on like new...maybe a hundred miles on it. It has index shifting and an 8 speed freewheel. looks like new and has the price tag to go with that, but looks perfect for long road miles with two cages, down tube shifters, and clinchers. It can be updated with paddle shifters, but I somehow think the friction on the cables makes for a failure point more readily occurring than the current setup....input appreciated here.