Thanks for the congrats.

Last year I started riding mountain bikes and then racing them in 12 hour group endruance races and some shorter solo races too. So about the food and water I think I have most of that covered. I learned the hard way....BONK. Starting a couple days before hand with water has always been a good thing. I do need to learn to drink more while riding and not just when I stop. The weekend before this ride I did back to back (Sat/Sun) 40's so the 53 miler wasn't too far of a stretch. The biggest difference is I think I was just spinning too fast and the route was more of a challenge. During the back to back rides they were both sheltered from wind and didn't have a lot of hill climbing. I agree I need to spend some more time climbing and decending hills. Thanks again.