I am betting you're doing the Ride to Cure Cancer. great event, did it last year on an old tourer. Most others did it on road bikes, but there was everything from recumbent trikes to a BMX! ( it was a bet ) My tent mate did it on a 50 year old, 50 pound Russian built single speed with coater brake! Spend some time considering the fit carefully, definitely look into other saddles, ( if you are in Calgary I've got a few you can try ) Better tires are a possibility, at the moment, Niagra Cycles has a smoking deal on Marathon Supremes in 700x40, (normally list at over $70) pump them up to 90 PSI and that should make things roll a little faster. Again, if in Calgary, I just bought a bike with aerobars that are probably gonna come off, PM me.