The Giant Escape gets a lot of love here. Trek and Specialized often charge more for the brand name, but Giant makes great bikes too. I was disappointed that I could not find and LBS that carried higher end Giant road bikes within reasonable driving distance.

Start out riding every other day and try to get a brisk walk and stretching on the off days. Give your muscles and sore parts a chance to recover. Work your way up to more miles and daily rides.

Congrats on the ride!