Originally Posted by Gee3
I'd suggest a good pair of cycling shorts and a tube of Butt Butter because the chaffing on the inner thighs by the groing hurt me more than the mileage! Ugh!
The main thing, though, is getting lot of miles under your belt. Or as many as you can get. Because believe me... for a first timer, it wasn't a cake walk!! And with good training going into day 2 wasn't that bad. You just need to prepare yourself mentally and drink lots of water during the week and during the ride. I used the mantra: " I will not be beat!" to get me through the hard times.
Oh yeah, there will be all kinds of people in all kinds of shapes and sizes so don't worry about going slow. Just go at your own pace and stop to eat sensibly and drink a lot.
I think this is one of the best pieces of advice from personal experience I have heard so far. You cannot stress enough getting the milage under your belt. Also, getting a good fit on a bike and riding it plenty to get very well used to it is a plus. So, get that darn PF built already and get it on the road!!!!!!!!!!!
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