My first organized group ride!
 

I rode in the MS150 Breakaway to the Beach last weekend. I have been on many large group rides on motorcycles but this was my first on the bike. I had a blast!! I was going to cancel because my friend whom I was riding with had a family emergency and had to cancel at the last minute. I am really glad that I did not cancel. Saturday was 75 miles, my longest ride ever. I finished the ride in 5hrs and 45 minutes total and had right at 5 hrs of seat time. I was planning on riding 100 miles on Sunday but I opted for the 50 mile route because of approaching bad weather. I managed to stay ahead of the rain until about 2 miles from the finish and then the bottom dropped out.

This was my first ride on the flats and it was much harder than I expected it to be. I am used to riding in the hills where I get an occasional break on the downhills. This ride was non-stop pedaling and the head winds on Sunday really took a toll on me. I think that I actually prefer to ride in the hills!!!

I was amazed at the diverse group of people on the ride and I quickly learned that you definately cannot judge a book by it's cover in the cycling world. There were people there who looked like they might have a difficult time getting out of the parking lot that dropped me like a bad habit as soon as the ride started and there were people there who looked very fit who struggled to finish the ride.

I met some really nice people along the way. I stopped for a few minutes and talked to an older man who had stopped along the way. I would have guessed that he was in his 60's. He told that he though that this might be his last year to ride the MS150, he said he had just turned 80 this year!!!! What makes me feel bad is that at 45 I couldn't keep up with him!!!

All very good observations, the MS rides bring a HUGE cross-section of riders from all walks of life. As you noticed, you'll see a lot of riders who look hardcore, but never do rides more than 20 miles, and don't have the aerobic capacity to stay in the saddle for 6+ hours. I'm riding the MS150 here in Louisiana this weekend, and I will definitely be having fun! If you brought a camera, be sure to post up some pics!

My personal experience- the flats aren't bad at all, it's the wind. Wind or heat slows me down. Hills slow me a little, but not a lot. Give me flat land with no wind, and I'm in good shape. Just because it's hilly doesn't mean it is not windy, and the two together suck.

I agree that both together are definately no fun. I'm just used to riding in the hills where I live. On the hills I at least get a break on the downhills even when it is windy. The constant effort on the flats was quite a change for me. Hopefully the flats won't bother me so much if I do that ride again next year, by then I should be in much better shape. I just started back riding this year after not riding for over 20 years and I didn't really seriously start riding until June when I bought my road bike.

Well done on your group ride. I have to look into what they do around here. It sounds fun.
There is a Cancer Society ride from Vancouver Canada to Seattle. It is pretty popular.