I questioned whether or not you could successfully put a shark on a leash, but Leah insisted that the not biting kind of sharks like to be on leashes, particularly purple ones or those with pink flowers.

Karen and had fun on the ride, it gave me hope that some day we will be able to do some bike touring. The general rule of thumb is that you should be able to comfortably ride half the distance of the longest day of the trip. If you can do this and you pace yourself, you should be fine.

One of the most important things to remember whole on a long ride is to drink often. If you get to the point where you are thirsty, you’ve waited too ling to drink and you will have a hard time re-hydrating yourself while riding. This is something you need to practice before setting out on a long ride, it won’t come naturally, but can make all the difference between a fun ride and getting reall exhausted. I’m sure your friends will have more tips.

Go for it!

I found out a group from Columbus had a bicycle tour planned in Iowa while I was gone to RI, but then had to cancel it because a goodly part of the route was flooded. They did a smaller shorter trip, but plan to try the Iowa one again this fall. I told a friend who is in the group that I’d be interested in being a part of that trip. Most of the group is within 10 years of my age, but some have done lots of long trips. If it gets a little cooler (we’ve been having the kind of weather you had over the 4th) I’d like to try a longer trip and see how my endurance holds.