This is my first entry into my blog. Preparation is going to be my focus for months ahead. I am just starting with my training, but the difficulty is finding the time to put in the miles I need to be riding. I am hitting the gym about three times a week now, and I am getting in about 25 miles per week. I have also trimmed down about seven pounds. I came across this interesting picture about the efficiency of biking (or perhaps the inefficiency of automobiles) in terms of calories used.
I was talking to a guy at the local bike shop this past weekend, and I told him that I had heard that the best way to prepare for a long ride was to sit on a post for an hour, and increase the time from day to day. I thought it was pretty funny, but he didn't.
Equipment is a big deal. Good equipment accommodates for lack of strength or skill. For me a lot goes into a bike seat. Over the years I’ve grown to appreciate a leather and gel seat. Bigger is not necessarily better. A suspension seat deters from a “hard” push - not much force is lost in the give of the seat.
There is wonderful biking in Illinois. I rode the state last year, but it was all on roads. I've ridden part of the Great River Road from Alton to Pierre Marque Park. But yesterday, I rode in Edwardsville and it was wonderful. See what is available on this site http://www.bikelib.org/mapstrails/index.htm. 
Illinois has accomodated bicycles much nicer than Missouri! Of course the food stop was near the trail - oh too nice!
