Hi David. I will be riding with girl friends who like a 15 mile pace and a little slower on hills, but my son, James, is young and can go straight up a hill without getting winded. Just hate that! I'm huffing and puffing and he doesn't even break a sweat. So he loves cruising along. He finished the 62 mile stretch of the HOT 100 at about 10th place. I just hope that he will pace himself because we have to ride back 50 miles the next day.

Caroline, there are so many people riding all types of bikes at all different paces. The ride is not at all a race, although you will see some faster groups. The ride is a fun experience with plenty of stops the whole route. I am sure you and your son will find plenty of people to ride with no matter what pace you want to go. You have the whole day to get there and the day to get back with plenty of support. Just enjoy the ride, be safe, and take your time. We have a team that we try to get people to join every year. Anyone is welcome to join. This will be our third year to ride and raise money together, several of us are from Murfreesboro, the "URSlowRiders". You can check out the team webpage and look for us at the ride.
Craig

https://www.nationalmssociety.org//TNS/personal/my_team.asp?pa=43341294&pd=TNS0EMS120061007JAC

There will be a lot of people riding and it isn't difficult to find someone riding at your pace. This definitely is not a race. This is a ride for you and your friends to do at your own pace whatever that may be. I would consider 12MPH an easier pace and 18-20 an average intermediate pace depending upon how I am feeling. Of course you will see some people going really fast.

There are a lot of rest stops. Last year the stops seemed to be around 10 miles apart on the long route. I suggest getting in and out of the stops quickly. The more time you spend at a rest stop, the harder it is to get going. Last year there was a bike mechanic at every stop, or just about every stop, to help with those little problems that sometimes arise.

One thing that is important about this ride is the route selection. The routes do not start together and split later as they normally do. The long route starts differently and merges into the short route after 20 miles or so. You have to make your route decision from the start and stick to it.

I do this ride because it is fun. There are other rides I do because I want to see how fast I can go or what I can climb. Everyone on this ride just seems to have a good time.