5 borough tour and how to cycle slow?

So i'm meeting up with a friend and his wife to do the NYC 5 bourough bike tour on Sunday. Its suppose to be fun and casual, but he didn't train for it at all....Its 40 miles and he plans on going in cold, like no rides this year cold...His wife is new to cycling and probably has done half this distance a few times tops.. There are 4 or so rest stops and will be plenty of emergency support for those who cant finish.

A few questions:

1. I'd like to stick with them, but is it possible?I'm riding at my strongest and will probably have to shift from 17-18 mph solo to 8-10 mph. Should I destroy my legs the Saturday before(maybe do a hard metric century)? Do I go at my pace and wait for them at the rest stops? Use the heavy wheels? Put the stem spacers back on?Stay in the 52/12?flat pedals? How do you reduce your speed when riding with others who aren't up to speed?

2.For the average mid 30's adults, is it possible to "wing" a 40 mile ride? I told him going in cold is a very bad idea, but he's very confidant about everything. I can heart my way through physical activities, but would really struggle doing a 40 miler with an 8 month-1 year layoff.

3. Do you find that your legs get as fatigued going way under your comfort pace than over it? I've bonked a few times on rides where I've had to hold back. I ran out of food and was out way more hours than expected.

Most likely, ill ride hard the day before and do some "un aeroing" to my bike the day of. I won't go to far in this because theirs a big chance i'll finish alone,lol... It should be a fun day, just thought this would be a funny question to ask, maybe some of you found yourself in similar circumstances.

 

Yes I ranted , the weather called for rain on Sunday and my friend cancelled immediately, thats that. Kind of glad he did, I hear stories all the time of people having heart attacks from trying to do endurance activities untrained. He's one of my good friends and I told him he owes me a tour with proper training.

 

1. I reduce the speed by slowly hitting the brakes and stop pedalling for a couple of seconds. It drastically reduces my built up speed.

2. I think is possible, but that workout wil perhaps leave totally wasted someone with too much time layoff.

3. Depends. I don't get my legs fatigued easily going way under my comfort pace, compared of way over it. But, Surely will get it as fatigued if I ride for several hours without drinking or eating anything.

 

Take it very slow and easy. I would probably invest in some snow tires for your bike if your frame can handle it. This will give you much more traction and a peace of mind while cycling.

 

This was kind of one big rant. My problem is, I like to push myself every ride, but I need to be more patient when riding with newer or slower riders. When I started out, people were patient with me. I have a similar situation happening today, will be riding with my brother who's getting back into it after a winter stop and 2 of his newbie friends. I will be patient and helpful for those 10-15 miles with the new riders and then push the pace with my brother or solo when they're done.

 

When I first joined a group ride, my impulse was to stay in the middle, I had already accepted that I couldn't be in the lead pack. And that was a good idea because it didn't take long for me slide until I was at the tail end. Good thing that some riders stuck with me despite being left behind by a mile. It was a disastrous ride in terms of speed and pacing but that gave me a neat lesson to train in building energy. My second ride with a group was quite okay.