Cousin Jack,
Not quite so long ago as my first long ride I rode my first race in your neck of the woods. It was from Ellensburg to the Columbia and back on the old Vantage highway. I finished dead last
I was riding a low end road bike that I bought from a co-worker after his wife crashed into the garage, bending the fork. She had never ridden a bike with hand brakes, and did not want anything to do with them after the crash. I had fixed it up pretty nice, with some component upgrades. Later, I acquired a Peugeot PX10, a really nice bike bike, but that still did help very much.
As a matter of fact, there was hardly anyone at the finish line when I finally made it. Not even my wife, she had gone into town with the kids to get lunch!