Serendipity and a Handlebar Bag

Call it serendipity.  As you may have read in my previous posts, one of the last things that I’ve been trying to find for the trip was a waterproof handlebar bag to carry stuff during the day that I might need, including my rain gear.  Every bag seemed to have a “fatal flaw”—either it sticks up too high over the handlebars, opens to the front rather than toward the rider, doesn’t have a window for a cue sheet or map, isn’t waterproof, or is too expensive. 

I’ve been in Florida the past four days for a wedding.  I decided not to stay at the “official” wedding hotel, but instead made a reservation at a nearby Hampton Inn in the Brickell section of Miami.  That proved to be a serendipitous decision.  When I arrived at the Hampton I noticed a small bicycle shop next door—Brickell Bikes.  Yesterday I decided to drop in and just ask what they had in the way of handlebar bags.  I'd already been to several bike shops in the DC Area and had no luck, so I had no expectations of finding what I wanted. The guy there said he only had one in the back that he’d had for awhile.  Well, it was a waterproof Blackburn bag that only sticks up about two inches from the handlebars, opens toward the rider, not only has a window on top but also a waterproof map holder, and at $80 seemed reasonably priced.  But why hadn’t I ever seen this bag before in my searches?  Turned out that I had seen it online, but with a $105 pricetag I never considered it.  But for $80 it was exactly what I needed.
Had I not made the decision to stay at a different hotel than most of the wedding guests, I would still be searching for that elusive handlebar bag.  But now the only thing left is tofind a pair of lightweight rain covers for my bike shoes.  Equipment-wise I’m almost ready.  Now I just have to see if everything will fit in my small suitcase and rolling gym bag!

Three weeks from today I will have started my journey with the short ride from the hotel to the ocean for the wheeldip.  Is this really going to happen?

Panic Time!

This past weekend marked the T-minus four weeks mark in the countdown until the beginning of this great adventure.  And for the first time a bit of panic has set in!  So little time left.  So much to do.  So little training accomplished compared to what I had planned.

Why panic?  I just haven’t been feeling great.  I think it has a lot to do with not having ridden much lately, and certainly nowhere near as much as I feel I need.  I had hoped that by the time I get on the airplane on June 18^th to fly to Oregon I would have racked up 2,000 miles of riding this year to make sure my body was in shape for the 3,650-mile trek.  Right now I am 598 miles short of that goal thanks to the lousy weather we’ve had so far this spring, and a host of other priorities that seem to be sucking up my time.  I had anticipated a big cycling weekend this past weekend and instead I had to spend almost 15 hours working on a sudden requirement from a consulting project I’m involved with, and a host of other household things that could wait no longer.  And it didn’t help that instead of the normally expected 70+ degree weather this time of year, it was in the low 50’s with continuous, frequently heavy, rain.  Yes, I know—I’m going to have to ride in the rain.  And I can.  But, when faced with things that must be done indoors, a rainy day is the best time to do them.

The good news is that it is supposed to start getting warmer today, and dry tomorrow.  The bad news is that on Thursday I have to head to Florida for a wedding over next weekend which means the loss of what looks like several good riding weather days.  Then when I get back I will have about three days before I have to take my bicycle to the shop to have it readied for the trip, packed, and sent off to Oregon.  I have another bike to ride once the Trek Domane is put into Fedex’s hands, but I realize that I will not be as trained, nor as physically ready, as I had hoped.  And on this trip, the first set of mountains comes early!

America by Bicycle says they will carry two pieces of luggage, not weighing more than 50 pounds.  I weighed my small suitcase and my rolling gym/duffel bag over the weekend.  Egad!  Combined they weigh 19 lbs., which means I really only have 31 pounds to work with for seven weeks! I’ve begun putting stuff together, and how will I ever get it all (including this laptop) into those two pieces of luggage?

Finally, I’m struggling to find two final pieces of equipment that I need.  I want a handlebar bag for my bicycle that is waterproof, that will hold my camera, rain gear, cellphone, a few other items plus an ultrasonic dog chaser (a 5” x 3” x 2” device that supposedly emits sounds that will stop a dog in its tracks.  I’ve had it for at least 20 years, never used it and have no idea if it really works!).  Ideally the bag does not extend much over the top of the handlebars and the top opens toward me while I ride.  And I want to find a pair of light but effective rain covers for my bike shoes (which if I buy them, will probably ensure that there is no rain on the trip!).  Did I mention “reasonably priced”?  Everything I’ve seen fails at least one of these criteria!

It’s overcast this morning, but not raining!  So it’s time to stop writing, take care of one or two things that need to be done, and then get on the bike.  Some hard mileage between now and Thursday (and some shopping success) will hopefully be the best antidotes for panic!

Equipment, Training and a Month to Go

Recovery from the surgery two weeks ago has been a little bit slower than I had hoped, but even if it had been quicker, weather and the remainder of “life” have not cooperated well with my training since my last post.  I did get in a couple of 35 mile rides this week, and today and tomorrow are supposed to be, if not sunny, at least rain-free.  So it’s serious mileage time, and I'll be heading out to ride as soon as this post is finished.

I’ve still been trying to wrap up two remaining equipment issues.  The smaller one is to find a handlebar bag that is waterproof, not too big, but with room for my rain jacket, camera, ultrasonic dog repelling device (more on that below), and other little items I want to have within easy reach while on the bike.  Not everybody on these tours uses a handlebar bag, but since I’m not riding for speed, I am not too concerned with the minimal aerodynamic drag that the bag creates.  Of course the kicker that is making it so hard to find a bag that meets these requirements is that I don’t want to spend a huge amount—after all I probably won’t use the bag again in the foreseeable future.  I’ve been looking online.  I’ve been to several local bike stores.  REI.  I just haven’t found a waterproof one I like yet that meets my other criteria.

The bigger equipment issue, though are the wheels.  Without getting too technical, my bike had a wonderful set of Zipp wheels which are very fast.  However, the number of spokes on those wheels is relatively low (18 on the front wheel and 20 on the back).  Generally, the fewer spokes, the less durable the wheel will be.  That’s no problem if you’re one of those 150 lb. thin riders.  I’m not!  And this trip will be tough on wheels. 

I have a pair of pretty nice wheels by Velocity, an Australian company, that have 36 spokes, that were on the bike I used for commuting when I was working.  But the more spokes, the heavier and slower the wheel.  I purchased a compromise set of wheels by a company in Denver called Rol (pronounced “roll”….get it?).  I mentioned these wheels in the my previous post.  Rol said that their wheels are almost as fast as the Zipps, but they have 24 spokes on the front and 28 in the back making them more durable.  I thought they might be the perfect solution for this trip.  The Rol's have proven not to be nearly as fast the Zipps, and don't seem much faster than the Velocity wheels.  I’ve switched back and forth a couple times between the Rol's and the Velocity wheels and I’m undecided whether the Rol's have enough of a speed advantage to use them, or whether I should use the high spoked Velocity wheels.  Last night I switched the bike back to the Velocity wheels and today will run the same course I ran earlier this week with the Rol’s and compare.  I’ve got another ten days to decide.  Then I have to take the bike to my local bike shop for a full check, adjustments, packaging, and then send it to the hotel in Oregon.

In the next week I need to put in a fair amount of mileage to get myself better ready for the trip.  A week from today I am going to Florida for a family wedding so I will lose four days of riding over Memorial Day weekend.  And then when I get back I will only have a day or two of riding before the bike has to go to the shop.  It feels like the calendar is moving much quicker now.

I just looked at the date on my computer screen.  One month from today the bucket list cycle trip begins in Astoria.  Wow!

Logistics

Last week I received from America by Bicycle some more information on the trip.  I’m glad that I’m taking a tour with a tour operator, because even with all of the logistics taken care of there are sure a lot of logistics!

Astoria, Oregon where we start riding is about 100 miles west of Portland.  So first is to make arrangements to get to Astoria, and to get the bicycle to Astoria.  The only public transportation to Astoria is a bus that runs from Amtrak in Portland, twice per day.  That requires using the light rail between the Portland airport and Amtrak, which seemed just fine to me since I’d just ship the bicycle by Fedex direct from home to the hotel.  However, when I estimated the cost of shipping the bike, it appears that checking the bike if I fly Southwest (they charge a lot less for checking a bike than the traditional airlines like American, United and Delta) and renting an SUV from Hertz and returning it in Astoria, may not be a lot more expensive than shipping the bike and taking the bus.  So I’ve rented the car and have more time to compare.  I’ve had to reserve a hotel room for arrival night in Astoria, since the tour officially starts at noon on Sunday, June 19, but I’m flying out on June 18.

I talked with my bike shop about getting the bike ready and packing it up.   The tour operator sends a checklist of servicing that you have to have done on your bike before the trip.  And they include a signoff sheet that your bike mechanic has to sign.  I can hear the cash register at the bike shop ringing!  Then it rang even louder when they told me what they would to package the bike for shipping/checking on the airplane, but if I use my own hard case, then I’ll have to pay to ship the hardcase back home, since the tour operator doesn’t have room to carry people’s cases.

While all this was happening, I discovered that when I ordered a new pair of wheels for the trip, I did not receive the proper front wheel.  The one I had (and that I have ridden on for awhile) did not have as many spokes as the version I had paid for.  So, I had to contact the company.  Rol Wheels was very accommodating.  They Fedex’d me the proper wheel, but then I had to take the old one off, box it up and send it back to them.  Just another logistic!

The tour operator provided a list of items I need to bring.  Most I had thought of.  Some I hadn’t.  I have a pair of sunglasses with a prescription insert, but I need to try and get new pair so that I have two--just in case.  I saw a pair online at a sport prescription sunglass vendor.  But when I called and tried to get dimensions to make sure they offered the coverage I wanted, they couldn’t give me that information.  So now I will have to go to visit local opticians to try to find something good.  I’ve been comparing online handlebar bags for my bicycle.  I thought that two of the ones that looked good were carried at REI.  So yesterday I went there.  They had neither in stock.  And the ones they had, plus the ones at a bike shop, didn’t have what I thought was enough capacity.  So that search continues.  I need to find some new cycling socks and want to find some with some compression, since I normally wear compression socks due to some lifelong venous insufficiency problems in my legs.  I’ve found several online, but they aren’t available locally.  So I’ll have to order one each of three types, try them, and then order a few more pairs of the ones I like.   I have a cycling rain jacket, but not rain pants.

This week  I got a more detailed itinerary which included the amount of climbing I would do each day of the ride.  There’s about 108,000 feet of climbing in 3,650 miles, or just under 30 feet a mile, which is my average ride around the DC area.  However, there are eight days where we climb in excess of 50 ffet a mile, including the third full day of cycling with 5,150 feet of climbing on a 66 mile ride—78 feet per mile.  Ouch!  For those of you who are cycling aware and want to see the gory details of the climbs, check out the details of the Bucket List Cycle Trip Data.

So I’ve got to step up my training.  But I’ve been off the bike for five days now.  A hernia that had not bothered me in the 40 years since it was identified, suddenly a few weeks ago began to make its presence known.  So last week I got it repaired.  I’ll probably be ready for some easy rides for the rest of the week starting tomorrow.  Next week, let the real training and climbing begin!  Only five weeks and five days until the start of the adventure.   

The Clock is Ticking. The Rain is Falling.

Sunday, May 1, 2016

This week brought home the realization that the clock is ticking toward my trip.  Making plane reservations to fly out to Oregon, getting a detailed preparation guide for the trip from America by Bicycle, struggling to get in my training miles because of a thousand other priorities,  and trying to do that in the face of adjustments to my normal cycling nutrition routine due to the Passover holiday all made me very aware that there’s a million things to be done in the next seven weeks.

But probably the thing that brought home the magnitude of the impending trip had nothing to do with the trip itself.  This past week was the fifth anniversary of the death of my wife, Dot, in a tragic fall from the second floor to the first at a townhouse we owned at the Jersey Shore that was going to be our summer post-retirement home.  She had gone up there to spend a few days during the Easter/Passover break from the school where she worked, while I stayed home in Maryland to work.  Passover will always be a sad reminder of that week.

As I realized this week that this trip is going to happen, I thought back to 1998.  We lived in Dallas then and I had gotten agreement from my employer there to take two months off that summer to do a similar ride across the country.  Due to a medical issue, I had to cancel.  But Dot always encouraged me to plan to do it again, whenever I could get the two months I'd need.  So with the focus this week on Dot, and on the impending trip, I’ve thought many times how happy she would be that I’m finally getting to realize my dream.  But it just won’t be the same for her not to be there in New Hampshire to see me dip my front wheel in the Atlantic to mark the completion of my journey, 18 years after the first time it was supposed to happen.  Because even though I may realize my dream, she was not able to realize many of hers.

My longest ride this week was a 60-miler.  But because of Passover I couldn’t use my normal energy gel during my ride.  I ended up getting the bonk and barely got back to where I had parked the car. Wednesday morning it was raining and I looked forward to riding in it.  After all, there’s very little chance that in 50 days of riding, it won’t rain on me at least a couple of those days.  So I threw the bike in the car along with my rain gear, drove down to the park, got out the bike, and then watched the rain stop!  And what happened as soon as I finished my ride and headed back home?  You guessed it.  It started to rain!  How does that old saying go?  Everyone talks about the weather….but nobody can do anything about it.

This morning, though, I finally got my wish.  There are a number of blind athletes in Marci’s triathlon club.  Several months ago she asked me if I would be the “guide” on the tandem for one of them in a triathlon in May.  I thought that would be a great thing to do.  I’ve piloted Kevin’s tandem twice on practice rides with him riding on the back.  Well, today was the triathlon and guess what--it was pouring this morning! After he finished his swim (which he is able to do by himself because it is a pool swim using roped off lanes) we headed out on the bike.  Despite the hard rain we did well, my rain gear worked well, and I realized after about 10 minutes that I hardly noticed it was raining (despite the need for windshield wipers on my glasses and the frequent puddles we had to roll through)!  I am a bit more confident now about rain on the tour.  And even though the mileage was short, the tandem ride, especially on the uphillls, was a good workout!

By the way, Marci was Kevin’s guide on the run.  He ended up first in the Physically Challenged division.  It felt good to have helped make it possible for him to compete and win.

Tomorrow 80 degrees and hopefully enough time for long mileage.  Seven weeks from today the trip starts for real.