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 18th 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!
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