Two Weeks To Go

As I start writing this, I am exactly two weeks away from my connection layover at the Las Vegas airport en route to Portland.  I’m sure I’ll leave the airport several quarters lighter—victims of the airport slot machines!  It is hard to believe that after all the years of anticipation, my coast-to-coast bucket list cycle trip is almost here.

This has turned into a very good week of training, but one that leaves me wondering about my conditioning.  After returning from Miami Sunday night, I needed Monday to take care of “stuff”, including picking up the Trek Domane at the bicycle shop where it went through a check out and tune up while I was in Florida.  I rode it over some of the hilliest routes in the DC Metro Area.  The shop did a good job--the bike is ready.  I’m not so sure about the motor (me!)   My average speed in the low 14 mph range was much lower than I anticipated, much lower than usual, and I noticed that my cadence—the rate at which I turn the pedals—was much lower than the ideal 80 revolutions per minute.

So after slogging through a couple of hilly rides, when the Domane went back to the shop for them to break it down, box it up, and Fedex it to Oregon, I switched my training mode.  Instead of the Domane, I’m now riding my 2003Lemond Arrivee, and I’m focusing on flatter terrain and working to get my pedaling rate up.  Those of you who aren’t cyclists may be surprised to know that in general it’s easier to ride long distances spinning the pedals easily at a higher speed, than it is to push a bit more at a lower pedaling speed.   It is less tiring.  Today’s ride averaged over 16 mph so I’m a bit happier than earlier in the week.  I got in just shy of 250 miles this week and do feel a bit stronger than a couple of days ago, but I’m happy that after the rain tomorrow, next week is supposed to be good weather as I really do need to put in some more high cadence riding to get my conditioning up.

On Thursday I met a young guy named Alex Green from Toronto while I was riding past the Kennedy Center in DC.  (To those of you who know a bit more about me and my cycling, I met him at the exact location where “the duck incident” occurred several years ago!).  Alex was riding a recumbent bicycle on a trip from his home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Key West, Florida.  That will be a two month trip—the same amount of time as my coast-to-coast effort.  Then he’ll turn around and head back to Toronto though the Midwest, arriving there in late August after a four month journey all together.  He’s doing it for the Bikes Belong Foundation, which focuses on safety for cyclists.  You might want to take a peek at his blog.

A big logistical hurdle was addressed yesterday.  I packed up everything in the small suitcase and duffel bag that I want to take.  And it all fit!  So now I relax about that.  The rain covers for my bike shoes came today.  I’ll test them out in the shower tomorrow (actually maybe I’ll test them out in the rain), see if they work, and then have everything I need.

This coming week will end with a joint training ride with my daughter Marci on Saturday.  She’s getting ready to do Ironman Lake Placid in July and told me that next weekend she needs to do a century, and asked me if I wanted to do it with her.  On my coast-to-coast ride I’ll be doing five centuries and five more rides of over 90 miles, so doing my first century of the year sounds like a good idea.  I’ll let you know next weekend how it goes.  And whether I feel ready.  But ready or not, the time is fast approaching.