Day 1 - San Francisco to Vallejo

Wow, one day done! It was a fun and challenging day. We actually started in Burlingame and rode northwest to reach the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge. This part of the world is definitely not flat! Although we started at sea level and ended in Vallejo at just 12 ft above sea level, we climbed around 3600 ft today. It was kind of fun riding up and down the streets of San Francisco but definitely a challenge.

Instead of 73 miles today, I got three bonus miles and rode 76. That happens when you stray off course either intentionally or not. My extra three miles included a nice stiff climb which was greatly appreciated! Hahaha.

But I feel good and my legs still feel strong! Tomorrow we ride to Sacramento. Slightly less miles and a lot less climbing so looking forward to that and accomplishing another day's riding!

A brief bit about the other riders - we have a rider from Germany, two from the UK, a couple from Norway. The rest of the riders are from around the US - two from Florida, two from Texas, one from New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina, California, and elsewhere. There are 16 men, 4 women. Ages range from 19 - 70 so we are a pretty diverse group. 

So I'll try and attach a few photos and we'll call it a night!

At the hotel before we started this morning.

Approaching Golden Gate

They do have a pedestrian and bike crossing so we did not have to cross in traffic.

It's a different view as we head inland towards Vallejo. This was along Highway 37.

This is IT!

I'm down to 72 hours! Or at least that's when I'll leave work on Friday and that's when the adventure starts - when you don't have to go back to work. :)

I took Mello Yello, my friend Natalie's bike, out for a couple of training rides over the weekend since my bike is already on it's way to San Francisco.

I had a good 43 mile ride on Saturday and on Memorial Day got in a 32 mile ride with my friend Becky.

We were thrilled with the sunshine and relative warmth! After many many wet training rides, it was nice to have no rain or worms to deal with. (You know they flip up on your bike and stick there and you have to pick them off afterwards? Gross!!) We explored a new little side trail and enjoyed the morning.

Later in the day I attacked my gear pile and started packing. That picture is most of what I'll have for the next two months. Add in a helmet and a couple of jackets. I am limited to one suitcase weighing 35 pounds and another small bag or pack giving me 50 pounds total. I'll be bumping up against the edge of that I'm pretty sure.

I still know nothing about who is riding or how many people on the tour but I do know I have a roommate! So I guess there are at least two of us doing this. I'll meet the rest of the group on Saturday.

Saturday. That's soon! So awesome!!!!

Training Ride 4/18

So less than six weeks to go! Hurray! and Yikes!

Last Saturday I rode 100 miles. The forecast was pretty unsettled and I debated whether I should stick close to home in case of a downpour or just go for it and take off. I decided to carry a backpack with some extra gear and take off. So with some dry clothing and my rain jacket, I set out.

I left my house shortly after 8 and rode downtown over a familiar route for about the first 15 miles, then continued north into unfamiliar territory. About 9:30 it started raining. Then it started hailing. It wasn't that big but it does tend to sting a bit when you're biking into it. I was riding through a park so I pulled off and took shelter for a bit. Got my rain jacket out and was going to put it on but then it stopped. So I just started riding again.

I was riding along the South Platte river and I didn't realize that north of Denver it turns into a campground for the homeless. Someone told me it's a lot better than it used to be. I still saw a lot of tents and a few campfires going in the morning. Seemed appropriate on a cool rainy morning. After about 23 miles, I turned west along Clear Creek which would eventually take me to Golden. Another trail I'd never been on before. It was quite pretty along the creek and I wound through parts of town I'd never encountered before. There were times I wasn't sure I was on the right trail anymore but I decided it really didn't matter. I'd end up somewhere and be able to find my way home, even if it wasn't exactly what I'd planned on.

At mile 33, about 11:30, I had my second encounter with hail. I took shelter under an overpass. You can see some of the hail coming down although not too much actually accumulated on the ground.

 

But within 20 minutes I was approaching the foothills and Golden and the mountain views were really pretty.

 

I did have to do a bit of climbing to get here.

                                     

Once I got to Golden, I wound my way south through town and crossed up and over I-70 as it makes it's way into the mountains. That was about the 45 mile mark and 12:30. I was not covering ground as fast as I had hoped and was a little discouraged with that but just kept trying to enjoy what was around me and keep eating and drinking so I'd be ok for another 55 miles. I got onto the C470 bike trail by Morrison which takes you in a big loop around the Denver metro area. I headed south for quite a while, then west. By about mile 50 I was back on familiar ground, which is good and bad. I was pretty confident I wouldn't get lost but it's not quite as much fun either - no new scenery or things to look at. The trail itself is not very exciting over there. Pretty open, not a lot close by. I started getting hungry for real food - not bike snacks. Almost went to a Chik-Fil-A to grab a sandwich but I was trying to keep moving, hoping to avoid the bad weather that was supposed to be moving in that afternoon. So I kept moving.

Mile 67 I pulled over to take a rest and snack some more. I was fantasizing about a cheeseburger and fries at this point but I had some trail mix instead. It was pretty at least! This was about 2:30 so I'd been out on my bike for 6.5 hours at this point.

 

Same place looking back north

 

The trail that leads towards home - eastward

                                      

Once I got closer to home, I could see that I would have to add on some mileage. If I rode straight home it would only be about 90. So I took a couple little side trails and added a loop around Cherry Creek reservoir. It was great to see my miles remaining finally under 20 miles but that's still over an hour of riding. So close... The wind hadn't been too bad all day long but kind of kicked up for the last hour. So with three miles left, I was riding uphill with the wind in my face. I had nothing left to fight it but I had enough to endure. I just shifted down to my easiest gear and kept pedaling along.

These photos were taken at mile 99. I looked to the west and saw the clouds building up and was happy that I would be inside once those took over the sky!

                           

                             

 

Once I got home, I went inside and just stripped off all my gear and sat down on the couch, feeling like I didn't want to move for about three hours! It was almost 5:30. I'd been thinking I'd probably get back about 4:00 so I missed that guess by quite a ways. I eventually got off the couch although I left most of my gear right where I dropped it. I had ceased feeling hungry and actually didn't feel like eating anything so I started just sipping on some soda and waited for my appetite to come back.

But all in all it was a nice ride and I enjoyed it for the most part. It was just really long!! I felt pretty good on Sunday - legs a little tired but not sore. Monday, which would usually be the day that I would just be feeling completely trashed, I felt surprisingly good. So it seems as though my body is adapting to the long rides pretty decently.

Ten great perks of an inside ride

Riding a bike is just the perfect way to experience the great outdoors. But there are those days when the great outdoors is not that hospitable and maybe you need to log some training hours despite the weather conditions. Such has been the case for me the last couple of weekends. So I have a cycling trainer that lets me use my bike inside making it feel like I've biked miles and miles while never moving an inch. It is not as nice as a ride outside on a perfect day but it does have it's good side. Let me share some of those with you.

1 - You can start your ride  when it's still really dark outside.

 2 - When it gets light, you can admire the icicles without turning into one.

3 - Snacks are always handy! (Maybe too handy.)

4 - Cold drinks are available - no more lukewarm electrolytes!

 5 - You can work on your laundry during breaks from the bike.

6 - There always seems to be a restroom nearby when you need one. I didn't take a photo of this one. Use your imagination.

7 - You can text while riding and not worry about wrecking.

8 - Dry shirt and shorts and a fresh towel halfway through the ride!

9 - In-ride entertainment

10 - No pedestrians, dogs, or small children to avoid. You are virtually guaranteed a wreck free ride!

Bonus photo - you might be a cyclist if...

My Route

So with the countdown at 14 weeks, I'm looking at a lot of snow outside. This means that training happens inside since I am not going to ride my bike in the snow. Running in snow is one thing. I did that last year while training for the Phoenix marathon.

17 mile run in this

But riding in snow with possible ice just doesn't seem that smart. I can hear the arguments now - riding your bike across the country isn't exactly smart either! But I'll pretend I don't know what you're thinking.

My basic view for about six hours this weekend

So since the riding wasn't all that exciting, I thought I'd share my basic route with you which I do find exciting! I'm riding with America by Bicycle and here's the route they have planned.

If you see anywhere along there that you want to ride along, just let me know! I'm also accepting offers of free food and/or ice cream if I happen to pass through your town. Book your appointment early as I am expecting those spaces to fill quickly. 

What Happens on Saturday

So I went for a bike ride on Saturday. That's actually pretty much every single Saturday but I'm pretending like it was a choice just for fun instead of something I do because I'm terrified I won't be ready to ride my bike for 52 days in less than 16 weeks. You might think going for a bike ride is a pretty easy deal. Just get on your bike and go, right? Not when you think as much as I do. Let me give you a peek at my psychotic bike ride preparation.

What do I need to wear? Shorts? Tights? Long sleeves? Jacket? It's sunny, forecast says high will be close to 70°. Probably means I'm safe with shorts. But it's February. Really? Yeah, I think shorts. Jacket on top? No. But probably not short sleeves. Long sleeves with a wind vest? Ummm, ok.

The ponds are frozen but I'm riding in shorts!

Ok, food. How long am I going to be out? 5 hours? So I need one, two, three, four, five, sixish snacks. What am I going to want? Should I take a sandwich? Mmm, no. Ooh, but those peanut butter pretzels, those can come along. A chocolate CLIF shot, Jelly Belly sports beans, blueberry newtons, and a Bonk Bar cut into pieces for easy eating complete the menu.

One bottle with water, one bottle with lemon-lime Powerade.

South of Castlewood Canyon State Park on dirt roads, Pikes Peak is the blip on the horizon.

Oh yeah, sunscreen. Face, neck, ears, arms just in case I get warm and push my sleeves up.

$10 just because you never know.

Inflate the tires to 105 psi.

Helmet, gloves, sunglasses, shoes, phone, Garmin, keys.

You know what sounds really great? A nap. A nap would be the best thing ever. No napping. Gotta ride.

I'm digging the dirt today!

Where should I ride? No big loop, boring and too many people. Forecast says wind from the SW so if I head south first I should have a tailwind coming home. I could ride down to Castlewood Canyon - take the Cherry Creek trail south, hop out onto Parker Road whenever I run out of trail. Sure, sounds good.

Wind vest or no wind vest? I'll take it. No. Maybe not. But - it's February! But it's supposed to be 70°. I'll be fine. Ok, leave it here. 

A beautiful winter(?) day!

It was a gorgeous day. Once I stopped fantasizing about napping, I decided it would be a perfect day to spend the whole day on my bike! 

I rode through suburban areas, parks, pastures, open prairie, sagebrush, pines; on concrete, asphalt, and dirt. I just took anything that was thrown at me as a challenge and rode on! Mud builds character, especially on a road bike.

So does wind! And I built a lot of character in the last hour as the wind blasted from the north and I rode right into it. So much for a tailwind on the way home. I decided the rest of the ride was enough fun that it balanced out pretty well. 

So there you go. My Saturday ride. Only 15 more Saturday rides before the real deal! Wow. Excuse me, I need to go get on my bike!

Guess what? Should have sunscreened my legs!

How Many Hills to Hillsboro?

About 46 years ago, a man named Fred Bauer read an account of Sir Francis Chichester circumnavigating the globe solo in his ship, the Gypsy Moth. Fred seems to have been a pretty average guy. He was married with three children and was pursuing a career as a writer with good success. Reading about the adventures of Sir Francis however, he started casting about for an adventure of his own. Maybe hiking from the East to West coast? Or if not hiking, maybe on bike?

About 40 years ago, the book he wrote about his family’s adventures cycling across the United States found its way into my home. “How Many Hills to Hillsboro?” left me with a desire to do the same thing – ride my bicycle across the United States.

This is the year that happens. I start cycling on May 31, leaving San Francisco and the Pacific coast. I will arrive at the Atlantic coast at Portsmouth, NH on July 21, 3,851 miles later. I welcome your company in whatever form that takes!