Welcome

This blog covers my 2010 bicycle trip from Costa Mesa, California to Savannah, Georgia over 27 days and 2,900 miles (assuming I don't get lost). If you are new to blogs, the most recent posts are at the top; start from the bottom (and last page) and read up to see the posts in chronological order. I am riding with a company (America by Bicycle) that specializes in long distance bicycle trips.

In April of 2009, I completed the first leg of this trip from Costa Mesa to Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was 840 miles over 7 days. It was easily the most difficult physical challenge I had ever attempted. I pushed myself harder than I ever imagined I could. Along the way, I learned a tremendous amount and met some really great people. The staff and fellow riders were an incredible group of cyclists.

One of the things I learned with the 2009 ride was that I needed to train harder to enjoy a fast-paced cross-country bike trip - as opposed to just surviving it. I live in Bermuda - an island that is only 21 miles long and about 1 mile wide. It is difficult to get in the 350+ miles per week that you need to average to get in shape. But that is not an excuse... I just have to accept the fact that I'm going to get dizzy going around this island so many times.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

2009 Ride

As I mentioned in the opening section of this blog, I rode the first leg of this journey in 2009.  That portion ran from Costa Mesa, CA to Albuquerque, NM.  It was seven days and 840 miles.  This year I will be starting again in Costa Mesa and retracing those seven days before continuing onto Georgia.  As I am training here in Bermuda, it is the memories of those grueling seven days that keeps me motivated and out on the road when I'd rather be at home (or pretty much anywhere else, for that matter).  We average 120 miles per day on those first seven days and climb a total of nearly six vertical miles.  There are a few descents in there as well, but I seem to mainly remember the endless hours spent grinding up those southwestern mountains.

I must admit that last year I did not complete all of the 840 miles.  I had problems on the second and fourth days.  On day two, I was suffering from dehydration and stomach cramps; I only rode about 40 miles that morning and the last 18 miles in the afternoon (which seemed like another 40).  My legs gave out on me about halfway through on day four, which has around 8700 feet of climbing.  Beginning on day five, I felt better and was riding stronger.  The last two days were about 135 miles each (back-to-back double metric centuries) and I was feeling like a pro by then.

The leader of the ride, Mike Munk, does an outstanding job of taking hundreds of pictures each day.  He then edits them down onto a CD and sends it to you after the ride.  Below are a few of his pics along with a description of the action (or lack thereof) in the picture.



Day 1

This is me being pulled up the hill by Linda, a very good cyclist from Tuscon.  I'd love to show you a pic of me setting the pace and Linda drafting behind me; unfortunately, I could find no such pic (mainly because that never happened).








Day 2

In retrospect, I can see the problem with day two.  We have to GET OVER THOSE FREAKIN' MOUNTAINS!
Day 3


We rode from Blythe CA to Wickenburg AZ and the scenery was pretty much like this the whole way (in other words, we went from nowhere to nowhere-else without a whole lot in between).





Day 4

Again ... what is the deal with all these mountains?





















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Day 5
Best day of biking ever!  I love this pic.  Note that the mountains are behind us (we climbed them earlier in the day).  Also, check out how much room that truck is giving me.  In Bermuda, I'd be the guy in between the semi and the Budget rental truck






Day 6

In case you hadn't noticed, we did a whole lot of riding along the interstate.  Out west, when it is the only road connecting two towns, cyclists are allowed to ride on the shoulder of the interstate.  Personally, I liked riding along the interstates.  The road surface conditions are usually pretty good and the climbs are somewhat gentle.  My top speed along the interstate was about 45 mph (downhill with a tailwind).




Day 7

This is "Ten-Mile Hill" just outside of Albuquerque.  I'm one of the riders way back in the distance.  I'm not sure the picture does a good job of conveying the steepness of the climb, and I was more than a little freaked out at this point.  I mean... I had just ridden 116 miles and now had to contend with ten miles of this?!  However, the hill is considerably shorter than 10 miles.  I subsequently learned that it is called "Ten-Mile Hill" because you can see it from at least ten miles away.  Seriously.

Along those lines... you should see the forty-foot TV in my living room.
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