Pre-ride

Mapping the Revised Route

Wheel full 70pxI’ve spent some time working with Ride with GPS [linkie] in revising my cross-the-country route and working out final maps.  Here is the latest all-in-one map

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and each of the five stages.

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Wheel full 70pxStage I through IV is each 1,000 miles/1,600 kilometers,  Stage V is about 139 miles/75 kilometers.  Click on any of the map images to see a full size map.  The full size stage maps are all of equal scale to the others.  Here are links to the maps on Ride with GPS, which you can enlarge to street level detail.  You can navigate between stages directly using the linkie on the right side of the map.

David Edgren

Houston, we have a (foot) problem…

Wheel full 70pxBig feet run (pardon the unintended pun) in my family.

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“Plates of meat,” as the Brits say.  More like platters in my case.

Wheel full 70pxOver the years, I’ve had problems at various times finding shoes large enough to fit properly, and especially in this day and age where manufacturers seem to arbitrarily take every hundredth bigfoot size shoe that comes off the assembly line and label it a size or two larger, and in kilometers or something. I mean, I’m no chauvinist, but why should I have to care about “EU” shoe sizes?  It’s bad enough that my feet have mutated grown from size 13 when I was in high school to their current size 15 or 15.5 state, but “EU 52?”  That sounds like some kind of Bulgarian perfume.  And why such a huge upper range (that nobody seems to make in any event)?  If your feet are EU 16, do you need a magnifying glass to see them?

Wheel full 70pxIn any event, and putting the snark aside, finding an EU size 52 bicycling shoe with SPD cleats is, in this day and age of, failing all else, being able to find just about anything on Amazon, well nigh hopeless.  Endless Google searches have resulted in zilch.  My query on BikeForums [linkie] resulted in a couple of responses that gave some seemingly specific information but after calling nearly every bike shop in Seattle trying to chase them down with no luck- lots of sympathy but no luck- I felt pretty defeated.

Wheel full 70pxEven worse, my friends at Bike Gallery [linkie] in Portland had an EU 52 Shimano shoe that seemed to fit pretty well- tight and stiff, but that’s why they are a biking shoe.  Except that my ankle where it meets my foot prevents the “strap and ratchet” closure at the top of the shoe from coming together, much less fastening.  Great shoe, but not for me.

Wheel full 70pxI’m going to call other shops in Portland today, hoping against hope I might be able to find something to take back to Alaska with me to break in over the next month or so.  If anyone reading this has any suggestions or recommendations, please let me hear from you.  Otherwise, wish me luck.  I think I’m going to need it.

David Edgren

The Method to My Madness

Wheel full 70pxFor those of you who have looked at my route on Ride with GPS [linkie] and wondered

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let me see if this helps.

Wheel full 70pxI know my route is certainly not the most direct way to get across the country.

Boundary Map not Annotated - 800px

It stays way south for a long time, makes a right-hand turn up the lower Mississippi Valley, then finally starts heading northwest in Arkansas.  Relentlessly northwest, almost to the Canadian border.  Then I’ll head west again, dipping down into Oregon before the last northwest dash to the Pacific Coast.  The distance between the two places is only about 2,500 miles/4,000 km as the crow flies [linkie].

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Wheel full 70pxBut I’m not a crow.  I’m a 63 year old fat guy with, as my grandpa used to say, “arthur-itis.”  I haven’t really pushed myself in years.  I found out in 2014 when I tried to walk the Cotswold Way in England [linkie] that my knees just won’t let me walk any meaningful distance>  But I can cycle all day long at 10 miles/16 km per hour.  I mean, does that make any sense?

Wheel full 70pxSo I’m setting some goals at the outset.  I base my planned mileage (kilometerage?) on riding six of seven days each week.  I won’t necessarily need to take advantage of that day, but it’s there if I need it.  So the ride goes like this.

  • Week one: 40 (and a bit extra) miles/65 km each day for 250 miles/400 km total.
  • Week two:  50 miles/80 km each day for 300 miles/480 km total.
  • Week three:  66 (and a bit extra) miles/100 km each day for 400 miles/640 km total.
  • Week four on:  75 miles/100 km each day for 450 miles/720 km total.

On my Baja and other Pacific Coast rides, I was doing 75 miles/120 km a day by day four.  So I think I’ve built in a reasonable cushion, given that those rides were 20 years ago.  So I planned my route with, so to speak, an ace in the hole…

 

Annotated elevation chartClick to embiggen

The first four weeks of the ride are essentially flat.

Wheel full 70pxOh yeah, there’s some up and down terrain, especially in week four as the route starts up the valley of the Arkansas River.  But not much.  And I think I can (or will be able to by that point) deal with it.

David Edgren

To-Do List 0.2

Wheel full 70pxThe second cut at the to-do list, now in better order.  These remain items that involve accomplishing something between now and July 25th.  As before, the ones followed by a question mark are things I need to research/make decisions about. Your input on these is particularly appreciated.

Green are done.  Red are urgent need to do.

Physical Health

  • Dietitian – UPDATE: Appointment 6/21/16
  • Endocrinologist – UPDATE: On wait list
  • Dentist
  • GP
    • heatstroke?
    • salt tablets?
    • chafing
    • muscle pains
    • numbness
  • Meds
    • ADDED: Refills?
  • Sunblock
  • First aid kit
  • Personal care items

Bicycle clothing, outerwear and shoes

  • Bicycling shoes
  • Socks and underwear
  • Pants and shorts
  • Shirts
  • Outerwear
  • Rain gear
  • Gloves

Other clothing

  • Street clothes, ADDED: underwear and socks
  • Street shoes

Camping gear

  • Tent
  • Sleeping bag
  • ADDED: Ground pad
  • ADDED: Small flashlight

Other gear

  • Goggles
  • Helmet
    • Helmet mirror

Routing

  • RidewithGPS
    • Finalize routing
    • ID bike shops along route
    • ID lodging/campgrounds along route
    • ADDED: ID bike organizations/clubs along route
      • ADDED: Contact and provide routing info and tentative dates in area/request feedback  DO ASAP
    • Cue sheets
      • Print and laminate ADDED: ? Note: Are these necessary?- duplicates cue sheets on iPhone

Travel to JAX and final pre-ride

  • ID JAX bicycle shop UPDATE: Done- Zen Cog
    • Arrange assembly of bike in JAX
  • Air travel ANC to Florida UPDATE: On 7/22/16 to JAX
    • ADDED: Make reservation DO ASAP
  • Ground travel airport/lodging to Zen Cog
  • Pre-ride lodging/camping in JAX

Tool kit and spare parts

  • tire bars
  • inflation gauge
  • patch kit
  • hex wrenches
  • spoke wrench
  • Quicklink
  • Chain lube
  • Extra tubes (part of bike purchase)
  • Extra tire (part of bike purchase)
  • Extra spokes (part of bike purchase)
  • spoke nipples

Misc Accessories

  • ADDED: iPhone Quadlock case on hand
  • Quadlock cardio monitor ADDED: Ordered/received

Photography

  • Handlebar bag camera UPDATE: Canon “M” Series w/ lenses on hand
  • ADDED: Flexible tripod
  • ADDED: iPhone Quadlock case tripod connector on hand
  • ADDED: iPhone remote shutter release on hand
  • iPhone card upload cable UPDATE: On hand

Handlebar stuff

  • Handlebar bag (part of bike purchase)
  • iPhone Quadlock stem/handlebar mount ADDED: Ordered/received
  • ADDED: Bar ends (part of bike purchase)
  • Handlebar tape
  • iPhone card upload cable UPDATE: On hand

Frame stuff

  • Frame mount pump
  • Water bottle(s) (part of bike purchase)

Bike protection

  • Lock(s)
  • ADDED: Security cable

“Should I?”

  • Camelback?
  • Strava?
  • Solar panel?
  • Bounce box?
  • AAA?
  • Handlebar speaker?
  • GoPro?

Budget

  • Spreadsheet

Miscellaneous

  • Upgrade data plan ADDED: for iPhone

 

Wheel full 70pxThis is the first effort to organize this list. The next iteration will take into account comments and suggestions made thus far.  As before, if you see anything I am missing or an item you want to give me input on or about, please comment below.

GoPro or No?

Wheel full 70pxIt’s been suggested that I buy a GoPro camera to take on the trip.

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Wheel full 70pxThey look like a pretty nifty device. The idea of automatically documenting the ride as you go along is appealing. But…

1.  It looks high maintenance. Memory cards? Power? Weather resistance?
2. Bike riding is inherently not really smooth. Video quality?
3. Comfort. What is it like to have one of these hanging off your helmet all day?
4. Utility. Does anyone really want to look at 500 or so hours of YouTube video of a quirky route across the US shot at around 10 miles an hour? Doesn’t Google Maps pretty much offer that without all the pedalling?

Wheel full 70pxSo I know nothing about having and using a GoPro. Is it really the best use of around $400 out of the ride budget? I welcome discussion of this, and particularly by folks who have used one of these gadgets.

David Edgren

It’s Not about the Tech

Wheel full 70pxI’ve been looking at the great comments that have been made on the “to-do” list thread as the train I am currently riding traverses the Great Plains in northern North Dakota and it crossed my mind emphatically that my focus during this ride will not be on the gadgets that I would be taking with me.  In other words, I don’t intend to ride for 4,000+ miles watching the screen of my handlebar-mounted iPhone.  I’m not going on the ride for that. If that was the point, I could do the same ride by sitting on my stationary bike at home for about 500 hours over 10 weeks or so. Either way, I’d never see this.

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Now, we can argue the merits of whether that is worth seeing or not, but hey… I’m the one doing the pedaling.

Wheel full 70pxAnd don’t get me wrong.  The tech is great.  On my first long distance bike rides I packed a bunch of paper maps, a North Face tent with shock-corded 1/2 inch/1.25 cm aluminium poles that I had to bungee to the frame, a brass Svea pressurized white gas backpacker stove, a fuel flask, a candle lantern (remember those?) and a bunch of stuff that probably all together weighed more than my bike.  Unless I was at an intersection or a landmark I never really knew where I was. If I broke down out in the boonies I had no way to call for help. My finicky little fork mounted generator- the kind that had a little roller that needed to press just right on the side of the tire- made just enough electricity to power a dim to the point of useless front and rear light. Bike helmets as we know them today pretty much didn’t even exist. But I rode anyway, and took some really great trips.

Wheel full 70pxSo for a modest investment, I’ll be outfitted on this trip with stuff I couldn’t have even dreamed up in 1970. But no matter how good it all is, no matter how amazing, it isn’t what the ride is about. That’s how you’ll know me if I happen to pass by. I’ll be the guy with my head up, looking around, and making the most out of crossing the country at about 10 miles an hour.

David Edgren

I’m on the way across the country…

…no, not on the bike.  On the train.

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Wheel full 70pxMy wife and I left Boston yesterday and pulled in to Chicago this morning. We are now on the Empire Builder leaving Milwaukee and due in Seattle on Wednesday.

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Wheel full 70pxI had hoped to complete several posts while on the train, but there is no wi-fi except for my iPhone hotspot. That is proving difficult to use. I’ll be working offline and see what I can get done that way. Lots on the way.

David Edgren

To-Do List 0.1

Wheel full 70pxA first cut at a to-do list, in no particular order.  These are all items that involve accomplishing something between now and July 25th.  The ones followed by question marks are things I need to research/make decisions about.

  • Dietitian
  • Endocrinologist
  • Dentist
  • Bicycling shoes
  • Socks and underwear
  • Pants and shorts
  • Shirts and outerwear
  • Rain gear
  • Tent
  • Sleeping bag
  • Meds
  • Strava?
  • Data plan upgrade
  • Solar panel?
  • RidewithGPS
    • Finalize routing
    • ID bike shops along route
    • ID lodging/campgrounds along route
  • Cue sheets
    • Print and laminate
  • Bounce box?
  • Street clothes
  • Street shoes
  • ID JAX bicycle shop
    • Arrange assembly of bike in JAX
  • Air travel ANC to Florida
  • Ground travel airport to JAX
  • Pre-ride lodging/camping in JAX
  • AAA?
  • iPhone Quadlock stem/handlebar mount
  • Quadlock cardio monitor
  • Camera
    • iPhone card upload cable
  • Sunblock
  • First aid kit
  • Personal care items
  • GP
    • heatstroke?
    • salt tablets?
    • chafing
    • muscle pains
    • numbness
  • Goggles?
  • Helmet
  • Handlebar mirror
  • Handlebar tape
  • Handlebar speaker?
  • Gloves
  • Camelback?
  • Frame mount pump
  • Water bottle(s)
  • Lock(s)
  • Quicklink
  • Chain lube
  • Extra tubes
  • Extra tire
  • Tools
    • tire bars
    • inflation gauge
    • patch kit
    • hex wrenches

Future iterations of this list will become increasingly sophisticated.  If you see anything I am missing or an item you want to give me input on or about, please comment below.

Two Months

Jacksonville Atlas Map 800px

Wheel full 70pxOn July 25th, two months from today, I will dip my wheels in the Atlantic Ocean at Atlantic Beach, Florida, and start pedaling west.  Lots to do in that time, and in the weeks ahead this blog will become a busy place.

Wheel full 70pxStay tuned.

David Edgren