Day 17: Taos Rest Day Recap

Our journey has now covered 1270 miles and we are over 1/3 of the way across the county. We've pedaled across the deserts of California and Arizona; climbed past the Grand Canyon; through the Colorado Plateau; and into the Rockies. Over the course of the next week we will leave the mountains behind and enter the grasslands of the Great Plains. Although Jan and I have driven through most of these areas, experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells of the environment from a relatively slow moving bicycle provides a perspective unlike anything one can get traveling by car. I'm pedaling with a nice group of people and, for the most part, encountering friendly people wherever we go. The only exception is a certain male personality type that drive pickups with big tires who seem to hate cyclists.

My aches and pains report is very short - I have none - just the normal muscle soreness from pedaling 90+ miles a day. I attribute by lack of issues to several things. First, several weeks of high mileage cycling has toughened me up. I've also focused on pre-ride stretching and post-ride stretching, icing, and massaging. For the massaging I use a rolling pin type of device and a tennis ball. ( I was never much of a tennis player, so this is the most productive use I have ever made of a tennis ball.) I am also trying to stand and pedal for about 15-30 seconds every 5-10 minutes. Finally, and most importantly, I made a small adjustment in my saddle position - rotating the nose of my Brooks B17 leather saddle about 2 degrees to the right. Because my right hip is about 1/2" lower than the left, this rotation creates a little more space for my right sit-bone and a little less for my left sit-bone. With the saddle rotated the ache on the right side of my butt goes away; when I straighten it out, the pain comes back. On yesterday's 142 mile ride, with the saddle rotated, I had NO discomfort even after 9 1/2 hours in the saddle. This problem is behind me!

I've enjoyed a quiet rest day in Taos at the El Monte Sagrado Hotel - a very nice resort type hotel. This evening our "core" group of riders went to Orlando's, a great Mexican restaurant, that Jan and I enjoyed when we were in Taos earlier this year. From left to right in the picture taken at Orlando's are Larry, Kelly, Bruce, me, and Rob.

Tomorrow, we have a tough 94 mile ride to Raton which starts with several big climbs coming out of Taos. As a western U.S. history buff, I am really looking forward to the last 30 miles when we will be riding along the old Santa Fe trail.

Steve

Day 16: Pagosa Springs to Taos

This was really a great 142 mile ride. It had a little bit of everything (beautiful scenery, changeable weather,varied terrain, tough climbing, etc) and I felt strong the entire way. ( For those following on Twitter, I again messed up starting my Cyclemeter App and only have the detailed route data for the 91 miles from Chama to Taos.)

We started at 6:45am when there was just enough light to safely bike. The temperature was in the mid-30's so we were layered up. We headed south on Highway 84 traveling 47 miles to Chama. Although cold to cool all of the way, the ride to Chama was very pleasant with great scenery and light traffic. This is ranch country with many cattle grazing in the pastures, set against a mountain backdrop highlighted by patches of yellow aspens.

We had an early roadside lunch in Chama where we pondered the almost 100 miles and long climbs that lay ahead. We headed south out of Chama on 84 and then turned onto Highway 64 headed towards Taos. At mile 70 of the ride the fun began with the toughest climb of the entire trip - 10 miles with a grade I would estimate at 6-8%. At this point our 5 person pace line broke apart and it was every person for themselves. I fell into my climbing rhythm and headed up the mountain.

It was a defining climb for me - one which I thoroughly enjoyed and well always remember. With an "aggressive" climbing pace I was soon well ahead of the rest of my group and riding solo to the top. It was then that the storm clouds which had been building over the mountains since late morning decided to do their thing. The sky grew very dark to the south of me with loud claps of thunder and flashes of lighting increasing in frequency and intensity - and the temperature dropped sharply. Although I had a rain jacket with me, it was clearly not going to be adequate if the storm cell moved over me. Plus there was no way I was going to continue biking in lighting. Since I could still see blue skies off to the east and north, I pushed the pace as hard as I could hoping to get some distance between me and the storm - and with a little luck it worked. I made it to the top without getting wet, said a quick hello to the waiting Trek Travel van, and took off on a long descent hoping that the storm would stay in the higher elevations.

However, I soon rode into a cold light rain (but no lighting) and then chose this inopportune time to have my first flat tire of the trip. As I stood there in the rain forlornly getting ready to do my clumsy job of removing the rear wheel, one of the Trek Travel guides appeared on her bike (she had left the van at the summit shortly after I passed by). With great relief and humility, I stood by as she quickly and efficiently replaced the tube and got me on the way.

Others in the total group of 30 riders were not so fortunate. Depending on their timing in going over the summit, some were caught in heavy rain and hail. At least one rider suffered hypothermia and he and several others had to finish the day in the van.

There were several more short, but tough, climbs as we headed east towards Taos. At the 110 mile point we crossed Highway 285 and began a long, gradual 20 mile descent to the Rio Grande River Gorge with beautiful views of the Taos and Sangre de Cristos Mountains in the distance accented by a rainbow appearing to hover directly above the town of Taos. I coasted for much of these 20 miles enjoying the scenery as others in our small group rejoined me. We all stopped on the bridge (the fifth highest in the U.S.) over the Gorge to take in the dramatic view of the river far below. It is really amazing that you can be a few feet away from the bridge and have no idea that a 650 ft gorge lies just ahead.

Strong headwinds, which I would estimate at 20 to 30 mph, hit just as we left the bridge and they stayed with us the remaining 13 miles into Taos. The winds combined with heavy traffic, no shoulder, and fatigue made this the least enjoyable stretch of the ride. But after over 9 1/2 hours in the saddle we arrived at our hotel at about 6pm with a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

I feel great and am enjoying my day of rest in Taos.

Steve

Day 15: Durango to Pagosa Springs

Today's 61 mile ride was somewhat of a mixed bag. The surprisingly heavy truck traffic combined with a narrow shoulder made it difficult to enjoy the beautiful scenery and great weather. It would appear that truckers use this portion of Highway 160 to cut between I-40 and I-25 - nothing else would seem to explain the large number of 18-wheelers.

It was 37 degrees when we started riding this morning, so I began the day with three layers of clothing, full gloves, and a nifty biking hat with ear flaps which I wore under my helmet. However, I began shedding layers after about the first hour of biking and was down to one layer before lunch. We can leave our discarded layers with one of the Trek Travel support vans which we typically meet up with about every 10-15 miles.

As we approached Pagosa Springs, the view of the San Juan Mountains was magnificent. The town gets it's name from the Utes who called the sulfur-rich mineral springs "Pah gosah". The hot springs are located at the Springs Resort where we are staying tonight. But the smell of the sulfur and the "lobster pot" analogy are sufficient to keep me from wading in.

Well, tomorrow is the big day - 142 miles and 8100 feet of climbing - as we make our way over the Continental Divide to Taos. I have thought about this ride since signing up for this trip at the beginning of the year - and not all of my thoughts have been positive. However, tonight I am feeling positive, confident, and actually looking forward to the ride. And why not? I'm riding strong, my aches and pains are pretty much gone, and the weather looks great.

See you in Taos!

Steve

Day 14: Cortez to Durango

It keeps getting better! On today's leisurely 44 mile ride we were blessed with beautiful weather and the splendid fall colors of the Rocky Mountains. As we left Cortez heading east on Highway 160 we passed the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park and continued on to the little town of Mancos where most of us stopped at a quaint cafe/coffee shop for an excellent cup of coffee.

As we headed east out of Mancos the mountains ahead were covered with the yellow of the aspens mixed with the orange and red of the underbrush. Added to this were fluffy cumulus clouds and cattle grazing in the grasslands - a truly beautiful setting to be cycling through.

I would strongly recommend to any of you cyclists that you pedal this stretch of 160. Traffic is fairly heavy, but the shoulder is very good and the scenery is magnificent.

We arrived in Durango shortly after noon and checked into the General Palmer Hotel in the heart of the historic downtown. Durango is another of the great little Southwest Colorado towns - made even better by today's splendid weather. Speaking of weather, it looks like we may get this great weather all of the way to Taos - clear skies, highs in the low 70's and lows in the upper 30's. We've asked Bruce, the Catholic priest in our group, to speak to his boss about the weather - and so far he has really delivered.

Just after publishing this the first time, the Durango & Silverton train pulled into the station directly behind my hotel. I've added a picture of the steam engine.

Tomorrow we should have another beautiful day of riding through the mountains as we cover the 61 miles to Pagosa Springs. We may even be able to do a post-ride soak in what's called the "Lobster Pot" at the Springs resort where we will be staying. As a part-time "Mainer" I'm not sure the image of the lobster pot works for me - so I may pass on tomorrow's cooking opportunity.

Steve

Day 13: Mexican Hat to Cortez

Today's 101 mile ride was the best of the trip so far. We left Mexican Hat soon after sunrise getting a nice view of the rock formation that gives the town it's name and then rode for about 40 miles through the San Juan River valley with the rising sun lighting up the beautiful red cliffs and rock formations along the way. Winds were light, temperatures were cool, the road was good, traffic was light, and our pace was relaxed. We did have one steep, but short climb at about the 18 mile point which got our hearts jump started for the day. We also had a nice view of Shiprock which, although it is far away in New Mexico, rises out of the plains with it's very distinctive profile.

We passed out of Utah into Colorado at about the 57 mile point and we began fighting headwinds as we did yesterday. As we covered the last 40 miles into Cortez I enjoyed looking at the beautiful mesas and thinking about the Anasazi's who lived in this area 1000 years ago. If I remember right, there were probably more people living here at that time than live here now.

I felt strong today and, with the relaxed pace that we kept most of the day, I finished with "fuel in the tank". Tomorrow is a relatively short 43 mile ride as we climb our way to Durango. Hopefully, I can add a little more reserve to my fuel tank. The next 2 days are all about conserving energy for Saturday's 140 miler.

We have a Walmart right next to our hotel, so this evening after dinner I will be a Walmart shopper. There is also a Sonic on the way to Walmart so a large milkshake is definitely in my future. Based on extensive taste testing over the past 13 days I have concluded that Sonic has the #1 chocolate milk shakes.

Steve

Day 12: Tuba City to Mexican Hat, UT

The wind gods finally caught up with us today. We had moderate to strong headwinds for the entire 117 miles making for a long day in the saddle - 7 hours thirty three minutes and 57 seconds to be exact. However, in spite of the wind, I felt great and really enjoyed the day. The first 72 miles of the ride was on Highway 160 to Kayenta. We then turned onto Highway 163 which took us all of the way to Mexican Hat. The rock formations combined with some really neat cloud formations (and a few light rain showers) provided for spectacular scenery as we rode through Monument Valley. We also saw wild horses several times during the course of the day.

So that's it for today. I am headed off to dinner - something that I definitely don't want to miss. My diet consists of eating anything and everything whenever I can - and the more calories the better.

Tomorrow we do another 100+ mile ride with lots of climbing as we make our way to Cortez, CO.


Steve

Day 11: Grand Canyon to Tuba City

Today's 80.5 mile ride started with a great ride out of the park along the South Rim. We stopped several times for photo opportunities, one of which is shown below. You can't see much of the canyon in the picture, but you can see my "core" group - the 5 people on the right of the photo. From right to left is Larry, me, Rob, Kelly, and Bruce. The other 4 were riding with us at the time. This is the first morning that I have put on any cold/cool weather riding gear. Temperatures were in the low 40's when we started out, but shortly after this picture was taken I had shed all of the cold weather gear as the sun rose higher and we dropped lower in elevation.

We continued east out of the park on Highway 64 descending for almost 50 miles until we intersected with Highway 89 where we had lunch. We made a brief stop along the way at the Little Colorado River Gorge scenic overlook. We then headed north on Highway 89 passing the Trading Post at Cameron and continuing to the intersection with Highway 160. We had a strong tailwind wind as we headed north on 89, which became a strong side wind as we turned onto 160 and rode the last 10 miles into Tuba City. Shortly after arriving at our hotel, the wind storm turned into a dust storm with a few drops of mud mixed in.

Our hotel is the Moenkopi Legacy Inn which is located on the Hopi Reservation. Moenkopi means " a place of rejuvenation" - an appropriate place for us cyclists. As I write this I am watching a group of about a dozen Hopi teenagers running intervals up a steep hill in a dust storm - perhaps there is a future Olympian in the group. It's also interesting that the Hopi Reservation is surrounded by the larger Navajo Reservation and they operate on different time zones. We went across the street for a milk shake and gained an hour then came back to the hotel and lost it.

Tomorrow we will be traveling through the Navajo Nation for almost the entire 117 miles to our destination of Mexican Hat UT. Although it will be a long day, it should be a great experience as we pedal by the many spires and towers of Monument Valley.

Steve

Day 10: Grand Canyon Rest Day Recap

We have biked 725 miles over the past 9 days with much of the time spent in the 100+ degree deserts of California and Arizona. While it has been hot, we have not encountered any strong headwinds nor any rain. Almost all of our riding has been on the narrow shoulders of highways with traffic ranging from light to moderate. For the most part drivers, particularly truck drivers, have been been courteous. and we have tried to return this courtesy by riding single file, stopping at all stop signs and red lights, etc. So far out of the 30 riders there has been only one significant incident - a touching of wheels in a pace line causing a fall which cracked the rider's helmet and gave her a mild concussion. We do have two surgeons and a neurologist in the group, so medical expertise is close at hand. Also several lawyers and a Catholic priest - so we have all bases covered.
The group of 30 riders has divided into a number of sub-groups based on a variety of factors - skill and conditioning; preference for solo or pace line riding; couples riding together; frequent stops for photos; coffee shop affectionado's; etc. As mentioned in earlier blogs, I have been riding with a "core" group of 4 others. Bruce is a Catholic priest from Kentucky who is in his mid-50's and rode over 11,000 miles in 2011 and will equal that this year. Larry and Kelly from Houston are very experienced riders and are doing this trip for the 3rd time. Larry is in his mid-50's and owns a sheet metal fabrication business which has done substantial work for the GE Oil and Gas business. Kelly is the youngster in the group - she is a strong and consistent rider. Rob is an investment banker from Australia in his early 60's. He is still very involved in his business activities, but has clearly found the time to stay in top-notch physical condition - he is always pushing the pace. The 5 of us are doing the complete trip to Charleston (13 of the 30 are stopping in Taos) so I expect that we will be riding together the entire distance.
Our group of 5 is usually joined by several other riders over the course of each day often resulting in a pace line of up to 10 riders. I think 5 to 7 works the best and anything over 10 is too many. As the lead rider rotates to the back of the line there is a period of time when we are two abreast - the longer the line the longer the time that we are exposed to the increased risk of two abreast riding.
Now for my medical report. (Unless something major happens I will only subject you to my aches and pains report on rest days.) Overall I am very pleased with my conditioning and riding strength. I have experienced only moderate fatigue at the end of each day while keeping a pace which has our group among one of the first few to arrive at each day's destination. My only significant chronic ache is in my right gluteous maximus muscle (a fancy term for my "butt"). I attribute this problem to my dislike for stretching exercises - I know the exercises to do - I just don't like to do them. Over the coming days I am going to focus on stretching, icing, and massaging to see if I can get this problem "behind" me.
Tomorrow we start on the second leg of our journey ending up in Taos NM for our next rest day on the 30th. The scenery should be fabulous. There will be lots of climbing as we go through the Rockies and weather conditions are likely to be quite varied - cold, wind, and rain (hopefully no snow or sleet). The segment ends on the 29th with an "epic" 142 mile ride with over 8000 feet of climbing as we go over the continental divide from Pagosa Springs CO to Taos NM. I'm trying to stay in the moment - but the thought of this ride keeps lurking in the back of my mind.
Steve

Day 9: Seligman to Grand Canyon

We had an excellent 105 mile ride today. The first 18 miles on Route 66 was the best segment of the trip so far. Cool temperatures, light winds, beautiful scenery, and a few antelope made for a nice ride. We then turned onto I-40 East and traveled about 22 miles to the Williams exit. While I had dreaded the idea of biking on interstate highways, it is really ok. Tire debris on the shoulder is by far the biggest concern. However no flat tires or incidents in our group of about 10 bikers.

Near Williams we had lunch in Kaibab Lake Park and then headed north on Highway 64 for 60 miles to arrive at Grand Canyon National Park. We had a great tailwind for the entire 60 miles and made excellent time.

As we arrived at the Yavapai Lodge parking area we were greeted by the very large elk shown in the photo. Our group then scattered to many different lodges around the park. I am at the Maswik Lodge which is an easy walk to the El Tovar where our group is having dinner tonight. I am heading there in a few minutes to see the sunset over the canyon.

Tomorrow is our first rest day. I plan to get up to see the sunrise, take a walk along the south rim (definitely no descents), watch some golf, and ice some body parts.

Steve

Day 8: Kingman to Seligman

Today's 83.7 mile ride was entirely on Route 66 and was mostly in big wide-open country with numerous grazing cattle. As we climbed in elevation the scenery became very beautiful with green grasses, wildflowers, and distant mountain ranges. We were also entertained by the humorous red and white Burma Shave signs which appeared in groups along the route. The scenery combined with clear skies, light winds, and temps in the 80's made for a very nice day of riding. We slowed the pace for the last 40 miles after lunch in an attempt to conserve some energy for tomorrow's tough 106 mile ride up to the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

Seligman is an "interesting" little town located along Route 66 at an elevation of 5200 feet. Tonight's dinner will be at "The Road Kill Cafe" - which might help you understand what I mean by "interesting" little town.

Steve

Day 7: Lake Havasu City to Kingman

Today's 85.5 mile ride went well. The combination of climbing, distance, and elevation was challenging but I felt strong all of the way and had no problems. At the 20 mile point we turned onto I-40 west for about 9 miles, which was not a road I ever thought I would do on a bike. However, the truckers all moved over to the center lane when they saw our line of 10 bikers and the shoulder was wide and in good condition - so not really too bad.

We then turned onto and spent the rest of the day riding on Historic Route 66. The highlight of the ride was the little town of Oatman. It is a former gold mining town which has undergone a renaissance of sorts due to the popularity of Route 66. Wild burros roam the streets and the main street looks like it is right out of a western movie. It is definitely worth a visit - although not particularly easy to get to.

After leaving Oatman we had a steep 2 mile climb up to Sitgreaves Pass at 3550 ft elevation. Although it was very hot, I had just been energized by a high calorie lunch and actually enjoyed climbing to the top at a fairly brisk pace. I definitely like to climb - words I may come to regret as we get into the Rockies.

As we neared Kingman I could finally feel some cooling in the temperatures - all the way down to the low 90"s. Temperatures for tomorrows ride up to Seligman should be in the upper 80's. High temperatures will go down another 10 degrees as we climb up to the south rim of the Grand Canyon on Saturday. Then I will start complaining about the cold 40 degree mornings.

We will be on Route 66 all day tomorrow so it should be fun.

Steve

Steve

Day 6: Parker to Lake Havasu City

Today's "active recovery ride" was 43 miles at an easy to moderate pace. After breakfast at a local diner in Parker we headed back across the Colorado River and then wound our way up the west bank of the river to Parker Dam. The scenery was nice and we encountered our first wildlife of the trip - about a dozen wild burros on and around the road. Having never been along this stretch of the river I was somewhat surprised by the rather dense concentration of homes, marinas, etc. along both sides of the river. There was not much activity on the river at this time of year, but I can see where it would be very nice during the winter months.

We crossed over Parker Dam as we headed back into Arizona. The dam, which was built in the 1930's is a concrete arch-gravity dam that is 320 feet high, 235 feet of which are below the riverbed, making it the deepest dam in the world. It's architecture is very pleasing to the eye. We were greeted by 2 federal security people as we pedaled across the dam - no passenger vehicles are allowed to cross the dam and even bikes can not stop.

Even though our pace was moderate, we still arrived in Lake Havasu at about 10:30am. Since we knew the hotel was not going to be ready, several of us pedaled to a nearby bike shop and then to Starbucks - the first Starbucks stop on the trip - but certainly not the last.

We are on our own today for lunch and dinner so I went to lunch with several others at a restaurant that sits beside the London Bridge (see photo below). This is a re-construction of the 1831 London Bridge that spanned the River Thames in London until it was dismantled in 1967. The granite blocks from the original bridge were numbered and transported to Arizona to construct the present bridge which is part of the planned community of Lake Havasu City.

Tomorrow we begin heading for the higher elevations of northern Arizona. I'm getting mentally prepared for what could be one of our most challenging combinations of climbing (6000 ft), temperatures (100+) and distance (86 miles). I know we will all appreciate the cooler temperatures as we get to the higher elevations.

Steve

Day 5: 29 Palms to Parker

Today's 111 mile ride took us through the Sheep Hole Mountains and then across the southern part of the Mojave Desert. We crossed the Colorado River into Arizona as we entered Parker. There were some modest climbs and interesting scenery as we went through the mountains, but after that the last 60 miles were flat, barren, and HOT. In fact it was so hot that my iPhone shutdown due to high temperature at mile 96 and once again messed up my Cyclemeter recording. At least today I had the iPhone on with the app running so it did capture the first 96 miles of the ride. So if you look at my Cyclemeter Tweet don't be concerned that I was stranded in the desert - I did make it to Parker with no problems.

(Thanks to all of you who gave me advice about yesterday's Cyclemeter problem. My carrier is AT&T so it should not have happened. Of course with me there is also always the chance that it was operator error.)

There were about 10 in our group today and we stayed together the whole time. We rotated the "pull" position in our pace line about every 3 miles enabling us to average 18 mph for the day with a level of effort for me that I would rate at about 65%. As a novice pace line rider I am learning a lot from the experienced riders about operating a safe and efficient pace line. I've heard that riding in a pace line can be up to 30% more efficient than riding solo. Based on a few days of experience, it appears to be true. If I had tried to do today's ride solo at an 18 mph average pace my level of effort would likely have been above 90% - and that is definitely not sustainable over the course of this trip. So there will be no planned solo riding for me.

I continue to feel very positive about my physical condition and riding capability. As the old guy in the group I seem to be holding up pretty well. Yesterday I did have some pretty bad cramps in my quads after standing up from writing my blog, so today I am focused on doing a better job of post-ride recovery. We'll see how that works.

Tomorrow we have a 43 mile "active recovery ride" along the Colorado River up to Lake Havasu City. With a high temperature of 106 forecast along the river I'm sure we will all appreciate the relatively short length of the ride and will likely arrive at our destination well before noon.

Steve

Day 4: Victorville to 29 Palms

Today's ride of 98 miles went very well. I continue to feel strong and had fewer aches & pains than yesterday. There were no major climbs and we had a tailwind much of the way. The scenery was stark, but beautiful in its own way, with surprisingly few Joshua trees. We again started just after sunrise to avoid the heat and were at our lunch stop at the 59 mile point before 11am. The Trek Travel team sets up lunch each day at a convenient turnout. It's nothing fancy, but they do a great job of re-fueling our bodies for the post lunch riding.

During the morning I was in a pace line of about 12 riders which, with the tailwind, enabled us to keep a fast pace. All of my previous riding experience has been solo or with 1 or 2 others, so I am just beginning to appreciate the "magic" of a pace line. After lunch we divided into smaller groups. I rode with a couple from Houston (who are doing this cross country ride for the third time) and a Catholic priest from Kentucky. We are a very compatible foursome (18 mph pace) so I would guess we will ride together much of the time as we cross the country.

My only problem of the day was with my Cyclemeter iPhone App. I'm hoping one of you cycling techies can help me solve it (Franz?). I started the app at the beginning of the ride and then turned off the iPhone (the GPS keeps running) as I always do, and then put it away. During the morning I received a phone call which I didn't answer. At lunch I checked my Cyclemeter and to my surprise it had shutdown due to another app (the phone call) being opened. It didn't save any of the ride data, even the portion before the call. So if you look at my Tweet for the day you will only see the after lunch portion of the ride. I don't know how to turn off the phone without also turning off the GPS. Possible solutions may be to leave the iPhone on (which quickly drains both the internal and external battery) or to decline the call (which causes an unsafe distraction). Any ideas?

Tonight we are staying in a funky little hotel in 29 Palms which reminds be of places Jan and I have been to in the Baja. Tomorrow we end up in Parker AZ after a ride much like today's.

Steve

Day 3: Valencia to Victorville

Our ride distance today was 91 miles mostly through a desert landscape. It began with a 20+ mile climb which we started just after sunrise and completed before it got too hot. The remainder of the ride was mostly flat so the heat was not near as much a factor as it was yesterday. I rode with a group of 6-8 people most of whom I also rode with yesterday. We kept about an 18 to 20 mph pace on the flats and made effective use of a pace line for drafting. Remember you can see a map of the actual route on Tweeter @stevexcbiker.

The most distinctive feature of today's ride were the many Joshua trees which dotted the landscape as we approached Victorville. I expect we will see even more of them tomorrow since our destination of 29 Palms is where Joshua Tree National Park is located.

While I again felt strong and had no problem with the pace, several of the nagging aches and pains which bothered me in training have started to re-appear - not a surprise. I added a strained right calf to the issue list by having one of my zero mph falls due to failing to unclip in time when someone stopped abruptly in front of me. (I can stop quickly and unclip quickly - it's just that sometimes I have trouble doing both at the same time - and stopping takes priority.)

All-in-all another great day. I feel very good about my conditioning and riding strength; and there are no show-stoppers on the injury front. Plus I am riding with some very nice and very interesting people.

Steve

Day 2: Santa Barbara to Valencia

The 76 mile ride today went well in spite of temperatures over 100 degrees as we headed inland. The first part of the ride headed south along the coast including portions of Highway 101. For those of you familiar with 101 it is not a road you would chose for biking. However it has a nice shoulder with the ocean scenery on the right, so it was not too bad. As we headed inland we passed through mostly agricultural areas with light traffic much of the time. For those of you looking on Twitter for my detailed route you may see that it ended about 4 miles short of the hotel in Valencia due to my iPhone battery running out of juice. I have an external battery pack which I didn't connect today thinking I could make it on the internal battery. I won't make that mistake again.

I felt strong again today in spite of the heat. Although I vowed not to, I ended up in one of the lead groups. However, I stayed well within myself and don't feel that I pushed too hard. I guess I'll find out over the next few days as the rides get longer and the temperatures get even higher

It appears I am the oldest of the group by 2 years. The next oldest turned 65 today whereas I turned 67 one week ago. So I guess I am the standard bearer for the "Medicare Crowd".

I've included a picture of me taken at the beginning of the ride today by the beach in Santa Barbara.

Steve

Day 1: Santa Barbara

Everything went well today. We all met at noon for lunch and then headed over to get our bikes fitted. There are 17 of us going all the way across the country and 13 others who are stopping in Taos - plus 4 guides. It seems like a nice group of people who come from all parts of the U.S. plus Canada, Germany, and Australia. The bike provided me by Trek Travel is a Madone 5.2 with a triple. I have been riding a 5.2 since April so it was pretty easy to get the right fit. We then went for a 33 mile ride around the Santa Barbara area to make sure everything on the bike was working and that the fit was ok. I rode at a comfortable pace with two guys from Toronto. I had no bike issues and felt strong after a week of no riding and a lot of eating. The ride took us along the coast and then up into the mountains around the city. The mountain portion was very pretty with just enough climbing to make it interesting.

Tomorrow we start heading east!



Steve

Welcome

Welcome to my cross country bicycle trip blog.  The trip begins this Friday 9/14 with a 30 mile ride in the Santa Barbara area.  We start heading east on Saturday with a 76 mile ride to Valencia, CA.  I'll make my next post on Friday.