Tag: Bike rides

Bicycle Touring in Indiana – Plainfield to Eaton, OH

Day 9 – Plainfield, IN to Eaton, OH

Later in 2012, I’m planning a bicycle trip from Kansas to Annapolis. While I’m in the planning stages, I’d love to get input from folks familiar with individual portions of the route, with suggestions on changes I might want to make.

Below is a map of Day 9 of the trip. Also, here’s a link to the map on Google if you’d like to drag the route around with suggested changes.

Thanks a ton for any suggestions that will make the route safer or more enjoyable, or things along the way that I’d regret missing. Of course, I’d welcome participation along the route as well. If you’d like to ride a section of it together, let me know, and we’ll see if we can coordinate schedules.

Bicycle Touring in Illinois and Indiana – Planned Day 8

Later in 2012, I’m planning a bicycle trip from Kansas to Annapolis. While I’m in the planning stages, I’d love to get input from folks familiar with individual portions of the route, with suggestions on changes I might want to make.

Below is a map of Day 8 of the trip. Also, here’s a link to the map on Google if you’d like to drag the route around with suggested changes.

Thanks a ton for any suggestions that will make the route safer or more enjoyable, or things along the way that I’d regret missing. Of course, I’d welcome participation along the route as well. If you’d like to ride a section of it together, let me know, and we’ll see if we can coordinate schedules.

Cycling in the West – Alamosa to Walsenburg

Bicycle Touring in the West
Day 18 – Alamosa to Walsenburg

“I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” 
  ~ John Muir

It’s a beautiful morning rolling east on 160 out of Alamosa. There’s a bit of damp air hanging close to the ground in places, feeling almost like a light fog – something we don’t see much of in Colorado. As we approach the Great Sand Dunes area off to our north, I realize that the hazy sky is most likely the result of fires they’ve been experiencing to our south in recent days and weeks. At times, I can actually smell a bit of smoke.

Smoke from fires in the high atmosphere, looking toward Great Sand Dunes

I know this is my last day of riding for this trip, and I’m more bummed than I thought I’d be. I find myself holding back and riding a bit slow – savoring the last tastes of the trip. Continue reading “Cycling in the West – Alamosa to Walsenburg”

Cycling in the West – Pagosa Springs to Alamosa

Bicycle Touring In The West
Day 17 – Pagosa Springs to Alamosa

“I’ve learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.”
  ~ Unknown

Pagosa Springs

Today we’re back to a little more mileage, but still a tad shy of a 100 mile day. We cross the Continental Divide this morning at Wolf Creek Pass. It’s a day I’ve looked forward to throughout the trip – as much as a test of my fitness as for the beauty of an 11,000’ pass. Continue reading “Cycling in the West – Pagosa Springs to Alamosa”

Cycling Through The West – Towaoc to Durango

Day 15 – Towaoc to Durango

“Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.”
  ~ A Ute Prayer

 

We’re riding at early light on a cool morning. There’s actually a little wisp of fog now and again on the road this morning – something I haven’t seen since I left the Pacific coast. I can feel the moisture in the air as it hydrates the membranes of my lungs and sinuses. I’m surprised at just how good it feels.

Colorado isn’t a place known for moist air. When folks come out to visit us in Colorado, they usually complain about how dry the air is. But this morning, as I begin to climb back into my home state, I’m struck by how much more humid it is than the desert air I’ve been riding through for the last couple weeks.

I didn’t expect to feel a sense of “homecoming” yet, but I’m feeling it this morning. There’s active irrigation along this highway, so the fields are green and lush on both sides of us as we ride. The sprinklers are running, pouring water across the green that surrounds us, sparkling like fountains of gems in the early morning light. In the distance, the peaks of the Rockies are growing closer and closer with each mile. I’m back in my home state, and it feels good.

Our day today is a short one. We want to get to Durango early enough to do laundry, so we started early, though not as early as we might have if we had a long day. When we revised our route, we thought about planning a rest day along southern Colorado somewhere, but decided instead to just plan short days. Yesterday was our last long mileage day at about 108 miles, and today and tomorrow are both only about 60 miles. In our original schedule, today’s miles were the last 60 miles of a 146 mile day. I’m happy we changed, so I could enjoy this stretch of road early in the morning.

A cyclist’s perspective on the wildlife in an area is often a reflection of the dead stuff we see smashed on the road as we roll past it. This morning, the roadkill is reflective of a big change in habitat. I’m seeing possum and raccoon, as well as a snake now and again. The moist environment created by the irrigation supports a whole new community of critters. Continue reading “Cycling Through The West – Towaoc to Durango”

Cycling Through the West – Tuba City to Kayena

Bicycling in the West – Day 13 – Tuba City to Kayenta

The desert flowers seemed to be in full bloom, and beautiful in the morning

 

 

 

“Time isn’t used, it’s experienced.”
~ Hopi Proverb

 

 

 

We’ve got an easy day ahead of us today – only 75 miles. Unless the wind is hard on us, we should get done in less than 8 hours. We take our time and enjoy breakfast, and meet some interesting folks as we’re walking out of Denny’s.

It’s a small group of folks – sounds like just 2 couples plus an extra person. They’ve got a truck with a trailer, and the trailer holds a couple of little Vespa-type scooters. The women ride the scooters along the highway, and the men follow along in the truck. When they get tired of “scooting”, the men pick them up and trailer the scooters. It’s a grand adventure for them. They’ve always wanted to take a trip like this along the highways of the Southwest. When they hit the high plains of Texas in a few days, they’ll just ride in the truck to avoid the heat.

I’m curious about why the little scooters rather than just everyone taking motorcycles? Well, a good part of the reason seems to be that the scooters are so much more fuel efficient. Plus, they’re cute. That’s important for sure… Continue reading “Cycling Through the West – Tuba City to Kayena”

Training on the Bike with Dave – Part 1

Dave always starts rides off at a higher pace than I do. I blame it on the few extra years that I have on him, and my body’s need to ease gently into the pace of the ride. Makes me feel better to think this is true. But I don’t really think it is. I’ll keep on thinking it though, and will ignore the fact that Dave is consistently more strong and fit than I am, because I’m sure that can’t have much to do with the fact that he seems always ready to crank it up to 75% effort or more at a moments notice.

On Saturday, we did a nice training ride – something just short of 100 miles with about 5k of climbing overall. As usual, he cranked it right up and was soon 300 yards ahead of me, seemingly oblivious to the growing distance between us. But unlike most mornings, the distance never seemed to close much. Oh, he’d pull over for a minute and wait for me at a light now and again, but as soon as the light turned green, he’d dance up the road and be off to the edge of site rapidly. Because this morning, Dave had new stuff on his bike. Heck, his whole bike was darned near brand-new with the exception of the frame!

It’s amazing how new bling on the bike will make a person feel strong and feisty. In this case, there was good cause for Dave to feel strong and feisty – he had upgraded all of the components on his bike from the “not quite bottom of the line but still super-cheap” grade to essentially DuraAce from front to back. The wheels weren’t DuraAce, but were still Bontrager RaceLites – a vast improvement over his old iron-clad wooden variety (maybe I exaggerate…) So with the same level of effort of a week ago, Dave was flying down the road at a significantly improved pace.

Now, the bikers among you are surely asking why I didn’t just grab Dave’s wheel at those points when he waited for me, and suck it down the road. Nice idea in theory, but it just doesn’t work that often. Dave, you see, is still working on the whole drafting concept. To those of us who are mere mortals, the idea of drafting is a neat little magic trick, allowing us to cover the same ground with about a third less effort. But to Dave, I think this feels a little like cheating or something. He just can’t seem to bring himself to lock into that draft and ride.

Now he’s perfectly fine with the idea of letting me (or anyone really) draft him. Go ahead – try it – I dare ya’. It’s a comedic routine running down the road, trying to stay on Dave’s wheel. Just when you find that sweet spot, he glances over his shoulder and sees you there, and thinks that he must be going to slow, because you’re right on his wheel. So he speeds up. And you try and stay on his wheel, and just when you think you’re going to be able to hang with him, he looks over his shoulder, and sees you again, and jumps up the pace another couple miles an hour (because you must want him to go faster or you wouldn’t be crowding him like that, right?)

I can usually hold on until that second round of acceleration, then Dave is just a rapidly diminishing flash somewhere up ahead of me. If you’re really strong, maybe you can hold on up to the third round. I’ve never seen anyone last much longer.

I’ve laughed at this routine unfolding in the past, and wondered just what it is that makes the drafting concept so hard for Dave. The concept of measuring the level of effort that it takes to pull and draft in a particular line, and just focusing on that level of effort as you rotate through, is one that I know Dave understands. But I’ve come to the conclusion that 2 things make it hard for Dave to execute. First, he’s just so much stronger than I am, (and it’s not as though I’m a fitness slouch myself), that it’s hard for him to crank it down and maintain the level of effort that is comfortable to me and that I can keep up over many hours. Second, I really do think that the whole concept of “this is cheating” plays into the equation to Dave’s highly overdeveloped sense of fairness. I could be way off, but that’s my story for now.

Bottom line – I rarely even try to stay on his wheel anymore – I just watch him fly on down the road somewhere ahead of me, knowing that he’ll stop now and then and wait for me to catch up. And of course, as the day wears on, his rocket runs up the road tend to slow down, and sometimes I’m even lulled into thinking that maybe I’m actually sort of keeping up with him. I think that the one tiny little advantage that I might have is my ability to endure hours in the saddle and measure out my effort to make it last a long time.

We’ll see if this little fantasy of mine holds true on our upcoming DANROPES ride. (Dave And Neil’s Ride Of Pain and Enduring Suffering) We’re going to ride across Colorado and Kansas this month, and I’m looking forward to learning how I can hold up to 100+ mile days one after another. It might be that Dave’s supernatural abilities extend beyond the ability to ride really fast and strong for 50 – 100 miles, and he also has supernatural stamina as the miles pile on in the hundreds. Or it might be that things equal out a bit between us.

Either way I’m good with it – I gave up a long time ago on trying to match his fitness and strength – he’ll either continue to wait for me on up the road, or we’ll ride closer together. But just in case, I’m shorting myself on space as I pack for this minimalist trip of ours, and will make sure that when we’re standing there ready to take off, and I don’t have enough space for all my stuff, I pack the tools and spare chain in Dave’s pack – along with a few chunks of good Colorado granite. Maybe if I can add an extra 15 pounds to his bike it’ll make up for those slick new components that he’s gotten…