Posts (page 2)
I was warned early on that the Big Ride Pacific Coast was going to be one hilly trip. When I wrote my fundraising letter, I mentioned that there would be thousands of feet of climbing but I initially thought the total would be in the range of 15,000 to 25,000 feet. But I've just learned that the total feet of climbing will be closer to 42,000 feet.
That's definitely hilly.
Yet, I am really looking forward to those hills. The climbs will provide majestic views of the coast and there should always be a sea breeze to keep the conditions just right. Besides, a great climb means the reward of a great downhill. When I lived in California, I used to go on day rides that covered 8,000 to 12,000 feet of climbing. Of course that was when I was younger and I only hope that my training this summer has prepared me for the hills of the Pacific coast.
I'll find out in less than two weeks.
After many months of fundraising for the American Lung Association of Washington, I am proud to announce that I have received over $3,000 in donations from family members, friends and colleagues. I want to extend a really big thank you to everyone who has made a donation. Your donation is going to a great cause and it has been a great motivator for me to not to slouch off in my training this summer. As of today, I have ridden well over 1,100 miles since I rode up Cadillac Mountain five times in May.
Thank you again for your contributions and words of support. Stay tuned to this blog for trip updates and photos. Since I work in the development offices of a small private liberal arts college, I have learned well to remind those who have expressed interest in making a donation, you still have plenty of time. I can accept donations until September 30.
Sayonora for now.
On Friday, as I was compiling an interactive trip itinerary with Google maps displaying each day's route, it occurred to me that I am going to be riding a lot of miles. Duh, I knew the Big Ride Pacific Coast was going to be a 1,000 miles and this really did not faze me. Even when I had learned that this ride is considered more difficult (endless hills) than the Big Ride Across America, which is 35 days longer, I was like, "no problem". When I realized that we would be riding for a stretch of six days straight for a total of 490 miles, which includes one 91 mile day, I was like, "am I ready for this?"
To calm my nerves, I have to remember that during this trip all I will be doing is eating, riding, eating, riding, eating and sleeping while taking in the beautiful scenery of the Pacific coast. I have from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon to finish each day's ride, which is plenty of time to cover an average of 70 plus miles. The weather should be near perfect for September and although I am not certain, I don't think I will be swarmed by many bugs. Then there will be the bakeries with their delicious hot chocolates, croissants and bear claws and I am so looking forward to the day when I can go to the Tillamook cheese factory. This is one the west coast delicacies that I truly miss since I left California and it makes the best east coast cheese seem so ordinary. Best of all, in the end, I'll be on vacation where my riding schedule will not be impacted by mundane chores like mowing the grass, going to meetings or cleaning house.
Yes, I think I am ready, especially when I am riding 150 miles per week now. You can view my interactive itinerary here.
Wow! It's August 9th and its hard to believe that in one month I will be riding down the Washington coast towards San Francisco. I have a ton of things to complete at work, around the house, getting my gear ready and lastly and most importantly, training. I have learned that I am the type of person who will create lists but in the long run, ignore them. Not this time. I have sworn to be diligent in creating detailed lists and completing the to-do's as quick as possible. So far so good.
I have been averaging of 130 miles per week for the last couple of weeks. This weekend I am going to attempt to ride 70 miles (with a lunch break) in one day. That should put me up to 150 miles this week for the first time this summer. The weather this week has been perfect with low humidity and cool temperatures. I am hopeful that the Maine weather is starting to cool off for Fall. I loathe the combination of humidity and hot weather.
It occurred to me earlier this summer that I will be ending my summer in California and when I return to Maine, Fall will be in its early stages, which means raking leaves and other seasonal chores. Woo-hoo, I guess.
Wow, it has been over two months since I last wrote a post for this blog. A lot has happened since my last post. Here's the short version for now and I will go into further detail in future posts:
- On May 29, I rode up Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park five times. I have to say that it was a very good climb all the way to the end. There were no breaks in the grades until you got to the top.
- The Kiwi's lost the America's Cup. They lost the last race by one second. Drats!
- I bought a new road bike - the 2006 Specialized Roubaix Elite. It's a really nice and fast bike. I sit more upright and the bike feels more stable allowing me to relax and take in the scenery while riding (very important). The all-carbon frame helps dampen the bumps and vibrations of the crappy Maine roads.
- Buying a new bike makes me reminisce about my old road bike - a Trek 2100 - that I have had for nine and a half years. I rode my first century on that bike - the 1998 El Tour de Tucson as a fundraiser for the Leukemia Society. In total, I rode six centuries, tried to complete a double century (it was in Davis, California on one of the hottest days ever) and two 200Km rides. Since the cyclo-computer did not work for a while, I estimate that I rode between 6,500 to 7,500 miles on that bike.
- I am currently riding 100 plus miles a week. I have several routes that include some serious hills in them. I think I am getting stronger and faster going up the hills or it could just be the tail winds.
- Oh yeah, summer has arrived here in Maine. The last week has been really hot with some muggy days. I can't wait for the thunderstorm part of the summer to be over with. The good news is that it begins to cool down in August.
I shall not let this blog go into oblivion. I have five more weeks left in Maine before I fly out to California on September 3rd. It's starting to get crazy but I am really looking forward to doing this ride. It should be epic.
I am not a real sporting person although I have tried. I have tried following and watching baseball but usually lose interest by May. I have subscribed to Velo News to stay up-to-date of all the bicycle racing news but canceled my subscription after realizing how boring bicycle racing can be to follow. I have tried to be a cycling fan but due to the current circus, I think it will be a long time before I rally around any one cyclist. The last guy I remember rooting for was Andy Hampsten who never won a Tour de France but each year he got closer before he finally retired. He did win the Alpe de Huez, which has to be one of the best sporting memories for me.
The sporting event that I truly love following is the America's Cup. I am very sad that the sole American challenger - Larry Ellison's Oracle BMW Racing - was beaten by Italy's Luna Rossa Challenge 5-1. It was probably a long shot for Larry's team to win it all but I could not help fantasize about the America's Cup returning to American soil and to watch races in person in San Francisco Bay. It looks like the Valencia site is a wonderful venue for the America's Cup but for some reason I can't pinpoint, it seems like a surreal location for competitive sailing. Maybe it's because all the photos I have seen it's sunny, warm with crystal clear blue skies - like the conditions you would see in the Bahamas. I want to see those sailors struggling against the elements and freezing their butts off!
Hopefully one day in my lifetime the America's Cup can return to the U.S. but for now, I hope New Zealand can defeat the Swiss champions Alligini. Go Kiwi's!
Although I don't depart for the west coast for another three and a half months for my epic trek, last weekend I was a busy bee mailing fundraising letters (before the 2 cent postage increase), purchasing airplane tickets and researching which tent to buy. Luckily, REI had it's 20% member sale and I placed my order online two hours before the sale price expired. Woo!
Since this weekend's weather was absolutely terrible, which meant I did not ride up Cadillac Mountain, I decided to assemble my new tent in the living room. It was pretty easy going until I had to place the rain fly on top of the tent. I wasn't sure if I was doing it right and the minimalist instructions with poorly drawn diagrams did not help. I reviewed photos of the tent on REI's and Mountain Hardwear's websites for visual reference and that only helped a little. In the end, I think I setup it correctly. You can see the photo to the right showing my first attempt.
I will continue to setup and disassemble my tent for practice throughout the summer. After a full day of riding, I will have to setup my tent and in the early early morning I will have to take it down. I will need to be efficient because I anticipate setting up or taking down the tent in the rain and high winds.
Hopefully after Memorial Day I can tackle my Cadillac Mountain climb. I went out today for a thirty mile ride was able to find some nice hills to go up and down.
A couple of months ago when it was cold and snowy, I started to think about my upcoming training program for the Big Ride Pacific Coast. It occurred to me that in order train for the hilly coastal terrain, I would have to do some serious training on hills. Unfortunately, I came to the sad realization that for the first time in my life I lived in a place where there were no serious hills to ride. If a Mainer were reading this post, he or she would most accurately point out, "there are plenty of hills in this state to train on". However, the downside about these roads is that they are major throughways with little or no margins. In addition, roads here are not in the best of shape with plenty of potholes, cracks and bumps to slow you down. It's no fun climbing a hill with cars and trucks buzzing past you at 50 plus miles an hour.
I guess I am in serious hill climbing withdrawal. I have to admit it but I truly love climbing mountains. I love the feeling of moving forward up a steep climb, whether if it's at 2 or 10 miles per hour, lightly spinning the pedals or hammering it. Even on the hills that I yell at for being too long and treacherous, not I only feel a great sense of accomplishment when I reach the top but I am grateful for such a great climb. There were plenty of these hills and mountains to climb in California. Where I lived in central New York, I regret the chance I had to climb a series of hills I coined the "roller coaster". The first climb was probably a 45 degree climb lasting maybe a mile and a half. Then the road plateaued before heading down another steep descent only to immediately veer back up another 45 degrees for another mile or so.
Nonetheless, I do have a couple of options. Dave from the bike shop mentioned this one ride outside of Bingham that sounds like an epic California climb. The only warning he gave me was to wait until summer when the DOT cleans up all the sand off the road. The second idea is to ride up Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park six or eight times in a day. It's only a 3 mile climb with smooth pavement and the climbing never ends until you reach the top. I did this climb last September on one of those fairy book fall days. It was warm and at the summit you could see forever. The funny thing about that day is that I always had a childhood memory standing on top of some mountain with a spectacular view. I could never remember exactly where this summit was but after taking in the view for a couple of minutes, I realized it was Cadillac Mountain. Which made perfect sense because I always slept in the car and would have no recollection of that long drive up and down the mountain.
Hopefully I will do the Cadillac Mountain ride this weekend if the weather is good and post the trip report here in this blog.
It's finally spring here in Maine. It was just little more than a month ago that we received 15 inches of wet snow, which is no fun to shovel or snow blow. It was a long winter but now the leaves are coming out in full force and the grass is green and will need to be mowed soon. This past week there were a couple of summer like days with 70 degree temps and high humidity. Today it's much cooler - crazy Maine weather.
I am starting to feel the self-pressure to start training seriously for the Big Ride Pacific that I'll be participating in this coming September as a fundraiser for the American Lung Association of Washington. This bicycle trip will start in Seattle and end in San Francisco. In the course of 15 days, I'll ride 13 of those days, averaging 70 plus miles a day for a total of 1,000 miles. This is one of the bicycling treks that I have always wanted to do. When I lived in the Bay Area, I used to ride to the coast and down Highway One on an occasional basis. Even on the days when it rained or was foggy, it was always amazing to have the majestic Pacific ocean on your right hand side. I can't wait to do this all the way from Seattle to the Golden Gate bridge.
This blog will be my primary way of keeping you informed of my training and will hopefully contain daily posts while I am riding down the Pacific coast - as long as there's some sort of cell phone coverage that I can access. Check back often and if you want to get in touch with me, my email is in the "About Me" section in the left hand navbar of this blog.
Wherever you are, I hope all is well and that that spring is wonderful and glorious.
Mark
