Final 'day' if you can call it that. Final onslaught, final disaster, final mission. Take your pick.
Think I left the last blog looking forward to a final ice bath ready for the final ride- these baths have really helped. Trouble was the ice bath was fine but the hot shower didn't work - no hot! I was freezing. Grabbed all the blankets off my bed and wrapped myself up - shivering in bed until I got warm. Certainly didn't help. Had a long sleep but still felt tired when I eventually woke. Exhausted before I started.
Despite this there was a pretty easy roll for about 15 miles. At that point there was supposed to be a village store where I planned to stock up. There were also giant signs everywhere offering Ice cream. But I couldn't find either. So I had to continue - turned out to be a mammoth hill. Easiest gear, struggling like crazy to reach the top. This was going to be a really tough, long day. Straight up climb to the Blue Ridge Parkway which runs long the top
of the mountain. Beautiful highway with great views. Trouble is that being along the top means strong gusting winds from every direction constantly. It felt as if there was someone pushing you for a second, then stopping you, then pushing, then stopping. Just had to pedal through it and try not to let the side winds blow me into oncoming cars or the ditch! Definitely interesting. Slow going. Views were worth it.
Then I managed to mess up again. There was supposed to be a food stop about half way along the Blue Ridge Parkway. So I kept riding /looking at my map/ riding etc. Remember I have broken my Garmin and so am totally reliant on the maps on my phone. Just couldn't find the food stop anywhere. Eventually came to a hot dog stand. When I later looked at the map I realized there was a parallel road where the food stop was. Very confusing with the names and symbols so close to each other on my little map.
Anyway - enjoyed the hot dog and felt a lot better. Looking at the map there was a steep descent to follow for 3 or 4 miles. Great. Hopped on my bike and went whizzing down the hill. Then I got a bug in my eye and went to put my sunglasses on. Where are my sunglasses? Where is my helmet? Sure enough. When I was eating my hot dog it was so windy it was blowing my helmet off the table. So of course I had put it under the bench. And left it there! Now I had to go back up that super steep hill. More bonus miles. Why do they always involve steep hills? At least if you go up a steep hill when you make a mistake you get to go down to retrace your steps. Almost worst to do it this way. At least I got to go down that hill again. Anyway all in all it was a slow painful morning. I finally reached the town - 80 miles in about 10 hours. Not exactly what I had planned.
My mind wasn't good at this point. I should have been just concentrating on finishing the ride and even enjoying it. No idea what I was thinking at this point. I just did not want to be riding anymore!
At last I got to within 20 miles of the Finish and was feeling good and riding well! I don't know what actually happened but just above my knee something spasmed. Cramp or what? But it really scared me. I had been pushing hard to finish but this did not feel good - as if I had torn the muscle off my knee. So I slowed right down trying to baby it along. Turned on to the Parkway and it was a pebbles road - worst road ever at this stage. I knew it had been too easy for a while. There had to be something. But I put my head down and wound myself up to go faster and faster. Then my knee would twinge again and I would slow right down. Of course too by the time I reached Yorktown my phone battery had died so I wasn't sure how to get to the monument. Then I saw it in the distance so rode straight to it. You half wonder if there might be someone there to acknowledge your arrival. Amazing really - you spend three weeks killing yourself racing across the country and when you reach the finish line have to ask a passer by to take a photo!! Puts everything in perspective! But, yes -done! The knee and the struggle at the end did kind of take away some of the joy I thought I would feel in finishing. Basically reached the Finish, sighed and thought 'Lets go find some food ....'
Off to sleep now for a long time.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
TransAm Bike Race -Saturday
Didn't start till late this morning ( sort of yesterday morning really). About 12 ish, having stayed at Larrys place. What a great guy. Larry was so cool - really nice guy. He
washed my kit for me and was so helpful.
Headed out on the road with no Garmin. Had the maps on my phone but not easy to use that way. It soon started raining and me being so awesomely clever can't remember the password for my phone and so the only way I can unlock it is with my fingerprint. Doesn't work so well on the rain. So I was pretty frustrated early on .......... anyway weather did clear up.
Let me backtrack a little
Rode really well for about 4 hours. Knocking off the miles. Looking at the maps, finding the next town, reaching the next town. Doing really well. Stopped at Wendy's- looking out the window I could see big grey storm clouds approaching - thought to myself I want to be in front of that storm. Quickly hopped back on the bike and found some good tail winds. Then the rain came and I got soaked but there were still some pretty good winds pushing me along so it was worth it.
At this point I realized the route actually follows Virginia Route 76 and the signposts are amazingly good so I could follow them rather than worry too much about my phone. Went really well - the signed route helping a lot. But it was rather unnerving wondering if I'd gone wrong as I cycled along.
Did quite a lot of stopping to check the map today!
Anyway it worked ( more or less)
Riding really hard and fast this morning with the intention of getting to the point where I can set off tomorrow and get the job done. Rode 245 miles yesterday. Another 245/250 today and I'll be in the right spot.
Checked on Felix when I stopped for lunch and he was just in front of me. So I managed to close him down today. Pretty confident I can catch him. Even started thinking about the guy in front of him.
Lovely conditions for riding later in the day. Rolling hills. Wind non existent or helping. Tired from over riding and could have done with my Garmin. But all in all did well.
Late in the evening I realized Felix had stopped to sleep and I had passed him. There was a big climb ahead. Lexington to the following town with only one restaurant was another 50 miles. That's a long way without any services especially as that meant I would be starting that climb at 6am. So I decided to get a hotel, sleep a little bit, start latish and hopefully finish early next day.
Oh yes. I did get lost earlier. I was hoping to get to Lexington about 3 am and looking forward to about 7 hours sleep. But I took a wrong turn and of course every time you take s wrong turn it involves a steep hill. 5 miles out which means another 5 miles back again. Then I was exhausted and needed food and water. The 24 hour petrol station was of course closed. At least the last 10 miles were along a river and slightly downhill so I could roll and ride. That saved me. Think I'd have collapsed into a ditch otherwise.
But I am here and tomorrow I am going to go for it. Means about 280 miles.
Big climb in the morning then will just see how it goes. If I need a sleep I will stop maybe at the side of the road. I am just so excited to be nearly done!!
washed my kit for me and was so helpful.
Headed out on the road with no Garmin. Had the maps on my phone but not easy to use that way. It soon started raining and me being so awesomely clever can't remember the password for my phone and so the only way I can unlock it is with my fingerprint. Doesn't work so well on the rain. So I was pretty frustrated early on .......... anyway weather did clear up.
Let me backtrack a little
Rode really well for about 4 hours. Knocking off the miles. Looking at the maps, finding the next town, reaching the next town. Doing really well. Stopped at Wendy's- looking out the window I could see big grey storm clouds approaching - thought to myself I want to be in front of that storm. Quickly hopped back on the bike and found some good tail winds. Then the rain came and I got soaked but there were still some pretty good winds pushing me along so it was worth it.
At this point I realized the route actually follows Virginia Route 76 and the signposts are amazingly good so I could follow them rather than worry too much about my phone. Went really well - the signed route helping a lot. But it was rather unnerving wondering if I'd gone wrong as I cycled along.
Did quite a lot of stopping to check the map today!
Anyway it worked ( more or less)
Riding really hard and fast this morning with the intention of getting to the point where I can set off tomorrow and get the job done. Rode 245 miles yesterday. Another 245/250 today and I'll be in the right spot.
Checked on Felix when I stopped for lunch and he was just in front of me. So I managed to close him down today. Pretty confident I can catch him. Even started thinking about the guy in front of him.
Lovely conditions for riding later in the day. Rolling hills. Wind non existent or helping. Tired from over riding and could have done with my Garmin. But all in all did well.
Late in the evening I realized Felix had stopped to sleep and I had passed him. There was a big climb ahead. Lexington to the following town with only one restaurant was another 50 miles. That's a long way without any services especially as that meant I would be starting that climb at 6am. So I decided to get a hotel, sleep a little bit, start latish and hopefully finish early next day.
Oh yes. I did get lost earlier. I was hoping to get to Lexington about 3 am and looking forward to about 7 hours sleep. But I took a wrong turn and of course every time you take s wrong turn it involves a steep hill. 5 miles out which means another 5 miles back again. Then I was exhausted and needed food and water. The 24 hour petrol station was of course closed. At least the last 10 miles were along a river and slightly downhill so I could roll and ride. That saved me. Think I'd have collapsed into a ditch otherwise.
But I am here and tomorrow I am going to go for it. Means about 280 miles.
Big climb in the morning then will just see how it goes. If I need a sleep I will stop maybe at the side of the road. I am just so excited to be nearly done!!
Friday, June 26, 2015
TransAm Bike Race - Feeling Better - Shout Out for Michelle and Lupus Awareness
Am stopping early today.
Had a good sleep last night and rode well today and I now have the choice of stopping here or continue riding another 65 miles to the next motel (...might be better than this one - not even a microwave I can use and pretty grotty - cheap though which is always a bonus!). Stopping makes this a short day as I started late this morning. However I have just had a Winter Storm Advisory message pop up on my phone and when I checked my radar app I see the front of a huge storm about 20 miles ahead and the area all red in the direction I am going. Red is never good - so I think I will stop and sleep and get up early.
I was a bit depressed yesterday when I realised the Tracker was showing different mileage to my maps and I effectively had another 200 miles on top of what I thought. But I am fine again now.
Wanted to say thank you to all the people who have supported and encouraged me the last few days - those on the road and those of you leaving messages on Facebook etc - and especially Michelle who took the time to come find me and interview me. I haven't really mentioned Lupus much this trip - but as always I am riding to raise awareness and encourage support of Lupus associations in both the UK and US. And as always there is a DONATE button on my website!! Its when I am feeling tired and ill and achey on my long rides like this that I realise what people who have this autoimmune disease (like Michelle's daughter and my sister) feel like so much of the time. At least for me it's of my own choosing!! Anyway - thanks again Michelle!
But I am definitely feeling better about things today. Just needed to catch up on some sleep. Today's 140 miles took about 12 hours (I think - the clocks keep changing on me!) - whereas the last 200 miles took over 20 hours. More sleep equals faster riding which means more time for sleep. Anyway thats my latest theory which I am going to work with for a while.
Jesse has now completed the race. Well done Aussie cousin - amazing. I was a bit worried about him yesterday when his tracker showed him sleeping just a few miles before the Finish line, but I hear that everything is OK. I envy him his sleep opportunity!!
Today's riding was good. there was some strong wind but as it was such a windy road anyway we were travelling north, south, east and even west at times so didn't really affect me too much. Rolling tree lined hills - a beautiful ride. My chest and stomach are feeling so much better - what a difference that makes. Ate better today than I have done for ages. All good signs that I can get to the Finish in the next few days. Hopefully! Hopefully!!
Went to the Dollar Store nearby and stocked up with some snacks. Bought some Jimmy Deans to heat up - no microwave!!! Funny.
Been wanting to have a rant about idiot drivers who insist on overtaking cars when approaching cyclists on narrow roads.One such idiot in a Nissan 350 Z nearly killed me today. Wish I had taken his number and reported him. He decided to overtake at ~ 100 mph while I was riding towards him. I was way over on the hard shoulder but it's still very scarey when a car heads directly at you at that sort of speed on your side of the road. He got the finger!
Another observation is the obsession about cutting grass that seems to spread across America at this time of year! Obviously its necessary but it is pretty funny. I seem to have been watching people mow their lawns literally all across America. It seems like every other house I pass there is someone sitting on their mower riding round in little circles. Especially aware of it earlier riding through a lovely little town seeing so many people out cutting grass. They were even cutting the community area at the edge of town with an extra gang of people weed whacking away! Overheard conversations in cafes/diners "Must go - I have to cut my grass..." "Yesterday when I was cutting my grass...." "When are you going to be cutting your grass?" "After I cut my grass....."
Just find it amusing!
Didn't take many photos today - difficult sort of terrain for snapping shots - will try harder tomorrow!
www.YesHesMad.com
Had a good sleep last night and rode well today and I now have the choice of stopping here or continue riding another 65 miles to the next motel (...might be better than this one - not even a microwave I can use and pretty grotty - cheap though which is always a bonus!). Stopping makes this a short day as I started late this morning. However I have just had a Winter Storm Advisory message pop up on my phone and when I checked my radar app I see the front of a huge storm about 20 miles ahead and the area all red in the direction I am going. Red is never good - so I think I will stop and sleep and get up early.
I was a bit depressed yesterday when I realised the Tracker was showing different mileage to my maps and I effectively had another 200 miles on top of what I thought. But I am fine again now.
Wanted to say thank you to all the people who have supported and encouraged me the last few days - those on the road and those of you leaving messages on Facebook etc - and especially Michelle who took the time to come find me and interview me. I haven't really mentioned Lupus much this trip - but as always I am riding to raise awareness and encourage support of Lupus associations in both the UK and US. And as always there is a DONATE button on my website!! Its when I am feeling tired and ill and achey on my long rides like this that I realise what people who have this autoimmune disease (like Michelle's daughter and my sister) feel like so much of the time. At least for me it's of my own choosing!! Anyway - thanks again Michelle!
But I am definitely feeling better about things today. Just needed to catch up on some sleep. Today's 140 miles took about 12 hours (I think - the clocks keep changing on me!) - whereas the last 200 miles took over 20 hours. More sleep equals faster riding which means more time for sleep. Anyway thats my latest theory which I am going to work with for a while.
Jesse has now completed the race. Well done Aussie cousin - amazing. I was a bit worried about him yesterday when his tracker showed him sleeping just a few miles before the Finish line, but I hear that everything is OK. I envy him his sleep opportunity!!
Today's riding was good. there was some strong wind but as it was such a windy road anyway we were travelling north, south, east and even west at times so didn't really affect me too much. Rolling tree lined hills - a beautiful ride. My chest and stomach are feeling so much better - what a difference that makes. Ate better today than I have done for ages. All good signs that I can get to the Finish in the next few days. Hopefully! Hopefully!!
Went to the Dollar Store nearby and stocked up with some snacks. Bought some Jimmy Deans to heat up - no microwave!!! Funny.
Been wanting to have a rant about idiot drivers who insist on overtaking cars when approaching cyclists on narrow roads.One such idiot in a Nissan 350 Z nearly killed me today. Wish I had taken his number and reported him. He decided to overtake at ~ 100 mph while I was riding towards him. I was way over on the hard shoulder but it's still very scarey when a car heads directly at you at that sort of speed on your side of the road. He got the finger!
Another observation is the obsession about cutting grass that seems to spread across America at this time of year! Obviously its necessary but it is pretty funny. I seem to have been watching people mow their lawns literally all across America. It seems like every other house I pass there is someone sitting on their mower riding round in little circles. Especially aware of it earlier riding through a lovely little town seeing so many people out cutting grass. They were even cutting the community area at the edge of town with an extra gang of people weed whacking away! Overheard conversations in cafes/diners "Must go - I have to cut my grass..." "Yesterday when I was cutting my grass...." "When are you going to be cutting your grass?" "After I cut my grass....."
Just find it amusing!
Didn't take many photos today - difficult sort of terrain for snapping shots - will try harder tomorrow!
www.YesHesMad.com
Thursday, June 25, 2015
TransAm Bike Race Visit to the Doctor (Wed June 24)
Right now i am sitting in an ice bath again - in a really weird old hotel in Newhaven. Today (Wednesday) didnt go quite as planned - in fact the last few days have been kind of interesting......
Had a good day when I reached Missouri, riding through the night.. Obviously yo don't see as much of your surroundings when riding at night so it is a strange feeling sometimes. I pretty much rode the Ozarks all in the dark - straight up and straight down. Pretty cool - just rolled down a hill, went into lowest gear and climbed up the next one, all night long!
But the whole day my chest and stomach felt worse and I wasn't feeling too good!
The following day was a long day!The terrain flattened out a lot during the afternoon. That night I felt like I was floating as i rode. It felt like there should be a headwind because i could feel the wind in my face and the trees were blowing towards me but certainly acted like a tail wind because I was just flying. It was a great feeling and a great night. Until the morning. I knew I would arrive at the next town at 6 am and was hoping the store there would be open, but unfortunately it wasn't and there was no sign giving the hours. So by this point my throat and chest were really hurting - it was kind of bothering me now in that it was freaking me out a bit. I was happy to wait an hour for the store to open if I had been sure it would but I had no way of knowing so I continued on my way. I plodded along for another 20 miles with very little food and water until I finally found a place with French toast on offer!
It was now another 10 miles to the little ferry that takes you across the Ohio River into Kentucky. I had been really looking forward to this part and so was quite excited about catching the ferry. I met up with two guys on touring bikes with Apidura bags all over them! Really nice guys and enjoyed chatting with them. Then a lady, Michelle, drove up in a car and explained she had been following me online ( and that her daughter has lupus like my sister) and she would like to do an interview. So we all chatted on the ferry and it was great. There was another 10 miles to the next town where I was hoping to find a doctor and so i got off the ferry and got going as quickly as possible - before realising I hadn't even taken a photo of the ferry. So annoyed with myself.
Managed to see a doctor who booked me in for some tests at the hospital later in the day.
Meanwhile I checked into a hotel and specifically asked if there was a bath. I was told yes and so I got my ice ready only to find there was no bath in my room only a shower. Unfortunately the shower was not working properly. Now I was annoyed. I had been charged $90 for this room (compared with $35 the previous night). So - no - not happening. I went to the front desk and demanded a refund. the guy was annoyed and I was upset because now i am eating into my sleep time! I headed down the road and found a great little B and B run by a really nice guy - ex police cop. He gave me a room and washed my gear while I got a few hours sleep. I had an appointment at the hospital at 3 pm. I was there for a couple of hours while they carried out various tests and was told I had a chest infection. They gave me some antibiotics along with something to settle my stomach and advised to take it easy!! Of course all this took a long time. Back to the B and B where I was cooked some pasta before setting off. I felt I rode really well for a while but after a while I could feel my chest hurting so took the advice and slowed down. I ended up just plodding along the whole night. Shame really since the conditions were perfect for riding. Barely any wind and rolling hills. If I had been feeling OK it would have been a good opportunity to put in some miles!
According to my map there should have been a hotel in the town of Sonoma but there was no hotel to be found. So I had to keep going to the town of Newhaven, to find a hotel off route by 1 mile. Quite an interesting looking place - really old. Going to have a quick bath, then off to bed. Dinner at 8.30 because they stop serving at 9. Then I will ride again during the night. Maybe.
Bit worried as I have just looked at the Tracker and Jesse is at 4199 miles but still a long way from the coast. He's the other side of Richmond which is about 100 miles from the ocean. Which is not good because it means that is an extra 200 miles than expected. Which is an extra day. Not very happy about that. To be fair this is exactly what I had calculated and written on my map sheets - but I had assumed the Tracker to match. I think my own mileage calculations a lot more accurate. It will be interesting to see what my final mileage is. We're getting there!
I actually sat in a bar earlier today chatting with a lady. She asked if I would do the race again - absolutely NO WAY! But of course as I am riding along I am thinking to myself 'Next time, I'll do this differently, next time I'll do such and such ....'But NO I am not doing it again!!
Right now I just want to sleep for the next 24 hours. But at the same time I just want to be finished!!
Had a good day when I reached Missouri, riding through the night.. Obviously yo don't see as much of your surroundings when riding at night so it is a strange feeling sometimes. I pretty much rode the Ozarks all in the dark - straight up and straight down. Pretty cool - just rolled down a hill, went into lowest gear and climbed up the next one, all night long!
But the whole day my chest and stomach felt worse and I wasn't feeling too good!
The following day was a long day!The terrain flattened out a lot during the afternoon. That night I felt like I was floating as i rode. It felt like there should be a headwind because i could feel the wind in my face and the trees were blowing towards me but certainly acted like a tail wind because I was just flying. It was a great feeling and a great night. Until the morning. I knew I would arrive at the next town at 6 am and was hoping the store there would be open, but unfortunately it wasn't and there was no sign giving the hours. So by this point my throat and chest were really hurting - it was kind of bothering me now in that it was freaking me out a bit. I was happy to wait an hour for the store to open if I had been sure it would but I had no way of knowing so I continued on my way. I plodded along for another 20 miles with very little food and water until I finally found a place with French toast on offer!
It was now another 10 miles to the little ferry that takes you across the Ohio River into Kentucky. I had been really looking forward to this part and so was quite excited about catching the ferry. I met up with two guys on touring bikes with Apidura bags all over them! Really nice guys and enjoyed chatting with them. Then a lady, Michelle, drove up in a car and explained she had been following me online ( and that her daughter has lupus like my sister) and she would like to do an interview. So we all chatted on the ferry and it was great. There was another 10 miles to the next town where I was hoping to find a doctor and so i got off the ferry and got going as quickly as possible - before realising I hadn't even taken a photo of the ferry. So annoyed with myself.
Managed to see a doctor who booked me in for some tests at the hospital later in the day.
Meanwhile I checked into a hotel and specifically asked if there was a bath. I was told yes and so I got my ice ready only to find there was no bath in my room only a shower. Unfortunately the shower was not working properly. Now I was annoyed. I had been charged $90 for this room (compared with $35 the previous night). So - no - not happening. I went to the front desk and demanded a refund. the guy was annoyed and I was upset because now i am eating into my sleep time! I headed down the road and found a great little B and B run by a really nice guy - ex police cop. He gave me a room and washed my gear while I got a few hours sleep. I had an appointment at the hospital at 3 pm. I was there for a couple of hours while they carried out various tests and was told I had a chest infection. They gave me some antibiotics along with something to settle my stomach and advised to take it easy!! Of course all this took a long time. Back to the B and B where I was cooked some pasta before setting off. I felt I rode really well for a while but after a while I could feel my chest hurting so took the advice and slowed down. I ended up just plodding along the whole night. Shame really since the conditions were perfect for riding. Barely any wind and rolling hills. If I had been feeling OK it would have been a good opportunity to put in some miles!
According to my map there should have been a hotel in the town of Sonoma but there was no hotel to be found. So I had to keep going to the town of Newhaven, to find a hotel off route by 1 mile. Quite an interesting looking place - really old. Going to have a quick bath, then off to bed. Dinner at 8.30 because they stop serving at 9. Then I will ride again during the night. Maybe.
Bit worried as I have just looked at the Tracker and Jesse is at 4199 miles but still a long way from the coast. He's the other side of Richmond which is about 100 miles from the ocean. Which is not good because it means that is an extra 200 miles than expected. Which is an extra day. Not very happy about that. To be fair this is exactly what I had calculated and written on my map sheets - but I had assumed the Tracker to match. I think my own mileage calculations a lot more accurate. It will be interesting to see what my final mileage is. We're getting there!
I actually sat in a bar earlier today chatting with a lady. She asked if I would do the race again - absolutely NO WAY! But of course as I am riding along I am thinking to myself 'Next time, I'll do this differently, next time I'll do such and such ....'But NO I am not doing it again!!
Right now I just want to sleep for the next 24 hours. But at the same time I just want to be finished!!
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Transam Bike race Sunday Catch Up
We
L I know its been a couple of days but here goes! KANSAS! Yep - Kansas. Just as I remembered from riding across it last time. Actually it was fine the first afternoon - but then I thought here comes the Kansass I know! Got up next morning and there was quite a bit of a headwind that first day and I was feeling so tired still. Those last few mountains had really taken it out of me - as I said before my legs seemed to seize up on the downs. Then the headwind really got into my head - completely - not what I had wanted and I struggled like crazy!! Then when I ran into the back of that storm I was really annoyed with myself Especially when the woman in the store told me it was 5 miles ahead running due east. If I had left just a little earlier I would have been in front of it and being pushed along this road. Instead I was behind it nearly being pushed off my bike.
So that was all a real pain and I really didn't get anywhere that day.
Next morning I woke determined to go better - put my he'd down and really go for it. It was a great morning for it - cool, calm, misty, eerie - so nice ..........
By afternoon the sun was out and a breeze had picked up. Felt like I had ridden really well but when I looked at the numbers I just couldn't understand why it had taken me 5 hours to do 50 miles - 10 mph - so slow.
I felt like I was riding well and pushing but just not getting anywhere. So that was a long day.
Yesterday I woke to a wind coming from the SW so when I was going east it was fine but there were lots of turns to the south which wasn't so good - right into my face and really strong. Weird day. Would ride east for a while and get pushed along and hen turn and ride a mile south and it would be a battle seemingly taking forever!!
Newton Bike Shop - what a saviour - but also pretty amazing and a complete surprise. I really should have read some of the race blogs. Riding into town I saw a guy who seemed to be waiting for someone - I said hello,as I passed. Then I realized he was riding up to me and explained he was from the bike shop. Awesome because I needed some CO2 canisters. So I followed him to the bike shop. Once there they took the bike from me to service it and I was then treated so wonderfully. Lots of encouragement from everyone there, cooked me food, took care of my bike, and there were even bunk beds in the back room so I could take a nap. Oh yes even let me have a shower and cleaned my bike kit. Amazing. And really really nice people genuinely interested. Trouble is Imhad already overslept and really shouldn't have hung out so long with them. But I did and so by the time I was done and back on the bike it turned out to be a long day again. I rode 170 miles where I had wanted to go a lot further. At first I thought that the extra nap would see me through the night but I soon felt yuk again. Rolled into Eureka and the first sign I saw still said OPEN. It was a bar and the girl was just clearing up to close but she kindly offered to make me a ham and cheese sandwich. Then she told me she had rooms out back at $35. Done deal! I was exhausted. One of those nights when you get into bed and then what seems like 5 seconds later the alarm goes off. I woke up , turned my phone off and went back to sleep. So ended up not setting off till 10 am
Rode well that morning - not breaking any records. Caught up with a guy who was touring across the country so not in too much of a hurry but moving along. So we rode together for 40 miles - chatting about anything and everything. Slower than I had wanted to go but it was nice because while my stomach has been hurting before, that more relaxed slower pace made me feel a whole lot better. By the time we had travelled 40 miles together and we turned and rode south he told me not to worry about dropping him as he had such a heavy load on his bike with all his stuff. So we parted ways and I rode into town and got some food, hoping he would ride by somI could at least say Hi and Bye again. But I didn't see him again - he was planning to camp in the Municipal Park. But that was a nice little interlude.
Riding during the day is so hot. Constantly looking for at least a tree to have a rest and maybe drink some water. So last night was wonderful - made such a difference riding in the cooler conditions. I rode about 30 miles expecting to get some food, nothing there, another 30, still nothing. Then I found a soda machine at 3 in the morning. I was rationing my food at this stage. Another 20 miles and I found a garage for breakfast and then continued to Marshfield. The bad news was that at about 3 am when I was moving along wonderfully, having a great time, my pedal suddenly fell off my bike. Just pulled my foot to find the pedal still clipped to my shoe but not on my bike anymore. Tried to work out how to fix it but in the end had to just shove it back on and keep riding. Every now and then it would of course slide off again and my foot was moving all over the place. A nightmare.
Seemed just a few seconds after this happened my chain also fell off and managed to catch on the chainrotector and ripped that off, which was then rubbing on the chain ring. Pitch black in the middle of the night of course!!
The countryside had changed finally yesterday afternoon - not so flat and straight. Then late last night it got really hilly with some really fast descents. Lowest gear going up and then 40 mph for a short while going down!
So that was the last couple of days - I was so happy to get out of Kansas. Felt I had pushed and was riding a lot better. Struggling in the constant wind to keep my cadence up - I was allowing the wind to wind me down to the point where it was "1 pedal, 2 pedal, 1 pedal, 2 pedal ..." Plodding along just trying to get through it.
But last night I definitely got riding properly again. So now I am sitting in the hotel. I checked in and went for a nap. The bike shop opened at 11 am so I called through to buy some new pedals - they are in a taxi on their way to me here. Ordered a pizza and am just sitting in an ice bath. Plan to grab another couple of hours sleep when I have sorted my pedals. Then I will ride through the night again on my new schedule. This way I avoid the crazy heat in the middle of the day and ride when it's cooler. I just have to be careful in making sure I have enough food with me.
L I know its been a couple of days but here goes! KANSAS! Yep - Kansas. Just as I remembered from riding across it last time. Actually it was fine the first afternoon - but then I thought here comes the Kansass I know! Got up next morning and there was quite a bit of a headwind that first day and I was feeling so tired still. Those last few mountains had really taken it out of me - as I said before my legs seemed to seize up on the downs. Then the headwind really got into my head - completely - not what I had wanted and I struggled like crazy!! Then when I ran into the back of that storm I was really annoyed with myself Especially when the woman in the store told me it was 5 miles ahead running due east. If I had left just a little earlier I would have been in front of it and being pushed along this road. Instead I was behind it nearly being pushed off my bike.
So that was all a real pain and I really didn't get anywhere that day.
Next morning I woke determined to go better - put my he'd down and really go for it. It was a great morning for it - cool, calm, misty, eerie - so nice ..........
By afternoon the sun was out and a breeze had picked up. Felt like I had ridden really well but when I looked at the numbers I just couldn't understand why it had taken me 5 hours to do 50 miles - 10 mph - so slow.
I felt like I was riding well and pushing but just not getting anywhere. So that was a long day.
Yesterday I woke to a wind coming from the SW so when I was going east it was fine but there were lots of turns to the south which wasn't so good - right into my face and really strong. Weird day. Would ride east for a while and get pushed along and hen turn and ride a mile south and it would be a battle seemingly taking forever!!
Newton Bike Shop - what a saviour - but also pretty amazing and a complete surprise. I really should have read some of the race blogs. Riding into town I saw a guy who seemed to be waiting for someone - I said hello,as I passed. Then I realized he was riding up to me and explained he was from the bike shop. Awesome because I needed some CO2 canisters. So I followed him to the bike shop. Once there they took the bike from me to service it and I was then treated so wonderfully. Lots of encouragement from everyone there, cooked me food, took care of my bike, and there were even bunk beds in the back room so I could take a nap. Oh yes even let me have a shower and cleaned my bike kit. Amazing. And really really nice people genuinely interested. Trouble is Imhad already overslept and really shouldn't have hung out so long with them. But I did and so by the time I was done and back on the bike it turned out to be a long day again. I rode 170 miles where I had wanted to go a lot further. At first I thought that the extra nap would see me through the night but I soon felt yuk again. Rolled into Eureka and the first sign I saw still said OPEN. It was a bar and the girl was just clearing up to close but she kindly offered to make me a ham and cheese sandwich. Then she told me she had rooms out back at $35. Done deal! I was exhausted. One of those nights when you get into bed and then what seems like 5 seconds later the alarm goes off. I woke up , turned my phone off and went back to sleep. So ended up not setting off till 10 am
Rode well that morning - not breaking any records. Caught up with a guy who was touring across the country so not in too much of a hurry but moving along. So we rode together for 40 miles - chatting about anything and everything. Slower than I had wanted to go but it was nice because while my stomach has been hurting before, that more relaxed slower pace made me feel a whole lot better. By the time we had travelled 40 miles together and we turned and rode south he told me not to worry about dropping him as he had such a heavy load on his bike with all his stuff. So we parted ways and I rode into town and got some food, hoping he would ride by somI could at least say Hi and Bye again. But I didn't see him again - he was planning to camp in the Municipal Park. But that was a nice little interlude.
Riding during the day is so hot. Constantly looking for at least a tree to have a rest and maybe drink some water. So last night was wonderful - made such a difference riding in the cooler conditions. I rode about 30 miles expecting to get some food, nothing there, another 30, still nothing. Then I found a soda machine at 3 in the morning. I was rationing my food at this stage. Another 20 miles and I found a garage for breakfast and then continued to Marshfield. The bad news was that at about 3 am when I was moving along wonderfully, having a great time, my pedal suddenly fell off my bike. Just pulled my foot to find the pedal still clipped to my shoe but not on my bike anymore. Tried to work out how to fix it but in the end had to just shove it back on and keep riding. Every now and then it would of course slide off again and my foot was moving all over the place. A nightmare.
Seemed just a few seconds after this happened my chain also fell off and managed to catch on the chainrotector and ripped that off, which was then rubbing on the chain ring. Pitch black in the middle of the night of course!!
The countryside had changed finally yesterday afternoon - not so flat and straight. Then late last night it got really hilly with some really fast descents. Lowest gear going up and then 40 mph for a short while going down!
So that was the last couple of days - I was so happy to get out of Kansas. Felt I had pushed and was riding a lot better. Struggling in the constant wind to keep my cadence up - I was allowing the wind to wind me down to the point where it was "1 pedal, 2 pedal, 1 pedal, 2 pedal ..." Plodding along just trying to get through it.
But last night I definitely got riding properly again. So now I am sitting in the hotel. I checked in and went for a nap. The bike shop opened at 11 am so I called through to buy some new pedals - they are in a taxi on their way to me here. Ordered a pizza and am just sitting in an ice bath. Plan to grab another couple of hours sleep when I have sorted my pedals. Then I will ride through the night again on my new schedule. This way I avoid the crazy heat in the middle of the day and ride when it's cooler. I just have to be careful in making sure I have enough food with me.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Trams Am. Mosquitoes Everywhere.
oK So had to get to the next Post Office to pick up my parcel. Cruised the 50 miles - arrived in good time. Great to have clean clothes. Even better to have s new tyre. Found a great place for breakfast and met a really nice older guy who just wanted to chat. He had been an Iron worker and was chatting away about Pensions and Unions. He wanted to know if we had a Workers Union at Beaver Creek!!!!! He explained that his pension was not enough to live on so he had a little side business going on - growing asparagus!! Really nice guy.
I really amped up now and looking forward to the rest of the day. Thought to myself it's going to be a good day - flat terrain and Id already had s greatornomg so far.
So I headed out and it was good for a couple of hours. The tiny little towns I was cycling through were a bit hit and miss when it came to cages and stores. More importantly I had to work out when to fit my new tyre. There was supposedly a bike shop in 75 miles. My plan was to get them to fit the tyre while I ate/ rest. That should save me some time. But worried about it lasting but at least if it did blow up on me I had everything with me to replace it.
After about another 25 miles on the wind picked up just that little bit and was blowing south west as I am traveling east. Pain in the arse. Slowed me down just enough - just what I didn't need. Made it all more of a struggle. Reached the town but of course no bike shop! Just a grocery store and a Mechanics. Apparently the guys at the Mechanics who might've been able to help were not there. However the lady there let me use their workshop. So I changed the tyre which went very smoothly and quickly so I am super happy.
Carried on going.
Yesterday I was continuously being attacked by mosquitoes. Even stoping for a pee and I was jumping around all over the place trying to avoid them. I look like s pin cushion with bites everywhere. So uncomfortable.
So I was trying to figure out what to do tonight. Can't keep stopping in motels but I don't want to get bitten. Really don't understand how the others are coping. No tent and is horrible sleeping in bike shorts. At least now I have 2 pairs of shorts so the idea is to clean a pair during the day and then put s fresh pair on at night ready to start riding in next morning.
But every time I stop I just get bitten. I have nothing to cover myself and protect me from the bugs. I had another idea to sleep at s launderette while washing my clothes. I have lots of bright ideas. Another one is to ride all night and sleep during the day. But again finding shade and trying not to get bitten is going to be difficult I was actually going to try that last night but I was too tempted by the hotel. Worst thing is then it is so difficult to get going on the morning.
I really amped up now and looking forward to the rest of the day. Thought to myself it's going to be a good day - flat terrain and Id already had s greatornomg so far.
So I headed out and it was good for a couple of hours. The tiny little towns I was cycling through were a bit hit and miss when it came to cages and stores. More importantly I had to work out when to fit my new tyre. There was supposedly a bike shop in 75 miles. My plan was to get them to fit the tyre while I ate/ rest. That should save me some time. But worried about it lasting but at least if it did blow up on me I had everything with me to replace it.
After about another 25 miles on the wind picked up just that little bit and was blowing south west as I am traveling east. Pain in the arse. Slowed me down just enough - just what I didn't need. Made it all more of a struggle. Reached the town but of course no bike shop! Just a grocery store and a Mechanics. Apparently the guys at the Mechanics who might've been able to help were not there. However the lady there let me use their workshop. So I changed the tyre which went very smoothly and quickly so I am super happy.
Carried on going.
Yesterday I was continuously being attacked by mosquitoes. Even stoping for a pee and I was jumping around all over the place trying to avoid them. I look like s pin cushion with bites everywhere. So uncomfortable.
So I was trying to figure out what to do tonight. Can't keep stopping in motels but I don't want to get bitten. Really don't understand how the others are coping. No tent and is horrible sleeping in bike shorts. At least now I have 2 pairs of shorts so the idea is to clean a pair during the day and then put s fresh pair on at night ready to start riding in next morning.
But every time I stop I just get bitten. I have nothing to cover myself and protect me from the bugs. I had another idea to sleep at s launderette while washing my clothes. I have lots of bright ideas. Another one is to ride all night and sleep during the day. But again finding shade and trying not to get bitten is going to be difficult I was actually going to try that last night but I was too tempted by the hotel. Worst thing is then it is so difficult to get going on the morning.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
TransAm Day 11 Wait for me Old lady on a Bike!
Big climb ahead today over Hoosier Pass - followed by quite a lot of downhill Though the downhills seem to be hurting just as much as the ups. Its all the bending over, ducking down and trying to hold it to get the speed! Freezing cold this morning and I left my arm warmers in the hotel so had to go back for them. Only 20 miles to Breckenridge - but took me 2 hours - felt like I was going 1mph. There was an old lady on a bike ahead of me and it took me 5 minutes to pass her. My legs were like lead.
Had my bike looked at in Breck. Gears cleaned and a new chain put on. Definitely running better after that. Also had some French toast for breakfast there.
Headed up the Hoosier Pass, which actually went okay. i rode it pretty well - got to the top feeling fine - took some time there to take a few photos. But then I think what happened is that rolling down my legs just got stiff. I remember the same thing happening in Ethiopia - pushing so hard up one of the climbs that when I got to the top and tried to put in some speed riding down my legs just gave up and didn't do anything for the rest of the day.
Good job it was mainly downhill so at least I could keep going - just struggled up the rises and didn't really take advantage as I should have.
Met my first fans. Elderly couple taking photos at the side of the road so I pulled over to talk to them. They are Friends of the Race and come from Oregon. They had seen Jesse and the other leaders and were now on their way back to Oregon. Really weird but cool. Amazing that there are actual fans of this stupid race out there, willing to come out and watch - I thought the only followers were those that followed our spots on the computer!! Anyway this made me giggle and actually gave me a little spurt as I rode down to Canon City. I knew there was a parcel waiting for me there but I needed to get to the Post Office by 5.30. It was close and in the end I missed it by 2 minutes. I kind did that on purpose at that stage. If I had got there a few minutes earlier I would have been able to collect my parcel but there would not have been time to send off my old stuff that i was replacing. Wouldn't have been able to carry the extra stuff till the next day.
Only problem is that my back tyre is worn out and desperately needs replacing (in the parcel) so lets hope it makes it the 50 miles to the next PO in the morning.
Found a great Italian restaurant in canon City and thoroughly enjoyed my pasta - so good to have some real food for a change. So then I rode great the next few hours to Pueblo and thought about continuing to Ordway. However again there was only 1 possible hotel there and i couldn't get through when I tried calling. On my way into Pueblo my chain fell off and got caught in the crank (my gears have been playing up) - of course this is all happening in the dark. So I put it back on but it was hopping around like crazy - so I stopped again thinking that maybe I'd broken a link. Actually it was just completely bent so I had to replace the link and then fix the chain. All this at the side of the road in the pitch black while I am being eaten alive by a swarm of mosquitoes. So by this time i was definitely decided to call it a day. I found some food and actually went to my hotel room feeling pretty good for a change.
Made myself an ice bath and did some stretching and then slept well. Just need to remember to drink plenty of water during the night. Hope I wake up feeling good in the morning!
Had my bike looked at in Breck. Gears cleaned and a new chain put on. Definitely running better after that. Also had some French toast for breakfast there.
Headed up the Hoosier Pass, which actually went okay. i rode it pretty well - got to the top feeling fine - took some time there to take a few photos. But then I think what happened is that rolling down my legs just got stiff. I remember the same thing happening in Ethiopia - pushing so hard up one of the climbs that when I got to the top and tried to put in some speed riding down my legs just gave up and didn't do anything for the rest of the day.
Good job it was mainly downhill so at least I could keep going - just struggled up the rises and didn't really take advantage as I should have.
Met my first fans. Elderly couple taking photos at the side of the road so I pulled over to talk to them. They are Friends of the Race and come from Oregon. They had seen Jesse and the other leaders and were now on their way back to Oregon. Really weird but cool. Amazing that there are actual fans of this stupid race out there, willing to come out and watch - I thought the only followers were those that followed our spots on the computer!! Anyway this made me giggle and actually gave me a little spurt as I rode down to Canon City. I knew there was a parcel waiting for me there but I needed to get to the Post Office by 5.30. It was close and in the end I missed it by 2 minutes. I kind did that on purpose at that stage. If I had got there a few minutes earlier I would have been able to collect my parcel but there would not have been time to send off my old stuff that i was replacing. Wouldn't have been able to carry the extra stuff till the next day.
Only problem is that my back tyre is worn out and desperately needs replacing (in the parcel) so lets hope it makes it the 50 miles to the next PO in the morning.
Found a great Italian restaurant in canon City and thoroughly enjoyed my pasta - so good to have some real food for a change. So then I rode great the next few hours to Pueblo and thought about continuing to Ordway. However again there was only 1 possible hotel there and i couldn't get through when I tried calling. On my way into Pueblo my chain fell off and got caught in the crank (my gears have been playing up) - of course this is all happening in the dark. So I put it back on but it was hopping around like crazy - so I stopped again thinking that maybe I'd broken a link. Actually it was just completely bent so I had to replace the link and then fix the chain. All this at the side of the road in the pitch black while I am being eaten alive by a swarm of mosquitoes. So by this time i was definitely decided to call it a day. I found some food and actually went to my hotel room feeling pretty good for a change.
Made myself an ice bath and did some stretching and then slept well. Just need to remember to drink plenty of water during the night. Hope I wake up feeling good in the morning!
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