How many miles to ride each day? check it out here
I am simply reposting this article thanks to Bicycle Touring Pro
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No Stolen Gear
pre-Ride Plans, It all started here.
The start of the trip is rapidly approaching, and contrary to the belief of some is not actually Brett’s Big Viking Adventure. If it were, however my bike should look a little more like this one.
A bit heavy perhaps, but straight from the medieval forge and ready to take on any monsters of the deep. Check this out for some really cool bike designs that I probably won’t be riding on this trip.
Anyway, This Sunday, April 25th, things kick off from San Francisco/Vallejo. No trailer for this part. I have decided to ride from the Vallejo ferry dock on the east bay to Rockville, Fairfield, Vacaville, Winters, through Davis & West Sacramento to Old Sacramento. Then hop on the Jedediah Smith/American River bike trail on the way to Folsom Lake. Approximately 110 mile trip. Might as well start it off with a century! Check out the Pre-trip Plan post for more details on the entire route. Then, for edge-of-the -seat reading of the trip day-to–day highlights, start HERE.
Girding up
We are Vikings—Veggie Tales
Viking gear would be good for all sorts of stuff in addition to raiding villages and riding bikes… Passing legislation, opening cans of tuna, protection from the occasional hail storm, and of course solving the problem of what to do with all those buffalo horns lying around. 
University of the Pacific Visual Art Endowed Scholarship
Scholarship Donations
“I thought of that while riding my bike.”—Albert Einstein, On the Theory of Relativity.
Part of the purpose of this trip is to initiate funds for establishing a new Visual Arts Department Endowed Scholarship at the University of the Pacific. Your donations to this scholarship would help to establish an award that would be given annually to a deserving art or design student that has successfully completed their freshman foundations courses in their pursuit of a BFA degree in Studio Art or Graphic design.
No amount is too small, but our goal is to create a $25,000 account (it takes a village you know) which will then sustain itself from year to year. Please help make this a reality. Even though the pedaling is no longer taking me from left to right coasts, across mountains, through deserts, over rivers, under rocky tunnels, buffeted by wind, rain, sleet and snow, not to mention humidity, and the occasional exuberant doggie, your generous donations to the Scholarship continue to be most welcome! Thanks:)
To participate, please go to this “Giving to Pacific” web page and follow these steps:
- Scroll down to the “Other” section.
- From the “Other Gift Designation” drop-down menu, select “Other: Not Listed.”
- In the “Other Not Listed” box type in: Bike For Art
- Continue down the page to the section prompting you to enter the amount of your gift.
(Note: You have the option to designate a recurring gift if you wish.)
- Enter your contact information in the boxes under the section “University Employees.”
(Note: You do not need to be a university employee to make a donation.)
- Click the “Save and Continue” button to continue processing your donation via credit card.
- Should you experience any difficulty with this, please email me directly at bdeboer@pacific.edu
Thanks, Brett
it’s not all rice and pasta
Beans and Cornbread—Louis Jordan
Resource Stuff
These are a selection of recipes I’ve stolen from other biking sites and am planning to work into the daily meal plan while on the road. (more are welcome). At the top is a list of different biking sites I’ve come across and benefited from some tidbit of wisdom found there.
- www.worldriders2.com
- www.bicyclingpro.com
- http://travellingtwo.com
- http://www.warmshowers.org/content/welcome-warmshowers.org
- http://bit.ly/a0SWUF
- http://www.couchserfing.com/
- http://travellingtwo.com/resources/encyclopedia
- http://www.competitivecyclist.com/road-bikes/demo-saddle
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1 giant, super ripe PAPAYA 1 giant, super ripe MANGO or PIÑA, as available onion garlic red, green and/or hot pepper tomato avocado 1 can tuna (optional) 1 pot rice salt pepper tajin (our favorite mexican spice…anything will do)
Any other yummy fresh ingredients you can get your pedals on will work as well. Once your rice is cooked, add sauteed onion, garlic and peppers (with spices added to taste), then add drained tuna. Then pile on the tomato, avocado and chunks of your super ripe, wicked delicious looking mango (the mango/piña is crucial). Mix well. While this is surely got your taste buds drooling, take a deep breath and set it aside for a moment to cut your papaya in half lengthwise. Clean out the seeds and set one half aside, taking care not to set it on or near an anthill. Load up your new papaya bowl and dig in, making sure to get large scoops of papaya with each bite. This is made even tastier with a handful of freshly fried platanos (bananas) sprinkled on top.
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Craving some hearty, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food? Are you camping in a place that has a fire pit or allows you to make a real campfire? Bury your food in the coals of the fire. This turns your pot basically into an oven. Make sure you also have something that you can get the pot out of the coals with.
My favorite…
Peach (or any other fruit you like) cobbler
This is not exact! A little bit more or less of any ingredient and it will still taste fine.
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1 or 2 peaches a handful (about a cup) of plain oatmeal cinamon brown sugar 4 tsp white sugar 4 tsp butter
I carry oatmeal, cinnamon, and brown sugar for breakfasts anyway. The white sugar and butter you can probably get enough of from a diner that morning or the day before, just ask for extra butter for your meal. Get the fruit from any place you can.
mix everything except for fruit. it should stick together, but still be kind of crumbly. Cut up fruit into the pot. Pack oatmeal mixture tightly down over the top of the fruit so it is all covered. put lid on pot. If lid does not lock, make sure to wrap the open edges in tin foil.
dig out a hole in the fire pit leaving a covering of hot coals in the bottom. Place pot in hole and heap hot coals over the top. You will know when it is ready because it will smell like peach pie. Generally takes about an hour. You can sub in any other fruit you like… apples, berries, whatever.
This is also a good way to cook many things that you would generally cook in a crock pot at home.
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1 can black beans or chili (pinto) beans 1 can tomatoes chili powder (or buy a season packet)
Optional stuff 1 can refried beans as thickener (black beans preferred) More tomatoes lentils (boil for a few minutes first, rinse) vegetables (corn, onions, celery, anything) pasta rice cheese or other dairy products cocoa (try it) cayenne pepper (if you want more kick)
You can’t mess this up. If the first 3 ingredients are there, it will be good.
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Cast irons are great but leave them at home! Toss the bowl to the roadside! One pot, lid, one fork, spoon, and knife will do it. Here’s a favorite:
One box of mac n cheese, one can tuna, jalapeno pepper, tomato, onion or any other veggies you have lying around, one pack ramen with season packet.
Cook in and eat from the only pot you have. To clean, pour water in pot, scrape and drink. Repeat if needed. Enjoy mates. Cast irons are great but leave them at home! Toss the bowl to the roadside! One pot, lid, one fork, spoon, and knife will do it. Here’s a favorite:
One box of mac n cheese, one can tuna, jalapeno pepper, tomato, onion or any other veggies you have lying around, one pack ramen with season packet.
Cook in and eat from the only pot you have. To clean, pour water in pot, scrape and drink. Repeat if needed. Enjoy mates.
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one tip from the road, after eating out of your one and only bowl,[because a bowl does everything, no other tableware needed} heat water in the same saucepan you cooked with, add teabag and boil, pour into the bowl and drink. this washes the saucepan, the bowl, and your spoon as every extra calorie counts. i know, i know this sounds really yuk, but just try it!!! it’s not bad at all.
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peanut butter, tea, salt & pepper, rice, pasta, beans, oatmeal, fruit, veggies
empty film canisters to store spices, a long wooden spoon for stirring, a tea towel, a pot scrubber, a Swiss army knife (mostly used for the corkscrew attachment), two small knives (one paring knife, one serrated for slicing bread and tomatoes) and two screw-top bottles to store things like olive oil and honey.
Our Pantry What we carry with us varies according to the country, temperatures and how long we will spend between towns where we can stock up. In general our food stash contains a mixture of the following ingredients:
| -1st. Oatmeal-1. Pasta
-1. Rice -1. Lentils (quick-cooking varieties) -1. Glass noodles (made from mung beans) -1. Tomato sauce -1. Tinned fish (sardines, tuna) -1. Nuts -1. Dark chocolate -1. Bread -1. Jam |
-1. Peanut butter-1. Eggs
-1. Stock cubes -1. Soy sauce -1. Honey -1. Olive oil -1. Mustard -1. Salt, pepper and other spices (cumin, hot pepper, cinnamon) -1. A variety of in-season fruits and vegetables -1. Long-life milk -1. Instant coffee |
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Bread Salad
Also known as Panzanella, this bread salad is the perfect solution if you have a stale baguette.
It’s a great chance to take advantage of day old bread on sale at the supermarket or use leftovers from lunch the day before.
You can use any type of tinned fish including sardines or tuna, or go vegetarian. Fresh basil is best but dried will do fine. Take the basic idea and play around with what you have. Try adding chopped bell peppers or any other vegetable you like from the market.
-1. 2 cups day-old crusty bread (ciabatta or baguette)
-1. 4 large tomatoes
-1. 1 small cucumber
-1. 1 large onion
-1. 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
-1. 1 can of fish (tuna or sardines)
-1. 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
-1. 5-6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-1. salt and pepper, to taste
-1. basil, freshly chopped or dried
Cut or tear the bread into pieces about an inch across and put in a saucepan. In another pan or bowl, mix the oil, vinegar and garlic together. Chop the tomatoes, keeping the juice, and throw them in with the oil mixture. Once it’s well mixed, pour over the bread and mix well.
Let this all soak while you chop the cucumber, onion and any other vegetables you plan to add. When everything is chopped, throw it all together along with the fish, basil, salt and pepper.
Speedy Chilli
We came up with this one when we were almost out of fuel for our stove so whatever we made had to be simple and quick.
This dish is not fancy, but it is very fast to make and filling! If you aren’t running out of fuel, you might cut the amount of beef down and make some pasta or rice to serve with the chilli.
-1. 300g ground beef
-1. 400g tin mushrooms, drained and quartered
-1. 400g tin kidney beans, drained
-1. 500ml canned tomatoes or passata
-1. Packet of chilli seasoning or
-1. Dried cumin, chilli flakes, pepper and coriander to taste
Making it couldn´t be simpler. Just brown the ground beef, adding the mushrooms after a couple minutes. Once the beef is cooked, add in the kidney beans, tomatoes and seasoning and heat through.
To make this dish more interesting, fry an onion and some garlic with the meat. Add in some chopped carrots or grate some cheddar cheese on top.
-1. Do a mixture of lentils, rice and pasta. Take roughly equal quantities, cooking the rice and lentils first (you can use canned lentils too and add them last) and adding the pasta towards the end. In the early stages of cooking, add in a mixture of vegetables. Carrots, onions or peas are all good. You may also add some meat. Chorizo sausage works well. Cook until the water has all been absorbed by the rice or evaporated. Add a little tomato sauce and seasonings and enjoy.
-1. Using glass noodles, make an oriental salad. The dressing is made of peanut butter with a little lime juice and soy sauce mixed in, plus some fresh herbs like coriander and parsley if you have them, or some freshly chopped chilli. Toss with the cooked and cooled noodles, then sprinkle on raw, chopped carrots, onions, snow peas, courgettes, cucumbers and red pepper.
-1. Liven up your breakfast porridge by adding in chopped apples during the cooking process, or by slicing bananas on top just before you tuck in.
-1. If you get sick of porridge, do a German breakfast. Boil some eggs and serve with slices of a whole-grain bread, salami, cheese, yogurt and museli or perhaps a fruit salad.
-1. A soup can be very filling on a cool day and doesn’t take much effort to make. Heat some water and crumble in a couple stock cubes, along with some carrots, onions and any other veggies you enjoy. Add in some pasta, rice or lentils and lots of pepper. Let bubble away for a few minutes and then eat.
-1. For easy lunches, boil eggs at breakfast or the night before. Eat along with a little salad, which we usually make out of a can of tuna, a can of corn or beans and a selection of other vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, carrots and peppers. A bit of olive oil and lemon juice together with the usual salt and pepper makes a nice dressing
-1. Still on the salad trail, we often made a green salad by buying lettuce, adding in tomatoes and cucumbers as well as diced beetroot (buy it cooked) and feta cheese on top. Dressed just with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Why, I ask you, Why?
Nine Million Bicycles—Katie Melua
What? and more importantly, Why?
The reasons are many, and range from the short and sweet to the somewhat longer “search for meaning” variety. The shorter answers to the question I have heard most in the past few weeks—”why?”— include, first of all, that this is something I have at least thought about doing since my sophomore year in college. At that time I was adequately preoccupied by any number of disconnected goals and directions, some which turned out to be quite meaningful and others, well maybe not so much. Any hoo, the only real attempt at a “bicycle tour” (and I didn’t even call it a tour then) was a fifty-mile round trip ride on my ten-speed from Brookings, South Dakota, south on I-29 to Sioux Falls and back in the fall of 1973. I had the foresight to bring along a canteen and an army blanket which I rolled around the frame top tube. The ride took all day and night. I took a brief rest beneath an underpass in my trusty blanket, but woke up shivering so I returned to pedaling, this time with the blanket wrapped about my shoulders. I finally got back to the outskirts of Brookings and decided to take a little shortcut across a field and a dirt road to get to my dorm, only to be confronted by a truckload of shotgun totin’ bird hunters as the sun came up behind me. I felt a bit like Clint Eastwood, or at least a lucky punk.
One of the thoughts that came up on that momentous journey was the thought of riding all the way across the country by bike. It seemed like an absolutely impossible thing to do at the time, and also the question, why do it?
Later on, about 3 or 4 years or so, I am again on the same white 10 speed, this time riding from Greeley, Colorado to Ft. Collins with a friend of mine. We decide it would be perfectly OK to visit a third buddy at CSU. So we show up, ride into the classroom and have a seat to join him for the remainder of his history lecture. This time I probably should have come up with a better answer to my why question. This trip was much shorter than my Sioux Falls journey, but I had no blanket, no canteen and worse yet, no light for the return ride at 3:00 am.
Later that same year I completed my first bicycle maintenance course, tore down the 10 speed, painted it bright orange, cleaned or replaced all the components and reassembled it. I then rode it each day to my summer job at Dakota Steel, yellow hard hat, steel-toed boots and all, only to trade it for a spiffy blue 12 speed that I was soon riding about the Black Hills. On one of those memorable rides in the summer of 1979, which I typically rode from Rapid City up South Canyon Rode through the little Hills towns of Nemo, & Roubaix on the way to Deadwood, I got my first glimpse of a “real” cyclist. I remember powering up one of the steep winding sections of Nemo road, heard a brief “good morning for a ride isn’t it?” as he passed me by, literally as if I was at a stand still. I couldn’t believe it, no struggle, no effort at all it seemed. Quite impressive. I am sure my maximum distance on any of those rides was perhaps 40 miles at most but I did a whole bunch of them.
Back in Colorado, I started my first teaching job at the Abbey High School in Cañon City (of Royal Gorge and Colorado State Pen fame). I don’t think there were “mountain” bikes yet in 1979, but if there were I certainly didn’t have one. So, my adventure route there was from Cañon City to the gold country towns of Victor and Cripple Creek. (BTW Cañon City is on my route for BBBA this summer, so I am looking forward to returning to this particular spot and seeing some friends there) Anyway, the route I would take to Cripple Creek was county road 67, a gravel/dirt road locally known as Phantom Canyon road. A great name for a great road. Not necessarily a great road for someone on a bike with skinny tires, however. I wiped out at least a half-dozen times and seriously considered wearing my baseball sliding pads for future trips on it. The coolist part was leaving 70–80 temp in Cañon City and having a burrito in Cripple Creek watching the snow fly. Of course, I still had now clue how to pack for a trip that encountered such dramatic changes. The weird thing is I have never had this problem preparing for a hike, in fact, typically I am over-prepared for weather changes, etc. when going by foot.
Skipping ahead a bit, grad school brought me to New York two different times in the 80’s. The first at Parsons in Manhatten and the second at RIT in Rochester, upstate. Both experiences contributed to a number of life changes for me, one of which was pretty much relying on my bike to get wherever I needed or wanted to go. The best bike route that runs through Rochester is a part of the Barge (Erie) canal tow path that primarily runs east-west from Buffalo to Albany. My local rides on this were from Rochester up to the towns along Lake Ontario (Brockport, Spencerport, Lockport, port, port, port). I was rather intrigued by the whole lock system of moving boats and of course the Erie Canal itself had a lot of interest to me. So, my first real tour was with my girl friend, a softball buddy and his wife and child and my trusty black lab, November. Tom and Deb took turns pulling a child trailer with Maddie in it and each of us took turns driving their van as our SAG support vehicle. (I kind of skipped out on my van driving turns though). Tom and Deb are great cyclists and clued me in to some of the finer points. We went from Rochester to Albany, cooked artichokes, visited bee keepers and other local attractions along the way. By now I had a cross or hybrid bike, a Bridgestone, from the Towpath bike shop, a handlebar and rear rack packs, cycling shorts and a helmet. It was a blast of a trip. I don’t think the question of “Why?” crossed my mind once.
The nineties were spent in the northwestern corner of Wyoming along the Montana border, just outside Yellowstone Park. The local bike shop, Larson’s Bicycles, was run by Buzz Larson, an extremely knowledgeable cyclist who helped me outfit the road bike I still own, a Specialized Allez Sport (my BBBA ride). Since I was now firmly hooked on this distance cycling thing, I was also getting some negative side effects. The main one was that my hands would go numb, in spite of periodically changing positions on the handlebars. So, Buzz found this little shock absorber (from SoftRide) that fits the stem of the handlebars and also suggested the Scott bar extensions. Both made it possible for me to go on much longer and further rides. The local ones included the annual tour of Heart Mountain, a 60-70 mile jaunt that didn’t necessarily go “around” the regional landmark but always included a wide range of riders, incredible scenery and a great picnic at the end.
I went on three different tours while there. One was with a buddy, Aaron, from Colorado. We rode with a group on the ride around Wyoming (RAW) ride. There was a problem with the name of this ride. It wasn’t actually a ride “around” Wyoming but instead from Jackson south through mountain man country to the home of the original Pennys store in Kemmerer, west to Utah, north through Star Valley, over Pine Creek and Teton Passes and back to Jackson. The other name problem was because of the wind. On the trip south and west, Aaron and I changed the meaning of the initials RAW, (Ride Around Wyoming) to “Ride Against the Wind”, for obvious reasons. In spite of that, however, one leg of the journey was a 95 mile section. Aaron and I were determined to make it an even 100 though, so we continued to log on the extra 5 miles for my first century ride. One of the other memorable moments of this trip was the descent from Teton Pass going east into Jackson. I had leaned over on my bar extensions and started the coast down and was rapidly picking up speed. Very rapidly picking up speed. The word speed can’t be over emphasized here. My helmet started to rise off my head, held on only by the chin strap kind-of-speed. I was unable to straighten up off the bars into a “normal” riding position because of the wind resistance and fear of becoming unbalanced kind-of-speed. When I reached the bottom I stopped and waited for Aaron to roll up who immediately asked “how fast was I going?” I clicked the odometer over to “max” speed, which had recorded 60 mph. I am pretty sure that, although extremely fun, “once was enough” can be applied here.
The second was across Montana from Great Falls through Helena, Bozeman, Yellowstone and Billings. This was an Adventure Cycling organized trip and very well planned. There were many highlights of this trip, but I am only going to mention 3 of them. The first happened on the first day when we were riding through a very small town ( I wish I could remember the name) where a parade was going on. We pulled in and watched all the floats, cars, horses, bands and fire equipment go by, each one with riders pelting the bystanders with candy and other goodies. After the last horse had passed by we were getting ready to return to the road ourselves, but noticed no one else was leaving. The streets were empty but the crowd remained. Soon, we heard the music again. The parade had reached the end of the street, turned around and was making a second pass at suppling us with more candy. Same parade, just going the other way.
After a day of rain, which required me to purchase a real tent (instead of the “play” tent I had been using) and visiting the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman we came through the northwest entrance (the original one) to Yellowstone Park. We had a day of rest at one of the campgrounds and could do whatever we wanted on that day. So, rafting on the Yellowstone River seemed to be the answer. Three other cyclists joined me and off we went. At the raft we were paired with four other cyclists. Their cycles of choice were the motorized kind made by Harley. We shared some great comparison stories with one another on that raft!
The last part of that trip was climbing out of the canyon campground around the Cook City area and over the Big Horn range and down into Red Lodge and Billings. At the summit you are above tree line and in glacier country. When I first arrived in Wyoming about 5 years earlier and was driving on that rode we passed some cyclists and I remembered thinking, “Wow, they rode up here? I wonder if I will ever do that?” The trip goes by a little gas station/convenience store called “Top-of-the-World” or something like that. You can get all the western touristy things there including moose, deer antlers and long horn steer horns. One of the other cyclists sprung for a set of long horns and we all helped him strap them to the front of his bike. I am not sure what he must have looked like to the drivers of approaching cars as we descended at 30-40 mph down the other side.
The third major tour for me while in Wyoming was part of a trip organized by the outdoor education instructor at Northwest College, Scott Fyle. This was an annual spring break trip to the Grand Canyon that included three different trip options, rafting, hiking or biking. Each of these choices did not cover the same distance or start from the same spot, but all ended up at the Grand Canyon. The biking option started in Mexican Hat, New Mexico (the one on 163) winding its way down through Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, and Flagstaff before turning west and then back north to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Eating Indian flat bread from a roadside stand near Monument Valley and joining a powwow on the reservation were highlights. I traded for piñon nuts from a guy sitting on the rim of Canyon de Chelly by Spider Rock. Those were strung with turquoise beads that I wore steadily for about 12 years. On the trip was a guy named Dennis, a cyclist and cookie salesman from California. On one of the descents into Flagstaff he taught me the correct way to use your knee to help you corner. You simply stick the knee that is on the inside of the corner, outward, causing more wind resistance on that side, so it kind of pulls you around the corner. I was very impressed.
So… why across the country?
I guess at this point I know I like to travel by bike. I like the camping part and the quirky little encounters that happen along the way. I am comfortable with the equipment at this point, although it is by no means state-of-the-art. I suppose a lot of folks younger than 30 would definitely refer to it as an “Old School” approach. I don’t really think the trip is about biking. The bike is simply a vehicle to get from place to place in a manner that requires a completely different way of thinking than travel by car, plane, or any other means requires. The speed at which you travel allows you to experience the environment around you. By contrast, when traveling by car, or even more so by plane, you take a bit of the place you just left with you, closed up with you in your moving compartment. I am not necessarily implying that this is bad, it is just what happens. For example, traveling by car, whether over hills, mountains, valleys through wind, sun, rain snow, etc. is essentially the same experience. The car is so efficient that you simply have to steer it (and gas up every so often). There are way more cases of drivers falling asleep at the wheel than there are bicycle riders snoozing at the handlebars. So the experience is something I like. (I need to remember to re-read this section when I am struggling across Nevada).
So, the question is not completely answered. I am hoping to find some more definition to it in the next two months.
Kind of an abrupt ending I realize. Tune in later as I plan to add a bit more from the road.
Saddles, no harnesses, no horses
Bicycle—John Cale
SADDLE SHOPPING
I have been checking out the saddle demo kit from Competitive Cyclist 12 saddles to sit upon for a week, one ride/day at a time, and make a selection. $75 gets you in the game. My butt and I think it is a good way to find the most efficient equivalent of a barker lounger for the days ahead on the road. So far I have tried two. I guess I should first say that my comparison shopping is with two I presently own.
well maybe this one’s not fair, it’s the seat from my old excersize bike.
OK, this is my Avocet. It has alternated between my cross (Hybrid) bike and the Allez for about 25 years. I am not convinced it will do a comfortable job for BBBA though.
Now we’re getting closer. This is a Forté ProSLX saddle. It has been the alternative choice with the Avocet. I long for gel though. So…
Enter Sandman, err, I mean enter Selle Italia. This is the first one from the demo kit. Notice the similar profile and cutout as the Forté. This is “gel flow technology” in the Selle Italia SLR model. (I’m starting to feel like I could sell this stuff). Definite improvement. (No DD Charles)
So, the test I am giving these guys is 35 miles each on the same route on consecutive days.(that works out to be a 1 gel 2 water bottle ride for me). I have also been pulling the Yak each day to get used to the balance, etc. I have 45 pounds in it bringing the total weight close to 60 lbs. Anyway, this was my choice for today’s ride, Alianté by Fizik. No cutout in the middle, just the v-shape on the back. I think the only reason for that modification is to cut down on the weight of the saddle because of less material. This is definitely a “cushier” saddle, but without the cutout I found myself squirming around on it to get comfortable every few minutes.
Thanks to a very energetic 6 1/2 hour jam with the Victory Boys on Saturday night I felt the need to take Sunday off from riding. All that harmonica playing takes it out of you, but it sure is fun.
I had high hopes for this one, the Rocket V from WTB. Maybe it was the name only and I realize it is supposed to be a mountain bike saddle, but I was sadly disappointed. So the search continues…
Well, it looks like we have a contender! I returned to the Selle Italia line today. This is the SLR T1. There is some gel in there. No cutout. A little cushie for the touché.
This is the Arione flexwing. There is something about this one I also like, maybe more for speed than touring though. One more to try tomorrow and then I have to make a decision.
I guess I saved the best for last. Selle Italia Flite Gel Flow was the choice today and I believe we have a winner! So, I packaged up the kit to ups back to Competitive Cyclist in Arkansas and ordered up one of these babies in blue! BTW my average speed for my six day, 37 mile (222 total) saddle test pulling the Yak was 14.4 MPH. Pretty good rain on one day, chilly on two of them and mild wind on each.
Here is the Selle Flite in blue. Snazzy!
Sactown Century
Bicycle—Memory Tapes
CENTURY RIDE
Yesterday, Tuesday, April 6th, 2010, I visited the state capitol for the second time via bicycle. Temp was about 10 degree warmer than back on Thanksgiving Day, mid 60’s this time, although the wind was doing it’s best to try and make me go the other way, 15 mph steadily from the NW. Luckily, it remained from that direction for the return trip to Stockton, mucho fun-o! Anyway, the trip is exactly 100 miles from door to door—a “Century” Ride.
soakin' up the sun in Sac
My current favorite road is Thornton Road north through the town of Thornton and Franklin (where it changes name to Franklin Road) on to Elkgrove (where it gets a name change again to Franklin Blvd) to 1st or Broadway in Sac town. Then I have to turn. Broadway takes me downtown to 15th ( I get to turn again, this time to the right!) over to J street (turning left) and on to the Capitol. Besides seeing the capitol, other sites include the Delta, funky-chic Sac neighborhoods, and Cosumnes Wildlife Preserve (my fav).
The only real downside is passing the snobby bike riders from Sacramento. The unwritten rule of the road by bicycle is that you wave to every bicyclist you might see. It is just what is done. Kind of like what every Harley rider does, everyone in a PT Crusier does (in the early years anyway) and certainly what everyone does when out in the country, regardless of vehicle. (That country wave is typically a one finger wave—the index one—from the hand gripping the top of the steering wheel, and occasionally accompanied by a slight nod of the head, when traveling by auto.) Anyway, in spite of the fact that the streets in Sac town are far more bike friendly than any in Stockton or many communities for that matter, the riders themselves need to learn the wave.
A sandwich from home, fries from a Mickey D’s, 4 gels, 3 bottles of H2O, and the camelback full of Cytomax fueled the engine. The wind going up did serious damage to the time, 8 hours total, approx 6 1/2 riding.
Well, time for today’s bicycling quote:
“When I go biking, I repeat a mantra of the day’s sensations: bright sun, blue sky, warm breeze, blue jay’s call, ice melting and so on. This helps me transcend the traffic, ignore the clamorings of work, leave all the mind theaters behind and focus on nature instead. I still must abide by the rules of the road, of biking, of gravity. But I am mentally far away from civilization. The world is breaking someone else’s heart.“ ~Diane Ackerman
Biking across the U.S., umm… what a concept!
Bicycle—Queen
THE CHRONICLES OF
BRETT’S BIG BIKING ADVENTURE (BBBA), prolog
To some, it is alternatively known as
BRETT’S BIG VIKING ADVENTURE (BBVA)
Here is the overall route .
click to enlarge
The plan is to generally follow Adventure Cycling routes starting with The Western Express to Pueblo, Colorado. From there the TransAmerica Trail to Virginia and then north along the Atlantic Coast trail to DC. After much deliberation over whether to pack my gear in panniers or trailer, I have decided to go with the trailer, primarily so that the bike will remain responsive.
This is the trailer, a Yak from B.O.B. 
Hey look, I match my B.O.B. flag!
That would be Process Yellow for my designer buds.
I want a different flag though.
‘dis be ‘da flag
click to enlarge
If you happen to be interested in the other main gear I am dragging along, here is a general list. My ride is pretty standard; a Specialized Allez Sport (circa 1995) with Scott clip-on handle bar extension, SPD pedals, stem shock absorber, CygoLite LED headlamp and a squirt gun to discourage over-aggressive puppies.
Other misc. essential stuff includes camera, ipod, rain gear, tent, sleeping bag, cooking items, sketch pad, bike tools, tires, tubes, maps, phone, CytoMax, Gu, Camelback, extra H2O bottles, some socks and undies ( I’m leaving the kitchen sink behind). The biggest question (well maybe not the biggest) is what keys of harmonicas do I tote along? I figure “C” ’cause you just have to have that one, “A” or “F” for country, Dylan and the Stones, “G” for Neil Young stuff, “D” for the blues, and maybe an “A minor” for those real low-down get funky blues. Maybe I could join these guys?
J. Mellencamp & W.Nelson band members
At the moment, I plan to ride from Vallejo to Old Sac via Davis on Sunday, April 25th sans the Yak, return home by car until the following week before really starting things from Old Sac to Folsom, Lake Tahoe and points beyond. As I inch my way eastward, anyone is welcome to ride along for a block, a mile or a state.
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Here is my Bicycle quote for the day.
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Brett's Big Biking Adventure (BBBA) 
