Getting ready for my "mad journey" (my mother's succinct distain).

This will be a typical blog post, nothing fancy, just the facts and some brief impressions of the physical and cultural-political geographies of the places I see.  I have a Garmin Edge 510 GPS on the bike and it uses Bluetooth to send a Livetrack to a smartphone (when I have a mobile phone signal).  The GPS records many kinds of data and I'm still trying to figure out all its nuances.  So expect some hiccups on that front.  I'll superimpose the track on a Google Earth image so that the landscape is also visible.

I'll also post a picture or a few with short comments.  Again, an example is below.

My plan is to ride early in the day for 6-7 hours and then get out of the afternoon heat into a hotel and work for a while.  IF I can average 75miles a day, I should be in New Jersey by about August 10.  A lot, of course, depends on the daily winds (especially on the Great Plains), my  mental and physical stamina, and the distances between hotels.  If there is an especially long stretch coming, I'll take a shorter ride on the previous day.

I'm traveling light with only a couple of bike outfits (shorts/shirt/socks), light rain jacket/pants, two sets of off-bike clothes (and my Nike Free 3.0 shoes for a change of footware from the biking shoes), a Mac Book Air, and some essential bike repair equipment (spare tubes, tire, tools).  I have a Surly Long Haul Trucker touring bike (weighs about 32 lbs = 14.5kgs, unloaded), and two small rear panniers with a rear rack bag.  I guess that the total weight of me and the loaded bike will be 200 lbs = 90.5kgs.  On some days with restaurants and gas (petrol) stations far apart, the load will be significantly heavier as I'll have to take on extra water.

My 'training' was shortened due to extensive travel in April and May, coupled with late snows in Boulder.  I've managed to ride about 40miles (65 kms)/day for the past 3 weeks with a few long rides up to 95miles (150 kms).

I'll try to remember to post distances, weights, etc in the metric numbers for those of you outside the US.  You can either post a comment on this blog (public for all to read) or send me a private email at johnoinspace@gmail.com.

Carter Lake ride June 16 2013 

Distance: 67.03 miles (107.87 kms)
Altitude gain: 2858 feet (871 m)
Time:  4:11:35
Calories burned: 3820
Average speed (moving):  16.1mph (25.9kph)
Maximum speed: 40.5mph (65.2 kph)
Time left:10:15am
Average temperature: 72 (22C) degrees - maximum 81 (27C)  degrees
Weather: sunny and calm at start, later light breeze from the North, last hour - gale force wind from the west with light rain
Snacks:  2 Clif bars, 2 bottles of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water.

27 June - Nelson road north of Boulder looking West

The photo shows one of the country roads north of Boulder where I have been cycling for the past month or so. The wide shoulders (margins) on the road attract a lot of cyclists especially on the weekends.  The continental divide is barely visible in the snow-capped peaks in the background.