Update on Dad’s Cycling Trip
Posted by Admin on June 24, 2009 in Training
This is the latest e-mail from my father who, for those who don’t know, is on his second epic cycling trip. His first one was two years ago when, at age 70, he decided to cycle from our family home in northern NJ to Los Angeles to raise money for several charities. More than anything else, it was a trip of a lifetime that enabled him to see our great country from a unique perspective and through a set of eyes that had already seen so much over the course of a well-traveled life. I kept a ghost blog for him then but he’s chosen not to go that route this time (I’m not taking it personally!).
This trip takes him from St. Louis, Missouri to NJ. Dad attended a conference in St. Louis a week and change ago and decided, while in the planning phase, that cycling back home would be better than simply flying, and that at age 72, it would be even more notable. He’s not taken the conventional or most direct path; rather, his planned route is to go north and see his brother Jess in Ann Arbor, Michigan, then cut across Ontario before crossing back into the US near Buffalo, New York and heading south.
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Hi All:
I logged 602 miles to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and am staying with Jess and Anitra for a few days before heading out again. This is a lot more miles than I estimated. I should have used Google to get the distances from point to point.
I have seen Scott and Debbie, and expect to see Erica and Phil tonight. Maybe Debbie and Scott too.
I am disheartened by my slow progress with a much lower daily average than I expected (66 miles per day). It is due to several issues: extremely hot, very sunny and very high humidity days that drain my energy (when it isn’t thunderstorming – I dare not ride when lightning is possible); I am 2 years older than the last ride, and I guess it matters. Then again, it could just be the former…I hate to admit to slowing down.
Probably the hardest thing in multiple-day riding is the impact on the hands. I find I cannot close them (change falls through them when I buy something) and it is hard to grip something really hard, like opening a tight lid. I get short periods of numbness … it varies from finger to finger or different parts of the hand…gonna switch to a new pair of gloves where maybe the less compressed gel pads will offer more cushioning.
Another biproduct of being on the bike for so many hours: although my butt does not feel sore, all I have to do is sit on a soft chair or seat and I realize that the butt is pretty sore. And I walk like I’ve been on horseback, all bow-legged and waddling, almost. It must look weird.
The lettering on my safety vest works and I draw a lot of conversation, as intended.
I had another odd experience yesterday. People warned me about an area ahead called Irish Hills. I could not get from any of them how many miles they ran or other real gauge of difficulty and thought that if they were really onerous, I’d hitch past them. And one young woman at the quick-stop said they really were mostly downhill. Sounded pretty dumb to me. Well, they didn’t last long, I was able to ride up each one, sitting down, and damned if they weren’t mostly downhill! Can’t figure that out exactly, but who cares why?
I’ve had one flat and now a tire has gone bad (it thumps from 2 bubbles), but I carry spares. I also needed to replace 2 water bottles – they started leaking. But I carry 2 steel water bottles that keep liquids extremely cold (or hot), for days. When I drain the water, the ice is still there, so I refill them from the plastic water bottles. It is such a pleasure to have ice water on demand.
Other equipment issues: I finally figured out how to upshift from the low to the middle ring without derailing, but it last maybe 400 miles – I think the cable has stretched again. I also derailed once to the inside where the chain wrapped around the sprocket and got wedged behind the low gear. Once you figure it out, it takes huge muscle to get it unstuck. Can’t be good for chain or bike. When it happened 2 years ago, on one occasion, I needed a giant screwdriver (to use like a chisel) and a hammer to get the chain back to where it ran free.
Met an old Frenchman one evening at a restaurant who insisted on buying me dinner so we could talk, He was a big fan of the Tour de France, and even when I told him I am not much of a fan or real cyclist (the kind that goes riding every day), he still wanted to talk. A very interesting guy and quite an adventurer. I’ll get more into my blog when I update it from home.
I will stop in Canada, maybe after day 2, to have dinner with the cyclist (Glen Steen) who helped me there 2 years ago on that 1st trip. He lives in Tillsonburg. I look forward to dinner (and a free bed for the night). I’ll head out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the 26th, on Rt.12 to within a block or so of the bridge to Ontario (in Detroit), then cross southern Ontario, thru Tillsonburg). I dare not guess at when I’ll get home, but it will be none too soon. This is definitely the last big ride, though Gregg and I have talked about a 250-mile ride to Wash DC. We’ll likely stay a day with Maideh and Charlie and take the train back (if we go at all). The local roads will add a lot of miles to the ride, so it will be at least a 4-day ride and maybe 5.
Dad
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