Equipment Check

This was NOT a great day for a bike ride, but I got out anyway.  Several months ago I mapped out a training goal and determined that I would ride every Saturday and Sunday leading up to the ride start.  That meant riding this morning in a cold drizzle.  The temperature was 40F when I started and rose all the way to 44F by the time I finished.  The drizzle changed over to a light shower about midway through the ride, then tapered off and pretty much stopped before I finished.

I only did 33 miles over a very flat route this morning.  One good thing about riding today was I got a good test of my foul weather clothing.  It proved up to the task which is a confidence builder for the TransAm ride.  Here's my cold, wet riding apparel:

Regular bike shoes
Insulated, water resistant winter cycling socks
Long cycling pants
Waterproof cycling overpants
Sleeveless undershirt
Long-sleeve cycling jersey
Long-sleeve fleece jacket
Waterproof long-sleeve cycling jacket (in fluorescent yellow)
Full-finger thin layer glove liners
Full-finger medium thickness cycling gloves
Fingerless cycling gloves with padded palms
Fleece winter cycling skull cap
Helmet

Put it all together and I stayed reasonably warm and dry throughout the ride.  I'm hoping we won't encounter any days as cold and wet as this crossing the country, but I'm prepared if we do.

The other equipment check for today was my body, particular checking my recovery from the minor surgery a week ago.  That checked out just fine, too.  Amazing the miracles of modern medicine.  I'm just about fully recovered and feeling back to normal.

Only 7 weeks to go.  It's getting closer and my excitement level is building!

The maps arrived!

I received my packet of maps for the TransAm route on Thursday.  They're great!  There are 12 maps each covering about 300-400 miles of the route.  The maps show the route graphically and also include turn-by-turn directions in both eastbound and westbound directions.  There's an overview of the topography for each section along with some notes about the region's history.  There's also a directory of services of interest to cyclists, some notes on regional climate and the natural environment.

The map delivery was very timely.  I didn't ride this weekend.  On Friday I had a minor outpatient surgical procedure in my lower abdomen.  There was no way I was going to sit on a bicycle seat over the weekend.  Instead I spent the weekend studying the maps.  I'm an absolute map geek!  I could spend hours poring over maps,  learning everything they have to show.  So that's what I did Saturday and Sunday.

My recovery is coming along nicely and I'll be ready to ride again by next weekend.  There are eight more weekends until the trip begins.  I've got other obligations for two of those weekends, so I've got six more riding weekends to finish getting in shape.  I'll be upping my mileage and working into ride-ready shape before heading to Williamsburg.

Here's a few looks at the maps:

The full 12 map set

The map side of one map - each section covers ~20-30 miles of the route.  The map can be folded so one section is visible through my map holder mounted on my handlebars.

The information side - Historical notes, nature notes, climate notes, service directory and topological view at the top.

The maps are printed on plasticized paper which is waterproof, tear resistant and foldable.  Very well organized with great attention to the needs of bicycle travelers.  Great!

Welcome Spring!

Even though spring doesn't officially arrive until Tuesday it was here in the Lehigh Valley, PA this weekend.  It's been a very mild winter.  I've been able to ride several of the past weekends, but this weekend was the best weather yet.  I rode 41 miles yesterday and 50 miles today.  The best part was I felt as good today as I did yesterday.  Earlier in the season I felt more of the effects of the previous day's ride on Sunday.  Nice to see the training rides paying off.  At this pace I'll definitely be ready for the cross-country ride by mid-May.

I took my camera along and took a few shots on my ride today.

The abandoned Bethlehem Steel plant on the Lehigh River in Bethlehem, PA.  The steel making complex drove the Bethlehem economy through most of the last century.

This is the driver of the Bethlehem economy in the last few years.  The Sands Casino Resort - built on the grounds of the old steel plant.  The sign uses a portion of the abandoned steel super structure.

Three of a herd of 7 or 8 deer that crossed in front of me on a quiet country road south of Bethlehem.

Three wild turkeys beside the road.  One of two in the distance is in full tail-feather display.

Pushing the envelope - c'mon spring

Colder today than yesterday, but I rode again.  It was a bit below 40 when I started out and rose to barely above 40 during my ride.  There was some sunshine which helped.  It felt quite cold when I started, but after a few minutes I got warmed up and didn't give much thought to it the rest of the way.  I'm sure they were skiing at Bear Creek again today, and I'd say the skiers were more on target regarding the weather than me today. 

I did a relatively short 20 mile ride, but I included one decent climb.  I rode up 5th St. in Emmaus over South Mountain.  It's not very long, but according to the mapping website mapmyride.com the grade is in the 4-6% range for a bit less than a mile.  There aren't many long climbs anywhere in my riding area, but I'll do all I can to get in shape for the TransAm.  From what I hear, the route across the U.S. is NOT flat.

Here's hoping the weather continues to warm up and I can ride every weekend leading up to May 19th.

Spring is coming

Another almost spring day and I was able to get out and ride again.  It was in the low 40s and overcast when I started, but it warmed up and got sunny after a couple of hours.  It felt really good to be out again.

I picked a route which included a couple of decent climbs, out to the local ski “mountain”.  Bear Creek Mountain Resort is a small ski area about 12 miles southwest of Allentown.  It’s a bit of an exaggeration to call it a mountain, but it’s a successful local area with a resort hotel and conference center.  Of course we haven’t had enough natural snow to support any skiing this winter.  All of the eastern Pennsylvania ski areas rely on man-made snow.  They were still skiing there today, though it looked like the snow was pretty brown and worn.  Seeing a few skiers up on the slopes I wondered who was more delusional today, me thinking it was spring-like enough to be out riding or them thinking it was still winter enough to ski.  Today I’d say it was them.  

A few skiers were on the slopes at Bear Creek today

Winter Riding Thoughts

I was hoping to get back outside on my bike again this weekend.  Last weekend, with a bit of spring like weather, I rode all three days including the President’s Day holiday.  Winter was back this weekend, so I stayed indoors.

That means riding my stationary bike in my family room.  It’s boring and the scenery doesn’t change, but it keeps my legs moving, gives me an aerobic workout and is better than nothing.  To beat the boredom I park it in front of the TV whenever there’s something on that will pass the time.

My Schwinn exercise bike

 As I was considering whether to brave the cold I thought back to a time when I rode 6 days a week, cold or hot, rain or shine, even in snow, sleet or sheets of ice.  When I delivered newspapers there wasn’t any option to stay indoors out of the weather.  I’d bundle up with my long underwear, heavy winter coat, extra shirt and socks, full face mask on my head and go through the coldest days of winter.

Of course I was a bit younger then.  It was also my source of income.  No paper route meant no spending money.  So I rode.  But, maybe I’m also getting soft as I age.  One positive thought about these recollections from long ago – it IS possible to ride a bike in almost any weather.  I’m sure there will be days this summer when the weather is less than perfect.  I’ll try to think back to the worst weather I rode in back in those days and be encouraged knowing it probably won’t be as bad as that.

But right now I’m ready for Spring!

Time to start training

A bit of spring came early so I was able to get out and ride today.  It was a brisk 43F when I started and a balmy 50F when I finished.  It was also sunny which helped a lot.  I did 20.6 miles, avoiding any major hills though very little in eastern PA is entirely flat.  It was good to get everything moving again, though I’m clearly not ready to take on the TransAm yet.

Ready to ride - 2/18/2012