What I Take On A Long Bike Ride

As I approach that classic age of 60, I find myself making a lot of lists for the things I do.

Today I made a list of stuff I need to take on our September 14 - 17, Route 66 Bike Trip from Prescott, Arizona to Topock, Arizona (Colorado River).

Just thought I'd post it here in case this kind of information interested anyone.

List of Bike Stuff I will take on the trip (with brief commentary).

(The * indicates items that can be shared so that we do not duplicate items and increase individual weights.)

Pedals (which I transfer from and to whichever bike I am riding. My bike shoes clip into these pedals)

Big Sunglasses (They make me look like Willie Wonka. But they are almost goggles. Provide great shielding from wind and sun)

Regular Sunglasses (For when I am not on my bike and don't want to look like Willie Wonka)

Birk Sandles (When not on my bike and trying to cool off my feet)

Elastic Knee Braces (So far in my training over these past few months my knees haven't bothered me. But just in case......)

Regular Hat (When not on the bike and wanting to look like a tourist)

Bike Shoes(So I don't have to walk funny on the pavement and trip on stairs)

Jersey (Bike Shirt) (I have a special Canada Jersey, courtesy of Bro Mark, I am saving for this trip)

Spandex Pants (If I didn't wear these I'd be like Superman without his cape)

* Chain Oil 

Headlight (We don't plan on night riding. But we didn't on our last trip either. Guess what happened and who didn't have headlights)

Red Rear Flashing Light (So I don't get run over if we ride early in the morning or late at night)

Heart Rate Monitor (So I can confirm how hard I feel like I am pedaling)

Heart Rate Strap (So the Heart Rate Monitor can work)

Odometer (So I can verify how far I still have to go after I am exhausted)

Backpack (To carry a bunch of the lightweight stuff on this list)

Helmet (So as not to increase my current level of questionable brain functioning in event of falling off my bike)

Gloves (Padded gloves essential!)

Regular Short Pants (So I don't have to walk around all evening in Spandex)

Bike Socks (Avoiding and minimizing blisters)

Windbreaker (Just in case it gets cool on this trip -- which I highly doubt)

* Aleve (for my achy joints)

* Ibuprophen (for my achy head)

* Extra Tube (2) (Easier to put in new tube and patch old one after I get to the motel and go swimming)

* Extra Tire (In case I run over something incredibly sharp)

* Patch Kit (To patch the punctured tube at the motel)

* Tool Kit (To change the flat tire on the side of the road and/or make seat adjustments, etc)

* Bike Lock and Key (So no one runs off with my bike when I am eating Tacos)

Rack Bag (The bag which which sits on the rack over my rear tire carries the heavier stuff on this list. Light stuff goes into my backpack)

Handle Bar Bag (For my iphone, ear buds, power bars, chapstick, wallet, kleenex, etc.)

Water Bottles (2)

Dental Floss (To get the Taco chips out of my teeth)

Tooth Brush (One of my life goals is to die with all my original teeth)

Tooth Paste

Razor

Small Note Pad

iphone

 * iphone Charger

Identification (Wallet)

Money (for food and lots of Powerade)

Small Shampoo

Small Body Wash

*Tums (If I eat too many Tacos, which I usually do)

Kleenex Packet

Lightweight Long Bike Pants (Which I doubt I will need because it probably won't be cool or cold at all)

Splash (Windbreaker) Pants (As per above)

Plastic Bags for Icing Knees (at the motel each evening, which I hope I don't need to do on this trip)

Sunscreen (Because I can sunburn in the shade)

*Extra Batteries (for Heart Rate Monitor and Odometer) (You just never know)

Butt Butter (A happy bum is essential for four days of riding in a row!)

Wet Wipes (For cleaning dirty hands and other things)

Off Bike Shirt (So I'll have something to wear while my bike shirt is drying after washing it every night)

Sleeping Apparel

Chapstick (Essential. Discovered on last trip that sunburned/windburned lips are quite painful!)

If any of you Readers have experience in this matter of what to take on a bike trip, please share what you have learned that works well for you.

August 18 A Little Longer Experimental Ride on Big Red

Up before sunrise. Not because I am a fanatical cyclist, but because my back hurt (Arthritis metaphorically stinks).

Enjoyed oatmeal and tea on the porch with the rising sun. Deb made a great morning even better by joining me.

After a very hot and dry summer, we are now definitely into our seasonal change. Not that our summer is over. It isn't. It's just inconsistent.

For example. As I dressed for the ride, it was 9 C (48 F). Burr. So I put on three layers to keep the wind chill cruising speed from freezing my torso. I pulled my ear warmers over my ears.

As I pedaled out the driveway, I turned my mechanical horse west toward the lake. I visualized a two hour-ish ride to the water and back.

Last week I bought an odometer for Big Red. Now I not only know my speeds and distances, but I also get informed by my technology as to the temp around me and how much fat I burn on each ride. We'll see how enlightening the fat-o-meter is.

Even as I got up this morning, I wasn't feeling great. Just kind of blah and sluggish. I usually write these feelings off as being part of the downside of almost being 59 years old. (That's my chronological age from the neck down. From the neck up I'm 25.)

So I travel the 10 km (6 mi) mostly downhill to the shoreline road. Once there, I have a very novel choice.

Since I am on my old hybrid bike with huge tires and tubes which permit me to ride into lakes and just keep floating (slight exaggeration), I'm not required to stay on the pavement so preferred by my road bike with skinny tires (and sinks rapidly).

After a few moments of thoughtful reflection I decide not to strike out across Lake Huron towards Michigan.

Instead, I opt for a never tried before "Rail Trail." Dozens of the old train right of ways in Ontario have been cleared of tracks and opened to hikers, bikers, ATVs, and snowmobiles. Most of these trail surfaces are hard packed dirt with a fair amount of loose gravel. A fairly good surface for a mountain bike.

I chose a segment of the trail that runs about 2 km diagonally to the east bound paved road that will head me back towards home.

Turns out I picked a not so great segment of the trail. The part I choose soon turns into a pathway of small pebbles about 7 or 8 cm (4 or 5 inches) deep. I am now experiencing the biking equivalent of walking in very deep sand at the beach.

This condition persisted for almost the entire 2 km (1.2 mi). Balancing was difficult. Not a fun time. Was glad to hit pavement again.

As I came to the pavement, I stopped and shed two of my three layers of clothing, my ear warmers, and long fingered gloves.

Now I'm back to my summer fashion statement. I also guzzled a 710 ml bottle of Powerade (the official drink of the Olympics) and a no-name power bar (not the official power bar of the Olympics).

Once back on hard surface, I pointed to home. I found myself trailing about a half of km behind two obviously experienced riders with two beautiful bikes. One bike was a recumbent bike. The kind it looks like you are laying down on as you ride.

As I trailed behind these guys with their amazing bikes, I felt like Gollum from Lord of the Rings sneaking behind The Fellowship Questers. All the time I stare at their bikes and whisper "my precious" :-)

Two hours and three minutes after my departure, I arrive home. I cruised an average of 14.7 kph (9 mph) for a distance of 30 km (18.6 mi)

Reflecting on this ride, I don't think I'm going to do these kinds of distances on Red.

Something about the different body angles really seem to aggravate my back. Don't need that.

So I believe I will stick to daily or every other day, 30 minute rides that should serve the purpose of keeping my heart and leg muscles sufficiently tuned for our big Route 66 ride which starts September 14 (!)

A contrast of past and present: A 1854 Pioneer Cemetery and 2012 Wind Turbines

This delightful looking Rail Trail near the Bruce Power Nuclear Power Plant was not really much fun to ride on. But most segments of these Trails have better riding surfaces and are a nice alternative to pavement.

August 16 Very Short Morning Ride

Today is August 16. Yesterday's blog was incorrectly identified as the 16th of August.

Didn't have much time this morning.

So hopped on Big Red and pedaled my way around the country block just west of my home.

The first 2 km (1.25 mi) south was hard packed dirt with a few loose pebbles. Then a turn right and west for another 2 km (1.25 mi) on pavement. And then another right turn (north) for another 2 km (1.25 mi) of dirt road (as shown in photos below). Then yet another right turn (east) for 2 km (1.25 mi) back to my home on the corner of this country block. (You have probably figured out that the roads around my home were surveyed and constructed to section off rectangular plots of land. Each of these rectangles contains 200 acres of land.)

The ride this morning was short but healthy. Eight km (5 miles) in 23 minutes, averaging 24 kph (14 mph). This pace of my non-road bike keeps my heart rate at a healthy 125-135 bpm.

I always feel better when I ride in the morning. It radically reduces the soreness of my arthritic joints and it gets my blood flowing and metabolism up. The result: I just feel more alive.

A road I rode this morning. Typical of the non-paved roads in our neighborhood. These roads are nice to ride on in that they usually have no houses on them. That means there are no farm dogs to give chase and raise my heart rate in a rapid manner. On one side corn grows. On the other soy beans.

August 16 Ride With Big Red

After a sufficiently long day at the office, I enjoyed a short evening ride with my old friend, Big Red.

Big Red is my pre-owned, well-used hybrid bike (A mixed breed. Part road bike. Part mountain bike. Has very conflicted identity issues. We're still working through those together. To learn more of how Big Red and I met, please see my December 2, 2011 blog, "How It Kind of All Got Started.")

In the photo below, Big Red stands next to Squishy, my old car.

Big Red and I are a lot alike. We both have serious joint issues. My are sore, Red's are twisted.

When I ride on Red, he creates a strange illusion. The back wheel does not line up with the front wheel. So one when I look down at the front wheel, it looks like I am turning rather than going in the straight line, which I am. But after a few minutes, my mind overrides my senses and I don't drive off the road.

You may recall that I am riding Red because my road bike, Desert Rose, is in the shop getting inspected and tweaked for the Arizona ride in less than a month. My son, Bryan, will be pedaling the Rose. 

Today's ride was 32 minutes in length, covered a distance of 12 km (7.4 mi), at an average speed of 24 kph (14.8 mph), an average heart rate of 120 bpm.

Pedaling is a little harder on Red. But I need to keep up a minimum level of training so my legs and heart don't get lazy.

August 11 Saturday Morning Rainy Ride

Was hoping to do my 24 km (15 mi) Big CPR (Cardio Powering Ride) Ride this morning.

As I pedaled out the driveway at 6:30 am, I was a bit suspicious of the heavy overcast sky and very dark clouds directly east of me on my route.

My suspicions proved valid.

About 30 minutes into my ride I rode into a wall of heavy rain.

Out if respect to my bike (who hates rain), I turned around and rode out of the rain and headed home.

Was still able to enjoy a nice 15.9 km (9.8 mi), 48 minute ride, averaging 19.9 kph (12.3 mi) session.

If all goes according to plan today, I will get my bike to the bike shop today for an inspection and tune up in preparation for my son's Bryan's use of it on Route 66 across Arizona in about a month.

I know the small front sprocket has a crack in it, the bike rack I installed might need better securing, and the front derailer is a little sloppy.

After the tune up, I will deliver the bike to Bry so he can train on it for a couple of weeks before we leave.

I will continue my training on my old Raleigh hybrid. (You read more about that adventure in the days ahead.)

August 8 Short Training Ride

Not a spectacular ride to report this morning. Just the kind of daily discipline ride that when added to many other such rides (hopefully) results in good conditioning and better health.

30 minutes; 12 km (7.5 mi); 22.6 kph(14 mph)

August 6 Sunday Evening Ride

A simple, but delightful ride tonight.

Having watched all three "Lord of the Rings" movies with my wife and daughter over the past three evenings, I felt a big need to get outside on this evening.

After dishes were washed, I took off down the road about 6:30 pm.

My route was a huge rectangle path that would take me east and inland for about 8 km (5 mi), then north for about 4 km (2.5 mi), and west about 18 km (11 mi) into the sunset and towards Lake Huron, then 4 km (2.5 mi) south to connect with my road, then about 6 km (3.7 mi) east and back to my door.

The weather was warm, but not hot. Sun was brilliant, but not as penetrating as it would be at midday.

I traversed my 40 km (24.8 mi) this evening in 2 hours and 14 minutes at an average "touring pace" of 17.9 kph (11 mph). 

The Sunset behind me as I pedaled in my driveway.

The Sun Behind the Wind Power

Three Training Rides: August 2, 3 & 4

Apologies to my Readers for no postings since July 21.

Since then I have completed two 100 km rides. I will blog about these two rides and very near future.

In the past three days I've actually completed the same ride each day. The route is a big loop around the country block that I live on.

The ride covers 24 km of small rolling hills and flatland.

The first two days doing this ride I really pedaled hard. I was trying to up my training and conditioning getting ready for our big trip in September from Ash Fork, Arizona to the Colorado River along the old historic Route 66.

First day I completed the 24 km route with an average speed of 26 km/h. I really didn't feel that good after that ride. Had to contend with the bothersome headache for the rest of the day. Did it too fast when it was too hot.

The second day I scaled-back bit. Tried to pace myself little better. Completed the ride with an average of about 20 km/h.

Today I really took it easy because the temperature was 33 Celsius this morning when I left at 9:30. I disciplined myself to stay between 18 and 20 km/h. I also watched my heart rate. Didn't let it go above 120. Most of the trip my heart rate fluctuated between 80 and 105.

I am now cooling-off in my aor conditioned living room.

After lunch, I am heading out to the movies with my daughters. Great way to stay cool very hot day here in Ontario, Canada.

The picture is the beautiful pre-sunrise sight I enjoyed on yesterday's ride.