Ironman

Ironman Riders

I think the weather is destined to be lousy during Ironman.  Although there was only a steady, pelting drizzle all day, the winds were wicked and the temperature hovered around 45 degrees.  Let's just say it was good practice for what to wear and what not to wear.  (Probably the best thing would have been arm warmers, a light long sleeved shirt and a rain jacket with just regular tights on the bottom.)

Also, the map was off.  About 200 people missed a turn and, therefore, a rest stop.  The ride distance was only 5 miles short of the promised 65 and I was actually glad it was.  Just another learning experience.

Start-Lakeville

1st Rest Stop-Jordan

Twin Cities Bike Club

I decided to up the ante a little bit. This morning I did a 62 mile "A/B" ride rather than my usual "B" paced ride. I didn't slow the group down too much (and it was their own choice to slow down - I sure didn't want them to) and I wasn't dying at the end.  The only thing I still worry about for the Northern Tier is the Going to the Sun Highway.  I drove it a few years ago and it was absolutely breath taking. I hope we hit it in good weather and with low traffic.

Next weekend is the Minnesota Ironman ride. What a surprise - it's supposed to rain.

Another Ride

A Stop at Quality Bike Products

My rides are getting longer and closer together. Today I went on a 42 mile ride with the Twin Cities Bike Club.  The route took us on back roads and trails and even by Quality Bike Products, the largest distributer of bike parts in the world. Although I have decided not to do the Ironman Century ride next week, I think I am riding enough so I won't suffer too much on the tour. Only time will tell.

Commute

My commute to work - the long way.

Photographing Your Tour

Adventure Cycling magazine, the premier magazine on bicycle touring, had an article on another important aspect of a cross country ride: Photographing Your Tour.  It was a short article, with a lot of common sense tips but tips that should be followed.  To put their advice into practice, I took my camera on my morning commute to work.  I found 10' piles of snow, an artistic bridge over the Cedar-Lake bike trail, and views of the the new Twins Stadium.

The ride was only 16.5 miles but it's nice to do once in a while.

New Computer?

Not a bike computer but a laptop computer.  I am considering getting a new laptop computer for the trip but I know it will get tossed around a bit so perhaps I should take my old clunker.  One advantage is I know how to use it.

I haven't been biking much in the past few days - too cold and wet.  Am I going to say that on the tour as well?

Tonight I am going to practice embedding pictures in the blog. Let's see how it works.

Making Progress

I think I have the banner picked out for the blog.   For my last blog I had a map of the route but now I have such a wide variety of images to chose from, I am able to go with something different.  (The picture used for the current banner was taken by Ellen on the Southern Tier 2008 from a spot she thought was going to be private.)

I am in such a different place now than I was before the last time I rode across the country.  Before, the longest ride I had ever done was 75 miles, I owned two cycling jerseys and had to buy another for the trip, and I really really wasn't sure if I could stand biking day in and day out.  Now I know that I can ride for over a hundred miles, I have to carefully select among my favorite jerseys, and if I get tired of biking one of my new best friends will be happy to give me a ride in a Subaru full of snacks.  Life is good.

I biked 46 miles yesterday and my butt still hurts.  I've got a lot of training left to do.

Getting Ready

I am getting ready for my ride from Anacortes, WA, to Fargo, ND - 1609 miles of fun. I have been riding on my indoor trainer all winter but not as much as I should. But the weather has turned nice, and it's the first March in 130 years without snow, so it's time to get out and ride.

But first, the real work of getting ready. I've picked a blog host. Now I have to decide on a blog template, gather/create the blog images, decide how I'm going to post and display the pictures I take on the ride, and even decide which computer to take. And I have only 2.5 months in which to do this. It's going to be a busy spring.