My dad and I went for about 40 miles Saturday morning. We went to the top of Traverse Ridge Road. This time we cut over to it on Mike Wier Dr. (we got off Highland Dr. onto Rambling Road, a little after going under the train tracks). I really like that way better. It misses a section of Traverse Ridge Road that has a very thin shoulder.
My dad brought his GPS, just for fun. I was interesting to see the different elevation gains. My dad has been comparing rides that we are familiar with, with climbs that we'll be doing on the trip. It's nice to be able to put some of the sections of the map into terms we can understand. 'On that day, we'll be doing two Millcreek Canyons.' It actually makes me feel better to think of it that way. :)
Monday, May 12, 2008
a nice saturday ride
Friday, May 9, 2008
biking to work
My commute to work is about 30 miles, so it's not something I can do every day, but I wanted to bike to work at least once before the trip. I finally was able to on Tues. April 29th. I got off at about 6:30, and arrived at work a little after 9. Total riding time was 1 hour 22 minutes, and the distance was a little over 31 miles. I went slower than I had hoped, but the wind wasn't in my favor :)
I chose to ride over the Traverse Mountain road, to get from Salt Lake Valley to Utah Valley. The photo is one that I snapped at the top.
I felt really good on the ride there. By the time I got back home I was pretty tired, but I didn't get sore at all, so that is a good sign! :)
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
the new seat
I have been using my new WTB Rocket V saddle for a little while now, and I think that I will really like it. It's relatively comfortable (it's hard to call any bike seat comfortable, really). I'm glad I made the purchase.
On a slightly related note, the weather and my schedule have aligned a few times now and I've been able to go on a few outdoor rides during my lunch breaks. It's been very nice to ride on the road (riding the trainer is so boring), but I've noticed that there is a big difference in how quickly my seat starts hurting, riding on the road versus riding the trainer. The road vibration makes it a lot worse. I thought that was somewhat interesting.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
new seat
I just ordered a new seat today. The one that came with my bike wasn't too bad, but I'm used to having a cutaway seat (that is what my mtn bike has), and it has been a bit uncomfortable during my training so far.
I ordered the WTB Rocket V. The guy at the shop has one and recommended it. It comes in Thursday. It's amazing the difference in price between chromoly rails and titanium. I got the cheaper chromoly rails. The weight difference didn't justify double the price, for me (about 20 grams difference, or 10%).
Monday, February 4, 2008
towns and cities
Here is a list of all the states and cities/towns I will be going through:
California:
- San Francisco
- Vallejo
- Fairfield
- Davis
- Sacramento
- Folson
- Placerville
- Kirkwood
- Woodfords
- Carson City
- Dayton
- Fallon
- Middlegate
- Austin
- Eureka
- Ely
- Majors Junction
- Baker
- Garrison
- Milford
- Minersville
- Cedar City
- Panguitch
- Henrieville
- Escalante
- Boulder
- Grover
- Caineville
- Hanksville
- Blanding
- Monticello
- Dove Creek
- Dolores
- Rico
- Placerville
- Ridgeway
- Montrose
- Sapinero
- Gunnison
- Sargents
- Poncha Springs
- Cotopaxi
- Westcliffe
- Wetmore
- Pueblo
- Ordway
- Eads
- Sheridan Lake
- Tribune
- Scott City
- Dighton
- Alexander
- Larned
- Nickerson
- Newton
- Rosalia
- Toronto
- Chanute
- Girard
- Golden City
- Walnut Grove
- Marshfield
- Houston
- Summersville
- Centerville
- Farmington
- Chester
- Murphysboro
- Goreville
- Elizabethtown
- Marion
- Dixon
- Utica
- Whitesville
- McDaniels
- Sonora
- Springfield
- Harrodsburg
- Berea
- Booneville
- Hindman
- Elkhorn City
- Haysi
- Honaker
- Damascus
- Troutdale
- Wytheville
- Radford
- Christiansburg
- Troutville
- Buchanan
- Lexington
- Waynesboro
- Charlottesville
- Palmyra
- Mineral
- Ashland
- Charles City
- Williamsburg
- Yorktown
Sunday, February 3, 2008
the maps
I got the route maps from Adventure Cycling Association. There are 10 maps in all - 4 for the Western Express route, and 6 for the TransAmerica route from Pueblo, CO to Yorktown, VA.
I'm very impressed with the maps so far. Each map is really a bunch of small maps detailing each section of the route (about 25 miles on each small map). It has an overview of the major places of interest along that section of the trail, and notes on riding conditions and climate. There are graphs showing average temperatures and rainfall at various points along the way. Most of the maps include an elevation profile that is scary to look at :) but will be very helpful when planning how far we hope to ride each day.
Each small map section includes turn-by-turn instructions for riding in each direction. And for each city or town that the trail passes through, there are phone numbers and addresses for: Emergency, Bike shops, Motels/Hotels, Hostels, Camping, Libraries, and Service Stops.
I believe the web site claims they update the maps every 2 years. Between updates, they keep addenda for each map. They sent print-outs of all the addenda along with my maps, and they can always be printed out from the web site, so I can check for updates right before we leave. Most of my maps say they were last updated May 2006, one June 2006, and one January 2007.
I'm sure these maps will be well worth the money. I can't imagine trying to do all the research to come up with all of the same information for a route that I put together myself. The maps have gotten me even more excited for this ride.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
the route
By far, the greatest resource I've found for planning our ride route is adventurecycling.org. They have route maps and a ride registry where past riders report on how long they took, best and worst parts of the ride, etc.
It seems that the most popular route is the TransAmerica trail, beginning in Astoria, OR, and ending up in Yorktown, VA. I really liked the idea of riding that whole route, but it's 4247 miles, and would take a bit longer than the amount of time I have.
Fortunately there is another option. The Western Express trail starts in San Francisco, and meets up with the TransAmerica trail in Pueblo, CO. It cuts over 400 miles off the total trip.
So we are going to take the Western Express trail to Pueblo, and the TransAmerica trail the rest of the way. In total, it will be 3776 miles, according to the web site. I ordered the maps today! I'll report back on what they are like when I get them.
I think using these maps will save a LOT of planning time. I've spent some time trying to see if I could plan my own route, using Google Maps, and it's very time consuming. And really there's no way of knowing what the road conditions will be like, etc. By using these maps, I at least know that the roads are ridable. At least that's the hope.
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