Back in the saddle
The weather is getting better and better for
riding. Brian and I are getting serious about putting some miles into our
legs before starting on RALPH. A couple of weeks ago we hosted a 50 mile
club ride in order to try out a new diner. This week we took advantage of
Brian’s Easter break from school to get a 45 mile ride in. Of course,
we did test a restaurant as part of the
ride.
Brian was on his new/old bike for this ride. His trusty Trek has been repainted and carefully reassembled by Al Petri. There is a new Brooks saddle mounted on his bike and apparently new wheels will soon be part of the package. A new cycle computer/heart rate monitor was beeping like crazy throughout the ride.
Clearly this up-grade to his ride has made Brian a much faster rider. He was consistently out in front and seemed to do much better then me as we rode home into the wind. I don’t think that it has anything to do with all the weight he lost on his very successful winter diet. Or that he spent hours on his trainer and at the gym. It is a well know fact that new stuff will make you faster.
A few days ago I was rereading some of the blog entries we made two years ago as we prepared for our trip toMaine. In those entries we obsessed about all kinds of details. We were trying figure out what type of cooking equipment and clothing would be needed. We both spent hours studying the Adventure Cycling maps and worrying about climbing the White and Green Mountains. We discussed strategies for locating camping or motels for the night.
What a difference our Maine trip has made! Over lunch I mentioned that we were not exhibiting the same kind of anxiety about the RALPH tour. We are about two months from the start of our trip. We have a rough draft of our route. We have a short list of specific places to see and things to do on the trip. We each have some ideas for small changes to our packing lists and the way we will carry things on the bike. Neither of us seems particularly concerned about having so many issues up in the air.
We have nailed down our departure date, Sunday June 18. We will be carrying the new French press coffee makers the Brian got us. That’s enough planning for now.
Wes
Brian was on his new/old bike for this ride. His trusty Trek has been repainted and carefully reassembled by Al Petri. There is a new Brooks saddle mounted on his bike and apparently new wheels will soon be part of the package. A new cycle computer/heart rate monitor was beeping like crazy throughout the ride.
Clearly this up-grade to his ride has made Brian a much faster rider. He was consistently out in front and seemed to do much better then me as we rode home into the wind. I don’t think that it has anything to do with all the weight he lost on his very successful winter diet. Or that he spent hours on his trainer and at the gym. It is a well know fact that new stuff will make you faster.
A few days ago I was rereading some of the blog entries we made two years ago as we prepared for our trip toMaine. In those entries we obsessed about all kinds of details. We were trying figure out what type of cooking equipment and clothing would be needed. We both spent hours studying the Adventure Cycling maps and worrying about climbing the White and Green Mountains. We discussed strategies for locating camping or motels for the night.
What a difference our Maine trip has made! Over lunch I mentioned that we were not exhibiting the same kind of anxiety about the RALPH tour. We are about two months from the start of our trip. We have a rough draft of our route. We have a short list of specific places to see and things to do on the trip. We each have some ideas for small changes to our packing lists and the way we will carry things on the bike. Neither of us seems particularly concerned about having so many issues up in the air.
We have nailed down our departure date, Sunday June 18. We will be carrying the new French press coffee makers the Brian got us. That’s enough planning for now.
Wes
Posted: Wed - April 19, 2006 at 04:30 PM
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Published On: Aug 27, 2006 08:13 AM
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Published On: Aug 27, 2006 08:13 AM