PAC Tour Wickenburg to Cottonwood (4)

Today  104 miles   9,600 feet     10:33 elapsed time    85 degrees
So far   451           23,800           41:55

A long, strenuous, wonderful day in the saddle.  We made a series of three climbs today through the Weaver Mountains and Prescott National Forest.  The first climb was twenty-five miles up and out of the desert to Yarnell "Where the desert wind meets the cool mountain air."  The 3,000' climb was through sage brush and sparsely vegetated desert sands.  We were glad to be leaving the arid, boring, hot desert behind.  After a gradual twelve mile descent we started climbing again.

In earnest this time as we rode to Prescott. The landscape was more forgiving and the air a lot cooler.  It was a long climb up switchbacks though Prescott National Forest.  Denser and taller vegetation surrounded low growing evergreens.  The air was refreshing.  Incidentally, the climb started in Nowhere.  A great climb.  If you want to know how best to enjoy grilled cheese and tomato, try riding this route.  At mile 55 with 6,000 feet of climbing behind you, its a great lunch. 

After lunch we descended through the PNF and into the town of Prescott, a booming place.  Lots of new buildings, roads etc.  Twenty miles of downhill went fast.  Outside of town we began climbing again.  Another 3,600 feet for the day through the pine forest surrounding the Mingus Mountain Recreation Area.When we reached the peak at 7,000 feet we could see the clouds and lightning surrounding us.  We had dodged rains all day, only getting a couple minutes of sprinkles at a time.  Some of this looked serious.  Riders ahead reported back to the rest stop that the rains were severe. 

So now the real fun begins.

We are 17 miles from Cottonwood at elevation of 7,000 feet.  Cottonwood is about 3,400 feet.  One of the truck warning signs cautioned about grades up to 12%.  For me that's a license to fly.  Down the switchbacks at 30, 35 and 40 mph.  Braking for cars moving slower. 

After ten miles of fun, we reached Jerome, once called out by the New York Post as the wickedest town in the West.  Jerome's history is that of a mining town.  It is built on a hill and has dozens of shops selling all kinds of art and paraphernalia.  There was a head shop and a shop named Penny Lane.  We enjoyed some ice cream and resumed our fast descent.  Another eight miles of descending left us at the hotel in Cottonwood.  Google "Jerome" and google "House of Joy" for some interesting history. 

Today was a significant challenge physically for sure.  The sense of accomplishment and the thrill of the downhill runs made it one of my most memorable days on the bike.  I've even suggested we drive back in the morning and ride it again.

Life on tour requires fitting in eating, riding, eating, cleaning bikes, laundry, eating, organizing for the next day, and necessarily sleeping.  I'm also trying to fit in blogging and email.  Its a lot of fun.  If you have nothing to do for the next two years, I recommend you get into shape and ride across the country.  Bedtime.

PAC Tour Blythe to Wickenburg (Day 3)

Today   116 miles   3,600 feet   10:03  elapsed time  95 degrees
So far   347            14,200         31:22

Today's ride was the third, and last ride day through the desert.  Slowly, slowly, slowly as we rode up to Wickenburg, the desert became more vegetated, greener and more hospitable to wildlife.  We expected to be challenged with high temperatures today.  Mother Nature had another plan.  As we rode through the mountains it seems as if there were storms all around us.  We rode through or past the Kofa, Little Horn, Harquahala, Harcuvar and Vulture Mountains.  Lightning could be seen in the mountains most of the day.  I got sprinkled on a couple of times, but never got seriously wet.  At one point the temperature had reached 95 degrees, then abruptly plummeted to 75 when a storm rolled through.  Often its hard to know what the day's ride will bring, other than a surprise or two. 

We rode on I-10 today to cross the Colorado river into Arizona, and then another 30 miles or so just because it is the road, probably the only road, that gets us where we wanted to go.  Along the route today there were a lot of for sale signs.  Houses of course, ranches, storefronts and RV Parks.  And we did pass several RV Parks, some closed, some operating.  There seems to be little in the way of commerce in this corner of Arizona.  Why would one want to park an RV here? 

I'm struck with the diversity of people, climate, topography and geology of our great country.  As I meet people in small town America, I realize our politicians are clueless as to the needs and aspirations of our people.  I don't claim to know how to "fix" congress, but I see how (and why) dissatisfied and discussed we have become with Washington politicians.

The group is starting to come together.  Riders know each other's abilities and we've learned the daily routines.  With each day's riding each of us is getting stronger.  I felt good on the bike today.  But maybe a little too good.  Tomorrow's ride is the day with the most climbing on the tour.  I'm looking forward to the challenge.  Wish me well.

Oh, by the way, there are pictures posted on PAC Tour's website: www.pactour.com Then click on Southern Transcontinental and scroll down to photos and click.

Moi

 

Tracey

Trucks share the road (hate those little wires that

wiggle through bike tires and cause flats)

Jamie, Bob and two more of us up the road

Storm over the mountain

Passmore gas?

Arid

Long, steady climb

same climb, only longer

PAC Tour El Centro to Blythe (Day 2)

Today  105 miles   1,800 feet   9:56 elapsed time   108 degrees
So far   231           10,600        21:19

Extra breakfast today.  If you want to appeal to a cyclist, feed him.  Next to drinking water, eating is the most common activity for riders.  Okay, maybe pedaling is first, but hydrating and eating are right behind.  Today was hot.  When we ate breakfast at 6:00 the temperature was still 75 degrees and headed higher.  The heat takes a toll as any athlete can tell you.  Being outside and riding and climbing requires fluid and salt management.  Today's ride took at toll on several riders.  One tandem couple stayed behind because of health issues, one crash required 18 stitches to close and a few riders shortened their days because of cramping or the beginnings of heat stroke. 

But there are ways to manage these issues.  Sunday we were given a tube sock and a rubber band.  Once the temperature reaches 85 degrees, there is ice available to fill the sock which is then closed off with the rubber band.   So what does one do with a sock full of ice, you ask?  Roll it under the collar of your cycling jersey.  It feels strange and cold at first.  The melting ice drips down and soaks the front of your jersey, and maybe the top of your shorts too.  After a half hour of riding, the freezing feeling our your neck diminishes and you simply feel comfortable, as if was 70 degrees out.  I think this simple technique has helped me ride the last two days.  Its a fad.  Everyone is doing it.  At least those on our ride. 

When I started out this morning, my legs felt dead.  I just couldn't generate any speed.  I kept consuming Gatorade, electrolytes, water, anything I could think of to send some energy to those legs muscles.  Then, sixty-five miles into the days ride my legs were back.  I had just left a rest stop and suddenly felt great, had energy in my legs and cruised on down the road, being careful not to ride so fast that I drained myself, but it was great to finish the last 40 miles strong on a day that was so hot. 

Our scenery today was the Chocolate Mountains, or the foothills thereof.  Its easy to see why they were given that name.  Then we rode through the Algodones Dunes.  I've never seen finer sand in my life.  The texture makes powdered sugar seem course.  I wanted to bring it home, but there are limits to how much one can carry on a bike.  The Imperial Valley is the breadbasket of California.  We saw dairy farms and lots and lots of hay.  As in Oregon, Hay is a major cash crop.  All the crops require irrigation (from the Colorado).  There are crops I saw that I haven't a clue what they yield.  This land is a dry, dry place, almost to the point of being surreal.

Desert sands

Hope this is the right road...

Desert Riders - Castor, Tracey, Ron & Neil

Chocolate Mountains

Mystery crop - Irrigation magic

Desert morning

Desert hay

PAC Tour - Day One San Diego to El Centro

Stats:  126 miles 8,800 feet of climbing, 12:23 elapsed time, 101 degrees

Twelve of the twenty riders have ridden with these tour operators before, so the eight newbies among us are learning how things work.  We start the day at 6:00 in the parking lot for breakfast, bringing our bikes, reusable bowls and mugs.  Cyclists tend to be green people, no more Styrofoam cups appear at breakfast.  At 6:30 the baggage truck is available to load and riders start riding between 6:30 and 7:00.  Times will change because of available sunlight depending upon where we are in a time zone. 

So off we go.  I'm riding with riders I met on the prologue, mostly newbies.  The tour veterans tend to ride faster.  Today's cue sheet provides a route of 127 miles and 7,700 feet of climbing, a tour of the desert and a destination in the Imperial Valley.  Luckily the temperature is "only" forecast to reach 98 in El Centro, our destination.  We climbed 60 miles out of San Diego, taking 6 hours of riding time and reaching 4,100 feet of elevation.  Another 4 hours of riding time put us back at sea level and 66 miles further East in El Centro.  After our climb, we descended rapidly while riding I-8 (on the shoulder).  That ten mile descent was covered in under twenty minutes despite bucking cross winds and occasional braking to keep the excitement (fear) at a reasonable level.  I tend to descend faster than most other riders.  Its my form of amusement park thrills and my weight gives me a natural advantage. 

While we we climbing out of San Diego we saw a large number of border patrol vehicles and later came upon a large Border Patrol facility with electronics and many, many vehicles.  A little further on, there was an airport where drones were the only planes.  There was no real landing strip for regular aircraft.  Eventually I raised my sight a little higher to the South and saw "the fence".  It has escaped me that we were riding so close the the border with Mexico while riding historic US 80. 

After the descent on I-8, we entered the desert proper, although everything to that point had been very arid, now we saw sage and scrubs and little else, besides the fence.  The temperature had risen and we were "enjoying" strong, gusty winds.  Occasionally head winds and on occasion a favorable tail wind.  This despite the fact that we were pretty much heading due East all day long.  Fickle winds.  There are days when riding simply becomes work.  You're tired, hot, sore and simply want the ride to be over.  The basic issue is that if we had stopped today's ride at 100 miles or so, we'd be camping in the desert tonight.  In the great West, towns can be very far apart.  So today we rode 126 miles.  Tomorrow's ride is a more sane 104 miles with 1,600 feet of climbing.  And, since we're heading NNE, I think the chances of a favorable tail wind are high.  But having been outside to go to dinner, the day promises to start hot and get hotter.  No rain is forecast, though.

We saw many sights today, including hundreds of herons perched in three trees in the irrigated fields just East of the desert.  From a distance it looked as if the trees were flowering with big white blooms.  Quite a scene.  More descriptions will come with photos, but that's a task for another day.  Past my bedtime.  Breakfast at 6:00, on the road at 6:30.

The Ride Begins - Neil, Tracey, Castor & Bob

Desert Hills

Quiet Road (Off the Interstate)

Downhill Chute

Our southern Neighbor

Desert Sand

"Heron Tree"

Day in the Desert

PAC Tour Prologue

Every good cycling event needs a prologue, right?  So Saturday a group of riders navigated our way to Mission Beach for the ceremonial dipping of the tires in the Pacific.  We got sand in our toes and tested our newly reassembled bikes with a 15 mile ride Saturday.  Because of the fog that rolls in off the Pacific, this is better observed as an afternoon event, after the fog has burned off, than a first thing in the morning ride start.  We are thirty people, twenty riders and ten support staff/crew.  I'm feeling good about this group and the adventure ahead.

San Diego Entertainment

Riders on the Shore - Brian, Gerhard, Castor, Rose, Art, Ron & Jamie

First Paceline

Last Supper

Last Supper 2

Last Supper 3

PAC Tour - Across the continent in 26 days

I'm in San Diego, waiting to begin my second bucket list item of the year.  (The first was riding the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park).  We're riding 2,800 miles in 26 days.  You can see the complete ride description here: http://www.pactour.com/, then click on Southern Transcontinental in the 2011 menu on the left.  So with 20 other brave souls and ten crew members we're about to begin riding across the country.

Last Saturday I dropped my bike off with the tour directors in Wisconsin so they could carry it to San Diego in their van, saving me the boxing up, freighting and rebuilding, and the cost.  Nice, huh?  So needless to say, this ride is being undertaken with some anxiety.  Will I be able to do it?  Am I crazy for attempting this?  And some alternating confidence: I rode RainStorm in July, 6 days, 660 miles with plenty of Southern Indiana hills and Bicycle Tour of Colorado in June, riding Trail Ridge Road, Milner Pass, Rabbit Ears Pass, Vail Pass and Loveland Pass and a couple of other mountain passes.  So yes, I've ridden the distances and the altitudes.  I can do this.  Still there is gnawing anxiety.  Our first three days pass thru El Centro, California, and Blythe, California and finish in Wickenberg, Arizona.  348 miles and 12,000 feet of climbing.  A challenge for sure.  Oh, and we're riding through the desert.  Temps over 100 degrees. 

I've meet some of my fellow riders.  A hardy bunch I'd say.  Obviously each has their own cycling history and reasons for doing this ride.  Mine?  It's on the bucket list.  Its a great challenge.  I love to travel.  I've never ridden in this part of the country.  (I did ride from Houston to New Orleans in May for the Red Cross:  http://american.redcross.org/site/TR?fr_id=1402&pg=entry .  Thanks again to all who supported that ride.)  All parts of the reason to ride.  But there is still an unidentifiable, intangible element that defies identification and description.  I'll recognize it when I experience it and I'll try to relate the experience in this blog.  Its about the experience. 

Today we will ride to the coast.  We're seven miles inland at the hotel.  We'll have the ceremonious dipping of the rear wheel in the Pacific and photo ops and a chance to meet and ride with our fellow travelers.  The anticipation I feel is palpable.  That has been the story of my week, waves of anxiety, anticipation and excitement.  Soon.  The ride begins.

Dear reader, please feel free to comment on the blog.  I'll do my best to post daily, albeit some days briefly, I'm sure.

Oregon Bike Ride

more to come

Bicycle Tour of Colorado - After the Trail Ridge ride

More to come

RainStorm day one

Familiarity breeds comfort.  Since I had ridden in Ohio on Saturday, I checked into the hotel in  Richmond on Saturday and chilled while the riders and expectations for RainStrom began arriving and welling.  When I travel, the familiar is comforting.  I enjoy the new and exciting, but once in a while a touch of familiar is pacifying.  I sam looking forward to RainStorm.  I barely completed it last year and feel much better prepared.  Without being obsessive about it, I plan to "ride every mile," including the out and back to the Shoals on day three.

RainStorm warmup

On Saturday July 9th I rode the Land of Legends Tour in Licking County, Ohio, east of Columbus as a warm-up for RainStorm and because I had never ridden in Ohio before.  It promised to be a warm sunny Saturday when I started at 7:30, and indeed it turned out that way.  In fact it warmed up to the 90's in the afternoon.  Not a lot of shade.  The early part of the route had some significant hills.  A good warm up for Storm.  We started out on bike paths and when we turned north, found the hills.  Some double digits grades reminded me of what I had signed on for with Storm.  But they went well.  About half way through the ride the hills moderated and it became just another pleasant Saturday on the bike

Then the sun came out.  It was hot.  Then at the last rest stop, about mile 80 with the temperature rising to the mid-nineties, I was told that the remainder of the route was downhill and on a canopied bike trail.  When have I ever heard anything like that before?  "No, its really true."  If you do enough rides, you learn a healthy skepticism of statements like that.  I pushed off for the final leg of the ride.  Soon I was on a paved, tree-shaded bike path going downhill at 19 mph.  Sometimes the truth is a really pleasant reflection of reality. 

I was cruising along, feeling great and reached down for my waterbottle.  Suddenly I was off the path, struggling to stay upright in the large stones next to the path and trying to avoid falling off the grade into the dense trees.  I pulled the handlebar and the bike was back on the path veering wildly and then back into the stones , and back onto the path again.  I finally slowed, and holding onto the handlebar securely with one hand, removed the waterbottle from my clenched teeth and took a drink.  I replaced the waterbottle carefully and allowed myself to catch my breath.  Breathe, I said, almost aloud.  Because of the shade I hadn't seen where a root had forced up the pavement of the path and caused me to loose control.  Or nearly so.  I just wondered what a separated shoulder or so would have done to the rest of my summer cycling plans. 

I enjoyed the remainder of the ride with my hands firmly on the handlebar.  It was a really nice route.  And I am ready...for RainStorm.

Bicycle Tour of Colorado

So I've told you about day 2, the Trail Ridge Road adventure.  Let me do some back and fill to put that day in context.  I signed up for BTC because of the challenge.  Could I ride in the mountain?.  And I wanted to wear a jersey that said I did.  I had originally planned to enter the lottery for Ride the Rockies, a similar, but larger seven day ride around Colorado a week earlier.  My friend Gary advised me to ride BTC instead, smaller, more personal. 

So I decided to acclimate to the riding and altitudes by driving and riding along the way to Colorado.  First stop was Bettendorf, Iowa to ride TOMRV (Tour of the Mississippi River Valley) for two days, 200 miles of hills along the Mississippi between Bettendorf and Dubuque via Galena.  A good two days of riding, and some of the best TOMRV weather I've seen this century (the last two times I've ridden the ride it rained all day, both days).  Then I drove on to Idaho and Utah for century rides on Wednesday and Thursday.  Then I drove on to Colorado and started shopping.  I was reading the BTC material and decided I couldn't ride without rainpants and shoe covers. 

 Saturday I drove to the registration site in Central City.  The school sits on a hill, like everything in Colorado seemingly, and the access was chaotic.  There were volunteers attempting to direct traffic but no clear destinations or directions as to where seemed available.  I drove up and behind the school, parking in a slot off the road, just to get out of the car.  I planned to register and then find a motel for the night. 

I walked down a flight of wooden steps into the back of the school and down another two flights of stairs and found the hub that everyone was seemingly headed for.  Registration.  Lots and lots of people.  I registered and walked out the other way.  Then realized I had "jumped" the line, unwittingly as there was a line about two hundred feet long of people waiting to get into the registration room.  The bad news at registration was that the last bus from the weeklong parking lots in Central City left at 9:00 pm today, no Sunday morning service.  So glad I hadn't made a hotel reservation.

Back at the car, I pulled out the tent and set up in a wooded area where there were a couple of other tents set up.  Then I unloaded the car, putting everything I was bringing for the week into the tent and drove off to long-term parking.  After eating in Central City, I hopped the shuttle and rode back to the ride headquarters.  So the challenge was to get a good night's sleep before the first day of riding.  After the first day of riding, fatigue practically guarantees success.  

Up early, found breakfast in the cafeteria, packed the tent, loaded the baggage truck and was off on my first ride in Colorado before 7:00.  As you may have noticed, I was surprised by the number of people on the ride and the logistics.  The Tour du Rouge had 73 riders and service.  By contrast, BTC had 1,300 riders and organized chaos. 

So on the road, climbing through the clean air.  Bracing and spectacular.  I was unprepared for the views.  The climbing and the scenery were both breathtaking.  Lots of camaraderie.  What a great way to start a week.  That first day I climbed 5,600 feet in 56 miles and felt quite good actually.  Although I knew longer days with more climbing were ahead, I knew I would be up to the task.  So my strategy was to stay within my limits (take it easy) and enjoy the ride.  I am very pleased with the way this has turned out.