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Monday, March 17, 2014

Fake Bike Trip Report #9 - 1000km!


1026km to be exact.

My fake bike trip has hit a few bumps, so this milestone took a bit longer than I'd hoped (12 weeks rather than 10). 

Now I'm just hoping the weather clears up and the real long rides can begin!  100km/week on the indoor trainer is no picnic, I want to get out there in the fresh air and sunshine.  Unfortunately spring may officially start in a few days, but the freezing temperatures don't seem to want to relent...



Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Fake Bike Trip Report #8 - Off the Rails


Ohhhh my.  Everything had been going so well on my fake bike trip.

I had my big weekend that put me over 800km, then it was time to focus on a 1/2 marathon... the plan being to get right back at it on the bike as soon as that was done.

Except then I got whacked by sick.  I haven't been on the bike in 12 days.

Twelve.  Days.

It's literally been years since I have been off the bike that long.  Years and years and years.

Today I finally got back on, but just for a 1/2 hour to spin things out a little and remind my legs I'll be back to torture them soon.  I'm still about 70% tops.

944km in the books.  I'm in week 11, and was hoping to keep at least 100km/week average until the outdoor season started, but now I'm a bit behind.  Hopefully next week I can get back to some normalcy!

Monday, March 3, 2014

RAAM: Race Across America


Watched a couple of documentaries about this race, it is epic.  Grueling.  You start at the Pacific coast and end on the Atlantic... 3000 miles.  Craziest of all, the clock never stops... it's not a stage race like the Tour de France, it is a one shot deal.  Fastest person to cover 3000 miles wins.


The solo version is beyond crazy, but I can get my head around the team event.  Four people would hit the spot.

9 days is the limit for teams.  A team of 4 would each have 6 hours of riding duty a day.  I've poked around, seems like most teams split it up into 1/2 hour chunks and alternate.  A pair of riders alternates for 4 hours while the other pair rests, then they switch.  

There can be illness, injury, all sorts of things that get in the way of that plan... but it sounds do-able.

But then you get into the logistics...

Cost 
Each team needs two vehicles - one that follows the active rider, the other than supports everyone (this would be an RV most likely).  Each needs 2 licensed crew, at minimum.  The cost of the entry is almost $2000 per person... but when all is said and done a team of 4 would run about $20,000.

Logistics
There is a lot of planning.  You need to recruit willing crewmembers, who will fight through the lack of sleep.  There's the route to be followed, the equipment to be carted around.  Spare everything (tires, chains, etc), tools.  Food, accommodations...   heck the rulebook is 49 pages long... there is a lot to sort out!   

Still, I can't get it out of my head.  Maybe someday.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Buying a bike for a Tween


My daugher is growing up (*sniff*) and needed a new bike.

She's tough to buy for - 11 years old, 4 foot 10 inches, she's as small as the smallest adult women, but just.  I didn't want to get another 24-inch bike that she'd outgrow, so set out thinking about a 26'er.

I introduced her to the trails last year and she loved it... so I needed something that could go off-road.  Also her last bike was a pretty sweet Gary Fisher, I set the bar a bit too high!

Instead I ended up with the XS sized Giant Rove:


It's a hybrid, but leans heavily toward the mountain bike end.  It can definitely do trail duty, as long it's not too knarly/sandy.  Tires are 700s (29'ers) and a bit narrow - I can always throw something grippier on there if she ends up getting into that (plenty of clearance).

Pretty good value at $399 (bike show price).  I also looked at a boys 26'er for her, but it wasn't to her taste, so... here we are!

To the trails!