April 18, 2009
Rode The Loop today. At least one of its many variations. I even took a small bite out of the much revered Old La Honda Rd that goes up to Syline at the top of the Coast Range here. I only made it up a mile or so but know if I hadn't just decided at the last moment to take it on, I could have gotten a lot further up than I did. What threw me was having too many clothes on and just too many cars trying to pass me on such a narrow road. And I needed all of it to pedal up its steep switchbacks . But the bike and I both felt good so I now know what I am up against...
And in what amounts to a small breakthrough for this summer, I was able to record notes with, and are you ready for this, my camera!! That's right, this $120 Casio XILIM not only also takes movies but it records audio!! This became necessary when my iPhone rewarded me with a low battery warning almost as soon as I left the garage at 8 this morning. And yet it tells me I can cross one thing off my list. I don't need a back up voice recorder for my iPhone if it is out of range or out of power.
I saw more bikes that cars today! Many of them called out their suport to me. I heard more than one person call out 'Awesome bike!" One shouted, 'nice article in the paper!" And a girl called out to me from a paceline that I was photographing, "I love you!" Wow!
I never saw her, but I think she was telling me that she approved of the fact that I was taking pictures while my legs were crossed over the front steering tube as I coasted down Alpine Rd. In all the ride was 29 miles at this SITE
I spent a large part of the rest of the day looking at vans and motorhomes both on line and in actual form. One saint drove his all the way down from San Francisco for me to look at. I tried to convince myself I could make it work but even though the engine was rebuilt, there was just too much that needed to be done cosmetically to it. Not to mention the "small" overheating problem that would need to be fleshed out. I feel very bad that my gut ultimatley told me to keep looking...... Showtime in 14 days!! Yikes!!
Who can lend us a motor home or camper for 3 months for our 7th annual Mayors' Ride
April 16, 2009
Spent a lot of time today talking about the vehicle I will need to support my ride with expert aircraft mechanic Brian Kennedy today. He offered to weld on the tow hitch for whatever vehicle I get and even sent me a few prospective vehicles from Craigs List. Brian is awesome and he knows so very much.
We talked about everything from propane reefers to downsizing my vision to just using a pick up truck with a camper. Which of course makes total and complete sense given my time line. It was this that I traveled with as I rode today. I also had the interview I had just done with Jason Green of the Palo Alto Daily News on my mind. He heard about my lost sponsorship and wanted to help get my plea to Save My Ride out there.
And what I realized from talking with Jason was that if I hadn't given up so much to live in the garage like I have for the last 5 months, I would likely have shelved the dream I am fighting so hard to keep alive. I mean bad economy, people would have understood if I chose to sleep in and not function on just 5 & 6 hours sleep like I have. I would have been given a pass.
But NO. I have not eaten, slept and breathed this ride to give it up. I finished a 379 page book (that I have been working on for 5 years) in the wee early morning hours when I could have been sleeping and then going for easy bike rides while making money as a web publisher. I could have danced and played (has anyone noticed the Busycle went away during this time period?) and even been a part of the Holiday season from which I was totally absent. I could have given the remarkable Ines Brunn a lot more of my time in getting her far more celebrated here in the USA....
Who then can help me save this ride?
I need:
- A pick up truck with a camper - a motor home works too!
- A driver
- 80 people to buy a $100 per diem for 80 more days (ten have already been sponsored)
- A solar back pack, Leatherman Crunch, New Helmet and Collapsible multi-purpose hammer would be nice
- A Powerbook (perfect world)
- A satelite dish (more perfect world)
Got a later start than I like c/o the fact that the Palo Alto News (there are three newspapers in Palo Alto of which the News has by far the biggest circulation and has affiliates through out the Bay Area) interviewed me and took lots of photos
Start 0ft
1 3.21mi Tons of 5Pm traffic leaving town - like this stretch because at ~ 6 per cent, it is how I visualize the 40 non stop miles of Mormon Immigrant Pass in the Sierras which will challenge me on May 11 and/or 12...
2 4.66mi Begin Hill
3 4.87mi
4 11.66mi Hillier than rest of Foothill Exwy here
5 15.41mi Quieter road with stop signs (3) instead of stop lights - less cars and much slower moving - more like a neighborhood instead of an expressway like what I had just turned off of
6 17.71mi Lots of slow moving backed up cars - my Eagle skills are enough improved that I did not feel unsafe
7 18.69mi Whole Foods buy dinner items
8 19.06mi Getting confident enough that I can get out into the fast line of San Antonio before the cars waiting at the El Camino light get there....
End 20.79mi
April 15, 2009
Greetings! We are switching from the page we have run at Blogger,com while I learned this amazing backwards HiWheel also known as the Eagle to our National Bicycle Greenway blogs. So if you want to see where we have been since last February, go to http://2009hibustour.blogspot.com
THX for your intersest!!!
Rolled the locally famous Loop today. Not the full loop but a part of it that got me just shy of 20 miles. Along the way, I pedaled all of Arastradeo Rd, from Alpine to Page Mill while still in the saddle. I did the same thing for Page Mil from the freeway to Foothill Expwy. While the first ascent amounted to maybe two miles of climbing, Page Mill was a lot steepr for less than 1/2 of a mile.
Today, my mind was on getting a bus. And I think I may have found one, all 37 feet worth.... The owner runs an organic farm and sez it was well serviced and is a good runner! Needs a tow hitch for the Busycle and bathroomn and kitchen facilities but that can be cobbled into place as I go. We have to do something here to save the ride and this may be it. I will be sure to keep U posted!!
THX 4 all of U!!
Route
While this is the micro version of The Loop, there was still a lot of gradual climbing. I even saw Cardinal Bike Shop Manny out on Alpine Rd
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Notes:
Start 0ft
1 10.36mi Popular store for cyclists - Roberts Mkt
2 11.72mi Stayed in seat the whole way - tho this is not the steep direction
3 14.16mi Stayed in seat whole way to top at maybe 7-8%
4 16.96mi Cardinal Bike Shop - Jeff take measurement for brake adjusting nut and run caliper on big wheel - the rubber is one inch!!
5 17.38mi Country Sun snack stop
End 19.04m i
Eagle Training Blog Moves from Blogger.com
We just moved the training blog we have been keeping for Martin's rides on the awesome backwards HiWheel called the Eagle, from its home at Blogger.com. To see older posts, including video of how far Martin Krieg has come on the Eagle go to
This SITE
THX 4 all of U!!
