Well, as I’m retired I have a lot of time to think, especially about bucket lists. When I was 18 / 19 I talked with several bicycle enthusiasts in my classes about traveling across country on bikes. That adventure never came to pass.
I am now in day 4 of my nine month training program for my trip to ride a bicycle across the United States. I plan to start in June from Oregon, following the TransAmerica trail that was developed in 1976, the same year I hoped to take a cross country bike trip. This will be a solo trip, with lots of photos taken.
I’m at 284 pounds right now, so I have to lose 50 pounds in 9 months, at least. I’ll also have to purchase a used or new recumbent bike and attachments that can make it through a 4300 mile journey. I plan on camping, sightseeing, and staying in a hotel once a week. I figure 70 to 90 days will be the travel / sightseeing time.
I rode 2.6 miles yesterday on my Trek 820 mountain bike, and it nearly killed me in only 17 minutes. It was TOO scary to ride on the road near my residence, as the white line on the side of the road only leads to gravel and ditches. I was very shaky riding and almost landed in a ditch several times. It will be a long road of conditioning to prepare for 70 mile daily trips with a fully loaded bicycle.
Today, I found a 5.5 mile stretch of highway 299 from Douglas City to Weaverville. It has 3 to 5 foot edges for emergency stops and bicycle travel. It will be a nice 11 mile round trip with hills once I’m able to control a bike with cars whizzing by at 60+ miles per hour. I also found an actual bike trail in Weaverville. It is a little over 1 mile in a 35 mile per hour zone, with wide bike lanes. It turns into another 1+ mile section with a 50 miles per hour zone. I will be using the city routes as I build up to 10 miles non-stop…..on the way to 70 in a day, after day, after day.
It will happen, this trip. I’m trying to get everyone in Blue Lake Casino to put $20 in a lotto pick for where I stop if I don’t make it all the way, for whatever reason. And, if I make it, I get ALL the money. Nice thought lol
I will be riding a recumbent bike as they don’t put pressure on your back, hands, arms, etc. I’m looking for a used Tour Easy or a new/used Bacchetta Bella bike. This is out of pure ignorance and hours of Internet research!!!
And so the training continues. No more Ice Cream and Beer Netflix binges on Friday and Saturday nights!
Tight lines!