Tour de SoCal 2016 and Into Fall

In early August I spent a few days riding from Santa Barbara, CA to San Diego, CA and enjoyed the ride immensely. It was my first attempt at a 'solo' ride while carrying my stuff for longer than two days and it was my next step in working towards being a 'Touring Cyclist'. 

In order to make this trip 'easy' I decided to rent a bike in San Diego rather than ship mine there. I found a guy that rents nice bikes with racks and bags (aka: panniers) for a really reasonable price and he did a great job in setting me up with a bike and the other 'stuff' I would need to ride. (Peter at 'Stay Classy Bikes' in case you're ever in San Diego and want a great bike!). Once he delivered the bike on Sunday afternoon I added my handlebar bag and my iPhone holder and was ready to go. I spent the rest of the afternoon packing the panniers with my clothes and test riding the whole assembly around the neighborhood. 

Bright and early Monday morning I rode to the Amtrak terminal and caught the train to Santa Barbara. It's a great ride along the coast and you get great views of the beaches and many small towns along the way. You also get great views of the West Coast Marine training base (Camp Pendleton) and the San Onfre Nuclear Generating Station for those of you so inclined. Once I got to Santa Barbara I hopped on my bike and toured around the cool town for a few hours before beginning my trek southward towards my first overnight town of Ventura. The ride was about 33 miles and most of it was along or fairly close to the beach but there was a portion of the route where I had to ride on US 101 for a mile or two. That ride along the shoulder of a four lane divided highway was just a little more unnerving than I cared for! Once I got to Ventura I made my way to the lovely Vagabond Inn and checked in. Ventura is a cool town and I found a nice place for dinner and a couple of beers before hitting the bed early to rest up for my long day tomorrow.

Leaning Against a SeaBee bulldozer

I headed out bright and early Tuesday morning and started making my way along the beach towards Santa Monica. This day was planned to be a long one in order to make up for the short mileage the day before and keep me on schedule. I rode thru quite a few cool towns and stopped in at the "Seabees Museum in Port Hueneme to take a look at some of the history and accomplishments of the Navy's Construction Battalions. After that stop I found a place to eat some breakfast and then headed on down the beach. I rode along the Pacific Coast Highway ("PCH") for several miles including thru the beach houses of Malibu. Once I go through Malibu I stopped at a grocery store to find some lunch and ended up in a great conversation with a young dude who gave me some tips on the route and traffic. A little while later I veered off of the beach walk in Santa Monica and rode up the Santa Monica Boulevard to my hotel.

The requisite photo of the Santa Monica pier.

I found a nice Japanese place for dinner and then crashed into my bed, very tired after the 70 mile and 8 hour ride.
Wednesday was supposed to be a relatively short ride down to Long Beach but instead it turned into a long, long day....the ride thru Venice, Hermosa, Redondo beaches was really cool. I found a great little breakfast spot to fill up before my 'off route' ride thru Rancho Palos Verdes. The Adventure Cycling route that I used prefers to ride inland and thru Los Angeles but I really didn't want that kind of hassle so I found a guy who had a route thru the Palos Verdes area and chose to ride it. Riding up hill from Redondo Beach was quite a challenge and then as I went thru Palos Verdes there were more and more hills although they were quite short. In the middle of Palos Verdes I found a neat museum called the Point Vicente Interpretive Center. It was a cool display of some of the artifacts found in the area and some exhibits about the whales that are often seen right off the point.

The view from the Point Vicente Interpretive Center

 After leaving the center I continued on thru Palos Verdes and then down the hill into San Pedro, the port of Los Angeles. As I rode past the Battleship Iowa I noticed that bumps felt a little rougher in the rear and that the bike squirmed a little more than usual under braking as I came down any hill. Yep, the rear tire was just about flat. Being tired and lazy I quickly asked Siri where the nearest bike store was. (For those of you who don't know, Siri and I have a very contentious relationship and she rarely answers any question for me but I figured she'd be kind enough to sense the urgency and help out.) Much to my surprise the 'nearest bike store' was only 800 feet behind me so I made a quick u-turn and slowly pedaled back to (wait for it) Captain Kirk's KiteBoard store. Luckily Captain Kirk is a cyclist and he let me use his pump to reinflate my tire and then he gave me directions to the true nearest bike store. They changed my tube quickly and I was again on my way. I finished the last many miles of the day riding in rush hour traffic along a six lane road just south of Long Beach and into the Long Beach community to find my hosts for the evening. When I started planning this trip I was hoping to make use of a web community called "Warm Showers" that puts touring cyclists together with hosts that are also cyclists. Unfortunately I only found one for the five days that I would be traveling as many that I contacted did not reply and almost all the others seemed to be busy. But Tracey and Amy were great hosts in Long Beach and shared their place and dinner with me along with stories of touring around South America!
I got up really early the next morning and quickly rode to the Catalina Island ferry terminal. I had not originally planned to go out to Catalina but when I realized that the terminal was close and that there was another terminal several miles to the south I figured I could put in a side trip without adding lots of miles to my trip. Catalina is a really cool little island and has some of the most interesting plant life in the southwest with much of it only found on the island. It's fun to tour around but as it is an island there are quite a few hills. I made my way up to the Wrigley Botanical Garden and enjoyed the time off the bike to see some of the interesting plants and buildings there.

The view from the "Wrigley Memorial"

 I rode around a few more of the roads, had yet another extra large breakfast burrito and then caught the ferry back to Dana Point beach for some more coastal riding. Leaving Dana Pt and heading south is perhaps my favorite segment of the ride. Directly south is San Clemente and it is a pretty cool little town. I stopped in a bike store to ask advice about the route and as I walked in the owner looked at me and said "Stay on the route, you don't want to try and short cut over towards the highway." He said that many people stop in and ask about the route that appears to be lots of stop and go compared to what appears to be an easier route a little further inland. I chatted with him and his wife for a few minutes and found out that they met on a 'cross country' touring ride when she was in high school and he was in college. They had lots of good stories from the years riding together and were eager to share them all it seems. After a while I thanked them for their help and stories and headed south. Once I got out of San Clemente the scenery was good as it turned from urban to dessert and then passed by the San Onefre Nuclear Generating Station ("SONGS"), many campgrounds on the beach and then onto Camp Pendleton Marine Base for a short period of time.

Campground on a short cliff right above the  ocean just south of San Clemente.

My Father was stationed at Camp Pendleton way back on 1967 or so right before he took his 'beautiful and fun tour of scenic southeast asia' with a bunch of Marines but I doubt there's much left at Camp Pendleton that was the same ~50 years ago. Once I got off of the base (before they shaved my head) I headed into Oceanside to find the home of my old friend Julianna.
It was a rough ride up lots of hills to get to Julianna's house and at one point I even heard myself 'wheezing', after which I pulled over for a few minutes of rest. After dinner and a few beers with friends I hit the bed for a much needed rest. Early the next morning I was up and heading back to the beach route for a short ride down to San Diego. I had hoped to ride all the way to the Mexican border but I was running short on time and couldn't seem to figure out the logistics of getting a place to stay down there and then a ride back up to SD.
The segment between Oceanside and San Diego was varied and very nice. The route passed thru quite a few towns - Carlsbad, Encinitas, DelMar and LaJolla. All are 'famous' for their own reasons and each present a different challenge to a bike rider. There is one spot just north of LaJolla where the road drops out of the hills and all the way down to the beach. The view of that drop from above was pretty cool but it served as a harbinger for the hills to come as LaJolla sits up high on a cliff. The grind up the hill seemed relentless as it was almost straight and you could barely see the end. It turns out that 'the end' was merely a turn and there were several more feet to climb as I passed by the famous Torrey Pines golf course and various Scripps research facilities. LaJolla is a very pretty area with lots of cool shops and lots of small coves along the beach.

 

People hassling seals at "Seal Cove" in LaJolla. Come on, it's "Seal Cove" not "People Cove", leave 'em alone!

It's a quick trip downhill from LaJolla into the San Diego beach community of Pacific Beach where my friends and I vacation together every August. I rode to the hotel we always stay at, had a quick visit with a few friends from the area, checked into alternate hotel prices and then decided to settle in for the night the Beach Cottages for the night. After I picked up my bag from a local friend (thanks Rachel!!) I could finally change into some clean clothes, get dinner and then hit the bed for the evening. I fell asleep agonizing over not riding all the way down to Mexico but when I woke in the morning I was happy to know I had just ridden the distance I had, seen the towns and views I had seen and met the people I met. 

California is a cool place and I have always enjoyed my visits there but seeing the 400+ miles I saw from my bike gave me a new perspective on the place. It's even more scenic than I thought, still cool with a 'hippie vibe' that seems to be natural to many of the residents and a culture that really supports the cycling community. Almost every town had nice painted lanes for cyclists and some of them even had dedicated and separated cycling lanes, very few drivers seemed to resent having cyclists around and the local cycling community is enthusiastic in their activities and support of cycling as a daily activity. All in all it was a great ride ! ! !

Into Fall

After returning from California I have basically just been riding in our weekly club rides and a few one day rides into the Fall. Our club (ECVelo) has also sponsored a couple of really fun rides including their "Cotton Country Century" ride in September and more recently their "Toys for Tots" ride in late November. The century ride went really well and we had a great turn-out for a nice ride thru the cotton fields and other fields of Eastern North Carolina. On the other hand the Toys for Tots ride was one of the most brutally cold and windy rides I have ever been on, but at least we did some good by collecting toys for the Toys for Tots program so that warmed us up some once we finished the ride.
I also rode in the annual "Hincapie Gran Fondo" that is put on my Hincapie Sportswear and benefits the "Meals on Wheels" program in Greenville, SC. It is a great ride with lots of people participating and wonderful views of where the Blue Ridge Yawns It's Greatness along the NC/SC border. The day before the big ride it was good to meet some of the other Hincapie Ambassadors and ride with them for a few miles and then to ride along several miles of scenic roads and steep hills as the leaves started to turn during the 50 mile ride.

So, that's about it for now except for my recent fall. On Wednesday before Thanksgiving I was riding with a few friends when another rider and I collided. Unfortunately I couldn't get my foot out of my pedal before I fell over and I landed square on my left hip. It seems that I have issues with falling to my left as that is the same side I fell on in Mississippi back in April. My hip is still pretty sore and I am still using crutches to get around about a week later but I can tell it is getting better so I'm hoping to be back on my bike sometime next week!  I'm sorry this edition has taken so long to publish but I just got lazy and quit writing it right after California. Hopefully my spring update won't be this behind schedule and I'll have a lot of good rides to report on! Until then - stay safe, happy holidays and Go Tigers ! ! !

SUMMER DOLDRUMS

Here we are in the midst of summer and I have not upheld my end of our "blogging deal" and updated you on my latest cycling escapades...so, here goes:

BIKE VIRGINIA

 Bike Virginia ('BikeVA') is a great organization that organizes the state ride in Virginia. For years it was a 'cross state' ride much like the CycleNC "Mountains to Coast" ride that I rode last fall but now it is a 'two stop' ride where you set up your camp for three days of riding, break camp and move to another location and then have three more days of riding. With other summer 'obligations' looming (we had to go to the beach some time, right?) we opted to just ride the weekend portion in Woodstock, VA and had a great time! The headquarters was on the grounds of the Massanhutten (?) Military Academy and Bike VA did a great job with organizing the ride so that there were plenty of spaces to camp, plenty of food options and a lot of great routes to ride.
Over the weekend we rode three rides that went thru the really beautiful central Virginia area and at one time we passed a sign that said "West Virginia State Line 12 Miles" so we were obviously 'out there' in the country. The total mileage for those three rides was 178 miles (37+104+37) and they were all fun but I'm not going to kid you - the guy who put a 2 mile, 8% grade climb at mile 88 of our 104 mile ride on Saturday is a cruel bastard. 
One of the most exciting events of the weekend was that I hit 6,000 miles on my bike. I purchased it almost exactly two years ago to the day and it's been a great bike to get me this far in this amount of time.

Translation: "It's Gonna Get Ugly"

Lots of nice scenery !!

6,000 miles in TWO years !

 The rest of the rides were pleasant and full of really cool vistas and things to see along the way. And as usual with rides like this, we got to meet lots of really nice people to share our stories with.
Bike VA does a great job and it would have been fun to ride "Part Two" but I needed to get to the beach, so I drove from there to Corolla on Sunday for 2 1/2 weeks with friends. And I managed to get in a few rides during that time too :)

RIDING with the BRANDS

You may remember that I told you I would be riding with a few old friends as part of my learning how to tour. Scott and Angela Brand are some of the first people I met when I started my 'work life' in Arizona way back in 1982 and are still very good friends to this day despite the mileage between us now. They were riding from north central Colorado all the way to the Outer Banks in North Carolina and were kind enough to let me tag along with them for their last six days of riding from Richmond, Va thru NC and over to the Outer Banks. Their friend John Crofts had joined them a little earlier in the month and I took an Amtrak train to Richmond to meet up with them there. The next morning the four of us left Richmond and rode the really nice and almost brand new "Capital Trail" that is a cyclists dream as it meanders southeast towards Williamsburg, VA. It was a great ride despite the wet conditions and we encountered lots of local and some long distance riders along the way. After a great dinner and good sleep we spent the day touring around in Williamsburg and then headed across the James River then next day to begin a cross country trek towards my house in Greenville, NC. We found a nice B&B in Murfeesboro, NC for our overnight after a good ride and then we were up and on the road early the next day for the long ride to Greenville. It turned out to be a little longer than we wanted thanks to some poor planning on my part and as the day wore on the wind picked up and created havoc with our riding speeds. BUT, we made it to my house and feasted on tasty Eastern NC barbecue for dinner.

Scott making a few last minute adjustments before we head to Belhaven, NC

The 'view' from my seat most of the time - map with highlighted route and open road

 We took the next day off and took advantage of it to get a pesky issue with Angela's bike taken care of, take a short tour around Greenville and have a good dinner followed by a good nights rest. We then hit the road again and made quick time all the way to Belhaven where we stayed at yet another nifty B&B and met lots of interesting locals. A short ride to Swan Quarter was followed by a 2 1/2 hour ferry ride across the Pamlico Sound to Ocracoke Island and we were on the Outer Banks. It's always cool to take people over to the Outer Banks for the first time and traveling by bike & ferry was a great way to see just how remote the banks are.

One of Blackbeard's victims?

We checked in to Blackbeards Lodge, had a good dinner and a restful night and then parted ways the next day as they pedaled north to Hatteras and I began my trip home. 
Riding with experienced touring riders and learning from them was quite the experience. Hopefully I'll retain a small portion of what I learned and observed as I continue to try and become a touring rider. Scott & Angela's total trip was about 50 days and covered over 2,500 miles... as usual, I hope to be like them when I grow up :) 

Me, Anglea, Scott and John leaving Ocracoke Island

Are You Watching the Tour?

Of course I'm watching the Tour de France, just as I have for years and years. I think there has been a lot of great racing and I always marvel at just how fast those dudes ride - sometimes up to 40mph on the flats and over 60 on the downhills! That's crazy fast. Chris Frome, Peter Sagan, Tyler VanderGarden and all those dudes are really top notch athletes that perform at their peak not just once a week, but EVERY DAY for three weeks! BUT, I don't kid myself and think I'll ever ride like that. That speed and style of riding requires a lot more effort that I can put forward and would also require a time machine to take me back 30+ years! So I'll stick to my slow riding and enjoying the scenery as it rolls past at 15 or so mph :)

 

NEXT?

Right now I am in the process of planning a trip from Santa Barbara, CA down to San Diego, CA in early August. It's only about 250 miles and I am hoping that I can do it in about 5 days. The Adventure Cycling route runs pretty close to the coast and that should provide cool and pretty riding. The neat thing about this route is that the train runs parallel to it so if I 'blow up' somehow and feel like I can't ride the whole thing I can always take the train back to San Diego where I'll meet up with several friends for our annual California Beach Trip. I plan to use an online app called "Warm Showers" that is a network of touring cyclists that allow others to stay in their houses during their rides. So far I've had positive responses from two and hope to get a couple more before I head out to California. If I can't find any Warm Showers hosts then I'll just resort to staying at cheap motels as I don't think I'm up for camping while riding quite yet. Wish me luck and keep up with the ride on my "James Ride From the Couch.." facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/jamessridetoragbrai/?fref=ts

After that and as the summer winds down I'll probably be doing a number of one day rides unless one of you hits me up for a week long adventure to somewhere - well? ? ? 

Until later, take care and keep riding your bike ! ! !
 

SPRING TRAINING

My spring riding was going well and I had enjoyed being back on my bike and out in the weather until Tupelo, more on that later. Once we got started in the spring our Monday night riding group grew a little and that makes riding more fun, our local group put on a successful 'Women's Ride' in an attempt to get more locals riding and I rode in a couple organized rides including a very fun "Coastal Ride" put on by CycleNC. AND I took a week long trip that covered the entire length of the Natchez Trace from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN - all 442 miles of it! And now that my arm is finally getting better I just got to the point where I can type well so I figured I'd better finish this blog.

Natchez Trace Ride 

At the "welcome sign" near Natchez, MS

The Natchez Trace is a National Parkway that is essentially a two lane road that travels along an old Native American path that was also used by traders way back in the day. There is no commercial traffic on it and the speed limit is a maximum of 50 mph so it gets only tourist traffic except when it passes near metropolitan areas, which are few and far apart. It runs from Nashville, TN all the way down to Natchez, MS (which is in the southwestern corner of Mississippi). Think of it as a "Blue Ridge Parkway" without the mountains. The total mileage is 442 miles and it is probably the best asphalt I've ridden on from start to finish. It passes thru farm land and forests and there are a ton of historical places along the way to stop and view. The trip was organized by "Adventure Cycling" and we had 12 riders and two guides. We camped out at state and private parks almost every night with the exception of a hotel near Jackson, MS and a camp called "French Camp" where we stayed in a guest lodge. Several of us took a few side trips along the way just so we could see some different scenery and/or get some ice cream.

Born in a "Shotgun Shack"

 The highlight of the side trips was a venture into Tupelo, MS to see the birthplace of Elvis...we ate breakfast at a local diner, visited the hardware store and then saw the house that Elvis and his family lived in until they left Tupelo to move to Memphis. It was a great side trip until we took a wrong turn and I fell off of my bike and injured my left wrist, arm, elbow, shoulder and right thumb (?!?!?). Essentially I tried to scoot my bike over a bump in the asphalt and didn't turn my wheel hard enough into it so the bike went one way and I went the other - O U C H! is the four-letter word I screamed as I bounced off of the pavement.  One of our guides had an ACE bandage and he wrapped my elbow so that I could finish the ride that day and later at camp a doctor that was in our group took a quick look at it and said that he felt like I didn't break or tear anything, just bruised/sprained it all. I finished the rest of the ride for the week and became one of those "EFI" riders (Every Friggin Inch) who doesn't quit or get off his bike. A label I'll proudly wear considering that earlier this spring I cut two rides short due to weather/cold/rain...I am glad I got to finish this one! AND I am proud to say that I've now ridden across THREE states: Iowa, NC & Mississippi.  

Other than that nasty episode we all had a great time and enjoyed the rural scenery and stopping to enjoy many historical exhibits along the way. All the riders were lots of fun to meet and share riding stories with but none of our stories could top the story of Rich... in 1964 he and a high school buddy rode their new 10 speed bikes from Ohio to California AND BACK. No phones, no internet, no Strava, no nothing. I'm still in awe of how someone could do that now, much less 52 years ago!

Four of us at mile marker 442!

As usual with trips like this the first few days drug by and then the last few flew as we tried to enjoy as much as we could. The weather cooperated almost all the time with the worst being a 2 hour rain one afternoon and two days of mean headwinds during the last two days. The temperatures were perfect for riding but a little chilly for camping but we all survived to meet up for a going away dinner at the famous "Loveless Cafe" on the outskirts of Nashville. If you ever want a fun and unhurried ride thru the deep south I would highly recommend riding the Natchez Trace! !

A fairly typical day on the Trace...lots of pretty flowers!

 

 

CycleNC Coastal Ride

Not something you see everyday....

My hurting arm really caused me to cut back on my riding but I figured I should ride in the Coastal ride since I had already paid for it :). So we headed to Edenton, NC in late April to enjoy three days of scenic riding around the eastern part of NC. CycleNC is an organization that does a great job organizing three rides every year: 'Coastal', 'Mountains' and 'Mountains to Coast'. I rode in last years hurricane shortened Mountains to Coast ride and marveled at their ability to run such a great ride despite all the conditions they had to deal with. They did not disappoint with this ride. The routes were great, the rest stops were well stocked, the camp sites were really cool and the rest of the events were great - CycleNC could teach a lot of organizations a ton on how to run great rides!

BROWNIES for Days ! !

The "PB & J Ladies" have been fixtures on the three CycleNC rides I've been on...

 A highlight of the weekend was getting to spend some time with new friends Meredith and Dave from central Virginia. I met them on the Natchez Trace ride and it was fun to see and ride with them again. 

What's Next?  

This year I was again chosen to be a "Hincapie Ride Ambassador" and have really enjoyed meeting the people at Hincapie Sportswear, the other Ambassadors and being able to wear their truly superior cycling gear.  They set us up again with great stuff and have been good resources with cycling questions I've had and it's been an all around great time. Check them out and also check out their "Gran Fondo" ride in the fall, it's a fun time in the mountains just north of Greenville, SC. 

#RideHincapie and #GoTigers

I have been able to start back riding more and more as my arm heals. I hated having to alter my plans for this summer due to my arm injury but it was just too unpleasant to ride and kind of scary in crowds since I could not handle my bike as well as I need to; so I have passed on several rides so far, most notably the "Assault on Mt Mitchell". That is a very tough 100+ mile ride that spends the last 25 or so going straight up to the highest point east of the Mississippi. Oh well, better luck next year! I traded that ride for next weeks "Tour de Vino" in the Yadkin Valley area of central NC and am looking forward to seeing a new area of the state. 

After that ride I am awaiting the arrival of my friends Scott and Angela as the ride their way across the US from Colorado to the Outer Banks of NC. I'm hoping to meet up with them in Richmond and then ride with them down to Greenville and on to the Outer Banks. They have been having a blast and learning a lot about touring that I hope to learn as I ride with them for a few days. You can follow their ride on their blog at: Outer Banks By Bike. I promise you it's a much better blog than mine with fewer words and many more photos!

Later in June Wendy and I will be riding in the three day "Bike Virginia" ride near Woodstock, Va and I'll combine those days with my Richmond to Williamsburg ride I'll do with Scott and Angela to say that I've ridden across Virginia ! After all that I hope to find one or two more one week tours to take, so keep your eyes open for me and let me know if you see anything in your area that looks like fun!

Until then, have a great time and stay on your bike ! !

HOW'S YOUR WINTER GOING? ? ?

Well, we are a few weeks past the Winter Solstice so the days are getting slightly longer and longer and there is a rumor of a Spring coming up soon so I figured it is about time to update the blog with what has been happening over the last few months.

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Well, that’s about it J

Nah.... in all honesty I have managed to ride a few times during some of the warmer days and those rides felt ok despite the windiness of the days. There’s a new sheriff in charge of the local bike club and he is intent upon having more group rides and getting more people involved in riding in the area. I hope that works out as it is always fun to have new people to ride with and learn from! Their first ride used a local ‘bottle shop’ as the start/stop spot and they had pizza brought in for the after ride lunch…that was quite fun and I hope that they can keep up those kinds of activities as the summer starts.

A few of us rode on Saturday AND Sunday this last weekend and it was quite fun despite the wind and chilliness. And if I thought my butt hurt after the first day it was really a surprise when I first sat on my bike seat on Sunday – O U C H! But (pun intended) that’s just the price I have to pay in order to get back in shape for summer riding J

I have still yet to put my old bike onto my trainer but I’m confident that will happen ‘soon’. Once I do I’ll be able to ride in the comfort of my house versus out in the cold, dark, windy winter days and hopefully that will help me get ready for the summer rides sooner.

PLANNING FOR SUMMER RIDES

I have been looking at rides for this summer and have signed up for the three day CycleNC Coastal ride which will be a fun time. It will be in the town of Edenton, NC in mid-April and have 2 ½ days of rides. Check it out if you live near Eastern NC. I am on the wait list for a week long ride from Nashville, TN down thru Mississippi on the Natchez Trail and am seriously looking at a three day Bike Virginia ride and the “Assault on Mt Mitchell” ride. The Mt Mitchell ride will be the most challenging and I am hoping that a little training in the hills over the next couple of months will help me accomplish that ride. One of my cousins has challenged me to ride it with him and we are actively trying to loop in another cousin to make it a ‘family ride’ day… should be a fun 100 mile ride from Spartanburg up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and then up the summit of Mt Mitchell, the highest point on the East Coast ! ? ! ? !

I am still working on a plan to become a ‘touring’ rider and if I get on the Natchez Trail ride that will be my first taste of touring versus day riding and not really going anywhere. Generally speaking a touring rider will carry their clothes and gear with them but I doubt I can jump right into carrying that much stuff plus my road bike is not really designed to carry stuff. So I am going to start riding my old hybrid bike more and more so that I get used to a heavier and slower bike. I plan to add some weight to it as I get more experience on it. Unfortunately the slower riding will be a challenge in that the scenery will be going by slower but I’m hoping to get stronger as I ride the heavier bike and slowly get back up to a reasonable speed. If all goes as planned I hope to meet up with a couple of friends who are riding across the country and ride a few days with them as they pass thru Virginia on their way to the NC Outer Banks. They’ll be old hats at touring by the time they reach here so hopefully I will be able to learn a great deal from them too!!!

SPONSORSHIPS

I am very happy to report that I was asked to be a Ride Hincapie Ambassador again this year and am really looking forward to working with the great people at Hincapie Sportswear and the other ambassadors as the season rolls on. If you are interested in getting some super great cycling gear you should check out www.hincapiesports.com and see what they have for you. Use my discount code and you will get 20% off of you whole purchase! ! !  (The code is: James16, please feel free to share it with your friends and clubs. You can also get 20% off of your registration for the 2016 Hincapie Gran Fondo ride. Keep your eyes out for their race team as they had a great deal of success last year.

The Hincapie people introduced us to the Michelin people and as a result I will soon get some of Michelin’s finest road bike tires. I am really looking forward to seeing how well the Michelin people do with bike tires, I already am a big fan of their car tires so I am sure that I will like their bike tires too. Check them out at http://bike.michelinman.com/ and keep your eyes open for me positng lots of pics with me and these super cool tires!

I also managed to get a sponsorship from F1 Ceramic and will be trying out their ceramic bearings on my wheels soon. They make some super nice ceramic bearings right here in the USofA that are heads and shoulders above the standard steel bearings and should give me miles and miles of enjoyable and smooth riding. They just arrived today and here's a photo of them...

F1 Ceramic Wheel Bearings

I am considering using their bearings for my bottom bracket too but will need to find a willing bike mechanic to install them as I do not have that skillset yet. If you are interested in some 'go faster' bearings be sure to check out their website at www.f1ceramic.com.

That's about it for now...

Look for me on the road every now and then and in the meantime:
"Ever Forward" (stolen from a friend :) )