Amazing Adventure #1: Complete

I did it! I actually managed to ride my bike, with a pack (~70 pounds), from Boston, Massachusetts to Kingston, Pennsylvania! On top of that, I was able to chat with come great folks about their beliefs and direct them to the LIVESTRONG donation site on this blog. I will be posting their interviews on this blog...as soon as I figure out how to post audio... Also, pictures are on the way as well. Didn't get to take as many as I would have liked, but it was harder than I thought to ride AND talk AND take pictures...

To all of those I've met on my journey, THANK YOU! Thank you so much for your kindness and willingness to speak with me, some of you quite candidly, about your lives, faiths, and beliefs. I hope that each and every one of you keeps in touch with me! Email me... comment on the blog... and tell you friends!

The experience on the road was most definitely a major life altering one, and also quite humbling. There is a lot of thinking and self examining to be done when alone on a bike for 12 hours a day for 6 days. I think that even my own faiths and beliefs have changed after hearing your stories and just all of the time by myself. I found myself going through such a range of emotions while riding. MUCH of the ride was on hills. Turns out I'm not very good at the hills. I know I mentioned in an earlier blog that I didn't have an ideal bike. Not only was the bike not ideal, it was just plain awful! I would HIGHLY recommend NOT using a mountain bike for any type of touring, especially if its a little to big for the frame of your body. I came across some major pain issues in my shoulders, wrists, and knees. Yay for pain relievers and anti-inflamitories!

I have one more big thank you before I sign off for today (and try to get some rest!) and that is to my human map and riding buddy, David Colacito. He helped me train for this, he rode the route with me (far ahead of me about 95 percent of the time) and was super encouraging. This was a blast back to the past for him as he did many many tours in his time here on earth, and I'm grateful to have had him in my presence and in my life. Thanks David!

I will be consulting my soggy journal (got caught in a downpour...didn't put my journal back in the plastic bag) and updating according to topic. Of course, I will probably go off topic from time to time, so tune in and keep following!

Thanks again to everyone who I've come in contact with through this. You are all amazing inspirations to me!

Till next time...

H

xo

First Ride Starts Tomorrow!

I'm in Boston!

I'm spending time with an old friend, then on the road for 6 days to document what YOU believe in, and raise some money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I have to apologize for the lack of blogging, seeing how my plans changed a million times, I didn't want to give anyone false information on my tour!

This past week I've done some last minute fund raising, and I would like to thank everyone SO much for their generous donations....and just to get the record straight? NO donation is TOO SMALL!! I will be posting a complete list upon my return to northeastern PA so that I do not neglect to mention any of the donors.

Just so everyone has a LITTLE insight as to what I'm in for, I'll explain just a little about my training, my bike, my packing process, and my nerves. For those of you who DO tour often on a bike, this will seem like cake to you!

Training. That consisted of rides during the week as I could squeeze them in, ranging from 10-25 miles, and then one or two longer rides of the weekend averaging 50 miles per day. I'm not that quick, especially because I'm using a Trek mountain bike that I've converted in to a touring bike.

My bike. The difference I've found with the Trek mountain bike versus a touring bike like a Surly Longhaul Trucker or a Fuji are many, but not enough to deter me from my mission, or spend money on a new bike... YET.

Firstly, the gears go much higher than a standard touring bike, however the crank is shorter, so it makes for more pedaling and less moving. The good thing about the gears going so high and low are that I can go into a gear that will get me up a very steep hill a little easier. Another downside to the mountain bike would be the tires. I went with "slicks" on the rims to cut down on the friction that a normal knobby mountain tire would have, but they are still quite cumbersome and have a lot more contact with the pavement than a road tire, and are a bit softer because of their PSI capacity. The slicks have a 75-80 PSI capacity, where as a road or touring tire has anywhere from 100-110 PSI. Most noticeable for me is the positioning of the handlebars. I have an elbow issue that prevents me from straightening my right elbow, therefore applying more pressure and stress on my shoulder. I've been experiencing some pretty intense shoulder pain, so much so that my previous knee pain seems inconsequential. The handle bars are wider apart, and are ahead of me causing me to lean a bit forward, putting stress on the shoulder, and on my bottom. All in all, not an ideal situation, but not terrible.

Packing. Wow. This was hard. Try telling a girl she has two small small small bags to pack all of her clothes, toiletries, bicycle repair equipment and food for 6-7 days. Did I mention the bags were small? SO. What did I pack exactly? I'll try to give you an idea.

In my right rear bag, I decided to put tops and undies. As far as tops, since I am wearing a yellow "Bike and Believe" shirt, I packed one tank top, one long sleeved shirt, and a small thin towel. Also, 3 pairs of socks and 4 pairs of undies. In my outer pouch, I packed a small container of toiletries including sample packs of shampoo, body soap, tooth brush and paste, wet wipes, moisturizer (for saddle sores...you can imagine what they are...), face wipes, and q tips.

In my left rear bag, I started with a windbreaker/rain jacket, sweatshirt, flip flops, shorts, long active wear pants, first aid kit, spoon and fork tied in an old sock with rubber band (to eliminate a horrible sound...), spare tire tubes, tools, and patch kit.

In my handlebar bag, I have maps, a knife, pepper spray, journal, pen, camera, iPod and recorder, and chargers for the iPod, camera, and my Blackberry, donation cards, sanitizer, wipes (I packed a lot of these), bottle opener, glasses/sunglasses case, sun screen, lip balm with sunscreen in it, and a flashlight.

Starting in the morning, I have to look forward to 60-75 miles of riding for the next 6 days, camping when we get tired, and talking to as many people as I can about what they believe in.

Wish me luck...

H
xo