Thursday, April 24, 2008

No, Absolutely Not

That's the short answer followed by the long answer. The question being; "Are you ready to go?"

Stuff organized for a weekend spent camping and on an epic bicycle adventure? The best I can do here is a list of things that I have traditionally brought with for other bicycle adventures. Chances of finding everything on that list; 80%

Bicycle sorted out? Well, I have a bicycle that I have ridden over 3,200 miles this year. I am comfortable on it. I am riding it with 42 teeth on the front ring and a 20 tooth rear cog. One gear, no coasting. I have yet to sort out which bags I will be using to carry my goods while riding.

What gear to bring with on the bike? Much of what shakes out for that list will be dependent upon weather. I would much rather have a full extra change of clothing and clothing options to remain comfortable. Based on the weather forecast, looks like rain gear is going with too.
  • Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Brisk. Lows in the upper 30s. West winds 15 to 25 mph.
  • Saturday...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 50s. West winds 10 to 15 mph.
  • Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a chance of light rain. Lows in the upper 30s. Chance of rain 40 percent.
  • Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a chance of light rain. Highs in the lower 50s. Chance of rain 50 percent.

I like when the weather forecast calls for "Brisk" That's a bicycle euphemism for miserable. I like this quote by the organizer of TransIowa:

Finishers? Given current conditions and knowing the course, I'd say less than
half the number from last year. Worst case scenario it could be that no one will
finish, depending upon winds. Without a serious wind factor I'd guess 12 will
see the finish line. Those who do see Decorah on their bikes on Sunday will have earned much respect.

Huh, not like Huh? more the heavy sigh-like huh... The best thing that I am bringing with me down to the gravelly slog-fest is Patience. I've suffered through the winter and some pretty punishing rides. Mentally, I think that I can handle it. It'll definitely be a test, I hope to pass. I will let you all know on Monday sometime. For the morbidly curious, keep your eyes and ears tuned into the main TransIowa site. Guitar Ted will evidently be posting audio commentary.

4 comments:

Doug said...

Good luck in Iowa! I always have a hard time packing for multiday events, backpacking or bicycle camping. It's tough when you have many options, yet you can't take it all. I seem to err on the side of carrying too much stuff rather than not enough. Even with my best intentions not to wait until the last minute to come up with my gear list, I always do it the night before, or even the morning of.

Anonymous said...

Best of luck man.

No matter how "brisk" the weather is this weekend, it will still be better than some of the crap you slogged through over the winter.

Reflector Collector said...

Doug, I tend to be an over-packer too. I attribute the failing logic of "you never know." Interpreted that reads, stuff the bags.

I know that up until the final pack of the bike sometime around 3:30 am on Saturday, everything will be up in the air.

Reflector Collector said...

Matt, thanks for the well-wishes.

Yes, I've managed to ride through some real challenging weather conditions. There's a big difference between "suffering for an hour or so" and "suffering in miserable conditions for 30+ hours" :)

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