Epic Bicycle Trip

I never ended up making the Epic Bicycle trip.   I took a traveling job and have been driving around the country.  Check out http://travelingtek.com for more updates.

Found think today and thought you all would enjoy it. :) http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/05/recession-vacation-bike-pulled-camper-built-from-salvage/

The 2010 epic bicycle trip will take place Wednesday, June 23 to Wednesday, June 30. We will either go NORTH to Presque Isle State Park , NORTHEAST to the Allegheny National Forest , SOUTHWEST to Morraine State Park , or WEST to Pymatuning State Park . We'll camp in whichever area we decide to ride to, spend some time, then ride back home. Distances are very close; to Erie is about 60 miles, to Allegheny Nat'l Forest is about 60 miles, to Morraine State Park is about 42 miles, Pymatuning is about 40 miles. All of these distances are easily do-able in a day. Each of these places has trails that we can ride or hike, so we can spend a day or so, camp for a couple nights, then ride back home. If we are only doing a three day trip the dates within the range above can be flexed; we can take the whole time if that's what we decide. Whichever direction we go, I'm going to plan a "back roads" route that will require a GPS. I don't know how much interest ther...

Speed is not traditionally something I work hard at when I'm riding. I'm just not that into it. My rides are more for pleasure, and I enjoy taking in the scenery etc. My wife will tell you that my rides are also about endurance - the further I can go the better I like it, and I can pretty much stay on a bike all day if the opportunity presents itself. I know that I will never compete in the Tour De France or the Olympics , and I'm OK with that. There are times, however, as I mentioned in the previous post on endurance, when I actually need to reach a destination and be "on time". Therefore, though speed may be relative it also has it's place in your training. If you've got the right bicycle, seat, and pedals, and if you've got the right clothing, then the only thing you need to do to improve your speed is (duh) ride faster. Most of the time this means pushing yourself beyond what's comfortable. If you're going to try to improve your spe...

We went for a walk on the Sandy creek trail yesterday. While there we met a couple on a tandem bike. They shared an unfortunate experience they had in one of the tunnels on the Allegheny River Trail. Seems some young hoods on 4 wheelers entered the tunnel while this couple was riding their bike through it. They actually pushed the woman. I think next time I ride the tunnels I'll be packing some heat.

Distance riding, to me, doesn't mean just "miles on the trail". Living in western Pennsylvania, in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, means that I want to be able ride distances on various terrain, up hills and down, on dirt, gravel, and paved surfaces; I want to be able to stay on the bike (as opposed to pushing the bike), and I want to be able to get where I need to go safely. The best way I've found to improve my distance riding is, well, to ride. And ride. And ride. You don't actually have to be in very good riding condition to improve your distance. Modern multi-speed bikes take a lot of the torture out of riding distances. As long as you've got a good fitting bike and a good saddle, as discussed in the previous post, you're probably going to be able to increase your distance pretty quickly. I probably break every "rule" of bike riding. I don't stretch before I go on a ride. I don't do much prep for long rides. I just p...