Fund Raising

The blog has been up for about 3 weeks and  the feedback has been very positive.  "Thank you" to everyone who has already sent a donation or made a pledge.  As of today we are about $1,500 either paid or pledged so far.  I am raising money for 2 charities. The first is the Arthritis Foundation which provides an array of services to those suffering from severe arthritis. The Foundation has a local chapter which provides support services, holds events and programs, and provides medication and treatment to those in need. The second charity is Do Something Now. This charity was created by a friend with the goal of exporting bicycles to be used for transportation in remote areas and villages in third world countries. An inexpensive used bicycle in these areas can greatly facilitate the recipient accessing essential services such as food, clean water and medical care as well as aiding in the receipt of education and employment. Both of these charities provide a tremendous service and are worthy of your support. Your efforts to assist in their fund raising goals will be felt by people in need both here in San Diego and in remote areas of the world where survival is often a daily struggle. Their respective websites can be accessed at http://www.arthritis.org/ and http://www.do-something-now.org/.  Please make your check payable to the charity and send it to me at 1545 Hotel Circle South, Ste 130, San Diego, CA 92108.

Thanks again for all of your support!!

Training Rides

In an effort to get in peak riding condition, it's important, maybe even critical to get the most out of your training rides.  Last weekend we did the Gran Fondo century ride.  The conditions were horrendous!!  Heavy rains, cold temperatures, fog...  Here's a picture of me going down Lyon's Valley on my fixed gear; maybe going just a little too fast for the conditions!!

Planning

The route starts at Pacific Beach bright and early on April 23 and generally takes the southern route across the country.  The maps are from Adventure Cycling which will take me as far as Tallahasse, Fl. The Adventure route continues across Florida to the Atlantic Coast. Since I need to cut south along the Gulf Coast, I was put in touch with Dwight Kingsbury with the Florida Dept of Transportation. He provided a route heading south from High Springs through Gainesville and then proceding South on the 41 to Newberry. From there I'll be taking the "Florida Gulf Coast Route". I dont have all of the details of this route yet but will figure that out as we get closer. The trip covers over 3,200 miles and is broken into 7 sections:

1. San Diego to Tempe, AZ                                   Distance 411.5 miles

2. Tempe, AZ to El Paso, TX                                 Distance 523 miles

3. El Paso, TX to Del Rio, TX                                 Distance 451.5 miles

4. Del Rio, TX to Navasota, TX                              Distance 431.5 miles

5. Navasota, TX to Francisville, LA                        Distance 416.5 miles

6. St. Francisville, LA to Defuniak Springs, FL     Distance 430.5 miles

7. DeFuniak Springs, FL to Cape Coral, FL           Distance 556 miles

Fortunately the maps are very detailed showing locations along the course to find food and water through the remote areas of the ride as well as where the motels and bike shops are located along the route. The maps also show the topography, temperature and rainfall averages for the different regions.  Going through New Mexico and the Rockies, the climbs are pretty significant with lots of elevation gain and unpredictable temperatures and riding conditions. I should be hitting the western portion of Texas by the first week of May where temps should be in the mid to upper 90s. April through June is the tornado season in Eastern Texas with frequent sand and dust storms. There is one stretch with no food, water or other services for 117 miles. This should make me miss my Saturday morning coast rides in San Diego where the worst things to complain about is if it's too cloudy or if the coffee line at the Panikin is too long.  As I progress across the South the temps should drop down into the upper 80s to low 90s with some humidity and some mild wind , hopefully it will be a tail wind. Finally reaching Cape Coral where I am planning on doing some Tarpon fishing with my Dad.

Why do it?

Are we ready for one more blogger? Well I promise not to rant about politics or religion, the economy or the moral decay of society and will stick to the point. The question is why ride a bicycle across the country? To decipher the motivating force, we need to discuss the lose associations of a mind which never seems to be fully content with the present. Or perhaps we need to discuss an inner child which never fully seems to age despite my repeated efforts. Of course we are talking about cycling as evidenced by my endless love/hate relationship with the vast array of bicycles sitting in my garage. To start with there is the Pinarello which is my bike of choice, the Quintana Roo triathlon bike which has been collecting dust for the past few years but is available just in case, the Canondale which has been relegated to my "commuter bike", the Specialized fix gear which is for just knocking around and my latest acquisition, the Surly "Long Haul Trucker". A bike made of steel with a triple in the front and a 36t climbing gear in the back.

The plan is to do something a little out of the ordinary. Perhaps a chance to decompress from the endless franticness of the everyday work life and still incorporate my passion for cycling. Having lived in California for over 25 years now, I must say it is the most beautiful piece of earth that I have come accross. (Well okay the South of France is a close second) But having ridden over 50 century rides throughout California, having ridden 14 double centuries from Mt. Tam to Mt. Hamilton to Death Valley and having ridden from San Francisco to Los Angeles 3 times; having ridden from Santa Barbara to San Diego 4 times and San Luis Obisbo to San Diego I feel as though I have pedalled on and climbed up and over most roads, hills and mountains in the Golden State.

So having first travelled to San Diego from New Jersey to go to law school in 1978 in my black mustang pulling a small u haul trailer and travelling along Interstate 10 to Phoenix and then down to the 8 until it dead ended in Ocean Beach; It is a natural progression mixing my love for bike riding and the great outdoors to retrace my steps. Only this time once I hit the east coast I'll be heading south into Florida to see my folks instead of north to New Jersey, the genesis of my journey 32 years ago. And of course, I'll be going green, cycling and enjoying the fresh air instead of driving at 70 mph and listening to Joe Walsh and the J Geils band while checking to make sure that my radar detector was still working.