Cat food by bike

The sounds of my three cats meowing and a much needed reminder from my wife ensured that I’d be making a trip yesterday to grab a new bag of our favorite cat food, Science Diet Hairball Control Light. Two of our cats are very furry and one is notorious for eating things. The “hairball control” has been a life-saver…but that’s another story!

On a whim, I decided I wanted to try and make this errand a bicycle trip versus a car trip. My Trek Valencia was ready for the task and I was pretty certain that my Topeak Explorer rack would be well-suited to handle the nearly 20lb bag of cat food.

As the crow flies, the distance to the local Petsmart store was just under three miles. My Garmin Edge 705 found a bicycle-friendly route that ended up being about 4.3 miles one-way.

Piece a cake!

90% of the ride was on neighborhood streets and about a 1/2 mile from my destination I popped out onto some big streets and did some urban riding.

Grabbed the cat food and slung it over the rack and then used a spider bungee cord over the top to keep the bag from shifting backwards on the rack.

Needless to say, the hills on the ride back were a bit more challenging with 20lbs of cat food on the bike. In the end, however, the added weight had only one true consequence –> I burned more calories.

It felt great to “bike this drive” and get in a good workout in the process. Here's a little video of my arrival home...

One less car for 2,000 miles…

During my bicycle commute home on Thursday afternoon, I rolled past the 2,000 mile mark.  2,000 miles of bicycling back and forth to work since January 1st, 2009.  As a result of this milestone, I thought I’d pause and reflect for a moment.

My primary reason for bicycle commuting, as I’ve said on more than one occasion, is to maintain and improve my physical fitness.  Bicycle commuting has truly made that happen.  It ensures I get between 4-6 hours of cardiovascular exercise every week – exercise that’s almost never monotonous.  I’ve lost about 9lbs this year and am working hard to continue that trend (with a little help by reducing my obsession with sweet tea).

While physical fitness may be my primary motivator, I simply can’t ignore the additional benefits that come from using my bicycle to commute to work 2-3 times a week:

• Lower auto insurance premiums since I’m driving fewer miles in my pickup truck.
• Leaving my Ford F-150 in the garage for 2,000 miles has saved me from purchasing about 154 gallons of gasoline.
• Using an average gasoline price of $2.30, that’s about $350 that never left my wallet. 
• I’ve prevented about 1.4 tons of vehicle emissions out of the atmosphere.

These benefits are a testament to the bicycle’s efficiency as a truly viable means of transportation.  Consider going on your own two-wheeled adventure to work, the grocery store, a movie, etc. - there’s a darn good chance that if you do it once, you might just find that two-wheeled, human-powered transportation becomes a healthy addiction!

Trek Valencia at the 2,000 mile mark

During my sojourn to Fredericksburg, TX on my bike, my Trek Valencia crossed the 2,000 mile mark. I thought I’d pause and reflect on this milestone and give an update on how the bicycle is doing. I purchased the bike in December of last year.

In a nutshell, it’s doing great! The bike has really held up well despite taking a lot of punishment from the pavement. The life of an urban bike is not an easy one but the Valencia has met these challenges and continues to deliver solid performance.

Now for a little details:

• Brakes: the mechanical disc brakes continue to perform confidently in all weather conditions. They do squeak a little from time to time, but I’ve never found this to be very annoying.
• Frame: despite the punishment of railroad tracks, pot holes and uneven pavement, the aluminum frame looks as good as new. A small ring of metal that the front derailleur is attached to picked up some corrosion which I’ve treated – not a complete surprise given the humidity and moisture I’ve encountered along my journeys. The frame itself is corrosion free, of course.

I’ve taken the bike to the shop a couple of times for minor adjustments – most recently, I discovered a loose spoke which was easily tightened back up.

In summary, at the 2,000 mile mark the Valencia continues to demonstrate that it packs a lot of value and longevity into an urban bicycle well suited for bicycle touring, errands and of course, commuting.

First bicycle tour : Lessons Learned

While my little bicycle tour is fresh in my mind, I wanted to take the opportunity to document some of the key insights and lessons learned so I can make my next bicycle tour even more enjoyable.

So, without further adieu, here they are in no particular order:

• Sunscreen is a must for any trip. Period.
• Better planning for water stops. The Waring General Store was open and provided a fresh meal and a spot to purchase drinks. What if it hadn’t been? Past this general store there were no other water stops which could have been catastrophic given this point is just before the route encounters several challenging climbs.
• If you pack rain gear and you get into the rain, um…WEAR IT. I encountered drizzle and fog on the first segment of the ride. Somehow I “forgot” I had a long-sleeve top and rain pants I could have donned to make that segment of the ride more enjoyable.
• The GPS route planning worked incredibly well. That is, until I was told to make a left turn onto a road which was supposed to create about a 5-mile short cut and saw that no such road really existed. Confirm roads using multiple mapping sources to help avoid this.
• Confirm operating hours of restaurants or break stops along your route or at your destination. I did this ride on a Monday. Many shops close on Mondays and Tuesdays!
• Be realistic on mileage. Really, Justin, did you think you could walk away from doing 130 miles two days back to back and still enjoy your destination? Consider the effects of terrain on your daily mileage and compensate for this.
• Bring the charger for your Garmin GPS. Yes, it has great battery life but why miss out on even the possibility of not being able to map your entire journey because you wanted to say a few ounces.
• Consider where your hotel or campsite is in relation to food and drink. I don’t regret staying at the wonderful Hangar Hotel but it was a good 4-5 miles from town and after a hilly 65-mile ride I was in no condition to add some unnecessary miles. Thank God for pizza delivery!

I’ll continue to add to this list as remember other things so check back on this article in awhile to see if you find some new lessons.

San Antonio to Fredericksburg via bicycle…

Yesterday I completed a 65-mile, 6.5 hour journey from my home in San Antonio to the town of Fredericksburg, Texas on my bicycle. It was an amazing experience and a true physical/mental challenge.

It was a physical challenge because:

• Much of the route involved climbing, including a long, curvy climb with a 3% grade. Oh…did I forget to mention? This occurred at about the 48 mile mark. Just about the time my energy levels were starting to head South!
• About 8-10 miles into the ride I encountered drizzle, fog and slick pavement. None present of course at my house when I left for the adventure. This took a high degree of physical diligence – to maintain control of the bike which had different handling characteristics due to the weight I was carrying – while navigating through a few spots of traffic congestion. At one point, I encountered a large mud slick across the road which I could not avoid - I sort of floated through the mud, kept my hands off the brakes and somehow managed to get through it!
• The humidity was 84% – one of the most humid days of the year. The last 1/4 of the ride started to really heat up when the sun broke out of the clouds from time to time.

It was a mental challenge because:

• I was alone (although I had my iPhone and a good connection so friends and family provided some much appreciated support by commenting on my Facebook/Twitter updates along the way).
• It was pitch black at the beginning of the ride on an interstate access road and I was soaked to the bone from the drizzle. I had a few moments where I considered turning back.
• At about the 58 mile mark my GPS told me to turn right on a “River Road” that apparently only exists as a figment of someone’s imagination AND in Google Maps! As a result, I had to do some “on the fly” re-routing.

Highlights of my little one-day tour included:

• Old Tunnel Wildlife Management Area : sitting atop that nasty, 3% grade climb was a scenic overlook and an incredible place where millions of Brazilian Free-tailed Bats emerge nightly.
• The experience of riding through some incredibly beautiful and tranquil back country roads (like Old Highway 9) that made me feel like I was riding my bicycle in Europe or something (and I’ve never been overseas so go figure!).
• The hospitality of a woman in Boerne who said hello and chatted with me briefly.
• The hospitality and nice conversation with the owner of the Waring General Store, who cooked me up a damn fine cheeseburger at 10:30am in the morning!
• The friendly staff at the Hangar Hotel where I stayed overnight (and was my destination).

Despite the challenges I faced, it was an experience I won’t soon forget and the insights gathered from this little experiment have convinced me that a) I love bicycle touring and b) the next tour I plan will be even better since I’ve already gained some great insights (which I will be sharing soon in a separate entry).

For a little multimedia experience of my tour, check out my Flickr gallery where I have posted photos and videos of the ride.

First Bicycle Tour begins tomorrow…

As I write this, I am making final preparations for my 68-mile journey from my house in San Antonio, TX to the town of Fredericksburg, TX. As a road, mountain and commuting cyclist it was only natural that I instantly gravitated to the sense of adventure and freedom that bicycle touring offers.

A few months ago I joined the Adventure Cycling Association and have found the resources on their web site incredibly helpful. Just last evening I was reading “What to take and how to pack” – just one of many great articles for the novice bicycle tourist.

I consulted with several road biking friends for route insights and experiences, including a few great web sites like John Wolter’s CycleTexas.

Once I had a sense of what route to take, I used Garmin’s MapSource software to create a route I could download to my Garmin Edge 705 bicycle computer. The 705 will be a powerful asset since it has the ability, on the fly, to generate a route and has detailed maps – including points of interest – for my route. Once I get to Fredericksburg, it will become my primary means for finding shops, places to eat, etc.

Physically, I feel that I am prepared for this journey as I have been training for the past several months in preparation for my recent participation in the annual Conquer The Coast bike ride. Since I’ll be using my Trek Valencia bicycle for this journey and will be carrying some weight on my bicycle rack, I plan to make stops every 10-15 miles or so.

Mentally, it’s exciting to think that I could use a bicycle to travel to such a destination. That might sound weird for diehard bicycle tourists but for a newbie, it just seems kind of amazing to think of traveling on a bicycle to a location that at least seems far away.

I’ve packed “after ride” clothes, bicycle clothing for the ride home, some rain gear and the usual necessities for an overnight stay. I’m pampering myself a bit since I’ll be staying at the Hangar Hotel. Nothing like a nice hotel and a hot shower to reward myself!

Equipment wise, here’s a short list of items for my there and back overnight trip:

• Trek Valencia commuter bike
• Topeak DXP bicycle bag (with fold-out panniers)
• Topeak Road Morph G mini bicycle pump
• Two bicycle tubes
• Trek bicycle lock (cable, less secure but also a lot less weight than a u-lock)
• First Aid items
• iPhone (of course)
• Garmin Edge 705
• Cygolite Trion 600 headlamp
• Tailights including Planet Bike Superflash, NiteRider Cherry Bomb, Princeton Tec Swerve
• Performance Jersey (high-vis yellow)
• Hoss Bicycle shorts
• Reflective bands
• Canon Powershot A710IS
• A “bento box” on the bicycle frame (for quick grab items like nutrition bars, might put my iPhone or camera here)

I’ll be posting regular updates on my journey via my Facebook page.

I’m sure this will prove to be an adventure and a learning experience. I look forward to both and appreciate the support of my family (who have put with me from learning to fly an airplane to becoming a bicycle commuter).

The Coast has been conquered...

Last Saturday I joined several hundred other cyclists in "conquering the coast" by completing a 65-mile bicycle ride around Corpus Christi Bay.

The beginning of the ride was a little stressful. No, I didn't hit a pot hole or get tangled up with another ride at the start of the ride. The stress came from the fact that our family misjudged the amount of time it would take to get to Whataburger Field and we arrived about 5 minutes before the start of the ride.

There I was nearly limping along on one foot trying to get my bicycle shoes, helmet, gloves, etc. before the ride started. We made it with just a couple of minutes to spare.

At the beginning of this ride is an amazing climb up the Corpus Christi Bay Bridge which provides a commanding view of the area. It's one of the few climbs on the ride (we're at sea level, remember?).

After the climb over the bridge, David and I settled into a good pace. A headwind at the beginning of the ride was a good omen that we'd have a tailwind on the most challenging segments. In fact, after disembarking from the Port Aransas Ferry (an experience that is a highlight of the ride), we settled into a brisk southerly ride with average speeds between 19-21mph!

By mile 50 and certainly 60, the ride was starting to take it's toll on me. My left hamstring, hands, neck and upper back were starting to really complain. I expected this of course and it reminded me that doing a ride like this is as much of a mental challenge as it is a physical challenge.

But at nearly 69 miles, I completed the ride. David and I drafted another cyclist and she poured the cold to it for the last few hundred feet resulting in me hopping out of the saddle to keep up. When we crossed the finish line we had some good speed and it felt exhilarating.

So, once again, the coast has been conquered! A big congrats to my fellow 65-miler, David and to my Dad, brother and nephew who successfully completed the 25-mile ride. Great job everyone!