Less than a week til departure.....

It is now down to 4 days until I depart.  WOW it is really going to happen!

I have been reading blogs from past tour riders and watch some videos from them.  The one thing that is becoming apparent is that this trip is far more challenging than anything that I have ever taken on.  I hope that I will be able to take on this enormous challenge.  As they all say, the trip is extremely challenging.  It is not a matter of if you will get sick, it is a matter of when, for how long, how severe and how often.  The physical demands of the trip, the sanitary conditions, the food, the water, etc. all add up to the body will be taxed to its farthest possible extent and the immune system pushed to its limits.  With that in mind, EFI (Every F*#^<ing Inch) status is extremely hard to accomplish.  But it is what I will be aiming for.

I do believe the saying....  Whatever does not kill us will make us stronger is sooooo applicable here.  I'm hoping that it is not literal though.  :)

In 4 days off to the African wilds I will go.  I hope you tag along with me.

Bike naming

It is now official... my to be trusted companion for the trip now has a name.  My customized mode of transportation for this epic adventure has a name.  My daughter came up with a name that is quite appropriate and will help me safely make this the trip of a lifetime.  The bike, she, will henceforth be known as the Green Ghi (gee) after Madonna del Ghisallo, the patron saint of cyclists.  

Training

Training for the trip has been tough as winter set into Chicago early and strong.  This has sent my training endeavors indoors.  Last year at this time I was training for my cross country ride by doing spinning classes at a full service gym.  That was adequate at best.  Spinning classes were quite boring and tedious.  I always found myself looking at the clock and wanting the time to go quicker because it felt like exercise.  This year I found Full Psycle, a cycle spin center that is focused on cycling, much better than the gym.  They have an electronic board that you can watch your stats while you spin.  It is great to push yourself and maintain a focus.  I started by doing 3 classes a week but once I saw the calendar of miles for the trip, I quickly went to 4 per week.  Now I am doing 5 with classes on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and a double on Saturday.  The double is great because it gives me a drive for endurance.  All in all I will be as ready as I ever could be to take the trip on.  12 days til departure!

14 Days til departure!

It is now down to just two weeks until departure.  It is getting unbelievably close to lift off.  With that the sense of excitement and a bit of fear is swirling about.  The unknown that lies ahead is overwhelming in its scope and magnitude....  Africa from top to bottom, Wow!  It is incomprehensible to think about, 7,500 miles on a bike...  Holy s#*^!

The excitement at times is giving way to the fear, can I really do this?  In my mind I quickly respond, of course you can.  But that response is based upon an acceptance of what has been experienced and known.  This trip is far beyond anything known and certainly experienced.  So it is with blind confidence that I am embarking on a truly epic adventure; one that has been tried and done by a number of people that is measured in hundreds.  So hopefully I will join a fairly unique and select group of hardy adventurers.  Wish me luck as I will assuredly need it.

The bike is ready to go

Had a bike fitting and got the baby all set for the trip.  Tim at Village Cycle spent over 2 hours setting my bike up to get it all ready to go.  He adjusted the cleat setting on the shoes, height of the seat and handle bars, elevation of the bars as well as angle of the seat.  Just put on new wheels, new tires, new brake levers to increase brake effectiveness and cheater brakes, new cassette, new chain, new seat post, and  new stem, bottom bracket was in great shape!  The bike is ready to go and so am I!  Just 23 days to go.

28 Days until departure

It is down to only 28 days until departure.  It is hard to imagine that 4 weeks from today I will board the plane for this epic 7,500 mile adventure.  Emails have been going back and forth from other riders on the trip.  There seems to be a couple of common threads to their thoughts... 

*  All are concerned about not being "ready" for the demands of the trip.  I have upped my spinning classes to 5 days a week to compensate but that won't really have me thoroughly prepared.  I think the first week and a half to two weeks of the trip will really be the conditioning needed.  By then the aches, pains and strains will let the body know what it is in for.  Thank goodness at least the first week or so are along the Nile River valley, supposedly flat!

*  Another common concern is the reality of the magnitude of this adventure.   7,500 miles over 4 months from the top of Africa to the bottom of the continent.  Just think about that,   the enormity of this undertaking, no small feat!  As many have said, their friends and family think they are crazy.  So, I guess it is with collective insanity that we will all meet in Cairo to embark upon this epic adventure.  One that will put us in the less than 1% of the people of the earth, heck less than .01%.  

So it is with great excitement and a bit of trepidation that I look forward to what is awaiting me.  Also, for those reading this....  I will need all the encouragement that can be mustered. There will be days of awe, days of challenge, days that fly by, days that are excruciatingly long, days filled with unbelievably amazing new sites and days of pain.  Through all of these I will share all that I can and will need all the encouragement you can muster.  So, thanks in advance.

4 weeks til launch!  WOW can't wait!

Monster of a trip

I received the latest release from the Tour which included a list of mileage per day and it is going to be a monster of a trip.  

The longest day will be a 129 mile ride!  
Of the 95 days actually riding there are a total of:
63 days, two thirds of the trip are over 70 miles (not so bad...) of those:
44 days are over 80 miles (a wee stretch of the legs but doable ...) of those:
28 days are over 90 miles (starting to push it...) of those:
13 days are over 100 miles (ok, I will solidly be in the century club category and will certainly be challenged...) of those:
5 days over 110 miles (now that is getting a bit much...) and of course one of them is:
129 miles in a day (this one fits into the OMG category!)

The best (or depending on your point of view, the worst) stretch is in Botswana where in a 5 day stretch the mileage is as follows: 99, 87, 129, 101 and 99.  With any luck or maybe misdirection I could hit 4 centuries in 5 days!  Yay, or ouch!

Well wish me luck and maybe a dose of sanity.