Preride prep

The trip is booked and the preparation has begun.  I will be using the bike that I rode through Africa.  I took the bike to the local bike shop for a complete overhaul.  It certainly needed it.  The bottom bracket was squeaking and complaining, the rear brake was hanging up due to rust in the cable tubing and the wheels were a bit out of true.  Heck not just the wheels were out of true...  I wonder if the bike shop could put me back in true.  :)   Which brings me to my level of readiness and prep.  I have been riding 4 to 5 times a week for 25+ miles at a time since Africa.  So that would put me in fairly decent shape for the trip.  The only issue would be the elevation.  Chicago does not have any hills or significant inclines.  The trip has only significant hills and inclines.  Therefore, the physical readiness is there for mileage (to a degree) but there is certainly a gap in terms of climbing readiness and prowess.  The only cure for that is the trip itself.
I have read the trip info and looked over the daily route agenda.  They express that this trip is 75% on paved roads and 25% unpaved/rough surface.  But then I have seen the pictures from the trip they ran a couple of years back.  The roads we will be taking are not the main roads leading through the countries.  We are taking the more rural back roads that do not receive the ongoing repair and attention that we take for granted.  So even the paved portion can be problematic.  Here are a couple of pictures of the "road" conditions I will be facing...

What do you think?  Easy riding, right?!  I know, you wish you could come along.  But unfortunately it is sold out.  You can only come along with me on the blog.  So strap yourself in and enjoy the ride.  

The next adventure...

Well its official!  I have found my next adventure.  Due to a last minute cancellation on a tour that was completely booked, a unique opportunity has availed itself to me.  

I'm going to do a short 5 week bike trip through the jungles and mountains of Central America.  The trip known as the Ruta Maya or "Doomsday Ride" goes through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and ends in Belize.  It is a short 1,700 mile jaunt with a total climb over the trip of 136,000 feet over the 5 weeks (most of the climb is weeks 2 and 3).  That will be like climbing Mt Everest more than 4.5 times on a bike!  It will take me through the back roads of the back country. I will get up close and personal with several out of the way ancient Mayan ruins.  That will be very exciting!

So I invite you to join me on my next epic ride. 

I know, I know, no one else is crazy enough to actually do this.  Therefore my invitation is to join me vicariously on this wild ride.  And if you know of anyone who wants to see what a crazy person does with his spare time, send them a link.  😊
My trip starts two weeks from today.  I welcome you and will need any and all encouragement I can get.

Wish me luck!  I'll need it.

DOOMSDAY RIDE! - RUTA MAYA ADVENTURE BEGINS

Thus the next great adventure will begin.  

The next adventure? Posted Oct 22, 2015

Well the restless spirit has taken full control over me.  I am desperately looking for the next adventure.  I saw a video the other day that was done by Tour d'Afrique about their South American trip that is going on now.  In the video one of the men they interviewed said something that resonated with me.  He said: once you have done one of these epic type adventures it makes you into a pathological traveler.  At first I thought that odd but thinking of it more, I agree.  It embeds in you a certain restlessness that keeps you looking for that next something.

Well that next something might have just served itself up to me.  I got an email yesterday from TDA about their Ruta Maya trip.  It was full but they just had a cancellation.  It seems as if fate knew I was restless and looking.  It starts in 3 weeks and is 5 weeks long.  That is just about the length I was thinking (maybe 1 week too long but beggars can't be choosers).  It goes through Central America: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatamala, Belize.  It is 2700 kilometers (about 1700 miles) in length.  It goes through the backroad and jungles of Central America.  The good news is it is all indoor accommodations,  NO CAMPING!  You ride through the jungle up and down the volcanic landscape and visit several ancient Mayan ruins.  Sounds pretty cool! 

All I have to do is decide to go....

Stay tuned.