Cycling the World

The much anticipated day of the Horrible Hundred ride was finally here. What I was going to learn was how appropriate the named ride was.  Constant up and down hills, several over 12% grade, 5,300 feet of elevation climb, and over 900 participants.  What an exhilarating ride.  The hardest physical activity I’ve ever done in my life and one of the most rewarding.  Having completed the whole ride without having to stop on any of the uphills was only possible because of the amount of training I did prior to the ride.  It was nice being in a ride where the whole time I had other riders in front and behind me in sight at all times as well as my riding within numerous groups.  Interesting how group riding sucks you right along at higher speeds than your normal pace.  I was also not used to entering SAG stations with hundreds of people there.  We were also blessed with over a couple dozen police officers at major intersections clearing traffic for our uninterrupted passage.  Would I do it again?  Absolutely not!  Not because of its difficulty, but because the experience was so enjoyable that doing it again without having a challenge would only diminish the experience already completed.  It’s one of my most memorable experiences and I’m going to keep it that way.  The added 100 miles brings me to a few miles short of a 10,000 mile milestone in my overall journey around the world.  Now, what will my next challenging ride be?

We arrived in Vancouver ready for our much anticipated time in a city we truly love to visit.  Our ride began in perfect weather at the bike shop by selecting our bikes and meeting our group members.  A little practice ride to get everyone aquatinted started us on our journey.  The Sea Walk around the port area provided an entrance into the Totem Pole stop, our first of many.  Continued pedaling provided stops at the infamous ‘Girl in Scuba Gear’ statue, a lighthouse, Lions Gate Bridge, Beaver Lake, and a sculpture designed by an artist portraying the Asian culture without having ever seen it before.  The stories that accompanied each site were fascinatingly told by our wonderful tour guide.

Upon leaving Stanley Park we first stopped at the Amazing Laughter Sculpture depicting the artist in 11 bronze statues over 10 feet tall in numerous poses.  Of course, selfie’s were taken then off to see other sights including the Olympic Villager, Market Place, several bridges, and a skyscraper that was triangle shaped at the bottom and square at the top.  We passed through Chinatown and Gas Town leading back to downtown and our bike shop starting point.  It was an enjoyable 9 miles that took over 5 hours. We would recommend this ride to anyone ready to see the sights of Vancouver.

The past weeks have yielded enjoyable rides as my preparation for the Horrible Hundred ride approaches.  Unlike prior training, I was looking for new hills to ride.  Funny how when I lived in Colorado I was looking for flat terrain to ride when I lived in rolling hills.  Now I live on the flats and I’m looking for hills….never satisfied.  I’m within a few days ride with my wife around Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada.  Looking forward to new scenery and history told by our tour guide for all our group to enjoy.  Let’s just hope it’s not raining and too cold to enjoy the ride.  Upon my return from the vacation trip it will be back to the hills.  My upcoming century ride will be a major challenge and I plan on being ready.

It’s been a great two weeks as I’m not only riding, I’m also waking up very early, for me, to go to the fitness center and do my full body routine.  My cycling seems a bit in the fantasy world as I seem to be surrounded by celebrities.  Is that Betty White watching me…wait what…she’s still alive? It appears frequent ‘drive-in’  food connoisseurs print their order on the car window.  Speaking of food, I’ve been thinking about menu selections from the Philippines as my next virtual destination of Manila is coming up…. in about 946 miles.  Well I guess that means I have lots of time to decide.  I’m currently 9,453 miles into my trip around the world which equates to 38% done.  Just for giggles, if I continue at my current average pace I should complete the journey on November 5, 2031 at age 79!

I know I’m ready to get back to riding when I can actually put on my compression socks….by myself.   I can check the box now, ‘no back spasms’.  I took it easy this week with a total of 69 miles.  So far so good.  Hmmm, what my back spasm episode was really telling me is that I need to get back to full body exercising and not just cycling.  I think I’ll go back to the fitness center and see how my old routine feels….of course with less weights starting out!

Ouch! Yup, that is the after-sound of when one lets a 72 year old brain tell its body that it can do something that a 32 year old can do….exercising with too much weight…back spasms here I come.  I know from previous experience what to do and it will take about three weeks.  So much for riding as it really doesn’t feel good.

The experience of wearing an all-in-one triathlon suit was now behind me and it was time to continue my virtual tour around the world. Oops, the first week back is filled with travel time.  Well there is always next week. Yah, well partially.  Oh, But there is the next week.  The excuses were piling up so high that mushrooms saw fit to just pop up to see if I noticed. Ah, it felt so good.  My road bike experienced 87 miles and it all was….just like riding a bike!  You never forget.  But…..then I had problems with soreness in my back.  Off the bike for a week and now I’m ready to get back out there.  November brings with it the hardest ride I will have attempted.  It’s not so much the distance as it is the climb with over 4,800 ft. of up’s and down’s.  Yup, that means extensive training on the neighboring hills….and I know just the place to go.  With 9,266 miles passed by towards my virtual ride around the world of 24,900, I’m finishing up the last leg of my journey over the Pacific.  I have 1,133 miles to go until I reach Manila in the Philippines with Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar to follow. I hear the mushrooms in those countries are edible!

Cycling has consumed my exercise and adventure desires in the recent past.  Once in a  while something comes along that just peaks the curiosity: Can I Do That?  Last year I happened along the South Lake Trail to Lake Minneola and over the horizon I saw a major event taking place.  Was this a ride that I didn’t know about?  Well kind of.  It was a 5K Run, Duathon, Aquabike, and Sprint Triathlon.  Hmmm…I bike now, I recently used to run, and I do swim.  I marked it on the virtual calendar in my brain and planned six weeks before Father’s Day to begin training.  During the week it was a run or bike with  a swim and on Saturday it was all three.  Father’s Day came and I was anxiously ready to go.  The minute I set foot in the water for the first event all memory of what to do and the importance to maintain a sensible pace just flew out the window.  I struggled with my stroke with so many other swimmers around, it was as if I never trained! I rolled over on my side and did the side stroke the whole quarter mile.  In practice I never did the swim in less than 16 minutes…the warm waters of Lake Minneola yielded a time of 11 minutes!  So that is where all my energy went….so much for conservation….too much excitement!  The 10 mile bike ride went without a hitch in my typical 14-15 mph pace.  The 5K run is where I noticed that I left too much energy in the Lake.  I got through without a problem, just slower than I thought my training indicated I could do.  In all it was fun, I enjoyed the activities and vast number of people, it was nice doing more than just a bike ride and in the end I now have a memorable experience.  Would I do it again….yes, but under more run training and control of my excitement of the swimming event startup.

One day while I was riding the South Lake Trail I rode through another activity that caught my eye: A Sprint Triathlon buried in among numerous other activities with hundreds of people sweating through the challenges.  Many were there just for the 5k run, the bike challenge, and some did both the run and the swim but, most were there for the Sprint Triathlon…a taste of all three.  After talking to numerous participants I just had to add this event to my bucket list of experiences.  The swim will be easy as I swim enough to instantly be ready.  Of course the biking will be a breeze, but it’s been 5 years since my legs dawned those running shoes.  So there you have it, my next challenge which means my riding time will be severely reduced while I ready other muscles in my body.  If I know my body and mind, when I cross the finish line of this new adventure my bike will be calling me to get back to putting some real miles on those new tires and drive chain I recently replaced.

My latest 100 miler was yesterday and the ride was a piece of cake.  No, not bragging, I have to attribute that to all the training I do. Yes, it really does make a difference!  However, my bike knew these long rides were getting a bit easy for me and that I like a challenge so at mile 97 my chain broke.  I had the links to reassemble but I couldn’t remove the broken links.  I sat on the bike and pushed myself the last three miles and when I got to the finish line, with many of the ride organizers watching, I lifted by bike and carried it over the finish line declaring the Andrade team overcame and made it to the end. 

The Withlacoochee Trail is a rail trail with 8 foot wide pavement the whole way and few rural road crossings.  Trees adorned a fantastic sun shade canopy so the 90 degree temperatures were actually quite pleasant as long as you kept the air conditioning going by sweating and moving.  The organizers of this ride celebrated the third anniversary of Pastor Jim Parker’s passing and his propensity to ride with a 100 miler on every birthday.  A definite well organized, friendly, and enjoyable ride.  Now it looks like a chain will become part of my spare parts kit I travel with.  Like many of these rides you see the darndest things!

I just passed over Guam! Yay, my virtual cycling tour around the world began at the Statue of Liberty heading west and this week it passed over Guam.  The Pacific Ocean has been a long traverse that started with the passing of San Francisco on July 10, 2022.  Some 6,296 miles later I’m at the last set of islands before another 1,498 miles to finish off the Pacific and cross over Manila in the Philippines.  That’s a lot of ocean!  Guam was first visited by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan on March 6, 1521.  Though I too am Portuguese I don’t remember seeing his name way out on the branches of our family tree.  Would you believe that Guam does not have sand? Yes, this is true! What you see on the beaches is coral and paved roads in Guam are also made by mixing coral and cement together.  Tumon Bay is the most visited area of the island, see above. A population of about 168,000 lives on this volcanic island where the national symbol is the coconut tree and the favorite foods include red rice, barbecue, and you can’t forget Fina’denne’, shown above, as an absolute staple in Guamanian cuisine. It is a soy sauce-based condiment with vinegar, lemon juice, and chopped onions. I can even sample the great smells coming from the island….as I pass by just the right local restaurant!

Wow, how time has flown since my last update.  The Pacific Ocean is so vast that I didn’t realize my virtual ride around the world just passed the northern end of the Mariana Islands.  Sixteen mountain top peaks poke through the ocean surface to make up this chain of islands where we humans seem to like four of the islands while the others haven’t even attracted the attention of the TV show ’Survivor’.  The islands are mostly dormant volcanos named after the Spanish queen Mariana of Austria following their colonization in the 17th century.  The Northern Mariana Islands is the only U.S. jurisdiction that drives on the right side of the road and uses American style electrical outlets. The island of Tinian is where the atomic bombs were loaded into the Enola Gay and Bockscar planes during WWII.  The official currency is the Australian dollar and yes you can use those Australian dollars at a McDonalds on two of the islands.  Since leaving the Statue of Liberty, virtually, in May of 2020 my journey has now reached 8,790 miles at the northern tip of the island string.  I’ll head due south for another 110 miles to pass over Guam and then due west over the final leg of the Pacific to Manila in the Philippines.  That final journey is about 1,500 miles and looks to be within sight around November.  Hmmm, should I stop at McDonalds in Guam?

The sun has been winning the battle and while some trees lose their leaves because of the cold others go into bloom.  Anyone who lives near a citrus orchard can enjoy the smell of all the blossoms while other trees show their colors. While riding the local neighborhoods I reacquainted with the South Lake Trail at Lake Mineola with a friend who likes to challenge me by having me ride my mountain bike, which I thoroughly enjoy, instead of the road bike.  It’s always a great ride and as I look back at my first group ride of 44 miles, on my mountain bike while everyone else was riding their road bikes, at the Horse Farm Hundred.  On this ride we went 47 miles and didn’t even break a sweat.  That is the benefit of training.  Instead of focusing on just getting to the end now I can yak the whole way and enjoy the company and scenery.  The last couple weeks saw 155 miles.  I think I’m beginning to see my next virtual stop at Northern Mariana Island coming up.  It’s been a long journey across the Pacific Ocean and I look forward to discovering some land based sights.

The sun seems to be winning the battle of temperatures of late and every time I walk by the closet I keep hearing my cycling clothes saying: “Pick Me”.  So I got the message, dusted off the bike, charged everything up and off I went.  The past weeks saw 147 miles and it felt good.  The weather was so nice that even the animals came out to strut their stuff.  Looks like the local turkey’s have learned to read the calendar as they seem to know when it’s not November and I recently I caught a photo of a 6 foot chicken posing next to its hen house for all to see.  What have they been feeding these animals lately?

January 17, 2025

If history is any indicator of my cycling past I seem to lose interest in riding during December and January.  Hmmm, I have cold weather riding clothes but not when it’s below 55 degrees as the high for the day.  It seems last year, and so far this year, we seem to have a problem with someone not closing the barn door north of us and all that cold air seems to just flow south for the winter.  Brrr…I think I’ll pass for the day…and another day…and another day.  Well, I seem to be doing that a lot right now but somehow I managed to squeak in 28 miles on a few rides.  Yah, just like riding a bike…you never forget how!

The garage has been filing up with sawdust as the cooler weather has given away to spending time in my garage wood shop.  First on the agenda was a few additions to our outdoor Christmas decorations.  Now all our neighbors know where the North Pole is located and Mickey and Minnie heads are watching everyone go by the street.  As the temperatures continue to tumble this winter my body says it’s just comfortable keeping warm and not experiencing the cool wind blowing by during a ride.  However, the break has been long enough and it’s time to put on the arm and leg warmers, riding coat, and hit the pavement.

My latest Century ride turned out to be quite timely as other needs for my time, some cold weather, and the holidays dictated a time for a break.  While I look forward to climbing back in the saddle, I see myself looking at the vast list of upcoming group rides and other activities.  Visions of the Horrible Hundred in Clermont, Florida and even mixing it up with a mini-triathlon seem to catch my interest.  Obviously, my next virtual way-point of the Northern Mariana Islands at 595 miles away is my first gaol as well as adding to my list of pledges for the Cycling for Scholarship program that has now seen the first two scholarships completely pledged to date.

The Intracoastal Waterways Century Ride along the Florida east cost is now complete with my second such ride for the year.  The weather couldn’t have been any better. There were over 180 cyclers participating in the 100 mile ride alone enjoying the fantastic scenery along the whole route. Fortunately, all those riders on the same agenda meant I had riders around me the whole ride.  The speedsters dropped us in a heartbeat but a core group of us slower riders all stuck together.  We traversed over three bridges, miles of high-end residential, went by the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center, and Blue Origin’s Rocket Factory.  It was advertised as one of the most enjoyable Century Rides in all of Florida and now I see why.  My experience level is improving as I found myself in great shape upon completion while being well hydrated and a satisfying nutrition level.

Halloween is fast approaching and provides for much enjoyment seeing all the spooky decorations appear….then disappear.  They may be all bones and ghouls growing to enormous heights but they know when to run when the wind is going to pick up.  They quickly disappeared and rightly so as hurricane Milton made its presence.  This one came close by and of course came to visit during the middle of the night.  Why can’t they come by during the day when we can see them?  The mileage has been gaining with a 60 miler on the Van Fleet trail just before the weather changed.  Eight thousand total miles is within sight and looks good by the end of this week.  The first two weeks after the last report saw 196 miles with only 16 miles last week while avoiding the wind, rain, and clean up.

Fall is coming and that means enjoyable cycling temperatures are in my future.  My next Century ride is already on the books and that means training time is the current focus.  Having completed my inaugural Century ride I know much more about how to train and what is important.  Fortunately, my lessons learned with food and nutrition are all behind me now as my hydration and food intake did not create any issues.  A week’s worth of vacation time was added to my 154 mile two week period yielding a total of 7,703 miles into my virtual journey.

After four weeks of everything but riding I had a strong urge to surpass Midway Island as my next virtual waypoint….mission accomplished after an 85 mile week.  It had been since October 12th of last year since I last saw Johnston Atoll, that is probably why swimming seems a natural right now.  Roughly equidistant between North America and Asia, Midway is the only island in the Hawaiian Archipelago that is not part of the state of Hawaii. From 1941 until 1993, the atoll was the home of Naval Air Facility Midway Island, which played a crucial role in the Battle of Midway, June 4–6, 1942. In 1978, the Navy downgraded Midway from a Naval Air Station to a Naval Air Facility and large numbers of personnel and dependents began leaving the island.  The World War II facilities at Sand and Eastern Islands were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 28, 1987, and were simultaneously added as a National Historic Landmark.  So, what’s next? Northern Mariana Island at mile 8,790. At my average pace I should be there in about 29 weeks in the middle of March of next year.  After that the vast distances of ocean will subside and shorter stops take over until I get to Cape Verde, off the African coast of Senegal and start working my way across the Pacific. I felt so good about passing a long sought after waypoint I followed up the following week with a102 miles.

Let’s see I think I just experienced the ‘Trifecta’.  A vacation followed by a brush-by hurricane, followed by a bout of sickness.  We’ll that chewed up four weeks.

You know what, it’s hot out in the early morning!  We’re at that time of the year when so many people ask: “How can you tolerate the heat and humidity?”  I just say I’ll wait six months and then ask them “How can you handle the freezing cold?”  What I do enjoy about riding in the summer mornings is the sweat and the blowing breeze as I zip along the bike path creates a natural air conditioner. Yeah, that might be stretching it a bit but it works for me.  After a week of vacation the following two weeks showed 103 miles on the Garmin to add to my total and 4.8 miles of swimming. Blub, blub.

A couple of light weeks just flew by as I logged only 66 miles….other things just seemed to get in the way.  I did notice on one of my rides that a neighbor got a new TV.  Of course I don’t know this for a fact, but the photo evidence sure says so.  Recently, visions of a mini-triathlon next April have been assembling in my head.  Of course the cycling is a no-brainer and I do have a background of running long distances so that leaves the swimming leg that turns out I do quite frequently already.  I dipped my toe in the community pool and it said to ‘come on in’.  It’s 50′ from one side to the other and my 246 laps yielded 2.3 miles.  This is enjoyable with such warm morning temperatures…I think I’ll make a few more waves in days to come.  I ended this week at 7,262 total miles with my sights still on my next virtual waypoint: Midway Island in the Pacific.

Disney has a song: “Someday my prince will come…”.  In cycling that translates to: “Someday my crash will come…”  We’ll it looks like my someday arrived.  In a description that leaves out all the obvious adjectives, a rider on the asphalt path was going slow and weaving all over the place.  I’ve seen it way too many times.  As usual I announced “Behind you on your left” as I slowed down to approach him.  He turned around a looked at me which to me meant he knew to stay to the right.  BUT, nope…right when I got beside him he swerved over right in front of me.  After pushing him to avoid hitting him I drifted into the grass on the left side of the trail with my wheel getting caught in the groove beside the asphalt to which my front wheel turned and threw me off the bike.  Good old ‘tuck and roll’ saved my aging body with only a few road rash scars. The other rider was pretty banged up to where he walked away with his bike as he couldn’t get back on.  Of course, the next day I had a few sore muscles but overall I was surprised I was in good enough shape to get back on the bike and ride another day.  This is an example of where proper clothing is a must for cyclists.  My helmet didn’t have a scratch so it didn’t seem to hit.  My gloves saved my palms as both were worn through the fabric saving my skin. My jersey came out unscathed while protecting my shoulder. I think back of the days when I used to ride in a tank top, yikes.  The bike had a couple scratches on the handle bars and peddles but you’d never know it.  We all think it will never happen to me.  Well now I can check the experience box and hope I don’t have to check it once again!

More interruptions to my riding schedule arouse during the first of the month sprinkled with some extremely windy days and few that I could ride but my mind took over and said “Not Today”. The latter half of the month saw my routine pick back up with a total of 121 miles on both the mountain and road bikes…both with new chains.  Yup, the mountain bike had about 3,000 miles on it and the handy-dandy ‘chain length’ tool in the new repair kit told me it was time for a change.  My total miles to date from the start at the Statue of Liberty of my virtual trip around the world shows 7,039 total miles.  That is about 402 miles short of my next virtual destination stop of Wake Island in the Pacific.  At the pace I’m going I should be there by August 1.  No matter which bike I select, my shinny new chains will glisten in the sunlight as I pass through the neighborhoods and see all the colorful displays.

After the Ride Rock and Brew Century Ride I took it easy for the following week with only 26.8 miles passing by.  The following week my plans were to assume the typical week’s rides until Wednesday came along.  After just starting out my chain broke on the road bike while attacking a hilly section of the ride.  So it looks like chains are good for about 3,000 plus miles then they demand to be replaced.  That goes in the Lessons Learned Column! I thought I had this one covered as my bike tool kit included a new connecting link and a multi-plier tool to conduct the repairs.  However, it appears that when I put the multi-plier tool from my kit it really was a scissors based multi-tool which doesn’t do any good when pliers are needed.  Then I realized that I truly didn’t have what I needed because the broken link wasn’t at the joining link.  This means the only way I could put a new connecting link in was to be able to remove the pins and take the two broken link pieces out.  A phone call to come and pick me up and I dropped off the road bike and took off on the mountain bike.  Research taught me that I needed the proper tool kit for chain repairs that included a pin removal tool, specially shaped pliers to open and close the connecting link, a gauge to measure how much a chain has stretched, and of course instruction.  Amazon, here I come and a new chain was soon at our doorstep.

CAAM Events put on their annual “Ride Rock and Brew” group ride and I was right there to take on the Century 100-mile ride.  While many, including myself, would look at a Century ride as a major effort there were over 35 that wanted even more of a challenge so they took on a Double Metric Century or 200 kilometers.  To me this is a long way of saying 137 miles or: YIKES!  We started west of Sanford, Florida and road out near New Smyrna Beach towards the Atlantic Coast.  I managed to stay with the Peloton for the first 15 miles then they slowly disappeared with their faster pace.  A good portion of the ride was on the Florida Coast-to-Coast Trail which means dedicated pavement and no interruptions with cars.  The rest stops were all familiar to me from previous rides, but the 50 mile turnaround point was at a kayak launch ramp into the Indian River area that parallels the Atlantic Coast.  It made for a good picture backdrop and a place to have lunch and hydrate up.  Towards the end Lake Monroe provided a backdrop of bright red birds to go with my shirt and the Orange County Brewers Tin and Taco served up ‘the best’ tacos around. We were blessed with a lot of great people to meet and ride with, very little wind, and a very enjoyable scenic route.  It was a great accomplishment, fantastic ride, and yes….I’d most certainly do it again.  My total virtual mileage around the world stands at 6,851 miles with 590 miles to go to reach Wake Island as my next virtual destination.  According to my charts, that should be around July 21st.

While on a recent ride in a setting reminiscent of Maybury RFD a very large Farmers Market takes place just as it does every week. What we’ve noticed over time is how its popularity gradually grows to where there is now a lot more than just a few booths here and there. While on a training ride on the West Orange Trail I ended in the downtown area that if it were in black and white I’d be looking for Sheriff Andy Griffith, Barney Fife, and of course Opie Taylor while expecting to smell Aunt Bee’s apple pies. But, everything was in full color as I ran across a colorful parrot ready to show his colors. My recent rides have accumulated over 160 comfortable miles as I’m keeping the body in shape for my upcoming Century ride. To date I’m at 6,649 total miles on my virtual tour around the world with my next waypoint being Wake Island in 792 miles. I wish I could actually stop and check out the history of such an important island.

Good Bye El Nino. In the 20 years we’ve lived in Florida our coldest winter is now becoming a distant memory.  The last two weeks my bike saw 91 and 67 miles of recognizable scenery around the neighborhood and the West Orange Trail.  Wow, did that feel good and my body says Thanks! Tis the season for Easter decorations that are starting to show up in the neighborhoods.   In looking at the big picture 6,481 miles have ticked by with 960 miles to go until I reach my virtual Wake Island next stop.

As I step outside during the latter part of February it seems like the effect of all the cold weather of El Nino is starting to break down.  The cool mornings, when I do most of my rides, are starting to give way to a cool nip in the air and not just plain COLD.  I originally thought back in December to hold off riding for a while to give my body a break.  My how time flies and here it is March already.  

My bike still looked familiar to me and I treated it to a good cleaning.  I eased into a few rides just to loosen up the muscles and notify them that I’ll be putting them to work on some much anticipated long rides.  Visions of my first Century Ride (100 miles) quickly came to mind along with a target date of mid April.  To my surprise, my first few rides showed that I lost little of my developed pace…good news, but how can I make it better?  Aero Bars.  Hmmm, less drag means more speed and less energy used. Resting on my arms instead of hands means less numbness. Can it be more comfortable crouched over?  A view of some YouTube videos led me to place the order and try them out. 

It didn’t take long to answer the questions and realize over a one mph improvement on just a casual ride.  My start up rides have accumulated  126 miles for a total of 6,323 miles on my virtual quest around the world.  Having started at the Statue of Liberty I’ve passed the Hawaiian Islands and working my way to Wake Island.  With about 1,118 miles to go I’ll be seeing a lot of ocean.  Hmmm, I wonder what lurks in the dark depths of all that water.

This year saw me add 2,710 miles for a total of 6,197 miles towards my virtual tour around the world.  In the mean time, I ventured past Honolulu and Niihau in the Hawaiian Islands then saw the vacant Johnston Atoll.  The vastness of the Pacific with few islands on my global path leaves me with only Wake Island on schedule for 2024.  After that I’ll reach Guam and begin to have many closer grouped waypoints to achieve and share.  Meanwhile, April brings my first 100 mile Century ride….I can’t wait!

My new road bike saw the brunt of the miles while my mountain bike was used for about 10% of the rides.  It still provides a great workout bike and offers the pleasure of some off-roading for a little riding variety.  This year also saw the beginning of several pledges towards my scholarship program for high school kids entering college.  The goal is $25,000 to create twenty five $1,000 scholarships.  I’m on my way with several pledges while providing a great incentive to pack on the miles.  For those of you that visit this blog I thank you for the interest.  For those that have provided donations in the past, I once again thank you as the program I promised is in full swing.  For those that are curious, join in on the pledges…it helps young minds develop and meet educational and career goals.

After reading several weather predictions for a colder and wet winter for the Florida area I took it as just another prediction.  After the past few weeks and holiday activities it looks like the forecasters were right.  I have the gear to ride in the cold, but my focused efforts on continued strength building and increasing speed really takes a hit in the cold weather.  A few rides showed that a lot of energy goes into keeping warm and strength building was a bit difficult.  This all means one thing: listen to what my aging body is telling me very carefully.  Conclusion: I’ll take the time over the next couple of months to give the legs a rest then ease back in the January timeframe.  It will still be cold then, but I’ll just keep the muscles moving and when the weather reaches higher levels I’ll be ready to resume the workouts.

A pleasant week of 85 miles gave way to a rainy week with little riding time…..and it couldn’t have come at a better time!  It just seems my body said it was time for a break and I was all to happy to oblige. My road bike’s tubeless tires seem unable to hold their pressure for more than 3-4 days.  It turns out the tubeless tire sealant has a lifespan of about 4-6 months.  Opps, maybe that is why nothing exists when I checked the level of fluid in each tire.  Something new to learn as a refill it will be.  

My last waypoint was passed on October 12th in my virtual circle around the world.  Johnston Atoll was pretty uneventful at 5,795 miles from my starting point at the Statue of Liberty. It is an unincorporated territory of the United States as a National Wildlife Refuge.   Its past saw the island used as a naval refueling depot and a testing site as a secret missile base whose activities left the area environmentally contaminated.  I guess that explains why nobody was home when I went by.  No greeting people, no restaurants, no beach bungalows to catch a nap. Even the sign is gone today. Next stop: Wake Island.  Plenty of history there and I look forward to passing by.  Mileage now at 5,981 with many more to come.  By the way, the vastness of the Pacific Ocean creates long distances.  Wake Island is 1,260 miles away and at the rate I’m going I should be there on about July 10, 2024.

The holiday’s sure bring a lot of scenery when cycling the local neighborhoods. The inflatable characters are still ever present, but now “bigger is better” is becoming popular with skeletons over 12′ tall. The ghosts and goblins have taken over many yards in their entirety. Garage door decorations are being added to carry the ghostly theme throughout the front yards. Rumplestil Skin has set up a new home on a corner lot for all to see while a pair of wild shorts are adorned by a very tall skeleton overlooking a huge spider and its web to catch all the little visitors. Foolish mortals beware of hitchhiking ghosts are serenaded by ghosts playing pianos at another home. Meanwhile, the weather has provided a ghoulish background at times curtailing a few days rides. All told the past two weeks added 102 miles for a total of 5,866 miles of enjoyment.

If there is one thing I have learned about completing a long run or in the upcoming case…a 100 mile ride, it’s to be prepared.  A 58 miler should about do it as a warm up as I ventured for the first time on the Van Fleet Trail.  Picture this: a 29.2 mile paved trail that is perfectly straight except for one slight little bend.  That’s it, where ever you take a picture on the trail it’s virtually the same everywhere on the trail.  In the early 1920’s the Seaboard Airline Railroad built and ran on the tracks until 1986 when CSX succeeded Seaboard and finally abandoned the track by 1990.  The rails were removed as part of the “Rails to Trail’s” program providing one of Florida’s longest and best trails to ride.  I started in the town of Mabel and turned around at Polk City while traversing through three counties.  Halfway through was a Biker’s Memorial that I didn’t quite get.  It consisted of several Snow White ‘like’ dwarfs and a few other characters.  Maybe there was more to it some time ago. A couple of stops, water, and restrooms were well appreciated for an enjoyable ride.   Total miles is at 5,764 now with Johnston Atoll only a 31 miles away on my virtual around-the-world trip.

I can imagine that many look at my riding habits and think I have a lot of time on my hands.  Actually, I don’t.  What I have done is to remove other things in my life that are not as important and replaced them with the health benefits, challenges, and enjoyment I get from riding.  While I’m still dealing with business ventures I also get a lot of quality thinking done while riding. However, travel and business activities do take precedence.  Such is the case of the past couple weeks resulting in few miles added to the list.  I’ve signed up for my first attempted 100 miler and have a month to keep in shape as I feel ready to go. Meanwhile, Halloween decorations are starting to fill the surrounding scenery providing some photo opportunities of those that catch my eye.  Total mileage equals 5,561 with 144 miles to go to my next virtual waypoint: Johnson Atoll.  I should be there shortly!

The more cycling becomes a part of my life the more I learn.  Couple that with acquiring higher purpose bikes, and in my mind the treatment of the bike, older methods of hanging a bike on the back of a vehicle becomes questionable.  Yeah, the hitch mount bike rack where the bike hangs on the top cross bar is not the best treatment for carbon frames along with the addition of scratch marks on the nice paint.  It was time to make a change….wow there are so many choices!  I decided to start paying attention to the various racks I would see hanging on the back of vehicles and understanding the advantages and virtues of each type.  What I learned is that nothing touching the frame of the bike is the best.  No undo pressures on the carbon frame and no scratching the paint.  Secondly, an attachment to the rack via the wheels accomplishes the first observation.  Pictured above is the Thule rack I purchased that accomplishes all this with, in my mind one added advantage, an attachment point on both tires.  It is very simple to put on and take off, very sturdy, and no contact with the bike at all.  Of course, it is easy to fold up, has a locking mechanism, easy to take off, and easily stores in the garage.  For those familiar with Thule products they come with a slightly higher price tag than many competitor products.  My experience with them has been justified by their build quality, long lasting, and they work every time!

It’s interesting when you ride a similar route week after week and think you’ve seen everything then the unexpected shows up. While I have been focused on strength building and increasing my speed I still wander with my eyes to see my surroundings. Thank goodness as I spotted a custom work of art. It was a bit small and probably has been in my surrounding vision for a long time but I only saw it for the first time on a recent ride. I just had to stop, take a picture, and by all means share this prize. Total miles is at 5,365 with 430 miles to go until I reach my next virtual waypoint: Johnston Atoll. I wonder if anyone will be there to at least wave as I go by. We should find out somewhere about late October!

Why does the world of opportunities keep trying to deflect us?  I was going about the business of strength training this week and I decided to cap it off with a 36 mile ride on Saturday along the South Lake Trail that heads over to one of my favorite destinations: Lake Mineola.  That little lakeside community is very involved with community events as I’ve seen many of them as I pass by.  Well this time it was a Triathlon.  A swim in the shallow end of the lake for 800 meters started the challenge followed by a 12 mile bike ride and capped off with a 5K run.  Upon talking to some of the participants I came away with something to potentially fill one day on the calendar.  Hmmm….I already bike and swim and I just got done running over 2,500 miles….  After I stopped fantasizing and came back to reality I still had 12 miles to go to finish off over 1,400 feet of climb. My overall total distance has reached 5,280 miles…that’s miles not feet!

All those diversions from the past two weeks were thoroughly enjoyed but reality comes fast as Monday after my return comes quickly and tells me it’s time for more cycling drills.  Ni’Hau Island was quickly passed in the middle of the week.  I barely noticed it as only about 130 people live on this westernmost main and seventh largest inhabited island and commonly referred to as Hawaii’s “Forbidden Island.”  Ni’Hau was originally purchased for $10,000 worth of gold from King Kamehameha V.  There are few roads and vehicles and livestock and other animals roam freely. It’s the only place in Hawaii where native Hawaiian is the most-spoken language.  Upon leaving the western shores of Ni’Hau my next virtual waypoint is Johnston Atoll.  A small island group 641 miles away to where I should arrive in early November.  Total mileage to date is 5,198 miles or 20.9% of my total around the world goal.

It was time for a vacation with an opportunity to throw a little cycling in the mix. Much to my surprise a KHS Eastwood Hybrid bike tagged along so that I could put a few miles on it as well.  While the bike saw almost 6,000 miles on its total journey it only experienced 17 miles with me sitting on it.  Our trip passed through Muncie, Indiana for the first couple days of the National Model Airplane Championships.  Numerous laps around the flying field kept the legs familiar with cycling in the middle of our trip.  Though intentions were good to add even more miles to the traveling bike a tour through a WWII submarine, an A.C. Gilbert Erector Set Conference, a visit to the PEZ Candy factory, reminiscing our past at a Comic and Toy Museum, only to name a few, provided a plethora of well enjoyed diversions.

I seemed to spend so much time enjoying Honolulu while passing by in my virtual world recent post that I forgot to keep pedaling.  The last two weeks saw a little over 90 miles as all that sand felt better on my feet than shoes, socks, and pedals.  The reality is I was winding down for a forthcoming action packed vacation.  Meanwhile, my short trip to Ni’Hau Island is fast approaching.

‘Aloha’, was the greeting by my greeter on the beach as my virtual trip around the world made it to Honolulu, Hawaii.  First things first I was hungry.  We found a famous Hawaiian recipe called Huli Huli and it was delicious.  Interesting what you learn when you visit other lands.  Did you know that ‘Iolani Palace, shown above, is the only official royal residence in the U.S. and had electricity years before the White House!  Mount Waialeale is the wettest place in the world getting an average yearly rainfall of over 450 inches! Yikes, you’d need a wet suit to bike there. The islands of Molokai and Lanai have no stop lights and only few stop signs. Hawaii is the only U.S. state where the sun passes directly overhead. The Hawaiian Steak consist of SPAM and Hawaii is largest per capita consumer of SPAM in the US.  Hawaii also is emerging as a world class cycling destination. Perfect weather, sparse traffic, diverse breathtaking scenery, and rural highways are a cyclist’s paradise. It’s coastal routes and insanely steep mountains will wet any cyclist’s appetite. It is safe there too. There are no snakes, squirrels, hamsters, or gerbils in Hawaii and it is illegal to own any of these creatures. I get to continue over the paradise of islands as my next way point is Puuwai, Ni’Hau Island, the western most island of the popular chain.  At 156 miles away the trip will be short, but I’ll be taking my time as I soak up all the sites to see, hula music along the coasts to enjoy, and the smells of all those great restaurants.

My virtual tour around the world is fast approaching Honolulu as I can just faintly hear the music on the beach. Before I get there I thought I’d get a feel for what it is like living on…say…Kauai. Hmm, the wettest place on earth. Today I hit the West Orange Trail and by the time I got about 15 miles out I found out what it’s like riding in the rain of Kauai. Thanks to an overpass to provide some shelter for about eight riders technology was at hand showing us the red blotches of storm clouds passing overhead while everyone was planning their escape. Light rains soon followed and we all took off. Well at least on this ride I was wet from rain and not sweat, ha ha. I’m at 4,903 miles on my 24,901 mile virtual journey. I have 95 miles to go to reach Hawaii. Will that be next week or will I need a few more days than that? Stay tuned.