Life On A B-I7

Day 2

Richmond VA, 37 miles

I was able to manage 37 miles today. I was slowed a bit when I lost my map. I had put it in the back right pocket of my jersey thinking it would be safe there and easy to reach. I was wrong. When I discovered it missing I turned around and headed back but soon realized that was a fool’s errand. So after a bit of consternation, it dawned on me to call the Adventure Cycling Association and ask for help. They are good people. They told me to download their app and buy the digital version of the map I had been using. That’s exactly what I did and it didn’t take me long to realize that solution was much better than the paper map, especially when your phone is mounted right on the handle bars.

The paper map is still useful for planning, but when I’m riding, I’ll be using the digital version. Oh, by the way, after all that I reached into my back pocket and found the map. I had looked in the right back pocket and the left back pocket, but not the center pocket. I have a new long distance cycling rule, no doubt it will not be the last…

Long distance cycling Rule #1:

Remember to check the center pocket.”

I had to stop here for my friend Terry.

Day 1

Charles City, 45 miles

I reached Lawrence Lewis Jr. Park, a nice park and campground shortly after 2pm. I was very tired. No surprise. I shouldn’t admit this, but I didn’t train for this adventure. I’ve been a bit distracted lately working on identifying some “health issues.” Notice I didn’t say “problems,” because everything is treatable and my care team gave me their blessing to go on this adventure. (They might not have if they had know I was undertaking it without having properly trained.) It’s going to be slow going for awhile, if I stay focused I should be just fine, in a week or two. My goal is 78 days for the crossing. I shouldn’t talk too much about goals since it’s only Day 1, but I made my goal for today so I suppose that bodes well. Tomorrow will likely be more revealing…

Tonight’s Campsite.

Prologue

Yorktown Virginia

Tomorrow is the big day. It’s almost time to begin my journey. The question that I’ve been asking for some time now is, why TransAm. It’s time to put down into words something the resembles an answer. When you look at it deeply, you can’t really know the answer until you reach the end of the journey. Until then these notions are all likely candidates:

• Insight
• Health
• Accomplishment
• Satisfaction
• Confidence
• Challenge
• Pride

I hope when I’m all done I will feel like I have achieved some of these. If I am truly fortunate, all of them. In either case, the journey will have been well worth it.

It’s time to begin…

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Virginia. (Subject to change.)

Dip the rear wheel in the Atlantic Ocean!

VIRGINIA
Miles: 577, Days 12

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Kentucky. (Subject to change.)

KENTUCKY
Miles: 506, Days 9

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Illinois. (Subject to change.)

ILLINOIS
Miles: 134, Days 4

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Missouri. (Subject to change.)

MISSOURI
Miles: 304, Days 6

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Kansas. (Subject to change.)

KANSAS
Miles: 531, Days 9

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Colorado. (Subject to change.)

COLORADO
Miles: 431, Days 9

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Wyoming. (Subject to change.)

WYOMING
Miles: 462, Days 7

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Montana. (Subject to change.)

MONTANA
Miles: 335, Days 7

Missoula is the home of the Adventure Cycling Association

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Idaho. (Subject to change.)

IDAHO
Miles: 347, Days 5

I have been told that a Mariachi Band will meet me at the Idaho boarder!

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Oregon. (Subject to change.)

OREGON
Miles: 482, Days 10

Dip the front wheel in the Pacific Ocean!

Wednesday April 12, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

I’ve just completed the weigh-in for my TransAm cycling trip. The break-out looks like this:

The grand total is: 94 lbs.

It is generally considered that weight of bike plus all carry items should fall between 60 and 100 lbs. This is largely dependent on what type of touring you are doing, the sort of bike you are riding, and also, how many people are in your tour group. A solo tour requires carrying a bit more than you might if you could split the gear load between two or more riders. This is a total guess, but based on what I am carrying, I suspect my overall weight could be reduced by about 8 lbs if I were touring with 2 or more people. That said, I wish my load were closer to 80 lbs, but given this is a solo tour, 94 lbs is not too surprising.

Monday March 6, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

With a certain amount of luck, I will be starting the TransAm Bicycle Route on May 5th. Needless to say, I’m very excited. It’s been four years since I rode across the country and this second tour is way over due. In 2019 I rode the Southern Tier route. This time I’m going to follow the classic TransAm route. This route was established in 1976 for the “Bicentennial.” Below are some pertinent facts. I’m planning to ride east to west. I’ll be blogging the adventure here, just like I did for the Southern Tier.

Mileage (Route Order)

(1) Another “Virginia Surprise.” This is the state that presents the longest crossing of all the states on the itinerary.

Mileage (Average)

(2) Elapsed time to cross, 78 days total (not counting rest days).

Elevation (Total)

(3) The total elevation is equivalent to 5 times the height of Mt. Everest - without the oxygen deprivation.

Elevation (Per Mile)

(4) The way I look at this one is, how much of your time in the saddle will be spent climbing… not necessarily how difficult the climbing. To gauge the overall difficulty I don’t really have much to go on. I am pretty sure that Kansas will be the flattest. Note: It is scientifically proven to be “flatter than a pancake.” See: Is Kansas Flatter than a Pancake.

Probably the big surprise in these numbers is how much elevation Virginia dishes out. Before I dug into these numbers, I was planning to ride west to east. I changed my mind based on prevailing weather patterns around my anticipated May start date. I was also worried that it might not be a good idea for an old man to start the ride in a state that requires a lot of climbing. Well, now I know that Virginia will be kicking ass to the same degree that Oregon does, if not more.