My gear review may only be of interest to other cyclists or people curious about some of the specific gear I brought for other purposes like camping. To briefly summarize, I was happy with my gear choices.  I definitely could have paired down and brought less but I used almost everything I brought. The real decision is between camping or motels, then how ultralight you want to be.  I camped far less than intended so my camping gear didn’t get much use. You can definitely do this trip without camping but it takes more planning. The majority of cyclists I met were camping but I met more than a few who were only staying in motels.

Most cyclist were carrying 4 panniers, front and back. Some just had rear panniers while others were using a more bike packing configuration without panniers using a frame bag, seat pack, and handlebar roll. I initially thought bike packing was a dopey way to travel since it’s kind of trendy now but the advantage is reduced wind profile so I would seriously give this configuration some thought. The wind worked against me all tour with headwind almost every day so a reduced wind profile would have made my ride easier.

The Bike – Surly Long Haul Disc Trucker

The components are stock build circa 2015 so typical Shimano, Tecktro, Avid, and Continental gear with a few additions. I chose Surly because it’s a tried and true touring bike. I stopped at a few bike shops along the way and all made comments like “that’s the bike you want to ride across country”. I saw other Surly’s out there but also a lot of other bikes, many of the usual suspects like Trek, Salsa, and Kona. Don’t feel like you have to shell out a lot of money you don’t have for a “real” touring bike. Many bikes can make the trip if loaded properly with gear. What’s more important is how the bike is geared. You will do some climbing so you want low gears.

The bike worked flawlessly, no problems except for tire wear which is to be expected. I did have an issue that I thought was a failed freehub but was actually the plastic disk between the cassette and spokes which became dislodged, a simple fix.

• Front Racks: Tubus Cosmo
  • Rear Racks: Tubus Nova

Not much to say here other than they worked fine.

• Fenders:  Velo Orange Hammered alloy

I don’t know why anyone would ride a touring bike without fenders.  Sure, they went out of style decades ago but this isn’t a beauty contest or a race. Protecting yourself and your bike from dirt, mud and road debris far outweighs any downside.  I’ve heard reasons not to use fenders like “something could get stuck and jam the tire” or “mud will get caked up”, all bullshit.  I’m sure it has happened but such concerns really fall into the urban legend category, not likely a problem. Thick mud can be an issue on trails but you would not take a bike configured primarily for roads through a lot of thick mud on a regular basis. Just shut up and get the fenders.

• Pedals: Shimano A530, SPD one side, platform the other so I can ride clipped in, or not.

 I really like the reversible pedals.  At the end of the day I prefer wearing my running shoes pedaling around town. I see no downside to having reversible pedals.

• Saddle: Brooks B17, classic leather saddle.

 For me the Brooks saddle was a compete fail.  I broke in the saddle over about 500 miles before the tour and it did feel better with time, was molding to my bottom, but even after hundreds of miles on tour I still was never fully comfortable on the saddle.  I need some padding.  There’s a lot of lore around Brooks saddles, they are highly regarded in the touring community which I think influences peoples opinions.  I can’t say others are not comfortable on a Brooks but I can say a broken in Brooks is still a hard saddle, it just shapes better to your bottom. If you are comfortable on a Brooks you would likely be fine on a range of different saddles.  I don’t have a lot of natural padding so I need the bike to supply some.  I don’t need or want a big, bulky gel pad but just a little would be good.

Bags

• Front: Ortlieb Front Roller Classic
• Rear: Ortlieb Back Roller Classic
• Handlebar: Ortlieb Ultimate 6 Classic

All worked well. The bags are heavy, weighing in at about 8 pounds empty combined but very durable and waterproof.

Shirts

• Riding t-shirts: 3, just close fitting, active wear t-shirts not cycling shirts. I used synthetic that didn’t smell, some people prefer wool for odor protection.
• Riding button down: a mountain bike variety. Can double as a town shirt

Shorts/pants

• Riding shorts: 3
• Long convertible pants: 1, my only long pants

Socks and underwear

• Socks: 4 ankle length, SmartWool
• Underwear: 4 briefs, Exoffcio
• Padded liners: 3

I could have taken fewer clothes but I was happy with what I had.  If I do another trip I’ll probably take the same. My objective was to do less hand washing and more actual laundry every week or so.  I settled on a pattern of hand washing my shirts, socks, and padded shorts once each then do laundry every 6th day or so. Padded shorts do not dry overnight so even if you are exclusively hand washing you really need to bring three. I wore regular shorts over my padded shorts to look less like a freaky cyclist when not on the bike like entering businesses and such. I wore the regular shorts 2-3 days and never hand washed, I just didn’t have to. I only used the long pants when camping, for temperature and mosquitos. My plan for the underwear was to wear with the padded shorts one day then the next day without so I didn’t have to hand wash the padded shorts. I think the underwear added to my saddle sores so I eventually stopped wearing them at all while riding, requiring me to hand wash the padded shorts.

Shoes

• Cycling shoes: Shimano Torbal SPD mountain bike shoes
• Off bike shoes: old running shoes
• Sandals: Birkenstocks, Arizona EVA

No problems with the shoes. Taking both sandals and running shoes is not necessary but it worked for me. Running shoes are bulky but weigh almost nothing and I liked wearing them off the bike rather than sandals all the time.  I wore the sandals while camping, in public showers, or if I wanted to briefly step out of my room in a hotel.  The EVA Birks weigh almost nothing and strapped on to the top of my bags so they took up no space. I would probably take the same three again.

Wet or cold weather

• Rain jacket: North Face.
• Leg and arm warmers: I’m not bringing any long sleeves other than a lightweight hoody and a sweatshirt.  I have no long riding pants.
• Shoe covers: mostly for rain or a little warmth if necessary
• Lightweight Hoody: good for cool starts
• Hooded sweatshirt: most likely just for mornings and evenings around camp

I expected colder days/nights in the mountains but that never happened. I sent my leg/arm warmers home after about a week when it was obvious I’ll never need them. I never wore the lightweight hoody which was intended for cool mornings on the bike but it was never all that cool. I wore the hooded sweatshirt while camping and a few nights/mornings going out while in motels. I didn’t need both. It only rained one day on this tour so I didn’t use the rain jacket but I would bring one just in case. I never needed the shoe covers.  I would have worn them for all day rain.

Camping

• Tent, Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2

Two person really means one person with a little extra room.  Worked fine but I wonder about durability with such a lightweight tent but durability is a tradeoff with weight.

• Sleeping quilt, 30 degree Feathered Friends Flicker with Sea to Summit compression sack

I really like a quilt over a traditional sleeping bag. You can open it up into a blanket or zip up and close one end like a sleeping bag.  Thirty degrees is cooler than I needed, could have used a forty or fifty degree bag, but better to have too much than not enough warmth. The compression sack reduced the size by about half.

• Sleeping bag liner/sheet: protects the bag and adds some warmth.

I brought a cotton, rectangular, zippered liner which is heavier and adds more weight than a silk mummy but it’s more comfortable. I often started the night with just the liner then covered with the quilt when the temp dropped. I would bring this again even though it’s a little bulky.

• Sleeping pad, Nemo Tensor, a couple inches thick.

Very comfortable but I should have bought the long size.

• Pillow: Sea to Summit Aeros

Super small and light, takes up almost no space packed. Reasonably comfortable for what’s basically an airbag.  I primarily used between my knees when sleeping on my side (my typical sleeping configuration).

• Pillow: Nemo Fillo

Similar to regular pillow when inflated.  Comfortable but a few times larger/heavier than the Aeros when packed. Not a big deal unless you are going ultralight.

• Camp stove and fuel canister, MSR Windburner 1L

Really just for boiling water for coffee, oatmeal, or heating up canned/packaged food. Worked well but you can’t actually cook on a camp stove. I also used the stove in motels that didn’t have microwave ovens.

Technology

• Laptop: M1 MacBook Pro
• Camera: Olympus EM1 MK2 with 12-40mm lens

I like photography so I wanted to bring a real camera. I brought the laptop for working on photos and publishing the blog. While blasphemy to photographers, if I do another tour I may just use my iPhone. Almost all of the pictures posted to Instagram were taken on the phone with very little editing. I think they were pretty good. Rather than a laptop I would consider an iPad with a keyboard cover or something like a Microsoft Surface if you swing that way. Both would result in a significant weight and bulk reduction.

• Jobby Tripod: My “selfie stick”

Rarely used so I would not bring on a future trip.

• Phone: iPhone XS

My phone was my primary navigation device using either the Bicycle Route Navigator app where I bought the Norther Tier maps or I Google maps.

• Extension cord: 15’, a suggestion from another trip journal. 

My intent was to run power to my tent while camping.  While I did this a couple times I used it more in hotels running power to a more conventient location. I didn’t need a 15’ cord for hotel use but it is very useful when plugs are hidden. I will now add a short 6’ cord to my standard travel kit.

• Portable charger: 20k mAh

Used everyday but I didn’t need all 20k mAh.  My phone only lasted half a day with the GPS logging apps I was running.

• Adventure Cycling Northern Tier maps: because technology often fails

I never needed the physical maps but glad I had them.

• Power strip/surge protector: by Poweriver

My favorite piece of travel gear has always been a small power strip, allows for charging multiple devices from a singe outlet plus some protection from surges. This particular device was larger than needed but I would definitely bring something similar.

• Bicycle Route Navigator app: by Adventure Cycling, my digital maps.

Used almost every day, how I followed the Northern Tier.

Health and Safety

• Repair kit: tools, extra bike bolts, tape, 5’ bailing wire, other stuff
  • Leatherman multitool
  • Crankbrothers bike multitool

Bike tools are a necessity. I used pliers from my Leatherman a few times to pull wire from my tires. I never needed the extra bolts, bailing wire, tape etc but would definitely recommend bringing, just in case.

• Inner tube and patch kits

I brought one spare tube and a couple patch kits. After getting my first flat (I had 4) I patched the tube and kept it as a spare. After my second flat I bought a new tube and kept one patched.

• Chamois butt’r: to avoid saddle sores

Bring and use daily unless you are confident saddle sores will not be an issue.

• Dual Eyeglasses, sunglass and yellow lens, with bifocal reading, allows me to easily ready my phone and bike computer while riding

Awesome, wore them everyday, all the time.

• Rear flashing light: Cygo Hotshot Pro, I have 2 so one is always charged

Had it on all day and only used the one on my bike, never needed the backup. One charge lasted a couple days but I usually charged at night from an outlet or my battery. Adds visibility, highly recommended.

• Front light: Cygo Metro pro 1,100 lumen

I never rode in the dark but I needed it once while riding through a tunnel. Definitely bring a light.

• Combination Cable Lock

I know cable locks offer practically zero security for a determined thief but I’m just looking to thwart crimes of opportunity. Used occasionally, probably not necessary but you really should bring a way to lock your bike.

• Yellow high visibility vest

I wore this every day which wasn’t my intent when I set out. I planned on wearing when in heavy traffic. On the first day I had two cyclists about a half mile ahead of me, one wore a vest while the other didn’t. I could easily see the vest at a distance which convinced me to just wear it all the time.

• Rear View Mirror: Efficient Velo Tools Safe Zone Helmet Mirror.

This is must have. I can’t emphasize that enough. You need some kind of mirror to keep an eye on traffic. I would have preferred a bar end mirror but I have bar end shifters. This one is large and easily adjustable. Highly recommended.

Miscellaneous

• Paracord: 25’, laundry line, hanging food from animals or tying stuff down

Used several times, worth bringing.

• Towel, Rainleaf microfiber.

I hate microfiber towels but they make most sense for bike travel.

• Inflatable seat cushion, Lightspeed

Used everyday I camped for sitting on the ground or added comfort for picnic tables

• Camp light, Goal Zero Crushlight, solar/USB charge

I hung this from the top of my tent.  Not really needed but a nice to have. LEDs can switch to yellow or red to not attract bug and save your night eyes. Takes up almost no space and weighs nothing.

Stuff I Wish I Brought

• a small plate

I bought one a few weeks from the end. Used for eating in motel rooms, either take out or food bought from grocery stores. A small, lunch style place fits nicely in my rear pannier inside pocket. Something cheap and not easily breakable.

• a bowl

Mainly for heating up food or cooking oatmeal in a microwave. I have the container from my camp stove but that can’t go in a microwave.

• a cup that can go in a microwave

For heating up water for coffee in a microwave.

• Spare tire

Depending on your route a bicycle shop may be a long ways off. I didn’t notice my worn back tire until it was almost too late but I know of people who had blow outs, it can happen. Certainly if traveling with one or more other people you can carry a single tire for the group. Bring something small and packable, at least enough to get you to a bike shop. You probably won’t need it but good to have, just in case.

• A second spare inner tube

I brought one but should have brought two.

I’m sure I left out some odds and ends but this give you a good picture of my gear. I was envious of the people traveling with less gear but I made some conscious decisions to carry more like my laptop and computer but also additional clothes, off bike shoes and a few other items that you don’t really need. In the end it all worked out.

Riding a bicycle across country gives you a unique perspective that is different from other modes of transportation. As a general statement, the slower you travel the more you will absorb. But to be honest with you, it’s not the best way to see the country. I was limited to one thin strip of roads.  Traveling self powered you are less likely to take diversions, even if only a few miles off route.  There were a number of places I would have liked to visit but adding more miles to an already long day was not appealing. A car gives you that freedom. The tradeoff is that unique, slow moving perspective is lost. You also don’t get the interactions with people a bike provides.  There are other fellow cyclists to meet but also locals who are drawn to the crazy dude on the bike. Some are curious what you are up to while others know the journey, perhaps they have done a tour or want to do one someday. If you want to see more things, travel by car. If you want to experience more things, travel by bike.

I have a bunch of disjointed thoughts in my head about the trip. I can’t weave them into a coherent post so I’ll list some of them below.  

The Route

I began my tour on Camano Island, about 30 miles south of the official Northern Tier start in Anacortes, WA. I followed the Northern Tier all the way to Minnesota where I made my first diversion by riding directly through Minneapolis rather than looping north around the city. I thought the route was excellent so I wondered why Adventure Cycling didn’t map the route either directly through the city or list it as an alternative. At the Mississippi River the route followed Highway 35 south for hundreds of miles. Route 35 is considered a scenic highway, perhaps by car but the traffic took the pleasure out of the ride. I would have preferred a route further east through Wisconsin and Illinois, preferably on more rail trail.  In Indiana I began to question why the planners choose the route they did so I started following Google bike directions on a daily basis, roughly paralleling and sometimes overlapping with the Northern Tier. I went back and forth between Google and the Northern Tier route for the next couple weeks. I never intended to follow the Northern Tier all the way to Maine, my preference was to ride home to Danbury, CT so I continued east on the Erie Canal to Albany then south to home. 

I would not recommend the Northern Tier to anyone who has not previously done a cross country ride. A lot of the route is very remote passing through small towns with limited services. If you have a mechanical problem the next bike shop may be hundreds of miles away. You really should be prepared to do bike maintenance and repair on your own. I also think there are better ways to cross the country. The 1,000 miles or so of northern plains riding honestly was not all that interesting. I can’t say I disliked the ride, it just didn’t meet my expectations in some ways. In hindsight I would have been better off on the TransAmerica or Southern Tier routes or as some people do, create my own route by combining sections of other routes.

Favorite Place

Washington was my favorite state. I like the diversity in every way, from the people to the environment. You go from the coastal Seattle metro area up into the temperate rainforests of the western cascades and down into the eastern side which is a much drier, high desert like environment. The hardest riding was in Washington with a long climb almost every day but the reward was spectacular scenery. 

My favorite state for riding was Minnesota, a state I never gave a second thought, barely even know where it is. The state surprised me with many picturesque small towns and a 100+ mile network of interconnected rail trail.  “Land of 10,000 Lakes” is an appropriate nickname for the state with all the small ponds and lakes along the trail. I went off route and rode directly through Minneapolis which was surprisingly easy with all the dedicated bike paths and bike lanes. 

I also really liked riding through Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. It wasn’t very picturesque, all corn and soybeans, but the route was almost exclusively on back country farm roads with almost zero traffic, might as well have been on rail trails.  Super peaceful riding.

Least Favorite Place

I would have to say Montana. Understand I’m not saying “I hate Montana”. I rode a thin sliver through rural areas of the state which didn’t include most major population centers where people actually live.  The route was almost all small towns with populations measured in the hundreds to thousands, the one exception being Great Falls. Scenery in the west was very nice, a continuation of what I was riding through in Washington but transitioned to prairie as I descended from the continental divide. The next 500 miles was either rolling hills of grass or wheat.  It went on forever. I like the desolate southwest desert so I expected a similar vibe but that wasn’t the case.  In the desert I find beauty in rock formations or the sparse vegetation but in the plains there was none of that, just grass and wheat. It just wasn’t interesting.  

The small towns were all in various states of decay with crumbling streets and sidewalks.  It kept reminding me of various places I’ve visited around the world from Central America to Southeast Asia.  I could’t help but conclude I just rode through the developing world. 

I was also turned off by the states speed limits, 70 MPH on two lane highways which is just stupid. They don’t even reduce speeds in areas with steep rolling hills and blind spots. The speed limit drops 5 MPH for heavy trucks or when driving at night, like that makes any difference. They want to believe Montana roads are open and lightly traveled which is just not true. There are very few ways to get anywhere so everyone is on the same roads.  The roads are not crowded but by no means remote and lightly traveled. The state has one of the highest per capita accident fatality rates in the country.  Montana is one of the main reason I would advise people against riding the Northern Tier. It’s just not safe for cyclists or cars. Best avoided.

Help Wanted

Before leaving I knew there was a shortage of help in service jobs like restaurants which was weaponized by both sides of the debate, “people won’t work if they are getting government handouts” or “this just shows these jobs don’t pay a living wage”.  Of course both are true but regardless, I can tell you for a fact there are a lot of jobs going unfilled.  I even saw a sign for a restaurant willing to pay $22/hour to make pizza! It’s not just restaurants.  I saw lots of help wanted signs for everything from truck/bus drivers to skilled trades positions.

Accommodations and Food

I set off thinking I would mostly camp with some motel stays. I started out that way but the heat wave in the west quickly changed things, I wasn’t about to camp in 100+ degree weather. Then I got used to motels. I did some camping throughout the trip but most of my days were spent indoors. The main reason for camping is to save money, it’s a hassle and adds time to your day. Financially I could do this trip without camping so after the heat wave I mostly camped where it made sense for the location and available accommodations.  There were times when camping was the best or only option.  You absolutely can do this trip without any camping but prior planning and reservations would be required which is not how I like to travel.

With my switch to motels I ended up primarily eating in restaurants for dinner while grabbing gas station food for lunch. I often had second breakfast after a couple hours of riding, usually something like a breakfast sandwich from a gas station.  My day was ruled by where the gas stations were located.  For dinner I quickly tired of restaurants so I went back and forth between eating out and buying food in supermarkets like prepared foods or just a package of cooked rice and a can of beans. This worked well for me. Traveling with one or more people would make food choices easier since you can buy larger quantities and split, like a rotisserie chicken or a pound of deli meats and loaf of bread.

Farming

About half the route goes through the heart of farmland with endless miles of corn, wheat and soybean fields. Those three crops, along with cattle and dairy farms, make up the vast majority of farming I encountered. Most corn and soybean production is either for animal feed or biofuel production.  There were areas where I could smell manure almost continuously for hundreds of miles. I couldn’t help wonder about the amount of pollution created by farm runoff, be it manure, pesticides, or fertilizers.  The water in these areas must be terribly polluted with runoff eventually making its way to the Mississippi River and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico contributing to massive dead zones. It’s wrong for me to demonized an industry we depend on for our very survival but I wonder if we are doing this right.  Is corn for ethanol biofuel production a worthwhile use of our resources? Should we be subsidizing cattle/hog/chicken farming on such a scale?  Do we need $4 cheeseburgers? Chicken Nuggets?  In recent years I’ve been trying to eat less meat, both for health and environmental reasons.  This ride is more proof that environmental benefits alone are good reasons to eat less meat. These issues are complex, more than I can address in a bicycle blog but something we should all consider.

The People

Talking to other cyclists, the tour is all about the people you meet, there are good people everywhere. I had a lot of offers for help such as water or advice where I should or shouldn’t ride. I stayed in hostels where people offered rooms in their houses asking for nothing in return. I met many other cyclists along the way, all were open and friendly, maybe it’s being part of a small community of other like minded people.  There isn’t a profile for the average cross country cyclist, they come in all types.  I met many couples riding together, both young and old. There were a lot of solo cyclists, a father and son team, three young women in their early 20’s, and many others.  I never managed to meet up with “the girls from UCONN”. When west bounders out west heard I was from Connecticut they usually asked if I’ve met the girls from UCONN who were only a day or two ahead of me at the time.  Apparently UCONN has a cycling club and some members do a cross country tour over the summer. 

Bike touring like any other form of long term travel tends to lean young (under 30) or older (over 50) as it’s the time in life when taking time off is more practical for work and family reasons. I met many retired, or like myself, recently retired people. A few days ago I rode with a guy from Seattle (Brad). His backstory is he’s recently retired, gay and has been HIV positive since the early 1980’s.  He’s making a point to meet and interview people along the way and has a tagline for his tour, “Riding for Connection and Authenticity”.  He wanted to prove to himself that people are not as shitty as we tend to believe. His experience matches up with mine, there are good people everywhere. Most people want the same thing, to live a happy, comfortable life with their families and friends.  We tend to hear more from the extremes, be it the racist white trash or the self righteous purveyors of “cancel culture”. Even if those extremes are manifested in our political or other public figures, that’s not America. While it’s true people tend to lean one way or the other, it’s more out of ignorance based on their own life experience, we all have our biases.  For example, Brad was speaking to someone in the midwest who commented “I think you are the only gay guy I ever met”, certainly not true but he doesn’t know that. In his worldview everyone is straight.

While riding, Brad and I came across a woman taking shelter under a bridge during my only rainstorm of the trip. She had a folding bike with a couple panniers attached. Through conversation we learned she’s out for a day ride and is staying in the same hotel as Brad tonight. The woman gave Brad a card to her room so he can take a shower if he arrives too early to check in.  I think we both looked a little surprised by the offer so the woman said “cross country cyclists are always good people”.

Weeks ago I mentioned a Mark Twain quote about travel.  I’ll end with the whole quote because it is spot on: 

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

In the next day or two I’ll publish my gear review.

Start: 8:13 AM

Finish: 1:30 PM  

Saddle Time: 4:20

Ascent: 1,006 feet

Descent:  675 feet

Miles: 56

Total Miles: 3,765

Highlight: Cross country bike tour complete.

Lowlight:  About 5 miles into the day I had to again repair my fender which now was rubbing against my tire.

Cyclemeter:  Follow this link to see the data I’m collecting with the cyclemeter app. You can see gps information, speed, elevation, distance, cadence and heart rate. Better viewed on a computer where it’s easier to play around with the graphs.

Once in Washington I was putting together the blog after about a week of biking.  I looked at the map and thought my progress across the state was impressive but zooming out I still had a very long way to go. It seemed insurmountable. How do I pedal that far, I’m already tired? I didn’t think about the thousands of miles ahead on a regular basis but where I want to be in two hours for my next rest stop or how many days to the next border crossing or geographical feature. By focusing on these daily, small, achievable goals before I knew it 1,000 miles had passed, then 2,000 miles, then 3,000 miles. Now here I am, after 59 days of riding 3,765 miles I crossed the country by bike. I think there’s an allegory for life in this bike trip.  By focusing on small, achievable goals eventually you can do big things.

Today’s ride was an easy 56 miles on familiar trail and roads. I took my time in the morning, no need to rush so I had coffee, motel breakfast and finished up yesterdays blog post. I was on the road around 8:15 for a five mile ride to the Dutchess County Trail which combined with the Maybrook trail will take me 35 miles to Brewster, NY. New York has done a great job building out their Empire State trail network.  The Dutchess County Trail starts in New Paltz, NY and connects south to other trails taking you about 100 miles to the tip of Manhattan almost all on bike trail.  For anyone in the area, I highly recommend these trails.  I rode a lot of training rides on the Maybrook trail, now I will be heading home after 3,800 miles of cross country riding on the same trails I rode while contemplating this tour.

For those of you not from this area, I should have mentioned the weather yesterday when I rode my 104 mile day.  It was hot and humid with a heat index of 105. Today is similar. Riding in this weather is not as bad as it sounds.  The breeze from riding keeps you cool, especially if there’s some shade. The wooded trails provide a fair amount of tree cover. It gets difficult on climbs when I’m exerting myself and not moving fast enough for a cooling breeze. Most of today’s ascent gain was on rail trail so only 1.5% grade, barely even noticeable at this point.

My ride into Danbury and home was on roads I’m all too familiar with by car but rarely by bike. I rode right though downtown on roads I would always avoid when out for a bike ride.  When you get more comfortable riding in traffic you tend to ride more like a jackass, weaving around and taking up the lane. I didn’t need to get hit by a car this close to the finish line.

The only climbing I had was the last mile to my house, we live up a hill, nothing big but a few short steep sections.  I followed  since I’ve used Google so much on this trip, figured it would be a good way to end.  I made one change about a half mile from the house to avoid a short steep hill but the road was closed for chip sealing. I found this hilarious.  I thought of all the miles I rode on chip sealed road complaining about how the rough surface slows me down and newly chip sealed roads are somewhat dangerous with piles of loose gravel. I hit it hundreds of yards from my house.

I was greeted by family and neighbors happy to see my return, in one piece I guess. The garage doors were decorated with pictures I took and they even had a finish line tape.

It’s been a long trip over two months.  I’ve seen a lot and met many interesting people along the way. Over the weekend I will write a couple posts about my final thoughts on the tour and the route along with a gear review. But for now I’ll end with the most common question I was asked by non cyclists “do you get bored?”. Or the alternative, “What do you do to pass the time?”. The answer is no, I didn’t get bored.  Riding was the best part of the trip.  Some of the off bike routine began to wear on my but more on that later. I never listened to music, podcasts or audiobooks. I would find it too distracting. I enjoyed keeping this blog and the daily instagram because it kept me focused on what I experienced and how I wanted to convey that in writing.  I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing.  Thank you for following along.

Start: 6:38 AM

Finish: 5:57 PM  

Saddle Time: 8:45

Ascent: 1,271 feet

Descent:  1,516 feet

Miles: 104

Total Miles: 3,709

Highlight: Finally, a century ride.

Lowlight: Three miles into the ride I had to remove my bags and take off the rear wheel to fix a fender bolt that came loose.

Cyclemeter:  Follow this link to see the data I’m collecting with the cyclemeter app. You can see gps information, speed, elevation, distance, cadence and heart rate. Better viewed on a computer where it’s easier to play around with the graphs.

I expected to have multiple 100+ mile days on this tour, especially riding through the midwest with flat terrain and the wind at my back.  At least some of those days should have a strong tailwind creating the perfect recipe for high mileage riding.  That didn’t happen.  Winds this summer were almost exclusively out of the south to east, rarely behind me. I wanted to fit in at least one before it’s over and today the accommodation locations matched up perfectly.

I’ve met a few people along the way who are routinely doing 100+ mile days, all solo, young guys. That would not work for me for a few reasons.  First, I was never really comfortable on the bike.  My legs and endurance improved a lot but the rest of my body never adapted.  I expected a 2-3 break-in period of getting used to riding all day, everyday. Like the tailwinds, that never happened. My neck/shoulders and butt always started to hurt after about 50 miles and was the limiting factor with how far I wanted to ride. Riding pleasure decrease after 50 miles and dropped dramatically after about 75. Second, I think it would have increased my likelihood of ending up injured.  One of my concerns starting this trip was I don’t recover fast. Getting beat down day after day would likely eventually break me.  I think 75-85 mile days are my sweet spot, a decent days ride without leaving me exhausted. Third, I actually want to see things along the way.  I like to stop at roadside historical markers or other points of interest. If you are riding 100+ mile days you really don’t have time. Today was singularly focused on riding 100+ miles.  I didn’t take many pictures, I had a lot of riding to do.

Last night I used Grubhub to order up Chinese food since there was nothing but a gas station within walking distance of my motel so I had the leftovers for breakfast. Ordering delivery is such a waste of money but at times like this it works perfectly. I didn’t want to make any significant food stops along the way so a big breakfast should keep me going for a while.

The first 15 miles was paved canal trail to Schenectady where the canal bends north before descending to Albany.  I followed Google’s directions which had me take roads to Albany, then head south on route 9. All the todays road riding was along New York established bike routes so the shoulders tended to be decent with bike paths through some of the cities.

At about 20 miles the skies started to get very dark. I checked the weather and found a thunderstorm warning for the next half hour.  When slight rain started to fall I figured it best for me to take cover and see what happens.  I stopped at a gas station and had a breakfast sandwich, not that I needed it but if I’m stopping I might as well make use of the time, it will save me a stop later. The storms never really developed in my area so I started riding again after about 15 minutes.

The heat and humidity were picking up, it was noticeably oppressive.  I’m at the point now where I really don’t pay attention to the weather other than wind. I’ve been out in the heat all summer so I feel acclimated to riding in most conditions.  On a bike you at least get a breeze cooling you down and if I’m not in serious climbing mode I’m really not exerting myself all that much so I don’t overheat until temps hit the high 90’s but I admit to feeling the humidity today.  I decided to stop at a gas station about every 20 miles to down a bottle of gatorade, eat something like ice cream and refill my water bottles. I think this worked well keeping me fueled and hydrated.

My brief ride through Albany was interesting. Parts of it felt like Brooklyn while others had  what were once really nice old houses, some seem to be in a state of restoration. My ride south was along Route 9 so parallel to the Hudson but too far away for any decent views.  There were a lot of nice old houses along the way but I was too hot and too singularly focus on riding to take many pictures.

I made it to my motel around 6:00, about an 11 hour day with stops. This is too much.  My legs felt pretty good but my neck and shoulders were killing me, I downed an Advil at about 80 miles hoping it would take the edge off. By the time I hit the high 90 mileage I was more mentally tired than physically.  Riding on the road in traffic all day is exhausting, I’m constantly keeping an eye on the shoulder ahead, picking my route through the various potholes and debris along the way while keeping an eye on traffic behind me. I noticed as time went on I was less capable of simultaneously doing all those tasks and I was riding more reactionary to what’s right in front of me.  This can get dangerous as I may swerve into traffic or hit something on the road that could cause a flat or other damage to my bike. Other than my neck and shoulders my body could easily do another 20-30 miles if needed but my mind was done. I think this is about my limit for a safe ride. I’m glad I was able to fit in a century ride, my first on tour and my first ever.  I may do another one in the next week or two, on the Maybrook and Duchess County trails I’ll be riding on today. This time without bags, with a recovered body and off the roads. I’m curious how I’ll feel.

Last day tomorrow, hard to believe. It will be an easy 55 mile ride on familiar roads and trail, including the Maybrook and Duchess county trails where I did a lot of my training rides before leaving for Seattle. I’m sure while riding I will recall what I was thinking back then about the upcoming tour, now with the advantage of hindsight having complete a cross country bike ride.

Start: 7:20 AM

Finish: 5:15 PM  

Saddle Time: 6:38

Ascent: 317 feet

Descent:  358 feet

Miles: 84

Total Miles: 3,605

Highlight: Rode for a couple hours with another cross country cyclist I met along the way.

Lowlight: Got rained on for the first time in 57 days.

Cyclemeter:  Follow this link to see the data I’m collecting with the cyclemeter app. You can see gps information, speed, elevation, distance, cadence and heart rate. Better viewed on a computer where it’s easier to play around with the graphs.

My record didn’t last. I’ve ridden cross country for 56 days and over 3,000 miles without experiencing any significant rain, until today, three days from home. It rained hard with a few brief showers. I was already wet with sweat from the high humidity so no need to put on rain the gear that I carried for almost no reason. It actually felt good, very refreshing and cleaned some of the dust and mud off my bike and bags.  I’ve been looking at my bike lately thinking I really should clean it up.

There’s not a whole lot to say about today, it was more of a get from point A to point B type of day. The ride started with mud. When I left my motel I could see it rained last night. The first 10 miles or so of trail was old, poor quality stone dust that has largely degraded to grass and mud. I had an 80 mile day and really wanted to finish up as early as possible to avoid some heat but also get online to post yesterdays blog since my wifi and cell signal were terrible last night. Mud slows you down, especially when riding more of a road tire.  I have a 35mm on the front and 37mm on the back. The 35mm was originally a 37mm that was replaced back in North Dakota with whatever the bike shop had on hand.  I held on to my back tire hoping a couple millimeters would make for better riding in these circumstances. Regardless, it’s slow going.

The mud fest eventually ended with some road riding detour where a long section of trail was closed for repair.  Maybe too much mud? I met an eastbound cyclist for the first time in weeks.  He’s riding from Seattle to Plymouth, MA roughly following route 20.  Remember the guy I met yesterday who wants to ride cross country on Highway 20? Well this guy is doing it. We rode together for a couple hours, through the rainstorms. Solo cyclists are a different breed. I often get asked “do you get bored?”. The answer is no, basically never.  I really don’t mind riding alone, in fact I prefer it. He felt the same way but we both like these chance encounters and riding with other cyclists for a short time.

We had lunch in Little Falls where he was staying for the night so I continued on alone. Trail conditions for the second half of the day were better than the first, it was all paved. The scenery was nothing special since it was just rail trail through the woods but at least the riding was easy and it was off road.

Tomorrow will be my first and only century ride on the tour leaving a short 55 mile day home on Friday.  Hard to believe it’s almost over.