TD23- gearing up...

So... I'm committed to this thing now! In 5 months, Mike Buckley and I will start the Tour Divide race in Banff, Alberta and head south with the goal of reaching Antelope Wells, NM in 4-6 weeks.  Frankly, we're not intending to "race," at least not like the folks who intend to compete for a potential win. We're planning to ride hard and as fast as we can and still enjoy ourselves for 8+ hours a day in the saddle.  Sleep deprivation is not on the menu ;-)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 33 - Glenwood, NM to Silver City, NM

Image
So... today is the last "regular" riding day on the GDMBR! Unfortunately, we're dealing with record heat here in the desert southwest --and our potential safety stops between Silver City and the border are temporarily closed (Jeffrey Sharp's bike ranch has had their water run out!).  So we're playing it safe, and ending our ride here...  If your curious  how hot it's getting-- here's what CNN is saying ;-) https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/14/weather/heat-wave-phoenix-california-las-vegas-climate/index.html.  For today, we got unbelievably lucky... Part the residue of design, part pure dumb luck!  First, we started REALLY early. We were up at 4:15 and on the road before 5:00 and with just a hint of light on the Eastern horizon.  Not that there's a lot to see in this part of New Mexico, so we didn't miss much... Just some yucca and scruffy dry grass among the mesquite and juniper that's covering the long low hills.  Today's
Read more

Day 29 - Cuba, NM to Grants, NM

Image
So... Now things are starting to get interesting in terms of strategy and tactics.  Up to this point, our concerns about weather have been focused on wind and precipitation, and then crafting our ride times and clothing accordingly. Now sun and extreme temperature is getting stirred into the mix, and it definitely complicates how we plan and approach the daily ride. Yesterday was a good case in point. We left our motel Cuba at 5:45 am to get breakfast at a great little diner when they opened at 6:00, and we were on the road at about 6:45, with the intention of riding about 60-70 miles to get us half-way to Grants, which was about 120 miles south across desert and tableland.   The first 45 miles went perfectly as planned, with two small stores providing some welcome respite from the building heat, and opportunity to top off water supply and get a cold Gatorade & a sandwich.  After that, there were no services at all on the route, so we
Read more

Day 15 - Coulter Bay, WY to Double Bar J Ranch - Dubois, WY

Image
So... Hell of a birthday ride for me today (64!)... Our group of 6 (Mike & I, a German (Wibke), and 3 Kiwis) stayed in a cabin in Coulter Bay last night. After Mike suffered a mechanical yesterday (blown out rear hub bearing), he decided to hitch into Jackson to get a bike shop to try and fix it. Wibke decided to go along with Mike as she was suffering from tendinitis in here Achilles. So I set off on the regular route of the GDMBR with the Kiwis with the intent of meeting back up with Mike in Pinedale of he could get his bike fixed...  A good plan, but like all plans, they rarely last past the first unexpected "oh crap!" moments.  Such was today... even though it started beautifully, Including my second Moose siting! Our plan was to ride up Togwothee Pass in the morning and hopefully beat the rain predicted for sometime in the early afternoon.  We all set off pretty early after a good breakfast, and I was on the road by 7:30, though In
Read more