The Route Is Done

Friday before our auction, I finished the route we are going to take to Maine and it looks like 16 days on the road with one day of no riding when we are at my brother's house in New Jersey. We have enough Hilton points to book Hampton Inns and Hilton Hotels all of the way up the coast except for the two nights we need on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. All rooms are sold out which creates a big problem if we can't find a place. We were going to take 2 days to do the 100 miles on the Outer Banks so we could do a little R&R and sightsee but unless we get a room, we might have to bypass the island.
Otherwise, the rooms are booked and now I will go into details like turn by turn directions. Mapquest and Google maps are so good.
Training today was tough. Wind was steady at 17 mph from the north so going up the KB bridge the first time, we were already at 9 mph before we hit the first tenth of a mile. Of course, going the other way, it was 40.1.
Brought enough food and drink this morning to finish without any challenges and finished 53 miles.

More Work Needs To Be Done

A quick note -- Monday was not a good day for this old body. Tuesday was okay. Today my legs are still sore from the weekend rides which indicates to me that I have a long way to go and short time to do it before June 17th comes around.
Will be back on the bike for a 30 miler in the morning and then duplicate the 130 miles on this coming weekend. Got to remember to bring more food.

5-Hour Energy Joins Our Team

Friday we received word that 5-Hour Energy will supply us with enough product for the ride and officially joins our sponsor team. I sure could have used a second bottle today after I ran out of food on my 70 mile ride this morning. I didn't plan ahead.
Left the house at 0-dark-30 or just past 6 a.m. and did 12 miles before meeting Joe for the usual 46 miler. Afterwards, I went south and before I committed to going all of the way to Blackpoint Marina, realized I was low on water and out of food and I was struggling. So, instead of finishing 70 miles, I finished 66 for a total of 130 on the weekend. I think I would be feeling a lot better if I had brought another energy bar or another pack of GU with me -- will know for next week.
Went back and checked total mileage for the entire year of 2010 and discovered that here, the 6th day of May, I have gone exactly half that distance this year. Before the I start the ride next month I probably will be close to the 3,000 plus miles I rode last year.
Got two big events this week so training will have to be done inside before hitting the roads again Saturday.

The Date Is Set

It is t-minus 48 days and counting as we have set the date for the start of our journey to Maine. June 17th, a Sunday, is now official and I expect to take 16 days to cross the border from New Hampshire into Kittery. The date was moved back, moved up and shaken all about because of the uncertainty of a couple of events we might still be working. The last of the three possibles is at Fort Lauderdale Country Club on June 15th so we just said if we get that one, great. If not, we will leave on Sunday anyway.
That works out better as well because now I can contact the Jacksonville bicycling clubs and ask if they would join me as I start out from their area.
Also am planning two fundraisers -- one at Elite Bicycle Store in Miami on June 8th and one in Jacksonville on the 16th.
It hasn't stopped raining since Saturday afternoon and more of the same is scheduled for Tuesday.
I guess that is what the trainer is for -- riding indoors and going nowhere. Already have close to 100 miles on the trainer since friend Bob Wechsler brought it over last month.

What a Wash Out

The weekend started out with low expectations because of a weather system which seemed to be parked over South Florida. Saturday the radar at 6 a.m. showed showers offshore and somehow, we were able to get to Key Biscayne and back to Kendall without any rain, though the rains overnight had soaked the area. I left Joe to head south to Black Point to see if I could get in 70 miles but when I arrived at Deering Estate, the mist turned into sprinkles and every where I looked -- south and west -- cars were coming with wipers and headlights on. Not a good sign. So, I cut it short and got home before the sky dropped, finishing up 54 miles.
Sunday I was not riding because of an event we had scheduled in Broward but once again, the radar showed the entire area covered in reds and greens (rains). The event was finally postponed until the end of May and as I sit and write this before noon, we are now under a flood watch. It hasn't stopped raining since about 4 this morning.
Probably will get on the trainer this afternoon and watch some television and ride for an hour.

A routine 60-miler

Last weekend was the MS ride here in South Florida and Saturday's weather was so bad with heavy winds and rain coming down sideways, the first day was cancelled. As was my training.
Sunday was windy but none of my guys decided to ride but I went out and rode the usual route, even sneaking into Cape Florida State Park and taking a break at the Key Biscayne Lighthouse.
But on the way out of the island, a small group of about 12 slid past me at a comfortable 18-20 mph pace and I asked their destination. Deering. So, as we headed directly into the wind going south, I hid behind and sometimes inside the group and rode to Deering Estate. The short ride to the house completed a 60-mile trip and when I got home, I discovered Allison had come up from Key West for a couple of hours and it was a great surprise.
Because of an event Sunday, I will only ride one day this weekend and hope to latch on to another group and do 60 or more again.

Two Months Away

Still unsure of the exact date we are leaving even though we are about two months from departure. Our friend Kenny from Nike in Orlando might get us involved in two tournaments the week of June 10th and we might also have an event in Fort Lauderdale on the Friday we are supposed to be in Jacksonville. I think it will all work out in the next couple of days.
Right now, the route has us working hard the first couple of days -- 120 miles the first day and about 100 the second so we can quickly scoot across Georgia and get to Myrtle Beach, SC. Then it will be about 80 miles the next couple of days. We plan on taking 2 days on the Outer Banks even though it is just 100 miles so we can relax, do a bit of tourist stuff before taking three more days to get to my brother's house in New Jersey. Once past Manhattan, the mileage drops signficantly as the elevation changes come into play. But for those who live in South Florida who know it is 250 miles from Miami to Orlando, the distance from New York to Boston is just 200 miles so even if it takes me 4 days to do it, we will still be able to finish up in about 15 days.