Google Earth Files

Below are links to my map files of my ride (in .kmz format) which can be opened in Google Earth. There are some miles missing due to me forgetting to turn the GPS device on, or having to take a car, bus or train for part of the trip.
When you open one of the files below in Google Earth, Google Earth will display the ride route on a 3D map. There are various ways to view a file, including the overhead "tour" that I discussed in one of my first blog posts.

Download Google Earth here: http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html

Here are links to the .kmz files from my ride. Download a file, then open it in Google Earth:

8-3-2008 (lost file)
8-4-2008
8-5-2008
8-6-2008
8-7-2008
8-8-2008
(injury recovery days)
8-11-2008
8-12-2008
(injury recovery/waiting for replacement bike parts to arrive)
8-16-2008
8-17-2008
8-18-2008 (bike repair day / trip to Las Vegas for repair)
8-19-2008
8-20-2008
8-21-2008
8-22-2008
8-23-2008
8-24-2008
8-25-2008
8-26-2008 (lost file)
8-27-2008
8-28-2008
8-29-2008
8-30-2008
8-31-2008
9-1-2008
9-2-2008
9-3-2008
9-4-2008
9-5-2008
9-6-2008
9-7-2008
9-8-2008
9-8-2008 (2)
9-9-2008
9-10-2008
9-13-2008
9-19-2008 (Philadelphia ride, including the Manayunk Wall)

An Update, Pictures and Files

Hello to anyone who is reading this blog. Hopefully my experiences will be entertaining to read about and helpful if you are planning your own trip.

I am now doing well. I finally overcame the Achilles tendonitis (in each Achilles) as well as in my peroneus (tendon on the outer upper shin). I started doing a few rides a week in December and then started (gradually) training for bike racing again in January. These were tough injuries to overcome as the left achilles and peroneus tendonitis seemed to go away in early August, but returned in force in late September and October (weeks after I stopped riding). Additionally, the seemingly mild right achilles tendonitis was extremely persistent. In late September and October I had two bum Achilles which made getting around (on a bike or walking) a difficult and depressing proposition.

Additionally, I passed the bar exam and I was recently sworn in as an attorney. I trained for this bike trip while studying for the bar exam and then began the trip days after taking the bar exam. The two experiences are intertwined in my memory.

Click here to view the pictures that I took during my trip. The pictures are roughly in chronological order.

I will be uploading all of my GPS ride files, in .kmz format. .kmz files are viewable in Google Earth.

No more miles...

I think the ride has come to an end. I had to stop riding last Wednesday because of tendonitis in my right achilles tendon. Conveniently, the irritation set in near Jefferson City, MO. I stopped shortly after feeling the problem set in and headed to Clarksville, TN via train and bus and spent a couple days resting with my dad. I went for a short morning ride and my achilles felt great, but I was only able to get in 30 miles on Saturday before it felt like I was about to do more damage to it. On Sunday, after about 3 miles, the same feeling set in. I thought that I would be able to head off the problem by stopping early like I did and getting in some good rest, but it was not meant to be. Currently the achilles seems to have regressed and anything other than walking on flat ground irritates it.
Up until the injury, I had not had a day completely off the bike since Las Vegas. In retrospect, a couple of rest days somewhere along the way would have made sense but I didn't feel the need for the them. I felt really good ever since Yellowstone- no tiredness in the legs and never any lingering effects from the increase in miles. Even on the morning of my injury I felt like I was getting stronger and ready to push harder.
I have certainly had a great trip, around 3200 miles total on the bike. I hope that you have enjoyed following along. I will update this site with many more pictures and information (stats) about the rides and the routes.

Thanks-Ben

Miles and Miles

I finally have some access to the interwebs, but not much time to write.

The day after my visit to Quarq, I headed back onto the Interstate for what I hoped would be a 70 mile leg of a 120 mile day. That did not happen. The turtle I saw on the side of the interstate in the morning would be a good mascot for the day. I ran into a stiff headwind and managed to go all of 67 miles. 67 miles. I pedaled and pedaled but went nowhere. This was my trip and I wasn't going to spend it going 13mph bicycling on the Interstate. I went to Rapid City to catch a bus - but the only bus for the day left at 8am. I called to rent a car but remembered that I only had my motorcycle learner's permit on me, leaving my license at home. Crap. I would be spending the day going 13mph on the Interstate. Luckily I gave into my desire to eat some real food around 6pm and stopped in Wall, SD. I had a choice to keep going on the interstate and put in another 20 miles or so until dark or stop in Wall. Wall happens to be the exit for the Badlands National Park. I asked for tomorrow's weather report - favorable winds were predicted. Day over...all 67 miles of it.

I got up early and headed to the Badlands. They are called "badlands" because the French traders had some much trouble traversing them. The park is beautiful- the park is like a mini Grand Canyon, though with less color. I can't believe I almost missed this place. And then I pedaled and pedaled and pedaled. Miles were on sale and I was buying in bulk. I had a favorable wind, scenic terrain (Route 44 features more of the "badlands" formations), and a desire to make up for yesterday. I called it a day in Winner, SD at 162 miles. Big day.

The next day my legs felt good, but my bottom was a bit sore. And I had serious stomach issues. During the previous night I tried to replace all the calories that I burned the day before (about 5200 on the bike) and my stomach refused to play along. I had food aversion, then a stomach flu-type feeling, then a general flu feeling. Achy joints all around. Crap. Every mile towards the end was uncomfortable. I stopped in O'Neil, NE at about 115 miles. About 12.5 hours of sleep that night made everything better.

Next up...flat, boring Nebraska. Pancake flat, from O'Neill, NE to Fremont, NE. I thought this would make riding easier, but as the power meter showed, riding flats takes more energy than riding hills. Reason: no coasting in the flats. I burned over 5500 calories on the bike, over the course of 150 miles. A big day and a huge effort.

More miles - 135 miles from Fremont, NE to Falls City, NE. Largely featureless, more flats. I met a local cyclist in the last 10 miles whose company was quite helpful in finishing off the end of the ride.

Finally, to today - 115 miles from Falls City, NE to Overland Park, Kansas (just outside of KC). I am staying with a family friend and it has been great. I had a wonderful pesto tortellini dinner and everything else I could possibly ask for. The ride today was rough at first- more numbing featureless riding with some light rain, though usually with a helpful wind. But then I let the Drunken Lieutenant (the Garmin 705 GPS unit) figure the route through the sprawl of Leavenworth/Overland Park/etc. The result was, fittingly, a drunken road: Wolcott Drive. The road went straight up, straight down, hard left, hard right. It had character, it played games, it was reckless. It was fun! I needed this desperately, as hundreds of miles through farmland was sapping my enthusiasm.

I hope to be in Clarksville, TN by Friday, and I should be able to conclude the trip before 9/21 with a ride on Skyline Drive, north of Charlotteville, VA.

Interstate Riding and a visit to Quarq

I have been informed by headquarters (my mom) that I need to put in some serious mileage to make it back in time. That, coupled with the lack of roads in Wyoming, meant that I would be taking the interstate. Yes, Wyoming allows bikes on their interstate (as does South Dakota). Interstate riding is actually not too bad as the wide shoulder with rumble strip provides ample protection and the passing trucks give a much-appreciated tailwind.
The interstate's smooth grades (4% max) means speed, and speed means miles (130 or so today). I averaged about 20mph today in my ride from Gillette to Blackhawk, SD. All went well except for the part where there was construction that turned the interstate into a mini section of cobbles, reminiscent of the Paris-Roubaix bicycle race. Another section of construction meant that the paved road was completely replaced with a dirt road. Neat.

In Spearfish, SD I stopped by the manufacturer of the Cinqo power meter on my bike, Quarq. Their power meter is a great device that measure how much power (in watts) I produce when pedaling. It is the best method to determine the intensity of my efforts as it is unaffected by wind or hills or any other variables. The power meter also determines the amount of work (in kilojoules) that I do. This number can be converted to approximate the number of calories that I burn so that I make sure I am eating the proper amount of food. Additionally, it helps me meter my efforts so I do not burn out. Also, when I am not putting up watts like I should, it is time to take it easy for a few days or take a day off.
I was treated to a full tour by Jim and Mieke Meyer, the dynamic duo that run Quarq (http://www.quarq.us). They have an impressive operation and it was neat to see all the testing and prep that went into making the device that is on my bike. Additionally, they hooked me up with a new cadence magnet (which I lost in Mariposa), a chain cleaning, a firmware upgrade, a new battery for the meter, Clif bars, and a new mount for the Drunken Lieutenant (the Garmin 705 Bicycle GPS computer).

Bicycling in Football Weather

Hot on the heels of the Bald Mountain challenge, Wyoming served up some more whoop ass in the form of weather. This was a bit worse that the 30mph headwind I weathered earlier in the week. The Sheridan to Gillette ride featured high temps in the mid 40s, a windchill in the mid 30s, wind, and rain.
Miserable.
I pedaled my brains out to stay warm. I had my eyes locked on the bike computer's trip odometer, eager to feed off any progress. The miles went slowly due to the rolling terrain.
My hands were the major casualty, particularly my left thumb. Despite regular warmings it stopped working properly and I had to use my right hand to shift the gear lever on the left.
The main problem with being out in this weather was the duration. 112 miles on rolling terrain meant that the day would not go quickly. Hours upon hours in the cold was not invigorating. The oddly warm stench of death, from what seemed like 100s of dead deer by the side of the road, dominated my runny nose. Plenty of live deer watched me pass, some running with me, some away from me, and some just standing still with their oversize ears catching the hum of my chain.
The miles finally started to add up and the sprawl of Gillette was a welcome scene. 6 miles to go! And then the deluge started. Soaked. Completely soaked. Freezing. I was such a pitiful site that a driver offered to give me a ride. I made it 105 miles in this crud, I was certainly going to make it the last 6.
And I did. I hope that Wyoming is done with me.

War on Bald Mountain

I knew the ride on Route 14A up Bald Mountain would be tough. The kind gentleman who gave me water at the depot in Warren, WY told me that sections of the road were 10% grade. This worried me, since my gearing only allows me to only climb up to 8% - and I haven't had anything steeper than that on the trip for any appreciable distance. (For reference, an 8% grade means that there is 8ft of elevation gain for every 100ft of horizontal distance traveled.)
The climb would also be tough as the climb was in mile 25-30 of an 84 mile stretch that did not appear to have any place to get water/food. This required me to use my 2 spare water containers (holding 2 liters) which meant additional weight on my back. Additionally, I was carrying the heavyweight sweatshirt and sweatpants used to weather the night on top of the Beartooth Highway. And I was carrying a decent amount of food as well.
I figured the climb would be tough, but it was not tough. It was nearly impossible. The climb quickly started at 7%, then settled into a steady 9%. Taxing. I looked up and saw the switchbacks going up the side of the mountain, but they were confusing because of their steep upward angle and the fact that there were relatively few switchbacks. A steady 9% was ok and I pedaled on. But then 9% turned out to the be the minimum on the climb. The climb was more like an 11-13% climb with the "flat" sections at 9%.
Brutal.
As the infamous Donald Rumsfeld reminded us, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you want. I was stuck with the gearing and the 25lbs of weight on my back. And I was going to get up this mountain.
Pedal pedal pedal, huff and puff. Stop. Pedal pedal pedal, huff and puff. Stop. Pedal standing up, pedal sitting down. Stop. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
This was WWI-style trench warfare. I made progress in segments that were measured in fractions of a mile. Demoralizing. Embarrassing.
The gearing was forcing me to work at a pace that I could only keep up for a couple minutes at a time. Essentially, I was doing two to four minute intervals at near maximum effort. No big deal, I had done plenty of intervals to train for this trip. But, the last time I did intervals was 45+ days ago. And I had to meter these intervals so I would not burn out and so that I had enough juice left for another 70+ miles of riding. Additionally the bulk of this climb was taking place above 6000' and the thin air was not helping.
Pedal pedal pedal. Stop. Pedal pedal pedal. Stop. All I could hear was my hectic breathing.
A passenger in a car was clapping for me. Every bit of encouragement helps...
Various leg parts started to weaken. Tendons started complaining. Stop.
There was no way I could walk the bike up in my biking shoes and I was not going to get a ride up in a pick-up. Or was I? It was getting late...I still had 70+ miles to go...this thing was just too steep.
Pedal pedal pedal. Stop. Flat tire. Oh well, I needed the break anyway.
I had made it up every hill on the trip so far, even when both my legs were practically crippled and I was going to make it up this hill. Right?
Pedal pedal...just make it to that sign. Stop.
Wow...made it up to 5mph during that last segment. Great job. At that rate we'll be done in about 14 hours. Excluding the breaks.
Pedal pedal...no more switchbacks...and only a 9% grade, which felt relatively flat! Stop...must appease those muscles and tendons.
8%...6%...4%...flats! I checked out the altimeter and I was about 8500' up. Only 900' of vertical to go. I passed a sign (facing the opposite direction) warning of the upcoming "10%" grades and pointing out the brake testing and runoff areas. The worst was over, but I couldn't quite believe that I in the clear yet.
Still more climbing, but it was relatively tame and the now familiar mountaintop landscape meant that the summit could not be too far off.
And finally, there it was, a modest sign that read "Summit Elev 9430'".
I erupted in tears of joy, in disbelief that I actually reached the top. My ascent was not pretty and certainly among the slowest on record, but I made it. The climb was the most difficult thing I have done on a bike, and probably the most difficult thing I have done, ever.
There was not too much time to celebrate as it was already well into the afternoon and I still had the majority of my 100 mile trip, from Lovell to Sheridan, to complete. The rest of the trip was largely uneventful...some more climbing (6500' on the day), but mostly downhill and I made it to Sheridan at dusk.
The most challenging day of the trip was over and I survived. The rest would be easy after this, right?