Bike Across America – Update from Madison

I made it to Madison on June 4th, and will be here until the 12th. It’s a long break for two reasons. First, my niece, Kaitlyn, has a HS graduation party on the 8th. Second, my wife, Elizabeth and my daughter, Bridget, are flying in from NC for the party and leaving on the morning of the 12th.

So, with a week off, I am writing this post to summarize my progress, learnings, and thoughts about the adventure so far.

Stats are easiest. Yes, I am maintaining a spreadsheet on my phone. 🙂

In 29 days I’ve biked 1,338 miles. Of those, only 446 have been on roads. So, exactly one third on roads and two thirds on trails. I’m including bike lanes and paths as on trails.

Of those 29 days, I have ridden my bike on 19 of them. Lots of days visiting family have affected the number of off days. But on days I ride, I’m averaging 70 miles.

I’ve climbed 27,745 feet. According to the Komoot route, I should climb about 100,000 feet by the time I reach the Pacific Ocean. So, I have a lot of climbing yet to do.

I’ve spent just over 123 hours peddling my bike so far. So, that means I’m averaging 10.9 mph. I’m going at a conversational pace, staying in the moment, and enjoying the scenery. I’m definitely not going to set any speed records. 🙂

I’ve biked in eight states plus the District of Columbia.

I’ve stayed in hotels 15 nights, with family 10 nights, and camped 4 nights.

Most of my preparations for the adventure have been good. Here are a few things that I’m changing up.

First, I’ve already worn out my back tire. It was a knobby mountain bike tire when I started, but I’ve worn the knobs off of it. I’m replacing both tires while here in Madison with a more durable tire that will take the weight better.

I also had a problem with the blue Nalgene that I stored on my frame behind my front tire. When braking or going over a big bump, the front tire would rub against the top of the Nalgene. Over the course of the trip, I wore a hole in the side of the Nalgene and it would only hold about half the volume of water. Additionally, gravel and pieces of tire would end up in water. Not good. I’ve replaced the Nalgene with a shorter stainless steel bottle. The new bottle is 40 oz instead of the 48 oz of the Nalgene, but should solve the problem of the rub. I’m also going to increase the air pressure in my front shocks to minimize the amount of travel on them.

I have played around with how to minimize the battery drain on my cell phone. But when I’m using my Komoot app for navigation, my cellphone battery only lasts for about seven hours. I have an Anker battery pack that I use to recharge my phone and can connect it while I’m biking. So, it hasn’t been a problem. But, I’m worried that when I’m out west it could be a couple of days between places to charge my phone and battery packs. And, since I need my phone for navigation, I can’t have it run out of battery. So, I bought a second Anker battery pack and will carry it, just in case.

I have been traveling with only one bright yellow shirt, and wear it when I’ll be biking on a road. Otherwise, I’ve just been wearing a t-shirt if I’m riding on a trail all day. I bought a second bright yellow shirt and will remove one of the t-shirts from my bag. I’ll have more days of biking on roads during the rest of the trip and think I’ll want the second yellow shirt.

That’s about all the changes I’m making. Everything else seems to be working fine.

Some of the learnings I’ve had is that I am trying to do things to connect with other people as much as possible. I try to eat in small local restaurants. I look for places to stay where I can be with people (e.g., B&Bs over hotels). Staying with family has been great! It would be great to be doing this adventure with friends, just to have that social interaction.

I’ve found that people are good. No one has been negative or failed to help me when I’ve asked. I’m really enjoying getting to meet people, whether it’s for a few minutes or a day.

Being comfortable on the bike saddle is key. I’m very happy with my saddle and the tri-shorts that I am wearing under my shorts. The thin padding on the tri-shorts helps a lot. It also helps to take lots of short breaks during the day. Even a minute off of the saddle makes a big difference.

I’m really trying to stay in the moment while on the bike and not let my thoughts drift off. This is where writing this blog helps. Whenever I see something beautiful, I stop and take a picture. Many of these pictures show up in my daily blog post.

I’m not watching TV or listening to music at all on this trip. I am doing a lot of reading and appreciate the book recommendations that I’ve received. I really don’t miss TV at all. I feel like I’m a better person without it.

I started the trip with eating my usual meals of salads, fruits and vegetables. But was losing too much weight. So I’ve added more meats into my diet. I’ve also been eating lots of processed foods (mostly snacks like Cliff Bars). It’s hard to eat healthy when you’re buying food from a gas station and going out to eat all the time. I’m still minimizing sugars, but basically I’m eating a lot more food. I’ve also increased the number of meals I eat each day from two to three or four.

I’m still excited about the adventure and am not tired of riding my bike. I’m having a great time!! While I miss Elizabeth, the kids, and my friends back home. I realize how special this adventure is and what a gift it is to be able to experience it. I’m looking forward to the rest of the trip and sharing it with all of you.

My next blog post will likely be on June 11th.

Jim.