The 411 - 2WDs Riding Chronicles

not fun

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:55:00 +0000

I am not writing from South America, but instead from massachusetts. My body fell apart real fast in Columbia and just as Nat said, I was not having any fun. The heat and humidity seemed too much for me and I was not motivated to ride. After flying back I have found out that this was not my problem.....

we roll tomorrow, i hope!

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 21:01:34 +0000

Nat finished building up his bike 4 hours before departing for the airport leaving the reliability of his Rohloff in question. If they fail its usually in the first 100k. As we rode from the airport to the hostel it wasnt engaging 30% of the time.......thats not good....

Southern half of America tour (10N to 56S) with Nat, and friends

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:09:34 +0000

This coming Monday Nat and I fly to Cartagena for our southern bike tour. Cartagena is 10 degrees N on the Caribbean coast of Columbia and from there we pedal south. Our target destination is the most southern city in the world, Ushuaia Argentina, located south of the straight of Magellan at 56 S. Nat just emailed me, says he's showing up later than planned (typical) because he needs to return home to Ontario to sell his altitude tent first. So i get to write a bike tour packing list for our last minute guests Matt Hawkins and (possibly) Dave Young......

the (somewhat epic) finale

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:49:37 +0000

As I walked around Plainfield (Plainfield has to be one of the best places to live in VT) I kept hearing reports of big snow the next day so i changed my plans. I wasn't going to wait for good weather, but instead ride as far south as I could. I was ready for some epic pedaling.

finding E-rok

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:11:52 +0000

Plainfield is a great little town in central VT. I just sat in a cemetery with three other people (erik, Heidi, someonelse) on a beautiful sunny morning and ate an apple pie for breakfast. Erik's new place is a quarter mile from the center of town where there is a natural food coop, a couple great restaraunts, book store, library, and a bunch of places that make a nice community setting. But when i was looking for Erik I was headed to Calais, I only found him in Plainfield by chance.

1028 miles to the Holiday Inn Montreal!

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:55:02 +0000

I rolled in to Newport VT yesterday to stay a night with Scott Gilson who I haven't seen since he graduated highschool 18 years ago. So much to catch up on, 18 years is a long time. Scott was a senior when i was a freshman and he made sure i didn't get beat up by the upperclassmen. Which was challenging because i was a wise guy, pushing people's buttons even though i was small (only 90 pounds at the time)...easy target. Scott did a great job....thanks man!

mission accomplished

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 11:57:55 +0000

Addie just went to class with her 7" Shun santuko, for the first time, and that means mission tupper lake was a success. And it was quite easy i must say, but for such ease everything had to time out perfect so here's my journey from Rochester.....

rollin'

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:01:44 +0000

It took two rides to reach Rochester NY from state college PA. I had a few tailwinds and not much straight on headwind along the way but I really think its that I'm riding myself into shape. Plus the BOB is especially fast in certain conditions almost like its not even there.

the 411, in 2010, CANCELLARA!

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 12:02:11 +0000

first things first: Cancellara is a machine. I wonder how fast he could go across the cobbles with a full BOB in tow. probably faster than me without one

I arrived in State College PA on my birthday (4-11), one day faster than i expected due to tailwinds during at least a part of each day. I'm at Rebecca Donaghue's home, a runner friend from the highschool days who after a decade of injuries is healthy. And flying, she was 2nd at the Falmouth RR (only one Kenyan could beat her) and almost made the olympic team. She says that she will be able to compete during her thirties like she wanted to during her twenties. Excellent. I'm going to watch a hard track workout today before i take off and run a bit with her if my achillies tendon is okay with it

northeast tour starts tomorrow

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:45:52 +0000

I just tested out my BOB ibex trailer for the first time today. It rides smooth no hands but shimmies my CAAD7 while out of the saddle at high(er) speeds. Started to smooth that out, i should get used to it.....

the 411, in 2009

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 01:44:35 +0000

I doubt there will be any touring for me this year. Even though my bike is ready with new mavic disc rims, narrower tires, and new sleek fenders, I am not. It appears that my breakdown in the pyranees was not me being a wimp, but actually the beginning of lyme disease...

statistics

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:00:22 +0000

Just went and saw the palace and cathedral in Madrid and walked back to the youth hostel where some college age people start talking to me when they find out I'm from the states. They ask about the economy and I tell them I dunno, Ive been sleeping on the side of the road for three months but its fun to get to speak English........

Jen went right and I went left

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:34:14 +0000

it was the plan we had made the evening before. Jen stays in Spain 11 days longer than me and has the opportunity to check out the north coast while I have a flight to catch from Madrid....and on the way it was my turn to struggle....

Alps, alps; and more alps.....note: unedited

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:38:05 +0000

Oracle Jen was kinda right when she would joke to people that we would "come to a screeching halt when we hit he Alps". Unforunately its because she got a sore throat. However, we have still progressed towards Madrid (over big terrain I might add) where I need to be for my flight on October 9th...

"we'll get there when we get there"

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:55:25 +0000

"We'll get there when we get there" is what Oracle Jen says when I'm all anxiuos to hit the throttle as if we're late for something. Well, today we barely made it......