Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Training

Training takes time.

Monday, May 19, 2008

An "Average" Day

This Saturday, Scott and I rode from Grand Rapids up to his cabin in Woodville, MI--home of "The Woodville Country Store," a miniature pony, and not much else. It happened to be the eve of the "Blessing of the Bikes" up in Baldwin, so we were "blessed" with the roar of motorcycles whizzing past us all day. On the up side, the ubiquitous "Welcome Bikers" signs were very hospitable.

Our grand total mileage was 70.69 miles--a distance record for both of us. The route was pretty hilly, and there was a healthy headwind all day, so I really felt good about how it went. I am very grateful for Scott's company (roaring motorcycles aren't very good company). My bike, clothing, and equipment all treated me very well, and I successfully pedaled a short ways with a Dairy Queen blizzard (a skill that I hope to develop more fully in the future).

This time we got a lift home, but I'm trying to imagine doing this 4 weeks (or 9!) in a row. I was surprised that my seat wasn't more sore on a quick ride for an ice cream cone yesterday. That is encouraging. Yes, ice cream is my weakness.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

All the answers...ha

Thanks to a few friends and family who have taken up the hobby of cracking jokes about "fixing poverty" by riding an expensive bike, the vision of this tour is on my mind often. And I am grateful for that it.

Thanks to a recent riding partner I gained a little more insight. Not surprisingly, it has been right in front of our faces.

Bikes....poverty....cycling....poor....

Who is most affected by the consumption patterns of us North Americans?
Who can most easily change the consumption patterns of us North Americans?

Our consumption directly affects those in poverty. And though biking from Sea to Sea may seem to be irrelevant in fighting poverty, the lifestyle we are developing in ourselves and promoting to others is right on.

Bike more, burn less petroleum.

Just the bike

I am now a (self-proclaimed) cyclist. After finishing the Riverbank 25k run on Saturday, I became a full time cyclist. Its exciting! The running definitely helped my fitness for the tour, but its nice to have a single training focus as well. I have about 5 weeks until I leave to make my way to Seattle.