Day 3 Video: How much power?

Posted on 24. May, 2009 by carlos.

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Day 3: From Roy Paradise to Amish Paradise

Posted on 23. May, 2009 by carlos.

Hanging out with Roy from Phoenix Cycles gave us a great boost for the next morning. His manorisms were calming. You can tell from his smile below:

Joe had a small knee injury that was pinching every so often. Between Dave from Tsunami Cycles and Roy, Joe was able to figure out what may be causing his pain. It ended up being a combination of poor use of gearing, causing him to peddle harder when peddling faster was needed, and also an adjustment of the saddle.

We were both able to pick up more speed today. Joe’s body was agreeing with him, and there was no pressure in his knees. The roads were flat, and there was very little head-wind. Passing through Amish country meant frequent breaks, “kick-ass garage sales,” and bonnets.

Overall, today was the best days of riding.

Stats
Miles today: 49.25
Total miles: 166.95
Flats today: Carlos – 1, Joe – 0
Total flats: Carlos – 1, Joe – 0
Crashes: Carlos – 0, Joe – 0
Horse and buggies passed: 2 

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Day 2: Joe Wants Arby’s, No Flats, and Cadence

Posted on 23. May, 2009 by carlos.

• Cadence (how fast you peddle) is very important when going long distances. Trying to keep my cadence around 80rpm allows me worry about my heart-rate and not the speed of the bike. In other words, no matter what the terrain, I exert almost the same amount of energy when peddling.
• There’s a direct correlation between Joe’s hunger, and his irritability. Glad we figured this out early in the ride so it won’t happen again.
• We had a really hard time finding water. Many times we were tempted to use someone’s hose attached to the side of a barn.

Cycling tip: If hills are daunting and you find yourself winded even after small ones, get a cycling computer that measures your cadence. Spend a few days worrying about peddling at a constant speed, rather than the speed your mind wants to push the bike.

Stats
Miles today: 54.7
Total miles: 117.7
Flats today: Carlos – 1, Joe – 0
Total flats: Carlos – 1, Joe – 0
Crashes: Carlos – 0, Joe – 0

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Day 1: Flat, Random Host, and Good Times.

Posted on 20. May, 2009 by carlos.

Today was filled with experimenting the best flow. Who handles the directions? Who is in front? Who is doing our tweeting? How do we figure out which way is best to ride when we need to alter the route on the fly?

The day started off with a 2 hour drive from Mahopac, NY to  Neptune City, NJ. I was a little too  worried that we would not have enough sunlight because we left a few hours later than hoped. My mind eased as the day progressed.

The turns started to get annoying after our directions told us our 60 mile route in increments of 0.5 – 1.5 miles. Touring Tip: Try to stay on the same road when going from point A to B. Even if you have to go a few extra miles when planning your route, it will be worth it to not look down at your map and wonder if you are on the right road every few miles.

We would have offended the touring cyclists before us if we did not take a picture on the starting-point-ocean.

After 6.7 miles, Carlos decided to ride over nail. 

Passing through Trenton, NJ we asked this family sitting outside for a refill of our water. A simple request turned into an amazing few minutes of laughing and them wishing us the best. 

Becky was our host for the day. We met her today, and she let us strangers spend the night with her and her husband. The random act of hospitality starts this trip off well.

Stats
Miles today: 63
Total miles: 63
Flats today: Carlos – 1, Joe – 0
Total flats: Carlos – 1, Joe – 0
Crashes: Carlos – 0, Joe – 0

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Biking 100 miles from Austin Tx to Shiner Tx

Posted on 03. May, 2009 by carlos.

Yesterday, I pedaled for 100 miles with nearly 1,500 other cyclists (Great Austin to Shiner Pedal).  Noteworthy attractions included  fancy bikes, skin-tight clothes, and calves the size of pineapples. For the entire ride we battled a 15-30mph headwind, cursing <insert wind-god here>.  I rode with a full pack which meant an extra 25lbs to lug uphill.

Every 10 to 20 miles well-organized rest stops offered water, oranges, Powerbars, crackers, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the riders.  Thank you to Shiner Brewery and to all the sponsors and volunteers for running an incredible event!

What I Learned:

• Headwind will be one of our toughest challenges.
• Drafting (when cyclists ride very close to each other in a line) is the best defense.
• Some cyclists are jerks, and some are not.
• Our bike’s weight and aerodynamics matter in the long run.
• A ‘long ride’ is as much mental as it is physical.  One altered thought can give the body much-needed energy.

Congratulations to @perks and @stretch_aye (the only fixed gear to finish) for riding!

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Lassie Wanted Blood (Dealing with Dogs)

Posted on 21. Apr, 2009 by carlos.

Luckily, it only got my rear pannier.

This Sunday I went out for a solo 67 mile ride from Austin, TX to Bastrop, TX. The scenery consisted of beautiful farm country and huge family-owned plots of land. To keep myself entertained, I made animal sounds at every farm creature I passed: I’d bark at most dogs knowing they were safely fenced in. It became a game – all the dogs gave friendly ‘hello-barks’. Except this dog.

About 10 miles into my return ride, I came to a hill. The hill screamed at me, “turn around, you should not have done this.” To which I replied, “your mom.” I put my bike in the lowest possible gear and decided this hill would either make or break my ride. One pedal-turn gained me only about 4 inches of road: a challenge I gladly accepted.
Making it to the top gave me this huge sense of satisfaction. I had not walked that bike up the hill. I was tired, worn out, and not ready to ‘Hulk smash’ Fido.

The hill-top was not as imagined…

After climbing that hill, I expected girls in bikinis to hand out water, fellow cyclists to pat me on the back , and Mufasa to smile down from the clouds.

After passing 15 fenced-in dogs along the ride, it took me a few moments and some of my own barks to understand that a pack of three (#16, #17, and #18) were charging full-speed from a non-fenced house. I pedaled like a cartoon character, finding myself still in “granny gear,” and went nowhere.

The snarling badass-of-the-pack smashed headfirst into my rear pannier, jamming my bag into the spokes and sending me into a small ditch on the other side of the street.

I composed myself, took stock of the situation, and grabbed my frame-pump in an effort to look bigger. Two of the three dogs backed off, but the head of the pack stayed for a fight.

A car passed by, the driver no doubt wondered why I was in a ditch holding a frame-pump in the air.

I tried to look big, and failed miserably.

I pulled the pannier out from my spokes and, careful to keep the bike between myself and the dog, walked to the next house. Though that hill had taken all the energy out of me, I had enough adrenaline for the next 15 miles.

Lessons learned:

• Don’t bark at dogs unless you know they can’t get to you.
• Looking bigger works for some dogs, but not insane ones.
• Walking away may be the best bet for territorial dogs. 
• Dogs do not know that roads are public spaces. Someone should tell them.

Preparation for our long distance ride:

• Picking up a small can of Mace.
• Getting an air-horn.
• Not barking at dogs (as much).
• Working on the whole looking bigger thing.

Tips and tricks for dealing with dogs:

• Outrun the dog. If you already have a good speed, putting a good burst of your own energy will tire that pup out quick and it’ll realize you are the cheetah in this race. I did this with one dog, and it gave me a nice little ego boost as well.
• Air horn or ‘doggy-horn.’ Picking up a small air horn will not only scare the kibbles and bits out of the dog, but will bring attention if you are in true danger. There are some ultra-sonic dog repellents out in the market which send sound waves only dogs can hear.
• Mace the face. We are keeping mace on our bikes for dogs that get too close for comfort. Make sure you are not on private property before spraying; this will help avoid the inevitable legal issues if you attack a dog in its own yard.
• Move from their territory. Most dogs will lose interest once you pass by their territory. Use this to your advantage and just move away from their domain.
• Call the cops. If you find yourself in a life-threatening situation, such as being cornered by a pit bull or doberman pinscher, we suggest keeping the bike between you and the dog and calling the cops right away. Not only is your own safety at stake, but the owner needs to take responsibility and face repercussions.

The tips listed above are how we plan to deal with dogs. Feel free to choose your own “weapon” from any of these resources: Crazyguyonabike.com, Pearlandcyclingclub.com or by searching Google for “dealing with dogs, cycling.”

For the fun of it, here is the house where the dogs came from:

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Image Credit: Milqito and hand-nor-glove

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Cost to Bring Your Bicycle on Different Airlines

Posted on 15. Apr, 2009 by carlos.

Joe and I will be flying to New York to start our ride on May 20th. We expected a reasonable fee to bring our bikes on the planes. Unfortunately, some airlines hate the ‘wheeled’ kind of people and want you poor. Hopefully this chart helps some new commuters pick the best airline for taking your bike to the relatives for a long weekend.

Many of these airlines will not charge you if the box that you ship your bicycle in is under ~62 linear inches (which most bicycle boxes are not.) These fees were taken as though we were shipping a ‘normal’ size bicycle. This chart is not for people who have foldable bikes (which it appears many airlines will carry for free, or simply the excess baggage fee.) Lastly, these are fees for domestic airlines and domestic flights.

Every airline requires that your bicycle be put into a box, or hard case. There is no need to list the many variations of the same exact thing from each airline. Please visit the provided airline link to make sure the packing of your bicycle is correct.

Update 1: It is worthwhile to mention that Amtrak only charges $5-$10 per bike. This may be something to take into consideration if you have more time than money to kill. (Thanks @amodernbird )

Up to date as of April 15th, 2009

Credit: Image

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5 Cross Country Bike Rides to Follow this Summer

Posted on 02. Apr, 2009 by carlos.

Other tours, past and present, have given us great ideas and tips for our own planning. Real Geeks Ride is the ‘geek ride’ of this year using technology as its main idea, but others are doing the ride for amazing causes as well. We even have potential to cross paths with one of the other rides!

Joe and I have spoken to most of the guys below and we are honored to be on a list with them.

Check out these 5 unique cross country bike rides that are leaving the Summer of 2009:

1. Real Geeks Ride

Cause: To get 1,000 geeks to bike to work.
Dates: May 20, 2009 – August 2, 2009
Website: RealGeeksRide.com
Bikers: Carlos Urreta and photographer Joe Philipson
Follow: Blog : Twitter : 12seconds : Youtube : Brightkite : Dailymile Training (Carlos | Joe)

Thats us! Unless someone rips off this post, the site you are on is for Real Geeks Ride. We started this project not knowing about cycling and this is the story of our transition from geeks to ‘geeks on bikes.’ Join us for the interaction, pictures, videos, and our own quirkiness along the way.

2. Tumble Weeds Tour

Cause: To raise money and awareness for Project Rwanda.
Dates: TBA
Website: Tumble Weeds Tour
Bikers: Ben, Ryan, Dan, John
Follow: Twitter, Blog

If Project Rwanda or any of these fantastic guys spark your interest, make sure to keep tabs on what they are doing. We may be crossing paths with these fine lads somewhere in the midwest. If we do, we challenge them to a spontaneous-video-taped-on-the-spot-dance-battle! Do you accept?

3. Bike the US for MS

Cause: Funding Multiple Sclerosis research & supporting the MS community.
Dates: June 1st, 2009 – ?
Website: Bike the US for MS
Bikers: List of cyclists here
Follow: Twitter, Blog

This great group of people was the first touring organization to find us and start chatting. We’ve been discussing routes and encouraging each other from the start. Make sure to follow if you know anyone with MS, or interested in helping their cause.

4. Follow Nathan

Cause: Raising awareness for land and nature conservation.
Dates: May 10th, 2009 – ?
Website: Follow Nathan
Bikers: Nathan
Follow: Blog, Twitter

Follow Nathan and support nature conservation. While RgR may be the geek ride for this summer, Nathan is doing a nice job at bringing attention to his cause through social media. He’s going at it alone which is extremely admirable, and RgR is very excited to interact with him while all on the road.

5. Phil Rides Across America

Cause: To bring awarness to MS, promote riding, and “share the Ultimate Food.”
Dates: March 28, 2009 – May 9, 2009
Website: Phil Rides Across America
Bikers: Phil Keoghan
Follow: Blog, Photos

If you like reality shows and big budget events, this is a good ride to follow. Any fans of Amazing Race or of Phil himself will see another side to the television personality. There are plenty of big sponsors on this ride, and he’s doing it for a great cause.

Image: Flickr

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