RedSpoke Reflections

It's now Wednesday, July 22nd, 3 days after the RedSpoke ride ended and time to reflect a little on my experience. First, I think the ride was great. The soreness has left my thighs finally, three days after the ride ended. On the way back to Seattle from Loon Lake I was too tired to drive more than 40 miles. With the warm car, sun in my eyes and tired body I found myself nodding off and turned the driving over to Margie. My arms, legs and hands were all swollen from loading up on Gatoraid, Incite, Gui and other high potassium compounds for five days in a row. With the accompanying water retention I gained 6 pounds over five days although I burned over 33,000 calories which is almost 10 pounds. After getting off the plane in Tampa it felt like I was walking on stumps. Thankfully, the weight gain is now gone and I'm feeling more normal. Yes, it was many times more difficult than I thought it would be. The pace was not that difficult for me but the climbs were. The hills and grades were much steeper than I am accustomed. I could stay with Brett, Scott, Deb, Juan, and Ron on anything flat and up to 3% grade. Beyond that I was droppped like a hot potato. I have much more respect for the people who climb hills and especially for big people that climb hills. There was a rider named Mongo (I don't know his real name) who was 6' 6" and probably weighed 360 or more. I have the utmost respect for him.

Support was the Best
The support provided by RedSpoke was the best. From the SAG support team and stops every hour or so to the superb mechanic from R&E everything was top notch. They loaded our bags into the van at the start of each day and unloaded everything for us at the next camping spot. Debbie even put up our tent at Davenport which was extra nice and she isn't even a Rotariat or part of the SAG team. The food was plenty and varied and for the most part delicious. Scott, the mechanic accommodated everyone's request for help as near as I can tell. The first evening in Skykomish I asked him to check out my bike and I told him the strange noises it was making. He pulled the rear wheel off and gave it a spin. In less than two seconds he had diagnosed the problem; a bad rear hub bearing. At first he wasn't sure he could fix it since he did not have the exact replacement parts for my Velocity wheel. Like McGiver would do, he used a hub off an Easton wheel. However, this hub was one millimeter too short causing the bushing to stick out one millimeter too far. That did not stop him. He fashioned a 1 millimeter washer out of a bottle cap to fix the problem and handed me my bike back. Later in the ride he adjusted my front derailleur as I had crossed over some "wake-up" bumps and this had caused me to be unable to hold my big ring. Can't say enough for Scott's support.

Implications for a Ride Across America
The RedSpoke ride has given me much to think about and ideas on how to better plan for a ride across America. I now know that it's not just miles to be considered in determining how far to ride each day. The terrain, weather and support conditions play varying roles in setting mileage goals for each day. Perhaps one way to estimate mileage is to consider and calculate calories burned. I would guess my limit would be about 15,000 for one day with 10,000 being a very good ride and 5,000 being a fairly easy ride for a day. Considering elevation gain, 5000 feet is a pretty good achievement. I know what that feels like now. In Florida, my rides are averaging 40 plus miles and 700 feet elevation gain. On RedSpoke, the average mileage was nearly 70 and the elevation gain averaged 3,600 feet. On both counts RedSpoke was tougher than my daily rides. But the significant difference is five times my normal elevation gain. I'd have to ride 200 miles in Florida to get the same gain. How to carry enough water for a long ride without support is a good question. I'm not sure the RedSpoke could be done (including the Century) without carrying additional water. Perhaps a 100 ounce camelback plus two 24 ounce bottles would work. Another unknown is bike support. If you follow the Adventure Cycling routes that might not be a problem as there are lots of bikers along the way and bike shops too. But on our RedSpoke ride it was nice to have support nearby and every evening to attend to problems that crop up. Ideally, I like to ride with only a credit card and with my own support vehicle. Getting a nice shower every evening would be great. There is a web site at www.warmshowers.org that matches cyclists with folks that have offered to provide lodging and warm showers for a night. I'm not sure how it works but if you were traveling unsupported it may be a way to get a good night's sleep and a warm shower. Finally, it would be good to have someone to ride and chat with on a long ride. Although I was dropped numerous times on RedSpoke as we climbed up the hills, there always seemed to be someone at the top or at a turn to help me along and get me back to the others. Finding a rider who rides a similar pace would be perfect as you could help each other maintain a good pace and take turns pulling.