We have finished our second day of riding, and are back in Portland. We might not be able to update this as frequently as we'd like, so we invite you to follow us on the team's site: www.lvsride.com/social.
You'll be able to read updates, receive Twitter feeds and check out the incredible videos (like the one below) that are constantly being filmed and edited by our talented filmmaker who has joined us for the ride.
Thanks for your support!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Day One: A Lesson in Flexibility
Our first full day together as an LVsRide team proved to be an exciting one. After spending the night on the gym floor, we began the day with breakfast conversation. We then gathered around Brother Ed's colorful parachute circle and ran through some basic need-to-know items - from expectations to health and safety. An important focus was flexibility, which we were soon able to put into practice...
Around lunchtime, everyone inspected their bikes. Some of us unpacked and reassembled our bikes from shipment boxes, while others practiced changing tires and fixing flats. We soon discovered several red flags - from damaged frames to broken spokes to tangled chains. The rest of the afternoon was peppered with impromptu trips to local bike shops and lots of teamwork. The gym was full of upside-down bicycles as small groups tried to trouble-shoot and share skills. The day's schedule was also turned on its head, as we learned an important first lesson for this grand adventure:
Things might not go as we plan. In fact, they'll probably never go exactly as we plan. The important thing is to be flexible and go with the flow, because we are a team, and we have an awesome adventure ahead of us!
Around lunchtime, everyone inspected their bikes. Some of us unpacked and reassembled our bikes from shipment boxes, while others practiced changing tires and fixing flats. We soon discovered several red flags - from damaged frames to broken spokes to tangled chains. The rest of the afternoon was peppered with impromptu trips to local bike shops and lots of teamwork. The gym was full of upside-down bicycles as small groups tried to trouble-shoot and share skills. The day's schedule was also turned on its head, as we learned an important first lesson for this grand adventure:
Things might not go as we plan. In fact, they'll probably never go exactly as we plan. The important thing is to be flexible and go with the flow, because we are a team, and we have an awesome adventure ahead of us!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Greetings from Portland, Oregon!
Hello from the west coast! The ride officially begins in a few days, and we're excited to spend this week meeting fellow riders, grabbing some extra gear and practicing riding in a large group. For more updates on the ride as whole, including other riders, check out LVsRide's official blog: www.lvsride.com/social.
See you on the road!
See you on the road!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Why We're Riding...
We're 22 days and less than $1,000 from taking off from Astoria, Oregon toward Long Branch, New Jersey. We'll cycle over 3,400 miles, sleeping on gym floors and camping in some remote areas of the U.S. We were never avid cyclists before, so why are we doing this?
Lasallian Volunteers, past and present, inspire us to keep training, and will continue to serve as our motivation during the ride this summer. This is why:
Does this sound like something you can get behind? Click here and JOIN US! You can support our efforts by coming along on the ride, or by becoming a virtual supporter. Every dollar counts... and we are so close!
Lasallian Volunteers, past and present, inspire us to keep training, and will continue to serve as our motivation during the ride this summer. This is why:
Does this sound like something you can get behind? Click here and JOIN US! You can support our efforts by coming along on the ride, or by becoming a virtual supporter. Every dollar counts... and we are so close!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Well-Worn PA Pathways
Surveying Valley Forge National Historic Park
In front of The Memorial Arch at Valley Forge
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Upgrade Complete!
We've slacked off a bit on our posting, but we've still been venturing out on new and exciting rides. Our most recent rides have picked up the pace as we've converted to a clipless pedal system. We were hesitant to make the change (and the big purchase!), but great finds at our local REI's Attic Sale and loaner pedals from a friend made the upgrade possible. Since swapping our cage pedals for SPDs, we've seen big improvements: We've increased our average pace, and found both uphill and downhill grades to be much easier and more productive. An added bonus: by keeping the leg in a relatively fixed position, the knee issues we experienced on our Annapolis (mis)adventure have largely disappeared. We now understand why so many avid cyclists swear by clipless systems!
Switching out our pedals proved to be pretty straightforward.
Just remember to pay attention to the direction of the screw threads: each pedal is designed to prevent the forward motion of the crankshaft from spinning it loose.
We opted for "mountain" style cycling shoes to make it easier and safer to walk around with minimal damage to our cleats or the ground/floor. After all, we plan on hopping off our bikes to check out the countryside this summer!
To test out our new pedals and shoes for the first time, we opted for a scenic ride to St. George Island in St. Mary's County.
It was a perfect test run, as it's a pretty flat route. We enjoyed the beautiful waterfront ride with family, and stopped for a few photos.
We opted for "mountain" style cycling shoes to make it easier and safer to walk around with minimal damage to our cleats or the ground/floor. After all, we plan on hopping off our bikes to check out the countryside this summer!
To test out our new pedals and shoes for the first time, we opted for a scenic ride to St. George Island in St. Mary's County.
It was a perfect test run, as it's a pretty flat route. We enjoyed the beautiful waterfront ride with family, and stopped for a few photos.
A highlight of the route was visiting Piney Point Lighthouse. Our SPD shoes made it possible to hop off our bikes and take a look around...
We'd love to hear from any fellow cyclists who use clipless pedals. Did you encounter any challenges when making the switch? We appreciate any tips/pointers as we get used to the new system!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Annapolis, Interrupted
Our most recent ride taught us a few things about knowing your limits, improvisation and the consequences of making a wrong turn (especially when on a bicycle). We had high hopes for our longest ride yet, and planned a roughly 60-mile out-and-back from the D.C. suburbs to Annapolis on a beautiful spring day, hoping to visit Annapolis' annual Spring Fling.
Our route was a compilation and slight modification of Bike Washington's "Greenbelt to Bay" route and a similar route from our book, "25 Bicycle Tours in Maryland." We began by revisiting the WB&A Trail (see previous post), and then wove our way through greater Bowie. The most scenic views were found on the rolling hills of Governor Bridge Road as we passed quiet farmland on a low-traffic country road.
Our serene ride came to an abrupt halt, however, as we zipped past "High Water" caution signs to find that the Patuxent River had overflowed. Severe weather from the previous night resulted in Governor Bridge road being covered in about two feet of rapid, muddy water. A soggy car being hauled out by a tow truck ahead of us dashed any hopes of "just going for it."
After taking advantage of the snack break, we were offered a ride across the river in a Good Samaritan's truck. We didn't even hesitate to throw our bikes in the bed and hop on.
As fun as our little trip was, we didn't really take the time to think about how we would get back across the river for our return home. "We'll just take another road back." Right. It's not always so easy when you're traveling by bicycle...
When we reached Annapolis, we dropped by Capital Bicycle in hopes of getting some advice for a bike-savvy route home. While there were no maps to be found, and the staff had no tips for a different route back across the Patuxent, they were kind enough to let us investigate Google Maps for a better option.
Our new route home took us over steeper hills with smaller (and often no) shoulders. It was longer, with more twists and turns, and the sun was getting closer to setting. We knew we were in a pinch. To top if off, one of our riders had developed an injury and needed to adopt a slower pace. We divvied up cell phones, copied down the new route and decided that two riders would hurry home and return with a car.
Later, now down to two cyclists, we found ourselves at a high-traffic intersection with a very small shoulder. As we stopped to reconsider, two cyclists came behind us and we were able to conference about the road ahead. Both were familiar with the local roads and the dangers of the route we were now hoping to take. We explained our situation and the cyclists offered to modify their route in order to escort us back to a safer road home. "Safety in numbers" was their motto, and we agreed.
Back on safer roads, closing in on home, we were feeling the burn of nearing the end of our longest ride ever. Then we heard the phone ring. When we parted ways with our third rider, we'd forgotten one important piece... the keys!!!
We coached our third cyclist home along the safer route via text messages, and we hit a local convenience store for whatever snacks we could find. We waited. We contemplated calling a cab for our third rider and racked our brains for numbers of local friends with vehicles. Just as dusk drew near, our last rider pulled up, equally exhausted. We were so thankful to have all returned home safely. There were a few lessons for each of us in this day's ride.
Our route was a compilation and slight modification of Bike Washington's "Greenbelt to Bay" route and a similar route from our book, "25 Bicycle Tours in Maryland." We began by revisiting the WB&A Trail (see previous post), and then wove our way through greater Bowie. The most scenic views were found on the rolling hills of Governor Bridge Road as we passed quiet farmland on a low-traffic country road.
Our serene ride came to an abrupt halt, however, as we zipped past "High Water" caution signs to find that the Patuxent River had overflowed. Severe weather from the previous night resulted in Governor Bridge road being covered in about two feet of rapid, muddy water. A soggy car being hauled out by a tow truck ahead of us dashed any hopes of "just going for it."
After taking advantage of the snack break, we were offered a ride across the river in a Good Samaritan's truck. We didn't even hesitate to throw our bikes in the bed and hop on.
As fun as our little trip was, we didn't really take the time to think about how we would get back across the river for our return home. "We'll just take another road back." Right. It's not always so easy when you're traveling by bicycle...
Looking Back at Governor Bridge
When we reached Annapolis, we dropped by Capital Bicycle in hopes of getting some advice for a bike-savvy route home. While there were no maps to be found, and the staff had no tips for a different route back across the Patuxent, they were kind enough to let us investigate Google Maps for a better option.
Our new route home took us over steeper hills with smaller (and often no) shoulders. It was longer, with more twists and turns, and the sun was getting closer to setting. We knew we were in a pinch. To top if off, one of our riders had developed an injury and needed to adopt a slower pace. We divvied up cell phones, copied down the new route and decided that two riders would hurry home and return with a car.
Later, now down to two cyclists, we found ourselves at a high-traffic intersection with a very small shoulder. As we stopped to reconsider, two cyclists came behind us and we were able to conference about the road ahead. Both were familiar with the local roads and the dangers of the route we were now hoping to take. We explained our situation and the cyclists offered to modify their route in order to escort us back to a safer road home. "Safety in numbers" was their motto, and we agreed.
Back on safer roads, closing in on home, we were feeling the burn of nearing the end of our longest ride ever. Then we heard the phone ring. When we parted ways with our third rider, we'd forgotten one important piece... the keys!!!
We coached our third cyclist home along the safer route via text messages, and we hit a local convenience store for whatever snacks we could find. We waited. We contemplated calling a cab for our third rider and racked our brains for numbers of local friends with vehicles. Just as dusk drew near, our last rider pulled up, equally exhausted. We were so thankful to have all returned home safely. There were a few lessons for each of us in this day's ride.
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