Training begins

Yesterday was my first day of training for the journey. I hadn’t been on my road bike in a few months and hadn’t ridden my Scott mountain bike at all – other than a couple of laps around a parking lot. I picked up this Scott bike in Las Vegas on the way back from visiting my daughter in Salt Lake City for the holidays. Another exceptional Craigslist find. This is a 29″ wheel bike. I like the added clearance and the larger tires seem to roll over the obstacles easier than smaller tires.

I have done a few things to “Big Red” since I found it. The shifters and cables were not shifting correctly, so they were replaced along with the hand grips. The chain had a couple of stiff spots so that was changed as well. I also added a trip meter to track speed and mileage. A gel seat replaced the original uncomfortable seat and a rear carrier was added which also works as a mud guard. Butterfly handlebars have been ordered and I will do a review on them after testing them out.

Due to the off road tires being fairly new, I didn’t want to wear them out on pavement so I toted my bike up to the Santa Rosa Plateau for some off road fun.

The Santa Rosa Plateau has a variety of terrain to test ride a bike on. The trails consist of smooth dirt, sand, hills, rocks, erosion grooves, twists and turns. Mountain bike paradise!

Overall, I’m happy with Big Red’s performance. The shifting was flawless and the gearing seems well distributed (although I will research a granny gear for steep pavement climbing). I will be ordering tires that are better suited for on and off road performance  as well as carrying a spare chain and brake pads on the trip.

Regarding my Protein Pankcakes on a Stick, I did feel energetic on the ride and through the day yesterday. It could partially have been due to the excitement I was feeling to be out on my bike again, but having enough protein to push your body is important.  Considering the sticky mess of the stick cooking I tried, regular pancakes with my magic mix was easier and tasted delicious! I think this will be one of my traveling meals.

Thank you for following along as I prepare for my adventure. When the thought of riding over 5000 miles crosses my mind, I start wondering if those around me who say this trip is a little crazy know something I don’t. Oh well, I’ll just keep living in my bubble and believing it’s not that big of a deal. 🙂