Navigation on a bicycle – easy with this celphone holder

cellphone holder,bike mount

Now that we have our routes mapped out for our Big Ride Across America we will be navigating through lots of small towns with our favorite apps right at hand.  This little gadget holds my cell phone in view without interfering with the handlebars. It is a Gomadic Bike Handlebar Holder Mount System suitable for the Motorola DROID, and I got it on Amazon for $26.93

It has several foam pads to help the phone fit snugly into the holder. There are lots of micro adjustments to get the perfect placement.

It appears ideal but I am reserving judgement until I get out there on a 100 mile ride. I am hoping that it is voiceless without any rattles. We are looking forward to a break in the weather so we can get out there and ride. Today we woke up to snow and yesterday we rode in the freezing rain. I am going to need a waterproof pouch to hold the phone before I put it in the holder…

Restful Nights assured when using a Pro-Lite therma-rest mattress.

sizes of therma rest

Here is the ideal sleeping pad for the cross country bicycle ride.  It packs to a small cylinder sack that is 11 inches tall and 4 inches wide.  The pad is very easy to inflate and just as easy to compress back into the sack.

This is my third therma-rest purchase in a row.  Shopping online, the first one was large and didn’t pack up small enough for our trip on bicycles.  The second one was a NeoAir XLite mattress that is smaller and lighter (12 ounces) but it made a horrible cracking noise when moving on the mattress. I knew I would never sleep with the loud voice of that pad.   Rather than buying online again, I went to the local REI store and found this fantastic sleeping pad.

This Pro-Lite therma-rest mattress is very small, the women’s packs to 11 x 4 inches.  The pad comes in 4 sizes including a women’s size that is a full size sleeping pad  measuring 20 x 66 in.  It inflates quick with a super easy self inflation valve that is fast and easy to inflate.  The mattress has a self inflating foam core that makes setup quick and easy.  The pad was made in USA which is a bonus!!

Training for The Big Ride

Training for a long bike ride takes a lot of time. It is not just the workouts, but the extra hour or two of getting there and fussing about with the stuff you need to be active. Training to get ready is taking a big chunk of time.  It is still cold and Wintery  here in Pennsylvania and so far just a few nice days but not the weekends when I am off.  While we seek sunshine to get outside, our workouts are all indoors. Hopefully, this week on Sunday we will get out for a long ride.  It is time to step up the training and get out doors…asap!

Here is what I am doing with 3 months to go:

Monday – 45 minutes on elliptical or treadmill
Tuesday – 2 spinning classes 15 minutes break between (120 minutes)
Wednesday – 90 minutes of Flow Yoga
Thursday – 2 spinning classes 15 minutes break between (120 minutes)
Friday – easy day – 30 minutes on elliptical or treadmill
Saturday – 90 minutes of Flow Yoga
Sunday – 3 hour  Bike Ride depending on weather.

Here is what the organizers suggest:

The organizers of the Big Ride across America have a webpage that shows a recommended training schedule for participants.

Month	Total Weekly Miles	Longest Ride in Miles	Days per Week	Total Hours per Week
1	50-75	10-25	3-4	6-8
2	75-100	25-40	3-4	8-10
3	100-150	45-55	4-5	10-12
4	150-175	55-75	4-5	12-14
5	175-200	75-100	5	14-16
6	200 + tapering	100	5	14-16

Schedule for the Big Ride Across America – Daily Mileage

Day	City	State	Arrive	Depart	Miles	Total
0	Seattle	WA	15-Jun	16-Jun
1	Easton	WA	16-Jun	17-Jun	91	91
2	Vantage	WA	17-Jun	18-Jun	72	163
3	Odessa	WA	18-Jun	19-Jun	83	246
4	Spokane	WA	19-Jun	21-Jun	77	323
5*	Spokane	WA	Rest	Day		323
6	Sandpoint	ID	21-Jun	22-Jun	76	399
7	Thompson Falls	MT	22-Jun	23-Jun	88	487
8	Missoula	MT	23-Jun	25-Jun	101	588
9*	Missoula	MT	Rest	Day		588
10	Avon	MT	25-Jun	26-Jun	99	687
11	Townsend	MT	26-Jun	27-Jun	61	748
12	Harlowton	MT	27-Jun	28-Jun	101	849
13	Billings	MT	28-Jun	30-Jun	92	941
14*	Billings	MT	Rest	Day		941
15	Hardin	MT	30-Jun	1-Jul	56	997
16	Sheridan	WY	1-Jul	2-Jul	85	1082
17	Gillette	WY	2-Jul	3-Jul	112	1194
18	Newcastle	WY	3-Jul	4-Jul	76	1270
19	Rapid City	SD	4-Jul	6-Jul	81	1351
20*	Rapid City	SD	Rest	Day		1351
21	Kadoka	SD	6-Jul	7-Jul	102	1453
22	Pierre	SD	7-Jul	8-Jul	96	1549
23	Miller	SD	8-Jul	9-Jul	73	1622
24	De Smet	SD	9-Jul	10-Jul	77	1699
25	Tyler	MN	10-Jul	11-Jul	78	1777
26	New Ulm	MN	11-Jul	13-Jul	87	1864
27*	New Ulm	MN	Rest	Day		1864
28	Owatonna	MN	13-Jul	14-Jul	72	1936
29	Winona	MN	14-Jul	15-Jul	90	2026
30	Viroqua	WI	15-Jul	16-Jul	66	2092
31	Madison	WI	16-Jul	18-Jul	100	2192
32*	Madison	WI	Rest	Day		2192
33	Garden Prairie,	IL	18-Jul	19-Jul	94	2286
34	Coal City,	IL	19-Jul	20-Jul	106	2392
35	Valparaiso	IN	20-Jul	21-Jul	84	2476
36	Kendallville	IN	21-Jul	22-Jul	109	2585
37	Napoleon	OH	22-Jul	23-Jul	70	2655
38	Sandusky	OH	23-Jul	25-Jul	90	2745
39*	Sandusky	OH	Rest	Day		2745
40	Burton	OH	25-Jul	26-Jul	92	2837
41	New Waterford	OH	26-Jul	27-Jul	59	2896
42	Washington	PA	27-Jul	28-Jul	62	2958
43	Confluence	PA	28-Jul	29-Jul	88	3046
44	Bedford	PA	29-Jul	30-Jul	81	3127
45	Gettysburg	PA	30-Jul-	1-Aug	100	3227
46*	Gettysburg	PA	Rest	Day		3227
47	Clarksville,	MD	1-Aug	2-Aug	60	3287
48	Washington	DC	2-Aug	-42	42	3329

Big Ride Across America – Business Cards

Big Ride Across America starts June 15 in Seattle Washington.

Like Us to follow the ride

Share the joy as we ride a bicycle across America this summer June 15 to August 2, 2014.

The adventure starts in Seattle Washington and ends in Washington DC.  Bicycle riders trek across the country averaging 85 miles a day. Join in on the adventure by  clicking “like” us on Facebook.

If you want to support a rider click here to donate to the Big Ride which benefits clean air and the American Lung Association.

 

agenda of the big ride

I just got a new High Visibility Reflective Raincoat

high visibility cycling jacket has reflective sleeve fabric, reflective piping, reflective rear triangle.

zipper off sleeves to convert to a wind breaker vest.

Cycling in the cold and rain? No thanks!

As we plan to ride 85 miles a day on the Big Ride, the cold and rain are sure to torture us. I never want to ride in the rain. So, what’s a girl to do? Suffer?

This is the jacket we selected after trying on and evaluating all the jackets available to us (see  Men’s Cycling Jackets and Women’s bike jackets )  It is a rain coat, with taped seams. It is made out of a fabric that is three layers. The outer layer is a soft polyester that is laminated to a waterproof/breathable membrane.  The inside layer is lined with a a polyester mesh that is soft and wearable.

The jacket is a bit on the heavy side but given all the features, It looks like a winner.  I love the fit around the neck and face.  The hood snuggles up around the face and is adjustable.  The hood also has a zipper on/off.  The pockets are deep enough and inside you can pull a round elastic cord to synch the hip tighter or looser around the hips.  There are three zippered pockets.  The jacket is specific to cycling but it feels like a normal jacket to wear.  It is highly visible in low light conditions with the added reflectivity built into the fabric of the sleeves.  The safety yellow color creates the visibility we will need riding on the road.  The sleeves on this jacket zipper off so it can be used for layering as a vest.  I like the wrist adjust-ability with nylon cuff with a thumb hole that seals off cold air from going up the sleeve.   Check out the jacket details and lots of images.     IllumiNite Reflective Rain Jacket Switchback Safety Yellow

New Shoes for the Big Ride across America

cycling shoe

The Summer Cycling Shoes I picked for the Big Ride Across America

As I get ready for the Big Ride across America, I am going through all of my equipment and assembling the stuff I  already have to see how much things weigh and what needs replaced or updated.  As an avid cyclist, I have been riding for many years, so, a lot of my gear is outdated.   One of the most important pieces of gear needed is a good pair of summer cycling shoes.  I have already returned two pair of Pearl Izumi shoes as they were about 2-3 sizes too small.  I found these Terra Vent shoes in a listing for Men’s Cycling Shoes  and they fit perfectly.  They are like a sneaker with a stiff sole that has two mesh internal ventilation ports.  The shoe is designed like a sandal with lots of open spaces and mesh ports for air flow.   The upper part of the shoe has the look/feel of a mesh water shoe or sandal.   They look like they will be very cool this summer.   Can’t wait to spin in them tomorrow.

Terra Vent Shoes have a nice stiff sold with optional plate that can be removed for your clipless pedals or SPD cleats. Next, I venture into the realm of choosing clipless pedals.  Here is a cool buyers guide to clipless pedal systems.

Getting ready to ride…new stuff

The Big Ride Across America – 3300 miles

Countdown.  Today is March 10 and we leave for Seattle on June 14th.  Just three months to get our body’s into shape and get our affairs in order.   I have been training 4-5 days/week for a mere 30 to 45 minutes all winter long.  This week,  I made up my mind I need to step up the training to about double the intensity.  I signed up for a Spinning class four nights a week and whew, that is kicking my butt already.

Today we got our tent, which will be our home for many nights while on our cross country adventure. We bought the Northface kaiju 6  which we saw earlier this year at the Outdoor Retailer show.   This tent is roomy and lightweight.  We liked it because it has an awesome extra porch space outside the tent.  This extra space is ideal for our bags.  The tent is big enough to stand upright at about 6 foot in the center.  It is really roomy and has extra mesh shelves you can hang on the inside to dry out your stuff.   Since it will be the two of us, and they carry the bag for us from point to point in a truck, we thought we would indulge in a roomy space.  If we had to carry this tent on our bikes each day, of course we would have gone lightweight 2 man tent.   I’ll keep you posted on how this works out on our bike ride.

This is the tent we selected for the 2014 bike ride across America. It is a 6 man tent –  19 pounds