Riding Cross Country Alone

Kumen said:

Cities along my route are pretty far apart, anywhere from 15 to 45
miles. I'd be in cell phnoe coverage all the time. The road is well
traveled and there are houses along the way.

I wouldn't consider 15-45 miles very far apart. And with a cell-phone,
it doesn't really matter anyway as you can always just call for someone
to come get you. I'd make sure someone agreed to that beforehand....

Quoted message said:

2. What suggestions do you have for food, water, clothing, etc.?

Pack light, but be prepared for rain. Carry lots of water and a credit
card. Food can be purchased.

Quoted message said:

3. What kind of mental attitude do I need?

Just do it. Going places on a bike is fun. Makes you feel very
indendent and lets you see the scenery and meet the locals.

Rich

"Kumen" wrote: (clip) 2. What suggestions do you have for food, water,
clothing, etc.? (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is an idea a friend of mine used to use for motorcycle tours. He would
pack several suitcases with changes of clothing, or anything else he could
foresee. He would then send them to himself at various Greyhound depots
along the route. He could then pick up a suitcase, go to a motel, spend the
night, and in the morning go back to the Greyhound depot and send the same
suitcase, now full of laundry, souvenirs, or whatever else, to himself, at
his hometown Greyhound depot.

Leo Lichtman said:

"Kumen" wrote: (clip) 2. What suggestions do you have for food, water,
clothing, etc.? (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is an idea a friend of mine used to use for motorcycle tours. He would
pack several suitcases with changes of clothing, or anything else he could
foresee. He would then send them to himself at various Greyhound depots
along the route. He could then pick up a suitcase, go to a motel, spend the
night, and in the morning go back to the Greyhound depot and send the same
suitcase, now full of laundry, souvenirs, or whatever else, to himself, at
his hometown Greyhound depot.

I'm starting to believe your friend was Jack Kerouac ;-)

Are you able to manage your diabetes while engaged in prolonged
physical effort? Having a cell phone won't help you if you go into
shock and don't use the phone.

I had a diabetic friend in Dallas who scared the hell out of me one
day when he neglected his insulin while we were out to lunch. He
became very agreeable and acted almost drunk before I realized how
pale he looked and noticed the sweat on him. He didn't realize he was
having a problem until I asked him directly if he forgot his insulin.
Then he seemed to realize the state he was in and asked me to get him
a Coke real quick. I got him a soda and he layed down on the floor
for a while and was OK a few minutes later.

Be careful!

"grerge" <csac> wrote: (clip)Then he seemed to realize the state he was in
and asked me to get him a Coke real quick. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I believe your story, but I don't understand it. If he forgot his insulin,
his blood sugar would be high. Having a coke or candy bar is the treatment
for LOW blood sugar, which would be the result of an insulin overdose, or
missing a meal.

Kumen said:

As I've mentioned here before, I plan to ride around 150 miles to
family reunion this summer. This after eye surgery, being diabetic

and

Quoted message said:

not knowing anyhone else interested in riding with me.

So it looks like my ride, at this point, will be a solo ride. I'll
either ride from Amarillo, TX or Borger, TX to Elk City, OK. It's
about 120 miles from Borger and about 150 miles from Amarillo. The
route from Borger is much more familiar to me than the route from
Amarillo, since I grew up in Borger and spent a lot of time growing

up

Quoted message said:

in Elk City. I'm riding a Giant Boulder in really good operating
condition.

The route from Borger would take me across the Panhandle through
Skellytown, Pampa, Mobetie, Wheeler, Sweetwater OK, Elk City. It's
hilly at the beginning, flattens out between Pampa and Wheeler and

then

Quoted message said:

gets hilly again between Wheeler and Elk City. From Amarillo, I'd go
to Panhandle, White Deer and into Pampa where the route would be the
same from there. It's pretty flat from Amarillo to Pampa.

Cities along my route are pretty far apart, anywhere from 15 to 45
miles. I'd be in cell phnoe coverage all the time. The road is well
traveled and there are houses along the way.

So here are the questions:

1. Given the fact that I won't be able to ride again until 1 April on
doctor's orders, how do I prepare for this ride?

2. What suggestions do you have for food, water, clothing, etc.?

3. What kind of mental attitude do I need?

Y'all have given me good advice, a lot of smiles and some really good
laughs since I discovered this newsgroup. I thank you.

Ride well, my friends.
Kumen

I rode from Austin to Albuquerque in June about 20 years ago. I spent a
couple of days on the panhandle fighting the prevailing southwest
winds, and that was the hardest part of that ride, both mentally and
physically.

Even though you seem to be favoring Borger as a starting point, you may
want to factor in the wind. I'm guessing that you would have a fairly
good chance at catching a consistent tail wind if you started from
Amarillo and a fairly good chance of catching some stiff cross winds if
you started from Borger.

Top off your water bottles or your camelback at every opportunity. If
you use water bottles instead of a camelback or similar system, put
thick clean sweat socks around your water bottle cages and keep those
socks wet. The evaporation from the socks will keep your water supply
pleasantly cool.

Whatever you wear, don't skimp on the sunscreen!

Riding in the panhandle in the summer can be mentally challenging.
There were a few stretches, lasting for several miles, when I on my
bicycle was literally the high point in the landscape. At times that
was exhilarating, and at times, depressing. There were no terrain
features, other vehicles, or manmade structures (other than some
4-strand barb-wire fences) in any direction. My only competitors for
Total Terrain Domination were a few head of grazing cattle.

You may have checked out the websites referenced in Claire Petersky's
sig line. If you haven't, I'd highly recommend
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm. There are some
techniques there for keeping things in perspective while you're in the
saddle.

I remember that the best part of my ride was the meadowlarks. they ride
shotgun, more or less, keeping you company in the hopes that your
wheels will kick up some grasshoppers or other goodies.

[Kumen asked about riding across the Texas panhandle and into Oklahoma
in the summer].

Sounds like a good trip. I've ridden a few thousand miles in Texas and
a couple hundred in Oklahoma, plenty of that in the summer, none in the
panhandle. I know about three families in Colorado who are from Borger
and I went to college with a couple of people from Pampa.

Regarding your specific inquiries:

1. [ride preparation]. Do you plan on doing all 150 miles in one day?
Or will you split this into two days? 150 miles in one day takes a good
deal of effort and conditioning. Even at a slow pace you can bonk if
you're not prepared. You still need to be reasonably fit to do 75
miles/day, but you don't have to be superman. Go on a reasonably long
ride (50 miles or so) a couple of weeks before your 150 mile journey.
You'll get a much better feel of what you are capable of. I've been on
rides where I'm at a relaxed 14 mph pace for 20 miles, then suddenly my
legs just turn to lead and it's a struggle to get above 10 mph. 150
miles at less than 10 mph makes for a very long riding day.

2. [food, water, clothing].
*FOOD* Gu or equivalent works well for me, with occasional stops for
something a little more substantial. Avoid burgers, chili dogs,
chicken-fried steaks, etc -- I've made that mistake and my belly made
me pay. Stopping at Braum's or DQ in all the little towns for a small
snack and air conditioning might be a good idea.
*WATER* Hydration will be critical. When riding in extreme heat, I've
gone through two large water bottles every 20 miles. I've finished
rides with my clothing white with salt.
*CLOTHING* Whatever is comfortable with you. Wicking polyester
fabrics will keep you cooler. Polyester blocks UV better than cotton.
Don't forget the sunscreen. You'll sweat it off so reapply. You'll want
gloves for a ride that long. I can't stand headbands, but many people
consider them essential. You will have streams of salty sweat dripping
and stinging your eyes. Shades are essential.

3. [mental]. A meditative state-of-mind -- almost a trance -- works
well for me on long rides or long runs. Makes the pain go away. Don't
do this in heavy traffic.

Unsolicited advice, etc:

0.1. Don't count on the phone to bail you out of anything. Too many
people in the Colorado backcountry die because they substitute the
phone for the ten essentials and good sense. If you get disoriented
from heatstroke, you won't be aware of your distress until it's too
late.

0.2. You say you're diabetic. Type 1 or 2?

0.3. If you haven't done so already, get slicks for your bike. Don't
forget spare tube, patch kit, pump, tire levers, and maybe a little
duck tape and a chain tool or multi-tool. Know how to repair/change the
tube before you go.

RFM

Hmm... I'm no doctor, but I seem to remember from high school biology
that there are a couple different types of diabetes. Low blood sugar
and high blood sugar can be the result, depending on what you've got.

I've also learned in a journalism class that I had that diabetics
sometimes act "drunk" when they don't have their medicine. The
symptoms are the same as being drunk - slurred speech, reduced
coordination and judgement, vision impairment, etc.

-Bill H.

After doing some quick research, I came up with this article from
WebMD.com, talking about the different types of diabetes.

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/83/97817.htm

-Bill H.

Fritz,

Thank you for the advice. I'm Type 2 and on oral medications. i take
my meds, ride for exercise and eat appropriately. My diabetes doesn't
scare me so much as does the heat and the lonliness. However, I'll
adjust to the heat as I ride behorehand. And I'll deal with the
lonliness as I've always done before: I'll sing, talk, listen to
music. I've been riding nearly 3 years now and I've never ridden with
anyone else. The only group I knew about for sure rode on an evening
I couldn't. Perhaps I ought to look closer. Matter of fact, my LBS
might know of groups riding. Time to take the bike in for a check up
and repair anyway. I'll ask when I take it in.

I did ride tthe Tour D' Cotton in Childress in October, but that was a
real mess. This was the first time they've done anything like this and
they didn't have half the ducks in a row. I rode alone becuase the 30
mile group left fifteen minutes before registration closed. I missed a
turn because the route wasn't marked real well. The SAG vehicle was
watching three rides. I got lost and rode 14 miles out of the way
before they found me. Wound up riding 44 miles that day. Like I say,
it was the first ride the Childress group had ever sponsored a ride.
I'll ride again. And I did quite well.

I plan to ride to Wheeler the first day. Think that's about 90 miles.
I'll stay overnight and then finish the rest the next day. I hadn't
considered the wind and you're right. I'd probably have the tail wind.
So I'll ride from Amarillo.

Quoted message said:

Get slicks for your bike.

I ride the trails in Palo Duro Canyon a lot. Would I need different
tires for riding down there or will the slicks work equally as well? I
don't have the equipment you mention, but I'll get them.

All I plan to carry with me are food, water, and sunscreen . My
girlfriend will meet me in Wheeler and bring changes of clothes,, etc.
along with her love and support.

I appreciate your advice and will keep you updated as I prepare to go.

Kumen

Kumen said:

I did ride tthe Tour D' Cotton in Childress...

If you can do 44 you can do 150. My wife has an uncle in Childress. He
grows cotton and peanuts.

Quoted message said:

I ride the trails in Palo Duro Canyon a lot. Would I need
different tires for riding down there or will the slicks work
equally as well?

Palo Duro is mostly rocks and dirt, right? It's been 20 years since
I've been there -- beautiful country. I don't know enough about
mountain biking to tell you if slicks will work there or not.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip.

RFM

I checked with my LBS. They guy says there are groups in Amarillo, but
they get all their equipment online and then get mad when the LBS won't
support or publicize their events. I might have to contact the
univeristy in Canyon to find a group. But tthat bunch would all be 30
years younger than I am. Think I might just get one of my business
cards out and take it to the LBS and tell the guy if he hears anyone
else asking about a group to call me. LBS says slicks are best for
road riding and my knobbies are better for the trails. So I don't know
exactly what I'm gonna do.

Palo Duro is beautiful. There are a lot of trails there, now. Some of
them are well marked and some of them .. well, you're on your own. The
Lighthouse trail is well marked and very poplular and you never have to
wonder if you made the wrong turn.

Had my eye surgery and now I'm anxious to get back on the road. I saw
"Shall We Dance?" the other night and seeing Richard Gere find
something he really loved to do in the movie inspired me. I want to be
back on the road. Doc said I could work back into it in a couple of
weeks, but I really want to give my eye a chance to recover, so I'm
giving it an extra week.

Thanks for the encouragment. I'll be letting you know how it works
out. It would be so thrilling to see my Aunt's quilt shop in Elk City.
When I finished my first thousand miles, I celebrated by riding about
25 miles to Palo Duro Canyon. I cried the last mile. I mght be too
tired to cry the last mile or so into Elk. Biking changed my life. I
found courage and determination and the knowledge I could set a goal
and really reach it. My son passed me when I was about three miles
form the gate at Palo Duro Canyon. He told me later that afternoon,
he'd *never* seen me so alinve as he did that day. Riding to Elk City
will be a challaenge and a thrill. And I can do it.

Kumen.

6 Mar 2005 20:04:34 -0800,
<[email hidden]>,
"Kumen" <[email hidden]> concluded:
\snip

Quoted message said:

Biking changed my life. I
found courage and determination and the knowledge I could set a goal
and really reach it. My son passed me when I was about three miles
form the gate at Palo Duro Canyon. He told me later that afternoon,
he'd *never* seen me so alinve as he did that day. Riding to Elk City
will be a challaenge and a thrill. And I can do it.

Amen!

I'm certain cycling has more than once _saved_ my life and continues
to enrich it daily. Bicycles teach us things about ourselves we'd
otherwise be afraid to ask.
--
zk

Hello Kumen, and thanks for the inspiration!

Quoted message said:

I checked with my LBS. They guy says there are groups in Amarillo,

but

Quoted message said:

they get all their equipment online and then get mad when the LBS

won't

Quoted message said:

support or publicize their events.

[Editorializing] The cost for the LBS owner to publicize rides and
generate a little goodwill is low, but his returns are potentially
great. Online buying is a fact of life for any retailer today. Your
local LBS owner needs to figure out how to make money from the local
bicyclists instead of just bad-mouthing them. IMHO.

In my city of 76,000 people there are 3 local bike shops; I know at
least two of them are doing well. Within 30 miles there are at least
another 20 bike shops to pick from, including large discount places
like Supergo.

RFM