Update for week 1 of April, 2009

I can't believe it! It's April already. Just about one month to go till our Trans-America. I just heard from my daughter Krystal yesterday, and she's all set to meet us in Yorktown. I'm very excited.

This past week has been a windy one. mentally, the wind and the hills are a big demoralizing factor for those of us who enjoy cycling. It's a mind over mater kind of thing. A good friend of mine by the name of Mike Curiak, told me that riding a bike is 99% mental. It's the mental discipline that enables elite racers like Mike to endure the overwhelming odds pitted against them during those ultra endurance events such as the Ididabike, and the Great Divide mountain bike races. The point is to try to pretend that these obsticles don't exist. If you can do that, then they don't exist, and the elements become part of your ride.

This week, I covered 108 miles, but only two of those outings involved pulling the trailer. Since it is getting close, I want to ride my road bikes more often, because once I leave, I won't be riding them for over 100 days. I love my road bikes, but they are not touring bikes, and are not designed for anything but going fast on smooth roads.

Last weeks venture with Lisa and Fern relieved a few kinks in my set up. I have since made the correction, and will try to get another test ride in before we go. I've also proven myself to be right the hard way. You can't use a 26" X 2.125" tube in a 26" X 1.5" tire. There is simply not enough room in there, and the result is not only a blown tube, but also a blown tire. With no room for the tube to lay nicely in the tire, you end up with a pinch flat, that at high pressure (In my case 80 pounds) will blow up exactly like it did with me. I have since bought the right tubes. The reason for the switch in tires results from the fact that mountain bike knobbies are only good for about 500 miles on the pavement. This became evident in just a few short weeks. And with a trip lasting near 5000 miles, I'm going to need too many of them. A street tire will last anywhere from 2000 to 5000 miles depending on the load and surface conditions. I've also replaced my chain rings, the links were starting to rest on the shoulders of the rings causing irritating noises as they rub against each other. I also added a rear rack, and shed about 20 pounds from my original load. I realize I had too much cloths, I'll only take one stove, and go with an inlfatable sleeping pad, and possibly a smaller tent among other things. In other words, I'm leaving almost all the creature comforts home. If I find I am unable to live with out them, I can always have them shipped to me at a predetermined location along the way.

In three weeks we ship our bikes and trailers to the east coast, hoping that they will be there when we arrive. Hopefully assembly will go quickly, so that we will have enough time to do the necessary adjustments well ahead of our official departure on May the 12th. I am constantly checking the bicycle touring hub, aka "crazyguyonabike" for updated info on recomendations with bike set up, and energy supplementation. We'll be burning between 4 and 6 thousand calories a day from riding our bikes alone. I've purchased the "Bike Energy" application for my I touch that calculates calorie expenditure based on these factors: Total weight including bike and all equipment, total accumulative elevation gain, average grade, speed, distance, and temperature, along with road friction and wind resistance (The last two are determined from information gathered from http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/rolres.html and http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com/2007/08/06-tire-rolling-resistance-test-results.html . These two sites use scientific methods to derive formulas for figuring out tire and road surface resistance depending on your set up. All things being equal, it's amazing at how much difference the tires have on wattage expenditure. Air pressure seems to be a big factor. http://www.mybikeapps.com/Apps_/BikePower.html Helps calculate wind resistance for various types of bicycles based on frontal mass and aero dynamics using wind tunnel testing. These figures may not be 100% accurate, but they are consistent, and will give us a dependable formula to work with. If we fail to adequately replace the much needed calories, we will simply lose weight, along with the energy to maintain this type of exertion. That's why you don't see very many skinny endurance athletes. They either can't finish, or they die.

Before leaving you with this update. I'd like to tickle your funny bone with this home made video clip entitled: "Uncle Ted's Trick Shots"

"Cycle to the Sun"

I miss placed this video clip over a year ago and thought I lost it for good. Today, I found it, "Yippee!!!" I wanna share with with all you guys.

The Haleakala Hill Climb, or "Cycle to the Sun" as it is commonly known as. Is considered the toughest and steepest paved road bike climb in the world. Considered a "Beyond Category" because of the length and elevation gain involved. You go from sea level to over 10,000 feet in about 34 miles, a fit athlete {(like myself) He-he-he}. can make it in a time span of just over four hours. An elite athlete, a little less than three. The average couch potato? Well, lets just say they should not attempt this one. Hope you find it worth your while. Aloha, Ted.

Update for week 5 of march - to week 1 of April

Aloha on this cold and windy over cast morning here in Kualapuu.

What a week it has been. 108 miles this week, but 76.2 of them were fully loaded. Actually over loaded. Pardon me for the affluency of my posts, but since time is important to everyone, I try to keep things entertaining for those of you seeking artificial stimulation without the actual use of artificial stimulation.

Our big pre-ride, over night rehearsal.
(Click on images for better view)

Okay, where was I................? Oh, and 38 of those were either against the wind, up hill, or both. If you weren't at home in front of the TV all day on Thursday, you would have noticed that the wind was howling. I would say in the 35 maybe 40 mile an hour range. Head wind all the way. Lisa and I started our ride from her place at Kenani kai. Right off the bat I had a problem. I forgot to bring my bike shoes. I haven't ridden a bike without using them since 1995. I felt naked without them. I was tempted to go home and get them, but time was ticking. I could have gone home, and met them along the way, but that would not have been according to plan. Besides, this would give me a chance to improvise. Notice I said them in the previous sentence? We met up with Fern at the top of the climb from Kalua koi. Fern had ridden from Mauna loa, and would accompany us to Pukoo where we would be spending the night camping. Or so we thought. Anyway, after a short break, we proceeded on our way to Kaunakakai approximately 15 miles east. No problem, down hill right? Well, when the wind is blowing stronger than you are going down hill, it makes for an interesting bike handling experience. Especially pulling an over loaded trailer. The bike wonders slightly from side to side before you have a chance to correct it. Partly from the wind, and the weight imbalance fore and aft. And you don't slow down as fast either.

After a grueling 15 mile battle with the wind, we stopped at the Pizza Cafe for lunch. I took this opportunity to catch a ride with my mom and sister to get my shoes. I couldn't resist. After over eating, we continued east. By now it was after 4 in the PM. I wasn't sure if we were gong to make it before dark. We kept a steady pace, bucking the constant head wind all the way. Occasionally we stopped for a minute or two to regroup, and break the monotony, and use the (you know what). It was after 6:00PM by the time we reached Manae Goods and Grinds. There we stopped for a few minutes knowing the we had less than a mile to go. I went in and bought the biggest can of ice cold juice that they had. It hit the spot so well, that I wish I had a bigger stomach so I could drink another one.

Peter Ward (Part owner of MGG along with his wife Kehau and son), happen to be there when we pulled up. I knew he wanted to join us, but since we were just about done for the day, I didn't invite um. By the way. Peter is my boss at my regular job. Good thing I didn't call in sick for this one.

By the time we pulled up to our destination, the sun was nearing the horizon, and we were in no mood to set up camp. Actually, there was no room in the yard for my set up. The latter is a better excuse than the prior. We ended up living the good life eating and sleeping indoors where it was nice and warm, and protected from the ever persistent wind.

Because of the lengthy nature of this post, I won't bother with the detail of our return trip. However, it was every bit as exciting. Here are a few pictures from our ride:

Lisa Davis completing the first climb.
"Hi Lisa!"

Fern and Lisa discussing strategy.
Ted realizing he has too much stuff

Ted and Lisa, partners in crime.

Close up of these criminals.

Final rest break before calling it a day.

All in all it was a great preview as to what we might expect on our journey.
Lessons learned: Carry less stuff. Double check equipment list. Stay with the plan.

Thank you all for joining us on this one. It's only 5 more weeks and we are really excited.
Aloha till next time, Your cyber host, Ted.

Update for week 4 of March 2009

Aloha from the update head quarters. It's been a good week for riding. The rain is gone for now, the sun is out, and the roads are dry. I logged 172.8 miles this week. Three trips to Mauna loa, two to One Alii Park, plus my daily work commute and short errand runs. The good news is I only suffered two flat tires this week. Since the beginning of this year, I've spent over $50.00 on tubes. The tires on one of my road bikes is telling me I need new ones. I'm pretty picky about tires. They gotta be dual compound, kevlar belted, hand made tires. I'm not going to tell you how much they cost because you'll think I'm nuts. But since my life is on the line every time I get on the bike, I feel it's worth it.

Mike Dunn, the Color Commentator for ESPN's NHRA racing is going to meet up with Lisa and I near Lexington, Kentucky on May the 18th for a short ride. Mike will be doing the NHRA "Thunder Valley Nationals" May 14th to the 17th in Bristol, Tennessee, and will be driving home along HWY 81 which parallels the Trans-America bicycle route between Lexington and Charletesville. If we were a couple of days earlier on our ride, we could have been on National TV with him, and get to tour the ESPN studio, plus meet some of the top racers in the business. Who knows that could have been the start of a whole new Carrier for me. Just kidding of course. Can you imagine me? In front of millions of people trying to explain centrifugal rotationary torque via unrestrained wattage delivered simultaneously in parallel to the pavement by way of mechanical intervention? I don't think so, I'll leave that up to the pro's.

Anyway, Thursday (Kuhio Day), Lisa and I will be doing a simulation of our trip. This time it's for sure. My plan is to load up all my junk, I mean stuff, and ride to Kalua koi to meet Lisa at her place. From there, we will both ride fully loaded up to Maunaloa where we will meet Fern. The three of us will ride to town, take a lunch break or something, then jump back on our bikes and head out east to Pukoo where we have permission to camp in somebody's yard. We will probably make a number of stops along the way since this is a simulation, and we have all day to get to our destination. Friday morning after a hearty home cooked breakfast (Probably oat meal or dried cereal), we will repack all our stuff and head back. Once again taking our time making sure we have enough strength to make it up the hill after all that.

Since Mana'e Goods and Grinds have wireless internet. I will try to post an entry while we are there. We'll see how that goes. Thanks again for giving up your valuable time to drop in and check up on us. Aloha, Ted.

Update for week 3 of March.

Thank you for joining me for this weeks update. As you all know, the weather hasn't been all that great. I've been stuck with riding the same bike almost the whole week. Riding in wet weather is much more enjoyable and safer with fenders, and I only have one bike with them on. Not that it's a problem, but it means that the rest of my bikes don't get ridden. The bad part about that is weather you ride them or not, they still gotta be maintained. Especially up here in Kualapuu where we have more than our share of moisture. In case you were wondering, Maintenance on a bike for me is anywhere from 15 minutes on a nice sunny day's ride, to about an hour on a wet and muddy ride.

Thank you all who supported the sushi sale. It sold like hot cakes and we actually ran out. We had to take the Sushi sale sign down because more people with out tickets were wanting to buy than we had extra to sell. Sorry to those of you who wasn't able to get any. Don't feel bad, I didn't even get any. Thank you most of all to Maricel. She did everything herself. I was amazed at how she was able to put it all together. Staying up late the night before preparing everything, then waking up at 4:00am. Friday morning to cook the rice and put it all together. I made several trips from the store to the house to pick up the sushi as they were being readied. Each time I showed up, she was there smiling, and made it seem like it was no big deal. Also thanks to Garrick for collecting the money and keeping everything organized. To my mom for coming to the store to help since we were short handed (Ralph and Carol were gone), and to my sister Eve for helping with the sale and everything else.

Well hopefully the weather will clean up this coming week so I can get some much needed mileage in. Thank you again for checking up on me. Have a great week, Aloha, Ted.

Front of Ticket

Back of Ticket

Midweek update 3-11-09

Hey everybody,

What and exciting time! It is only 59 days till the Trans-America. This week saw the return of good riding weather. I've been out there mixing it up. On a ride yesterday, I broke the cable stop on my ultra light road bike. For those of you who don't know, without cable stops, your shifting becomes in operable. You can still ride, but get stuck in one gear. So unless you are on flat ground or going down hill, forget it. I went down to "Take's" and bought the best epoxy glue they had and will test ride it tomorrow to see how it holds out.
In the mean time, I've been fooling around with my movie program, converting DVD footage into a more uploadable WMA file to be inserted on this blog. That way I can post short video clips along with pictures and my daily updates come May 8th.
This is a clip from a while back that I just finished converting. Put on your seat belts, and hold on.

Aloha, Ted.

Up date for week 2 of march.

Hello again and thanks for tuning in.

Ted doing the dreaded routine bike maintenance.

Well, things have slowed down a little. The weather makes it difficult to go with any predetermined plan. So for the most part outside of my usual daily commute, I've been concentrating mostly on logistics and equipment stuff. My front derailleur froze up on me from ridding in the wet weather. Not a big deal, I just needed to clean it and re-lube the pivots. Apparently moisture got into the bushings and caused the moving parts to stop moving. It's a good thing it happened now, cause at least I know that this may be a concern on the real trip. Another problem I've had this past week is both tires going flat after ridding in the rain. No apparent reason that I could see. There were no thorns or cuts visible, and when I pumped them both up, they seem to be okay. It's a strange one, but I've had that happen on a few occasions before.

On one of my rides when the weather was a lot better, I mounted the video camera on the back of the BOB trailer just to see what it looked like from back there. Here is a short video clip of that experiment:



I'm doing these test posts now so that I can share stuff with you guys later when it counts. So please tune in once a week for the updates. Usually by Sunday night for the coming week. Then as much as I can when internet access is available on the road.

See you guys next week. Alooooha, Ted.