Adventure Cyclist - FEBRUARY 2011

Transcription

wayp oi nts 8 G ear e d u p
Ope n r oad galle ry
34
47
Adve ntu r e
Cyclist
GO THE DISTANCE. february 2011 www.adventurecycling.org $4.95
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A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I N G . O R G
2:2011contents
February 2011 · Volume 38 Number 1 · www.adventurecycling.org
A dv e n t u r e
Cyclist
is published nine times each year by
the Adventure Cycling Association,
a nonprofit service organization for
recreational bicyclists. Individual
membership costs $40 yearly to U.S.
addresses and includes a subscription to Adventure Cyclist and discounts on Adventure Cycling maps.
The entire contents of Adventure
Cyclist are copyrighted by Adventure
Cyclist and may not be reproduced
in whole or in part without written
permission from Adventure Cyclist.
All rights reserved.
Our Cover
Tom Robertson and Kerri Rosenstein
ride above South Florida’s waterways. Photo by Tom Robertson.
Cass Gilbert
(left) Cara Coolbaugh enjoys a cool
coconut drink at a roadside stall in
Cambodia.
MISSION
10
The mission of Adventure Cycling
Association is to inspire people of all
ages to travel by bicycle. We help
cyclists explore the landscapes and
history of America for fitness, fun,
and self-discovery.
bike event roundup by Mike Deme and Jill Homer
If you’re interested in joining a week-long cycling event this year, we’ve got you covered.
16
chasing summer by Tom Robertson and Kerri Rosenstein
24
the road less traveled in cambodia by Cara Coolbaugh
A former Adventure Cycling cartographer takes a friend along on a Florida bicycle adventure.
Wheeling through jungles and sleeping on hammocks, these intrepid bike travelers make do
with the help of many friendly locals.
CAMPAIGNS
Our strategic plan includes three
major campaigns:
– Creating Bike Routes for America
– Getting Americans Bicycling
– Supporting Bicycling Communities
How to Reach Us
d e pa r t m e n t s
LETTERS
07 companions wanted
08 WAYPOINTS
34geared up
36 riding sweep
42 marketplace/classifieds
04 LETTER from the ediTOR
05 LETTERs from the readers
06 LETTER from the director
47
OPEN ROAD GALLERY
C O LU M NS
mechanical advantage / Jan Heine
38 The
ins and outs of cornering on a bicycle
To join, change your address, or ask
questions about membership, visit us
online at www.adventurecycling.org
or call (800) 755-2453 or (406) 721-1776
Email:
[email protected]
Subscription Address:
P.O. Box 8308
Missoula, MT 59807
Headquarters:
150 E. Pine St.
Missoula, MT 59802
/ June Siple
40 profile
Remembering a pioneer of cycling and hosteling
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I N G. O R G
3
Letter from the Editor
A dv e n t u r e
Cyclist
got gas?
February 2010
Ride a bike, save the oil
volume 38 number 1
www .adventurecycling. org
editor
michael deme
[email protected]
Deputy editor
jill homer
[email protected]
art director
greg siple
[email protected]
technical editor
john schubert
[email protected]
F IELD e d i t o r
michael mccoy
[email protected]
contributing writers
dan d'ambrosio nancy clark
willie weir joe kurmaskie
jan heine
Copy Editor
phyllis picklesimer
advertising director
rick bruner
509.493.4930
[email protected]
STA F F
executive director
jim sayer
[email protected]
c h i e f o p e r a t i o n s o ff i c e r
sheila snyder, cpa
m e mb e r s h i p & D e v e l o p m e n t
j u l i e h u c k a m y c o r b i n thomas bassett joshua tack
media
winona bateman michael mccoy
p u b l i c at i o n s
michael deme greg siple
jill homer derek gallagher
it d e par tm e nt
john sieber richard darne
tours
rod kramer mo mislivets
sam hall paul hansbarger
routes and mapping
c a r l a m a j e r n i k j e n n i f e r m i l y k o virginia sullivan kevin mcmanigal
casey greene nathan taylor
sales and marketing
teri maloughney
cyc lo s o u r c e
ted bowman
sarah raz
o ff i c e m a n a g e r
beth petersen
board of direct ors
president
carol york
vice president
jennifer garst
s e c r e ta ry
dan hungate
treasurer
andy huppert
b o a r d m e mb e r s
andy baur jeff miller
donna o'neal jason boucher
wally werner
4
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 I was recently reading an article, “Beyond Oil
in 20 Years” in the January/February issue of
Sierra magazine, the member publication of
the Sierra Club. The premise of the article is a question,
“How can we end America’s addiction to oil over the
next two decades?” When
I saw the headline on the
cover of the issue, my
first thought was, “I hope
one of the answers to the
question is ride a bicycle
more,” and I wasn’t disappointed. Bicycles and
bicycling were paid their
due and even get the last
word in the article, which
ends with, “...we’re going
to need a whole lot of bicycle tires.” This
line relates back to the concept that we’ll
have a much more difficult time replacing petroleum for a myriad of important
industrial applications than we will finding solutions in regard to transportation.
The complete thought being that since
bicycles can play a valuable part in reducing oil consumption for transportation,
we’ll have enough of the liquified organic
matter to continue to produce the many
products that require petroleum, including bicycle tires.
Ever since I heard about the concept of Peak Oil (the point at which the
flow rate of oil to society has reached
a maximum) and began tuning in to
the debate about its validity, I’ve been
using the argument to anyone that will
listen that we need petroleum for more
important things than transportation.
Their response is usually along the lines
of, “What other options are there?” At
this point, you can probably deduce
that I’m not having this discussion with
fellow cyclists. No, these are everyday
Americans that I have known or met
through my long-standing employment
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I N G . O R G
at a well-known local
watering hole that
many cyclists traveling
through Missoula have
patronized — and by
everyday Americans,
I mean representatives
of the entire gamut of
our society. For many
of these friends and
acquaintances, riding a
bicycle would be a great
sacrifice, akin to building an outhouse
in their backyard and using it instead of
their indoor bathrooms, with all its amenities, most of which are manufactured
using petroleum.
One of my greatest worries for the
future of bicycling is that many people
will become involved because it’s a great
way to reduce their carbon-emission
footprint, and there’s no denying that
it is. But what happens when the wily
humans finally do invent a low-carbon
emitting method of propelling cars? My
suspicion is that most of the newcomers
will rush to the new technology, their
conscience no longer ill at ease.
I hope I’m wrong. One way to make
sure that I am is to take a non-cycling
friend along with you on a local bicycling event (see pages 10-15) so they can
discover there’s more to cycling than not
burning fossil fuels. There’s enjoyment,
fun, camaraderie. Now that’s mental calisthenics.
Mike Deme
Editor, Adventure Cyclist
[email protected]
Letters from our Readers
Believe it or not, bikepackers not welcome in wilderness areas
e-Adventure Cyclist around the bend
Not convertible
I was quite excited to see an article in the
December/January issue on ultralight bikepacking (“Self Contained and Ultralight,
Bikepacking Comes of Age” by Aaron
Teasdale). I have recently taken up bikepacking and was happy to see it getting
coverage in your publication.
While I enjoyed the article and excellent photos, I was offended by one sentence in particular. While describing the
natural beauty of Kananaskis Country,
Mr. Teasdale wrote, “… it was a landscape
that could convert atheists.” I have little
doubt that Mr. Teasdale meant no offense,
however, as an atheist, I must say that I am
quite sure that Kananaskis Country would
not convert me to anything other than a
deepening of my appreciation for nature.
I have had the great fortune to be able to
cycle, hike, and backpack in numerous
gorgeous places, and none of them have
converted me to religion or belief in a
supreme being.
I am quite sure that you would not
have published that Kananaskis is beautiful enough to convert a Jew to Christianity
or a Hindu to Islam, so please afford nonbelievers that same respect.
Thank you and keep up the great work
of inspiring me to explore the world on my
bicycle.
Matthew B. Woody
Liberty, Missouri
Not in my wilderness
I share Aaron Teasdale’s desire for experiences that don’t involve dust-spewing
vehicles but instead are far from the madding crowds (Dec/Jan 2010). Noise and
speeding vehicles just don’t make for an
enjoyable wilderness experience. It’s difficult for all of us to find real peace and
isolation in ever-dwindling wild spaces
shared by an ever-increasing population
that insists on taking mechanized vehicles wherever they go.
I certainly don’t find it [real peace]
when parties like Mr. Teasdale’s are
within a mile or two of my backcountry
location, since, “On many a downhill, the
woods and mountains rang with [their]
exuberant whooping.” Or when I encounter parties like Mr. Teasdale’s who are “…
all charging down the mountain together
like a trio of wild horses …”, as they
“dodged, darted, and launched air with
abandon.”
That’s why I am grateful for the wisdom of land managers who make quality
places for backpacking closed to bicycles.
And that’s why when I bikepack, I stick
to the many thousands of miles of roads
available in remote areas of our public
lands. (My apologies for not using Mr.
Teasdale’s preferred definition of bikepacking, which would be only on singletrack). A little washboard shouldn’t be
too much for an adventurous cyclist.
As cycling advocates frequently
remind motorists and policy makers,
bicycles are vehicles. Vehicles don’t
belong on foot paths. We cyclists can’t
have it both ways. Certainly it’s appropriate that some trails are multi-use to
include bicycles, but it’s imperative to
keep large tracts of wilderness vehicle
free. Just as we want to avoid the intrusion of ATVs into our cycling experience,
so to do hikers and backpackers want to
avoid the intrusion of bicycles into theirs
— particularly when those bicycles are
ridden by wild horses.
C.T. Oswald
Medford, Oregon
E-Adventure Cyclist
I would like to be able to download a
pdf file of the magazine each month and
not receive a mail hard copy. Will this be
possible?
Editor: Coming soon!
Your letters are welcome. Due to the volume of mail
and email we receive, we cannot print every letter.
We may edit letters for length and clarity. If you do
not want your comments to be printed in Adventure
Cyclist, please state so clearly. Please include your
name and address with your correspondence. Email
your comments, questions, or letters to [email protected] or mail to Editor, Adventure Cyclist,
P.O. Box 8308, Missoula, MT 59807.
5
Letter from the Director
It’s Never Too Late
To take that bicycle journey — or to simply ride a bike
I ended 2010 with a whirlwind speaking tour through central Texas, meeting
with Adventure Cycling members, public officials, and advocates working
for better cycling conditions. It was an energizing trip, as I learned about
bike-friendly initiatives from San Antonio to Fort Worth and Galveston to Austin.
I also met with staff from Bike Texas to discuss implementation of a Texas Bicycle
Tourism Trail System and how it would align with the U.S. Bicycle Route System
My Texas thrill: seeing
my dad back on a bike.
Don and Carmella Sayer, ready to ride in
Texas Hill Country.
6
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 (USBRS). Once Texas gets going on this
system (which was approved in principle
by the state legislature in 2005), that
would make 30 states working to implement U.S. Bicycle Routes — an astounding number, given that the national
corridor plan for the USBRS was ratified
only two years ago.
But apart from these good outcomes, I
must confess that the top thrill of the trip
came from seeing my 78-year old father,
Don, and his wife, Carmella, back on
bikes. They live 30 miles north of Austin
in Georgetown, and have focused their
active lifestyle on walking, yoga, and
table tennis — but not cycling.
Well, by chance, my dad talked with
a member of the nearby Sun City Cycling
Club, who invited me to give a presentation about bicycle travel. Despite the
short notice, 40 people turned up on a
Saturday morning, including Don and
Carmella.
After my talk, they said how motivated they were to start cycling again.
I was a little skeptical, thinking that
this might be one of those spur-of-themoment resolutions that fade as fast as
they come — but before I knew it, Don
and Carmella had spruced up their bikes
and were riding around town and on the
great local trails.
It was a joyful reminder that it’s
never too late to experience the magic of
cycling and bicycle travel — a reminder reinforced in meetings with two
Adventure Cycling donors. Although
they give generous annual contributions
(for which we are very grateful), they
have not yet taken an overnight bike
trip. They told me separately that they
are otherwise occupied but hope to get
to the bike trip soon. My only advice to
them, then and now, was: go as soon as
you can!
I can’t tell you the number of times
I have met Adventure Cycling members who live vicariously through the
Adventure Cyclist or Adventure Cycling
maps — but don’t take a bike tour. If
you haven’t had the chance, please make
2011 your year to travel by bicycle. If
you need help, try one of Adventure
Cycling’s relaxed tours or introductory
courses. Another resource coming your
way soon will be new web pages on how
to enjoy a bike overnight: a one- or twonight bike adventure, either camping or
hoteling, even from your front door.
And who knows? Maybe after cycling
a while, my dad might try a bike overnight. After riding with my wife and
three daughters down the Pacific Coast
Bicycle Route last summer, I can think of
few things that would be more exciting
to me than my own father becoming an
adventure cyclist.
Jim Sayer
Executive Director
jsayer@adventurecycling .org
Companions Wanted
Providing partners for tours, domestic and abroad, since 1978
Rendezvous with the Horizon 57-year-old man
with touring experience will depart on April 1,
2011 from the Kansas City, Missouri, area for a
cross-country bicycle tour, extending for years.
My plan is to camp and visit as many national
monuments, parks, and historic sites as possible
throughout the U.S. (including Alaska), Canada,
and Europe. I’m interested in photography and
local color. If interested email wramey@inthe
beginning.org.
Underground Railroad 40-year-old married man
planning to ride the Underground Railroad Route
in sections in 2011. departing Mobile, Alabama,
around April 21 and arrive in Grand Rivers/
Smithland, Kentucky, by Saturday, April 30 (about
680 miles). I plan to average about 75 miles per
day at 12 to 16 mph. Companions welcome for all
or part of route. This is my first major self-supported tour. Flexible on camping versus motels.
Prefer to eat dinner locally. If interested email
[email protected].
TransAmerica Trail 30-year-old married man
from Austin, Texas, looking to make new
friends to ride across the U.S. I plan to leave in
early April, 2011 and finish in late June. I’m
a little flexible on dates and my ideal route is
TransAmerica east to west, where I plan to take
a few extra days to vacation around Yellowstone
with my wife. Self supported, covering 60 to 100
miles a day, one rest day a week, mostly camping but some hotel stays. If interested: www.
Work2Ride.com or email [email protected].
Atlantic Coast I’m a 50-year-old man leaving
Fort Lauderdale around April 28, 2011 and riding to Bar Harbor, Maine. I plan to take about
two months at an easy pace, riding 50 to 60
miles per day. Mostly camping, occasional hotel,
self-contained, occasional rest days. This will be
my first big tour but I’ve done numerous shorter
ones. I may be joined by one or two others
(women, same age) and I may bring my fiddle
(play celtic). If you have a guitar, it would be
great. If interested email [email protected].
50
TransAm East to West Retired male would like
to leave Yorktown, Virginia, the first week of
May. Anyone interested who would like to ride
with me part or all the way is welcome. I would
like to be in Portland, Oregon, no later than
July 15. Stay at motels and camp some along the
way. 50 miles a day would be ideal. If interested
email [email protected].
Western Express I plan to start in May, 2011
in San Francisco and ride the Western Express
route to the TransAmerica Trail in Pueblo,
Colorado. Self-contained with a vehicle for
emergencies. Camping, outdoor cooking. 50 to
75 miles per day at 15 to 17 mph. Motels when
needed. Serious inquiries only please. If interested email [email protected].
Western Express 39-year-old man planning to
depart from Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, 2011
and head toward San Francisco, California, via
the Western Express Route. I plan to take a
leisurely pace (approximately 30 to 50 miles per
day) and enjoy the views. Mostly camping with
the occasional hotel/motel stay. Fully self-contained and will be cooking my own meals (I’ll be
starting graduate school studying integral psychotherapy in the fall and need to save money).
I’m also a bike mechanic, so no worries about
breaking down. If interested email mikedeanjr@
hotmail.com.
TransAm Summer 31-year-old from England
planning to ride the TransAm Trail east to west
from May to July in 2011. Aiming for about 60
miles per day, mostly camping with the occasional motel night and rest day. Would love to
ride with someone else as much as possible —
someone who’s there for the experience rather
than just the physical challenge. If interested
email [email protected].
South Dakota Tour I’m looking for
companion(s) to ride across South Dakota during the spring/summer of 2011. The ride will
have SAG support. We will ride six days, about
60 miles per day. There’s no fee to ride, just pay
your way. Call Dallas at (605) 721-1427 or email
[email protected].
Adventure Cycling Association assumes, but cannot verify, that the persons above are truthfully
representing themselves. Ads are free to Adventure
Cycling members. You can see more ads and post
new ones at www.adventurecycling.org/mag/comp
anions.cfm or send your ad to Adventure Cyclist,
P.O. Box 8308, Missoula, MT 59807.
TOS RV
The 50th Annual Tour of the Scioto River Valley
America’s Bicycle Touring Classic
May 7-8, 2011 l 3000 Riders l 210/105 Miles
Columbus/Portsmouth, Ohio
www.tosrv.org
7
News you can use from the world of bicycle travel
by Michael McCoy
WayPoints
Late last summer, severe
storms caused flash flooding in
southern Utah’s Canyonlands
National Park, damaging a
number of roads, most notably
— for mountain bikers, at least
— the Mineral Bottom Road
switchbacks. According to the
national park’s website, the
switchbacks are in a state of
“total failure,” meaning that the
ultra-popular, 103-mile White
Rim Trail cannot presently be
accomplished as a loop.
“There are currently no estimates for when the Mineral
Bottom Road switchbacks will
be repaired,” says information
posted at the site. “However,
it will likely be several months.
We have temporarily suspended making reservations for the
White Rim for calendar year
2011.” (Check out www.nps.
gov/cany/news082410.htm.)
If you were planning to ride
the White Rim in 2011, be
aware that there’s no shortage
of other options for remote,
multi-day trips in southern
Utah. Plan an adventure in the
Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument perhaps,
or the Cathedral Valley Loop
in and around Capitol Reef
National Park. Or, for something a bit longer, have a look
at Adventure Cycling’s own
287.6-mile Utah Cliffs Loop.
Because of the extreme elevation differential on this route —
roughly 2,500 to 10,000 feet
above sea level — September
through early October is the
recommended riding window.
8
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T Michelle Macullo, Parks Canada
WHITE RIM
Roadblock
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment for Parks Canada, officially open
the first section of the Banff Legacy Trail.
BANFF LEGACY TRAIL
One piece of a puzzle crossing Canada
Patrick Glover, a member from
Calgary, Alberta, wrote to tell
us about a terrific new trail in
Banff National Park, known as
the Banff Legacy Trail.
“The trail provides a route
for cycling and also is a
multi-use trail for running,
skiing, and in-line skaters,”
Patrick wrote. “My involvement [with the Alpine Design
Group LTD] was to provide
the concept plan layout and
the design construction plan
documents for a public tender. The overall cost is $6.75
million (Canadian). The trail
has been open since the sum-
F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I N G . O R G
mer months, and the animalcrossing bridges are soon to
be finished. The use the trail
gets has been phenomenal
… a great success for Parks
Canada and the adjacent
town of Canmore, Alberta.
“During the design phase,
I contacted the Adventure
Cycling office in Missoula and
was provided some ideas and
designs for the animal crossing gates, which are along the
route. I appreciated the assistance and wanted to thank
you again,” he added.
According to the Parks
Canada website, the hard-
surfaced trail is three meters
wide and 16 miles long,
from the east gate of Banff
National Park to the Bow
Valley Parkway. The trail
“… will become part of the
Trans Canada Trail Sentier
Transcanadien (TCTST), a
21,500-kilometer recreational
trail winding its way through
every province and territory,”
according to the site. “When
completed, TCTST will be the
world’s longest recreational
trail, linking close to 1,000
communities.”
THE DIRT ON WASHTENAW
TOP RIDES IN
THE GREAT
WHITE NORTH
Rob Pulcipher
Who needs pavement anyway?
Several weeks ago, Waypoints
received a call from a fellow
named Rob Pulcipher, asking
if we would like to receive a
review copy of his new bookDirt Road Washtenaw: Biking
the Back Roads. Sure thing!
Book now in hand, we see
that Rob lines out 17 routes
for mountain and cyclocross
bikers, most of them totally or
nearly devoid of pavement and
vehicular traffic. They range in
length from 14 to 46 miles.
In the introduction, Rob
writes, “I once wondered
why southern Michigan,
and Washtenaw County in
particular, had so many dirt
roads. I even thought of them,
condescendingly, as routes to
be avoided. My opinion has
changed. Wandering these
roads has brought me hours
of joy. The beauty along many
of them is as good as you’ll
find anywhere in the state.
And they’re relatively quiet.
Development on the whole is
minimal, which yields a unique
window into our past.”
Pretty impressive, when
you consider that the seat of
Washtenaw County is Ann
Arbor, home to the University
of Michigan and the sixth largest city in the Wolverine State
— and only 35 miles west of
Detroit. If you’re interested in
obtaining a copy, visit dirtroad
washtenaw.com.
LUNAR LANDING PREDICTED
greg siple
Soon-to-be octogenarian still going strong
Adventure Cycling member
Bill Kelleher recently sent
Waypoints a link to a terrific
story about one of his riding
partners. According to
the piece, found on the
Akron Beacon Journal’s
website, 79-year-old
Tom Schlueter of Bath
Township, Ohio, has bicycled more than 200,000
miles during the past 40
years. A lot of his rides
take place with the
bike club known as
ROMEO, or Retired
Old Men Eating Out.
(Of course. What else
could it stand for?)
Bill pointed out that
both he and Tom, a retired
surgeon, were part of a
group riding the Lewis &
Clark Bicycle Trail in 2006
when they all stopped in our
Missoula office. They were
on their fourth and final leg of
cycling that route, an adventure that began in Pittsburgh
in 2003.
According to the
newspaper piece,
Tom is now tak-
ing aim at the 234,000-mile
mark, which, he says, is the
distance between Earth and
the moon. Bicycling “gets
me out of the house,” he told
Beacon Journal staff writer
Bob Downing. “I like to be outdoors in the summer. I love to
go down roads that I’ve been
down before. It’s the people,
the exercise, and the health
that it gives you.
“I used to do 50 miles
in three hours. Then it
was 45 miles. Then it
was 40. Geez, you
start slowing down
as you get older.
… It may take four
hours to go 30
miles now, but we’re
usually shooting the
breeze in some restaurant for part of that time.”
Shooting the breeze en
route to the moon while
approaching age 80 — that
sounds pretty good to us.
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T According to TourCanada.new
datablog.com, the following are
a half dozen of the best bicycle
touring routes in the country:
– Cape Breton Highlands
National Park. Situated on an
island at the northern end of
Nova Scotia, this area combines incredible riding and
opportunities to hear top-notch
live Celtic music performances.
Highlight: The 185-mile Cabot
Trail.
– Confederation Trail.
Going from tip to tip on Prince
Edward Island, this 168-mile,
crushed-limestone-surface
rail-trail visits beautiful rural
areas and numerous communities. The story goes that the
railroad was built by a contractor who was paid by the mile,
explaining its curiously circuitous route.
– Montreal to Quebec City.
This is an ultra-popular stretch
of La Route Verte, a network
of some 2,500 miles of signed
bikeways in Quebec province.
The route follows the north
shore of the St. Lawrence
River for a distance of approximately 160 miles.
– Waterfront Trail. Starting
in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario,
this trail stretches along Lake
Ontario and the St. Lawrence
River to the border with Quebec,
where it joins up with La Route
Verte (see above), a distance of
more than 500 miles. Highlight:
The 100-mile Niagara-to-Toronto
“Bike Train” ride.
– Icefields Parkway.
Spanning 142 miles between
Lake Louise and Jasper, this
ride serves as a spectacular
section of Adventure Cycling’s
Great Parks North Route. The
Columbia Icefields, storming
waterfalls, and sky-scratching
peaks are highlights along the
way, as are possible wildlife
sightings.
– Gulf Islands. Take in
Washington’s San Juan
Islands and British Columbia’s
Vancouver Island and Gulf
Islands on the same adventure.
F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I N G. O R G
9
BIKE EVENT
R
UNDUP
10
S
full SAG support, baggage transportation,
showers and toilets, emergency services
along the route, and a bicycle mechanic.
For more information about LAGBRAU,
visit lagbrau.com or call (801) 654-1144.
LAGBRAU (Sept. 1-10; 200 riders)
(June 11-17; 2,000 riders)
RTR is a long-standing cycling event
that offers a different route each year. The
one commonality, however, is that they
are always challenging and include several
mountain passes, many of which are over
9,000 feet, and all of which offer spectacular views. Daily mileages average 60 to 70
miles but can be as long as 100 miles. RTR
fills up each year and turns many cyclists
away so start making plans soon. Group
sizes are limited to 10 people.
Included with your registration are
camping accommodations, entertainment,
snacks and refreshments at rest stops, full
SAG support, baggage transportation,
showers and toilets, emergency services
along the route, and bicycle mechanics.
On February 6, RTR will announce the
route for this, its 26th version. Lottery
applications will be accepted February 6
haji mahmood
o you want to take a bicycle
o you want to take a bicycle
vacation this year? Maybe
vacation this year? Maybe
you want to explore the
you want to explore the FlorFlorida Keys, or test your
ida Keys, or test your fitness
fitness with a 200-mile weekend ride in
with a 200-mile weekend ride in Ohio,
Ohio, or pedal past Iowa cornfields with
or pedal past Iowa cornfields with
10,000 of your closest friends. When
10,000 of your closest friends. When
it comes to organization, camaraderie,
it comes to organization, camaraderie,
and the unique lifestyle of days on the
and the unique lifestyle of days on the
road and nights in a tent metropolis, it’s
road and nights in a tent metropolis, it’s
hard to beat the experience of embarkhard to beat the experience of embarking on an event ride. Organizers take
ing on an event ride. Organizers take
care of the small details and all you
care of the small details and all you
have to do is wake up, eat, and let the
have to do is wake up, eat, and let the
landscape unfold in front of you.
landscape unfold in front of you.
Event rides are diverse experiences
Event rides are diverse experiences
as well, ranging from large swarms
as well, ranging from large swarms
of riders crossing states to intimate
of riders crossing states to intimate
groups exploring far-flung corners
groups exploring far-flung corners
of the nation. If you’re looking for a
of the nation. If you’re looking for a
way to join in the fun, you’ve come to
way to join in the fun, you’ve come to
the right place. Here we detail a few
the right place. Here we detail a few
notable event rides and list many othnotable event rides and list many others. There’s something for nearly every
ers. There’s something for nearly every
cyclist coming up in 2011.
cyclist coming up in 2011.
Legacy Annual Great Bicycle Ride
Across Utah is now a 10-day camping
ride that takes in five national parks
(Arches, Canyonlands, Moab, Capitol Reef,
Bryce,) six state parks (Dead Horse Point,
Goblin Valley, Anasazi Indian Museum,
Green River, Escalante Petrified Forest,
Kodachrome Basin), two national monuments (Escalante Grand Staircase, Cedar
Breaks), and many historic sites. If 10 days
is too long, three- and seven-day options
are also available.
In addition to the spectacular daily rides,
you can also choose from tour add ons:
Canyonlands by Night boat tour, Rafting on
the Green River, a Shakespearean Festival
in Cedar City, and a guided mountain-bike
ride in Moab.
Included with your registration are
catered meals each day, camping fees, a
commemorative T-shirt, entertainment,
snacks and refreshments at rest stops,
Association that starts and ends in Woburn,
Massachusetts. There are two options:
seven days (550 miles) and two days (July
9-10; 150 miles). The route includes beautiful New England coast and mountains,
Denver Post Ride the Rockies
Cycle North Carolina. Mountains & coast.
quaint hamlets, and lovely back roads in
four states: Massachusetts, Vermont, New
Hampshire, and Maine. This is a fundraising ride with a minimum of $600 for the
150-mile version and $2,500 for the 550mile version. Accommodations are in hotels
and ski resorts and include all-you-can eat
breakfast and dinner. Support includes
indoor accommodations, full-service rest
stops, support-and-gear (SAG) vehicles,
sweep vehicles, and bike mechanics.
For more information, visit http://main.
diabetes.org/nectourdecure or call (888)
342-2383 x 3456.
Cycle North Carolina “Mountains to
Coast” Fall Ride (Oct. 1-8; 1,200 riders)
Ride the Rockies. Snowcapped peaks.
through 25. For all other logistical information, visit ridetherockies.com or call (303)
954-6700.
New England Classic Tour de Cure
(July 9-15; No rider limit)
The New England Classic is a cycling
event to benefit the American Diabetes
The riding on this annual tour typically
consists of a few challenging days climbing
the western North Carolina mountains, but
flattens as the route continues to head east
towards the coast. The route covers over
400 miles with an average of 60 miles per
day. CNC is fully supported and riders can
expect maps and turn-by-turn cue sheets,
the transfer of two bags, shower facilities,
indoor and outdoor camping (hotel options
are available for an additional fee), optional
meal plans, fully-stocked rest stops, SAG
vehicles on route, mechanical support, free
shuttles into towns, nightly entertainment,
11
and an end-of-ride celebration.
For more information, visit ncsports.org
or email [email protected].
Santa Fe Trail Bicycle Trek
"
(Sept. 11-30; 50 riders limit) The 17th version starts in Santa Fe,
New Mexico, and ends in New Franklin,
Missouri. The goals of the ride are to provide
a safe, fun, non-competitive, and inexpensive camping trip and to explore and learn
about the Santa Fe Trail. The original Trail
passes through or near all of the towns where
riders stop each afternoon or evening. All
riders must start in Santa Fe and ride at least
the first four days to Trinidad, Colorado. The
route is on paved public roads only with all
gear carried by truck.
In some towns, presentations about historic points of interest and the town’s role
in the trail’s history will be given. The ride
will take in tours of old forts, state parks,
monuments, national sites, trail markers,
museums, and recreation areas. The organizers of the Trek try to balance the joy of
cycling with time to see and appreciate the
history of the Santa Fe Trail. Included with your registration is dinner
and breakfast, camp sites with showers at
colleges, high schools, and city and national parks. None of the sites are indoors, but
there are some indoor facilities in case of
inclement weather. All participants receive
a ride kit containing daily ride sheets, route
maps, and travel information. For more
information, visit SantaFeTrailBicycleTrek.
com or call (505) 982-1282.
!
!
12
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 Bike Florida (March 26-April 4; 1,000 riders)
For cyclists who believe Florida is all
condo-clogged beaches and crowded theme
parks, Bike Florida is offering a tour through
“Florida’s Eden.” The weeklong, fully supported camping tour takes riders through
lush forests, wildflower-carpeted pastures
and quaint villages.
According to the website, “While the
tour offers miles of scenic backcountry
roads and spectacular rail trails, we’re pretty
sure riders are going to want to get off their
bikes from time to time to indulge in some
of the many attractions, natural and quirky,
that make Florida’s Eden a visitor’s delight.”
During the tour, riders can count
the alligators in Alachua Sink, visit the
Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum
of Natural History, visit the “Swamp” — the
Gainesville home to the University of Florida
Gators, row a boat among the giant sturgeon
of the Suwannee River, and watch swarms of
night fliers outside the Bat Houses.
Average daily mileages range between 30
and 60 miles. There also is an optional century for one day of the tour. Activities and
evening programs are included in camp each
night. To register, visit www.bikeflorida.org.
TRIRI (June 18-25; 3,000 riders)
GOBA (June 18-25; 3,000 riders) Every
"
is a tent camping tour with vans to shuttle
gear between each overnight destination.
Entertainment awaits riders each night,
including a criterium series race of some
of the top teams in Ohio. The registration
deadline is May 18, 2011. To register, visit
www.goba.com.
year since 1989, as many as 3,000 cyclists
have explored the Buckeye State during the
Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure. The eightday tour features a different part of Ohio
each year, wending through grassy countryside, wooded hills, and historic towns.
This year’s tour includes visits to Kenton
and the “Singing Cowboy” Gene Autry
celebration, a bus trip to the Columbus
Zoo, and a stop in London during the city’s
bicentennial celebration and the London
Strawberry Festival. There also are special
stops for famous fried bologna sandwiches,
lessons in bird watching at Killdeer Plains,
horseback riding at Marmon Valley Farm,
exploration of the Ohio Caverns, and a
canoeing trip for the adventurous.
Riders cover 45 to 60 miles per day, with
optional bus rides and side trips, for a total
of 259 to 416 miles. Opening day includes a
bicycle parade and costume contest. GOBA
In the early days of the Touring Ride In
GOBA. The best of Ohio backroads.
Rural Indiana, participants had to set up
camp and then ride as many as 10 miles to a
restaurant for their meals, where overloaded staffers prompted cyclists to step up and
take orders, serve meals, and clean tables. A
hose with a shower-style nozzle provided a
brisk way to clean up, and breakfast was
cooked and served by the same person who
organized, marked, and led the ride.
These days, between 100 and 200
TRIRI participants explore rural Indiana
through a series of loop rides from a single
state park. The four-day event includes
three breakfasts and dinners served in the
Indiana State Park Inns, and the menus
offer options for vegetarian and diabet-
The real art of the bicycle is for each to have its purpose.
The perfect marriage between humanity and machinery.
TRIRI. Touring in rural Indiana.
ic participants. There’s 24-hour access to
warm showers, and the routes are carefully
marked and supported with SAG vehicles.
Participants also have a choice of staying
in Spring Mill Inn or Clifty Inn as well as
camping.
From June 12 to 15, TRIRI hosts a bicycle
rally at the Spring Mill State Park, home to
a pioneer village, working gristmill, and
colorful caves. From August 14 to 17, riders
will camp at Clifty Falls State Park on the
Ohio River outside Madison, a vibrant town
with outdoor markets, festivals, restaurants,
and museums. Both events include loop
rides ranging from 25 to 100 miles through
the rolling hill country of southern Indiana.
To register, visit www.triri.org.
American Made. Oregon Made. Handmade.
www.co-motion.com
BubbaFest (November 5-12; 1,200 riders)
BubbaFest gives riders an opportunity
to explore the Florida Keys from the seat of
a bicycle. The seven-day tour offers “resort
camping” at beachside campgrounds. Hotel
options also are available. Seven breakfasts
and five dinners are included. Two lay-over
days in Key West and one in Marathon offer
a chance to explore the unique islands.
What’s not included in the fall tour?
According to the website: snow, ice, cold,
or the phrase “wind chill.” Riders enjoy
summer in November with warm days,
starry nights and colorful sunsets that the
Keys are famous for. Participants ride an
average of 45 miles per day on roads and
paved bike paths. The route is generally flat
and offers daily views of the Gulf of Mexico
and the Atlantic Ocean. Bicycle rentals
are available. For more information, visit
http://bubbafestbiketours.com.
13
2011 Bicycle Events
ALABAMA: Alabama’s
Magnificent Bicycling
Adventure May 21-28,
www.amba1.com
The California Jewish
Environmental Bike Ride
May 6-9, 415-397-7020,
www.hazon.org
ALASKA: Clean Air
Challenge 2011 May
14-15, 800-586-4872
www.aklung.org/air-quality/
clean-air-challenge
Great Western Bicycle
Rally May 27-30, 866909-4927, www.great
westernbicyclerally.com
ARKANSAS: Bicycle
Ride Around Arkansas
April 11-16, www.arkansas
bicycleclub.org
River to River Memorial
Ride May 28-June 1, www.
river2riverride.com
ARIZONA: Tucson
Spokes - Saguaro Park
East Ride Mar. 19-25, Luna
Lake Tour May 28-30, Blue
Loop Tour Sept. 3-5, Trail
of the Mountain Spirits
Sept. 3-5, www.bikegaba.org
J&P Tucson Tour Feb.
18-21, www.pmbcaz.org
Southern Arizona Road
Adventure Mar. 12-18,
Grand Canyon – Van Sept.
10-16, 800-755-2453,
www.adventurecycling.org/
tours
Climate Ride California
Oct. 2-6, 406-322-3448,
www.climateride.org
California Coast Classic
Sept. 17-24, 800-954-2873,
www.californiacoastclassic.
org
HI-USA Christmas Bike
Trip Dec. 25-31 in 2101,
619-525-1531, www.
sandiegohostels.org
NorCal Aids Cycle May
12-15, 916-600-1954,
www.norcalaidschallenge.net
Death Valley Loop I
Mar. 5-11, Death Valley
Loop II Mar. 12-18, and
Sierra Sampler Sept.
8-15, 800-755-2453, www.
adventurecycling.org/tours
Sierra to the Sea June
18-25, 408-446-2199,
www.sierratothesea.org
Solvang Spring Tour
March 14-19, 818-8892453. www.planetultra.com
14
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T ILLINOIS: Grand Illinois
Trail & Parks (GITAP)
June 12-17, 309-788-1845,
www.bikelib.org/maps-and
-rides/rides/gitap
MARYLAND: Kent
County Spring Fling May
27-30, http://baltobikeclub.
org
Park-2-Park Montana
Sept. 7-11, www.
park2parkmontana.org
Cycle Montana June
19-26, Cycle the Divide
Montana July 10-16,
800-755-2453, www.
Illinois Great Rivers
Ride Sept. 5-12, 877477-7007 x 217, www.
illinoisgreatriversride.com
C&O Canal/ Great
Allegheny Passage Sept.
19-26, 800-755-2453,
tours
Bicycle Illinois July 9-16,
877-868-7455, www.bicy
cleillinois.com
MASSACHUSETTS: Mass
BikePike Tour Aug. 11-14,
www.massbikepike.org
NEBRASKA: Bicycle Ride
Across Nebraska (BRAN)
June 5-11, 402-397-9785,
www.bran-inc.org
Le Tour de Shore June
17-18, www.letourdeshore.
com
Pan Mass Challenge Aug.
6-7, 800-932-9253, www.
pmc.org
Tour de Nebraska June
22-26, 402-421-1401,
www.tourdenebraska.com
Colorado Wildflowers
and Rivers Aug. 15-21,
800-755-2453, www.
INDIANA: Cover Indiana
May 9-15, 765-423-4590,
www.lafayettehabitat.org/
events/index.php
MICHIGAN: DALMAC
Aug. 31-Sept. 4, 517-8823700, www.dalmac.org
NEVADA: OATBRAN Sept.
25 - Oct. 1, 330-957-0051,
www.bikethewest.com/
OATBRAN.html
Colorado Rocky
Mountain Bike Tour Aug
7-13, 720-379-5593 www.
crmbt.com
Amishland and Lakes
August 5-7, 574-387-6449
www.amishlandlakes.com
Cycling for Sight July
15-17, 619-583-1542,
www.cyclingforsight.org
COLORADO: Bicycle Tour
of Colorado June 19-25,
303-985-1180, www.
bicycletourcolorado.com
Denver Post Ride the
Rockies June 11-18, 303954-6700, www.ridethe
rockies.com
CONNECTICUT: Angel
Ride May 28-29, www.
angelride.org
FLORIDA: Bike Florida
March 26-April 4, 352-2440062, www.bikeflorida.org
CALIFORNIA: Aids/
LifeCycle June 5-11,
866-245-3424, www.
aidslifecycle.org
List compiled by Mike Deme, Jill Homer, and Kerry Irons.
BubbaFest Nov. 5-12
321-759-3433, www.
bubbafestbiketours.com
Florida Bicycle Safari
April 30 – May 5,
407-788-2453, www.
floridabicyclesafari.com
Florida Keys Nov. 4-14,
800-755-2453, www.
Suwannee Bicycle &
Adventure Fest April 29May 1, www.suwanneebike.
org/sbf.htm
GEORGIA: Bicycle Ride
Across Georgia (BRAG)
April 15-17, Spring Tune
Up April 17-19 770-4985153, www.brag.org
IDAHO: Family Fun Idaho
July 26-31, Idaho Relaxed
June 19-24, 800-755-2453,
tours
Ride Idaho Aug. 7-13,
208-830-9564, www.
rideidaho.org
F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 Touring Ride In Rural
Indiana (TRIRI) June
12-15, RAINSTORM July
11-16, Rally at Clifty Inn
Aug. 14-17, September
Escapade Sept. 11-16,
812-333-8176, www.triri.org
IOWA: Register’s Annual
Great Bike Ride Across
Iowa July 24-30, 800-4743342, www.ragbrai.org
Hawkeye 1000km July
15-18, 319-226-5436,
www.iowa-randonneurs.org
KANSAS: Biking Across
Kansas June 4-11, 316772-0960, www.bak.org
Border Raiders June
18-25, www.borderraiders.
com
Cottonwood 200 May
28-30, www.cottonwood200.
org
KENTUCKY: Grand
Autumn Bicycle Ride
Across Kentucky
(GABRAKY) Oct. 7-11,
502-330-8855 www.
gabraky.com
LOUISIANA: Cycle
Zydeco April 27 – May
1, 800-346-1958, www.
cyclezydeco.com
MAINE: Maine Bike Rally
July 8-10, 207-623-4511,
www.mainebikerally.org
Trek Across Maine
June 17-19, 888-2416566, www.lungusa.org/
associations/charters/
new-england/events/cycle/
trek-across-maine
Michigander July 16-27,
517-485-6022, www.
michigantrails.org/
michigander-bicycle-tour
PALM June 18-24, 734669-0172, www.lmb.org/
palm
Shoreline West Bicycle
Tour Aug. 6-15, Michigan’s
Upper Peninsula (MUP) Tour
July 16-23, 888-642-4537,
www.lmb.org/index.php/
Events
WAM July 28-31, 800622-9474, www.wishmich.
org/wam
Great Lakes Inn to Inn
Sept. 6-16, Great Lakes
Sept. 17-27, Great Lakes
Relaxed Sept. 18-25,
800-755-2453, www.
MINNESOTA: MS Tram
July 24-29, 800-582-5296,
www.mstram.com
Red Ribbon Ride July
14-17, 612-822-2110,
www.redribbonride.org
Habitat 500 July 10-16,
877-804-3466 x4, www.
habitat500.org
Bicycling Around
Minnesota Aug. 18-21,
www.bambiketour.org
MISSOURI: Katy Trail
Relaxed June 18-24, Katy
Trail Parent/Child June
25 - July 1, 800-755-2453,
tours
MONTANA: TOSRV
West May 21-22, www.
missoulabike.org/tosrvwest
Sierra Sampler Sept.
8-15, 800-755-2453, www.
NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Seacoast Bike Tour May
14-15, 603-669-2411,
www.breathenh.org
NEW MEXICO: Pueblos
to Peaks Aug. 26-Sept.
3, 800-755-2453, www.
NEW YORK: Bon Ton
Roulet July 24-30,
315-253-5304, www.
bontonroulet.com
Cycling the Erie Canal
July 10-17, 518-434-1583,
www.ptny.org/canaltour
Get Your Guts in Gear
June 10-12, 866-499-6848,
www.ibdride.org
Great Hudson Valley
Pedal Aug. 16-21, 518434- 1583, www.ptny.org/
hudsontour
Five Hundred Miles
Across New York (FANY)
Ride July 24-30, 518-4617646, www.fanyride.com
The New York Jewish
Environmental Bike Ride
Sept. 2-5, 212-644-2332,
www.hazon.org
Adirondack Loop July 23
– Aug. 1, 800-755-2453,
tours
Highlander Cycle
Tour Sept. 9-10, www.
highlandercycletour.com
NORTH CAROLINA: Cycle
North Carolina Oct. 1-8
and Spring Weekend April
8-10, 919-361-1133, www.
ncsports.org/nccyclemain.
php
The People’s Coast Classic
September 11-16, 2011
Astoria to Brookings, Oregon
A six-day ride down
the Oregon Coast
800.746.1821
NORTH DAKOTA:
CANDISC Aug. 6-13, 800799-4242, www.parkrec.
nd.gov/recreation/activities/
candisc.htm
Cascadian Traverse
July 31-Aug. 10, Intro to
Road Touring May 15-20,
800-755-2453, www.
Red River International
Bike Tour (RRIBT) June
20-24, www.rribt.com
PENNSYLVANIA:
Freedom Flyer Sept.
11-18, 800-755-2453, www.
Bike the Border June
17-19, 701-756-6298,
www.biketheborder.com
OHIO: Across Ohio
Bicycle Adventure
(XOBA) July 23-30, 614447-1006, www.outdoorpursuits.org/xoba
PUERTO RICO: La Vuelta
Puerto Rico Jan. 28-30,
787-477-8121, www.
vueltapr.com
SOUTH CAROLINA:
FestiVELO Nov. 2-6 in
2010, www.festivelo.org
Great Ohio Bicycle
Adventure (GOBA) June
18-25, 614-273-0811,
www.goba.com
SOUTH DAKOTA: Black
Hills Loop Sept. 10-16,
800-755-2453, www.
Pan Ohio Hope Ride
July 28-31, 888-2276446 x 1004, www.
cancer.org/InYourArea/
Ohio/AreaHighlights/
pan-ohio-hope-ride
Mickelson Trail Trek
Sept. 16-18, 605-5843896, http://gfp.sd.gov/
state-parks/directory/
mickelson-trail/trail-trek.aspx
TOSRV (50th Annual
Tour of the Scioto River
Valley) May 7-8, 614-4427901, www.tosrv.org
Heart of the
Underground Railroad
July 26 - Aug 1, 800755-2453, www.
OKLAHOMA: Oklahoma
Freewheel June 12-18,
918-835-1699, www.
okfreewheel.com
OREGON: Cycle Oregon
Sept. 10-17, Cycle Oregon
Weekend Ride, July 15-17,
503-287-0405, www.
cycleoregon.com
Tour de Kota June 5-10,
605-331-2200, tourdekota.
com
TEXAS: Easter Hill
Country Bike Tour April
22-24, 210-289-8905,
www.ehct.com
Texas Hill Country April
9-15, 800-755-2453, www.
UTAH: Legacy Great Bike
Ride Across Utah 3, 7,
and 10 day options, Sept.
1-10, 801-654-1144, www.
lagbrau.com
Oregon Bicycle Ride Aug.
6-13, 800-413-8432, www.
oregonbicycleride.org
Bike Ride Across Scenic
Utah (BRASU) May 21 –
June 5, Bike Ride Across
Northern Utah (BRANU)
by arrangement, GRUB Fest
Sept. 2-5, 877-264-7876,
www.bike2bike.biz
Cycle the Gorge July
9-15, Oregon Coastal
Odyssey Aug. 21-27,
Wild Coast Sept. 6-20,
Red Rock Ramble June
4-10, Cycle Utah June
11-17, 800-755-2453, www.
thepeoplescoastclassic.org
Moab Skinny Tire
Festival March 12-15,
435-259-3193, www.
skinnytireevents.com
Aug. 4-7, 800-486-6276,
www.actride.org
VERMONT: Intro to
Road Touring June 25-30,
Cycle Vermont, Aug. 13-19,
800-755-2453, www.
VIRGINIA: Bike Virginia
June 24-29, 757-6451861, www.bikevirginia.org
Virginia Cross State Ride
May 13-28 can be joined
for single days or weekends,
www.vabike.org
Tour de Trees Oct. 2-8,
843-886-9365, www.
stihltourdestrees.org
WASHINGTON: Cycle
Washington July 11-18,
800-755-2453, www.
Get Your Guts in Gear
Aug. 5-7, 866-499-6848,
www.ibdride.org
Washington Bicycle Ride
July 23-29, 800-413-8432,
www.oregonbicycleride.org
RedSpoke July 13-17,
www.redspoke.org
Seattle to Portland
Bicycle Classic (STP) July
9-10, Ride from Seattle
to Vancouver (RSVP)
Aug. 5-6, Ride Around
Washington (RAW) Aug.
20-26, 206-522-3222,
www.cascade.org
Trek Tri Island Sept.
16-19, 206-441-5100,
www.cleanairadventures.org/
trek_tri_island
WEST VIRGINIA:
Allegheny Loop May
15-22, 800-755-2453, www.
WISCONSIN: ACT 9,
Wisconsin Aids Ride
GRABAAWR June 18-25,
Bike Northwoods Tour July
9-15, SAGBRAW July 30
- Aug. 5, 608-843-8412,
www.grabaawr.com
WisPride June 5-10,
Bike Ride Exploring
Wisconsin (BREW)
Aug.7-12, Mississippi River
Trail Weekend Oct. 1-2,
800-675-2295, www.
shuttleguytours.com
Fuller Center Bicycle
Tour Washington State
to Washington, D.C.
June 10-Aug. 14, 229-9242900, www.fullercenter.org/
bikeadventure
Get Your Guts in Gear –
Midwest September, 866499-6848, www.ibdride.org
Tri-State Ride July 11-15,
800-675-2295, www.
shuttleguytours.com
Intro to Road
Touring June 11-16,
800-755-2453, www.
MS Bike Tours: National
Multiple Sclerosis Society
fundraising rides around
the country, www.
nationalmssociety.org/
raceMap.aspx
WYOMING: Tour de
Wyoming July 17-22,
307-742-5840, www.
cyclewyoming.org
National Bicycle Tour
Director’s Association:
Major bike events, www.
nbtda.com
Tetons-Yellowstone
Loop June 18-25, TetonsYellowstone Loop, July 30
– Aug. 8, 800-755-2453,
tours
Tour de Rouge (Houston
to New Orleans), May 1-6,
www.tourderouge.org
NATIONAL &
REGIONAL: USA:
America By Bicycle
Various cross-country and
regional bike events. 888797-7057. www.abbike.com
TOSRV South (Florida &
Georgia) April 16-17, 850656-1633 www.cccyclists.
org
Big Ride Across America
June –Aug., 800-732-9339,
www.cleanairadventures.org/
big_ride_across_america
Climate Ride New York
City to Washington, D.C.
May 13-17, Climate Ride
California Oct. 2-6, www.
climateride.org
Atlantic Coast Aug. 20 Oct 19, (Maine to Florida),
Tetons to Tides July
17 – Aug. 16, (Wyoming to
Oregon), TransAm Van,
May 21 – Aug. 11, (Virginia
to Oregon), Pueblos to
Peaks Van Aug. 20 Oct 19, (New Mexico to
Colorado), Southern Tier
Van Mar. 20 – May 16
and Sept. 22 to Nov. 18,
(California to Florida), Wild
Coast - Van Sept 6-20,
(Oregon to California),
Southern Tier Sept. 18
to Nov. 21, (California
to Florida), Pacific
Coast Sept. 7 – Oct. 21,
(Washington to California)
TransAm May 4 – Aug.
4, (Virginia to Oregon)
800-755-2453, www.
Cycle America Various
cross-country and regional
bike events, 800-245-3263,
www.cycleamerica.com
15
Chasing Summer
By Kerri Rosenstein
16
and Tom Robertson
17
Kerri: I wanted to go on a bicycle adventure.
The idea was there without any context.
Years ago, I learned that a college friend
once rode from Alaska to Argentina. I often
think of something she wrote about the
importance of looking back. She emphasized that we are often encouraged to look
forward and keep our focus on the goals
ahead of us. She described the value of
stopping every now and then to see the distance that we’ve come. She said we should
remember to celebrate the steps along the
way and honor how we got where we are.
Inspired by her story, I set out on my
clunky mountain bike and rode from Lolo
to Victor, Montana, and back, a distance of
50 miles or so. I spent that evening soaking
my virgin riding legs in a hot bath with a
sense of fulfillment that marked a significant beginning.
Some days later, I was browsing the
table of free magazines at the Missoula
Public Library. I brought home an old issue
of Adventure Cyclist (a publication I didn’t
know existed, let alone was based in my
hometown). I read it front to back, mostly
fixated on the “Companions Wanted” page.
I didn’t own a road bike. I’d never ridden a road bike. I was too intimidated to
even walk into a bike shop. But I carried
that issue of Adventure Cyclist with me for
18
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 Getting gear. Kerri grabs some items at Island Bicycles and Skateboards in Key West.
a couple more years.
I was teaching at the Rocky Mountain
School of Photography. One day, a student
approached me after class and introduced
himself as Tom Robertson. He told me
he had recently resigned from Adventure
Cycling Association, and was excitedly
pursuing photography. I helped him develop his creative work. A year later, he
helped me purchase my first road bike,
which I broke in on a three-day excursion
on the Trail of the Couer d’Alenes. Within
a couple months, we would ride together
down the coast of Florida to Key West and
across the peninsula.
The law of attraction is a beautiful thing.
I couldn’t have attracted a more patient,
kind, enthusiastic and experienced friend,
rider, and lover of life into my world to so
sweetly open the door for me to bicycle
touring.
Tom: During 14 years of working at
Adventure Cycling, I helped plan and map
thousands of miles of bike routes around
the country. One of my favorite routes was
the stretch down to Key West, Florida. It
both excited and scared me. I was excited
because it extended Adventure Cycling’s
routes to the tip of the country, and well,
Key West just seemed so exotic. I was
scared because, like many bike travelers, I
had read Barbara Savage’s book Miles from
Nowhere. A passage that stood out was
about cycling in Florida. Barbara and her
husband had stopped to talk to a ranger in
the Keys. This is the advice he gave them:
“No, I’d advise you to skip bicycling
to Key West. It’s too dangerous. People
don’t just get hurt doing it; they get killed.
There have been some cyclers hit recently.
Personally, I won’t bicycle anywhere in
southern or central Florida anymore. I used
to do it, but I’ve had too many bad experiences. The way I figure it, the people in
central and southern Florida make up the
largest collection of bicycle haters to be
found anywhere on the face of the Earth.
If you want to bike in Florida, stick to the
north. I do.”
Dale Lally, who helped me put this route
together, assured me that times had changed.
Barbara and her husband rode there in the
1970s, and, he said, it was much safer now.
He even said that Key West was one of the
safest places he’d ever ridden.
Kerri really wanted to do a bike tour. It
was one of the first things she talked about
when I met her. It was also wintertime, and
she wanted to chase summer and follow the
birds south. It was her first tour, and she
had only ridden a loaded bike once before,
on a paved path without traffic. Was it
smart for me to take her on the Florida
route? I wasn’t entirely sure.
Kerri: We met up at my mom’s house near
West Palm Beach in early December. Tom
provided most of the gear and took on logistics. I outfitted us at a second-hand store
with stylish, non-cotton clothing (superhero spandex uniforms not required.) We
started out in formal wear: black silk tank
top and black and pink tutu skirt for me,
and black polyester dress shirt and black
shorts for Tom.
F L O R I D A
AT L A N T I C
OCEAN
G
 

Clewiston
LaBelle
Fort Myers
Beach
Naples
W. Palm Beach
Delray Beach
Ft. Lauderdale

Miami


Coconut Grove
Florida City
FERR
Y
GULF
OF
MEXICO



F L O R I D A B AY
Key Largo
Marathon
Key West
Miami
Key West
We mounted our loaded bikes on
December 12 in Delray Beach. I was anxious and had no idea how this was about to
go. I took comfort in seeing other cyclists.
Kitted up, they all looked pretty professional. No other touring folks would be
spotted for 100 miles or so.
The highway took us south along the
ocean. The waters were full of surfers. I
was in joy-overload, too distracted by my
bliss to remotely evaluate if the riding was
difficult or easy. l only knew was I was
ready to embark on a life of bike travel and
adventure. Of course, warm weather and
flat land can easily win hearts and disillusion any potential cyclist.
Tom’s whole life has been built around
cycling and touring, but I found myself
keeping stride with him. Either I was a natural badass or he was a remarkably humble
teacher empowering me with ownership
and confidence. He challenged and encouraged me without ever pushing me – keeping me capable and able without a word.
Once in Miami, we met up with some
old friends and spent the night in a stunning South Beach apartment with balcony
views of the ocean, city, and bay. We looked
through old photos, shared stories, ate, showered, stretched, and slept. I was beaming.
Day one: 45 miles.
Tom: There is a natural anxiety before
every trip, but once I’m actually pedaling,
it seems to almost instantly dissipate. This
trip was no exception, and I went from
being anxious to confident on the first
day. Riding the coastline on Highway A1A
through Fort Lauderdale and into South
Beach was an amazing and surprisingly
safe experience. A bike lane under our
wheels most of the day and other cyclists
on the roads added to my sense of security.
Watching Kerri handle her bike in Miami
traffic brought me joy. Not only was she
able to ride a loaded bike comfortably, she
seemed to be having fun.
Kerri: We departed South Beach with an
urban ride through downtown Miami
among sky-rises, traffic lights, drawbridges, bumper-to-bumper cars, cabs, and
buses. I didn’t feel quite as strong as I had
the day before. I struggled to get my feet
in and out of the cages without toppling
over. Weaving through the city required
a different sort of vigilance. I felt vulnerable and fragile, although at the same time
somewhat indestructible just because I was
so stoked to be doing what I was doing.
As we went over the Venetian Causeway,
surrounded by islands and boats, our day
drastically changed. We rolled through
charming back streets in Coconut Grove.
We bumped over relentless tree roots that
busted through the canopied sidewalks,
and were awed by the magnificence of peacocks. I’d been here in a dream.
By the afternoon we were in desolate
marshlands. I felt as though we suddenly
landed somewhere in remote Southeast
Asia or Central America, a tropical jungle.
It was late afternoon, and we had a good
distance to go. Tom was ahead, out of sight.
I saw something in the ditch out of the corner of my eye. I didn’t want to see what I
saw — a dog stuck neck deep in mud. His
dying eyes locked with mine in quiet desA DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I N G. O R G
19
peration. I yelled to Tom with no answer.
I talked to the dog as I tried to figure out
what to do. Eventually, Tom circled back.
We attempted to free it with help from a
few passersby. Although we finally got the
dog out, our efforts were useless. Wildly
crazed and unpredictable, the dog forced us
to stand back as he weakly wobbled around
on the street. Denying food and clearly out
of sorts, he stumbled back into the flooded
ditch. I called Animal Services and Wildlife
Rescue, but neither offered assistance.
There was nothing more we could do. He
would die within a day or two.
We rode away in silence, feeling a pang
of helplessness and humbled by this demonstration of the cycle of life. I had to let it
go. We raced the darkness through quiet
swamplands, soothed by birds backlit by
the sunset. We rolled into Florida City with
our flashing lights and missed the road to
the campground. A sighting of the Ramada
Inn won our favor.
Day two: 47 miles.
Tom: While Kerri was entranced with balcony views, peacocks, and saving dogs, my
thoughts were on logistics and food. Once
through Miami, I realized I was hungry
and that we needed to pick up the pace. I
started to realize that although the temper-
20
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 atures and sunshine made it feel like summer, the daylight hours indicated winter.
Once we were out of downtown, we were
on pace to be at the campground before
dark until the dog incident. We hurried to
pedal to our destination after the failed rescue attempt. Dusk can last a while in South
Florida, though when it changes, darkness
comes fast. Looking back, it is unforeseen
events such as these that make these trips
so memorable.
Kerri: As we rode to the edge of the mainland,
approaching the bridge to the Keys, a dark
cloud swooped in. Within minutes, we were
drenched. I laughed out loud in the wild,
exhilarating and refreshing torrential downpour. After eating and drying out in the sun,
we crossed over onto Key Largo. Life on the
Keys truly was dreamy and tropical. We took
an outdoor shower, were entertained by iguanas, cooked a feast with our new Canadian
friends, laughed lots, and slept hard.
Day 3: 34 miles.
Tom: Running into the Quebec family was
great. They had been riding down the coast
for several months — young boys on mountain bikes, dad pulling a trailer with boogie
boards and a makeshift kitchen, mom hauling gear. Their setup made me smile. We
ran into them after the rainstorm as they
were headed to John Pennekamp Coral Reef
State Park on Key Largo. They had reservations (which apparently are a necessity for
camping on the Keys) and invited us to
join them and another Canadian cycling
couple they’d encountered along the way.
We enjoyed these connections with the
only other touring cyclists we would see.
Thanks to them, I’m eating Nutella again.
Kerri: Every day was an adventure of a different sort. While the bliss continued to
build along the winding miles, so did my
reflections. I grew awake in every moment,
seeing every passing tree, bird, body of
water, car, person, and cloud, with the
openness of meeting a stranger and old
friend simultaneously. I felt the preciousness of days, of life, of being in this body.
I was aware of our dialogs and realized
this trip was both a solo and team experience. For long stretches of riding, I would
talk in my head, think about things, hold a
silent mind or be in complete observation
— a wildly expansive internal and solitary
experience. And to think Tom was having
an entirely different experience in his own
mind. Then we would stop and connect.
How are you doing? Did you see that? Do
you want to eat?
From Key Largo, we rode 57 miles to
Marathon on and off of bike paths, shoulders, construction zones, bridges, and
waterway paths. The scents of exotic flowers and rotting sea life alternated. We
rode hard under a hot, strong sun. I was
spent. But between the pelicans, the infinite blue water, the adrenaline of survival,
and honey buns for dinner, I was jazzed.
From Marathon it was 51 miles to Key West.
The early morning was filled with apprehension about riding over the seven-mile bridge.
Seemingly endless, both the bridge and the
expanse of ocean were beautiful.
On this day I discovered the birds had
a sense of humor, a playful whimsicality in
their dance and lightness of being. Upon
arrival in Key West, we headed straight to
the ocean. Clear, soft sand reflected through
the warm aquamarine water. I washed the
salty sweat from my body and lathered
myself with the salt of the sea. Then I lay on
the beach, watched the clouds, and smiled at
the sound of the lapping waves.
Three days in Key West provided an
abundance of goodness: clean, pure food;
live blues music; smiling, generous people;
and countless magical spots, including Fort
Zachary beaches, sunset rooftops, Island
Bicycles bike shop, The Café, the Butterfly
Conservatory, the Hemingway House, Reef
Relief Center, Help Yourself restaurant, The
Avalon, and so on. We were blessed with
There were services everywhere, beautiful
scenery, a consistent tailwind, and temperatures in the 80s. Reaching Key West
Florida fauna. Along with other critters, lizards and iguanas abound in the Keys.
the sweetest of encounters in Key West,
and when the ferry to Fort Myers Beach
was delayed due to torrential rains and
turbulent waters, we were just as delighted
to stay.
Tom: From a logistics standpoint, our trip
really could not have gone any better.
The Keys turned out to be remarkably
safe with bike paths, lanes, and shoulders.
added the proverbial cherry on top with
indulgent rest days. A well-earned treat,
Key West seemed to specialize in just that
— indulgence.
Kerri: On December 20, we headed to the
ferry. We were in for a turbulent ride as
the boat flew, crashed, and bounced over
white caps. I spent the four-hour trip with
my head on the table, begging for sleep to
MARCH 26 - APRIL 1
352.224.8602
www.bikeflorida.org
21
make it pass. We arrived on the west coast
of the mainland at about 9:30 pm. We rode
a few miles in search of a place to sleep.
The dreaminess of our tropical vacation
had shifted.
We woke up early to temperatures in the
low 40s. We bundled up and did jumping
jacks to get warm. Our ride through urban
Fort Myers Beach was hardly smooth, with
limited bike paths and minimal shoulders,
construction, and headwinds. Some long,
slow days of hard riding were ahead.
Strange and curious towns emanated a
sense of history. Amid a bounty of citrus
orchards, I feasted on fresh oranges.
A couple days of 50-plus-mile riding
took us through LaBelle and Clewiston.
One of the highlights was Flora and Ella’s –
a local spot for breakfast in LaBelle. Aside
from excellent service, care, and company,
we were highly entertained by a crew of
local elders. There was a woman flexing
her muscles, passing around her bodybuilding photos, and enticing the gang to
get fit at the local gym. We all got some
good belly laughs. From there, we entered
the rural and remote wilderness areas of
the Everglades. Riding across the entrancing Keri Road, we saw only an occasional
citrus truck (leaving invigorating smells in
Urban view. Kerri rearranges the gear on her bike as Miami sparkles in the background.
its wake) and a few old ranches. Circuses
of birds enchanted the tall grasses in the
safari-like landscape. Other noted company
included horses, cows, donkeys, a dead
snake, a dead turtle, and a live alligator as
we rode through 40 miles of uninterrupted,
unchanging land. A constant headwind
tried my mental endurance.
Then we had the excitement of a turn,
although it was onto Highway 50. With
the high traffic and rough road, I felt more
uneasy than I had yet. We rolled into
Clewiston, showered, stretched, ate, and
relaxed as we mulled over maps and forecasts for the next day.
Tom: The ride across the state was a pleasant surprise. I expected headwinds, traffic,
and sprawl. While that was the case at
continued on page 43
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Total Volume 4638 cu.in.
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22
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THE ROAD LESS TRAV
24
VELED IN CAMBODIA
Words by Cara Coolbaugh Photos by Cass Gilbert
25
We find ourselves in a market with
everything from wicker tubes of squealing
pigs to baskets of crispy fried spiders.
sleeping arrangements. Resigned, Cass and
I stand squarely in the middle of the track,
bikes prone, as darkness falls.
Could that be — “Do you hear that,
A
Bang Lun
Aranyaprathet
Bangkok
Ankor Wat
Stung Teng
Siem Reap
Lumphat
CA MB ODI A
Cairo
Phnom Penh
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of
THAILAND
Sen Monorom
Kratie
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ong
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H
V
I E
T
Beijing
S. C H I NA
SEA
Phnom Penh
Cass?” — a motorcycle rumbling toward
us? Not a single vehicle has passed from
any direction since we left the asphalt road
and veered onto this remote track over
eight hours ago. It’s not surprising that
there has been no traffic, given the difficulty of the terrain. We pushed through
sand, forded murky ponds, bounced along
ox-cart double-track, and shouldered our
bikes over deeply rutted sections — all
thankfully fairly straightforward, if a bit
tiring, in the dry season.
Our map offers a decent framework,
but the back country requires current
local knowledge to fill in the gaps. We
'%&%HVahV8nXaZh
utility, but neither of us dares to venture
far from the known safety of the wellworn track.
“Any luck over there, Cass?”
L
N D
I L A
O S
“Nope. That’s too spindly, these too far
apart, and those too big around.”
It’s too ironic for me to suppress the
giggles. Here we are in the middle of the
forest with nowhere to hang our hammocks. I’ve never been bike touring with
hammocks before, but I naively thought
they’d be easy to use (me, this morning:
“Cool, let’s buy two since we don’t have a
tent. We can use them as back-up in case
we can’t find lodging!”). But the tragic
reality is that Cambodia’s recent history
includes multiple decades of civil war,
political unrest, and international military
incursions, leaving a legacy of land mines
well after the conflicts ended. I’m here on
vacation from my stressful job with a medical organization in Afghanistan so I see
no reason to up the ante by making risky
A
“So, left or right this time?” Cass is
straddling his bike, pointing at yet another fork in the trail.
“Hmm. Consult map. As suspected,
we’re off its pages — again.” Two sandy
tracks slither away in front of us. We
investigate both for clues of recent activity — tire markings, footprints, remnants
of packaged food consumption. Nada.
Consult watch. It’s 6:00 pm, and darkness
comes quickly in the dense Cambodian
jungle. We have food and water but no
clear idea where to go next. I guess we’ll
have to stop here, string up our freshly
purchased hammocks and bed down until
we can ask a passer-by for directions in
the morning. Except — we’re not certain
this area has been de-mined. We tentatively assess the trees for their hammock
BELIEVE
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normally manage to find our way with the
help of passing motorcycle taxis (motos for
short), the quickest and sometimes only
way for dispersed village folk to reach the
towns and shopping hubs nearby. Motos
slice through the trees with as many as
four passengers, teetering boxes of colorful
sweets, potato chips, and soft drinks, and
often a baby strapped to someone’s back
for good measure. The drivers are skilled
and fearless (as are the passengers). But I
just can’t imagine any vehicle negotiating
this track.
I don’t have to. As the sound crescendos, we pick up our bikes, don jackets
and headlamps, and wait for some navigational assistance. Dumfounded, we watch
two beams of light round the corner and
a truck come into view. This, on a path
we had firmly believed was barely wide
enough for motos.
For years I’ve suspected that Cass is
unusually lucky. Of course his friendly
smile and optimistic, carefree attitude
must help. Or it could be his talent for
storytelling and engaging in conversation
with anyone around — like he’s doing
just now with the driver of this pick-up
— in French, no less. The driver is shaking his head in amusement, laughing from
his temples to his torso. He reaches into
the back seat, scoops up a couple of soda
cans and bananas, and passes the goodies through his window. I sidle up next
to Cass, trying to look equally charming
and not pathetically tired. Marveling at
the novelty of meeting two cyclists in the
jungle, he introduces himself as Sophal
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Nuts & Bolts: Cambodia
When to go: Cambodia has two main seasons: wet, from June to October, and dry,
from November to May.
Visit during the dry season if you’re even
thinking of attempting dirt roads —
and December to February are
the coolest of the dry months
with daytime temperatures in
the mid 70s. Come April, the
heat cranks up to unbearable.
What to bring: In the dry
season, it can be incredibly
hot so bring light, quick-drying
clothing and plenty of sunscreen
or wear full-length sleeves and a hat
to prevent sun damage. A bandana or
scarf is useful to wear over your face when
the dust is at its worst, whereas a sarong
is practical for post-ride bathing — and can
be bought locally.
Route and maps: We used the
Cambodia Country Map (1:1,000,000)
from Periplus. It’s a good framework and
absolutely fine for asphalt touring — and the
asphalt road network is rapidly expanding
to accommodate the increase in tourism.
Just be warned about the heavy traffic. If
you’re lucky, you’ll get help from locals on
the back routes!
Accommodations, food, and water:
Expect formal accommodations to be
limited in rural areas. Finding proper meals
can be tricky too, so carry enough supplies
in your panniers. Be prepared for the heat
with ample water, although you should
encounter communal water pumps as well
as coconut and sugar-cane juice stalls
near villages. Accommodation and restaurants are plentiful in Siem
Reap and Phnom
Penh, and most
mid-sized towns
have a decent
range of offerings as well.
Camping is
not advised
given the landmine problem in
Cambodia — read
more about the tragic
history of land mines here:
www.camnet.com.kh/cmac/Landmine_
UXO.htm.
Extending the tour: Cambodia can fit
nicely into a longer tour of Southeast Asia,
with several land border crossings into
neighboring Vietnam and Thailand and one
less reliable point of access into Laos. Be
sure to get current information about visas
and border opening times because these
rules can change quickly!
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Getting there and away: Flights to
Bangkok may be the cheapest option,
and the train from the Thai capital to
the Aranyaprathet/Poipet border with
Cambodia is straightforward. It takes about
six hours, and bikes go directly on board
with passengers. You could also fly into
the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, or
Siem Reap near Angkor Wat.
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27
and invites us to an impromptu festive
dinner at his family home six miles away.
After securing our bikes in the truck bed,
we clamber aboard, grinning in disbelief
at our luck. We bear witness to a true feat
of driving mastery as Sophal manhandles
the pick-up to its destination. Lurching
and spinning through thick sand and deep
ruts soon washes away any guilty feelings
we had about taking a lift tonight.
It’s times like this that bike touring
offers a real insight into another culture,
away from the comfort of the tourist trail.
First things first, we wash off the day’s
dusty residue, Cambodia-style. The perfect
host, Sophal escorts us to the communal
pump for our ablutions. Even remote villages have some sort of well or pump to
serve the community for bathing and
drinking water, as most homes lack piped
facilities. At this hour, there’s only a small
queue here: men splash water over their
faces and hair, rubbing tired eyes with
roughened hands, while a few young girls
wait patiently to fill plastic jugs. Women
typically find a quiet moment during
the day, while the men are in the fields,
to discretely bathe within the folds of
their sarongs in such a public space. This
requires a talent for keeping the fabric
Wide load. Cara rides along the nicest dirt track they came across on their trip.
securely tied while shampooing and scrubbing that I clearly couldn’t match. But at
least the darkness allows me to fumble my
way through a bathing routine. As the
men do, Cass strips down to boxer shorts,
still chatting away to Sophal as he scours
off a layer of dirt. After a long day’s ride
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28
in this dust and heat, it’s easy to think a
shower is a necessity. But it’s amazing how
refreshing the pump-bath feels tonight –
I’m rejuvenated!
Meanwhile, Sophal’s diminutive sister is busily arranging bedding for two
last-minute bookings. Blankets and spare
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 Dakota Bike Tours operates under special use
permit of the Black Hills National Forest
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straw mats are unfurled from a nook in
the rafters and carefully smoothed out in
the communal living area. Tonight we’ll
bed down among what looks like three
generations of a prolific family — I’m
hoping there aren’t any snorers. The main
room’s wooden slat frame and dried palmleaf thatching allows a constant flow of air
and sounds. This is a typical Cambodian
home, its simple one-room construction
sitting atop thick stilts — a monsoon-season design feature that also allows space
underneath for storage and animals. From
below, Sophal’s mother calls us over to
the adjacent outdoor kitchen where she’s
directing dinner preparations and placing
bowls of food around a small straw floor
mat. We inhale the aroma from a delicious
array of expertly grilled meat, delicate floral green veggies, and mountainous white
rice while Sophal proffers a bottle of his
best steely whisky. As hungry as we are
from the day’s ride, we’re careful not to
gulp our usual cycling portions due to the
gathering crowd of family and friends.
Between bites the men quiz Cass on
worldly matters in a mix of French and
broken English, neither of which I understand. As it happens, it’s Cass’s birthday.
Trying to join in the conversation, I nudge
Dirt goggles. The Ratanakiri red clay dust clings like a magnet to Cara’s face.
Cass, “Hey, we should tell them it’s your
birthday and celebrate with the cookies
I brought.” But sometimes the cultural
divide just can’t be bridged. After a few
tries at explaining the significance of this
day for Cass, Sophal simply shrugged as
if to say “What’s your point?” At least
the chocolate cookies went down well.
Exhausted, we made our excuses as the
whisky drinking looked set to continue for
a few more rounds.
What is fast becoming our Cambodian
cultural immersion shows no sign of abating in the morning. The rooster alarm
makes it an early start for all. As if he
could show any more hospitality, Sophal
29
insists on escorting us to the next village, exclaiming “the route is too tricky!”
Judging from our previous day’s performance, we agree. Like a greyhound
unleashed for the hare, Cass shoots off
behind Sophal’s motorcycle. I mount hurriedly and scramble after the speeding
two-wheelers. This is Cass’s forte, chasing
the leader, careering around bends, and
whizzing along the flats. I spin recklessly
behind them, bouncing over ruts and softpedaling with legs like a crazed roadrunner through the sandy patches. We hurtle
over a jarring bumpy stretch, turn sharply
one way, then dive directly into a cornfield. The moto peels off to the edge where
the earth is smoother, and we follow post
haste. Straw-hatted farmers absorbed in
methodic work seem to register the spectacle just as we’re zooming past. Moments
later, right when I’m dropping off the
pace, Cass and Sophal skid to a halt at
the outskirts of a small village as amazed
onlookers peer through our dust cloud.
Sophal is grinning that familiar, wide-open
smile and gives us the thumbs up (for
keeping up with him, I guess!). He then
approaches Cass with a scrap of paper. It
appears to be a roughly sketched map on
the reverse of a cigarette carton. Sophal
T
Local gathering. After satisfying their curiosity, Cambodian youngsters pose for the camera.
traces his finger along the lines, naming
the villages en route to the Mekong River.
As useful as our map has been, we know
this scrawl will be far more valuable. Few
people have the means to travel so villagers
tend to know directions only to the immediate village after their own. With this
detailed map, we can show people our plan
and ask about the route in small stages.
Enthused and grateful, we wave goodbye to Sophal, bolstered by the warmth
of Cambodian kindness and confidently
trusting the back of a cigarette packet for
guidance.
Two easytomiss details on a Sackville bag
he waxed cotton in Sackville bags is dry, not oily, so it sheds dirt
and stays clean. Despite the lack of an oily finish, it is nearly fire
hose proof. The weave is so tight, that when the needle doesn’t find a
hole; it has to punch one. The tight weave gives it exceptional tear
strengh and abrasion resistance. We import this fabric directly from a
family owned business in Scotland. Better fabric does not by itself
make a better bag, though.
ackvilles are made in a tenperson shop in Connecticutt, to stan
dards unfamiliar in the outdoor industry, borrowed from highend
women’s handbags. For example, on Sackville bags, all stitches end on
S
the inside of the bag, where they don’t show, and the nylon thread is
snipped, then melted with a candle flame, and smeared so it can’t
catch. Dainty details make Sackvilles better.
he Sackville bag designs are the result of more than 25 years of
saddlebag use. They are easy to use, not the least fussy, and we
have models small and big, for front of the bike, back of the bike,
T
shoulder or hip. From 50 to about 250. You can see them on our site:
www.rivbike.com
A
B
A: The fabric is so densely woven that the
needles punch it out.
B: The thread end is melted and smeard.
Rivendell Bicycle Works
Walnut Creek • California
Ever since 1994
Type code “24262” in the comments of your next web order and get 15 off. Expires 3152011. One per household.
30
From here on, everything falls into
place. After navigating the rural trail
network until late afternoon, we realize the Mekong is out of reach for today.
Fortunately, another timely insight into
daily life unfolds at the edge of a tiny
unspectacular village. Attracted by the
sound of blaring music, we cycle into a
large grassy field. There’s a surprisingly
fair-like atmosphere with kids playing
games, stalls serving hot snacks, and a
projector showing a Thai film to a crowd
of goggle-eyed youngsters. Yet at one end
of the field is an ornate procession of religious statues, a small monastery, and a
gathering of young, orange robed and flipflop–wearing monks. We’d expected to see
monasteries in Cambodia as Buddhism has
been the national religion for centuries,
but we didn’t anticipate finding one so
overrun by kids! Joining in the reverie,
we sample grilled bananas and noodle
soup while our bikes become a new festival attraction. Then we turn to the issue of
where to sleep.
Considering the young monks our best
bet for information, we ask if there’s a
guest house in the village. They immediately, excitedly invite us to their monastery and insist we take a room inside. Like
teenage boys elsewhere, they’re intrigued
by our bicycles, headlamps, and special
equipment. We chat and show off our
wares, and they give us the grand tour of
the immaculate temple and peaceful prayer
rooms. Unlike teenage boys elsewhere,
they show a surprising maturity, lingering
politely for a while before leaving us to
sleep undisturbed in the spare room.
By the time we cross the muddy
Mekong River the following day to the relative metropolis of Stung Treng, I’ve come
to realize this tour isn’t about sticking to a
pre-planned route. It’s taken on a far more
NBJOF!
lobster
Angkor Wat. Cara cruises along a trail in Cambodia’s most famous temple complex.
organic quality. As someone who’s a keen
list-maker and to-doer, I usually count
days and estimate mileage well before
landing in another country. But it’s invigorating to discover a style of bike touring
where you never quite know what’ll happen next. Rather than fight the unknown,
I embrace it. Luckily, Cass is an expert at
live-for-the-moment traveling.
Although our overall aim is to traverse
Cambodia off-road in two weeks, our
approach has been remarkably lax, shaped
by the people and places we encounter.
Until now we followed remnants of the
Rockland, Maine
Saturday, July 23rd, 2011
Maine’s most scenic and tasty bike rides
16, 30, 50 and 100 mile rides to choose from plus a fresh lobster roll dinner
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31
Old Angkor Highway — a well-worn but
largely forgotten ox-cart track, complete
with jungle-covered temples and ancient
carved bridges. Disjointed and confusing in places, it was quite the adventure
for intrepid cyclists. Now we’re about to
embark on the next phase of our tour,
and true to form, we’re undecided about
where to go and how to get there. Shall
we follow the Mekong south to Kratie or
ride the Ratanakiri hills of Cambodia’s
wild east? Once we can dally no longer in
Stung Treng, we cycle the 12 miles out of
town to the main intersection — our decision point. The sultry smooth road is such
a welcome change from the previous day’s
slog that we’re hypnotically enticed into
continuing south, bypassing the dirt-road
turnoff — but not for long. After just a
few miles, the mounting headwind and
mirage of traffic rising up from the boiling
asphalt has us retreating back to the junction. To the east it is!
Continuing eastward, we make short
work of a long distance, cycling quickly
on the undulating hardpack dirt. It’s
incredibly hot so we stop often for fresh
coconut juice, sold straight from the fruit
at roadside stalls along the way. My sweat
and sunblock magnetize the unmistakable
red Ratanakiri dust to my face and neck,
while the sun is doing its part in branding my arms and legs with the distinct
tan patterns of a cyclist. Vanity altogether
dismissed, we reach Ban Lung and find
ourselves smack in the middle of a bustling weekly market crammed with everything from wicker tubes of squealing pigs
Tough going. Cara struggles along one of
the more difficult sections of their journey.
to stacks of signature gingham scarves to
baskets of crispy fried spiders.
Less than 50 miles from the Vietnamese
border, Ban Lung is a regional hub in
these remote parts, and it marks the eastern limit of our Cambodian ride. Although
we still have days to spare, it’s not until
here and now that we seriously consider
our next moves. Of course we can’t possibly pass up one final adventure — and
this last part of the journey could fit the
bill perfectly. What lies ahead is the infamous route between Lumphat and Sen
Monorom. Rumor has it this road was
part of the old Ho Chi Minh trail network.
During the Vietnam War, the Vietcong uti-
Get your bearings. Cara consults her Periplus maps before deciding which direction to go.
32
lized ancient foot, oxen, and bicycle paths
to transport manpower and supplies, crisscrossing secretly between the neighboring
countries. The route is marked as a thick
yellow line on our map. But intel from
passing motor bikers, internet portals, and
forum message boards combines to make
us hesitate. At best it could be a couple
days of riding, with a fair amount of pushing through sand, hoisting over logs and
wading through streams. At worst, well,
at our rate, we might end up in Vietnam.
Determined not to get caught out (this
time!), we fill our panniers at the veritable
all-you-can-eat market buffet and decide
to go for it.
Riding off into the unknown one last
time, all I can say is that our unbelievably good luck continued. And while I do
have a story about the generous family in
Lumphat who treated us to a three-course
meal and our own private room, expecting
nothing in return — and another story
about a night in a schoolhouse with an
uber-friendly novice teacher — and then
there’s the tale about the final time our
hammocks failed us (as it turns out, they
were too small for us to sleep in) and an
enterprising young family fashioned beds
out of tables in their restaurant — but I’m
sure it would sound unbelievable.
As for the infamous trail? Narrow and
winding, it whipped through and between
trees in a stream of beautiful flowing singletrack. For all the warnings about sand
riding, it wasn’t nearly as challenging as
our previous toils. Besides, by then we’d
become experts in the sandy pedal technique — controlled, even strokes. The trail
felt perilously remote in some places, but
a chance encounter with a moto taxi kept
us cycling in the right direction. Before
we could ruin our good fortune, the forest
opened up, we spied a cluster of bicycles,
motos, and pedestrians, a sure sign of village life — and we suddenly emerged onto
a wide, two-lane track. Suffice it to say, we
sailed farther south without a hitch until
time ran out on our Cambodian adventure.
Now this type of cycle touring may
not suit everyone, particularly if you like
hot showers and privacy. But the remote
parts of Cambodia are completely untouristy, and to venture out you may need to
improvise. What’s more, taking the road
less traveled opens up possibilities that
straight and narrow tarmac just doesn’t
provide. We encountered unassuming
continued on page 45
Geared Up
suit up and ride
by Mike Deme
Canari Cruiser & Ridge ($40 & $45,
canari.com, 800-929-2925)
I’ve never been a big fan of cyclingspecific clothing that, when worn,
gives observers the idea that you’re in
a race or you’re a creature from beyond
Earth. And, based on the reaction to our
December/January issue cover, many
readers of Adventure Cyclist feel the same
way. While I may not be so vehemently
determined that people who may like
these colorful outfits or “racing suits,” as
one reader referred to them, never appear
in this magazine, I’d still recommend a
less ostentatious look when out for a
recreational ride. Ever on the lookout for
gear that offers the more restrained look,
I again prowled the halls of Interbike in
search of some solids. Knowing full well
that I’d fail in this mission if I started
in the the Little Italy section (I did, and
I did), I decided to use a less orthodox
approach. If I saw a booth where local
talent was hired to attract attention, I’d
skip that booth based on the assumption
that restraint was not their game — so
34
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 I was determined to walk
right on by the Canari
booth. Funny thing
about assumptions:
they’re not foolproof,
especially when I’m doing
the assuming, and, in this
case, they weren’t. As I passed,
I certainly noticed an array of dazzling if not well-thought–out color
schemes but I also noticed some solids, so
I popped in. And that’s when I found the
Cruiser and the Ridge.
Both jerseys come in the earth tones
many less excitable people than me prefer but still offer all of the advantages of
21st century materials and technology.
The Cruiser is constructed of Drycore,
a microfilament polyester yarn that
offers excellent wicking qualities and is
also very soft to the touch. In combination with its casual loose fit, it’s about
the most comfortable cycling jersey
I’ve worn. It’s close cousin, the Ridge,
also offers Drycore but adds HI Vent,
a hollow-core anti bacterial microfiber
nylon fabric in strategically located
places, like under the arms and along the
sides. Both jerseys feature a 6-inch front
zipper and one zippered pocket, which
on the Cruiser is on the lower back and
on the Ridge is on right side. If you like
comfy down-to-earth cycling jerseys, the
Cruiser and/or Ridge may be just what
you’re looking for.
Brooks Oxford Rollup Rain Cape
($2X0.00, www.brooksengland.com,
[email protected], +39 0444
461100)
We had a few readers write in suggesting we include an old-fashioned rain
poncho in “Geared Up” so I went to
Interbike with the intention of finding
one — and boy, did I. While carousing
about Brooks’ booth checking out the
leathery goodness they’d
be offering in 2011, I
couldn’t help but
notice the Oxford Rain Cape on a mannequin smack dab in the middle of it
all. “Surely, this must be an historical
re-creation simply placed here to inspire
gawking,” said I. “Certainly not,” replied
my Brooks tour guide, Suzette Ayotte.
“And don’t call me Shirley.” (I know, that
was a long way to go to give a shout out
to Leslie Nielsen, the hilariously funny
actor who recently-slipped the surly
bonds of Earth.)
I’ve got to admit, I’ve never used
a rain cape or poncho before but
have often wondered when and why
they had fallen out of cycling fashion. They seemed alive and well in
the mid 1970s, as evidenced by their
widespread appearance in the photos
of Bikecentennial that spice up the
Adventure Cycling office, but I hadn’t
seen one in action recently. Regardless
of when this happened, the rain cape is
alive and well in the Oxford.
The features of the Oxford are many.
According to the Brooks website, “The
garment is manufactured in England
using the finest waterproof cotton, JB
Raver Tweed and the same vegetable
tanned leather used for the legendary
Brooks Saddles. Reflective JB Raver
Tweed is a Dashing Tweed fabric manufactured exclusively for John Boultbee
using the finest
worsted wool
yarns subtly
combined
with modern
technical reflective
threads, woven together in a traditional mill in
Scotland.“ I couldn’t have
written it better myself.
You‘re probably wondering when this blathering
fool is going to get to
the part where he
talks about what
it‘s like riding with
the cape and whether it
effectively keeps one dry
while riding in the rain? Can’t
blame you there. Well, I have to
say, it’s pretty interesting and a very
different experience from riding with a
jacket. The Oxford features two leather
straps that fasten it to the handlebar
creating a space beneath the cape where
air circulates, something no jacket can
offer, and this also creates an angle on
which the falling water can’t collect. (The
straps also allow you to fasten the rolled
up Oxford to your saddle rails when
it’s not needed.) It also features sleeves
that synch at the wrist, a zipper that
terminates just above the upper lip, and
a hood that won’t fit over a helmet but
that nicely fit under mine.
Some other observations: 1) My lower
half got wet when
riding a bike
without fenders so,
if you don’t like this,
you’ll need a good
pair of rain pants.
(Personally, if it‘s not
cold, I don’t mind.)
When I rode a bike
with fenders, I stayed
quite dry and the
circulating air helped
keep me cool. 2) I
found that if I used
the raised and crooked left hand to signal
a right turn, having the cape attached to
my handlebar was a problem, resulting in
a tugging of the handlebar to the right,
which is a serious issue. If I signaled a
right turn by stretching my right arm
straight out, which has it’s own set of disadvantages but is becoming common, this
isn’t an issue. 3) I thought going in that
the cape would be inefficient while
moving through the air but I found
this not to be the case. I didn’t set
any land-speed records but I
wasn’t noticeably slowed either.
The Oxford Rain Cape is a
beautifully crafted garment that
should last a lifetime and, if you
live where it rains quite regularly, you might want to consider
adding it to your foul-weather
gear collection.
Ibex Duo Short ($110, www.
ibexwear.com, 800-773-9647)
Outside the bike itself, and
its components, I can’t think of
anything more closely associated with cycling than tightfitting shorts. You can find them in any
bike shop and from any manufacturer
of cycling gear, but they’re not all the
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T continued on page 46
35
all the organizational news that will fit. online: adventurecycling.org
edited by Michael McCoy
RidingSweep
Riding Sweep recently heard
from Jan Brunk, a former longtime member of the Adventure
Cycling Association Board of
Directors. She and her husband, Ron, have owned and
operated the ultra-popular
Glacier Cyclery in Whitefish,
Montana, for almost 30 years.
“We were in southwest
Montana riding RATPOW,” Jan
wrote, “Ron’s acronym for Ride
Around The Pioneers In One
Weekend.
“Who did we see coming
into Wise River in the late light
of evening,” Jan continued, “but
Andy Baur on his 29er, packed
light. We sat at the Wise River
Club while he had some dinner
before heading off again. He
looked like he could be doing
the Ride the Divide race he was
so well packed.”
Andy, a current Adventure
Cycling board member, is the
executive director of the Prickly
Pear Land Trust in Helena,
Montana (pricklypearlt.org).
36
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T 1962 photo by charles siple 2011 phot by derek gallagher
PIONEER BOARD
MEMBERS
Greg ponders his 16-year-old self at the finish of the first TOSRV in 1962.
TOSRV TURNS 50
Event’s co-creator plans a return ride
On July 7 and 8, 1962, Greg
Siple and his father Charles,
at the elder’s suggestion,
bicycled from Columbus, Ohio,
south along the Scioto River to
Portsmouth, where the Scioto
meets the Ohio River. It was
105 miles on Saturday and
the same for the return ride on
Sunday.
“I was an impressionable
16-year-old,” Greg recalls,
“and I enjoyed the whole experience. Remember, this was a
period when just a handful of
adults in the entire U.S. were
cycling. In fact, we didn’t know
a single soul who’d make the
ride with us.”
The following year, Greg
did manage to find three other
guys to repeat the ride. Still,
F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I N G . O R G
it was a small start to something big. Fueled by the surge
of Baby Boomers coming of
age, the ride grew into a huge
event, peaking in the 1990s at
6,000 riders. Along the way,
the Tour of the Scioto River
Valley (TOSRV) inspired countless other mass participation
rides, and set the stage for the
launching of the Hemistour
and Bikecentennial rides.
As the years rolled by,
Greg’s association with
TOSRV continued: rider,
photographer, and artist. But
over the past 15 years or so,
circumstances have limited his
opportunities to return to Ohio
to ride — and when he could
go, he opted for the one-day
‘half TOSRV.’
But this year is special.
“2011 is the 50th edition of the
classic, and I am determined
to ride a full TOSRV,” Greg
says. “This will also be the last
TOSRV that [former Adventure
Cycling board member] Charlie
Pace will direct. He directed
his first in 1967 and, except for
a couple of years missed, he’s
run every one since.”
Greg’s son Zane has
expressed interest in riding the
full TOSRV as well, keeping
the father-son link unbroken.
“My father, at age 92, will
not be riding, but he will be
closely watching,” Greg says.
“I’m hoping to see lots of old
friends from the early TOSRV
and Bikecentennial days, and
share some miles and smiles.”
SHARE THE JOY; TAKE A SURVEY
FUN- AND
FUND-RAISING
Things you can do to help your organization
Grand prize winner Peter Hall
non-member is automatically entered in the Share the
Cycling Joy campaign. The
grand prize in the 2011 campaign will be a Novara Verita
bicycle from REI (for complete
details, including the rules, visit
www.adventurecycling.org/joy).
Meanwhile, it’s also
time to tap into the annual
Membership Survey, which,
according to membership
and marketing assistant Amy
Corbin, is “your chance to help
guide the future of Adventure
Cycling Association.” The
survey is posted throughout
February at www.adventure
cycling.org/annualsurvey. “It won’t take long to complete,” Amy promised. “You’ll
find a few basic membersatisfaction questions, along
with requests for input on our
programs and services.” If we
have a valid email address for
you, you’ll also receive — or
perhaps already have received
— an email invitation to take the
survey, which closes February
28.
derek gallagher
Sales and marketing director
Teri Maloughney is pleased to
announce the grand-prize winner in the 2010 Share the Joy
campaign, whose name was
drawn in early January. “Peter
Hall of Falmouth, Maine, won
the grand prize of a Drakkar
model bicycle from Rawland
Cycles, valued at $2,500,”
Teri said. Promoted as an allsurfaces bike, the Drakkar put
its money where its mouth is
by taking the “Best in Show”
award at the Rough Riders
Rally held last July in Marin
County, California (see “Return
of the Rough Riders” in
Waypoints, February 2010).
Any Adventure Cycling
member who recruits a new
member by giving a gift membership or by having a sample
issue of Adventure Cyclist
magazine sent to a previous
WHEELY GOOD Joseph DePalma, a member of Adventure Cycling’s 2010 selfcontained TransAm group was feeling all right when he popped a full-pack wheely
on Lolo Pass near the Montana/Idaho stateline just a half mile from the top.
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T Last July, we heard from Steve
Leibman, who told us he was
in the process of organizing an August 4 screening of
Ride the Divide in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, at Microsoft’s
New England Research and
Development Center, aka the
NERD Center. “Admission is
free,” Steve wrote, “but we’re
suggesting a donation of $10,
from which we intend to donate
all profits to Adventure Cycling
in support of their efforts to
develop the U.S. Bicycle Route
System.”
Flash forward to late August,
when we received another nice
letter from Steve: “The event
went extremely well. We had
just under 70 people, which
was a perfect number for the
venue. We gave away several
hundred dollars’ worth of free
stuff, including items such as
the route maps and memberships contributed by Adventure
Cycling, movie posters and
DVDs included with the film, gift
certificates donated by local bike
shops, free food, and free drinks
from the Magic Hat Brewing
Company.” Steve added that
the facilities, including the use
of a 9’ x 16’ screen and an HD
projector, were loaned free-ofcharge by Microsoft; and that
he was able to spend a few
minutes giving a well-received
overview of the USBRS.
The upshot: Total revenues
were $785; expenses, $585
($300 for the screening fee,
$120 for insured bartending
services, and $165 for food
and wine). A check for the net
proceeds of $200, made out
to the USBRS, accompanied
Steve’s letter. Though acknowledging that the total profit was
not enormous, Steve said he felt
that the event was “extremely
successful in terms of building
awareness and generally having
fun and improving the cohesiveness of the cycling community in
our area.”
To follow suit, you’ll find information on the Ride the Divide
screening package at www.
ridethedividemovie.com
37
Mechanical Advantage
Cornering on a Bicycle
Master centrifugal force on curves
by Jan Heine
Cornering on a bicycle is a remarkably simple process. It has two
main components: leaning and countersteering. The rider leans
the bike by moving the wheels to the outside of the curve. This is
called countersteering. At first sight, countersteering may appear counterintuitive,
yet all riders do it because it is the only way to make a bike lean. Countersteering
explains why training wheels are counterproductive to learning to balance a two-
gra
vit
y
the bike upright as it falls. (Experienced
riders who “trackstand” actually roll
back and forth slightly with their front
wheel turned sideways. They are countersteering, but instead of going forward
and steering right and left, they just
steer one way and go back and forth to
balance the bike.)
Stability:
Bikes are self-stable because gyroscopic forces and other factors turn the
front wheel so that it automatically countersteers to correct changes in lean angle.
This means that if you don’t provide
any input, your bike tends to continue
to corner on the same radius. (On the
straight, it will continue to go straight.)
When we have fully leaned the bike
into the left turn, we simply stop the
rightward pressure
on the handlebars.
Fig. 3
The bike stabilizes
at its current lean
angle and rounds
the corner.
Straightening:
To upright the
bike at the exit of
the left turn, we
simply push the
handlebars to the
left into the corner.
Now the wheels
move left, and the
bike rotates until
it is again upright
(Fig. 4).
illustrations by greg siple
al
38
down and keeps our tires on the road.
To lean left, we must turn our handlebars to the right.
Fig. 2
Yes, we turn
our handlebars
center
in the opposite
of
gravity
direction of
where we want
to go! It is called
countersteering,
and all cyclists do
this. We also countersteer when we
balance while riding
straight ahead. As
the bike begins to fall
over, we countersteer
in the direction of the
lean to rotate the bike
in the other direction until it is upright
again.
Leaning Your Body:
Can’t we just shift our body weight to
lean the bike into the curve? Not really.
When we move our bodies to one side,
inertia tends to keep our center of gravity in the same place. So we lean our
upper body to one side, but our bike is
leaning to the other side. We remain balanced and cannot resist the centrifugal
force of cornering (Fig. 3).
If we could just shift our body weight
to change the lean of the bike, it would
be easy to balance a bike that is standing
still. For most of us, it is impossible to
balance a stopped bike because we cannot move the wheels sideways to rotate
gravity
loc
gravity
wheeler. Understanding the processes of
cornering can help you corner with more
confidence and increase your cycling
enjoyment.
Cornering:
When we round a corner, the centrifugal force tries to pull us to the outside
of the curve. We can see this when a car
goes around a curve. It leans on its suspension to the outside of the curve. The
springs compress until they counter the
centrifuFig. 1
gal force.
A bicycle
leaning to
centrifugal
force
the outside
of the curve
would crash, so
it needs to counter the centrifugal
force in some other
way.
We do this by leaning
the bike. When we lean the
bike, gravity pulls it to the
inside of the curve while the
centrifugal force pulls to the outside (Fig.
1). The resulting force of the two, “local
gravity,” is in line with the bike’s wheels.
The bike is balanced.
Countersteering:
How do we get our bike to lean? We
spin our bodies and bike around the
center of gravity (Fig. 2). For example,
to turn left, we move our wheels to the
right so our bike spins counterclockwise
and leans to the left. Gravity pulls us
path you want to take. The bike is likely
to follow. (Use this technique on the
straights as well.)
Ride with an experienced cyclist and
follow their line. Ask them to keep the
speed down at first. You will be surprised how far you safely can lean the
bike on most surfaces.
Conclusion:
Cornering is so intuitive that we
are not even aware of the process. We
countersteer by pushing the handlebars
toward the outside of the turn, which
Fig. 5
balanced
avit
gravity
balanced
l gr
y
ground with their feet. You can create a
makeshift balance bike by removing the
pedals from the child’s bike and lowering
the saddle. Or have them ride a scooter.
These vehicles allow children to learn
countersteering without risking falls
because kids push off the ground with
their legs as they move along. As they
become more confident, they can coast
longer and longer, until they are ready
to balance all the time and ride a bicycle.
(For safety make sure the balance bike
has brakes.)
Tips for Confident Cornering:
Cornering can be daunting to some
riders who may feel like they are
falling over as they lean the bike. It
may help to visualize that cornering
uses the same mechanisms as riding
straight. In both cases, we balance
the wheels to stay above the center of
gravity except that the “local gravity” now is inclined (Fig. 5). Our bike
is as stable in mid-corner as it is on a
straight path. And the faster you go,
the more stable your bike becomes
because the self-stabilizing gyroscopic
forces of the wheels increase with
speed ( Fig. 5).
To corner confidently, relax your
grip on the handlebars. Your bike
is self-stabilizing even as it leans, as
long as the front wheel can move in
response to changes in lean. A “death
grip” on the handlebars prevents the
self-stabilizing forces of the bike from
working and makes your bike less stable.
A light touch is best to guide your bike.
Look where you want to go. If you
focus on the obstacle you are trying to
avoid, you have to steer the bike in your
peripheral field of vision. It is much
easier to focus your attention on the
loca
Then we are riding
Fig. 4
on the straight again.
We continue to keep
the bike upright
by countersteering
center
until we need to
of
gravity
lean into the next
corner.
Training Wheels:
Many children’s
bikes are sold with
training wheels, which
prevent the bicycle
from falling over.
Unfortunately, they
also prevent the bicycle
from leaning. They
effectively convert the
bicycle to a tricycle, which
requires the opposite steering input from
a bicycle. On a bicycle, we countersteer
and push the handlebars to the left when
we want to turn right. On a tricycle,
we steer and push the handlebars right
when we want to turn right — the exact
opposite of what we do on a bicycle.
If you ever have the opportunity
to ride an adult tricycle, you will be
surprised how hard it is to unlearn the
instincts of riding a bicycle. Make sure
you have enough room and no obstacles!
The reverse is also true. Children have
a hard time unlearning the instincts of
steering a tricycle when the training
wheels are removed. From experiences
among my neighbors, children who had
training wheels took longer and fell more
often as they tried to ride a two-wheeler
than those who did not use training
wheels.
To teach children balancing on two
wheels, you can use a balance bike,
which children power by pushing off the
leans the bike into the turn. We reverse
the process to upright the bike and go
straight again. This same countersteering
enables us to balance on the straights.
Jan Heine is editor of Bicycle Quarterly, a magazine
about the culture, technology, and history of cycling.
This article is adapted from a more detailed article
published in the Winter 2010 issue (www.bikequar
terly.com).
39
Profile
Bill Nelson: MR. HOSTELING
U
nsung heroes make up the DNA
of every organization, and
Adventure Cycling Association,
under its original Bikecentennial76
moniker, is no exception. Bill Nelson,
long-time travel director and national
training director for American Youth
Hostels, Inc. (AYH), educated thousands
at his Leadership Training Courses (LTCs)
during his career, including three of four
Adventure Cycling co-founders: Greg
and June Siple and Lys Burden. More
importantly, he also mentored summer of
‘76 leadership training program co-directors Bonnie Hoffmann and Tim Leifer,
making him perhaps the most influential
of the unsung. Without Bill’s training
and guidance, his protégé Bonnie says,
“No way!” could Bikecentennial’s 1976
summer tours have been pulled off.
Greg agrees, “If it hadn’t been for Bill,
I don’t think there would have been a
Bikecentennial. When I had this idea of
bicycling across the country to celebrate
America’s bicentennial, I figured anyone
who wanted to come would meet at 9:00
am at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco,
and we would just take off.” But various advisors convinced the Burdens and
Siples that the event had to be more
structured for it to succeed.
“So we decided we’d need a route and
maps, and instantly realized we would
base it on Bill Nelson’s philosophy of
long-distance bicycle travel in small
groups,” Greg said. “He developed it
over many years, and there it was — all
ready to adopt, and we made use of it.
We took it for granted: ‘Oh yeah, we’ll
just do it like AYH.’”
“We consulted with Bill Nelson …,”
the Leifers wrote in their staff report,
“and received the go-ahead to design
our courses patterned after AYH training
courses so that leaders trained by both
organizations could lead trips sponsored
40
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 by either organization.” How much of
the Bikecentennial76 leadership program
was based on Bill’s course? “About 90 to
95 percent is all,” Bonnie said. “We used
mostly AYH advisors, and even used Bill’s
jokes (with his permission).” The first
Bill delivers a lecture at a 1978 Bushkill,
Pennsylvania, leadership training course.
LTC course entirely organized by Tim
and Bonnie took place in Pennsylvania’s
Amish country in November of 1975,
and few know that Bill Nelson was their
Bowmansville course director. “It was
magic,” Bonnie said. “The perfect start of
our (own) program.”
Bonnie and Tim’s initial challenge had
been daunting: to find 10 locations nationwide, recruit course directors and 40 advisors, and schedule 63 courses to train 1,760
leaders in less than a year. They had shouldered a nearly impossible task: to train and
recruit leaders for the 20,000 cyclists originally projected by Bikecentennial Director
Dan Burden. By the beginning of 1976,
however, expectations dropped to about
12,000 riders. Even more realistic numbers
took shape in March, when 6,500 or fewer
riders were projected based on signups. By
April the Leifers knew, to their relief, that
no more than 5,000 signups would occur,
and downgraded the training goal to 600
leaders. Ultimately, 350 leaders received
trip assignments to serve the final 3,000
cyclists who signed up for Bikecentennial76
guided trips. Another 1,100 independent
riders would boost the total number on the
trail that summer to 4,100.
Nine years before the summer of ’76,
Greg attended an LTC at Friedenswald
Youth Hostel in Michigan, where he met
Bill Nelson. “I remember his jokes,” says
Greg, “his easy-going nature, dry wit,
and exotic stories of cycling … about the
first AYH trip (in Europe) in 1934.”
Bill hailed from rural Kansas and was
only 17 years old in 1934. His group rode
from hostel to hostel, about 30 to 40 miles
apart. But this was no ordinary hosteling
trip. The young traveler found himself pedaling with Richard Schirrmann, a 60-yearold German and father of the International
Hosteling Movement. AYH’s co-founders,
Monroe and Isabel Smith, happened to be
leading Bill’s group through Europe at a
time when the Nazis were gaining power.
Quick decisions had to be made when Nazi
headquarters complained about a young
black man in their group, turning bicycle
touring euphoria to despair. Some cyclists
headed into France out of harm’s way, while
the rest continued as planned. Fortunately
the Nazis were unaware of the group’s three
Jewish cyclists.
But the camaraderie and spirit of hosteling left its mark on Bill. He found himself
drawn repeatedly into volunteering and
soon after gained a job at AYH national
headquarters in Northfield, Massachusetts,
instead of becoming a doctor like his
father. During his 72-year association with
AYH in hostel development, field work,
travel, and leadership, Bill traveled all over
the U.S., training wet-behind-the-ears leaders with and without potential. Those who
passed his courses were rewarded with
courtesy of Hosteling international usa (HI-USA)
The roots of Adventure Cycling Association run deep
by June J. Siple
trips throughout North America, Europe,
and Latin America, most expenses paid.
Bill’s LTCs provided a steady supply of
prepared leaders.
After serving the U.S. Army from 1943
to 1947, primarily in post-war Japan, Bill
was training AYH leaders by 1947, and
directed his last leadership courses in
1983. Even in 1975, when Bikecentennial
started LTCs, AYH still dominated outdoor leadership training and travel programs in the U.S. Hostelling International
USA, or HI-USA, (AYH’s current name),
scheduled youth-oriented trips from 1934
to 1996, and now specializes in hostel
development. 58 official HI-USA hostels
are currently listed online, with thousands in other countries.
During his six-day AYH course, Bill
lectured the first three days about one
technique after another. Leadership was
not about knowing how to repair bikes
and cook meals, but “how you divide
up the work, how to handle the money,
and how to draw people together,” Greg
remembers. Covering group dynamics,
hostel customs, first aid, problem participants, cooking, medical emergencies,
public relations, bike repair, how and
what to pack — Bill was tireless in his
encouragement. In the final three days of
bicycle touring, a cohesive group would
often start to form. Leadership styles
emerged, and trainees learned more
about life on the road and how to keep
cyclists safe and content.
Addressing leadership newbies about
hardships of the road, Bill often leaned
on his touring bike: “At times you’ll find
no shower and no bathtub at a hostel,
so what do you do to keep clean?” From
a pannier pocket he whipped out a flat
blue rubber disk — a drain stopper.
Leadership hopefuls leaned forward to
listen and dutifully take notes. “Put in
the stopper, fill up the sink, and wash as
far down as possible. Then, wash up as
far as possible. Finally, wash possible.”
As Greg remembers, “Bill would ask
‘Why do people sign up for trips?’ Then
he’d go around the room and have people
come up with reasons. They’d rarely
guess the most important — to have
fun.” But Bill cautioned that a leader is
on call 24 hours a day. “If things don’t
go right, hang loose,” he instructed, and
“lead from behind” to sweep up injured,
tired, or lost riders, and to help take care
of mechanical mishaps. He also advised
leaders to always carry extra snacks for
the discouraged.
With a military flair, he kept everything organized and on time in a mostly
light-hearted atmosphere. “Bill really
knew what was important. He was laying
a very solid foundation while getting his
points across,” Greg said. “But there was
a very serious side to the training and
Bill was also very effective in relaying it.”
To avoid resentment, leaders were to
show no favoritism, and flirting with
participants was not allowed. “Trip leaders are neuter!” he declared. Back in the
1960s, his LTCs were rare places of male/
female equality, which meant that passing
or failing the course was based on leadership merit alone.
“Sadly,” Greg pointed out, “National
AYH dropped its trip program as well
as leadership training [in 1997]. But
Adventure Cycling has continued to run
LTCs, and … 35 years later, it’s still based
on the foundation that Bill laid down.”
Bill was born August 16, 1916, in the
little Kansas town of Phillipsburg, 90
miles due north of what would become
the Trans-America Bicycle Trail 60 years
later. He married Ruth Kimball in 1945.
The Nelsons established The Bantam Lake
Youth Hostel in Connecticut in 1955, and
Ruth managed it for 15 years until 1970.
As “head honcho” of the leadership
program as early as 1947, Bill published
The Talking Hat: a Newsletter for AYH
Leaders, from February 1980 through
December 2009, and he often referred
fondly to “The Fellowship of The Hat”
that comprised all his former trainees.
Nelson served on the National AYH Board
of Directors, resigning in November 1991,
but continued to do volunteer work.
William A. “Bill” Nelson died on May
6, 2010, in Litchfield, Connecticut, at the
age of 93. Ruth died only four days later
at the age of 88. They were married 55
years, had four daughters, and enjoyed
countless friends and acquaintances.
June Siple was the first woman to bicycle from Alaska
to Argentina (Hemistour Expedition, 1972-5), and is
one of four Adventure Cycling co-founders. Currently
she is in training to ride the 50th Tour of the Scioto
River Valley in Ohio.
For more information about Adventure Cycling’s
Leadership Training Courses, visit adventurecycling.
org/tours and click on EDUCATION.
41
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42
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 SELL YOUR BUSINESS — Sell your compa-
Events
BICYCLE RIDE ACROSS GEORGIA (BRAG)
— Spring Tune-Up Ride, April 15-17, 2011,
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MASS BIKEPIKE TOUR — August 11-14, 2011
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CYCLE NORTH CAROLINA SPRING RIDE
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2011 CYCLE NORTH CAROLINA FALL RIDE
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International Tours
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Banks, 7-day tours from $999, including
hotels, food & SAG. Come join us! 800-4902173 www.vacationbicycling.com.
THE GREAT ALLEGHENY PASSAGE AND
C&O CANAL — 334.5 continuous trail miles
from Pittsburgh to DC; custom or group
tours; includes B&Bs, inns, excellent meals,
luggage shuttle, full sag support, vehicle or
people and gear shuttle; attractions including
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwaer, Antietam
battlefield plus so much more... Call Trail Gail
at 301-722-4887 240-727-7039 or www.mountainsidebiketours.net You Pedal, We Pamper.”
WOMEN ONLY BIKE TOURS — For all
ages and abilities. Fully supported, inn-toinn, bike path & road tours. Cross-country,
National Parks, Europe & more. Bicycle workshops, wine tasting, yoga. Call for free catalog. 800-247-1444, www.womantours.com.
Discover Canada with Cycle Canada!
— Join us in 2011 — Tours throughout Canada
from one week to 10 weeks. Across Canada,
Alberta, Quebec, Nova Scotia and more! www.
CycleCanada.com or call 800-214-7798.
Scamp ‘n’ Rascal Cycling Adventures
— Eastern PA has some of the finest road
riding in the nation. Join our fully supported inn to inn adventures. You’ll ride
hard, rest easy and love every minute. www.
scampnrascal.com; 610-317-9611.
.TIMBERLINE ADVENTURES — Fully supported bicycling & hiking adventure vacations with an organization whose sole focus
for 26 years is extraordinary adventure
throughout western U.S. & Canada. Website:
www.timbertours.com Email: timber@earth
net.net Phone: 800-417-2453.
Christian Adventures — A leader in
adventure ministry since 1978, offers cycling
tours and wilderness adventures across
North America. 2011 cycling tours include
Florida Panhandle, Underground Railroad,
and more. www.ChristianAdventures.
org, 866.796.HIKE.
RIDE TWO STATES-TWO COUNTRIES —
Bike the International Selkirk Loop, North
America’s only two-nation Scenic Byway
through Washington, Idaho, Canada. Pick
your pace for 280 miles of incredible selfsupported riding! www.selkirkloop.org.
WHY RIDE WITH ADVENTURE CYCLING? —
Our tours feature experienced leaders, attract
wonderful people, have an intimate feel, and
leave you feeling refreshed. In 2011, we’re
offering self-contained tours & supported
tours, small group & big event options, epic
and weeklong trips. Make this a year to
remember, sign-up for an Adventure Cycling.
Find us at www.adventurecycling.org/tours.
continued from page 22
times, the trip along the north edge of the
Everglades was filled with exciting views,
wildlife, and people. It seemed that most
people in south Florida had moved there
from somewhere else, and the folks in
this part of the state were no exception.
A favorite topic of conversation was how
much snow was on the ground wherever
they had moved from.
On all levels, our trip had been an
overwhelming success. A highlight for
me was experiencing it through Kerri’s
eyes. It had been her first tour, her first
experience of the riding, lifestyle, highs
and lows, and the satisfaction of traveling
under one’s own power — a complement
to her history of backpacking. I could see
she was hooked. Sharing my love of riding
and being a part of her realizing a dream
was a rush. And as far as chasing summer,
we’d tagged it.
Kerri: It had not occurred to me that this
would be our last day of riding. We humbly hung our heads, feeling good about the
decision we had made, given the winds
and the roads. We loaded up the car when
Mom arrived. On the drive home, I happily
looked back and celebrated every bit of
the adventure. I reveled in my wakefulness
with an appreciation for the fragility of life
and the mindfulness to take it with a light
heart. I tried to balance the strength of will
with humility, and bow down to the power
of Earth and its forces. I was reminded of
what a gift it is to live.
Total riding days: Seven. Miles:
approximately 350.
A couple months later, I visited with
a friend in New Orleans. He spoke if his
long-time desire to do a bike trip. I gave
him the old Adventure Cyclist magazine
I’d kept with me all those years. “Here.”
I said. “This is yours now.” A short time
after, he took off on a long solo journey
in the southeast U.S. And so the cycle
continues. Tom Robertson is a freelance photographer and a
cycling and adventure enthusiast based in Missoula,
Montana. As a cartographer for Adventure Cycling
for 14 years, he was an invaluable member of the
routes and mapping department.
Kerri Rosenstein is an artist and arts educator, a
teambuilding facilitator, and an adventure wilderness
guide. Currently on the move, she refers to her cat as
home. Her cat lives in Missoula, Montana.
43
marketplace
ADVENTURES
Marketplace ads start at $195 per issue. For rate information, please please contact Rick Bruner.
Phone/fax: (509) 493-4930, Email: [email protected].
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ATD 2.25x1-V4.pdf
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44
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hospitality and openness, warm smiles
and generous hearts. For sure, there’s the
Cambodia of Angkor Wat, the worldrenowned 11th-century city that was
once the bustling center of the flourishing Khmer Empire. Home to a million
people back then, Angkor Wat remains
equally astonishing today — and almost
as packed with tourists. And there’s no
better way to explore the 1,000-plus–
building temple complex than by bike.
Two wheels means you have the freedom
to visit early, before the hot mid-day sun
saps your sightseeing energy. You can
also choose your route to avoid the worst
of the tour-bus crowds. Of course it’s
impossible not to appreciate the craftsmanship behind the 200 gigantic carved
faces of Bayon temple or the natural
beauty of Ta Phrom, gripped beneath
the sprawling roots of a strangler fig
tree. As deservedly popular as this
UNESCO world heritage site is, the part
of the journey I’ll remember most is the
hospitality and incredible reception we
received from numerous warm hearted
people in the most unexpected places. It
was generosity that transcends linguistic, cultural, and historical differences
— and may not be totally due to Cass’s
good luck. In the space of 10 days while
traversing the whole country, we’d slept
in an assortment of impromptu locations
and far fewer hotels than we normally
would. Bikes had undoubtedly opened
up a different side of Cambodia, and I’m
convinced our seat-of-the-pants style was
the key to this unique experience.
Cara Coolbaugh is an avid adventurer who is inspired
to work on ways to improve human health and wellbeing — and plans to bring her bike along for the
journey.
Cass Gilbert is freelance cycling journalist and photographer who is currently cycling south from Alaska.
You can read more about his adventure on his blog at
www.whileoutriding.com.
45
same. Like most purchasable items, you
get what you pay for. If you’re planning
an extended bicycle tour, I’d recommend
you strongly consider the Duo short from
Ibex. I’ve been using the Duo exclusively
since the spring and they’re like the Oscar
Wilde character Dorian Gray — they don’t
appear to age. If Carhartt
made cycling shorts,
I’d
expect they’d be much
like the Duo.
According
to the Ibex
website,
they’re constructed of
84% Merino
wool, 11%
nylon, and
6% spandex,
combining for
a breathable
and super nonsmelly combination that Ibex has formulated specifically
for its cycling line. The observant will
notice that those numbers add up to 101
46
A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 1 percent. Yeah, that’s how good these shorts
are. More specs: four-way stretch microfine polyester that’s anti-microbial, a multidimensional 8 mm, nine-panel chamois,
and gripper elastic hems, all weighing in at
9.6 ounces. And they’re made in the USA.
Really, what more could you ask for?
Retread Broadway ($145, retreadwerks.
com/street.html, [email protected])
There’s a lot of lip service being paid
by various manufacturers these days about
the use of recycled materials in their
wares, but once you scratch
the surface you realize
that they’re full of …
well, to be be polite, let’s
just say beans. But not
Retread, a Missoula company creating a variety
of useful items out of
reused materials including inner tubes. The
Broadway is a messenger bag/brief case that
is one of the items in Retread’s
urban bag line, which they describe as
“… bags crafted almost entirely from
reused materials. Specifically, these bags
are constructed from cleaned and processed billboard vinyl, inner tube and
floor matting, and are over 95% salvaged
materials by weight. Starting with the
same basic tube, zipper and pocket layout,
each bag is constructed from unique cuts
of signage. This means each bag is an original, with different colors or patterns from
the original sign.” Pretty cool, eh?
The Broadway features a zippered
pocket on the flap just above a reflective
strip and another on the main body below
the flap, which is secured by velcro. The
inside consists of a roomy main compartment with a non-zippered pocket. The
shoulder strap is made from an inner tube
but is non-adjustable. A rigid handle on
top makes it easy to carry when it’s not
slung over your shoulder. I’m not sure
what cleaning process they use at Retread
but the result is that the rubber nearly
feels like leather.
If you’re interested in gear that’s truly
made from reused materials, check out
the other items on Retread’s website. Not
much of a wallet guy myself, I’ve been
using the Slim to hold my indispensables.
It’s small and super lightweight — perfect
for bike travel.
Open Road Gallery
LANDING ON HER FEET
by Sarah Raz Photograph by Greg Siple
Alena Kryuczynski didn’t plan to take her trip from Missoula, Montana, to Warrenton, Virginia,
alone. Two of her friends were also packed and ready, until locked handlebars led to a spill, cracked
wrists, and broken plans. So a very apprehensive Alena, 20 years old with no cycling experience
and on summer break from Stanford University, set off from Missoula by herself. It wasn’t long
before the feeling of freedom set in and she was certain she had made the correct choice.
Alena quickly became a flat-changing expert in blustery eastern Colorado, when she got six
flat tires in one day. “This was my routine: Notice flat, stop, cry, unload bike, fix flat, go five miles,
notice flat, repeat. Crying on the side of the highway by myself in the windy middle of nowhere is
something that I’ll never forget.”
But Alena ended up really enjoying her solo trip. She felt that all victories along the way were
hers, and she could travel at her own pace without worrying about slowing anyone down. Even
though her mom was initially a little worried about her doing the trip alone, her fears were assuaged
as Alena met other cyclists and many kind people along the way. However, towards the end of her
60-day trip, “I did go kind of crazy from so many days alone. I sang to myself a lot, and I told myself
stories in a British accent.”
Although there were ups and downs during Alena’s ride, she considers the summer “an incredible experience, because I had to rely on myself and no one else to keep me safe and moving forward.” She celebrated her 21st birthday alone, in a Hutchinson, Kansas, hostel. “What more could
I want than a shower and a mattress?” She also enjoyed a Mexican dinner. (And, in case you were
wondering, Alena is not a trained gymnast. She just likes doing backbends.)
From Adventure Cycling’s National Bicycle Touring Portrait Collection. © 2011 Adventure Cycling Association.
47
P.O. Box 8308
Missoula, Montana 59807-8308
Non-profit
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Adventure Cycling
Association
Spectacular Scenery
Wendy Calvert
Blue Ridge Bliss June 5-11
Family Value
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Volcano Vistas
Cycle the Gorge July 9-15

Adventure Cyclist - FEBRUARY 2011

Transcription

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