Reality Check

Since the weather is currently unusually mild for February in New England (39 F and 20-30 mph winds), I decided to go for a ride today. This ride served three critical purposes:

1. I needed to do something besides sit in my hotel room all weekend

2. As I've been tossing around the idea of cycle-commuting to work when possible, I wanted to scout out a route that avoids freeways 

3. The great Australian cycle tour starts in 2 weeks and I haven't been on a bike in almost two months - yikes

I headed out into a brisk headwind, consulting the Iphone regularly as every New Hampshire back road looks exactly the same and they all seem to meander along in no particular direction. After 80 minutes I arrived at New Boston Air Force Station, where I am currently spending a quite a bit of time working.  

Since this took longer than expected, I am doubting that it is realistic for a daily commute. Time to turn around and see how long it takes with the winds in a more favorable direction. After approximately 40 minutes, I am at a spot where I wanted to scout out a railroad bridge that if passable, would remove about 2.5 miles from the route. Success! The bridge is passable and there are no signs prohibiting transit. 

The total return trip utilizing the shortcut took under 55 minutes, which is much more realistic for a daily commute. If the weather is good this week I will have to give it a shot. I arrive back at my hotel feeling much more worn out than a 45 km ride should leave me feeling. Crap. I am going to need to do some serious spinning over the next couple of weeks or the 700 miles of Australian backcountry in 7 days is going to be absolutely brutal. 

Pikes Peak or Bust!

Saturday 10/1/11: 


0430 hrs: Alarm goes off - "Why am I waking up this early on the weekend?"
0530 hrs: Front tire hits the trail (switchbacks), pain ensues - "Uhh, Is this a good idea?"
0600 hrs: Grinding uphill in the dark - "What in the hell am I doing?"
0640 hrs: Sunrise over Colorado Springs - Stunning! 
0700 hrs: Grade eases up, I realize I have a seat on my bike - "Killer" 
0730 hrs: Trail gets rockier and steeper, I'm walking more than riding 
1030 hrs: Summit - 5 hrs and 7500 vertical feet later I am there; coffee and donuts hit the spot 

Obligatory picture proof: 



I have heard people say that only idiots do this ride since there is obviously a lot of time off the bike involved towards the top, but I had a killer time, and the trail traffic didn't result in any conflict or negative experiences whatsoever. 

I was expecting a painful descent on the fully rigid frame, but this ride made me fall in love with the wagon wheels all over again. This was one of the most fun descents I have ever had (and yes I've done resort riding with real suspension). 

Stopped at the camp on the way down to chat with a great couple who gave me exact trail directions. Then hit up the experimental forest route on the way back (longhorn ranch road to ute somethin or other?). This enabled me to skip the hordes of people who like stairs. 

Iceland

In Aug-Sept 2011 I did a cycle-tour around the perimeter of Iceland so I thought I would post a few pictures and thoughts about my adventure. 

The bike and associated kit worked flawlessly for me. I had zero mechanical issues except for one minor shifting issue which was entirely user error. I would highly recommend a Surly Troll for this type of riding. The total trip was around 1600 km, the majority of which was done over 11 consecutive days of riding. 

It all began at a campground just outside the Keflavik airport, where we unpacked our bike bags and were relieved to find intact bicycles. 



The bikes went together quickly, and since my riding partner and I both had overnight flights with no sleep we briefly thought about taking a rest day... But quickly shot down the idea since we came here to ride. On to Reykjavik to start our clockwise loop. 



The weather on our first day was absolutely gorgeous, and was possibly the only day of the loop where we didn't put rain gear on. The last part of the day was spent riding around a massive and stunning fjord to avoid a tunnel. 



After around 145 km we found a spot with an acceptable view and camped. 



The next day started off beautifully, and we climbed up a seemingly never ending mountain pass. The second we got to the top of the pass we were met with rain and a killer headwind which meant we got to struggle just as much on the way down. After another 145 km day and soaking wet we found an abandoned campsite where we could pitch our tents. 

The next few days were marked with MANY mountain passes and variable weather. Mist, rain, fog, and sheep were plentiful. 



An especially difficult climb as there was a significant headwind the entire way up this pass. 



Another great campsite with a view. 



At this point we were riding around the northern part of the island, and started to realize how much of an impact the wind would make on our trip. We literally fought our way into the town of Myvatn which is home to geothermal activity.



The ride between these two pictures was around 4 hours of pedaling into a direct 25-30+km headwind, through a desolate terrain that most resembled a desert. We finally found refuge from the wind alongside a river. 

This bridge was very interesting for us as when a heavy truck would pass over at just the right speed it would visibly deflect and resonate for a quite a long time afterward. Trucks going the wrong speed would deflect it but no resonance. We spent the next day discussing how a few trucks timed at the right interval going the right speed could destroy the bridge. 



Fast forward a couple of days and we passed through the town of Eggilstadir (or something like that) and rode the only gravel section of the ring road on our way to the southeastern coast of Iceland. 



Now that we were on the southern part of the island, the scenery changed drastically yet again, and the land was just littered with glaciers. 



This was one very cool spot where the ice chunks that calved off a large glacier drift around a bay before having to make their way under a bridge to get to the ocean. 



Since the weather was beautiful we took an incredible sight seeing flight above the ice cap.



A few hundred km later and I was back in Reykjavik. 



The trip was my first cycle tour, and was a challenging but incredible experience. From riding through fjords so stunning it hurt to powering against headwinds that threatened my psyche to having my tent blow over in the middle of the night, this trip was killer.