The Big Ride 2006

News from the Team

Final tally, packing list, etc. - 9/10/2006

Latest Checkpoint: Finish - Highlands, NJ
Distance: 3560 Miles

Well, here we are a few weeks after our return, and we’re still trying to get back into the real world routine and struggling with feelings of inactivity compared to being on our bikes for 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. We’ve had to tone down our calorie intake, and the guilt has returned when we go to town on a half gallon of ice cream!

For those who are interested, we thought we would summarize our trip statistics and also write up a list of everything we took with us. If you are considering an extended bike tour, there are a number of things to keep in mind. First, remember that what you pack and how you plan depends a lot on your route, terrain, and climate. We toured self-supported the last 5.5 weeks of our 7.5 week trip, carrying all our weight on our bikes in panniers. If you have the luxury of having a “sag wagon” carry your gear, you have more flexibility in your packing list. We are not extreme into go-lite but we recognize the value of getting that weight down. “Take care of the ounces, and the pounds will take care of themselves.”

FINAL TALLY
Mileage: 3560
Hours on saddle: 311
Flats: 4
Broken Spokes: 7 (6 rear cassette side, 1 front)
One bad front hub, the 10 ball bearings needed replacing
Falls: 18 (15 stationary, 3 low speed)

PACKING LIST:
Bikes:
-Giant OCR Touring

Tires:
-Specialized Infinity Armadillos

Panniers:
-Ortlieb-Front Packer Plus (front)
-Ortlieb-Bike Packer Plus (rear)
-Ortlieb-Ultimate 4 Plus (handlebar bag)
**We highly recommend Ortlieb for being waterproof and durable. The handlebar bag is almost a necessity for anything you need quickly and conveniently.

Racks:
-Tubus Tara (front)
-Tubus Cargo (rear)

First Aid Kit:
Remember this can vary depending on possible conditions and risks you’ll encounter.
-Variety of band aids, shapes and sizes
-ACE bandage
-Roll gauze ( 3 in. self adhesive)
-Non-adhesive gauze pads 4 x 4
-Steri-strips (rather than stitches-make sure that cut is clean!)
-A-ntibiotic ointment
-Pain relief/anti-inflammatory (Advil)
-Antihistamine (Benadryl)
-Hydrocortisone cream
-Antacid (Rolaid)
-Anti-diarrheal (Immodium)
-Any prescriptions needed
-Sunblock lotion
-Udder Balm, A&D ointment etc. (saddle sore treatment)

Clothing:
Very variable keeping in mind your climate, terrain, elevation etc. Most areas of the major mountain ranges and deserts encounter surprisingly cool temperatures, and riding long downhills in the shade can be shockingly chilly as well! Keep in mind visibility is huge, the more eye catching your clothing and gear can be the better
-3 lycra/spandex biking shorts
-3 jerseys, 1 short sleeve
-4 pairs of socks
-cycling shoes that clip into specific pedal on bike
-2 pairs well padded cycling gloves
-sport sandals for off bike time
-long sleeve jersey
-waterproof shell jacket and pants
-shell gloves (at least windproof)
-waterproof helmet cover
-beanie style hat that could be warn with or without helmet
-waterproof toe or shoe covers
-zip off hiking pants (used as shorts most)
-t-shirt for sleeping and days off

Tools:
Extra tubes (one per person)
Tube patching kit
Portable pump
17 tool Multi-tool (including chain break tool, spoke wrench)
Schrader to Presta valve adapter
Pressure gauge
Hyper tool (small specialized tool to remove cassette)
Extra spokes
Lubricants (chain and shifter/derailleur)
Extra links
Spare cables

Camping Gear: Light-weight…
-Backpacking tents
-Ground cloth (footprint)
-Small camp stove
-2 bottles of fuel
-Bowl, spork, cup for hot/cold
-Small pot to boil water with lid
-Camp towel (absorbent) and wash cloth
-Closed-cell foam sleeping pad
-Sleeping bags (lightest temp and weight as possible)
-Sleeping bag liner (thin layer keeps bag clean on those no-shower nights)
-Camp soap (use it for everything)
-Nalgene bottles
-head lamps

Food
This is extremely variable. In the west, we did more planning ahead, and buying of ingredients for meals. Carrying food weight gets old quick however, and in the east and mid-west where places to eat come more easily, we ended up finding that to be just as efficient. We did carry some basics in case we couldn't find a place to eat and for snacking...
-powerbars
-natural fruit snacks
-variety of crackers
-some packets of Ramen noodles
-packets of lemonade type mixes to spruce of the water
-tuna packets
Other things we would buy regularly as needed
-peanut butter
-jelly
-bananas
-bread
-snacks
-ice cream!!!!
-other high energy foods with protein and carbs
We feel it is very important to have a well rounded diet, and taking advantage of buffets was a good way to get variety. The powerbars were in a way our multivitamins to get the goods we probably otherwise were not getting. Carbs are important for energy, protein for muscle recovery.

Safety Gear
We took safety and visibility very seriously. The panniers have reflective triangles on them, and the hi-visibility triangles we had mounted on the rear at all times made a huge difference. When the light was low either at dusk or in rain, we put on reflective vests, turned on all our lights, and put in our high contrast yellow lenses.
-bright, reflective triangles mounted on back of bike (we used Nathan Sports-excellent)
-rear mounted LED blinking red light
-front mounted bright white light
-reflective vests as well for low light
-reflective leg bands
-good quality sunglasses- polycarbonate lenses with 100% UV protection. Interchangeable lenses with a dark lense and a yellow high contrast lense at least.

Miscellaneous
-Small notebook and pen for writing names of people we met and that helped us to take their info
-bible
-journal
-Dessicant packets (this is very interesting-this was suggested to us by an experienced touring cyclist who uses Ortlieb. Their non-breathable since they are waterproof, and the dessicant packets help to soak up excess moisture to prevent mildew and stink- seemed to work! We got packs of 3 rechargeable packets for about $7 at a scuba gear store)

More to come……

View All News