May 29, 2022
Prologue
The final dress rehearsal before the Big Dance
IF LIFE IS THEATER, this will be the final tech / dress rehearsal before the curtain rises on the Main Event just over a month from now. If it were a space flight, this ride would be the Apollo 8 mission that orbited the moon, prior to Apollo 11 actually landing on it. If it were software development, this would be the limited-distribution pre-release beta test version. In other words, it's a prototype.
I need some training miles but want to keep the risk and complexity relatively low. What better way to achieve the objective than by going on a short tour that starts from and ends in my own driveway and never gets more than a two-hour rescue mission drive from home in case things go really sideways?
The duration of this trip, five days and four nights, should be sufficient to moderately stress-test and reveal possible weak links in my plan that may not previously have come to light or didn't get really tested in my two-day mini-tours and various day rides.
For instance, a five-day tour should give me the opportunity to test how my plan for daily "sink laundry" might go (I'll be carrying three sets of riding gear and trying to wash each day's set at the end of the day's ride; full-on machine laundry will be a weekly luxury at most), and how much time and energy I'll need to allocate for it. On a two-day, one-night outing it's just too easy to bring the dirty things home and wash them there.
Also, I'll need to think about getting food along the way, because I certainly do not intend to carry five days of provisions. Afternoon shopping in a pass-through town prior to my arrival at a campsite is likely to be a "thing", so that I don't have to venture out again after setting up camp, getting myself cleaned up, and doing the laundry.
Although I won't really need it I'll take all of my water-carrying gear (two bottles in cages on the bike, two more in the pockets of my waist pack, a large CamelBak, and a one-liter Nalgene bottle that doubles as the shipping container for my water purification filter and its collapsible bottle), just to satisfy myself that it all really works as expected and can be relied on if I do end up needing that capacity somewhere out west.
By front-loading the trip with campsites that do not have electric hookups I can make one final test to prove that my CPAP batteries have what it takes to keep me alive and breathing for at least two, if not three, consecutive nights off the grid before needing to be recharged. And I can test that they will also keep my phone and GPS alive and kicking.
As with any dress rehearsal, the hope is that everything will go swimmingly, beautifully, and to plan, without fault, flaw, or imperfection. The expectation is that something unexpected or un-accounted for in my months of planning and preparation is likely to occur, necessitating on-the-spot adjustments and ad hoc changes to the plan or routine. It's a semi-controlled learning opportunity.
As a bonus, and not really part of any test per se, my last overnight location will be the side yard of my favorite bike shop. That will provide an opportunity to rectify any last-minute mechanical shortcomings I've identified. Oh yes, it'll also give the shop owner a chance to buy me dinner, or at least a beer, before I set off in July. :)
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If you're trying to cut down your load at all, I would think about ditching one set of riding gear. One to wear, wash, wear, repeat, and one backup. Maybe it's just me but I tend to wear the same thing pretty much every day, plus or minus a weather dependent layer or two.
2 years ago
My choice of three days' worth of kit is based largely on advice I read in a journal decades ago. The author had taken only two pairs of shorts and really lamented the decision; his advice was that three pair, from different manufactures, would put seams, pad edges, and so forth in different spots, thereby reducing irritation in sensitive and potentially vulnerable areas.
It also affords me the luxury of having two days to get stuff dry, if I either get caught in the rain (a certainty) or get in so late that I can't get things fully dry before packing up the following morning (also nearly bound to happen at least a few times).
From my decades of riding in the HUMID mid-Atlantic summers I know very well that things set out to dry late in the afternoon don't always get dry, and anything left out overnight WILL be wet the following morning thanks to the dew. I hope not to forget to bring the washing into the tent but it might happen.
Finally, there's the "stink factor" to consider. My body chemistry interacts in "unfortunate, regrettable" ways with synthetic fabrics, to the point where even I can't stand the smell of it unless the stuff gets a thorough washing on a frequent basis. By carrying three sets of riding stuff, every set gets two days to air before I wear it a second time, and I really do hope / plan to be able to do real laundry once a week.
But, it's something to consider and another good reason to do the prototype run now.
2 years ago
Good points, especially finding different shorts more comfortable than others. I've been lucky to not have problems (yet!), but I know some people do. It's good to have options on a long tour where things might start fitting differently or you just need a change.
I tend to over pack and not use things, but the things I'm not using I've bought and I don't want to throw away, but sending them home is such an effort and expense I just keep them!
2 years ago
2 years ago
The different brands of shorts is an excellent suggestion. I have also heard that doubling up shorts helps if you are developing rear end problems. You place the first pair inside out, next to your skin. The second pair goes on in normal fashion.
I take one set of warm weather clothes, one set of cold weather clothes. I have been told that daily wash and wear might work in the dry western part of the USA, but not in humid areas . . .
I look forward to reading along with you!
2 years ago
2 years ago