June 12, 2017
A Construct for Matrimonial Biking Bliss.: Guaranteeing Compatibility
Flash Update!! (What I'm writing here was inserted after this page was completed to paint a better picture of our tendencies to want to "be in charge," another potential flash point when touring): More data about each of our strong urge to "organize" (AKA: Be In Control). Today (6/12/17) I was looking for the hex wrench set we use to work on our bikes, because I needed to tweak my saddle position. I had taken the tools on a short solo tour recently and after I got home put them in a different location than I'd found them. The place I'd originally found them is where Margaret had stored them, but I relocated them because (quoting self here) I had thought, "Oh, I know a spot that makes MUCH more sense." So ... I went to fetch them from where I'd stashed them but couldn't find them anywhere. I mean, anywhere. Eventually I asked Margaret, "Hey, have you seen that hex wrench set for the bikes?"
Marg's response, without having ANY idea that I'm shaping a description of our "control freak" tendencies here, was ... "Oh, yeah, I stumbled across them in the garage, but I moved them to a MUCH better spot to keep them. I should have told you, but, you know .... gotta be in control of this kind of stuff, right?" She had moved them back to their original location from which I had retrieved them, because ... well, she (as do I) "knows what's best."
Clearly, we are two Border Collies, perpetually trying to herd our stuff, and each other, in the direction we think (No, strike that ... in the direction we KNOW) is best for everyone. We're here to help, and we KNOW what the best move is so kindly keep out of the way. So, yeah, delineating the parameters of who's in charge of what during this tour needs to be clearly stated or we'll need a copy of Roberts Rules of Order to help resolve any disagreements about agenda setting on the ride.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming ....
The trip to Southern Illinois confirmed some things we suspected ... or more frankly already knew. Neither of us is the type to simply abdicate all the planning, plotting, organizing, and management to someone else. Even if that someone else is a person to whom we've been married the last three decades. As Reagan said, "Trust, but Verify." We DID verify that we reliably consult on decisions: When to stop, when to pick up the tempo, when to think about eating. But something we also discovered is that if you have only one set of maps it is NO FUN to be the person without the map!!! Don't misunderstand ... no doubt the major joy of riding bikes is the actual riding of the bike .... but if you are not in possession of the route map you ride in a decision-making vacuum. There is no context, no plotting the next turn, no idea of the distance to anything, the location of a lake, a river, a little town. You are riding in a blank cartographic void. Control Freaks don't like this. We are both Control Freaks.
But, the person with the map is in a state of bliss. Context, compass points, symbol legends, cardinal directions, street names, cities, villages, and burghs all at your fingertips! The map reader is in possession of all the glorious data one needs to make decisions and BE IN CHARGE of one's destiny. Control, my friends, control. Quickly recognizing this, Marg and I agreed we should take turns on each day of the training camp being the mapreader, and we both agreed that the days without the map were dark ones indeed.
For the Minnesota Tour the answer to this was simple and obvious. For a nominal added expense we bought two identical sets of the ACA map set for the Minnesota Rail Trail route, so we could each have the same information in front of us. I mean, what's an extra $25 to keep both riders/spouses in a state of emotional equilibriam? A pittance is what that is, a pittance.
The other band aid applied to the ride was also easy but a little surprising. Like every rider, I have used a biking computer ... most recently an old Cateye. But I succumbed to the Siren Song of GPS data and grudgingly bought a Garmin. In fact, if you read my first CGOAB journal from two years ago you would have heard me making high minded statements about refusing to get sucked into the GPS based world so as to "appreciate the ride and not get mesmerized by the numbers" or words to that effect. Right. Artisanal touring. Well, I've been enthusiastically smoking the Garmin crack pipe for about 18 months now and nod knowingly when people talk about their latest ride being on Strava. I've succumbed to modernity I'm afraid. At least I can take solace in not wearing a heart rate monitor.
Margaret is even more of a traditionalist than I am, so imagine my shock when she offered that she might be open to a Garmin too! I'm afraid I'm to blame here. On several day rides around home I would tell her that she probably would have been high up in the rankings or even Queen of the Mountain on several Strava segments. As mentioned, she is a traditionalist, but part of the cycling tradition is to WIN and she has always been a competitor. Marg asked, "Can I just use the data on your Garmin under my name since we always ride together?" Nope. I explained you gotta have your own account tied to your own GPS unit. That shook things loose, and she is on board the Garmin/Strava train so long as I do all the inputting and battery charging for her, which I am honored to do. And sure enough, she has bagged a handful of QOM's, even against all those young female whippersnappers out there. The Garmin is also another tool of empowerment when coupled with the maps. You need to turn left in 3.5 miles? The Garmin will tell you when to turn right down to the 100th of a mile if you wish.
Maps set? Check. Garmin? Check. Independence guaranteed? Check!
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