Fitness, Risk vs Reward and Choices

Dear friends and family,

It’s about time for an update so here goes.

The fitness thing is working out really well. I cannot believe that I thought after about five days riding that I would be in shape for touring. This is after almost eight months of no long riding with a packed bike. And I, in my occasional denial of having to train for specific activity, thought that since I could ride well all those many months ago, that it would come back instantly. 

The good news is that with now over ten rides with the loaded bike and lots of hill riding, the fitness is coming back and I have to say, that sure feels good. Three to four hours of hard riding per day is feeling good now for my legs, lungs and heart. 

On TV this morning during my hotel breakfast, the morning show hosts said that the results of an extensive study showed that exercise is better for you than sitting. Look what I miss by not daily watching morning TV.

But on a touring bike you get to sit AND get exercise!

Yesterday I woke at 0445 with a gut feeling. I couldn’t figure out what the feeling was, just something enough to wake me early.

My arms and shoulders were sorer than other rides, but I figured it was just the breaking in process of another tour. 

When I am trying to figure these things out, I typically go to my journaling to spell out my feelings and thoughts and usually order comes out of it.

Yesterday, the results were not clear. I did know something wasn’t right about what I was on, but could not figure out exactly what. As I mentioned above, the increased fitness felt well and I was looking forward to further increasing to be able to ride up even the steepest hills with power, of which I was already close.

So, I did my usual morning routine. The packing up of the bike where everything has its place and knowing that all my possessions with me fit so nicely in the bike bags feels like it organizes my thinking just like it organizes my stuff.

So, off I went. The day started with an uphill bridge crossing. Of course the muscles weren’t warmed up yet, so I heard their complaints.

The thick fog of early morning had burned halfway off by my eleven o’clock start, but there was enough left to create an inversion and hold the exhaust fumes of the semi trucks and log carriers in the air next to the road. All morning I got to breathe those fumes, and deeply, since I was working hard. The fumes were stronger going up hills as the vehicles were exhausting more and I was inhaling more with my efforts. 

As I focused on staying off the busy highway and out of the trash and branches and pinecones littering my lane, the shoulder, I now knew why the soreness of shoulders and arms. I wasn’t used to that much steering focus on staying out of trash and out of traffic at the same time. Never a chance to look around for long as the risk of hitting something was too great.

On my way up a long uphill section,the uphill lanes divided into two for slower vehicles to be passed by those going several miles per hour over the speed limit. The shoulder here was wider than most, although filled with the usual detritus, so navigating took focus as I tried to stay away from the traffic as far as the open space allowed.

I flatbed truck carrying roof trusses that extended out the sides off the truck for a few feet worked its way up the hill. These extended about two feet past the white line on my side, exactly where I usually rode, positioned away from traffic, but in the clearest path. The driver spotted me, but could only swerve away a little as there was a vehicle to the left of his truck not allowing for more clearance. 

I was clear, but only because I wasn’t in my usual position. Otherwise I would have been hit and wiped out. As in dead.

I had to stop and pull over to the weeds to catch my breath and recover from the near miss. It was only luck that kept me alive, I knew it, and I was quite shook up. Chemicals flooded my body, first powering me and then shortly after I felt the depletion of being spent. 

At the top of this same hill my route took me off the highway and onto winding country roads for almost five miles with no, I repeat NO traffic. This was proper touring to me, being able to look around, not scared (cannot think of a better word for it) for my life, and enjoying being out in the nature. 

But soon, the route led me back on the busy highway and concentration had to show up again. After 28 miles, coming into Coos Bay, I faced a very long and narrow bridge with the flashing lights to warn the vehicles of a bike aboard. Since there was no, as in zero, shoulder, I chose to walk the bike on the narrow sidewalk which was raised about a foot and a half from the roadbed. There was almost enough room to walk next to the bike with my wide pannier load, but each step had me worried that I would trip over a pedal and catapult myself into traffic and be squished like a bug on a windshield.

Call me a slow learner, but now I knew why I woke up at 0445 and what that feeling was about. And thank you to the universe to put an exclamation point on that gut feeling!

So, you guessed it of course. The end to this tour. I rented a car to fit myself and the bike into. Now I can stop at the trailheads that I passed coming south to explore the sites that I had to miss as it is not safe to leave a packed bike at the trailheads and explore what I believe are some of the more interesting sites.

This fighting of inertia is difficult. I had a goal and a plan. What I did not have was a good fit. Still I struggle with giving up. 

My research into this tour led me to believe that there would be a lot less traffic on the route 101 in this “offseason”. The steady flow of semis, log trucks and even RVs never let up. If this is less…

The scenery along the coast is magnificent and there are plenty of vehicle pull outs to stop and enjoy it. The remainder of the time I wouldn’t dare take my eyes off my share of the pavement to look. Even the weather suits me well.

I realize now what I should have figured out before I set out. 

What do I want in a bicycle tour?

1. Challenging physically
2. Time to look around and enjoy where I am and relax on the ride
3. Not having to concentrate on the riding, so I can get into my meditative state of deep thoughts
4. Minimum risk of getting killed while riding. Cannot be eliminated but can be minimized if not 90% of the riding on a busy highway.
5. Seeing beautiful places and enjoying new cultures and people.

I’ve completed three long bike tours in the last four years and enjoyed plenty of the above so I know it’s possible. For me, this wasn’t it.

I just woke after ten hours of sleep. I’m feeling like I need better clarity for myself about how I structure my adventures and what really works for me. You can guess that I will share that with you as I clarify it to myself.

Sending love,

Charley