Magic Spark 1000k

Magic Spark 1000k

About a week ago I took a peak at the 1000k point-to-point RUSA perm that starts at the GA/FL border above Jacksonville, FL and heads down the US coastline all the way to Key West. It’s not a ride that I would like to tackle. But it made me think that there might be a 1000k loop that starts at the Jacksonville airport, heads down the coast, and then loops around Orlando before heading back to the airport in Jacksonville. It took me about 2 days on and off to figure out a pretty good loop that can be ridden as a bikepacking adventure. Some of the roads might be a little more busy than would be ideal. But none are outrageously bad for cyclists. There seems to be plenty of rest stop open 24/7 available. Pretty darn flat, too.

CLICK HERE to see the route in more detail at RWGPS.

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Midwest Adventure 1000k

Midwest Adventure 1000k

It rained this past Saturday and I found myself stuck indoors with my computer turned on and my Internet connection working. As a result I found myself unable to do chores outside that I should have been doing. It seemed like a good time to design another long bike route. This one was going to hit the area above and to the west of Indianapolis, IN. I called it Midwest Adventure after I finished designing it by late afternoon on Sunday.

The route passes through farmland in rural Indiana and rural Illinois. It’s pretty flat terrain, but will probably be refreshing to ride through for someone not native to the area. There are plenty of rest stops open 24/7 along the way. Should make for a very enjoyable bikepacking adventure. Passes by three historic covered bridges. Each is pretty long, too. All the roads are paved, and I’m not aware of any busy roads on this ride.

CLICK HERE to see the route in more detail at RWGPS.

Cycling Across America in 67 Days

Cycling Across America in 67 Days

One woman’s journey.

Training for Long Distance Bike Rides

Training for Long Distance Bike Rides

One woman tells us how she does it.

Big Doozie 1000k

Big Doozie 1000k

This is the last of the four 1000k bike routes I wanted to create and decided to do them up a month or two ago. This particular route starts and ends in Jackson, Mississippi and crosses the Mississippi River twice. It passes through MS, AR and LA. At present none of these states have a presence at RUSA. There’s no RBA in MS, AR or LA.

I did not have an easy time putting this route together. So many roads in these states were not paved. And there was no an oversupply of rest stops open 24/7 to choose from. I am very happy with my work product and expect this route will be a lot of fun to ride. It’s designed to be ridden as a bikepacking adventure. It’s not all that hilly; of the four routes recently designed it has the least amount of elevation gain by a long shot.

CLICK HERE to examine the route in more detail at RWGPS.

Best Little Secret 1000k

Best Little Secret 1000k

Last week I spent the equivalent of a couple of days creating Best Little Secret 1000k. It starts and ends near the airport in Kansas City MO. And it heads north up toward Des Moines IA, then west to Omaha NE, then south to Lawrence KS before heading east back to Kansas City. All it all, it’s a 621 mile ride that I think hits all paved roads. No historic covered bridges in this ride. But Iowa did have some I could have incorporated.

When I finished this route I thought I had included the best roads. But after a second look I discovered I could probably tweak it a little to make it more rider friendly. If I ever get around to riding it, then I will change up the final 100+ miles as indicated on the route map.

The route passes through four states: MO, IA, NE and KS. Completing this little puppy as a perm for RUSA credit will boost my American Explorer award count. Currently I only have 19 states I’ve ridden in according to RUSA. I’d like to get that count up over 30 at some point.

CLICK HERE to see this route in more detail at RWGPS.

Not Much Enthusiasm for Bike Riding These Days

Not Much Enthusiasm for Bike Riding These Days

I haven’t been riding a bike since early October of last year. People I know have been asking me this Spring if I’m out on the bike yet. I tell them: No. The reason is that I don’t like riding just once in a while in the same way I never liked skiing once in a while. It takes a few trips to the ski slopes to get back into the swing of it. And biking for me is the same. Hopefully I’ll find some time this summer and get into riding again. But I’ve got chores around the house to do. And the task of creating income streams online. So I suspect my morning swims and afternoon short walks will have to be my exercise routine for at least the rest of this year.

I’ve been looking at the results pages on the RUSA Web site and it appears to me that rider participation is way down. Not just in NJ and PA, but all across the country. I occasionally look at how many RUSA riders are doing perms, too. And that number seems to be way down as well. And I’ve run across a few videos on YouTube which say that bicycle sales are way down, too. All in all, it seems that cycling as an activity seems to be taking a big hit. Like everything else I’m sure it will make a turnaround. But currently it’s not doing too well.

I ran into one of my buddies at Princeton Freewheelers the other day. He informed me that the club was having trouble getting and keeping ride leaders. That is not a good sign for a local bike club. I’ve lead quite a few rides for the club. And I’ve designed quite a few bike routes for the ride leaders to use when leading rides. Hopefully the club will be able to weather the storm and stay afloat until enthusiasm for riding a bike returns to the public.

Designing bike routes takes time and patience. Not everyone has the skill to design good routes. I learned that early on when I joined RUSA back in 2017. As a result, I don’t like doing most of the routes the organization offers any longer. And since the long rides typically end up being a solo effort to complete, I don’t have much need for them any longer either. You’ve seen some of my long route creations posted on this blog. The 1000k variety are my favorite. When I start riding again I’ll being doing the routes recently posted on this blog. Cheers!

Old Wire 1000k

Old Wire 1000k

621.4 miles = 1000k. This route was designed to be a bikepacking adventure. It has an unpaved road that heads into an historic covered bridge. It has an 80-mile stretch without a food stop open 24/7. It starts and ends in Augusta GA near the regional airport there so you can park your car in the longterm parking during your ride. And this route passes through three states: GA, SC and AL. Seems like it’ll be a really neat ride to do. Rest stops open 24/7 and RR track crossings are buried in the cue entries.

CLICK HERE to examine the route in more detail at RWGPS.

Good Exercises for Cyclists

Good Exercises for Cyclists

Seven Rivers 1000k

Seven Rivers 1000k

Over the weekend I took a stab at creating another 1000k bike route. This one started in Nashville TN, and headed north into KY. Ultimately it hit Indiana, and then migrated west into Illinois. By the end of the day on Saturday I pretty much had finished the route. And I actually liked it. It’s not all that normal for me to design such a long route in just a day and like it, too. I haven’t ridden a brevet distance ride in any of those 4 states: IN, IL, KY or TN.

The final route design had the ride start and finish in Evansville IN. If I ride over to IN to do the ride, then I’d probably park in longterm parking at the airport in Evansville. I gave the route the name I did since it passes over seven rivers, some of which are quite big.

I’m currently thinking about designing two more 1000k routes. One would pass through AR, LA and MS; and the other would pass through NE, KS, IA and MO.

CLICK HERE to see this route in more detail at RWGPS.