I think I am already in adequate shape for the tour, and I still have three more weekends prior to the start. Friday Steve and I did a hilly (approximately 2,000 feet of climbing) 55 mile ride at a good pace, even though we were intentionally trying to take it easy on the climbs. Saturday Kathy and I rode the Boogie ride with Georgie, Roger, Rod, and Karen from the Florida ReCyclers. It is a flat route (400 feet) and although I started out with heavy legs from the previous day, after a few miles I felt pretty good and stayed that way for the remainder of the 50 mile ride. Pretty much the same story today. Kathy and I rode a 48 mile version of the Taco Bell ride with Steve and Debi, at a comfortable pace. I felt fine at the end of the ride and certainly could have done more. So, three longish rides back to back, and I feel good.
I’ll be doing the normal short rides during the week, and next weekend we’ll do another pair of 50 milers in preparation for the MS-150 the following weekend.
I have to somehow find the time to do some maintenance on the bikes. The tandem is probably due for a new drive chain and sprocket set, plus fresh bar tape. Fred will be riding Kathy’s road bike again on this leg of the tour, and I plan to re-do her handlebars with Specialized’s Bar Phat padding and new tape. Hopefully that will help Fred’s issues with his hands. The LHT needs a top-to-bottom cleaning and the normal maintenance, but also I want to resolve the front brake squealing, which is really appalling. I’ll have to do the tandem stuff before next weekend so we can make sure all is well before the MS-150 ride.
