Over the Top!
Trip Start
Unknown
1
3
50
Trip End
Ongoing
What I did
Adjusted for Jet Lag & Prep'd Bikes
El Segundo, California
Saturday, May 7, 2011
The bikes are checked and have passed muster, the briefing for the whole trip and for the ride tomorrow are complete, the final pasta dish has been eaten, the alarm clocks are set for 04:50 (breakfast kicks off at 05:30 and, no I don't think there are 'grits') and then all excuses and brave words are done, we depart for Manhatten Pier and the Pacific Ocean at 06:30 prompt. From there to Riverside, 78 miles and 4,700ft of ascent (all in the last 38 miles). Luckily the weather has cooled down to only 68F although our tour leader promises that it will be hot by the start of the climb.
This is a holiday keep hold of that thought.
We are off to bed since it is already 19:10
Confucius said that the longest journey starts with a single pedal stroke (I freely translate) so by the time you read this that will have happened. The first stage is mostly urban riding and 100 traffic lights to the edge of the Los Angeles conurbation.
We are getting to know our fellow riders and settling down to the trip with a couple of beers.
Weather forecasts for the centre of America include just about everything from tornados, electrical storms, heavy rain, floods (and fantasy, strong tailwinds) so we will see what happens.
Next time we will add a few photographs of the initial sections as well as notes of the first few days as the trip gets going properly.
Chris and Penny
Comments
Good luck. We're really just testing this at the moment to see if it works OK. Just been cycling with Mike from Shaftesbury. Also had a good ride from Bere Regis on Friday with John. Quite tired now though and thats just 23 miles!
Hi Penny, Hi Chris, Great to hear that all the planning is over and that you are underway! For my part you have my greatest admiration as my ride of 8 miles a day to collect the newspaper seems a little insignificant in the context of trans - America. As an aside, you were missed at the tp Dinner at Boscombe Down on Friday with four dodderers from our course of 1975 turned up (Mike Brooke, George Ellis, Duncan Ross and yours truly). Good luck and best wishes to you both.
The whole idea just makes me giddy! Best of luck. Let's hope the tail winds really do materialize.