We dip our back wheels in the ocean tommorow to signify the start of the trip - a 66 mile ride and that much closer to San Diego. Oy oy...big dinners, good people, cycling stories, and the unknown - I could get used to this.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
1 more thing
Shakedown
Had a short first ride today with some eccentric older male cyclists who have helped organize and support NC2SD in the past. They gave us tips like stay clean and avoid bears...The ride was to get everyone comfortable on our bikes and make sure we're all down with signals and communication. Phrases like "car back!" and "gravel!" will become reaaaal familiar.
It rained, it poured, but it was a great 20 miles. We ended up at this old landmark halfway - Bodie Lighthouse. A man who took part in the painting of the lighthouse back in the day for $3.00/day (by hand) spoke to us. Everything was beautiful.
Some serious bikeage and some of us in front of the nags head sign.
After that we had some time to dry off, clean up, and do some dunes. Pretty serious hills. Man I love this lifestyle.
It rained, it poured, but it was a great 20 miles. We ended up at this old landmark halfway - Bodie Lighthouse. A man who took part in the painting of the lighthouse back in the day for $3.00/day (by hand) spoke to us. Everything was beautiful.
Some serious bikeage and some of us in front of the nags head sign.
After that we had some time to dry off, clean up, and do some dunes. Pretty serious hills. Man I love this lifestyle.
Friday, May 15, 2009
I like beach churches
staying for the next two days is really huge and has surfboards hung
along the balcony when you walk in, in addition to a couple flat
screen TVs. They must broadcast the game before the service...
I have been oriented, but more importantly I've finally met the people I'm going to be spending the next 9 weeks with. They all have their stories and are at different points in their life, but now we're all here together about to embark on either the biggest mistake or adventure of our lives. Summer never sounded so promising.
All my efforts prior to this trip - fundraising, training, building and getting distracted from school work have worked up an image in my head of what this is going to be like. There's expectation and excitment surrounding any major event in life, but now that I'm here there is a certain level of realness to it. I'm actually going to bike to San Diego and it's absolutely insane, but I've never been so game in my life. First testride tommrow...here we go...
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Time to Pack...
Orientation is tomorrow and I'm packing lightly because I'm living out of a duffel bag for 9 weeks. The hardest part is trying to figure out what 2 T-shirts I want to pack and wear all summer.
I have 6 things to say...
1. Thank you to all the donors/family/friends/teachers and everyone else who has supported me. I literally would not be able to go on this trip without your help.
2. If you want to send me mail - wait, no... WHEN you send me mail, you can figure out how to send it to different drop points on my trip via this link
http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,347/
3. You can see where I am on the trip by clicking the "Click to Track Me" link on the right sidebar. That link will let you see what build days, rest days, mail drops are on my route and where my trip is in America. You also have the opportunity to stare a snazzy picture of my face.
Alternatively, if any of you have mobile phones with GPS or the 'Loopt' application on it, you can add me as a friend and follow me in real time to see where I am at any given time. Isn't technology cool? Rhetorical question - yes.
5. If you want a postcard, let me know along with your address. I keep repeating this because several people requested one, but never gave me their address and I don't remember everyone who has asked me for one in the past 5 months.
6. This is on the Bike and Build website, but here is the breakdown of the trip:
(7.) Woah...
I have 6 things to say...
1. Thank you to all the donors/family/friends/teachers and everyone else who has supported me. I literally would not be able to go on this trip without your help.
2. If you want to send me mail - wait, no... WHEN you send me mail, you can figure out how to send it to different drop points on my trip via this link
http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,347/
3. You can see where I am on the trip by clicking the "Click to Track Me" link on the right sidebar. That link will let you see what build days, rest days, mail drops are on my route and where my trip is in America. You also have the opportunity to stare a snazzy picture of my face.
Alternatively, if any of you have mobile phones with GPS or the 'Loopt' application on it, you can add me as a friend and follow me in real time to see where I am at any given time. Isn't technology cool? Rhetorical question - yes.
5. If you want a postcard, let me know along with your address. I keep repeating this because several people requested one, but never gave me their address and I don't remember everyone who has asked me for one in the past 5 months.
6. This is on the Bike and Build website, but here is the breakdown of the trip:
(7.) Woah...
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Postcards From America
Did a pretty long bike ride yesterday (for me) now that I have time... 65 miler and pain never felt so good. It's funny how our bodies work - the first couple of miles are pretty mundane and almost worrisome, but then you get in the zone. All your body wants to do is get that cycling burn on and consume every kind of energy bar around. On a 4 hour ride, I ate 3 trail mix bars, 1 snickers bar, drank 1L of water, and a bottle of Gatorade. I am a CYCLING MACHINE!! I was pretty tired by the end though...
Somehow I managed to coincidentally ride my bike in an area and day where the Tour de Cure (a race to race money for diabetes research) in Maryland was happening, so I saw hundreds of other cyclists... all biking the OPPOSITE direction that I was going me. It must have looked like I was far ahead of them in the race because I was going back around on their loop. They all looked at me really funny when I was biking past them. As if this kid who was nearly half their age was whooping all them. It was awesome. I feel empowered. Only because I know most of those cyclists could sneeze and smoke me in a bike race.
The real point of this post was to say that
1) I leave in less than 6 days for Nags Head for orientation
2) If you want a postcard from the road, please comment with your address. I promise I will send you one. But I can't send it unless I have an address!
Sharif
Somehow I managed to coincidentally ride my bike in an area and day where the Tour de Cure (a race to race money for diabetes research) in Maryland was happening, so I saw hundreds of other cyclists... all biking the OPPOSITE direction that I was going me. It must have looked like I was far ahead of them in the race because I was going back around on their loop. They all looked at me really funny when I was biking past them. As if this kid who was nearly half their age was whooping all them. It was awesome. I feel empowered. Only because I know most of those cyclists could sneeze and smoke me in a bike race.
The real point of this post was to say that
1) I leave in less than 6 days for Nags Head for orientation
2) If you want a postcard from the road, please comment with your address. I promise I will send you one. But I can't send it unless I have an address!
Sharif
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Finals
My mind has checked out. Every useful part of my brain has fallen into a ditch. There's nothing more I'd rather do right now than ride a bike.
Eight (8) days until I start cycling as fast and far away as I can from the University of Virginia School of Engineering. This is gonna be awesome. I'm not sure which I'm more excited about - creating the maximum amount of distance from myself and electrical engineering school work or actually biking to San Diego..
Our dining hall had a bunch of health/energy bars today in a bowl (this never happens), so I took 20 of them for my trip. See how prepared I am? You're money will not be wasted on snacks. Although I'll probably need more than just 20 bars for 9 weeks.
Did you KNOW?
You burn about 500 calories an hour if you cycling at a rate of 80-90 revolutions per minute (the cadence I'll be doing). I'm going to eat a lot this summer... or die.
P.S : Check out the new Bike and Build 2009 video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBUT_YmkH24
Eight (8) days until I start cycling as fast and far away as I can from the University of Virginia School of Engineering. This is gonna be awesome. I'm not sure which I'm more excited about - creating the maximum amount of distance from myself and electrical engineering school work or actually biking to San Diego..
Our dining hall had a bunch of health/energy bars today in a bowl (this never happens), so I took 20 of them for my trip. See how prepared I am? You're money will not be wasted on snacks. Although I'll probably need more than just 20 bars for 9 weeks.
Did you KNOW?
You burn about 500 calories an hour if you cycling at a rate of 80-90 revolutions per minute (the cadence I'll be doing). I'm going to eat a lot this summer... or die.
P.S : Check out the new Bike and Build 2009 video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBUT_YmkH24
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