Nothing Left To Do But Keep Pedaling

Next Thursday will be here before I know it.  That's when I leave for the Sunshine State, and two days after that I embark on what will be the biggest challenge I've even done on a bicycle.  Back in May when (out of the blue) I decided I was doing the Cross Florida Individual Time Trial I didn't realize how much effort I would have to put in just to get ready.  I mean, not only was I planning to ride more than twice as far as my longest distance ever, I also didn't know shit about bikepacking.  In the past six months though, I've sorta figured the bikepacking part out and I'm really enjoying it.  The distance part?  I guess we'll see.  I've done some pretty long rides with a fully loaded bike and all that, so I'm hoping a positive attitude can get me through my adventure.

Lately though, I've been a wreck.  As the day gets closer, I seem to suffer from more and more anxiety.  Although this is a "race" with many other people participating, it's really a personal challenge that I have to complete all by myself.  Each day I feel the anxiety growing, but I know as soon as I dip my rear wheel in the Atlantic Ocean and roll off the beach towards the west coast of Florida I'll settle in and be just fine. 

In addition to this event being the longest and most difficult bicycling adventure I've ever decided to do, it's also the most selfish.  Once I made my decision I had the full support of my friends and family but it has come at a price.  Over the last few months I've spent time alone on the bike to prepare, which has led to me missing time with those same friends and family.  This is MY race and I'm solely responsible for getting ready and being able to drag my ass across the state, but I sorta miss being social.   

That being said, I decided to do this for a few reasons...

First, I miss Florida.  The REAL Florida.  And what better way to see that part of the state than by bicycle, riding off the beaten path far away from most people and all the tourist-y shit that place is known for.  I plan to enjoy the scenery while I'm suffering, and seeing the Florida backcountry for three (or more) days should keep me motivated.

Second, I needed a challenge.  I was sort of bored with plain old mountain biking.  Riding alone with a fully loaded bike for a couple hundred miles and camping along the way seemed like a good way to switch it up.  It's been working so far.  I like being alone, and I've definitely been doing that a lot.

Third, who gives a shit.  Yeah, this will be a difficult challenge for me, but not everyone will see it that way.  My hardcore bike friends have done things way harder than this so it's probably not a big deal to them.  My non-bike friends?  They think the whole thing is crazy.  Maybe it is, but who gives a shit.  While I appreciate the support I've been given (and will hopefully continue to get), I don't have time for any negativity.

Did I miss anything?  Probably.  There are probably other reasons, but the simplest one is just that I want to see if I can do it (and of course have some fun along the way.) 

Anyway, I'm not sure where I was going with all that.  As the day approaches though, I'm still getting ready.  After turkey was consumed last Thursday, I planned a ride for the next day.  It was Black Friday, but that doesn't mean a damn thing to me.  While a lot of people were out shopping, I was outside all by myself.

It was sort of eerie.  Even the local greenways were pretty much empty.

I did one of my usual routes, but I added some extra adventure here and there.  I tried to take cut-throughs that weren't there and ended up spending a lot of time backtracking. 

Although I had a modest mileage goal of around fifty, the main objective was to spend at least 6 hours in the saddle.  It's too late to add any fitness at this point, but it's definitely not too late to keep my mental game sharp.

Riding on varied terrain helped a ton.

Like most of my local rides, I spend much of the time on greenways too.  Two in particular I rode to and from both ends.

About six hours in, I was only about ten miles from home.  I figured I would come close to my secondary goal (mileage-wise) but I felt like I could stand some more time in the saddle.  But then I felt like I should be social for some reason.  I don't know why that thought entered my head at that particular time, but I obeyed it and took a detour away from my house and headed towards The Spoke Easy to break up my "training."

It was worth it.

What's unique about this is that it's the first time since I started bikepacking that I've stopped for a beer.  In the past I would always wait until I got back home to reward myself.  Even the overnight trips I did were without beer.  I know, that's odd for me.  Who gives a shit.  I had a second beer, shot the shit with some friends I hadn't seen in forever, then hopped back on the bike towards home.

The beer stop was much needed.  On the way back home I was in a better place mentally (and not just because of the alcohol.)  I started to remember why I am riding bikes in the first place... for fun.  Damn all the stress, I'm here to have a good time.

When I got home I ended up with a little over seven hours of riding time (and yes that's minus the beer stop.)  I just stood in my garage thinking about what comes next and a sense of calm came over me...

Then I started looking at all the shit I still needed to do to get my equipment ready.  More on that tomorrow.

Yeah, I said tomorrow.  Two days of blogging in one week?  You betcha.

Another Shakedown

Time is almost up.  Two weeks from tomorrow I'll be heading down to Florida for my big bike ride across the state.  And honestly, I'm starting to become filled with anxiety.  Seriously.  Can I actually ride that far?  Being off the bike while being sick didn't help, that's for sure.  I'm trying to look on the bright side so that little bit of down time was a blessing in disguise though, like I mentioned last week.  I had a chance to make some changes to my gear, and I had make sure I could pack everything up and ride with my new stuff. 

Of course I had plans to ride on Saturday, but I still wasn't one hundred percent healthy.  When I woke up, it was cold (45 degrees) and rainy.  I really didn't fell like being out in that shit but I knew I had to get some saddle time in.  Plus, there's no guarantee that the Sunshine State will live up to its name next month.  In fact, there is a high probability that the weather will be less than pleasant for my little jaunt.  Anyway, after spending the first half of the day making excuses for why I didn't want to ride I told myself to embrace the suck and get rolling.  I suited up in some warm cycling clothes, donned my rain jacket and rolled out of the house to see where it would take me.  No real plan other than to just get the hell out of my comfortable living room.

I cut through a few neighborhoods and ended up on a little bike path that I keep forgetting is nearby.

With only a rain jacket (I don't own rain pants... yet), I was at least dry from the waist up.  Surprisingly I wasn't too cold though, sporting only shorts and DeFeet knee warmers and socks.  I was out of the house at least, but I was questioning why TF I was out there in the rain.

I still didn't feel well.  Who gives a shit.

Still with no plan, I just kept rolling.  I took cut-throughs and grassy easements whenever I could, making sure to push myself to stay warm.  I ended up riding some spots I'd never ridden before.

I was out of the house.  That was the hardest part.  I'd adjusted to the weather though and started to feel pretty good.  I decided to hit up some more off the beaten path stuff and keep heading away from my house.  It made for a tough ride, but I was actually having fun.

There are some good spots off of that railroad area.  I've done part of this route before when I first started this bikepacking thing.  Instead of pristine, groomed mountain bike trails, I rode pretty much every other kind of surface.  It's all part of the adventure.

The plan wasn't to go out for a long time, rather just for a good time.  The key results I wanted to see were a) if I could stand riding a fully loaded bike in shitty weather and b) If I would notice a difference with the new gear I'd packed up.  This was technically a shakedown ride and it was exactly what I needed.  I now have confidence that I can stand riding that heavy bike in all kinds of weather, and swapping out the hammock setup for a tent was the right call, at least as far as carrying that shit around.  Am I still worried though?

You betcha.

Being sick kinda knocked my fitness down, and it's really too late to build it back up.  All I can do is make sure I'm mentally prepared (the real challenge anyway) and get a few more decent rides in over the next two weeks.  Maybe in the 40-50 mile range.  You know, nothing too crazy.  Like 300 miles.

Tomorrow is Turkey Day, so like most everyone else I'll be eating tons of food.  Friday and Saturday though?

I haz other plans.

See y'all next week.  Try not to eat too much, you fat bastard.

The Big Test Part Two - Electric Boogaloo

Well, I woke up from a night of sleep.  Not good sleep, just sleep.  My camp neighbors were pretty loud and it was all I could not to go over there and piss on their fire.  Instead, I yelled, "SHUT TF UP" from the comfort of my hammock.  It worked, but then the thoughts in my head wouldn't shut TF up.

I was tired, no doubt.  Sleepy?  Not so much.  I drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the night because I was full of anxiety.  Why?  Because I had just ridden a bicycle far, far away and had no idea if I could make it back home.  At least I was comfortable.  The new, compact sleeping bag?  Perfect.  I felt like I had the hammock camping thing worked out to my liking.

I didn't set the alarm on my phone, instead relying on the rays of the sun to wake my up.  As daylight slowly creeped up on my campsite, I was out of the hammock and packing up.  I ate a little food and drank some coffee stuff I'd bought at that "restaurant" the day before to get me going.  And if that wasn't enough, I had my son there to cheer me on.

Well, Lunchbox isn't one for the cheering.  He supports me though.  

Anyway, with everything packed up just like I had it on the way out there, I hit the gravel road in the early morning hours while it was still cool.  I really enjoyed the solitude, even though my legs were a protesting.  Oh look, more climbing!

The sun was starting to warm everything up and my legs were slowly coming to life.  I knew I had a long ride ahead and the goal was just to pace myself and take it easy.  I did that by enjoying my surroundings.

Once I left the campsite, my route home was quite a bit different.  Basically I think I was trying to ride every gravel road between there and Charlotte.  Gravel grinding is for roadies, but this was bikepacking so it's okay.

Besides, dirt roadies don't want to mess up their Strava times by stopping for pictures and shit.

I felt pretty okay.  My legs were a little tired, but the main issue was that my ass was pretty sore from siting on the saddle for so long the day before.  I just kind of ignored the pain and made sure to enjoy myself while I was out there.  At one particular point I remember looking over my shoulder and seeing a neat view..

Small mountains so you don't usually get views like that out there.  I really dig it though.

I did less planning for the return trip and I'm not sure why.  Did I think I would be on autopilot the whole time?  Did I think I wouldn't make it back?  Am I stupid?

Probably.

I was definitely moving slower during the first part of the day, but as the miles ticked off I felt better and better.  About 25 miles into my day I started to get hungry.  I mean really hungry.  Luckily I spotted a shopping center with a Subway in it, so I rolled up and ordered one of everything.  Not really, but pretty damn close.  I sat for a bit, trying to get my body to understand that I wasn't giving up and I would be riding my bike all the way back home.  Once we had that understanding, I connected to the wifi there and let everyone know that I was on the way back and doing just fine.

And most of all I was having fun...

It's really big, right?  You know you wanna touch it.

Just like the day before, I was looking for little victories.  There weren't really any to be found though, other than not dying.  The heat was getting to me and I had no idea if I would run out of food/water before I had a chance to fill up again.  I just kept rolling though, because that's all I could do.  And then, a small victory...

I was closer to home for sure.  After I took that photo I texted my cousin (who is a Purple Heart recipient by the way) for some motivation and he did not disappoint.  Back in the saddle and I started heading towards a place for food.  Any place.

I ended up at another convenience store of course, and I had a pretty decent meal.  I put down some sugary cola, a couple of chicken and cheese quesadilla thingys, and some chips.  I topped off my water bottles and prepared myself for the last 25 miles home.  I was so tired, but I was starting to feel like I might actually complete my journey.

Once I started rolling again, it didn't take long before I hit a long downhill that cut back into the greenway.  At that point I knew I had only about 20 miles to get home.  I'd consider that another victory.

The greenway is mostly flat and more importantly, well shaded.  While I normally love hot weather, it was draining me that day.  The shaded path was a nice respite from the sun's glaring rays.  Once I reached the end, I zig zagged across powerline cuts, parking lots, and back roads.  I was almost out of gas and wondering if I had it in me to finish.  Like someone flipping a switch, I was suddenly so full of doubt that it scared me.  I was struggling, both physically and mentally.  I'm not sure what happened, because only moments earlier I was feeling great and full of motivation.

I guess that's how it is sometimes.  I dunno.  I tried not to let it get me down, but I was seriously considering calling anyone for a ride even though I knew I was close to home.  And just when I needed it most, I got one more victory..

I know this place well, since I pass by it on most of my rides these days.  And I knew it was only about three miles from my house and that three miles ain't shit. I got this.  And wouldn't you know it,  two pretty shitty climbs later I was rolling into my driveway.  I couldn't believe it.  I really had no idea if I could do this, but like most things I tried it anyway.  I was pretty worn out, my ass hurt, and I was an emotional wreck.

Seriously.

I didn't know if I was proud of myself, or upset that I would even try such a thing.

Maybe not a big deal to you, but a huge deal to me.  I'd accomplished a goal that was set only a few months prior, and this should lead to a bigger goal.

Am I ready to ride across Florida?

Who gives a shit.  I'm doing it anyway.

The Big Test

Since it was only just last May that I decided to be a bikepacker and set my sights on riding across Florida in December, but Summer my "training" was in full swing.  I'd been doing longer rides every weekend, and even one overnight trip.  I learned a lot from the last overnight trip and I was ready for another.  It came sooner than expected.

When I set a goal of participating in the Cross Florida Individual Time Trial, I somehow decided that I would need one final test to see if I could actually handle something of that magnitude.  And for some strange reason, riding from my house to the Uwharrie National Forest for the night (and returning home the next day of course) seemed like the logical choice.  I still don't know why I picked that particular destination, but I was set on it for some reason and I wouldn't budge.  At 140 miles round trip, it wasn't the same distance as the Florida event (250), but I figured that with the elevation it would be sorta equal, if not even more difficult.  When I started this whole bikepacking thing, such a trip seemed impossible.  I put it in my head that if I could build my way up to that before December came around, I would feel better about my chances down in the Sunshine State.  I knew it would take a while o build up to it, but before I knew it the time had come.

I had a free weekend and my route was planned.  While it would be super hot during the day, nighttime temps would be cool enough to sleep comfortably with the proper gear.  Since I got a little chilly on the last overnight trip, I decided to buy a compact sleeping bag that would fit on the handlebar roll of my bike.  I was ready, for the most part.  My route would take me mostly on back roads, with a couple of stretches on some busier roads (I couldn't help it.)  And to keep from getting bored, the return trip would be a little different than the ride out there.  I had 73 miles planned on the first day, with 67 the next to get home.  Piece of cake.

Saturday morning I loaded up and left my house pretty early.  I figured it would take about eight hours to make the trip east of Charlotte to our little mountains, which would give me plenty of time to set up camp in daylight.  I rolled down the hill and set off on my adventure, meandering through some neighborhoods to get to a greenway.

Just like the Florida adventure I have planned for next month, my trip to Uwharrie would have me on mixed terrain.  Roads, greenway, gravel, and my favorite, singletrack.

A little over twenty miles in I was still feeling good, but I had to hit a stretch of busy highway that I somehow couldn't avoid.  Luckily there were super wide shoulders to keep me out of harm's way.

A few miles on that road and it was time for lunch.  Since the rules for CFITT say that I can only use commercial establishments for food, etc. (in addition to packing some snacks), I decided abide by that on this ride and grab a bite to eat and resupply my fluids at a gas station, of which there will be plenty on the Florida route.

I was still feeling pretty good, despite the daunting task of riding 40+ more miles.  I ate a pretty decent sandwich, bought some water and snacks, and rolled out towards Concord.  That section of my route was mostly out in the open, so I was baking in the sun.  I like the heat, but I could feel the energy draining from my body.  I tried to keep my head right and look for little victories, and soon I had one.  I was in Concord.

Oh, and here you can see that I have my new sleeping bag attached.

The next part was a little bit of a blur.  After cutting through their little downtown area, the roads turned country again.  I had to keep checking my printed cue sheet to make sure I was going the right way and I (mostly) was.  Once in a while I would look at the map and it really looked like I was in the middle of nowhere.  That made me extra tired for some reason so I decided I would avoid doing that unless it was necessary.  With nothing around except the occasional house and lots of farmland, I resorted to conversing with myself to keep my head in the game. 

And I also made new friends along the way...

While I was deep in the middle of nowhere, every once in a while the road would change from shitty pavement to gravel.  Back and forth.  I actually enjoyed that.  And then I got another small victory in the form of a new county.

I sorta know Rowan County, but obviously not well enough since I was surprised to be riding through it.  I stopped at a small store for some drinks and chatted with a local dude that told me I was indeed in the middle of nowhere.  Awesome.  Back on the road...

I didn't think I had very far to go at this point.  I actually felt pretty good and I had been keeping myself hydrated in the hot sun.  After a small navigational error I was back on some shitty (for cars) but nice (for me) roads.  And I found another small victory.

I definitely know Stanly county, and I knew that meant I was much closer to my destination.  I texted the little lady and said I had maybe an hour to go and that I was feeling good.  One of those was a lie...

At this point I had been climbing here and there, but now it was getting tougher.  I was nowhere near civilization, until suddenly I saw a restaurant that looked more like a roadhouse (not the chain restaurant, either.)  I was hungry, but I had a planned food stop coming up soon so I skipped out on a potential bar fight to keep moving towards my destination.  And then out of nowhere, I got a much bigger victory...

I had reached the Yadkin River, and those are the Uwharries in the background.  My campsite was over there somewhere, so that gave me some extra energy.  After taking that picture I hurried across the narrow bridge and had yet another victory...

I've seen that sign a bunch.  However, this was the first time I'd ever ridden a bike to it (the trails we ride out there are nowhere near it.)  Man, I was feeling good.  Until...

Ugh.  It got really climby.  I had been feeling great with all the "victories", but all of a sudden I was super tired and my mental state was fucked.  "

Where the hell is that restaurant/store I'm supposed to see up ahead?" 

I kept repeating that question to myself over and over, hoping that would make it appear out of thin air.  I guess it either a) did not exist, or b) it was much further away.  The latter would turn out to be correct, but it gave me much disappoint.

You see, that was supposed to be my next victory.  One last stop before I rolled into the forest to camp for the night.  In my hasty research, I found this "restaurant" on the map that looked like it had everything I would need.  A meal consisting of real food, and supplies for me to take to camp (for breakfast and such.)  I spotted an intersection up ahead.  After double checking the map and seeing that it was indeed my planned stop, I found some extra energy and made the climb to the "restaurant."

I'm an idiot.

It was a goddamn gas station.  The reviews talked about the food and the service, so I guess I thought that meant it was a restaurant.  I mean, they did have "food."

I grabbed the most edible things I could see and hoped like hell I wouldn't get food poisoning. I paid for my "food" and walked out to the parking lot to have a little picnic dinner.  Remember earlier when I said I thought I only had an hour to go?  That was two and a half hours ago.  I know the little lady was probably wondering if I was dead so I figured I should text her.  That didn't work because I had zero service.  Well, I thought, I'd better keep rolling.  Maybe I'll hit a pocket of signal and be able to tell people I'm okay.  So I rolled on...

Oh look, another county!

I was deep in the Uwharrie National Forest and it was hilly AF (of course.)  I was tired.  I didn't have far to go but my legs felt like concrete and I didn't have much energy.  And it felt like I was constantly climbing.  Maybe because I was.

No more victories (other than my campsite which was who TF knows where) so I just started taking in the scenery.

But the sun was going down.  Fast.  In the woods it was even darker, and that made everything look the same.  I resisted turning on my lights, riding the gravel roads "Jedi Style."  I was doing anything I could to keep motivated.  I had a campsite reserved, but I started thinking about just rolling into the woods and setting up my hammock wherever the hell I was.

And then, out of nowhere, I saw a familiar road.  I was in the part of the forest that I'd been riding for years.  I got a nice little burst of energy from that and hauled ass to the campsite.  I set up in a hurry and snapped a picture before it got totally dark.

I made it.  It took a little over 10 hours to go 73 miles.  Two hours beyond what I thought it would take, but I wasn't upset about it.  I was able to connect to the camp host's wifi and let everyone know I was okay, then I sat down to have a snack, re-hydrate, and get some rest for the night. 

That would turn out to be one of the more difficult parts of my trip.

Part two tomorrow...

Getting Prepared

So, now that you know why I've been doing the amateur homeless person thing, I can start getting into more of the specifics.  My friend James from down in South Carolina does the bikepacking thing quite regularly, so I've been hitting him up with random questions and soliciting advice for things that I hadn't figured out on my own.

Spoiler alert, I usually make my own decisions and then tell him what I'm planning to do.

One thing I didn't really think about for the whole "suffer across Florida thing" was the camping aspect of it.  I've been camping quite a bit, and I've even used my hammock sometimes.  For the Big Florida Bike Death, I figured all I would have to do was ride a bunch and build up to some crazy mileage... and camp at night.  Easy AF.

Then James hits me with, "You need to do some overnights."

For some reason, that clicked and I didn't even question it.  I mean it makes sense to practice for the way I would be riding down there but that wasn't really what I was thinking.  What I really needed was to see how my body would react to riding all day, sleeping in a hammock, and trying to ride again the next day.  Doing back to back rides from my house after sleeping in my comfy bed wasn't going to cut it.  I needed to really camp.

Since my last long ride was out to Crowders Mountain, I figured that would be a good route to do again (but camp in between of course.)  I didn't want to have my sleep interrupted by camping someplace I shouldn't though so I looked for a campsite to reserve (for safety or some shit.)  The weekend I had planned didn't have anything available.  I looked at nearby Kings Mountain State Park in South Carolina, because the smart guy I am said I could add some extra miles no problem.  Well, they were all booked up too.

Shit.

I found another campsite here in Charlotte (at the McDowell Nature Preserve) that fit the bill, except that it was only a twenty mile bike ride away.  I really needed to ride a much longer distance that would test my body and camping setup so I had to come up with a plan.  I started looking at some of my past routes and got slightly creative.  I figured I could just ride a really long distance the first day, camp, then ride the twenty plus miles home the next day.  It wouldn't be a death march for day two but at least it would be a big enough ride to see what kind of toll riding the day before and sleeping in a hammock would take.  I reserved my spot and planned my route.

I was ready.

I knew it wouldn't take all day to ride the forty five miles I had planned for day one, so I left around noon.  The heat of the day would add to my suffering and could be beneficial to my "training."  It was still summer when I did this (last month), so it was plenty hot.  I meandered along my route and made it to Gaston County...

Even though I end up on the road quite a bit, I'm getting really good at finding shit off the beaten path.  The combination of roads and not so roads will be similar to Florida anyway, so it's all good.  Anyway, I finally made my way back to the little greenway over there and took it to the end.

Then, more roads.  At least I manage to find lightly traveled roads, and it's not like I'm taking the most direct route anyway.  A couple of hours in I decided that food was required.  I carry some snack stuff with me, but in Florida I will be "living off the land", which means stopping at commercial establishments is okay.  Piss poor planning at this point in my journey (I was sort of in the middle of nowhere) left me with two options... Random Mexican Restaurant or Subway.  Usually Mexican food and bikes pair well together, but that would be a shitty idea for a bikepacking trip.  Pun intended of course.

Who gives a shit.

Subway it is.

They also sell water and that popular sports drink, and as you can see I stocked up.  I still had a long way to go but plenty of time.  With a full belly I pedaled through the southernmost part of the county looking for anything to keep me motivated.

'Merica

And then I finally did see something that kept me going, but ironically I had to stop to get a picture of it.

I crossed into South Carolina, and at this point my superior Google Maps scouting led me to some more off the beaten path type stuff.

I may or may not have been trespassing.  I'm not sure.  I didn't see any signs so it's okay.  Well, except this sign...

After I popped out of the woods I was in "civilization."  And let me tell you, it sucked.  I was in the Lake Wylie area and it's busy AF down there.  Drunk boaters driving all over the place looking for post-lake food would normally make for a dangerous situation for some dude riding a bike piled full of bags of things.  Luckily there were sidewalks to keep me safe.  I tried to quickly get through that mess, but not before grabbing some provisions for the night.

All stocked up, I grabbed a picture of the lake and saw the woods where I would be staying.

One big final climb and I made it to my destination.

Riding into the park, I felt a little sense of accomplishment.  I had to stop at the gate to check in, and the lady there said, "Where is your car?"

"I rode my bike here."

"From where?" she asked.

"I don't know.  I've been out for hours."

She just kind of shook her head and walked away.  It was a boring conversation anyway, and I needed to get my camp setup before dark.  It didn't take long before I had a home for the night.

I felt pretty good but I was tired.  I'd ridden a little over forty five miles and I was hot, sweaty, and hungry.  I cleaned myself up (wet wipes are awesome), ate some food, and just relaxed in my hammock hoping to fall asleep.

That would prove to be more difficult than I thought...