The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Touring Podcast

Chapter 2 of the 2023 California Adventure may best be characterized by the fast forwards… one by bus and one by train. But in between we get some fantastic riding and adventure. Would the missing link finally be closed? California 2023 Chapter 2 – The Missing Link Statistics Modes of travel 3 (bus, bike, commuter rail) Vietnamese egg coffees 1 Properly monikered PCHs 1 Camp Pendleton gates crossed 2 Miles biked 16.8 and 21.7 Bus fast forward miles 27.1 Rail fast forward miles 38.1 Flats 0   For pics, including the mug… click through to Ride With GPS below…

Chapter 1 of the 2023 California Adventure takes us across the country to a very windy Los Angeles, where the remnants of a nasty multiday storm echoed throughout the trip. Southern California is supposed to be warmer than DC, right? Well... kind of. California 2023 Chapter 1 - LAX-Anaheim Remember how the The Missing Link created another missing link? Well, in March 2023 we're finally going to fill that in! It's a new California adventure, but with a lower case A so I don't hear from Disney lawyers...   Note... I'm not kidding about the wind! While the audio is pretty great for hearing me thanks to lessons learned in Florida earlier in 2023, the gusts definitely get captured in the audio from time to time, so mea culpa on that.   Statistics Modes of travel 3 (plane, rail, bike) Hail storms 1 Green line vomit sightings 1 Miles biked 19.4 Flats 0 Souvenir piraña mugs purchased? 1   For pics, including the mug... click through to Ride With GPS below...

The old song goes, "California here I come, right back where I started from..." and that pretty much sums up the next tour of 2023! On this episode I preview the four chapters of the California 2023 tour, and why this one has tons of adventure contained inside! California 2023 - Preview Remember how the The Missing Link created another missing link? Well, in March 2023 we're finally going to fill that in! It's a new California adventure, but with a lower case A so I don't hear from Disney lawyers...   The ride(s)   This isn't so much a linear tour as it is kind of a greatest hits of adventures in multiple chapters.   Chapter 1 - LAX to Anaheim   A transit assisted ride from LAX to Anaheim, featuring the LA Metro Green line and a fun ride from Norwalk to Anaheim on Ball Rd.   Chapter 2 - Anaheim to the Missing Link   A ride, a coastal bus fast forward and getting to flash my Marine Base ID to complete the Missing Link! Then a quick coastal train to beatiful San Diego...   Chapter 3 - Border Run Loop   A ride, a short ferry, and revisting the end-point of my 2014 tour at the Mexican border... and back!   Chapter 4 - The Mileage Run   The adventure to unlock elite status on Alaska Airlines, plus to test my Brompton gate checking systems! Plus, Northern California? Sure!   [NOTE... I will be purchasing carbon offsets for this. I recognize there's a stupidity to doing this in light of climate change, so I'm going to try to ameliorate that.]   The gear   Well, the Brompton obviously.   Ortlieb front luggage block setup Larger drysack on the back (learned my lesson from FL - just need more capacity)   Need to be prepared for chillier temps than FL, especially in the mornings. Rain is unlikely, but I plan to have my rain jacket as my warm outer layer Trying very hard to reduce the amount of clothes to the bare minimum (had to pack more civilian clothes for FL and didn't use them) Revisiting my tool bag... brought too many of the wrong things to FL (more for the Safari).   The weather   Simply glorious... Mid 60s as highs, lows in the 40s. Hints of rain in the long range forecast? May cycle in long pants but bring a pair of shorts   The adventures   So much fun on this trip... staying near Disneyland and grabbing a drink with a work friend after the first day. Fun transit fast forwards (hello 2023 goals!) Checking the box on the Missing Link (and reusing my base pass!) Planes... trains... automobiles (bus!) AND a ferry! The border loop   Tour Journals begin next week!

Part two of three in a best of covering Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 4 - the mostly transit and smattering of very important folding bike tour from DC to Boston. In this episode it's the actual tour journal entries from this stunt... err, tour. Originally podcast August 21, 2015 Best of Pedalshift Tour Journals: DC to Boston Transit-Aided Tour - Part 2   Not much in the way of shownotes this week... but check out the website for pics!

My annual winter ride in Florida is in the books, and I have a lot of thoughts... ten, in fact! But the last one is by far my biggest takeaway from a tour in a long time, so stick around for that one! Florida 2023 - Takeaways 1 - I really love this ride, but I want to ride the Cross Florida Trail next year   2 - I also really like integrating cycling with my Disney World visits, so I hope to do that in addition to that ride.   3 - Touring on Brompton means you have to clean parts regularly and avoid touching some parts altogether.   4 - I'm still not fully satisfied with my Brompton touring setup, but I'm also finding it's pretty good as is.   5 - Florida is not a terrible bicycling state, except where it is.   6 - When faced with headwinds, lower your expectations and go with (well, against) the flow.   7 - Bring all the tools you need, yes even that $1 crescent wrench.   8 - I prefer clothing coverage over sunscreen when I can.   9 - You don't need to carry thousands of calories of food with you when you're within a few miles of civilization.   10 - I finally have a name for what happens to me during bike tours... it's called edema and it's the body holding onto water for days because of the stress the body undergoes during rides. Turns out, I'm probably not getting enough electrolytes, especially sodium.

It's my annual winter ride in Florida! The first day's headwinds abated overnight, but the threat of rain hung over my ride. Would I have to bail out on the short version, or would my energy and dry conditions allow for testing the newer, way more fun route? STATISTICS Chicken encounters 2 Day old sandwiches eaten 1/2 (I finished the other half the next day -wasn't bad!) Gallons of water wasted by that dumb developer - seriously, hundreds of thousands. It was gross. 55+ resorts soon to gate off my route 1 New roads that will be better anyways 1 Disney World No Trespassing signs I leaned my bike against for a pic 1 Pineapple celebration drinks imbibed at the end 1 Miles biked 55 Flats 0

It's my annual winter ride in Florida, but things turned out a little differently this year. Day 1 featured a massive headwind that whittled down my energy and made for, um, challenging audio conditions. It was only 40 miles, but would the wind prevail? Florida 2023 - Day 1 Folks, I ended up having to toss about 30 minutes of witty banter and ride info because the headwinds from Tampa to Lakeland were simply brutal. I used a dedicated recorder with a "dead cat" lavalier microphone and the winds still managed to cut through.   Some of what you hear won't sound great, but the vast majority is understandable. I solved the problem for next week's episode so you only have to put up with it for a week.   But this was a really fun ride and I can't wait for you to listen... so... off we go!   STATISTICS Average wind sustained headwind speed 20 mph Average speed 8.3 mph Cortados in Ybor City 1 Number of times I committed Carny ride slander that was lost to the headwinds in Plant City minimum of 9 times Coke floats that rescued my energy 0 Separately purchased Coke and ice cream that rescued my energy 1 each Miles biked 41 Flats 0

Part one of three in a best of covering Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 4 - the mostly transit and smattering of very important folding bike tour from DC to Boston. In this episode we cover the idea, the arbitrary set of rules and my mindset going into this stunt... err, tour. Parts 2 and 3 will drop as the best of's for March and April, respectively. Originally podcast August 20, 2015

"Sure it's the same route, but is it?" Tampa to Lakeland to Disney World, sure but it's refined! Improved route on day 1 - optimising better route from TPA to MLK Blvd (avoiding waterfront this time) Brought my route north of downtown this year to avoid weekend activities intervening like last year's marathon A morning coffee and breakfast in Ybor CIty, the Cuban and Latin American-influenced part of Tampa Different hotel in Lakeland this year to have me closer to a local dining option rather than gas station cuisine Day 2 features another ride into WDW, with the option of the longer route to the north entrance - more to come on that, and it would be my preferred option pending time (short days) and energy Gear I briefly considered the Safari and stealth camping near the Van Fleet trail but decided against it... FL wildlife is just too much of a question mark Also it's much more logisitically to haul. May scope out to see if stealth hammock camping would be an option this trip. Brompton it is... credit card touring it is Sidebar - my Brompton is over at BicycleSpace (my DC LBS) and let’s just say I’ve ridden down the original drivetrain components to the point that it needed quite the overhaul. But… it’ll be ready by the time you hear this for 2024 adventures (thank you Pedalshift Society and anonymous donors for your help on that!) May consider doing the older backpack version to eliminate the need for the duffle? More carrying capacity, but likely wouldn't use it. If so I might consider an expanded cockpit option with the luggage block being freed up Or... may stick with single pannier plus drybag on rack. SIDEBAR 2 - I got new Ortlieb backrollers, but orange is no longer an option so I went with blue, which was the most stealth-friendly-ish option. I'm probably going to make the orange ones full time Brompton ones so end of an era, but not really? Weather Last year was sunny and flirted with hot. Will be more prepared this year to cover up and have sunscreen in hand before day 1. However, we saw some truly cold temps during the late year storms in 22 so it's always possible this ends up being a cool to cold ride... will know more about 10 days out and can bank on things about 3 days out. Things I want to do Ybor City - every time I go through there I feel like I need to make miles. This time, I'm stopping.  Dinner at a more "Florida" option in Lakeland Get a victory drink (to break Dryuary Part 1) at the Coronado or Polynesian Resort Keep my caloric party within reason Things I don't want to do Run into 10ks Lose my ID Get sunburn or otherwise too much sun Have a Brompton mechanical... there are very few options in central FL! First entry of the tour journal is in two weeks! Next week's best of is the start of a multipart adventure highlighting my DC to Boston using (mostly) transit and a little bit of (very critical) folding biking!

You know you've got a bike tour coming up this year, so you want to make sure you're ready for it. What are some things to do to make that easier in the bike touring offseason? On this episode, some insight into my plans this offseason plus tips from ACA, REI and other experts! Offseason Training for Bike Touring   Covered this a bit in Pedalshift 158   Quick review of training philosophies Train like hell vs. Ride your way to touring shape vs. Somewhere in the middle This winter I'm going to try to do a few things in prep for my winter tour (preview coming next episode!)   Goal 1 - lose 10 pounds from 1/1 to day 1 of tour (stretch goal 12) Goal 2 - Train a minimum of 30 minutes per day 3 days/week (indoor or outdoor) Goal 3 - Plan and begin upper body and/or circuit training   My shifting philosophy on training - easier to just jump on the bike when you're younger and fitter!   Other/more aggressive philosophies:   biketours.com - riding average daily distance several times per week well in advance of the tour (IMO this is total overkill)   ACA - Focus on time in the saddle first, seek hills, build endurance, ride with weight (VERY smart)   REI - sample training week with fantastic exercise routines, with focus on flexibility. Much more in the train like hell philosophy but excellent things to consider adding to a "somewhere in the middle" routine.

A new year means new bike touring goals! On this episode I share my goals for 2023 including health and fitness, the kinds and number of tours and more. Bike Touring Goals for 2023 Health/Fitness   Drop the weight Weigh in at least every other day all year (unless traveling) and set a back on the wagon number Fitness center plan Dry  January Feb   Touring   5 multi day tours in 2023 At least one 7+ day tour At least one fully new-to-me trail or route Cross a new state by bike   Whacky things   A  heavily transit aided tour A microcamper aided tour

A classic hodgepodge best of! Bike touring stove tests, an overview on intermittent fasting, counterintuitive advice on keeping your feet warm on tour and more! Originally podcast January 19, 2017

This has been a fantastic year for bicycle travel, and so the holiday spectacular is here once again to wrap up the top episodes, take a look back on all of the tours and adventures and assess each and every goal I set for myself for 2022. Happy New Year! 2022 Holiday Spectacular Top Episodes   292: Touring Bike Essentials 290: Beginner Mistakes 295: Making Your Tent Stealthier 294: Minimalist Packing for a Credit Card Tour 280: The Missing Link - Part 1 286: Bicycling New York City 288: A Late Start on the C&O Best of Pedalshift 099: Bicycle Tour Food 297: Empire State Trail Preview   A look back on the tours   Florida California C&O New York   A look back on my 2022 goals   At least one new-to-me route   Check - not fully new, but hit new sections of SoCal and NYS   Fitness: lose the 2021 weight and keep it off   Nope. Full fail.   Revisit a route (or portion of one) I’ve only done once   Check!   Think about a remote work-tour option (work-ride-work-ride… something else?)   Partial credit. I did think about this, but touring options were limited this year.    Continue to improve my stealth camping skills   Partial credit. I put a lot of thought and improved my gear, but didn't pull off the stealth camping I wanted to this year.   Repair or replace worn gear   Check! Replaced a number of worn and not repairable things like sleeping pad, duffel bag and more.   Organize bike touring equipment and improve storage   Check! Reorg of my cabin storage this week at the cabin and that will flow into the stuff I keep in DC.    Episode 300/Millionth download celebration   Check! We did the live show and properly celebrated together for the millionth DL.

Looming storms, transportation question marks, and some subtle messages from a ligament in my knee all pointed to one thing... this phase of the tour was coming to a conclusion. But one more bit of adventure awaited to share with you. Plus, takeaways! Empire State Trail - Day 7 Statistics   Miles biked 8 Airports traversed 2 (including returning the car) Minutes of ride recorded 0 Flats 0   Takeaways   1 - The Empire State Trail is truly one of the great routes in the US.   2 - Thank you local bike shops for swooping in to save the day   3 - Thank you trail towns that provide such great amenities   4 - Airports... I continue to love riding to or from them directly!   5 - I hate calling tours early, but I'm so glad I get to ride what I can   6 - When you deviate from routes, make sure to pay attention to what side of rivers you ride and where you're going to (relying on bridges)   7 - Keep your electronics dry even if they can get a little wet   8 - Find your edge

Continuing the journey to Troy, NY and the completion of the Erie Canal portion of the Empire State Trail... the hills of the capital region of NY kick in, but the finish line beckons with a roof and a dry overnight. Empire State Trail - Day 6 Audio update for day 6... my phone was still recovering from its dousing on days 4 and 5, so audio quality takes a hit late in the day 6 shows. Howly winds in some segments but totally listenable if not up to snuff by my usual standards! Statistics Miles biked 66.9 miles Steepest climb 9.6% Steepest descent -16.5% Unnecessary flashy lights pointed at my eyes 5 Canal trails completed 1 Flats zero

Day 6 finally brought some dry sunny weather, and some new-to-me portions of the trail. In part one, we say farewell to Fort Plain's peacock and try to avoid getting lost in Canajoharie on the way to Troy.   Quick sidebar before we get started on Day 6... for those of you who listened to last week's best of regarding the Eastern Express, Frank's website is indeed retired so his old cue sheets are only out there if you downloaded them back in the day. His route is a combination of current ACA routes and FOTS Preston Paige Piper checked in with the ACA for the details: In order to ride Frank Moritz' original entire Eastern Express Route, you'll have to use a combination of our TransAmerica Trail, Eastern Express Connector, and Chicago to New York City routes. The combo of these 3 routes follow Frank's original route with a few deviations that we decided to make when we took over the route. The deviations are likely for the better... as Frank mentioned in our chat the route was a beta and he got a bunch of local help tweaking it, and now ACA has it in their system and updates as conditions warrant. Empire State Trail - Day 6 Audio update for day 6... my phone was still recovering from its dousing on days 4 and 5, so audio quality takes a hit late in this show (part 1) and early in next week's part 2. Howly winds in some segments but totally listenable if not up to snuff by my usual standards! Statistics Coming next episode

Adventure Cycling Association's Eastern Express Connector was developed by the legendary Frank Moritz as an alternative eastern spur for the Trans Am route, starting in DC. It includes the C&O, the GAP and Katy trails, bypassing some of the more challenging (in a not so good way) portions of the original Trans Am. In this best of, we chat with Frank right around the launch and get an idea on what it takes to make a new bike touring route! Originally podcast May 11, 2017.

Day 5 was supposed to be the chill easy day... no long miles, no massive rain storms. Or at least that's what I thought. A special holiday week in the US deserves a holiday two-parter for our fifth day of the Empire State Trail. This is Part 2 - Happy Thanksgiving everyone!   Programming note... we have a fantastic best of next week featuring a chat with Frank Moritz on his original Eastern Express route he built five years ago that is now a full fledged Adventure Cycling Association route (the Eastern Express Connector). A week or so ago they gave him a shout out on their Twitter feed, so I thought it's a good time to revisit our conversation... check that out next week.   ALSO... I'm looking for audience participation for this year's Pedalshift End of the Year Holiday Spectacular awards program. This year we have a listener's choice for best episode - email your choice of any episode from 269-306 before Midnight eastern time December 25th - pedalshift@pedalshift.net!   The wet phone situation from Day 4 makes for some less than stellar audio at times here and there... all still listenable but if you think it sounds like I'm talking inside a wet paper bag sometimes, it is not just you.   Statistics   Miles Biked - 63.5 Maximum Grade 5.4% Max speed 24.9mph! Calories burned 2467 Calories consumed like 4000 Loose exotic bird encounters 1 Flats 0

Day 5 was supposed to be the chill easy day... no long miles, no massive rain storms. Or at least that's what I thought. A special holiday week in the US deserves a holiday two-parter for our fifth day of the Empire State Trail. See you Thanksgiving Day for part 2! Empire State Trail - Day 5 Statistics Coming next week!

Day 4 suggested to be a true test of wills on the Empire State Trail. Not only was this a longer-than-usual mileage day through central New York, but heavy rains made for a race to Syracuse and beyond. Would I need to rely on a fast forward, or could I bang out the miles to my hotel oasis on the other side?   Empire State Trail - Day 4 Statistics Miles biked 72.8 Skunks 1 Skunk sprayings 0 "My Dude"s yelled at oblivious operator of a motor vehicle 2 Slices of pizza eaten at the Varsity (go Orange) 2 Number of gas station napkins needed to dry my screen enough to use 4 Crossings of Erie Boulevard in the driving rain 1 Number of times I had to rely on 29 year old memories of Syracuse geography because my phone was too wet to use 3 Labatt Blue's carried 1 Labatt Blue's consumed in a La Quinta Inn while watch the Bills win 1 Flats 0 Images on Instagram 11/10/22!