What does a typical ride day morning look like?
It’s Day 15 of Riding to Break the Cycle 2008. We’ve covered over 600 miles, about 1000 km now, and I’m still alive. The Oregon coast has been good to us.
So what does a typical morning look like?
Whether I awake on a camp site at a State Park, a Methodist Church or a Community Youth Centre, I’ve got the same routine. Roll up my Thermorest sleeping pad, my MEC +10C sleeping bag, and my newly purchased travel pillow and pack them away into a big REI duffel bag donated by my friend Phil in Seattle. Then I’m off to check on my bike, adding lube to my chain and wiping the extra off, checking the brake pads, pumping up the tires. I haven’t had a flat yet - which I attribute to keeping the pressure up in my tire tubes (slightly over 100 psi) and checking my tires for embedded foreign objects like glass or rocks. And finally I change into my bike clothing for the day, eat breakfast (usually cereal or oatmeal along with bananas and bagels), wash my dishes, and load my pack into the trailer.
Then we have a Route meeting, where ride leaders Emma and Jess distribute route maps for the day, and explain the itinerary we are taking, where the support van will stop for lunch, what alternative scenic routes we can take, and where we will be staying overnight that day. The directions have mileage counts on them so that we can keep track of when we’ll need to turn approximately - which makes me glad I purchased my CatEye cycle computer.
Once the meeting’s done, we stock up on snacks and fill up our water bottles or hydration packs. Then we organize ourselves in pods - small riding groups - and we’re off on the road.
