-8

Nothing much to add. Still training, gearing up the bicycle and praying for good weather.

The plan

The route that I have chosen follows the Transamerica Trail from Fredericksburg, VA to Pueblo, CO. This is a route which was established in 1976 by the Adventure Cycling Association to celebrate America's bicentennial. At Pueblo, CO I will leave the Transamerica trail and will follow the Western Express to Grand Junction, UT. From there on, I will be cycling along highways 191, 163 and 160 on the so-called Grand Canyon Connector to the south gate of the Gran Canyon National Park, AZ which is my final destination. The whole route is over 2,800 miles long and it crosses 8 states.
It is a tentative outline as I am sure my course will be slighlty compromised by contigencies such as scenery attractions, traffic, weather, puntcures, stray dogs, and personal injuries and probably more. If I can put in between 80 and 100 miles per day I should be able to get to the Grand Canyon in just over 30 days. I reckon that the first 5 or 6 days are gonna be the most difficult as I will hit some tough climbs in the Appalachians early on in the trip. I am hoping to make up for that on the Great Plains of Kansas where the road is flat and riding should be smooth. In journals which I perused on this website people often hail the first part of the trip as the toughest one.

-25

I will be cycling through the following states: DC (district), Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

Training is going well, 115 km today with a fairly heavy rucksack on my back to get accustomed to the weight. Motivation is high and my feet are itching, I can't wait to hit the road to take on America!!

-29

Putting in those hard miles and butterflies are beginning to buzz in my stomach with less than a month to go

One month to go

Back in Washington. Bagged 340 kms in 2 days and I am well and a scary feeling is dawning upon me...that I could actually do it!

It is a scary feeling because the fear of winning is always stronger than that of losing.
Only the weather and injuries could get in the way now.

One month to go...

Southpoint, Fredericksburg, VA

Downtown, Fred. played its part in the civil rights struggle back in the late 50s


City Hall

Today I cycled 100 miles, nice round figure! 160.5 km, from DuPont Circle, DC all the way to my hotel front door in Southpoint, VA. It's been a great ride, following the Mt. Vernon trail then a stressful 10km stretch on Highway 1 and the rest on country lanes through gentle rolling terrains and the occasional steep hill. Fredericksburg is a nice quaint town of historic significance. My legs feel heavy now and tomorrow they will be severely tested by the ride back to Washington DC. Good night and good luck.

-40, thoughts

The countdown to the beginning of my adventure has begun. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day as I endeavor to accomplish the first stage of the trip on Saturday and I will make the return trip the next day. I'm cycling from DC to the south side of Fredericksburg. It'll be approx. an 85-mile ride to be repeated the next day. Sunday it's supposed to hit 80 degrees, I have covered the first 14 miles several times, up to leefy Mount Vernon, the rest is new territory and I am carrying weight on my back with my rucksack. It'll be interesting to see how my body reacts.

Today I bought more gear: gloves, a special perspiration jersey, padded shorts, sunglasses and other important pieces of equipment. There is a substantial financial sacrifice to be made to accomplish my dream. My preparation alone is costing me over 3 and 1/2 grands, bicycle included. Money aside, other thoughts on my mind include the idea of going solo. Biking across America alone poses several challenges, safety first of all. Being on my own exposes me to risks. The US can be a tricky, unpredictable country and traffic is moody around here. I will have to be on my guard at all times. That is my only worry.