Biking Bis - Bicycle Touring and More

Lance Armstrong takes best time (briefly) at 2009 Tour de France

Gene Bisbee — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:03:29 -0700

Lance Armstrong tore through a 9.6-mile individual time trial course in Monaco at 20:12 on Saturday morning to set the best time among the early starters on the first stage of the 2009 Tour de France.

It followed by nearly four years Armstrong's declaration of "Vive Le Tour" as he bade farewell to professional cycling from the top step of the podium in Paris with his 7th Tour de France win in 2005.

Armstrong drew an early start time. He was 18th to launch himself down the ramp out of 180 cyclists in the peloton.

Armstrong's time gave the others a target to shoot for, and his best time was soon toppled by his Astana teammate Levi Leipheimer at 20:03. ...

Day 53 - Celebrating the Fourth in Navajo Nation

Gene Bisbee — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:13:21 -0700

GALLUP, NM - I've seen fireworks shows at golf courses, football stadiums and along lakefronts. Never have I seen one at a rodeo grounds, where the announcer translated everything into English from Navajo, and where an errant flare set off a series of explosions that lit the scrubby undergrowth on a hillside.

We had read about the fireworks display at Gallup, so we got an early start at El Morro. We passed by the huge Inscription Rock and headed downhill into the Zuni Pueblo Reservation. A sign posted the rules: No pictures. No alcohol. We turned onto Route 32 and missed the Zuni Pueblo itself, one of the 7 Cities of Cibola sought by gold hungry Spanish conquistadors. ...

Day 52 - Bicycling through reservation lands

Gene Bisbee — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:05:19 -0700

EL MORRO NATIONAL MONUMENT, N.M. - We passed through several nations today; those of the Isleta, Laguna, Acoma, and Canoncita. They're all pueblo tribes that thrived here before the Spanish Conquistadors and missionaries enslaved them. English is spoken here, but it's not the native tongue.

None of that mattered to us this morning. We awoke out in the desert while there were still a couple of stars in the sky and the sun was brightening the East. We walked back to our bicycles hidden under the railroad trestle and Bruce removed that crudely carved horse's head, given to him in Missouri, from his handlebar pack and set it on the trestle support. I imagine it will startle whoever finds it. ...

Watching the 2009 Tour de France;
Start with 14 hours a day on Versus

Gene Bisbee — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:16:53 -0700

It will be all Lance all the time on the Versus cable network when the 2009 Tour de France kicks off in Monaco on Saturday.

After a series of 10 one-hour shows on Friday highlighting the all-time best Lance Armstrong stages, Versus will launch its live coverage for Stage 1 at 9:30 a.m. (ET) Saturday.

There will be live coverage in the morning, followed by three two-hour replays throughout the afternoon, followed by a 3-hour "expanded" primetime show in the evening that will be repeated once.

That's 14 hours a day for the "routine" stages. Mountain stages could get 17 hours of coverage in a 24-hour period.

I'm sure that's OK with most cycling fans. Although I try to watch as much of the live show as possible in the morning, I'm often hooked in the evening by the primetime show ...

Day 51 - We run out of options and camp in the desert

Gene Bisbee — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:00:13 -0700

SOMEWHERE IN ISLETA INDIAN RESERVATION, N.M. - When things are going well, I tend to leave things too much to chance ... at least until I'm brought up short by lack of planning and bad decisions.

That's why Bruce and I spent the night in our sleeping bags on a dry wash under the stars next to a railroad trestle. Except for the occasional freight train, the only sound was a soft breeze and the startling yelps of coyotes.

We left the motel late this morning and stopped by Old Town Albuquerque to shop. We looked at jewelry and learned the differences between the Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo styles. We had a lunch of tortillas and beer -- a true meal of champions, and picked up some odds and ends at a K-Mart before finally getting underway at 2 p.m. ...

The incredible lightness of being
an ultralight bicycle traveler

Gene Bisbee — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:50:26 -0700

A couple of days ago I stumbled across a bicyclist who is preparing to ride from Vancouver, BC, to New York City with less than 35 pounds -- including his bicycle.

This is no credit card tour, however. The cyclist, Igor Kovse, is geared for full-out camping with a tent, sleeping bag and a pad. He's also carrying tools, clothing for wet and cold weather, a camera and photographic supplies.

Whenever I'm bicycle touring, it's obvious that I'm in serious need of a gear diet. That's why I like to see how the ultralight half lives.

Apparently Igor has been traveling like this for quite a few years. He announced his upcoming transcontinental tour at the Ultralight Biking Yahoo group, and referred people to his Crazy Guy on a Bike touring page for a previous ride from Dushanbe to Delhi that lists all of his equipment ...

Bicycling's impact on bone density

Gene Bisbee — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:36:26 -0700

Another day, another study with something for us to worry about.

Coming on the heels of a report that tied bicycling and infertility, the New York Times reports on a couple of studies that ties bicycling with the reduction in bone density.

That makes cyclists more susceptible to breaks, such as Lance Armstrong's collarbone fracture earlier this year, above.

An encouraging note is that recreational cyclists are not subject to the infertility and bone density problems. The studies looked only at elite athletes who push themselves to the extreme in training and competition ....

Day 50 - Bicycling the Turquoise highway

Gene Bisbee — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:20:49 -0700

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - We spent much of today riding on the Turquoise Highway. It looked like plain old blacktop to me.

We left Santa Fe in a light drizzle, which quickly burned off. It was such a mellow Sunday morning that Bruce wore his headphones as he pedalled along. He was spacing out near the center of the road when a car came up from behind and couldn't pass. I expect the driver was afraid of honking and scaring Bruce to death.

I stopped and yelled and waved my arms, and Bruce must have caught the vibes as he looked back and swerved out of the way. He packed up those headphones for the rest of the trip. ...

One Sunday spent noodlin' around on a bicycle

Gene Bisbee — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Although I don't keep to a tightly regimented training schedule for bicycling, I usually know my route when I roll down the driveway and I'll stick to it.

Occasionally, though, I just take my bike and head out with no destination in mind. I'm just going out exploring on my bike, or noodling around. Although it doesn't account for many miles in the saddle, it always results in some interesting finds.

On Sunday, for example, I headed down the pipeline right-of-way on my Rockhopper and followed it to the dead-end above May Creek. That's where I veered into the woods on a light trail. Not far along, I came upon this vintage US Mail truck rusting back into its elements in the woods ...

Day 49 - Another day off; hanging out in Santa Fe

Gene Bisbee — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:28:34 -0700

SANTA FE, N.M. - I seem to keep repeating this in my journal -- "this place reminds me of Annapolis."
Of course Santa Fe doesn't really remind me of Annapolis, but there are aspects that are similar. Same with Taos, Ouray, Ste. Genevieve.

Santa Fe is steeped in the Hispanic culture, Annapolis isn't. Annapolis sits on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Santa Fe sits at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.

The similarities? Neither are the largest cities in their states, but they are the state capitals. Both have campuses of the liberal arts St. John's College. A large part of their economies are based on eating and drinking and partying downtown ...