Day twenty-six, Thursday, May 16, 2008
Perry, GA to Vidalia, GA
Another uneventful day. 100 miles with 2,500 feet of climbing on comparably good roads. We can do such days in about 5 to 6 hours including stops. No big deal anymore. Time to get back to reality.
Update on Andrew: That is the first guy who had to go home because of a reported Heart Attack. We were told today that he suffers from some Blood disease. Therefore his problem may not be cycling induced. Of course we ask no questions. Privacy.
I may have not mentioned the importance of Aerobars. They come in handy against wind but even more important to relieve pressure on hands and butt. The weight shifts forward on the elbows and there can be low pressure on your behind. I biked a lot with cyclist who do not have them. They all regret that decision. BTW, I have worn out a new pair of gloves. There are holes in them now.
It is understood that Aerobars are no good in Pace Lines except leading and should not be used in traffic or other dangerous conditions. On the flats they are fabulous.
Another hot tip is to have a useful pump on the bike. We have bikers with 4 flats/day. That is a bit much for cartridges. I use a pump with a gage and foot rest and it can do 120 PSI: My Pump is labeled "MORPH ROAD G MASTERBLASTER". It works.
A red blinking tail light is a good idea and so is a little bag for wallet and camera mounted on the top cross bar.
MTB shoes and cleats are less likely to cause trouble than Road biker Cleats. Reason is that you may need to walk quite a bit and sometime in mud. MTB SIDI SPD can tolerate that better.
I did this whole trip with just sink laundry. It is fast. You need two pairs of everything because it may not get dry overnight.
Packing light but adequate is a skill worth learning. I spend too much time packing and unpacking.
Report on the last day tomorrow. Some pictures after that.