Texas - The Second annual RollAid 2009 - Coast to the Coast

Here we go ladies and laddies. Time to start planning the next jaunt from Dallas to Corpus, with possible stops at Waco, Temple, New Braunfels, San Antone, Beeville (YEAH!) and Portland.

The mission is to link up with the Wounded Warrior Project's Lone Star State Challenge in San Antonio and accompany them on the road from SA to Corpus Christi during the period of March 11-15, 2009.

This year we hope to be able to raise awareness of Soldier Ride and the WWP in general with stops at VFW posts and any other opportunities along the way.

Planning will be accomplished with a combination of posts here and announcements at the blog: www.rollaid.org

Jump on this thread if you're interested in riding along.

Also, post up if you want to meet for lunch or dinner somewhere in the DFW area to get in on the planning.

I'm in on the ride. It was such a blast this year it would be a shame to miss!!

Also in on any planning meetings. We had good luck last year meeting for lunch kind of in the middle. I can be at any Friday lunchtime meetings. Probably could do a midweek lunch meeting in a pinch, but Friday is better.

How is Friday the 3rd for a lunchtime meet?

Steve

I'm in. It was kind of painful to finally take the racks off my Cross Check this morning. They will go back on, but I need to lighten it up for a little while. Lunch is good just about any Friday.

In the interest of involving as many people as possible this year, I'd like to go over a few things we are planning for this year. These aren't hammered in stone, just what we're thinking about for the moment.

1) SAG - It would be great if we had SAG for the whole distance. Last year, we even had a follow-truck for part of the way. Looking forward to this year, as long as the SAG vehicle is within an hour drive or so, we should be fine. If we can figure out SAG, then folks will have the option of riding with or without bags on the bike. At least it gives the option of tossing the bags in the truck on the longer days.

2) Accomodations - Last year we camped a couple times and stayed in hotels a couple times. I personally love to camp, but we're planning to stop in locations that have the option for hotels. This way we aren't excluding those that may want to stay in a hotel each night.

I think those are the main 2 things that would pose most issues, but there may be more.

For anyone interested, please let us know what your thoughts or concerns are. For anyone not interested, please let us know what might change your mind. Or if you have ideas about things we can change to make the trip more attrictive, that's great too.

Steve

There's likely to be schedule changes. I found out this morning that the start and end dates stand as they are, but WWP is adding fitting day and a ride in Austin at the front end. So it'll be Austin, San Antonio, Corpus. Beeville is likely not on the table.

This will necessarily change how we do things this year - I'm working on a plan to accommodate the change. Suggestions are welcome.

Anyone following this thread that would like to meet up. We're having lunch at Weinberg's Deli in Grapevine today, Oct 17, at noon.


It's short notice, but time is slipping away and we need stuff resolved.

I'm interested in going, but only if I don't have to carry all that gear. I just want to ride, not slog it out. Of course, I know in advance I probably won't get to go, but it depends on how many days I take off for Sebring when I try to RAAM qualify.

Greg'o, we're going to have SAG worked out and should be able to toss some bags in for those that don't want to carry them. Plus, this year's plan is to have both hotels and camping available at each stop in an attempt to get interest from a wider audience.

You'll be interested to know that we're also trying to work in some OPTIONAL long rides along the way for those that are feeling froggy. One of those is a 140 mile day between San Antone and Portland (just the other side of the bridge into Corpus).

That reminds me, we should probably put this up on the RBent forum too.

Steve

The big question for me this year, BOB or Panniers?

I'm going with neither. I went through all the crap I brought this year and thought it over. It was just too easy to pack a bunch of stuff that I didn't need. So next year the plan is too either just use my commuter backpack or pick up a small daypack from REI.

The thing that I fell victim to this year was packing for the whole week, so I ended up with a week's worth of powerbars, a week's worth of drink mix, you get the idea. Since we pass by about a thousand convenience stores anyway, a single resupply a day ought to get the job done. I also brought a cook stove and coffee stuff this year that I won't bring next year. We had a hot breakfast every day anyway, so nothing lost there.

With some other useless stuff tossed out, I'm really down to the following (high level) list:
Commuter Backpack (http://www.rei.com/product/748089) or Daypack (http://www.rei.com/product/747523)
Hammock w/ Rain Fly
Sleeping Bag and Inflatable Pad
1 extra set of bike clothes
1 set of wet weather/cold weather bike clothes
1 set of regular clothes for around camp or hotel (w/ flip flops)
General repair stuff (spare tire, tubes, multi-tool, pump)

The hammock packs down to nearly nothing, as do both the sleeping bag and pad. If I don't get the daypack, I'll probably lash a small silnylon back under the bottom of my backpack for just a little more space. Either way, I should be able to get away with about a 12 pound pack. I'd rather have that little amount of weight on my back instead of the bike.

Of course, this could all change if the first shakedown trip doesn't go well... :innocent:

Steve

P.S. - I'll probably still find room for cigars and whiskey...

I may just throw my bags in the SAG wagon this year and go with the HHH strategy of just my track bike and a flask of Johnnie Walker....I may have to gear down slightly though.;) or not.

If you gear down, you could probably carry a bigger flask!! Just sayin...

Here we go ladies and laddies. Time to start planning the next jaunt from Dallas to Corpus, with possible stops at Waco, Temple, New Braunfels, San Antone, Beeville (YEAH!) and Portland.

The mission is to link up with the Wounded Warrior Project's Lone Star State Challenge in San Antonio and accompany them on the road from SA to Corpus Christi during the period of March 11-15, 2009.

This year we hope to be able to raise awareness of Soldier Ride and the WWP in general with stops at VFW posts and any other opportunities along the way.

Planning will be accomplished with a combination of posts here and announcements at the blog: www.rollaid.org

Jump on this thread if you're interested in riding along.

Also, post up if you want to meet for lunch or dinner somewhere in the DFW area to get in on the planning.

I don't think I'll be up to your distances or speed in time.

I AM, however, planning to tour the following year from Dallas to Riviera TX (SW of Corpus), and am interested on any N-S routes you might explore and your experiences on the way.
:thumb:

Don't worry about speed. Our daily averages least year were between 10 and 12mph, but we were all loaded with gear. We will have SAG this year and have reduced the daily mileage some. Remember, when we take off in the morning, we have all day to get to the next stop, so there is no reason to be in a hurry. If you can't ride any further, just jump in the truck. I promise you after you meet some of these soldiers you will push yourself to ride further though.

Don't worry about speed. Our daily averages least year were between 10 and 12mph, but we were all loaded with gear. We will have SAG this year and have reduced the daily mileage some. Remember, when we take off in the morning, we have all day to get to the next stop, so there is no reason to be in a hurry. If you can't ride any further, just jump in the truck. I promise you after you meet some of these soldiers you will push yourself to ride further though.

Should have asked first...are none Vet's welcome? I've never served, but would like to add my support.
So far my longest single ride has been 45 miles.
I'm not worried about the first day...
It's' the days following.:D

Rode with a lady doing hand pedalled at Tour de Paris. She was amaizing cranking up some hills that nearly did me in!

Do you ride back or drive?

I'm not a vet either. To tell you the truth, last year I signed up just because I thought the route they were taking looked like it would be a nice ride. I was not prepared for how emotional it would be to meet the soldiers, here their stories, and spend the weekend riding with them. We will be driving back, I don't think any of us have enough vacation time to take a 2 week trip.
You have plenty of time to ramp up your mileage, but we're planning mostly 50-60 mile days this time I think. (details probably won't be finalized for awhile) Those that want more mileage can go ride more once we set camp.

Everybody is welcome, the more the merrier!!

Remember on these rides that we break for lunch, restroom stops, whatever is needed. So it really doesn't feel all that long. Like Cliff said, there's no rush to get there so speeds are pretty low most days. I don't live too far from you, if you want to do some rides as prep over the winter, shoot me a PM. I'm always up for a ride.

Steve

Hey guys, what's up? Sorry I've missed out on the last couple of meetings. I'll be catching up over the next couple of days and reading the blog.

OK, I discovered your thread and blog last May after the fact. It was moving, being a disabled vet.

Over the summer I bought a tourer just for this little shin dig, I might as well stick to my guns and at least try and participate. I'm sort of back in physical therapy at the moment and have been off the bike for almost a full month. My relatively weak base has eroded, but I'm up for pushing to get it together for this. It's something that means a great deal to me.

Is there a planned departure date? How many days total? The blog only lists through Austin.

I'll probably end up in the truck at some point, but there's always mind over matter and if you don't mind, it don't matter, lol.

Is there an e-mail list you guys use or is the blog the best place to keep up to date?

Whaddaya say Mikey (Jtgyk), let's get the Thundering Herd moving!

Hey TXV, most of the current data on planned leave and route is on the roll aid site. http://soldierride.blogspot.com/

we are still hammering some out. Keep and eye on that site we'll be having some lunches etc to do the finer points.

The last time we talked, I think we decided to leave on Sunday the 8th, so we could meet up with the guys on the afternoon of Wednesday the 11th. Then the schedule is a little more lax. Thursday, Friday and Saturday have scheduled rides with the WoundedWarrior group in Austin, then San Antone, then Corpus respectively. Between those rides some of the guys may chose to ride from town to town, but there will probably be more guys that grab a ride on those days. Sunday the 15th is a return day.

The blog that Tate posted is probably the best place to keep up to date, but we'll try to post updates to this thread to. We're trying to drum up more interest, so pass the word around.

Whaddaya say Mikey (Jtgyk), let's get the Thundering Herd moving!

Aaaand We're off!!! Into the sunrise ins a mighty cloud of dust like a thundering herd of ....turtles.

We may have to create a sub-catagory of Clydsdale though....I give you "The Wheezin' Geezers!":roflmao2:

Guys, I'm out for the ride to the ride. I might be able to make it down for the Soldier Ride though. We're having a baby in May, and I have to save my vacation days for post baby, etc.

Please know that I am still committed to the cause (my cousin was just injured in Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago by an RPG), and I will do everything I can to support you guys from here, whether it be web stuff, coordinating ???, flyers, etc. I would like to continue to be included on emails and meetings.

Hope you guys are well.

Ryan

Ryan,

congrats on your impending new arrival.

Please let your cousin know that many of us are thinking of him and wishing him and his comrades the best.

I hope his "ding" wasn't too serious, and a speedy and full recovery are in short order.

Thanks. We are expecting him home soon. His is a Marine, and his first tour was in Iraq. His second tour, which started last September (2007, supposed to be 7 months), is in Afghanistan (southern, in the Taliban strongholds). He was guarding a checkpoint in his Humvee a couple of weeks ago, and they were hit by an RPG. It threw him to the back of the truck, and another hit the back and threw them to the front. Thank God for those trucks. He dressed his buddy's wounds, and he took some shrapnel in the arm. He was treated for a week, then released to continue his duty. He was truly one of the lucky ones as a few of his friends have become fallen heroes.

What makes it harder is that he married just before leaving for Afghanistan (young couple, she's just out of high school). She's just moved back to Twentynine Palms to buy a house and set it up for his return. We are just praying he makes it back safe. His tour was extended, but I believe he said he will be coming home soon.

Edit: (3 hours later) I just received a call from my wife. Her uncle called and Scott is on a plane headed home. What timing! I guess they can't tell anyone until they are actually on their way.

Saw the tentative route for this year.
What are the proposed approximate distances/destinations each day?
How many days down to San Antonio are being planned?
Is the SA Challenge down to Corpus and back, or does it end in Corpus and Drive back?

We are still working on it but the SA challenge ends in Corpus.

The reality of the mileage has been sinking in and I need to really start increasing my base mileage again and work in some back to back higher mileage days.:o

Now if the Weather and my equipment (indexing problems) will co-operate......:p

I rarely ride over 50 miles in a day and had no issues last year. I think for a ride like this it's more about consistency than distance.

Most of the days will be less than 50 miles anyway. Once we meet up with the main group of vounded vets, it's a mix between ride and drive. Riding from town to town with the vets really is the best part of the trip, and doesn't seem to matter if the riding is done on a bike or in a van.

Either way, let's get some rides going. I'm pretty sure I'm open on Saturday morning. Anyone else up for a ride? Everyone's invited, whether you're coming on the trip or not. Might as well get your cold weather gear sorted out now before it gets really cold.

Steve

Had my "last" PT appointment this morning and I'm just about over my "greatest cold of the 21st century":notamused:

It would figure I was actually able to ride for the past 2 weeks and then got immediatley sick..........

I'm up for a ride but I have no idea what the endurance is going to be.

Edit: Yikes, what is the mileage between C and D?

Haha, best I can figure is that the letters in the route are points that David entered to get the route to follow his intended path. Those aren't the proposed stops. If I remember right, the stops as of today are Italy, then Waco, then Temple, then Austin. From there, we're in with the larger group. There is the possibility for a long ride later in the week between San Antone and Portland. I believe we figured that would be about 140 miles, but I don't suspect that many of us will actually be riding that whole piece.

I'm open for just about anywhere you guys want to ride. For reference, I'm in Rowlett. But I'll drive somewhere if it's easier for the group to get together. Anyone else in?

Steve

So that would be about 45 miles/day Sun Mon Tue. 70+ miles Wed and 80+ miles ariving in San Antonio on Thurs?
I Thought we had to be in SA on Wed.
The extra day makes it sound much more possible.

I'm still stuck with the weird schedule so Sunday mornings in 2 - 3 hour rides will be my availability (depending on drive time back to work).
Know of any areas that are good to ride, traffic wise, on Thurs/Fri?
I can do WR Creek & Lake....but actual road miles would be preferable. (and less boring)

Mike, I can do a Friday ride, not sure about today though, might be tricky for more than just a local run outto Hubbard orsomething of the sorts.

I'm still up for Saturday.

I might be able to do a Friday ride, depending on the time. I get off work at about 8:00am off 75 in Richardson. Saturday I can do, also depending on time. Sunday would probably be best of all for me, you guys decide where and how far you want to go.

AAACKKK! Phewwwww, rain.

This sort of changes my outlook for today. I'm just getting over something akin to bubonic pnuemonia and riding in the rain isn't very appealing at the moment.

Let's hope it goes away.

Not so much feelin' the rain....I'll be waiting for the weather to clear this afternoon and probably doing loops (maybe as many as 2!:eek:) of UTD and hitting teh nasty hill on N Collins (above Campbell).
Then its an easy ride in the late afternoon with the wife and a friend who's a noob cycler.

I should also start addressing shifter problems this morning. I think I might need to replace cable housings on 3 bikes. grrrf

Oh well...there's always the LeTour (now with friction shifting!)

Would a motorized bike be welcome here? O:(

Would a motorized bike be welcome here? O:(

I was already to finally go buy rain gear and then the lightening started.......................

If it clears up I'm up for an afteroon ride still.

Just re-sent my mobile number to you guys. Give me a little warning and I should be up for a ride this afternoon.... provided I can get all of the water out of me from this morning...

Steve

Count me in guys. Now I have to start riding. I just got my first ride in today in years, 6 whole miles,lol. I had forgotten how much I hate the Texas winds. What kind of milage should I be shooting for and how many days a week to be ready for this ride? Another thing my tourer I just bought has no bottle mounts, not one, and I just noticed this today, any ideas?

Mutt

Mutt, glad to hear you're in. New bike huh? Fun times!! I'm just guessing on miles, but I would say if you can swing 30 miles maybe 3 days a week you should be fine. One of the other guys might have some better numbers. If you can fit in a longer ride on the weekends, that's even better.

On the bottle mounts, how about a CamelBak? Some people don't like stuff on their backs, but I use the 70 oz one on long rides and it doesn't bother me. Where are you located? We're going to try to get some weekend rides going for folks that want to prepare, you're welcome to try out mine before buying one.

15rms, I don't see any reason why a motorized bike wouldn't be welcome. We're just some folks trying to raise awareness for Wounded Vets.

Steve

Hey Mutt, glad to see you made it over.

Thanks for the link Tx. Barlows yeah I think I'll get a camelback it should make things easier. I would love to catch up with you guys for some rides just let me know. Like I said I'm just getting back on the bike after many years of not riding. I rode a monster 6 miles yesterday and it had my tongue hanging out. My years of being lazy really showed. If I'm going to make March I'm going to have to get cranking. C M dropped me a note on some training that sounds good also. I should be able to get 4 or 5 rides in a week. I hope to be up to speed before the ride, we'll see.

Mutt

Mutt, for bottle cages you canget clamps, kind of like radiator hose clamps, that clamp the cages to your tubes. Just use small rubber strips under thecange and camp so you don't scratch things up.

Just got done riding today and got 12 miles in, in an hour. I feel much better about March then I did yesterday. I promise not to post everydays ride, LOL. Just that I felt much better today then yesterday.

Mutt

Just saw the first day mileage on the new forum.....83.6 miles?:twitchy:

That's one heck of a first day....for me anyway. My longest ride to date is 45 miles (taking several days to recover).
Now I have to consider the amount of training I am able/willing to do over 3 winter months.
It's possible (just finished Marla Streb's book on training for a century ride) just looking less likely at this point, between the cold and the spotty reliability of equipment right now.

:(

Wow. My legs just cramped up, lol.

Now I need to look up how far it is from Waco to Austin. Would seem to be about 120 miles left I would think.

Wow. My legs just cramped up, lol.

Now I need to look up how far it is from Waco to Austin. Would seem to be about 120 miles left I would think.

120-ish miles...depending on where we stop in Austin. So 50 miles to Temple and 70+ to Austin.

We'll make the MS 150 riders look like wusses!:lol: