Tandem Cycling - Leaving on Tuesday for a 1642 mile tour

Leaving on Tuesday 8/25 for a 1642 mile tour. We will ride from Seattle, Washington to just south of San Diego, California. We will average about 50 miles a day and will stay in hotels and B&B's.

The route and a lot of other information, including daily updates with pictures will be available at Crazy Guy on a bike http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/tourdemiller3

We will be riding our 2008 Co-Motion Speedster Co-pilot. It is pretty Much stock except for:

Chris King Headset
Arai Drum Brake
Schwalbe 700 x 32 Marathon Plus tires
Gearing 52 x 30x 24 front chainrings
Gearing 11x 34 rear cassette


We will be using a Garmin 705 for navigation ( I have plotted turn by turn into daily GPX files.)

It should be a pretty cool adventure.

We are kind of new to tandems we got this one in late November and have put 3250 on it through today (August 22nd) I do ride off road a good bit in the cooler months here in Florida and take some time to snow ski.

We love the Co-motion it has been really fun. So check out the site and follow our progress --- sign the guest book.

take care

Mike & Bern

Looks like a great trip. Looking forward to tracking your progress.

And my wife was excited about out 13 mile ride the other day... :innocent:

And my wife was excited about out 13 mile ride the other day... :innocent:

That is how it all starts... 13 ....then 20 and do on.... My wife did not ride when we met....(in 1978) and by 2007 we rode from Astoria Oregon to Portsmouth NH.

thanks for checkin in

Mike

Sounds like a blast. Make sure you bring rain gear for the northwest. Although I hear lately its been 100 degrees in Seattle, how weird is that? When you get to Central california I would suggest getting off Highway 1 and take some side roads. Orcutt Rd starting in San Luis Obispo takes you through wine county in the Edna valley, much nicer than the blight in Pismo beach. Then when you get near Lompoc take Santa Rosa Rd. or Foxen Canyon (hillier but beatiful) to Buelton. Let me know if need any details.

Good Luck

Great websites, very inspirational. Trying to decide which part of the "longing" group we are in. Well, I'm crazy (according to my better half) as I do double centuries on my single. The 50 miles a day seems like a great idea. Your gearing seems appropriate and you will be happy you have it on the California coast. We are in the Bay Area and ride the coast from Half Moon Bay towards Santa Cruz a lot; it's a great ride, especially when the sea fog burns off. Be warned that Highway can be relentlessly grey and cold sometimes, although September is typically better than August. There are some good B&Bs in Half Moon Bay, e.g., The Old Thyme Inn.

I have two questions. How do you get so much time off -;)

How much do your loaded panniers weigh?

Have fun!

Day 23 & 24 San Francisco CA 37miles Sept 19th & 20th (this includes a rest day)

Day 25 San Gregoriio CA 42miles Sept 21st

Day 26 Santa Cruz CA 39 miles Sept 22nd

You'll have plenty of time along the coast, I'd think, and the more interesting, scenic and clement route from San Francsico to Santa Cruz would be down the Peninsula along the usual route (http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3428882) paralleling 280, to, say Palo Alto, Saratoga or Los Gatos. This will take you through a road cycling hotbed. The next day make it to Santa Cruz (http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3428882) over the Santa Cruz mountains.

Great websites, very inspirational. Trying to decide which part of the "longing" group we are in. Well, I'm crazy

I have two questions. How do you get so much time off -;)

How much do your loaded panniers weigh?

Time off... I am kind of semi retired. I own a business and my son is running it while I am on the road. I will work maybe an hour or so most days via computer -- a small price to pay for the "life on the road"

Weight: all told about 50 pounds. Realize a good bit of that is tools and spare parts (including a 700x 32 spare tire) We do not carry too much in the way of cycling clothes (2 sets) plus various vest, jacket, rain jacket, arm & leg warmers etc.

I will weigh them prior to leaving Seattle

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as to the low mileage daily-- we did a cross country ride in 2007 and averaged 85 miles a day. In fact the riding part was just fine BUT....it did not allow sufficient time to sight see and just soak it in.
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thanks for the interest and the questions!!!:thumb:

Tell the wife we said hi. Enjoy your trip and be safe. I'll keep track as I did for your NY trip. See you in Ocala in a few weeks and WILL expect to hear more about it.

Paul and Jeanne

Mike...Great web site....enjoy the ride...you picked the perfect time of year for this one...You have done everything right on the prep side and your training should be more than sufficient for your time line so you can enjoy everyday. Please be safe!

BTW...just noticed.. that if you stay on schedule.. on day 30 ( Saturday Sept 26th) you will be riding through the Pismo Beach area during the Lighthouse Century ride which roughly goes from San Luis Obispo to north of San Simeon. The good news is that is a septacular strech of coastline and is wonderful to ride regardless of if it is a sunny or foggy(most likely) morning. The other good news is that stretch of Highway 1 has a very wide and comforting shoulder which is not true further north.
The only dowside that day will be you'll be sharing that shoulder with my stoker and me along with a few thousand other riders of varying degrees of skill and sanity.
We will be spending a few days riding that central California coastal area and inland hills before and after the Windmill ride so if we see you heading south we will be sure to wave and say hello.

Bill J.

It looks like you got some good input on your route plan.

I see that you got the local scoop to cut off HWY1 through VAFB (Santa Maria - Lompoc CA) and go over Harris Grade; this will avoid climbing 5 hills instead of just one over Harris Grade (nice 8% scenic climb).

My only change would be to ride from Lompoc to Santa Barbara via Santa Rosa Rd to Buelton, 246 to 154 via Solvang, and 154 over San Marcos Pass into Santa Barbara. Great ride through wine country, good lunch stop in Solvang, great ride over San Marcos with an amazing view of SB & Pacific before a fantastic downhill into SB. Once you ride a short stretch of HWY 1 between Lompoc - 101 it all looks the same; also lots of traffic. Although 101 to Santa Barbara is along the coast (yes scenic) you are riding on a hwy / Freeway with lots of traffic going 70 - 80 mph!!! If you decide to do HWY 1 / 101 route, do it in the morning before the wind starts blowing; 101 along the coast can be downright miserable on a windy day.

I also agree with JnBrown to cut out Pismo for a ride down Edna Valley (227) between SLO and Arroyo Grande. You can pick up HWY 1 again at Arroyo Grande.

Looking forward to reading about your ride!

I don't have anything to add to the route assistance, but I'm going to bookmark this thread since my wife and I are thinking about a CC ride from San Franciso to Los Angeles. Some great local knowledge in this thread.

You'll have plenty of time along the coast, I'd think, and the more interesting, scenic and clement route from San Francsico to Santa Cruz would be down the Peninsula along the usual route (http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3428882) paralleling 280, to, say Palo Alto, Saratoga or Los Gatos. This will take you through a road cycling hotbed. The next day make it to Santa Cruz (http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3428882) over the Santa Cruz mountains.

I don't think the Peninsula can compare with Highway 1 for scenery (I live in Palo Alto). Riding Skyline Boulevard along the crest of the hills between the bay and the coast would be a compromise. If you want a climbing challenge, try Tunitas Creek, recently paved for the Amgen Tour of California, just south of Half Moon Bay, then ride south on Skyline and down 84 back to San Gregorio. The best stretch of coast is, IMHO, from San Gregorio to Pescadero, with three big rollers on that section, and great views. Of course, nothing beats Big Sur later on for dramatic scenery!

I am very much looking forward to the coast. I have done sections of it in a car and much more of it on a motorcycle. It will be nice to now do the whole thing on the Tandem. We are actually staying one night in Pescadero CA at a place called Costanoa which looks pretty cool.

thanks for the local insights... getting excited...we leave tomorrow to fly west

Costanoa is pretty cool. Have stayed there before.

I will let you know that there is a section along the coast in Pacifica called "Devil's Slide" that is VERY dangerous. Lots of traffic and no shoulder, and right next to you is a 200 foot drop into the Pacific Ocean.

You can definitely do it, but you might have to stop and let cars go by and wait for a gap.

Check out this route, ( http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=77413 ) just in case you want to skip that section of hwy1. At first when you are on Skyline, you won't be impressed but in the southern half of the route, the roads are amazing and beautiful with hills and redwoods.

We'll be looking forward to reading and seeing pictures on your your blog. Best wishes to you & Bern for a safe & happy tour.

Reg & Michele

We'll see you at STR or b-4 for add'l details!

I also agree with you on Harris Grade to Santa Rosa Rd. It's a nice not too hard climb with a smooth as glass downhill thats a blast. Santa Rosa is very scenic with vineyards and walnut groves.
You are right about 101 to Santa Barbara kind of sucks like riding on a freeway although the shoulder is plenty good and usually its a tailwind going south. San Marcos pass doesn't have much of a shoulder so I wouldn't do it on a weekend.

Costanoa is pretty cool. Have stayed there before.

I will let you know that there is a section along the coast in Pacifica called "Devil's Slide" that is VERY dangerous. Lots of traffic and no shoulder, and right next to you is a 200 foot drop into the Pacific Ocean.

You can definitely do it, but you might have to stop and let cars go by and wait for a gap.

Check out this route, ( http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=77413 ) just in case you want to skip that section of hwy1. At first when you are on Skyline, you won't be impressed but in the southern half of the route, the roads are amazing and beautiful with hills and redwoods.

How is skyline drive on the tandem (remember we will be fully loaded with 4 panniers) the link was great...just curious as to the grades???

My only change would be to ride from Lompoc to Santa Barbara via Santa Rosa Rd to Buelton, 246 to 154 via Solvang, and 154 over San Marcos Pass into Santa Barbara. Great ride through wine country, good lunch stop in Solvang, great ride over San Marcos with an amazing view of SB & Pacific before a fantastic downhill into SB. Once you ride a short stretch of HWY 1 between Lompoc - 101 it all looks the same; also lots of traffic. Although 101 to Santa Barbara is along the coast (yes scenic) you are riding on a hwy / Freeway with lots of traffic going 70 - 80 mph!!! If you decide to do HWY 1 / 101 route, do it in the morning before the wind starts blowing; 101 along the coast can be downright miserable on a windy day.

Foxen Canyon, Buelton, Solvang, Santa Rosa Road are all beautiful areas to ride.

I rode from San Luis Obispo to Ventura County last Saturday (yes, all in one day - a pre-ride for a 300k brevet). I rode San Marcos Pass (mostly on Stagecoach rather than 154 to avoid traffic) this spring on a fleche. My experience is that the traffic goes about the same speed on 154 as it does on the 101 and I would avoid any time that traffic would be returning from the Chumash Casino.

Lompoc to Goleta via 1/101 does have its problems however. The most significant is the narrow bridge south of Mariposa Reina. The other being a narrow gap between a guardrail and a uneven section of pavement south of the 1/101 interchange.

The narrow gap is not a problem if you are keeping your speed down. The narrow bridge is well signed and as long as you wait for a gap in the traffic is it not a problem. Other than that and the noise from the traffic, it is not a problem and personally I find it to be a safer route. The shoulders are very wide and traffic tends to stay well away from you. Additionally, there is a bike path that runs between Refugio and El Capitan that you can use if you like.

On our typical club rides we find that we will have calm or possibly a slight tailwind (headwind for you) going north in the morning and a screaming tailwind (tailwind for you too) when coming back in the afternoon. Generally speaking, once the fog burns off and it heats up a little the wind kicks in and you can expect a strong tailwind coming south. Rarely, when the Santa Ana's are in high gear, there will be a headwind going south (you are actually going east on this section of the coast), but that is not typical.

When traveling from Malibu to Santa Monica try to do it in the early morning on a weekend. Early morning during the week expect heavy commuter traffic from people trying to avoid the freeway traffic.

Awesome, possum.

How is skyline drive on the tandem (remember we will be fully loaded with 4 panniers) the link was great...just curious as to the grades???

Skyline is easy.

I had the route ascending Kings Mtn from Woodside back up to Skyline. That is the only significant climb.

Here are the stats:
Avg. grade: 6.8%
Length: 4.31 miles
Elev. gain: 1540 feet

There is maybe 2 switchbacks that hit 14-16%, but literally only for the turn, it's not a bad climb.

Then the route (mostly) descends Skyline to the small area of Skylonda. Then a nice shallow sweeping descent down CA-84 (W) towards San Gregorio. Then you can turn south on Stage Rd or HWY 1. I like stage road, since (unlike Hwy 1) there are very few cars, and just peacefulness. There are two mild climbs. Stage Rd drops you off right in the town of Pescadero. The bakery there has this freshly baked artichoke bread that is amazing. There are a few good places there for eating. Then hook up with Hwy1 and Costanoa is not too far away.

On our tours down Hwy 1 we always made a point to take the little roads that hug the shoreline in little towns like Mendocino and San Simeon and the like. This gets you off Hwy 1 for a bit (a welcome respite) while you get a chance to gawk at the beautiful scenery and houses, etc., without worrying about getting clipped by an RV mirror. We never plotted a course; these types of roads inevitably connect back to Hwy 1, then you're on your way. Some of our most memorable times were on these little side trips.

Have fun on your trip!!

Andy

You will also swing close by the Calfee factory. You should visit :)

We did part of that ride last fall (organized ride). We stayed in about 6 places along the way. Our favorite was The Ragged Point Inn: http://www.raggedpointinn.com/

It is very pretty and remote place. I wish that we had stayed 2 nights there to just enjoy the views and peace & quiet. The resturant there was pretty good as well.

Sounds like a blast. I ride the AIDS/Lifecycle from SF to LA every year (for the last 13 years) for a week long 565 mile ride and it's a blast as well. Next year? On the tandem!

yesterdays pics ...sightseeing in Seattle http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3Tzut&page_id=124337&v=d

Stop at Ira's bike shop in Arroyo Grande (south of Cambria). Stumbled upon Ira's the other day while riding in the SLO area, nice guy into collecting old bikes. Arroyo Grande looks like it has plenty of good palces to eat.

Looks like you're going by our house on Day 35. Stop on by for a cup of coffee...maybe we'll ride down to Carlsbad with you.

You will also swing close by the Calfee factory. You should visit :)
In July I stopped unannounced at Calfee. It is not the easiest place to find, but what a great experience. One of the admin guys took me around the Calfee operation, and offered to let me test ride their bikes. I was surprised to see how large their CF frame repair business was, but than I didn't realise Calfee is the only place to get a CF frame repaired in America. The admin guy also gave me info on a great place to eat lunch at Moss Landing; Phil's Fish Market (just a few minute cycle off HWY1).