beakersbike

I can remember running a voice activated tape recorder one time - I was single at the time and wondering if I snored - holy cow the sound was gastly.

And in an attempt to de,-hijackify this thread, we can bring it back to Eric. He posted one time about hearing some animal while trying to sleep, which had me thinking that if he's got that going on, you gotta wonder if all the animal commotion was them complaining about his snoring.

billew

I have ridden all the routes through Rhode Island and in the southern part of the state there are three ways to go: Route 1a which it seems they took down the coast then I guess they would cross back to Route 1 via the O'Neil bike path from Narragansett to Wakefield then on to Westerly Not super hilly for a regular cyclist but enough and it's a long slog with fast traffic. Remember this is high season in a very crowded coastal area. another route would have been to go via Route 138 straight across from the bridges but there are hills that way And I am thinking from the point of view of a larger inexperienced rider when I say hills. If they take the path to the end they would not go to Westerly but cross into Voluntown, Ct. and end up north of Rt.1. Another way is to go from the end of the bike path and head west on a series of local roads with considerable climbing but a short way to New London and Rt. 1 again. I say they won't get out of R.I. There is 1600 ft or so of climbing in the 45 miles from Narragansett to New London.

JohnX

Bike paths would always be prefersble to me. And it looks like there is an Amtrak station at the end of the O'Neil path. That will be tempting.

indyfabz

Google "Crazy Guy On a Bike." You can read journals written by people who have and are currently touring.

indyfabz

+1. I think a certain someone needs to differentiate between being negative and pointing out challenges.

As for camping density, you can "camp" at places like churches. You don't always need a campground. How is that for positive?

Rowan

Questions have been raised about the perceived progress of the couple and how long it is going to take them to get to California. Frankly, I am not so sure the progress and time to get there is such an issue.

If the seasons change to autumn and to winter so they are faced with snowfalls or extreme conditions, I wouldn't see much of an issue in making the crossing in stages. It would take a commitment by the couple to return in spring (or whenever the thaw occurs) to where they left off to continue riding.

I, too, am still a sceptic, but that can only be realised if and when FGAA pulls the plug (ie, just gives up). Until then, we can all really just watch from the sidelines and, hopefully, cheer the progress.

Little Darwin

I rode this weekend on a couple of bike trails, and it was fun, I only did 16 miles Saturday, and I don't know about yesterday, since my phone battery was too low to run MapMyRide, but my guess it was only 10-12 miles. I am impressed that Eric did 10 miles. I haven't had a very goods season on the bike, but it was a lot of fun, although today I am a little sore from some friction (I didn't use chamois cream, and I should have). I wonder what Eric will have to learn to deal with in the coming weeks.

I was talking with my riding partner, and she is not an Athena, but part of our discussion was about the definition of hill, because we talked to a couple of people on road bikes that mentioned that the path we would be taking was flat. To most seasoned road riders, the paths we took are flat, but to us any time we hit an incline of any amount it sure felt like a hill...

For Eric, when he finally faces a real hill, I think it will be the time when he rethinks what is important to carry, because at his size, and with the bulk in that trailer, it will be extremely difficult to even push his rolling-stock up a hill. I have never been there, but my impression of Indiana is that it is pretty flat, and the areas he has ridden so far are also pretty flat based on my limited experience. As far as being driven out, he probably did see some climbs, but for someone without experience, the enormity of climbing them under your own power doesn't really hit you when you are driving up (or down) them.

Assuming that this is a serious advance, I expect a relatively high proportion of rest days compared to what we would see if this was an experienced duo on a long tour.

Willbird

It will depend on glycogen stores too. 10-20 miles a day may not deplete them much, but carb intake and I would presume being at a calorie deficit may have an impact. Also being able to ride very slow in a low gear might be terribly compromised by towing a trailer. Ohio is flat too, nw Ohio especially, but I can find 7-8 miles of rollers here that are a challenge, and some hit really busy roads at an angle with NO "landing" or flat ground at the top. Then there are the angled RR tracks with no signals, and all kinds of stuff we just absorb due to thousands of miles in the saddle, and or driving if we are on "home turf".

sbiker63

Regarding camping density, I think we mean that he can camp on private property with the owner's permission in advance.

Fahrradfahrer

BTW, I highly suggest reading his wife's FB page too. She writes more regularly and coherently I find. Supposedly there will an "announcement" tonight, according to her.

RollingBlubber

If I had to guess they're either going to be on the next season of "The Biggest Loser" or they're going to do some internet series.

JackoDandy

-1 I think we can all agree that investigating the guys marriage, wife's affairs, 'joke' fat pictures, 'joke' cocaine use accusations, and religion etc has little to do with pointing out challenges.

Let's not rewrite thread history here. Perhaps we aren't as pious as we think we are. We all sat back, said nothing, and salivated over the next juicy soap-opera detail.

PhotoJoe 

We're not going to let this turn into a thread where members start attacking each other. The site administrator has posted, and has asked that this remain positive and on-topic. Posts have been deleted.

Fahrradfahrer

You know, I'd almost bet money on this guess. The Biggest Loser specifically; I don't think they warrant a new series, but a special TBL episode about them, that would totally make sense.

bassjones

It would also hold them accountable. I'm not a fan of the TBL format of "trainer" yelling and fat-shaming format, but Eric won't fool Jillian or Bob into thinking he's working hard when he's not.

nordek

I agree,but this is a serious bike forum,this has nothing to do with his weight,but with him pulling off a scam.If your riding with friends and see a pothole don't you warn them? If he put as much time biking,as he did on his web site,doing interviews etc he would be in the Midwest by now. His website is better than some upscale stores. The problem I have is he is ruining it for the next guy and is making the biking community look like a joke.Maybe its from me being from Chicago that I am not that trusting,but open your eyes.If he was doing this and not asking for money or publicity,I would not say a word.

Little Darwin

I do wonder about the diet, just because of the couple of posts... and the battle many of us have fought that riding was the solution to our weight issues, when it is really just a supplement to good diet if you want to do it right.

I honestly have no issue with the recent pulled pork sandwich(es) because people need protein, and even though I don't know the nutritional details, I suspect a pulled pork sandwich is potentially better for you than a quarter-pounder with cheese. Or at least not significantly worse than other fast food options. Or at a minimum, "If you are going to eat XXX calories, at least make them worthwhile.

Anything they do (or I do) to make the diet better, even just 1 meal a day is an improvement... it shouldn't be seen as a solution. However, just as a person riding a bike for a mile is lapping everyone who sits on their couch, any calories saved by healthy alternatives is more calories saved than those of us who aren't taking those steps.

TrojanHorse

Did they actually ride anywhere yesterday or are they still in Narragansett?

indyfabz

By "challenges" I meant logistical challenges like picking a safe route, available daylight, that load in the trailer and finding camping opportunities. Being someone who actually tours, those things are in the forefront of my mind.

PhotoJoe 

Nowhere on the forum is recommending someone "eat a bullet" tolerated. Post deleted.

Fahrradfahrer

I used to be a smoker (more than 10 years ago, yay!) and when I quit I joined an online group so I could talk about stuff.
One thing that was super-problematic, and caused a large number to relapse, was when the spouse continued smoking while they were trying to quit. That's why I too agree that it would have been better for Eric to do this thing alone for some time. It's virtually impossible to change your lifestyle when your partner doesn't do so as well.

indyfabz

If you are talking about Amtrak's Kingston, RI station, there is no checked baggage service at that station, which means no bikes. Despite brining on line new baggage cars that accommodate unboxed bikes, Amtrak did not change its rule that you may only transport bikes between stations that offer checked baggage service. (There are a few exceptions. Some routes offer roll-on/roll-off service, but the Northeast Corridor is not one of them.)

RollingBlubber

Why delete the entire post? Sure, I should have picked a different way of expressing my disgust with "The Biggest Loser" but the rest of my post was valid.

Lumpyton

Several people have said this and I just don't get it. I have discussed this guy with multiple people and not once has someone said, "that FGAA is probably a scam. Cyclists suck and are losers." I feel confident in speculating that no right minded person on this planet is watching this guy and thinking he is part of the "cycling community." Most rational people would look at him and assume that if he were part of the cycling community he would NOT be in as bad of shape as he is in. Constantly berating someone who is possibly trying to change his life is what will make the cycling community look bad.

Being cautious is fine. Calling out inconsistencies is fine. But even when the guy finally gets on his bike and rides it, he and his "wife," and post videos he still gets called a liar. Was it CGI? If he is the low life some folks claim he is, he will out himself soon enough.

Fahrradfahrer

Yeah, I really don't see how on guy could drag down the reputation of bicyclists. Unless your name is Lance Armstrong.