
It is just a little more than a month to go before we leave for Maine. We have been riding 4-5 days a week to train. We ride both on the Pinellas trail and the road. We are approaching 50 miles a ride now; up from 20-25 when we started. We have only been rained on once and it was actually refreshing. This heat really challenges us!
Beth's bike
We are riding with panniers on our bikes to get use to the weight. Panniers are the bags you put on your bike that store all your stuff. They attach to racks you also attach to your bike. We have loaded our panniers with weights to simulate the weight we will carry. We will each be carrying approximately 25 lbs of clothes, tools, spare parts, etc. Since it will be colder up north, we will be taking appropriate clothing for colder weather which adds weight. As it gets warmer as we ride south, we will mail what we don’t need back home.
Beth's bike
We are riding with panniers on our bikes to get use to the weight. Panniers are the bags you put on your bike that store all your stuff. They attach to racks you also attach to your bike. We have loaded our panniers with weights to simulate the weight we will carry. We will each be carrying approximately 25 lbs of clothes, tools, spare parts, etc. Since it will be colder up north, we will be taking appropriate clothing for colder weather which adds weight. As it gets warmer as we ride south, we will mail what we don’t need back home.
Jim's bike
We were originally planning to camp about 60% of the time but that added even more weight with the tent, sleeping bags, stove, etc. With the extra weight we felt the bike was unsafe. So we will be only staying in hotels. Check this overloaded bike.
There is still time to donate if you are so inclined. All the info is on the home page.