Jim

Jim
Let the Adventure Begin

About Me

Las Vegas, NV, United States
This is my 2008 grand adventure...riding a bicycle with 35 international bikers across Europe, following the Danube River along the Orent Express route through eleven countries. The ride is 4000km over 50 days of which 39 are ride days with camping and 11 are rest days in hotels. Our tour group, TourdAfrique, provides a tour leader that provides directions and transposts our luggage, a mechanic, and a chef who promises gourmet local cuisines. We start out in Paris on June 1 and travel through France to Germany, where we pick up the Danube river. We then follow the Danube through Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Then we ride cross country through Romania, Bulgaria, and finally Turkey, where we finish in Istanbul on July 20.

May 13, 2007

May 13 Day 1 LA to Riverside




We're off and running! This morning 43 of us biked as a group down to Manhattan Beach, where we took our bikes out to water's edge and had a tire dipping ceremony. After that was the group picture, and we were off. Next stop was Riverside, which was 79 miles down the road.


Los Angeles was a tough ride because of all the stop lights (stop signs are optional). We must have gone through 100, which is hard to get a rhythm going. After several miles, Terry and I naturally formed up with a group of eight that were about the same speed and we took turns reading the cue sheet and leading the group. Early Sunday morning the traffic was light, but the restaurants were packed because of Mother's Day.


We finished averaging 15.1 mph in light winds were in the saddle 5 1/4 hours, and climbed 2500'. I finished feeling strong and in the top third. Everyone finished and there were few problems.

Tomorrow we climb out of the valley and go to Palm Springs where it will be about 100 deg.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Congrats on finishing day 1 of many to come!

I couldn't help but notice the Diet Pepsi bottle in your water cage ... that just can't be a good source of hydration :)

Your average speed for day 1 is well below the Tour de France pace - it must be the drag caused by the orange flag :)

Hollisters said...

Wow, Dad!! You are an inspiration. It looks like you will be hanging with a fun group of people for the next few months. You web page is IMPRESSIVE! Not only are you athletic, but you are smart! Good luck and be safe! You are awesome. (I give you a thumbs up on the Diet Pepsi. It might not be good for hydration, but it sure tastes yummy).