Training Tribulations

Two months ago the USPS delivered a real treasure to my address here in Maine - the bike I'd be riding across the country with - a 59cm Giant Defy 2.  My bike and I hit it off right away and just yesterday I rode my 500th mile of training on it.

My new bike on its first ride, back in
March, to Reid State Park near
Georgetown, ME.

I broke that barrier somewhere near Lisbon, ME (one of many Maine cities and towns that are comically named after distant, exotic, and unrelated locations) during a trip from Bethel, ME - home of Sunday River Ski Resort, Gould Academy, and, seasonally, the world's tallest snowman - to Bath, ME - home of me.  In order to get to my starting locale, I rode a bus along with the Hyde School men's lacrosse team, who had a game in Bethel (Go Phoenix!).

Along my slightly downhill ride back home I passed through the beautiful town of Greenwood, alleged birthplace of L.L. Bean.  I also passed through the towns of Norway and Paris before stopping for a snack in Mechanic Falls.  Just two miles after my lovely stop a badly intentioned piece of gravel gave me my first flat tire of the season (damn stock tires!).  I was able to change the tube quickly enough, but I couldn't inflate the new tube enough with my crappy hand pump, which made for a difficult ride back.

Beautiful paved road in Greenwood that
betrayed my trust by turning into gravel.

Although I intended to ride all the way to Bath, by the time I arrived in Brunswick (about 9 miles to the west), it was too dark and foggy to continue, so I stopped and enjoyed some Brunswick delights - awesome Indian food and Gelato Fiasco for dessert.  At first my ego was a little sore at having failed to reach my original goal, but ultimately Bethel to Brunswick is still pretty far and, in my defense, I was extremely hungry. 

Mileage for the day: 70
Riding time: 4:20
Flat Tires: 1

Announcing the Route Tracker 2012

This ridiculous line does not represent
my cross-country bike trip.  But the Route
Tracker sure does!!

Now that Bike & Build's first trip is on the road, the organization has launched its Route Tracker function, where you can see where riders are today, how many miles they've ridden, and how much money they've raised, as well as their photos, stories, and credit card numbers, etc..  (Only one of these things is not true).

Although there is still a month before my route sets off, the Maine to Santa Barbara Route Tracker is ready for action.  Until then, it functions merely as a constant reminder that 0 miles have been ridden. 

I'll also post a link at the top of the blog so that it's always easy to access.  Enjoy!