After the middleburgh rest stop at 23 miles, the girls kept riding. They refused to stop every 10 miles or so. I let them pedal ahead and stopped after the intersention of SR 16, 34 miles into the trip. I drank water, let blood flow into places starved of it and checked google maps to find the state park. We had decided to meet at the state park.

Feeling a little refreshed, I got back on the saddle. The road looked uphill as far as the eye could see. That can be a serious demotivator if you are close to hitting your wall. A few miles through, I saw the girls resting outside a white fence of some farm. They asked me to stop but I had a good momentum going. I didn’t want to break it. So, I yelled back,” see you at the state park” and kept going.

41 miles into the trip was Golden Head Branch state park. It costs $2 to get in for a bicyclist. I did not pay and stopped by a bench near the gate. By the time I had mixed a bottle of Gatorade, the girls arrived. They seemed to be in high spirits till they saw my exquisite roast beef sandwich. They had eaten soggy tuna salad sandwiches sitting by that fence.

This stop was also my wall. I had given in all I wanted to give to this trip. I wanted to give up. My butt was hurting but recovering well at stops. My upper back and right shoulder were beginning to hurt more reminding me of all the training I did not do. My legs and quads were totally fine. No sign of any discomfort there. I must have used gears properly. After spending 45 mins at the park, we headed towards Keystone Heights.

There is a new segregated bike path that starts outside this park and goes all the way to Keystone heights. It is about 6 miles long. We passed a lot of lakes with very low water levels. I guess some neighboring big cities (Jacksonville) are sucking up the Aquafir.

The ride though Keystone Heights was the best stretch. The road was curvy and a good mix of some downhill and some uphill. SR 21 goes through downdown Keystone Heights. There is not much shoulder here till you reach Melrose.

There is no better way to see Keystone Heights than on a bicycle.

We stopped at a gas station in the 50 mile mark before reaching Melrose. I sprayed all chains and gears with a grease. The girls got ice for their water. We should have stopped longer and eaten something. All I had was a drink of water. Right after Melrose on SR 26, five miles from this stop, my stomach told me I was hungry. I stopped and watched the girls ride away. After a snack of trail mix and water, after facilitating more blood flow, I set off again. This was 54 miles into the trip. The next six miles were slow. I saw the girls at some point way out in the horizon but never caught up wih them.

At mile 60, I stopped at the intersection of US 301 and SR 26. No sign of the girls here either. Under a shady tree, I devoured some more sandwich, some sweet potato chips and 16 oz of Gatorade. I walked and stretched. 30 mins after this stop, I set off again. The stretch of 26 after 301 is also a joy to ride in. Moreover, Gainesville city limits are less than ten miles away. I powered through this section using the remaining of my quads. The shoulder and arms were killing me.

A mile before the intersection of 223 and 26, the girls called me. They had taken a turn and weren’t sure of it. That was a good call since it would have added a few extra miles to their trip. I met up with them, snacked and drank water, then set off on SR 222. This is NE 39th street which goes along Gainesille airport.

The fast riding seemed to have taken a toll on the girls here. They no longer sped away towards their destination like before. Their speed was somewhere around 6-8 mph and they kept at it chatting and singing. I was having to brake in order to stay behind them. So I took off and reached the Gainesville city limit sign. After I took a picture and called a friend, the girls arrived. We spent more time taking pictures which should show up on facebook soon. With five miles left to go, we got back on the saddles.

We turned on Wlado Rd which has a segregated bike path into the city. Our speeds were a leisurely 10 mph on the 2 miles of this trail.

77.91 miles later, I was taking a hot shower in my friend’s apartment reflecting on this impossible accomplishment.

I did not think I could do it. My appreciation goes out to the girls who after exhaustion and severe sun burn want to ride back. I am catching a ride back. I am just not masochistic enough.

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We have a Murray 10 speed with 26 inch tires and a Huffy with 24 inch wheels and knobby offroad tires. Charisse on the Huffy is working harder than the rest of us. She is also riding this bike for the first time. Ever!

I need to stop typing and get some nutrition in.

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The first subjective thought was a resounding “Yes!” The objective engineer in me promptly took over and started analyzing this offer.

• I have not been riding regularly.
• Elisabet and her friend have been riding less than me. They work out though.
• We need someone on call either in Jacksonville or Gainesville or both in case something un-repairable breaks on the trip, namely a Plan B.
• It is 70 miles away. We are not even used to riding a third of that regularly.

I have always wanted to tour. The three people whose tours encourage me are Ken Keifer, Russ Roca and Laura and The Stouts (who tour with two toddlers). I was skeptical about going on my first tour alone. This tour is an opportunity to have company and do a short trip. I also had some strong candidates for a Plan B.

Between the conflicting subjective and objective thought processes, I managed to find quality in this adventure. First thing the next morning, as early as it is allowed to send text messages, I replied,” Fcuk it! I am doing it”.

Desperate emails were sent to Russ Roca and Jack “Ghost Rider” Sweeney. Their tips are very much appreciated and summarized below the map.

We leave on Saturday morning, reach Gainesville by evening, rest, then leave the next morning and arrive in Jax the same day. This is the route that we have decided on.

View Jax to GNV by bike in a larger map

Some good advices:

• Take three spare tubes
• Make sure the valves on the tubes match the air pump
• Start with a big breakfast which will help you power through the first twenty miles
• Stop every ten miles to snack
• Eat apples, peanut butter
• Plan for a good lunch that you can look forward to
• Use padded mountain biking shorts

Medical: sun block Tylenol Antacid napkins after-shave (disinfectant for cuts) bandage

Gear: 1 padded mountain biking shorts (wash and dry upon reaching) 4 t shirts 1 long pants 2 compression underwear 1 pair of boxers rain jacket safety glasses (for riding in the rain or in the dark) sunglasses iPhone iPhone charger extra batteries for headlight and tail light rag cycling cap Dr. Bronners liquid soap (good for washing face, hands, hair, plates, clothes etc) paper map (in case technology fails)

Tools: duct tape swiss knife 2 adjustable wrenches 13 mm wrench bike pump 3 tubes Nylon rope

Food: 3 bottles of water museli cheese (Brie) trail mix roast beef sandwiches sweet potato chips Hot/Cold insulated bag (folds flat and lighter than a cooler) Spoon

I plan to buy a cup of yoghurt and blueberries to eat with muesli Sunday morning before riding back. This I will do once I reach Gainesville.

I will try to post pictures on this blog as we go through our journey.

As I started riding a bicycle a little over a year back, I was exposed to many types of bicyclists. Some of the groups are road bike riders (with a sub category of triathletes), beach cruiser people, mountain bikers etc. All these categories have a fair amount of consumerism associated to them. Some beginners are led to think that they have to invest in all this gear to ride a bike.

There is a category of bicyclists that is growing in numbers. They have older bikes, probably bought used and primarily used for transportation. Some of these get converted to a fixed gear but none the less are used to go from a place of residence to a place of business. This emerging category of people on bikes using it for transportation is the group I belong to and advocate for. This is what Bikejax.org stands for.

To promote the notion that you don’t need a ‘fancy’ bike to start commuting, Ryan Van Duzer from Wonderbikes, the bicycle advocacy group of New Belgium Brewery, took off on a three speed bike and toured across several states.

This is are his words after completing the tour:

I never thought in a million years that my cruise across America would be as amazing as it was. Most people thought that the idea of riding a heavy three speed sounded very uncomfortable…and in fact it was. But it’s not the moments on the bike I remember most about this journey. It was the people I met along the way who made this experience so magical. Everywhere I pedaled I met friendly, warm-hearted Americans. From café owners in the deserts of Arizona to coal miners in West Virginia, it seemed that everywhere I turned, someone was there to make my day a little brighter. And to all the Wonderbikers across this great land, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of you who joined me for a days ride or took in and fed a stinky Duzer. This may have been a solo mission across the country but I never felt alone with so many people cheering me on.

And what did I accomplish other than get a very sore behind? Well, the goal was pretty simple, to inspire people to ride their bikes and raise money for Community Cycles in Boulder Colorado. I may not have motivated the entire country to ditch their cars but I definitely got some people to think twice about driving. I got countless emails from strangers who promised me that they’ll ride more often, even my mom! And it looks like we’ll raise about $4,500 for Community Cycles and their youth after school program. A big high five to all who donated to this great cause! If we can inspire the little ones now, we’ll create a culture of cycling that will last a lifetime.

What now? I’m gonna rest my body for a little while, and probably drink some cold Fat Tires until I dream up a new adventure. Until then I hope you all keep on riding your beautiful bicycles and ringing your bells.

Read the full story here: http://www.newbelgium.com/team-wonderbike/duzer

All you have to do it ride a bike, be aware of the laws and have fun. Happy riding.

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