It is true! I cannot believe I took all this cruelty to New Jersey my whole life! Not only does it smell like a mixture of diapers and dog food in Iowa, they have lots of traffic! Enough Iowa bashing, it is just that we have had a pretty tough time here so far.
Yesterday our pedal pumpers (our legs) were too tired to go on, so we were stopped short in Marquette, along the Mississippi. We ended up at a state park nearby for the night, where we had a relaxing evening and an excellent dinner (special salad, potatoes a la Wanda, and tortillas with apples, cinammon and nutella for dessert). Then we were up for two hours in the middle of the night for the second night in a row with severe thunderstorms. Big A is awesome though, so we did not get wet. Our bikes, however, were not so fortunate.
Today things were finally starting to shape up, and we thought we could get back on schedule when Sarah "Chaos" Panda realized she was sans front right pannier. After 15 miles of searching for it, she was not able to find it. So, not only are we totally miffed by where the pannier could have gone and how she could have not noticed its abandoning ship while we were riding, but Sarah has lost a lot of gear and an ipod. Not just any ipod, this was a real fighter, 3rd generation vintage ipod. She is also completely without underwear. Oo-la-la.
Some injuries are also starting to take their toll. We all seem to have developed some tendonitis in our knees. Sarah and I have lost feeling and strength in our hands and lower arms. It's kind of bad... but hey, no one said riding our bikes across the country was going to be easy, or painless. Right now we are just looking forward to some serious r & r with family in Chicago and Indiana. Listen to what Melissa Chester Key wrote us in an email- "If the weather is nice, we could also head to Central Park... [it] has a nice pool, lazy river, some water slides, and plenty of lounge chairs." Can you imagine ANYTHING that could sound better than that to tired cyclists? The only down side is exposing our tan lines to the public.
We would also like to congratulate our father on completing the ride up Mount Washington this morning. He completed the course in 1 hour 41 minutes, his best time!!! What a good cycling role model. Also, happy 25th anniversary to our parents!
- Liz and the Pandas
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Ah, the aptly named Chaos. Nothing her family doesn't know about already! Hey, if this is the worst, then you all will have done very well.
On the numbness in your hands, this results from weight and vibration on the hands during the ride. It is interesting to speculate that it is the two of you with the Specialized cyclocross aluminum bikes, while Cate is OK on her steel Trek; that has to remain speculation only. My suggestions are new gloves if you don't already have them (hope you bought the expensive ones with lots of excellent padding). I like the high ends from Pearl izumi myself. another strategy which works well is to double tape the handlebars to provide more cushioning. This needs to be good quality tape, cork or equivalent. I came across a product from Specialized last year which is a single roll of tape, but has gel filled cushions under the tape, which gives the same effect. Look for Specialized Super Phat Bar Gel Tape. maybe some other manufacturers have something like it. I really suggest you do something about this at your first opportunity (bike shop stop again).
On the tendonitis, only the usual: rest, ice, and anti inflammatory meds (ibuprofen). If you need it, I can call a prescription for something else, but I think ibuprofen is just as effective. try 400 mg (2 tabs) before your ride in the morning, at lunch, and at the end of the day. Try this for 5 days and see if there is an improvement. Ice at the end of the day. You can also try to vary the mechanics of your riding by moving something around a little. Try to lower or raise your seat post by 5 to 10 mm, or move your seat forward or back a similar amount. Not knowing how you are riding right now, I can only say to experiment a little. the point is to slightly vary the load on your muscles and tendons.
Mt Washington was a blast. Took over 8 minutes off my previous time.
Hang in there! See you soon. Love.
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