The Next 50 Miles

I slept relatively well that night. I woke up a few times, like I always do. But overall I woke up feeling refreshed. Sore, but still refreshed.

I accidentally left my alarm on my phone, so that partially woke me up at 6 a.m. It was the birds that ultimately pulled me out of bed. They were surely expressing their delight at a new day. I wondered if they couldn’t do it just a little bit later.

Eventually, I rolled off my yoga mat and sleeping pad and disengaged myself from my sleeping bag. The yoga mat is definitely a luxury item I plan on taking with me, but it made sleeping more comfortable than just my sleeping pad alone so it’s worth it. A student gave it to me as a winter holiday gift. The fact that it packs down flat instead of rolls is the main selling point. I’m so glad I’ll get good use out of it!

I walked to the park’s bathroom, did my business, and brushed my teeth. I fired up my camping stove to get water ready for coffee for me and my traveling companion. I snacked on an apple and granola bars while waiting for my friend to rouse. Since we got a late start the previous day, I asked if he wanted to cook breakfast or just snack. We cooked up the rest of the brats and munched on them while tearing down camp. 

I loaded up my bike again and found a slightly more efficient way to load it than I did the day before. Soon enough we were ready to roll!

I was sore, but not as sore as I would have expected. My bum and girly parts were sore from the maladjustment of my seat. I adjusted it before we left, and it did feel better. But some of the damage was already done the day before. Still, it was bearable.

The weather was still cool and nice, but that damn wind must have wanted to celebrate our return back to St. Pete. It was nearly at our nose again. Early in the ride, it didn’t feel bad because my muscles were still fresh, but I worried about later in the trip. Not only would I have the wind, I’d also have to go up and over a few overpasses towards the end of the trip.

We started off the way we came. We turned off too early at one point, and we took a detour that was less trafficky to get back on track. Soon enough we were back on the Pinellas Trail and didn’t have to worry about cars so much. 

There were so many people using the trail. It really is inspiring to see such a large population using such a wonderful resource. Cyclists, walkers, rollerbladers… Some towns created a lot of community and business out of the trail itself. Tarpon Springs and parts of Clearwater had a number of businesses that were very bike friendly right on the trail. We didn’t stop, but it was nice to see these places that embraced cycling and pedestrian culture. It gives me hope that more cities will begin to do the same.

Though the wind was at our nose, or just to the side, for most of the trip it didn’t feel as intense on the way back. I don’t know if that was my imagination or if I was feeling stronger. The ride felt better all the way around.

Around 30 miles into the trip, I slowed really fast without ever touching the brakes. I thought I’d gotten a flat in my back tire. My friend almost ran into me. When I got turned around and assessed the damage, I saw that my back rack had come loose and fallen. Fortunately, the connectors didn’t fall far. We pulled all of the gear from the bike, rolled the rack back up, and reattached it; making sure to really, really tighten those bolts. We did bolt checks on other parts of the rack and reloaded the gear. One of my bags got a small hole it in from being dragged on the trail. My bungies also became frayed from the friction of the trail, and I was worried they’d snap before getting home. They didn’t.

Eight more miles down the road, my friend hollered, “I’m finished.” Earlier he noticed his back tire was acting funny. When he looked at it he realized his rim was super thin. He loosened his back brake so it wouldn’t rub it anymore, crossed his fingers that it would hold until he made it home. It didn’t. The rim cracked. We pushed our bikes up to the next intersection and parked in a bike shop parking lot (Ride-n-Roll Bicycle in Seminole). We got an Uber XL. The Uber driver looked concerned when he saw two fully loaded bikes sitting there. We reassured him that only one was going. We loaded my friend’s bike and gear into the back and off they went. The Uber driver earned a high rating and a $10 tip.

I still had 12 miles to ride. The upcoming overpasses made me nervous, but I didn’t feel nearly as tired as I had the day before. Seven miles in I did notice my pedaling was getting slower and slower, and I kept going into lower gears. I realized I should stop and take a break. With five miles left, I drank some water and ate a leftover donut from a stop we made while my friend fiddled with his back tire. I stretched and paced to stay loose.

Then off I went for the last five miles. I was able to get up and over all of the overpasses without too much trouble. I need to work on getting into a good gear while going up an incline. I’d find myself in the lowest gear on my 2nd chainring. If I switched to my smallest chainring, I’d be spinning like a madman. I need to get into that small chainring before the hill and then shift down from there if I need to… 

Once you get past the Tropicana in St. Pete, the trail becomes a sidewalk. It’s a bumpy sidewalk I hate riding. In lieu of riding the sidewalk, I crossed over to Central Avenue at 11th Street. It was Saturday evening, and all of the bars and restaurants were pretty full. I heard a few people commented my gear as I passed. It felt good to hear them.

I contemplated taking a victory lap around Mirror Lake before riding home. I decided against it, because I was tired. But I had done it. I rode 100 miles in two days on a fully loaded bike.

I live in a second story apartment, so I rolled my bike to the bottom of the stairs and unloaded it. I carried my panniers and bags up to my apartment and then came and got the bike. I unloaded the food pannier, so the apples and peppers didn’t go bad but I left the rest. I took a thorough, hot shower, put on clean clothes, and went to get sushi.

Mmmmmm. Protein.

After eating plenty of sushi and drinking a lot of green tea, I went to bed at about 7:30. I had to pick up friends to take them to the airport at 3 a.m., and it was Daylight Savings Time. I slept straight through to when I had to wake up.

Coming back was so much easier. I think the wind wasn’t blowing as hard, so that definitely helped. Too, my back brake wasn’t rubbing and I had proper tire pressure. Next time I’ll be checking those things early and often.

I’m already planning my next trip. I have March 30 off, so I may do the same trip again. Or maybe somewhere different. And I’ll be doing a hill ride sometime this week.

I still don’t know quite why I’m doing this, but as they say, “It’s the journey, not the destination.” It looks like more of my journey is going to be via two wheels, whatever the reasons.