Don’t under estimate Mexico. It’s huge. A lot of people I have talked to seem to have a skewed sense of the girth of this unassuming country, the next one on the itinerary for the Tour de Zack. People seem to think Mexico is a dainty little stiletto heel precariously balanced under the big fat …
Monthly Archive: December 2011
Dec 28
Food, Body, Bike, and the 7000 Calorie/Day Diet
I want to talk about food. I was eating a ridiculous amount of food on my way down from San Francisco. Tour cycling makes you ravenous, and I quickly subscribed myself to the “seefood” diet (as in if I “see food” I eat it) in an attempt to make up the calories I was burning …
Dec 25
Merry Christmas from San Diego!
Merry Christmas!!! I hope and trust everyone is enjoying their Christmas, or lack thereof, wherever in the world they are! I am in San Diego! That’s right I made it! I’ve been greatly enjoying my first morning in almost two weeks not on the bike, celebrating of course, with a cup of coffee. I’ll be …
Dec 22
San Diego for Christmas or Bust.
FLYING! Justifiably, I could now get a bus to San Diego, happy in the fact that I rode the road from San Francisco to San Diego. But now, I want more. I want that continuous journey. Can I make San Diego for Christmas? The race is on. On my northward journey it took me eight …
Dec 17
Broken Tent Poles and Clever Raccoons
Day Two on the road saw me chug through 100 km to arrive in Santa Cruz where I camped at New Brighton State Beach. Not the most exceptional day on the road, but the first 10 km out of Half Moon Bay made it worth it. Not only was the conservation coastal area memorable, but …
Dec 17
San Francisco and Heading South!
San Francisco: old friends, good beer, and a bridge. UPDATED ZackTracker HERE I stayed in San Francisco for six fantastic nights at the apartment of my best friend/brother Neil and his amazing flatmates (Shout-outs: Nick: Finish the beer, Peter: Finish the beer, Steph: Good luck on your finals! – I sort of took over their …
Dec 08
Train to San Francisco: Not so simple.
On a day that I thought I wouldn’t have to ride, I ended up riding 50 km just trying to find the Amtrak station. First I followed the signs. Then the signs stopped and I was 6 km out of town on a long quiet rural road battling a serious headwind. “This can’t be right.” …
Dec 08
I’m not going to make it!
It was difficult to get out of bed yesterday morning. Despite having picked my camp spot to capture the first early morning rays of golden warmth, it wasn’t until about 8 A.M. that I was coaxed out of my tent. It was still frigid. I got the stove going for coffee and then examined my …
Dec 08
Hills, Vineyards, Orchards, and cooooold
“Refreshed” from our rest day, Tony and I got out of camp at 8:30 and headed for the hills, and for Lompoc. I had about 365 meters (1200ft) of climbing to do that morning, but it went really smoothly. Well, about as smoothly as riding a bike at 7kph on the shoulder of a freeway …
Dec 08
Rest Day.
It is a common misconception that “rest days” are easier than the days spent on the bike. This is not true. Rest days are tough. Take for example, the day before yesterday, my first rest day of this cycling bonanza. That morning I was rudely forced out of bed at 6AM by my own bladder. …