Four simple ingredients.  Three all-new, whole-food, fuel options.  No matter how you do the math, you’re sure to find a sweet potato recipe that will fuel your ride, satisfy your taste buds without sugar overload, and provide some variety beyond bars and gels.  In fact, each of these will work great before, during, or after your ride.

Recipe of the week #1: Sweet Potato Cycling Fries

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato (~1 lb.), peeled and cut into fries (any size desired)
• 1 Tablespoons organic coconut oil, melted
• 2 teaspoons real maple syrup or organic honey
• ¼ – 1/3 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Combine oil, syrup, and salt.  Coat fries thoroughly by shaking everything together in large baggie or stirring well in bowl.  Spread onto well-oiled baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and soft. 2 Servings.

Or, for less chewing, try:

Recipe of the Week #2: Sweet Potato Bike Mash

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato (~1 lb., washed well)
• 1 Tablespoons organic coconut oil, melted
• 2 teaspoons real maple syrup or organic honey
• ¼ – 1/3 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Pierce potato several times with a fork or knife and bake for ~45-60 minutes, or until very soft.  Remove potato, open by cutting top length-wise.  Add coconut oil, syrup, and salt.  Allow oil to melt and then mix all ingredients thoroughly in skin, mashing potato into smooth consistency.  Allow to cool.  Scoop mashed sweet potatoes out and place in 2 “snack size” baggies.  Eat on the ride by tearing hole in corner of baggies and squeezing out.  2 Servings

Recipe of the Week #3: Sweet Potato Cruiser Cakes

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups peeled and shredded sweet potato, about 1 large (~1 lb.)
• 1 Tablespoons organic coconut oil, melted
• 2 teaspoons real maple syrup or organic honey
• ¼ – 1/3 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together.  Form 2 patties. Fry the patties in oil on medium-high for a ~2-3 minutes, then flip and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes (should have crunchy exterior).  Then, reduce heat to medium-low for ~5 minutes, until cooked through (do not flip again).  Allow to cool.  Wrap each patty in aluminum foil or place in a baggie.  They may fall apart during the ride, so make sure they are well-wrapped.  Eat ‘em up! 2 Servings.

Nutrition information (1 serving, any recipe): 161 calories, 24 grams carbs, 3 gm fiber, 2 gm protein, 332-432 mg sodium, 428 mg potassium, 34 mg calcium, 24 mg magnesium.

Comments:

You’ve asked for more real-food fuel options, and we’ve heard you.  While there are decent commercial energy bars, gels, and drinks out there, and they do have their place, it’s a great idea to use real food as much as possible, solely, or in addition to high-quality commercial options.

When it comes to nutrient-dense carb sources, you don’t have to look much further than sweet potatoes.  As Darryl explained a few months back, sweet potatoes provide:

• A vast array of antioxidants including very high levels of Vitamin A and beta-carotene that fight free radicals and promote reduced oxidative stress.
• Anti-inflammatory nutrients including glycoproteins that promote cellular health
• Carbohydrates that promote steady blood sugars and even-keeled energy

What’s more, you’ll get a great all-natural carbohydrate and antioxidant source in real maple syrup or organic honey, fast-acting, energy-producing fat in organic coconut oil, and nearly all your hourly sodium needs from salt.

To use these recipes as:

Pre-ride fuel: Try 1 serving of any recipe, ~60-90 minutes out, with fluids.

During-ride fuel: On rides >2 hours, eat 1 serving every hour with 20+ additional grams of carbs from other foods or drinks.  I recommend using faster-acting carbs for these remaining grams, as from a sports drink, so that you’ll have a great balance of both quick and sustained carbs.  Make sure to aim for 16-32 oz. fluid, 40+ grams carbohydrates (60+ for intense work), 400-700 mg sodium, 100-300 mg potassium (more is fine from whole food sources) per hour.

Recovery: Eat 1-2 servings (depending on the intensity & duration of the ride) with 16-32 oz. fluid plus an additional 10-20 grams of protein from 2 large cooked eggs, 1 scoop protein powder, 16 oz. milk, 6 oz. Greek yogurt/cottage cheese, 2-3 oz. meat, etc.  

Whole-food, high-carb, brightly colored (why not?) fuel options for lasting energy.   Sliced, mashed, or caked, these sweet potato recipes will give you carbs and nutrients to boot.  How sweet is that?

It’s time to determine the top dogs of the cycling blogs once again.  This is the third time we’ve held the Crank Honors where people vote up their favorite cycling blogs and celebrate all the goodness they have to offer.

I want to start off by saying that Loving the Bike simply holds these honors each year and we don’t allow ourselves to be in on the running.  We have 6 categories again this year (Road, Mountain Bike, Commuter, Women’s, Travel, and Lifestyle) and below are each of the polls.

Feel free to also check out our Crank Listed Directory that includes the World’s Cycling Blogs.

Voting Information:

• Vote for one of the blogs that are included in the poll, or add your own favorite in the “Other” space provided.  If enough votes come in for a blog that isn’t listed in the poll, we’ll add them in.
• You can vote once per day for each category, so be sure to come back often and vote your favorite into the top dog spot.
• Polls are open from right now through June 1, 2012

Let the Voting Begin:

Take Our Poll

Take Our Poll

Take Our Poll

Take Our Poll

Take Our Poll

Take Our Poll

]]> http://lovingthebike.com/uncategorized/crank-honors-2012-top-dogs-of-cycling-blogs/feed 6 http://lovingthebike.com/uncategorized/bikeschool-the-joys-of-finding-a-riding-partner http://lovingthebike.com/uncategorized/bikeschool-the-joys-of-finding-a-riding-partner#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 09:47:46 +0000 Darryl http://lovingthebike.com/?p=8861 Share/Bookmark

If you haven’t noticed, I don’t have a lot of posts about cycling with partners or groups.  I’m primarily a solo cyclist, so when Mike Neifert came to me with a guest post on “The Joys of Finding a Riding Partner” I was stoked to get it up and include some content on this subject.

We’re giving Stevie the day off and felt that this post by Mike would fit in quite nicely for our #bikeschool series.  I invite you all to read Mike’s story of a solo rider who found riding partners and how it changed his cycling.

The Joys of Finding a Riding Partner

by Mike Neifert

I met Dan on June 30, 2011. Our first encounter was by chance, though I suppose we would’ve found each other eventually since we live a little over a block from each other.  His garage full of bikes is often open as he prepares for a ride or maintains a drivetrain.  I eventually would’ve had to stop in out of curiosity.

For nearly eight years, I rode mostly alone.  My only rides with others occurred when my brother-in-law or a friend visited from out of town.  No one in town rode more than casually.

I learned to shift properly on my own as I experimented and read articles in magazines or online.  I developed what little climbing skill a flatlander from Kansas can gain without pointers from anyone.  Cornering and braking, which I learned early on was perfected as I rolled solo down the highway.

Then I moved 75 miles to take a new job and everything changed.  On June 29, I took my very first ride as a resident.  I rode around town, exploring the streets, finding out which ways to go and which to avoid.  It was an interesting, but uneventful ride.  Outside of logging the miles, hardly worth mentioning.

The next day, I left the house headed west into the wind.  I wanted to see what I could find beyond the boundaries of the city.  I found my way to Old Highway 54, rode it to 50th, turned south and rode into new territory.

There were crews out that day, putting up new power poles.  I rode to where they were at the corner of 50th and 50th, swung around in a tight U-turn and headed back north.  As I crested a rise, I looked ahead.  There, less than a mile ahead, headed south, was another cyclist.  My heart jumped.  Remember, I’d ridden without companionship every day for as long as I’d gotten serious about throwing my leg over a bike’s top tube.  My excitement grew as I approached this stranger and slowed.  I hoped he would stop.

He did.  We both pulled up and talked for a second or two, exchanged names – “Dan.”  “Mike.” – before he offered to accompany back into town.  He’d just left another cyclist – there were more riders! – and he thought if we hurried, we might catch him.

The ride back to town was a blur.  We rode lickety-split, sometimes side by side talking, sometimes one in front of the other trading pulls . The chase drove us on.

When we finally decided we weren’t going to catch the “rabbit” we’d been hunting, we slowed up and chatted a bit on the way back to my house.  Before we got there, Dan suggested we stop in at another cyclist’s house.  There were more?!  Three besides me?!  Brandon was at home.  We talked shop – bike shop that is – then set up a time to ride together, all three of us the next morning at 6:00.

For weeks after that, I didn’t ride alone except on my daily commute to my office.  Bright and early every day, Dan or Brandon or both of them were with me.  I’d found something I’d been missing…partners!

The morning came, of course, when neither of my newfound friends was able to ride.  I rode solo again.  Even though I knew there would be more together rides, it was a lonely time.  What had for so long been the norm, felt odd.

The two-wheeled adventures the three of us have had since then include century rides on back roads and forays into the Gyp Hills on dirt.  We’ve ridden out-and-backs and loops small and large.  Dan called one day and offered a 50-miler with the wind at our back and a ride in a Jeep back to town . How could I say no to that?  Ten minutes after I hung up, we were flying north on Highway 281.

Last night the doorbell rang.  Dan was at the door, one of his mountain bikes tipped over in the yard behind him.  We talked for a while, like old friends do.  We covered everything and nothing.

School will be out in a few short weeks and my mornings will be freer again.  The open roads are calling. My riding partner – no, make that partners – and I hear them.  We’ll be out again.  Can’t wait!

Mike Neifert is a cycling pastor from Pratt, Kansas.  He has his own blog called www.openmikey.blogspot.com and can be found chatting it up on Twitter and Daily Mile.  He also likes to run…but we won’t hold that against him.

Photo c/o www.bicycling.co.za

Getting or having saddle sores is probably something us cyclists would like to keep to ourselves, right?  I don’t get them very often, but here I am publicly announcing that I just so happen to have a couple right now and they sure did make today’s ride a little uncomfortable.  Yeah, it’s a nasty subject to talk about so I’ll keep things very short.

My Cycling 360 co-hosts and I recently did a show all about saddle sores….including what causes them and a secret remedy to cure them (trying that one out myself right now).  It’s worth taking the time to listen in so that you can be sure to prevent this painful experience from happening to you this summer.

You can tune in directly to the podcast by clicking the play button below.  If you like what you hear, be sure to click the subscribe link as well so that all the podcasts will automatically be downloaded to iTunes or your MP3 player.  You can also check us out at www.cycling360media.com.

Subscribe to iTunes | Subscribe to MP3 Feed

The Saddle Sores Podcast from Cycling 360

I’m definitely of the opinion that we should strive to be the best person that we can possibly be….but sometimes making comparisons to your “best self” can have negative results.

When I was around 14 years old, I spent a lot of my summers playing golf.  My friends and I would bike over to the course and play a round almost every week day and as far as I can remember, it was a lot of fun (especially the freedom of getting there on our own).  I don’t have a lot of specific memories about that time in my life, but I can remember having spells of frustration when my performance on the golf course was not as good as my best rounds.  Yes, I even remember a few instances of chucking my golf club up in the air.

If I could go back there and give that aggravated little kid some advice, I would tell him to keep doing his best…..and not get hung up on matching the results of the best game he ever played. Along the way I have learned that I’m not always going to perform as good or better at the things that I do, and to just continue moving in a positive and forward direction.  Sure there will be bad days (and going half  mad days), but continually comparing them to the best day ever is a definite recipe for disaster.

The Journey is the Destination

I don’t golf any more, but I do ride a bike….and my approach now is so much different from what it was. Maybe it’s because I love cycling much more than I loved golf, I’m not sure.  But even on the days where my performance is not quite where I know it could be, I always arrive home feeling great and being so thankful for the ride I just had.

For any of you who are making a comeback to cycling after a period of time away from it, I want you to consider this piece of advice.  Focus on the fact that you’re making the positive choice of getting back on the bike and all the goodness it will bring you.  Don’t worry about being as great as you once were…use it as your goal, and just relax in the fact that you will get there.  Oh, and one more piece of advice…..I encourage you to have a listen to a recent podcast that we did over at Cycling 360 which talks about making a comeback to cycling.  It’s full of great tips and advice for any of you coming back to a love for the bike.

Cycling 360 Podcast: Making a Comeback to Cycling

What’s the best fuel for an early morning ride?

Question: Out of habit, I’ve always eaten cereal (granola) before my morning ride.  For the last several weeks, I’ve been riding at 6am to avoid the heat, and eating at 5:30 am.  I haven’t had any stomach issues, but I am not sure that this is the best pre-ride meal strategy. My legs have felt heavy since starting to ride earlier.  My rides are 1.5-2 hours.  Should I eat less, something different, or nothing at all?  What do you think?

Kelli’s Answer: I think your pre-ride fuel strategy can be improved.  The issue with eating a moderately high fiber breakfast within 30 minutes of beginning a ride is that it will likely take too long to digest, absorb, and metabolize to provide any energy to your muscles at all.  And, what’s more, if the meal is setting in your stomach, you are increasing your risk of stomach cramps (but it sounds like you’ve been okay here) and a reduced bloodflow to your legs since your body is working at digesting.

Although many athletes feel like they need a full breakfast before a morning ride, I think you’ll have better result with less food, and ones that you can eat quickly and metabolize faster.

My first choice would be 2 Tablespoons organic honey + 0.5 – 1 Tbsp organic coconut oil (all straight off the spoon).  Why? These are fast-acting, quick-metabolizing energy foods.  The honey provides moderately fast carbs that act similarly to maltodextrin (moderately fast and longer lasting than glucose), natural enzymes to improve digestion, and antioxidants.  The organic coconut oil provides fast-acting medium chain triglycerides which are used directly by the mitochondria of cells (energy producers) without the need for bile or slow digestion.

Another option would be a sports food with a moderate amount of protein – something like a Clif bar. Or, a smoothie with 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/2 banana, 1 Tbsp honey, and water.  These foods will also digest quickly and provide energy during your ride.

And, don’t forget about 8 oz. of fluid.

During your ride, especially if high intensity and over 60 minutes, or moderate intensity and over 90 minutes, you’ll still need during-ride fuel as well.  With all rides in heat, you’ll want fluids and lytes!

In light of recent tragic cycling events, this post is going to have a slightly different tone.  This post is aimed at the bike commuter and those of you driving your cars.  Unfortunately, I know that most of those who will read this spend much of their time on the bike and already know a lot of what I will say.  So first and foremost, I implore you, the simplest thing you can do is share this post.  I challenge you to send this post to at least one person you know that DOES NOT ride a bike regularly.  Email it, Facebook it, tweet it, post it to the ends of the earth.  Feel free to copy the text right out of the article and post it on your own and take credit yourself, because this isn’t about me or Lovingthebike.com, this is about all of our lives and the lives of those who care about us.

To Cyclists:

We have as much responsibility for our own lives, as do those around us.  It’s easy to point fingers at careless drivers, or yell and scream when someone gets too close, but as a member of the traveling public, we have a responsibility to minimize the inconvenience that we can present on the road.

Yes, I know, I just admitted that I indeed can inconvenience 4-wheel commuters when I ride my bike.  But, “I have a right to be on this road as much as you do!”.   Have you ever thought that to yourself as someone nearly took your head off passing too closely?  I assure you, I scream it in my head at least 5 times a commute, right or wrong.  Consider this, Speed Limits are recommended safe traveling speeds.  Lots or research, laws, time, and money go into ensuring these limits are fair and average.  One thing that many forget is that these limits aren’t just a maximum suggested limit, but a minimum as well.  This means that if you look over as you pedal past a 45 or 50 mph speed limit sign… chances are you are impeding traffic.   If you were you in a car, you could actually be ticketed for such an offense.  We live in a time when laws have not necessarily caught up with the trend of growing cyclists on the roads.  Many cities and towns are beginning to leap into the current world and provide bike lanes, and paths, but rest assured that the vast majority of local governments are not there yet.

It is up to you to make your biking community known to your local government, so get involved, start talking, make some noise, get noticed.  Change doesn’t happen on its own.  May is National Bike Month, it’s the perfect time to get noticed as most cities in the US are already hosting some sort of events.  Your city officials will be much less likely to ignore you this month than next.  Another small tip for raising local awareness, this month your local media outlets are also looking for stories on cycling…..so consider writing something.

I discussed planning in last month’s Loving the Commute.  Next time you plan your commute, try to plan it in a way that will minimize your effect on car traffic.  If drivers won’t heed our advice, then perhaps it’s time to try a different tactic and lead by example and show that we can compromise.  One day we will all have a rightful place on the road, but until then, take your safety into your own hands.

To Drivers:

Hello driver, I am a cyclist, and I would like to be friends.  I love to ride my bike to and from work.  That said, I realize that sometimes my being on the road in front of you can slow down your morning commute, and for that, I sincerely apologize.  I would like to take a moment and let you in on a few facts.  In my city, and many others in the USA, it is actually illegal for a cyclist to ride on the sidewalk.  It is for this reason that I ride on the road.  I am required by law to abide by all of the same laws as you  while in the road, which means that I will stop at stop signs and lights, and I will signal lane changes and turns.  I will do my best to maintain a speed that is as close the limit as possible.  I have even been known to speed occasionally (which I assure you is always for your benefit, not because it’s awesome.)

All I would like is for you to pay attention and follow the laws that you always have while driving.  That means you shouldn’t try to pass another vehicle (like a bicycle) in the same lane, or by crossing a solid line to do so (solid lines mean stay in your lane, dashed mean you can pass).  That also means that you shouldn’t follow too close or do anything while driving that could distract you from objects on the road in front of you (like a bicycle).  Perhaps you wouldn’t mind trying the following technique.  Pretend that the cyclist on the road in front of you is actually a large semi pulling a load of Zombie virus in a trailer that doesn’t have a lid.  Avoid it…at all costs.  Give it plenty of room.  Don’t yell at the driver because he or she might be a zombie themselves that will then follow you around the rest of the day hunting your brains for yelling at them.  Don’t try to pass unless you can make it without getting in a crash yourself.  I think if you take this approach then cyclists like me won’t have to be scared to ride their bikes to work.

More cyclists on the roads means lower health insurance premiums for you, improved road quality due to all our whining about potholes and less global warming due to our efforts to decrease the collective carbon footprint (not to mention eventually less traffic as more bike lanes are installed to make room for all the cyclists).  We can help each other, and it’s really not that hard.  Please consider it.  17,000 deaths or injuries occur in the cycling community each year and over 90% of them are due to drivers not following the rules.  Just obey the law, and be careful, and we can all get along.

We are talking about human lives here people.  Just be careful, be respectful, and be kind… my daughter and wife will appreciate it.

- Aaron

Image c/o www.rospa.com

A few months ago we got the conversation going about Chocolate Milk for recovery.  And, as a fan of this approach, I was inspired to go to the store and get some chocolate syrup for this purpose.  For months, I’ve been hooked on using milk with honey for recovery, but variety is the spice of life, and I was ready for some chocolate.  I wanted an add-in chocolate, rather than a pre-made chocolate milk so that I could determine how much to put in myself, based on my own needs for recovery carbohydrates after riding.  I assumed, naively, that I would be able to find at least one good option for dark chocolate syrup, made with only a few real-food ingredients, even if I had to pay a couple extra bucks to avoid cheap junk sugars, colorings, and chemicals.

I was wrong.  We all know what happens when we assume.

It wasn’t a health food store, to be fair, but generally, my favorite grocer has a good variety of organic and healthy options.  I was dumbfounded as I looked at the shelves over and over again, reading horrible lists of ingredients and nutrition labels. I do this for living, after all, and I couldn’t find a good one.  Of course, I should have known where to start.  In my own kitchen.

Recipe of the Week: Homemade High-Antioxidant Chocolate Syrup

• 1 1/4 C organic honey
• 1 C unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 C water
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Place honey, cocoa, water, and salt in a medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, whisking to remove all lumps and mix thoroughly.  Bring to a boil and allow to thicken, about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Stir in vanilla and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

To make chocolate milk, add 1-2 Tbsp to 8 oz. dairy or soy milk.

Nutrition information: (1 Tbsp chocolate syrup) 30 calories, 10 mg sodium, 8 gms carbohydrates, 1 gm protein

For even more variety: Try real maple syrup instead of honey, add 1 Tbsp of pure mint extract instead of the vanilla, or add in some coffee with the milk for a recovery mocha.

Comments:

Want a high-antioxidant, powerhouse of a recovery drink?  Of course you do and now you’ve got it.  Here’s why this combination of honey, cocoa, and milk will work for you:

• Cocoa is a concentrated source of antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress, fight free radicals, reduce inflammation, and improve insulin sensitivity.  Click here for more details on the health benefits of cocoa
• Organic Honey also contains antioxidants.  What’s more, it provides the carbohydrates needed to replenish glycogen stores (the most crucial function of recovery) and natural enzymes that aide digestion and improve nutrient absorption.  Take care to buy organic honey, though, as non-organic honey has been found to be little more over-processed and void of all the healthful benefits.
• Milk: As we discussed in our previous chocolate milk post, milk is certainly NOT the only good choice for recovery proteins.  But, with both quick- and slow-acting proteins in whey and casein respectively, it’s a good choice.  I realize there are many athletes who cannot tolerate or choose to not consume casein or dairy.  One option would be to use soy milk instead, and if you tolerate whey, add a whey protein isolate to provide a quick-acting and an intermediate-acting protein.  In order to spare muscles, you need to consume a carbohydrate source for default energy needs, and a protein source for rebuilding…most any protein source will help (although some are better than others).  If you’re looking for an alternative to dairy milk, though, realize that coconut milk and almond milks contain virtually no protein.
• Fluids: No, this won’t work for your recovery fluid needs.  While milk is technically a fluid, I tend to not count it toward fluid needs for athletes as the kidneys have to do quite a bit of work to filter out and use the proteins.  Instead, consider any fluid it offers icing on the cake in terms of hydration and drink another fluid on the side for recovery (aim for 32 oz. per hour of your ride minus your intake during your ride).

While this information might not be groundbreaking, especially since we just discussed Chocolate Milk Recovery just a couple months ago, it certainly is an improvement over commercial chocolate syrup options – in the nutrition and deliciousness categories.  And, although some of the benefits of the ingredients will be diminished with cooking, they will still far outshine the high fructose corn syrup-laden chemical chocolate concoctions at the store.  So simple, I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it before.  Hadn’t spent much time in the chocolate syrup aisle, I guess.  This week, for recovery nutrition, let’s minimize the junk and keep it real.

I saw this video about cracking down on Austin cyclists last Tuesday and it’s been bubbling up inside of me ever since.  It seems like when I’m out riding, it always seems to be on my mind, and while I ride along I think about all the comments I have to say about it…..and to those people interviewed in the video.  It’s become quite a rant, and I can’t remember the last time something got me worked up so much.  I told myself that if I was still feeling the same way a week later, then I would go ahead and post about it…so here it is.  However, it’s much more toned down from what’s really going on in my head.

This kind of news has come up as a result of two Austin cyclists getting hit recently (one fatal and posted about – We Lost Another One of Our Own), and I’ll explain things more later on.

Anyway, I try to keep things quite light and positive on this site….so instead of hitting you all up with a hardcore rant post, I’ve decided to lighten it up a whole lot and just mention a few things.

To start things off, why not have a look at the video (sorry for the commercial that comes up first…I couldn’t find a copy of the video without it) that set me off and then continue on down to my mini-rant below:

Okay, first off I need to speak to that first dude who is interviewed and says that “roads are made for cars and not bicycles”.  Oh my gosh, I wish I could have a couple of minutes with this guy.  What he said has got to be the most self-centered and lazy thing I’ve ever heard.  So to you, Mr. “I could afford to get on my bike and lose a few pounds”, I say that not everyone has the luxury of being able to drive a vehicle like you do and they must rely on healthier and more environmentally friendly ways to get around.  If I see this guy on the streets of Austin….oh, man.

Now a couple of people talk about bonehead cyclists doing bonehead things.  Yes, it happens.  But there are also bonehead drivers doing bonehead things as well….and I would guess that bikes are outnumbered by at least a few thousand to one in most cities.  So for every bonehead cyclist out there, guess how many bonehead drivers there are?

I think it’s fine to crack down on cyclists doing un-safe things…..but this isn’t the way to fix the real problems out there.  What I know for sure is that Verter Ginestra, the cyclist killed on April 28th, was doing nothing wrong and was being about as safe as humanly possible.  Crack down on bonehead cyclists all you want, but that would have no effect on preventing things like what happened to Verter.

Peter Keys is one of our Loving the Bike readers and I like what he has to say about all this, so I wanted to include a couple comments from him.

“No charges against the driver?  I don’t like to compare or want to be link Europe but over there it is an absolute privilege to drive.  Pedestrians and cyclists have  the right of way all the time.  It’s the drivers fault if there is an accident and will be charged.  So driving is taken so much more seriously.”

I don’t watch the news, but I’ve been paying attention to what has been aired on this topic lately.  They seem to be making it into a Vehicle vs Cyclist battle, and that’s not how this should be dealt with.  We can all get along quite simply and easily and you only have to look as far as the Netherlands to see a success story.

I could go on and on, but at least to me the root of the problem is that today’s drivers have way too many distractions.  Cell phones, texting, putting on make-up, billboards, eating, and so many other things prevent drivers from focusing on the road and what lies before them.  Driving a vehicle at speeds of up to 65 mph is not something that should be taken lightly.  It requires complete focus and attention….and if people continue being distracted like they are, then things like this will continue to happen.  Enough said.

I’d like to wrap up my mini-rant by echoing what Peter had to say above, and extend it to the idea that driving your car while talking on the phone (or texting, or whatever else) is not a taken for granted right.  Even if it’s not illegal where you come from…it should be, and I’m asking you to consider keeping your hands off the phone when driving your car.  You can disagree with me all you want, but I am 100% sure that drivers who do this are more than just a little bit distracted and not focused on the road.

I’m going to copy and paste the paragraph I included in my “We Lost Another One of Our Own” article and I invite you to jump in with your comments of any kind.

To those who drive a vehicle: Please Get Bikes on the Brain.  Please Be Aware of Your Surroundings when in your car.  Please Don’t Text or use a Cellphone (if you’re so freaking important that you must be on your phone while in the car, then hire someone to chauffeur you around so you can sit in the passenger side and text and call all you want).  Please don’t drive a car if you’re not feeling emotionally or physically stable.  Please Coexist on the road. Please Share the Road.  Please Be Kind to Cyclists. Please.

A couple of weeks ago I put up a guest post on riding in Africa that was not totally accurate.  So today we’re posting the inside look by someone who’s done it countless times….Paul McManus, a guide for Tour d’Afrique.  Whether you’ve always wanted to do something like this or just want to read about the fantastic adventure of cycling Africa, you’ll want to have a read and check out his pictures.

Crossing a Continent by Bike

by Paul McManus

What’s it like to join a bike tour across a continent?  How do you prepare?  Who does these things?  Are all good questions.  None of them can be answered quickly.  In fact at Tour d’Afrique, where I have worked as a guide for the last 4 years, we have a series of about 22 updates we send to each rider who registers for our tours that answer those questions and a few more.

But let me try to give you the 10,000 foot view here and at the end I’ll throw in a few bits of random advice I’ve learned over the last 4 years of guiding tours for Tour d’Afrique.

One of things you’ll learn to appreciate on a journey like this is the simplicity of life and the daily routine is a part of that.  The distractions of everyday life don’t exist, no facebook notifications or emails.  No phones ringing or tweets pinging etc… It’s always a bit of an adjustment for the type A’s out there but soon everyone adjusts and life becomes quite pleasant.

Here’s how the routine generally goes:

Wake up at dawn:

• Pack your tent, sleeping bag etc… into the support vehicles
• Coffee should be ready when you’re done packing
• Breakfast is ready 30 minutes later

Breakfast:

• Lasts 30 minutes, Usually consists of oatmeal, bread and spreads, fruit and muesli (that’s granola for you non euro types)

Ride your Bike:

• Ride the day at your own pace and stop when you like.
• Depending on the tour we average up to 120 km a day but….

- When we’re climbing the Pamirs in Tajikistan we’ll do more like 60 to 80 km in a day
- When we’re battling the rocks in the Dida Galagu desert we’ll do 80 – 90 kms a day
- When we’re riding through the pan flat Kalahari in Botswana we’ll do up to 203 km in a day
- Of course sometimes you just have to ride naked, regardless of the distance

Coke Stops:

• We encourage you to stop along the ride, chat with locals, have a coke (if you’re lucky it might even be cold).

Lunch:

• At a little past the halfway point of the day
• Usually Consists of sandwiches and fruit

More Riding:

• After lunch continue riding to camp, take your time and enjoy the scenery
• Have another coke stop if you like, or take a few pictures, you never know what you’ll see…

Arrive in Camp:

• At Camp you’ll find your bags waiting for you
• We’ll have tea and soup waiting for you as well
• Every evening we hold a rider meeting to go over the next day’s route

Dinner:

• After 120 kms of cycling your pretty ready for dinner.  Eat lots, since your burning 5000 -
• 8000 calories a day you’ll most likely lose weight no matter how much you eat

After Dinner:

• Relax and enjoy the evening
• Most everyone is asleep by 9 pm (you did get up at dawn after all)
• Every 5 – 6 days we have a rest day. No cycling, quite a bit of beer drinking.

Repeat:

• Depending on the tour, repeat the above 42 – 129 times!

A few other thoughts and words of advice:

You’ll Pack too Much:

Everyone does their first tour.  Try to pack as light as you can.  One of the really nice benefits of being on 4 months tour through rural places is you learn how simple life can be, and how little you actually need to enjoy it.  It’s one of the lessons we hope every rider brings home with them.  Living simply is good everyone.

Don’t bring a $5000 bike.  Bring a $500 bike:

When travelling with your bike you want strong, reliable, easy to fix in the middle of the Kara Kum desert kind of gear.  That means steel, not carbon.  Shimano LX not SRAM Red.  The nice thing is that most of the reliable, durable stuff out there is a lot less expensive.

You’re probably in good enough shape now:

It might surprise you to learn that many of our clients are not cyclists.  Some of them become cyclists after their first tour with us, but they are not when they first sign up. You get in shape on tour.  If you commute 20 minutes a day twice a week you can do this.  Of course you should train for something like this.  I strongly recommend it in fact. But certainly don’t let a lack of fitness be an excuse not to do it.  If the time is right, take the plunge.

You might get married:

I know that sounds crazy. But it’s amazing to me how many people meet their wife / husband or boyfriend / girlfriend on tour.  Social life on tour is a big part of being on tour.  At the very least you’ll make some lifelong friends.

Adventure is not always fun:

To expect that everyday will be fun and carefree is a mistake.  This is an expedition in the truest sense, an adventure.  And like most adventures there will be parts of it that suck.  It’s hard to have an adventure without some real mental, physical or emotional challenges and our tours usually will present you with all three. Your boundaries will be pushed in ways you can not expect or prepare for.  It’s what I like most about our tours but if that’s not your thing well…

So that’s it, a cross continental bike tour in a nutshell.  Each tour is a very different experience. It’s the people on the tour that make it great and I think that’s what really separates a tour from a solo trip.  If you have question or advice of your own I’d love to hear it in the comments section below, or you can email me directly at paul@tourdafrique.com.

This guest post was put together by Tour d’Afrique tour director, Paul McManus.  Paul designs and guides cross continental bike tours for Tour d’Afrique Ltd, best known for their annual Cairo to Cape Town Tour.  Check out their website, www.tourdafrique.com and be sure to contact him with any questions you have.