Day 6
The day before my first, and only, rest day. I stopped minimally, took few photos, and just grinded out all the hills.
Day 6: Pacific, MO to Rolla, MO - 75 miles, 3,793 feet elevation
This was the day of relentless hills. Strava tells me that its been 3,793ft of elevation gain over 75 miles. I know it may not sound like much, especially coming from California but hills are my weakness - my krytonite. I don’t look forward to the second half of Route 66 since it goes over the Rocky Mountains.
Today was about getting the grind done. If this were a movie, today and the next ten days would be compressed into one 10 second montage scene with some uplifting or Rocky Balboa motivation music. Instead, I listened to Peter Attia’s podcast, anticipated with horror all the upcoming hills, and napped in parks. When I finally arrived in Rolla, I treated myself to some Shiner Bock, I have Texan roots after all, and a bag of Doritos. Every beverage needs its perfect pairing - like my breakfast of champions - Coke and Swedish Fish.
Day 5
A giant bridge, a giant arch, some giant steps, and my tired tired legs. I may be loosing it.
Day 5: Edwardsville, MO to Pacific, MO - 68 miles, 2,454 feet elevation
I left Edwardsville, IL, located in Madison County, where there are miles of well maintained, exclusive use bike/pedestrian paths connecting the city to other towns all over the county. Apparently after every storm volunteers come clean up the paths so they are easier to use. Talk about an amazing community oriented place! Can you imagine if the Bay Area in California connected exclusive use bike trails to all the municipalities from Healdsburg to San Jose to Napa to Sacramento to Livermore! Wait. Maybe it has and I don’t know, because, you know, I don’t bike anywhere normally.
I met a group of 60+ year old cyclist on their way from Elkhorn, IL to St. Louis, MO. They said relative to me they felt old, but I marveled at their fitness. In retrospect, I should have marveled that they were on a long distance cycling trip, like me, and that this might not be such a weird thing to do especially if you’re in this corridor with so many great biking towns.
Chain of Rocks Bridge is famous for its 30 degree turn in the middle. I’m not enough of an engineering nerd to appreciate the nuances of it. However, it was fun to ride over since the “old” bridge is reserved for cyclists and pedestrians.
Its been a tough day. The cumulative effects of 300+ miles of riding after a six year hiatus is rough on the body. Also, its blazing hot. Fine, that’s subjective since any self respecting Houstonian would scoff at 90F, but I’m a weak Bay Area Californian now. I can only exist in a band between 55-75F.
I made this video for my buddy Leven Wadley who taught me that training is cheating.
Day 4
You can go a long way on Coke and Swedish fish.
Day 4: Springfield, IL to Edwardsville, MO - 87 miles, 978 feet elevation
It was either going to be a 50 mile day or an 80 mile day. Perhaps the candy and coke helped push me 30 miles further. At 7:30am it was already 68F and the forecast is for 90F with no cloud coverage and the omnipresence of that midwestern humidity. This will be the last push in the Illinois hinterland before hitting Saint Louis. Here is the bike shot with all my gear packed on. Not bad for three weeks on the road.
The scenery here can be simultaneously beautiful, with giant cornfields, creeks and rivers to breezy forests. Or you’ll be biking next to a strip mall on cracked pavement or a run down gas station. Its interesting how some towns and villages reinvented themselves long after Route 66 was abandoned, and some have not.
Nutrition has been confounding me. When I rode from Chicago to New York, ten years ago, I was like Morgan Spurlock in Super Size Me. I fueled up at fast food restaurants on at least two burgers, definitely fries and maybe a shake. It was a bloodbath. This time around, I’ve been a little more conscious that I’ve entered the “no going back” midlife zone so I’ve been more fastidious about eating. Except for the constant hunger and need for fast calories, hence the sugar bomb here.
Day 3
Bloomington, IL is a town dedicated to fitness and biking. And, look at my gear!
Day 3: Bloomington, IL to Springfield, IL - 68 miles, 935 feet elevation
Bloomington, aka one of the most bike friendly cities in America! The dedicated lanes in, around, and criss crossing the town make biking, fitness, and car independence easy and convenient. If only more towns in the US had such dedication to health and mental well being! There was a lot to do and see on this stretch from the Dixie Truck Stop and Mclean Depot Train Shop in Mclean, IL to the Palm Grill and the statue of Paul Bunyon in Atlanta, IL.
The euphoria has worn off and now I feel like I’m both getting tired and into a rhythm. I have taken to napping underneath big trees in local parks. When I wake up, the leaves reflect the softness of the afternoon light and look like stars twinkling at me in daylight.
Getting organized…
I finally inventoried my gear. Its late, I know, but I’ve been so tired the last few days I haven’t wanted to do anything other than sleep. Below is a beauty shot of all my “luggage,” a contrast to this one.
Day 2
First flat tire, a 30ft fiberglass Muffler Man, and 90 miles of butt fatigue.
Day 2: Joliet to Bloomington - 90.1 miles, 892 feet elevation gain
Just outside Joliet I got my first flat tire. The initial shock wore off and muscle memory helped me change the flat. You get rusty with these things after not riding your bike for more than half a decade. In Wilmington, IL I encountered the Gemini Giant, a 30ft fiberglass Muffler Man. “It's named after the Gemini space program and is a testament to the American fascination with space travel,” per Wikipedia.
In Dwight, IL I found Amblers Texaco gas station a fascinating tribute to car culture in the US. Not to be outdone, further down the road in Odell, IL you can find Standard Oil of Illinois gas station. I took a quick nap in a park in Lexington, IL before grinding on to Bloomington, IL for the night.
Day 0 + 1
A red-eye, poor fitting gear, my first bike in 6 years, and the yawning chasm of 1,200+ miles. That’s how adventures start!
Riding the bike for the first time
Day 1: Chicago, IL to Joliet - 41.1 miles, 371 feet elevation gain
I flew out on a redeye which was subsequently delayed by nearly two hours. I tried to sleep on the plane, knowing I had a big day- ha! more like a big three week adventure - ahead of me, but it was moot. Crammed into Basic Economy seating and landing at 7:30am, the only thing you can do is question why you are traveling in the first place.
Why am I riding my bike 1,200+ miles in rain, wind, hail — over hundreds of miles of pavement, gravel, highway? To answer that question, is to understand two things about me: 1) I HATE bicycling. 2) I HATE being bad at something. I dont really know if I hate biking because I’m bad at it, though it sure feels like it. In order to “try” and like it, I’m giving it the ol’Daphne Feng spin by dreaming wildly and making it into an excessively arduous and kinda pointless journey(?), you know, an adventure!
Initially, I dreamed this ride up in 2009. It makes sense because at that point I’d really only biked about 8 times in my adult life. I had wimpy legs and wanted to accelerate some ‘saddle time’ as the kids say, to the point where I was comfortable and strong on the bike. So, I shipped my bike to Chicago where I was attending an event. I had 25 days to ride my bike somewhere. Why not Route 66? At 2,500 miles, I’d have to average 100 miles a day with no rest days. It being my first cycle tour, I decided to pivoted and instead rode my bike 1,100 miles from Chicago back to New York City. Every since then, I have dreamed of actualizing that little dream to ride Route 66 and “get good at biking.”
Fast forward ten years and its 2019. I’m staring down the barrel of midlife and wondering what I can do to sprinkle some excitement into my life. I am reminded that Route 66 is still an untamed goal so I jump at the chance to put plans in place. Never mind that I haven’t ridden nor have I owned a bike in the past six years. Never mind that I have a week to put all the logistics of this trip in place, buy a bike, and summon the fitness to brave 1,200 miles. These concerns were like road rash on the way to glory. Once I decided I was going to do it, I quickly began a quest to try as many bikes in the Bay Area to see what type would be suitable. Then I called bike shops in Chicago to see what could be available before booking my ticket.
After I disembarked in Chicago from my cramped redeye, I grabbed breakfast with an old college bestie before heading to Village Cycle Center to get my bike “STORMY”, nee Trek Emonda SL 6, when they opened. I brought some gear with me but soon discovered that it was not compatible with the bike. I spent another few hours going to a number of bike shops to replace what I had brought. Finally, after one trip to Fedex to send back the unused gear, I was ready to clip into my clipless LOOK pedals and go for my first ride on the bike. Four miles later, at Buckingham Fountain, I officially kicked off my Route 66 adventure. There was one area when I was few miles to my lodging, a casino, where there was a fallen tree, but otherwise, it was a flat, easy spin to Joliet.
Wish me luck!
