70 miles and a sandwich

Yesterday was THE big day. Every Bike and Build participant is required to ride at least one 65-or-more mile day as part of his/her training, and yesterday I did 70 miles. I rode from Cambridge to Madison, ran some errands, and then came back, with only slightly sore knees and a hefty appetite to boot. And now... pictures!

Just to prove I did it.


So I was passing over I-90 and thought it'd be fun to hitch a ride with an oncoming semi, just to see if I could do it. I wound up maxing out at 94.2 mph, and here's the proof.*


Present to myself for doing 70 miles.

T minus two weeks and counting! Stay tuned and remember... I'm GRATEFULLY accepting donations right up til June 18th!

*Just kidding. I found my computer in my handlebar bag going haywire after stopping at a Subway for a sandwich and it kept reading 94.2 mph for some reason. Possibly has to do with it being in close proximity to my cellphone.

Pictures!

This past weekend I went on a short bike tour from Hortonville, WI to Columbus, WI. I spent a night at the Green Lake Campground (WAY overpriced, by the way, don't stay there - I paid almost $40 for a patch of dirt, picnic table, and a fire ring. The showers didn't even work) at mile 56, and at mile 104 the next day, about a mile or two outside Columbus, I flatted. This wouldn't normally be a problem, but I was still waiting for a part for my Road Morph and so it wasn't working at the time. Hence, I had to call in my support team (aka the parents) for help. My tour was supposed to go all the way to Cambridge, WI. Oh well... next time. The good news is that I now know how to find the puncture in a bike tube and fix it, as well as replace the tires without getting a pinch flat. Woot.

I am SO SO CLOSE to hitting the $4000 mark, I can almost taste victory. If you're reading this and haven't donated yet, you totally should. Clicking the big blue button to your right will get you started - come on, you know you want to be my favorite person today. Thanks again to all of my amazing donors - I never could have gotten this far without you guys!

New bike, new video, 43 days!

That's right friends, just 43 more days until B&B-Day! Flights have been booked, (almost) all of my gear has been purchased, and the only tasks I have left are to raise about $500 more, sublet my apartment, and do sweat equity! Woooo! I finally got my brand-spankin'-new Defy 2 and she is awfffffully purty! Check it out:



I can also add another 15 miles to the Training Total of Training(TM), bringing said TTT(TM) to 227 miles. Grand!

Bike and Build has also posted a brand new video (and if you haven't checked out any of their other videos, you definitely should), and you can check it out here. I will be adding a list of previous videos to this blog shortly - stay tuned!

Finally, to all of my valiant readers (you are out there, right?), I plan to be posting quite a bit more often starting... soon. More likely in a week or two, once exams are over. I've also added a button to this blog that will allow you to donate more easily than ever. Donating is awesome and will instantly increase your aptitude with the ladies (or gentlemen), make you more popular, and help you win the lottery*

*Disclaimer: Results not typical, but donate anyway.

This time I made it!

I rode to Cambridge again, and this time I did manage to make it - woot! Unfortunately, riding a mountain bike with fat, knobby tires on the road leads to the expending of more effort than necessary and slow speeds. I can't wait to get my new bike.

And now, a brief, open letter to the Wisconsin DOT:

To Whom It May Concern,

I'm writing to inform you that the quality of Highway 134 out of London is atrocious. It is literally crumbling into the ditch, there are potholes in which many species of large South American rodents might live, and all of this pales in significance next to the fact that this road LEADS TO A STATE BIKE TRAIL. I fail to understand how Highway O can provide one of the smoothest, most pleasant, and otherwise enjoyable bicycle rides I've ever experienced, better even than the famed bike trails of Madison, and then turn into the atrocity that is Highway 134.

I'd also like to point out that either the sign along Highway O that says CAMBRIDGE: 5 or the sign along 134 that says CAMBRIDGE: 4 is wrong. Those signs are AT LEAST 3 miles apart.

Sincerely,
Disgruntled in Dane County

Trip mileage: 30.6 miles
Total mileage: 212.1 miles

AMAZING Weather!

Today's weather was INCREDIBLE! It was 70 and sunny with a light breeze - just PERFECT. Thus, it was very important that on this first BEAUTIFUL day of the year, I go on a nice ride! Having been off the bike for about 2 weeks, I was expecting my typical 15 mile ride to be a bit tough, but I did it like it was nothing - I think the awesome weather really helped.

In other news, as soon as all pending donations clear, I will have $1900 raised! This is AWESOME, and I appreciate every single dollar donated - it also means I'll be getting my bike very soon! I'm going to need another $100 by April 17th, so if you have a few bucks to spare, hit up http://www.bikeandbuild.org/donate and select "Katch, Allyson" from the list.

Again, thank you all so much for all of your support. Pictures of the bike will be up the second I get it out of the box.

Total mileage: 181.5

Happy New Year!

Hello valiant readers!

I know it's been awhile since my last update, and I do apologize. I swear by my Girl Scout honor that updates will be much more frequent come May or so. Having said that... updates!

Fundraising is well underway - thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far! I appreciate donations in ANY amount - every dollar puts me that much closer to being able to ride next summer and I get very excited every time I see the little number on my Bike and Build account page change, so if you can spare it, I do appreciate it.

If you live in Wisconsin (or any of the northern states), you know the weather gets pretty nasty around here, and as such, it's been tough to get on the bike outside - but that has not stopped me from training! I recently picked up an indoor bike trainer (a device that lets you use your bike as a stationary bike) and I've been spinning like mad ever since I got it. I plan to have legs of steel by the time the snow melts.

Over spring break I'll be going on a short tour to Devils Lake State Park and back to help prepare for the Epic Bike Trip(TM) next summer. In addition, a fellow Bike and Builder from Appleton and I will be going on a slightly longer tour around Door County, Wisconsin at the end of May as a final "dress rehearsal" for Bike and Build. If you're in either of those areas and you spot me chugging along, please don't hesitate to stop me and say hi!

Another 15 miles and donation link is live!

So I rode another 15 miles last weekend, bringing my total mileage so far to 119.3. Big thanks to Stephanie for riding with me and being excellent company (and keeping me on my toes!)

Additionally, the donation links are live for this year's riders. If you're interested in donating, you can go to http://www.bikeandbuild.org, click the Donate link at the bottom of the page, and select my name (Katch, Allyson) from the list. Your online donation will go through Google checkout and is completely secure. I'll also set up the link in my Relevant Links sidebar.

Madison to Cambridge: 33 miles, 0 emissions

So this whole weekend has been crazy! I rode 15 miles on Friday afternoon to pick up a few much needed supplies, then on Saturday I rode 33 miles from Madison to Cambridge.

This is the route I followed:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Madison-to-Cambridge

I got sidetracked a few times - tried taking an alternate route off BB and went a little too far down the Glacial Drumlin state trail, but in the end it worked out. The entire ride took me about 3 hours, 45 minutes.

My total mileage after this weekend: 56.3 + 15 + 33 = 104.3

Moving right along!

Ittttt's... Bike and Build time!

Applications are finally up! I've just sent mine in with the hopes that I'll soon have a permanent (pending requirements) spot on NUS 2009.

I haven't posted much lately because of school starting and such, and unfortunately I haven't been training as much as I should for similar reasons. Since my last post I've made two 14.7 mile circles around Lake Mendota - whew! Looks like I've got a long way to go before I'm ready to do 70, 80, 90 mile days...

A former coworker invited me to join the UW cycling team's Listserv, saying I could post what it is I'm doing and ask for someone to help me build up to 60 mile days. I think I may do just that!

I'd also like to note that I added a new link to the list o' links - Bikely is a site that lets you create, post, and search for bike routes in your area or elsewhere. I like it because it lets me check out my approximate mileage, but also because it allows me to switch up my training routes. Check it out!

Pieces of bike strewn over my floor...

I'm house sitting for my parents this week, so I've got access to my old man's garage and all his tools. As such, I'm taking this opportunity to give the lean mean purple machine some much needed TLC. It is currently in pieces all over the garage and partially sanded. That's right - my lean mean purple machine will soon be a lean mean black and green machine. It will also have fresh cables and tape and a brand new rack and pannier set as well as some nice new lube everywhere I can manage it.

Because my bike is in pieces all over the floor, I'll be training indoors this week. Blehhhh...

Desperate white female seeks cheapy messenger bags for a few hours of DIY fun

What an epic adventure I've had this day. Truly a fantastic frenzy of fabulous fun. My intention was to ride over to the Savers on the east side to purchase some cheapy messenger bags for to make my own panniers (because panniers are fscking expensive, doncha know). Little did I know that there is no longer a Savers on the east side, only one on the west side. Equally little did I know that in place of the awesomeness that is Savers was its polar opposite... Family Dollar. Ew. So I rode back to campus, thinking I'd go to the Goodwill on State Street. WRONG! About 3 minutes before I arrived, they had closed. No one wants to sell me cheapy messenger bags today, apparently.

So scratch that idea. I then went to Budget Bicycle (bless their LBS hearts) and purchased some necessary items for my lean mean purple machine; handlebar tape, cables, and a rack. Unfortunately, probably due to no fault of the kind people at Budget Bicycle, the rack was missing one single nut, and so I was unable to complete the installation completely. Oh well, it feels solid enough for now.

Today's mileage: 6.9 miles

Bolt your bottle brackets or bear the burden of bumps, bruises, and broken bicycles

Rode through the Arboretum yesterday - never knew how pretty it was down there. Definitely didn't ride as far yesterday as I did on Tuesday, but it was still a good ride, and I do love my lean mean purple machine. Note: strap on bottle brackets... don't work. Don't use them. They will spitefully get in the way of your pedals no matter how often you kick them back into place. Sooner or later, very bad things will happen... the point is, if you can't bolt it down, don't use it.

If anyone is interested in donating, please email me. Bike and Build applications are not open yet, and as a result I don't have an "official" donate link, but rest assured that all donations will be held in reserve until I've got one.

Total mileage (yesterday): 7 miles

Don't train on a cruiser...

...It won't work out for you. Rode to the mall like I said I would, but on the way out, my handlebars came loose... mysteriously. This is on top of all the other odd issues it has. I didn't have a big enough wrench on me to attempt to fix the part I thought it might have been, so I had to chain it up at a St. Vinny's until I can figure a way to get it home. No big deal though, I found a reasonable (better than that damn cruiser) training bike on Craigslist, so I walked to the gentleman's house, tried it out, and bought it. It'll work for now, maybe be a nice project bike. It needs new handlebar tape for sure, could use new cables, a paint job, and a different shifter mechanism (if possible?). The current one involves flipping these little levers.

Anyway, today's training totals (mileage is according to Google Maps):

Home to mall: 5.8
Mall to Craigslist guy: 2.5
Craigslist guy to home: 4.1

Grand total of 12.4 miles! Woo!

The adventure begins...

And it begins... the ride of a lifetime.

My name is Ally, and my goal is to bicycle across the United States with Bike and Build during the summer of 2009. This blog will document the next 365 days, from my training and fundraising efforts to preparing for the trip to the actual ride. It will also serve as an accountability record - did I train today? If not, did I train yesterday?

So here I am, at the beginning. I will be biking at least four times a week, increasing my mileage a little each time.

Yesterday I rode approximately 3 miles - all the way down Lakeshore Bike Path and to the end of Picnic Point, then all the way back. Today I will be riding to the mall on the west side, a trip of approximately 5 miles each way.