Monday, August 25, 2008

Getting it together

As all of you know, planning, researching, and packing for an adventure is half of the fun. This weekend was spent installing bike racks, stuffing clothing into dry sacks (the Netherlands receives over 300 days of rain per year), discussing clothing and outerwear choices, developing a nutritional plan, looking at maps, and noting the items we still lack. With just over 7 days before we leave, we're really getting it together.

Diana and I have been training for this trip all year, and are in relatively solid shape for it. We plan on averaging about 50 miles a day while we're there (which isn't bad if you consider that we have all day to ride). While the Netherlands is pancake-flat, there's a reason that it is a land of many windmills. . .IT IS WINDY! Several weeks ago, a woman who lived there for many years was in Appalachian Outfitters and was telling me that the wind direction there is the stuff of legend--no matter which direction you're going, it feels like you have the wind in your face. As any bicyclist will tell you, that's like climbing a slow hill!

On another note, this trip could not have been possible at all without the following folks really coming through for us:

-all of our employees who not only are willing to work while we are gone, but actually pooled their money and are funding accommodations for several nights while we are there! We're sending out a big THANK YOU to all of our INCREDIBLE STAFF (you guys are like family);
-the helpful crew at Sunshine Cycle Shop in Greenville who built our bikes and have provided invaluable advice on service, spares, and bicycling accessories;
-the folks at Ritchey Logic who make one of the neatest, best-riding travel frames on the planet that actually fit into a regulation-sized, hard-sided travel case that won't incur airline overcharges;
-Ortlieb USA for making some of the most well-thought-out bicycling gear we've ever seen (panniers, handlebar bags, seat pouches, etc);
-Rob Robinson, our CamelBak sales-rep, who provided us with CamelBak Elixir tablets for our electrolyte replacement;
-Hammer Nutrition products for making some of the best energy replenishment exercise products money can buy;
-Erin Baker's Breakfast Cookies (great energy, great taste, organic, not too much sugar) and;
-OmniMap resources for making the finest maps available to us.

Later on this week, we'll publish our packing lists on this blog so you'll know what's going with us. Obviously, all of our clothing came from Appalachian Outfitters, but there are several items in particular that we REALLY LOVE. More on that to come. . .

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