ADVENTURE CYCLIST - Adventure Cycling Association

GO THE DISTANCE. fEbruAry 2013 www.ADvENTurECyClING.OrG $4.95

Adventure

CyClistWaypoints 10 geared up 46 open road gallery 63

rAinstorm And stiHl tour de trees:

Go with a Groupplus: macedonia by bicycle southern indiana cycling

road test: all-city space horse Wheel sizes explained

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45 COmPANIONS WANTED

56 LIFE mEmBER PROFILE

58 mARkETPLACE/CLASSIFIEDS

63 OPEN ROAD GALLERY

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12 mACEDONIA COURTS BIkE TRAVEL by Paul Lamarra This rugged Balkan country north of Greece is making a big push to attract bicycle travelers.

18 RURAL RIDING ON RAINSTORm by Bruce Noah If you’re looking to ride big distances, this TRIRI-sponsored event in Indiana may be for you.

24 CYCLING mEETS ARBORICULTURE IN OREGON by Frazer Pehmoeller Ride hard and do good while cycling the STIHL Tour de Trees.

32 BREAkING AWAY IN SOUTHERN INDIANA by Chuck Haney The Hoosier state has a lot to offer cyclists who seek smooth roads and great singletrack.

40 BRUCE GORDON HAS SOmETHING TO SAY by Dan D’Ambrosio A glimpse into the state of the legendary framebuilder’s business.

l e t t e r s

06 LETTER from the EDITOR

08 LETTER from the DIRECTOR

09 LETTERS from the READERS

C o l u m n s

50 ROAD TEST / Patrick O’Grady A look at the All-City Space Horse

52 FINE TUNED / Josh Tack The skinny on compact design

54 mECHANICAL ADVANTAGE / Jan Heine Wheel-size options abound

is published nine times each year by the Adventure Cycling Association, a nonprofit service organization for recreational bicyclists. Individual membership costs $40 yearly to U.S. addresses and includes a subscrip-tion to Adventure Cyclist and dis-counts on Adventure Cycling maps. The entire contents of Adventure Cyclist are copyrighted by Adventure Cyclist and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from Adventure Cyclist. All rights reserved.

our CoverRiders tackle a hill on the Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV), an annual event established in 1962, now in its 52nd year. Photo by Brad Bolton.

(left) Bluegrass and singletrack on the Brown County Breakdown.

missionAdventure Cycling Association inspires and empowers people to travel by bicycle.

strAteGiC AreAs oF FoCus• Provide the Premier Tools and

Inspiration for People to Travel by Bicycle

• Expand and Integrate Bike Travel Networks for North America

• Create the Best Possible Conditions for Bicycle Travel

How to reach usTo join, change your address, or ask questions about membership, visit us online at www.adventurecycling.org or call (800) 755-2453 or (406) 721-1776.

email: [email protected]

Subscription Address:Adventure Cycling Association P.O. Box 8308missoula, mT 59807

Headquarters:Adventure Cycling Association 150 E. Pine St.missoula, mT 59802

February 2013 · Volume 40 Number 1 · www.adventurecycling.org

2:2013 contents

BROOKS. ENJOY EVERY MILE.

Day 1. Bags packed and legs fresh in Cornwall.

THE BEST FOR RIDINGTTTTHHHHEEEE BBBBEEEEESSSSTTTT FFFFOOOORRRR RRRRIIIIDDDDDIIIIINNNNGGGG

Every year thousands of cyclists ride across Great Britain between Land’s End in Cornwall and John O’Groats in Scotland. The 900-mile “LeJog” journey has become a tradition for British cyclists of all ages, many completing it for charity.

Brooks has launched a new website to collect and share LeJog and other bicycle travel stories: www.enjoyeverymile.com

Our first documentary features Adam and Andrew’s End to End trip in support of Operation Smile and other charities. Learn more at www.miles4smiles.com

BROOKS. ENJOY EVERY MILE.

Day 1. Bags packed and legs fresh in Cornwall.

THE BEST FOR RIDINGTTTTHHHHEEEE BBBBEEEEESSSSTTTT FFFFOOOORRRR RRRRIIIIDDDDDIIIIINNNNGGGG

Every year thousands of cyclists ride across Great Britain between Land’s End in Cornwall and John O’Groats in Scotland. The 900-mile “LeJog” journey has become a tradition for British cyclists of all ages, many completing it for charity.

Brooks has launched a new website to collect and share LeJog and other bicycle travel stories: www.enjoyeverymile.com

Our first documentary features Adam and Andrew’s End to End trip in support of Operation Smile and other charities. Learn more at www.miles4smiles.com

A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 3 A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I N G . O R G6

Letter from the Editor

lookinG ForwArdOn misconceived editorial, and supported tours and events

feedback about how I went about making my point, much of which was valid. Simply put, some readers felt that I had put down whole classes of people while addressing Armstrong’s circumstances. I quickly responded through Adventure Cycling’s blog and, if you wish, you can read my response there: adven-turecycling.org/letter. In the meantime, apologies to those who took offense. my intent in the future is to focus on the kinds of cycling topics our readers look forward to reading about.

As longtime readers know, we typi-cally cover supported cycling, both tours and events, in an early-volume issue. In the past, we covered supported tours like those provided by our many advertisers (see page 17) in one issue and supported events, like those listed on pages 30-31, in a separate issue. Last year, we decided to combine these into one 64-page issue so we could free up an issue later in the year that wouldn’t be confined by a par-ticular theme. Themes are great, and we don’t want to eliminate them, but with four every year (supported cycling; The Cyclist’s Travel Guide; the history issue; alternative cycles) plus two or three that we may create per volume, it becomes quite confining in terms of what stories we can publish when.

Another factor is that the line between what constitutes a bicycle tour versus a bicycle event has been blurring in recent

times. For us the best demarcation line seems to be the number of par-ticipants — 30 or less is a tour (and it’s typically even less) while 30 or more is an event. We used to be able to rely on other differentiating factors: indoor or out-door overnights; vehicle supported or not; camp

food or fine-dining type meals — but these aren’t useful anymore. In many cases, it’s simple; some events are so large, consisting of hundreds or thousands of riders, that there’s no mistaking what they are. In other cases, when an event is limited to 60 participants and offers options for indoor or outdoor stays, and the food is prepared and served by excel-lent caterers, you can see where it gets more difficult to distinguish between the two and why we struggle with it when preparing the listings. Even Adventure Cycling tours blur the line.

Looking out over 2013, I see a lot of exciting things happening for Adventure Cyclist. The magazine is in the process of undergoing a complete redesign, which I’ll talk much more about in the march issue, and we also have plans to expand our web-based and electronic options this year. In addition this volume will consist of more pages than ever so there’s plenty to look forward to.

michael DemeEditor, Adventure Cyclist [email protected]

Adventure

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G E O R G E m E N D E S D O N N A O ’ N E A L

In the last issue of Adventure Cyclist, I wrote my editorial hoping to lend a bit of perspec-tive concerning the Lance Armstrong situation. I won’t go into it again or into what’s currently happening regarding Armstrong but I received some rather pointed

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A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 3 A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I N G . O R G8 A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 3 A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I N G . O R G 9

DIrECTOr’S lETTEr

AntiCipAtionThe sweet scent of the South — and the new tour season

Letter from the Director

I put it in the category of “catharsis trav-el,” wherein a person who’s gone through some hard times puts herself through the most challenging travel experience possible to cleanse, reorient, and move forward. Sound familiar? We hear these stories all the time at Adventure Cycling, but Cheryl’s account of her grueling hike along the PCT is one of the most moving travelogues I’ve ever encountered.

In the video realm, I highly recom-mend Janapar, a tightly edited and emotionally engaging chronicle of Tom Allen’s three-and-a-half year ride through some of the world’s most difficult terrain — and how he found love in Armenia. Tom shot some beautiful footage (you’ll recognize his graphic sensabilities from some of the excellent photos he’s pro-vided for Adventure Cycling’s calendar and website).

But it’s really my imagination and the upcoming tour season that keep my passion stoked. I think that’s the case for many Adventure Cycling members, because you are filling our 2013 tours at an unprecedented rate. As we go to press, 60 percent of our budgeted tour slots are full and many tours are sold out, from Death Valley to Texas Hill Country to the Outer Banks. If you’re looking for a great adventure, consider our Sierra-Cascades epic tour (covering some of the same spectacular terrain as Cheryl Strayed’s book), our van-supported Underground Railroad tour to Niagara Falls, and Cycle the [Columbia] Gorge.

I’ve ridden all or part of the routes for these tours and can guarantee that you’ll enjoy some of the best cycling North America has to offer.

As for me, I’m heading south, as in the Deep South. Lucy, one of my twin 14-year-old daughters, has fallen in love with Florida, so we’ve put together an exciting trip. In mid-may, we’ll be part of the inaugural Southern Sampler self-contained tour from Charleston to Savannah to St. Augustine, Florida, which will be led by the fantastic Sally Fenton. Then, Lucy and I will keep rid-ing to key West and catch the ferry back to Fort myers and Tampa. We’re already hungry for the next three months to be done — but then again, we have some training to do! I hope you’re planning big things for 2013. Let us know via Facebook, Twitter, or good old-fashioned email — and I look forward to joining you soon on North America’s roads and trails.

jim SayerExecutive [email protected]

Tours are filling fast, from Death Valley to the Outer Banks.

We are in the depths of winter here in montana. It’s frosty cold and the days are short, perfect for Nordic skiing and fine for bike commut-ing — but not so great for overnight tours. So I’m digging into travelbooks and videos, and dreaming ahead to warmer weather. On the book front, my favorite is not about cycling at all, but still about adventure travel. It’s called Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail and was written by Cheryl Strayed.

Jim with his daughter Samantha on the first Cycle the Gorge, an amazing tour not only through the Columbia Gorge but also past many of the Northwest’s most iconic mountains.


rEADEr’S lETTErS

keep it noncontroversialI’m not sure what you meant to accom-plish with this editorial including the swipe at “financial criminals.” I know I have doubts about many facts about Armstrong, including his honesty. I’d rather not see Adventure Cyclist get involved in the controversy. And not join in the class warfare that our politi-cians use to avoid facing up to the job of straightening out this country.

Myron RorickCircleville, Ohio

the empire strikes backAdventure Cycling’s mission is to inspire and empower people to travel by bicycle. Lance Armstrong’s mission was to cheat his way to a fortune and the status of a global celebrity. The reality of his cheating, and his continued denial of that cheating, does absolutely nothing to inspire and empower people to travel by bike.

Your editorial letter, whilst splendid in its rhetoric, and the alignment with Armstrong it contains, does nothing to inspire or empower people either. Quite the opposite. Lance didn’t fail to live up to our impossible fantasies of who he was, he failed to live up to his own impossible fantasies about who he was. A point you appear to miss. Completely.

As for us Brits, we live on a collection

of soggy green islands not a single isle, and our priorities are pretty well aligned, cer-tainly more well aligned than yours appear to be, given the views in your letter.

Greg CollinsHorsham, West Sussex, UK

keep it upThanks so much for making the point about hero worship. We need more edi-torials like yours and need to highlight more local issues the way you guys do in Bike Bits.

Please keep up the great work. I read Adventure Cyclist magazine cover-to-cover and then pass it along to the next cyclist I find.

Ellen CronanNew Milford, New Jersey

case doesn’t cut itYou did not successfully make your case. I think it’s because you mixed up heroes with leaders. You correctly point out that Lance was on the receiving end of hero worship, but then you compare him to other leaders, such as the world’s largest bank CEOs. I think you need to make the case that these CEOs were on the receiv-ing end of hero worship too, then you would make your case.

Erik DunhamSan Diego, California

sorely lacking fashionWhy do the guys in cycling clubs always take group pictures where everybody wears his or her helmet and bike glasses? It is ugly and, above all, no one can rec-ognize anyone.

But when the editor of Adventure Cyclist ornates his column with such an ugly picture month after month after month, I cry.

Is it incompatible to love cycling and to have a tiny little sense of elegance?

Philippe MélotParis, France

Editor replies: I’m trying to clean up my act.

burn baby, burnI just read your Lance column. I used to be a fan of his, even got to be in Paris for the end of the 2005 Tour. Your point about placing people on pedestals is well taken, however, the apparent depth of deception, bullying, and the amount that he profited from this make this such an unusual black mark on all who trusted him and all who got squashed by him. Burning an effigy of him is warranted and a harmless way to vent while others decide if he should be appropriately pun-ished for this grand lie.

Dan WidnerMechanicsville, Virginia

Responses to the December/January Letter from the Editorand other thoughts

Letters from our Readers

continued on page 62

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wAyPOINTS

News you can use from the world of bicycle travel by Alison Riley and Madeline McKiddy

WayPoints

2012 BiCyCle trAvel AwArd winners The 2012 June curry trail angel award goes to byron Seeley, kelly white, and vikki Correll, of Jeffrey City, wyoming. located in a ghost town halfway between rawlins and lander on the TransAmerica Trail, these three provide resources and shelter to cyclists where none otherwise exist. “Since the only motel in Jeffrey City closed in 2009, byron and kelly have graciously offered a place to camp, or accommodations in their trailer or the floor of their studio, to many traveling cyclists,” said their nominator. “The hospitality of byron ‘the Mad Potter,’ kelly, and vikki is a true legend of the TransAm.”

The recipient of the 2012 pacesetter bicycle travel award is Ian klepetar of Gansevoort, New york. In 2007, klepetar dreamed up bicycle benefits, a bicycling program that rewards individu-als and businesses for their

commitment to the use of ped-aling energy in order to create a more sustainable community. klepetar promotes the pro-gram across North America, traveling exclusively by bicycle.

“I have never witnessed more passion for cycling, the bicy-cle, and non-motorized travel than that which Ian klepetar embodies,” said his nominator. “He is a phenomenal human, and exemplary bicycle advo-cate.”

The recipient of the 2012

sam braxton bike shop award is Pacific Coast Cycles in Oceanside, California. Chuck Hoefer’s shop, opened in 1977, is not very large, but there’s enough space to keep Surly long Haul Truckers stocked in every size. He also carries a wide variety of vin-tage and modern bicycle parts. Hoefer is a master mechanic and an expert wheel builder, and his shop shares the same spirit and tenacity that Sam braxton’s shop once exuded. “Chuck and Gretchen are honest, passionate, knowl-edgeable, and competent,” said Pacific Coast Cycles’ nominator. “They want to sell you a bike you’ll love — nothing more. Chuck might be the best darn mechanic and dedicated lover of cycling that Southern California could ever have.”

The 2012 volunteer of the year award goes to Christopher Marsh, of rio rancho, New Mexico. Marsh’s work in New Mexico on the development of bicycle route 66 will make that portion of the route a wonderful journey for cyclists. “for the past 40 years, Chris Marsh has been contribut-ing, supporting, and promoting bicycling,” said his nominator. “Chris has a lifelong, multi-fac-eted commitment to cycling. He is a wonderful role model and leader for other cyclists, and has improved the cycling communi-ties of all the towns and cities that have been fortunate enough to have had him as a resident.”

learn more about this year’s award winners at blog.adven turecycling.org/2012/12/2012-bicycle-travel-award-winners. Nominations for the 2013 bicycle Travel Awards will open July 2, 2013. visit adventurecycling.org/awards for more information. – AR

prACtiCe wHAt you preACH Every morning, as the sun rises over New york’s Central Park, the Hospital for Special Surgery Cycling Club can be seen dressed in HSS cyclist’s uniforms and riding the 24 miles through the park before heading to work and scrubbing up. This group, composed of surgeons, physicians, and physical therapists works to promote health and exercise and is often stopped en route and asked advice — which they gladly give. “About eight years ago, a friend of mine suggest-ed that we start riding bicycles for exercise,” said orthopedic surgeon Dr. David levine, “I was receptive to the idea of maintaining my health, though a bit wary of the possibility of injury. little did I know that this was the start of a major transformation in my life. I was hooked immediately!”

Dr. levine was not the only member who grew addicted to the great health benefits (and fun) of hopping on a bike every day; he and 300 of the other HSS members traveled to the Pyrenees this year where they cycled over 300 miles through the same mountains climbed by professional cyclists in the Tour de france. “while the Hospital for Special Surgery Cycling Club members don’t compete for the yellow jersey,” said Heath fradkoff, “they do embody the active lifestyle that they impress upon their patients.”

for more information, con-tact Heath fradkoff at [email protected]. – MM

Chuck and Gretchen Hoefer of Pacific Coast Cycles.

Ian Klepetar

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SHArE THE JOy - COrP lOGOS

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penn trailsthe directory

Adventure Cycling Corporate MembersAdventure Cycling’s business partners play a significant role in the success of our nonprofit organization. Our Corporate Membership Program is designed to spotlight these key support-ers. Corporate Members are companies that believe in what we do and wish to provide additional assistance through a higher

level of support. These corporate membership funds go toward special projects and the creation of new programs. To learn more about how your business can become a corporate supporter of Adventure Cycling, go to adventurecycling.org/corporate or call (800) 755-2453.

Spread the joy of cycling and get a chance to win cool prizes

n For each cyclist you refer to Adventure Cycling, you will get one chance to win a Raleigh Sojourn valued at

over $1,300. The winner will be drawn from all eligible members in January of 2014.

n Each month, we’ll draw a mini-prize winner who will receive gifts from Old Man Mountain, Arkel, Ortlieb, and others.

n The more cyclists you refer, the more chances you have to win!

Adventure Cycling Association adventurecycling.org/joy

GET A CHANCE TO WIN

Moulton Bicycle Company Style GuideIssue 1: Oct/08

1. Rider Logo - primary company logo- do not use for small print- do not use directly behind a Moulton bicycle

1B

1C

1A

1D

1A: Rider logo on white. Full colour print. Includes gradients.

1B: Rider logo on black. Greyscale print. (Invert 1D for white only print on black)

1C: Rider logo on white. Black and solid red print.

1D: Rider logo on white. Black and white print.

Logos For Print and Web

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Share the Joy

Macedonia Courts Bike TravelStory and photos by Paul Lamarra

W ith the increasing alti-tude, the humid oak woods gave way to the smooth bare moun-taintops of the Galicica National Park in south-

ern macedonia.The strain of the climb was over, and

the road rounded the final bend to reach the summit of the 5,250-foot pass between Lake Prespa and Lake Ohrid.

Now, above the treeline and in the cooler air, I was pedaling freely. I had only a dim memory of my sweaty struggle with the eight miles of loosely coiled road that took me from the shores of Lake Prespa and sev-eral miles in each direction across wooded slopes before it made its final approach into the neck of the pass.

Once in the narrow pass, I looked up to the crest for signs of macedonia’s once- tense border with Albania — a country that 20 years ago was a tightly controlled hermit state in the North korean mold.

On the way, I counted fewer than six cars and not one fellow cyclist. The handful of people enjoying a barbecue dinner by the side of the road looked at me with incredu-lity and made unintelligible comments that nevertheless sounded encouraging.

Despite being late September, it had been a very hot day, and I had lingered over lunch in the shade of a closed bar by a beach on Lake Prespa, hoping that the temperature, which was approaching 100 degrees, would subside.

When I eventually set off alone late in the afternoon, I was worried that I wouldn’t make the summit before dusk and I’d miss the view.

Elated to arrive before nightfall, I dal-lied at the summit. There I looked down on Lake Ohrid 3,000 feet below to watch a pas-senger ferry heading out of the Albanian port of Pogradec, creating a white wake in the deep blue water.

On the hillsides around me, an alchemist was at work as the short yellowish grass glowed golden in the fading sunlight. Only when the sinking sun grazed the moun-tains on the Albanian side of the lake did I remount and give in to the indulgence of the 12-mile glide downhill through the rap-idly cooling air to Trpejca — a traditional fishing village.

The perfect day ended within earshot of the lapping waters and with a delicious meal, which included the lake’s renowned freshwater trout and a tall cool beer.

I had begun my six-day tour of western

macedonia four days earlier in the moun-tain town of kruševo with my guide for the first part of the trip, Christine moore, a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer from Los Angeles. Christine had lived in macedonia for three years, advising start-up companies and learning the language.

Along with other volunteers, Christine was instrumental in encouraging a young entrepreneur, Zoran Grozdanovski, in set-ting up Cycle macedonia, the company running my tour, and getting it to the

stage where it was ready to accept paying customers.

Perhaps the poorest country in Europe, macedonia is still coming to terms with the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, of which it was a constituent republic. Every idea to get the economy moving is a classic chicken-and-egg situa-tion — that is, which comes first, the visi-tors or the investment?

Peace Corps volunteers aware of the work of Adventure Cycling back home hit on the idea of introducing macedonia to cycle touring as the best way of building on what was already there.

Progress has been made and several suc-cessful tours have taken place, but when we wheeled our bicycles out into the small square behind the church in kruševo, it was clear that the sight of a bicycle loaded up with panniers still had the potential to cause a stir.

The men drinking coffee in the café under the lime tree put down their cups and turned to look, and the street sweeper stopped gathering up the fallen leaves to lean on his broom and stare. Only the butcher, who was adding up his sales on a stool outside his store, remained engrossed in his task.

When we had loaded up with snacks and fruit, we set off downhill on a narrow street lined with bright white villas topped

with red tile roofs. On the edge of town, an ascent led us around ski slopes and to the resort’s only ski lodge, and to the other side of the mountain and a mammoth downhill that would take us into the wooded valley of the Crna River.

While we remained above 4,000 feet, the temperature was pleasant for cycling. However, the valley floor that lay far below us was already hidden in a heat-dancing haze.

The thrilling downhill made for an excellent start, and the guilt that I felt for not having earned it passed readily. Besides, the easy start was only part of the reason we started from kruševo.

To understand Kruševo, what went on there, and why it is so important to macedonians is to understand modern macedonia and its predicament.

Small and landlocked, the modern repub-lic is but a small part of the all-conquering ancient kingdom of macedonia that was ruled in the 4th century BCE by the father of Alexander the Great. The biggest part of the ancient kingdom now lies in Greece and the rest in neighboring Bulgaria.

As a result, Greece regards the current state of macedonia as an anomaly and vociferously objects to its choice of name. Thanks to Greece, macedonia has struggled for recognition since the 1991 break up of the Yugoslav republic.

Using its veto, Greece has blocked macedonia’s membership in the European Union and NATO. Anxious to compromise, macedonia changed its flag and was admit-ted under the provisional name of the former Yugoslav Republic of macedonia or FYROm for short. The U.S. is one of the few governments that recognizes macedonia as its offical name.

To steer around such controversies, macedonia considers the relatively recent Ilinden Uprising of 1903 that took place in kruševo against the long-ruling and often brutal Ottoman Empire to be the pivotal moment in its history.

For 10 days, rebel fighters held out against the Ottomans, and for 10 days, kruševo was a free republic. Inevitably, however, the rebellion was crushed and the rebels martyred.

Every year on August 2, macedonians make a pilgrimage to kruševo and its mountaintop memorial to celebrate their independence. more than that, it has been decided that the town will remain in a 1903 time warp. Walking the streets of kruševo will reveal craftsmen working as they would have done over a century ago.

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nuts & bolts: macedoniawhile I was in Macedonia, I was the guest of Cycle Macedonia, the company set up by Zoran Grozdanovski with the assis-tance of volunteers from the u.S. Peace Corps.

I joined a shortened version of their standard tour that involves six days of cycling and two rest days, although there are cycling options available on rest days if you’d like.

The tour is 171 miles and starts in kruševo to the south west of Skopje and ends in the ancient city of Ohrid.

highlights: Bitola – Second biggest city in Macedonia it is known as the City of Consuls. bitola was where the world’s diplomats to the Ottoman Empire gathered. Some of the neoclassi-cal embassies survived the ww I bombardment. The Širok Sokak remains a vibrant thoroughfare — a great place to have coffee and people watch.

Heraclea – Much of the 4th century bCE city of Heraclea is under the modern day city of bitola. Extensive remains and the roman amphitheater can be vis-ited on a short detour from bitola.

Sveti Naum – reached by boat the Saint Naum monastery at the southern end of lake Ohrid dates from the 16th century. listen at the grave of Saint Naum for his muffled heartbeat. The

monastery is patrolled by pea-cocks – a Macedonian national symbol.

Ohrid Bazaar – A colorful daily extravaganza of food and hard-ware stalls in the Turkish quarter. look out for the cycling tea boys carrying trays of sweet mint tea and strong coffee to the sur-rounding offices.

Tsar Samuil’s fortress, Ohrid – wonderful crenulated walls enclose the old fort. The views of the lake are incredible. legend has it that when Samuil’s forces were defeated in battle by the Ottomans, 14,000 captured sol-diers were blinded. Only one in every 100 was allowed to keep one eye to lead the rest home.

Sveta Sofia, Ohrid – 11th-centu-ry church contains frescos from the byzantine period.

gear: The bikes provided had chunky off-road tires, the suspen-sion was too soft and it couldn’t be locked out. both came in handy for the teeth chattering cobblstoned sections but prob-ably aren’t appropriate for the most part. Cycling is relatively new to Macedonia but the coun-try is working hard to get things right. Consider taking your own rear panniers or rack pack.

for more information about Cycle Macedonia, visit cycle macedonia.com.

When to ride: Summer is very hot and winter can be very cold. The ideal times are in June and September when the tempera-tures are pleasant and there are fewer tourists and cars on the road, especially around lake Ohrid.

how to get there: The contro-versially named Alexander the Great airport serves the capital Skopje. It is the only airport that can properly be considered international. It is modern and easy to use. Served by only a few airlines, there are no direct transatlantic flights and it will be necessary to connect through Paris, Amsterdam, or berlin.

Skopje is connected to london luton airport by wizz Air although be aware that london luton is some distance to the north of london and not really convenient unless you are plan-ning a stay in city. There are direct flights from Amsterdam to Ohrid’s St. Paul the Apostle airport.

buses linking Skopje with Ohrid are frequent and very cheap — around $6. Journey time is typi-cally 3:30 to 4 hours.

maps: I was unable to find any detailed maps of Macedonia, but my guide, Christine, relied on Google Maps.

books: There is not yet a well-developed selection of

guidebooks to Macedonia. I used the Lonely Planet Western Balkans guidebook (ISbN 978-1-74104-729-5; 2009; $24.99) which contains one chapter on Macedonia. It’s handy if you plan on also visiting nearby kosovo, Serbia, and Albania. It includes a guide to the Cyrillic alphabet.

other information: Major cred-it cards are widely accepted and free wi-fi is often available.

Food: Sopska salata – Mixed salad with tomatoes and cucum-ber served under a snowdrift of sirenje white cheese (resembles feta but don’t ever make the comparison). Always served with raki, a white or yellow vodka-like spirit.

Ajvar – A must-taste dish. red peppers scorched on a wood- burning stove are then peeled and cooked down into a thick paste, a process that takes 24 hours. Here, you’ll see many local women on the shores of lake Ohrid.

Trout – the demand for the famously red flesh of the lake Ohrid trout has led to overfish-ing. Ask for farmed trout if you want to conserve stocks. The Albanians are known to fish it using dynamite.

Tavce gravce – A thick, oven-baked, white-bean stew in a pork gravy – my favorite.

The blacksmith works between his anvil and his hearth, and the cooper shapes his wooden barrels by hand.

Equipped with my bluffer’s guide to the Ilinden Uprising and some understanding of macedonia’s fraught relationship with its neighbors, I was ready for the strong opin-ions that would be forcefully expressed throughout my trip.

Traveling by bicycle, you are nothing if not accessible. When the macedonians

offered hospitality, we were often expected to offer in return an opportunity for them to explain themselves and their country. Such heartfelt discussion, however, was never conducted aggressively.

One man who had given us advice and apples shouted after us as we cycled away, “macedonia is the most beautiful, macedonia is mentioned in the Bible, macedonia is the oldest country on earth, how can the Greeks say macedonia is not a

country?” He was, coincidentally, the only other cyclist I encountered on the trip.

For much of the first day, we were to remain on the main road, level with the river that flowed through the valley. In a country with few roads, a certain amount of doubling back was inevitable, and we headed north first to a famous trout restau-rant by the babbling brook at Babino, then south to the 14th-century monastery in the hills above Slepče.


Despite being the only cyclists on the road, we were, for the most part, given our space. Only one horn-tooting truck driver took exception to our presence.

Among the roofless and doorless cars, the trucks of dubious roadworthiness, the donkeys laden with firewood, and men on horseback towing a packhorse carrying all their worldly goods, it was hard to feel odd even though we were the novelty.

Throughout the trip, our fellow travelers were a constant source of color. In villages heavily-panting dogs would force us to go around, whereas horses running free would move off, let us pass, and then return to block the road.

A family of Roma gypsies traveling in the opposite direction made good time on a flatbed wagon pulled by a piebald. At the center of the wagon, the matriarch in a colorful headdress provided a proud figurehead.

As it was September, the fields were also full of men and women working hard to bring in the apples and the tobacco, which they would hang in garlands by the side of the road to dry on barn walls.

Whenever we stopped by the roadside to collect our thoughts or drink deeply from our bottles, we soon had company.

The Roma would stop to discuss their end-less peregrinations across Europe in search of work, and farmhands would approach to make a spontaneous gift of apples.

At times, I felt that my journey resem-bled an anxiety dream in which I never reached my destination. Stopping at a gro-cery store for supplies and some advice resulted in an invitation to enjoy a cup of mint tea in the storekeeper’s cool garden. There we met her daughter, her son-in-law, and her garrulous grandchildren.

The next day in Resen, when I stopped for an ice cream to reduce the swelling

of a bee sting to my lip, we were invited on a tour of the local firehouse to inspect their newly acquired fire tenders donated by a fire service in Sussex, England. They were, however, clearly disappointed that my sting did not produce an allergic reac-tion and that the blue-light dash to the local hospital was not required.

When we were able to stay in the saddle, the cycling was rarely unpleasant, and I found that the guidebook warnings of numerous reckless drivers were wide of the mark.

On almost every road, the older cob-bled road underneath threatened to burst through the asphalt. On the high road near Pelister Peak (the highest peak of Baba mountain) between Bitola and Lake Prespa, the road remained for the most part in its original cobbled state.

When climbing, the cobbled surface added at least 10 percent to the effort that was required, and on the furiously fast downhill to Lake Prespa, the curv-ing arrangement of the small cobblestones

proved maddening to the eye. However, a new highway is popular with the locals so, we had the old road to ourselves.

Once we were on the west side of Pelister Peak heading south towards Greece and Albania on the road by Lake Prespa, the minarets of mosques outnumbered the domes of Orthodox churches, and the regu-lar calls to prayer often rang in our ears.

Only on this beautiful but empty black-top road did the road signs express the des-tinations in both the Cyrillic and the Latin alphabets. On all other occasions, I had to defer to Christine to know where we were and where we were going.

As touring cyclists, we blended easily with the hodgepodge of vehicles we found on the roads, and I would like to think that our philosophy of promoting a low-impact means of intimate travel, by which you determinedly make the best of things, fit well with the macedonians’ ethos of simple kindness, especially for weary travelers.

Hotels are rare, and I think the experi-ence of taking a room in a macedonian

plenty of carbs. If you run out of fuel in Macedonia, it won’t be because of the local fare.


home was useful because it kept us among the macedonians rather than separate and, perhaps, above them.

When we pushed our bikes through the very narrow 14th-century gateway of the Sveti jovan Preteca monastery in search of a bed for the night, I liked to think that we were no different from other grateful and

weary travelers who had done so over the previous seven centuries.

The room was basic, the bathrooms were outside, and the single shower was over a lopsided iron bath. In a stern warning, the priest told us to return from dinner before 9:00 Pm, for that was when he released the hounds. We were, and he did.

In the early-morning gloom, I was awak-ened by the sound of soft voices sing-ing in an ancient monastic harmony that resembled Gregorian chant. The monks and nuns emerged from shadowy corners and processed across the courtyard to the church at its center.

many wars in the past have disrupted this continuity, but newer generations have rediscovered it. macedonia is looking for the features of its past that will justify its future. I doubt that cycle touring will have much impact on the country’s future, but I do believe cycling will enhance rather than detract from its progress, and perhaps it will persuade macedonians to keep certain things as they are.

I left macedonia convinced that it is a destination well suited to cycle touring, and I know that as awareness grows many more two-wheeled tourists will follow. For the time being at least, macedonia remains a travel rather than a tourist destination, and experiencing it by bike will leave you open to its charms.

Paul Lamarra (@paullamarra) is a former news report-er for The Sunday Times turned travel writer. He is the author of The Ultimate Scottish Cycling Book.

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daily chores. A Macedonian woman cleans her fishing nets on the shores of Lake Ohrid.


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Listed below are the bicycle tour companies that advertise in Adventure Cyclist. Besides supporting this magazine and Adventure Cycling Association with advertising dollars, they’re willing to invest money to be seen by Adventure Cyclist readers.

We can’t necessarily vouch for them, but feel their support makes them worthy of highlighting here. A more comprehensive list of tour operators is available at adventurecycling.org/cyp.

bicycle tour operators / advertisers

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Adventure South advsouth.co.nz 866-479-9827

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bike and Cruise Tours bikeandcruise.com 239-431-6219

bike Switzerlandbikeswitzerland.com +41(0)78-601-69-57

bike The west bikethewest.com800-565-2704

bike Tours Directbiketoursdirect.com877-462-2423

blue Marble Travelbluemarble.org201-465-2567

bubba’s Pampered Pedalers bubbaspamperedpedalers.com321-759-3433

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Carolina Tailwinds carolinatailwinds.com888-251-3206

Charleston bicycle Tourscharlestonbicycletours.com 800-408-1830

Classic Adventures classicadventures.com800-777-8090

Crossroadscrossroadscycling.com800-971-2453

Cycle America cycleamerica.com800-245-3263

Cycle Canadacyclecanada.com800-214-7798

Escapades bike Toursescapadesbiketours.com877-880-2453

Experience Plus!experienceplus.com800-685-4565

freewheeling Adventuresfreewheeling.ca800-672-0775

Great Explorationsgreat-explorations.com800-242-1825

Great freedom Adventuresgreatfreedomadventures.com877-545-1864

Historical Trails Cyclinghistoricaltrailscycling.com402-499-0874

Independent Touristindependenttourist.com866-269-9913

Iron Donkeyirondonkey.com+44 2890 813200

links bike Tourslinksbiketours.com

Mountainside bike Toursmountainsidebiketours.net 301-722-4887 PAC Tourpactour.com262-736-2453

Pedal & Sea Adventurespedalandseaadventures.com 877-777-5699

Pedalers Pub & Grillepedalerspubandgrille.com877-998-0008

POMGpomgbike.com888-635-2453

Senior Cycling Toursseniorcycling.com540-668-6307

Sockeye Cycle Co. Alaska bicycle Tours cyclealaska.com877-292-4154

Symbiosis Custom Travel symbiosis-travel.com +44 (0) 845 123 2844

Tour d’Afriquetourdafrique.com416-364-8255

Timberline Adventurestimbertours.com800-417-2453

TradNatura Sportcycling-tours-in-hungary.com 00-36-1-2758490

vacation bicyclingvacationbicycling.com404-909-8034

vesta velo Cycling Tours for womenvestavelo.com603-986-1173

west Canada bike Tourscanadabiketours.ca250-358-2153

woman Tourswomantours.com800-247-1444

RURAL RIDING ON RAINSTORm

by Bruce Noah

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For 26 years, the Bloomington Bicycle Club has sponsored the annual 160-mile Ride Across Indiana (RAIN), a non-competi-tive, one-day, timed ride across

the state from west to east, starting in Terre Haute and ending in Richmond. The only drawback to RAIN is logisticical in that it’s a point-to-point ride. Fortunately, in 2008, the Touring Ride In Rural Indiana (TRIRI) orga-nizers came up with RAINSTORm, which stands for RAIN: Same Thing, Only Ride more. The 660-mile tour starts in Richmond on the monday before RAIN, covers 100-plus miles per day for five days through scenic southern Indiana back roads, arrives in Terre Haute on Friday afternoon, and joins RAIN for the return to Richmond on Saturday.

Having ridden RAIN a number of times, I had to try RAINSTORm when I saw it advertised in 2008, its inaugural year. I questioned whether I could do it, because RAIN was the longest ride I’d ever done, and my typical summer training schedule is only 150 to 200 miles per week. Other riders had similar fears and shared their concerns on the RAINSTORm Google Groups mes-sage board. We obsessed about the southern Indiana hills and the hot, humid, mid-july weather conditions and how to train for them. The message board chatter only added to my apprehension. I eventually decided to leave my new carbon-fiber DeRosa Protos at home, opting to ride my faithful old steel-frame DeRosa Neo Primato with a 13-29 cas-sette and small carrier rack to carry spares and nutritional items.

I arrived at Earlham College on monday morning with my bike and a packed duf-fel bag. After dropping my bag at the luggage truck, I rode to the parking lot exit to start the adventure. I hadn’t met any of the other riders beforehand and wondered if I would find others that rode at my pace, or if I would spend the week riding mostly solo. just as I hit the exit from Earlham, four other riders joined me. We didn’t realize it then, but Shane, jeff, Gary, Tom, and I would become inseparable companions for the entire week. By the end of the week, the other riders on the tour dubbed us the “Peloton Boys.” As a group, we weren’t the fastest riders, but we were consistent, typically riding in a tight pace line. Together we rode out of Richmond on paved country roads and lightly traveled state highways with mostly rolling ter-rain through Connorsville, Alpine, Laurel, milroy, Shelbyville, Edinburgh, Nineveh, and Gatesville. We stopped at the coun-

try stores we passed for quick breaks, each time soaking up a little of how life used to be. This is typical for the week of RAINSTORm. The store owners appreci-ate the business, and the locals will often engage you in conversation, asking where you’re headed and what makes you want to ride a bike that far. In tiny milroy (popula-tion 604), two RAINSTORm riders pur-chasing snacks and Gatorade in the general store were met with this earnest question: “Now why would you want to come to milroy?” I’m not sure what they gave for an answer, but the question became a running joke the rest of the week on RAINSTORm.

We ended the day at Brown County State Park, where the climb to the Abe martin Lodge was the steepest so far. After check-in and taking a shower, we hit the lodge’s indoor water park and relaxed in the hot tub and pool before dinner. The meal was served buffet-style in the lodge restaurant starting at 5:00 Pm, where we sat with fellow RAINSTORm riders, discussed the day’s ride and what the next day might bring, and made multiple trips to the buf-fet. The buffet selection included lots of lean protein, vegetables, and an extensive salad bar.

After that first day, I no longer worried about finishing the ride, knowing that each of us would provide a pull or lend moral sup-port to get the group through. We hammered along led by Shane, a strong young rider, averaging 18-plus mPH for each 100-mile leg despite the 5,000- to 7,000-foot daily eleva-tion gains. To make the best time, we mostly limited our stops to gas stations and country stores for snacks and drinks, knowing that a big buffet awaited us at an Indiana State Park Inn. Others chose a more leisurely pace, often arriving shortly before dinner.

Throughout the week, all we had to do was ride, eat, and sleep, thanks to the organization provided by kathy Smith and mark Napier. They support anywhere from 25 to 50 riders on RAINSTORm by pro-viding two SAG vehicles, marking roads, providing maps and cue sheets, identifying services and sites of interest, and trasnport-ing luggage. They also arrange accommoda-tions, all of which are air conditioned and provide free Wi-Fi, and secure a dedicated tour mechanic and a massage therapist who stays quite busy, especially toward the end of the tour. There is no camping option on RAINSTORm; the consensus is that the extra work involved with camping would cut into recovery time.

Day Two started with a hot buffet break-

fast that included oatmeal, fresh fruit, eggs, pancakes, and sausage. After loading our bags, we rolled out of the park. The first few hours were quite hilly as we traveled along SR135 through Story, known for its Story Inn and Restaurant, past tiny Freetown with its old country store, and into the larger town of Brownstown. Out of Brownstown, the route ran along SR39, a section of rolling two-lane blacktop that just begs you to hammer all the way to Little York. Scottsburg is midway along the route, and boasting a Wal-mart Supercenter, it’s a good location to pick up any item you might need such as extra sunscreen or bat-teries. The route continued through the town of Hanover, with a fantastic overlook of the Ohio River from the Hanover College campus, then made a screaming descent into madison, a historic river town known for its shops, restaurants, museums, and wineries. Day Two finished with a long climb into Clifty Falls State Park, where the balcony rooms our group occupied at Clifty Inn offered another fantastic Ohio River overlook. At Clifty Inn, we again enjoyed an indoor pool, a delicious buffet, and time to relax and recover.

After two hot sunny days, Day Three threatened rain from the time we left Clifty Inn to ride to Spring mill State Park. At Dudleytown the rain started, and we learned how “country” some country stores can be. There is a small store in Dudleytown, and because we were about 25 miles into the route, we decided to stop for a break, refuel, and use the facilities. The clerk informed us that there were no customer restrooms, but, “Allowing as how you’re all guys, you can use the fencerow down by the barn.”

Back on the road, we made our way on a rainy afternoon through Scottsburg, Salem, and Campbellsburg, and on this occasion extended our ride a few miles past the park entrance to continue on to the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post. kerry, a RAINSTORm rider with practical cycling experience in the area, pointed out that mitchell’s VFW was not a members-only establishment and was a good place to get a cold beer. After three long days in the sad-dle, the promise of a cold brew was enough to overcome our trepidation over entering the VFW in riding gear. We walked in and “Uneasy Rider” by the Charlie Daniels Band played in my head as the afternoon patrons turned to stare at us. When kerry asked if it was an open bar, we were told it was “as long as you aren’t wearing high C

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heels.” I pointed out that our cleats actu-ally made our shoes low at the heel. After a short discussion about what was wrong with us and why we were riding so far, the VFW patrons turned out to be a great group of guys. “Dragon,” who appeared to be the right age to have served in Vietnam, even bought us our first round of beers.

Thursday was the hilliest day of the week with 7,700 feet of climbing on a route that took us down through French Lick, Shoals, Williams, and Bedford on the way to Bloomington. Crossing Lake monroe on SR446, we enjoyed another screaming 40-plus–mPH descent onto the causeway, which of course was followed by a 10-mPH grind back up. We enjoyed the overnight stay in Bloomington, home to Indiana University and a wide variety of ethnic eateries and bars. After checking into the marriott, we hit an Irish-themed bar for a late lunch/pre-dinner, moved on to a local sports bar to watch replays of the day’s Tour de France stage, then had dinner at an upscale Indian restaurant. Those of you who have seen the cult cycling movie Breaking Away would recognize many of the downtown Bloomington locations where the movie was filmed.

During the week, we discussed off and on whether we should slow our speed and hammering-style effort to save some energy for the big 160-mile RAIN. By Friday, we all felt a little tired but nothing like we had anticipated. We still had snap in our legs for the climbs between Bloomington and

martinsville, although Gary did comment that he should have known there was still some serious climbing left when he saw Goat Hollow Road listed on the day’s cue sheet between martinsville and monrovia. Overall Day Five was much flatter with only 4,400 feet of climbing as we rode into the plains of

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recharge. Team RAINSTORM relaxes after a tough day on Indiana’s finest roads.

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western Indiana on the way to Terre Haute. After checking in at the RAIN headquar-ters, we sat in the lobby of the hotel and enjoyed the wine Gary had carried all week in his luggage to celebrate. Later we piled the Peloton Boys and as many other riders as we could fit into a taxi minivan and headed out for a pre-RAIN pasta meal. Dinner that night was a bittersweet affair as we celebrated 500 miles but contemplated going back to work or school the next week and missing the hard efforts we had come to enjoy.

The next morning, after five long 100-mile days, we set off on the grand finale of the 2008 RAINSTORm. Fittingly, that Saturday morning started with a massive thunderstorm, and we rode RAIN in a downpour for the first three hours until the sun broke out to give us beautiful rid-ing conditions. After completing 500-plus miles, we still had enough in the tank to cruise at 20 mPH all day. We attributed that to several factors. Despite our fears of burning out, all of us got stronger over the week, plus the lesser elevation changes and prevailing wind were in our favor. We spent a little more time at the rest stops than during the week but still finished RAIN in a respectable 9:00 hours elapsed

time, and our names are now permanently linked in cyberspace in the RAIN results archive. The Peloton Boys finished the ride together back into the Earlham campus as a team completing a significant goal. As humans we all desire to belong and to accomplish something together that each of us could not on our own. Thanks to RAINSTORm, Shane, jeff, Tom, Gary, and I were able to enjoy that unique experience. When I see our group picture at the RAIN finish line, I will fondly remember being one of the Peloton Boys.

Since my first RAINSTORm in 2008, I’ve included this ride in my summer schedule every year. Some riders prefer not repeating rides, allotting their time and funds to try-ing different ones, varying their tour-riding experience but, for me, RAINSTORm is just too good to pass up. I use the ride each year to test myself and judge whether my rid-ing abilities are improving or declining as I age. As my friend kerry said, “I love this ride not because it’s easy but because it’s hard.” Although the route varies little from year to year, it’s scouted and adjusted for road conditions, traffic, and construction when it’s marked before the ride. kathy and mark actively solicit rider feedback on the

route, accommodations, and services. For example, rider input initiated a revision to the second half of Thursday’s route from Spring mill to Bloomington. The new route moved us away from a high-traffic area and onto more scenic roads, leading to small towns with great little stores to visit for rest stops. Cold chocolate milk was added for each rider at the end of the day to get a head start on recovery before dinner.

Each year, I meet riders who inspire me to continue working at this avocation, like Ralph, a septuagenarian who rode the first two RAINSTORms. Ralph’s effort encour-ages me to think I’ve got at least another 15 years of quality riding in me. The most courageous and inspiring effort I’ve seen by a rider was Claire’s. She showed up at the start with an air cast on her left leg. She had fallen off a ladder about two weeks before the tour, and despite training in flat maryland, surmounted each day’s hills, essentially pedaling with only one leg. There are also riders who pass along helpful ideas for training or endurance cycling — some of which I’ve adopted and some not. As cyclists, we tend to have idiosyncrasies about what works best for us on rides. I carry and consume salty beef

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jerky and calcium supplements, believ-ing that they help me ward off cramps in extremely hot weather. I still have occa-sional cramps on long, hot RAINSTORm days, but have convinced myself that those two items help. Paul convinced me to add barbecue potato chips as another anti-cramp preventive because, according to the package label, they have a very high potassium content. I’m not sure how effec-tive this is, but because I rarely eat potato chips any other time of the year, they are a special treat on RAINSTORm. Gary strongly believed in sitting in a tub of ice water while drinking coffee as a recovery aid. Well, that may help, but sorry, Gary, I still can’t convince myself to try it once the day’s ride is done.

A special camaraderie among the rid-ers develops during the week. There is a sense of accomplishment and a bond that comes from a small group taking on a sig-nificant challenge and carrying it through to the end. my non-cycling friends don’t understand, but I love being part of that. On RAINSTORm I always find myself in a group of friends lending mutual support and providing a pull to riders who may not be feeling strong on a given day. A surlybikes.com - 1.877.743.3191

DISC TRUCKER

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Join us for a western route from GlacierNational Park to Yellowstone National Park

Info: www.park2parkmontana.orgCall: 1-866-863-2272 or (406) 443-2448E-mail: infopark2park@gmailFacebook: Park-2-Park Montana

sept. 9-13, 2013

couple of years ago, I pulled Paul through several long, hot days. This year with the midwestern heat wave, I was as close as I have ever been to riding in the SAG truck at the 70-mile point on Wednesday’s route. After the two-mile climb on SR56 on the road to Salem, I found myself near heat exhaustion and spent 30 minutes in the shade at the SAG stop drinking ice water with an ice-filled sock around my neck. Paul returned the favor by wait-ing for me to recover and pulled me the last 30 miles to Spring mill. Only Paul’s support and my pride of having never yet quit on RAINSTORm got me through the last 30 miles. After five consecutive RAINSTORms, riding again with many of the friends I’ve made is another perk. Even though RAINSTORm 2012 just ended and was the most challenging one for me yet due to this summer’s extreme heat, I’m already thinking about and planning for another repeat in 2013.

Bruce Noah is a 56-year-old engineer from West Lafayette, Indiana. He’s been cycling since 1994 but only became serious about it in 2005. After losing 40 pounds, he took up ultra-marathon events and currently logs between 7,000 and 8,000 miles each year.

It’s 2:00 Am, and I have been sleep-ing like a dog for the past five-plus hours. my dreams are so clear, and

all I can picture in my mind is an endless slide show of incredibly diverse landscape paintings, each flashing on the screen in my head for only a few seconds as the next vision demands its own rightful turn in my mind. There are snowcapped mountains, rivers with strong winds blowing the surrounding vegetation side-ways, forests with huge Douglas fir trees and stumps the size of pick-up trucks, ocean views with rocky shorelines, desert land-scapes with big skies, and a deep, dark forest where the light of the sun barely reaches the forest floor. I wake up. I’m thirsty, very thirsty. I drink two glasses of water and amazingly fall right back to sleep.

At 6:00 Am, the phone rings. It’s my morning wake-up call. I pop out of bed, pull out a rag from my suitcase, and wipe

the road dirt from my bike, which has guarded over me all night long, and is leaning against my nightstand. I check the tires, clean off the chain, fill the empty water bottles, and look over the day’s clue sheet. just another day on the STIHL Tour des Trees.

I started cycling only three years ago. Since then, I’ve logged about 13,000 miles and have ridden in the past three STIHL Tour des Trees. Through this annual

event, which travels through a different part of the country each year, I’ve had the opportunity to see New England, Illinois, and Virginia. I thought I had already experienced an awful lot.

The 2012 STIHL Tour des Trees ride, how-ever, was differ-ent — so different

that it led many of my more experienced fellow riders to later term it epic. It was a ride I don’t think I will soon forget.

An Epic EventBeginning in Portland, Oregon, in

August 2012, the STIHL Tour des Trees gave more than 100 cyclists one week to

see much of Oregon’s scenic beauty from two wheels. In a counterclockwise loop, we cycled more than 585 miles down Oregon’s craggy coastline, to scenic vine-yards in the heart of the Willamette Valley, through the high desert, and along the Columbia River Gorge, and around mt. Hood. It was spectacular.

I thought a lot about this ride over the 24 months leading up to it. I knew it would push all my physical abilities to make the 585-mile trek. I’m not your average rider. Weighing 265 pounds on a six-foot-nine-inch frame, I’m the guy most other riders eye up just before heading into a strong headwind. That’s right, they call me “the wall.”

I have certainly got-ten used to my spot on the pace line and have always enjoyed a nice long descent because gravity is my friend. But with a ride that included 37,000 feet of vertical climbing looming ahead, my biggest concern was riding the whole way.

Training for Hill Climbs

I started training for the ride differ-ently. I focused on hill climbs. Every day, I

Cycling Meets Arboriculture in Oregon

by Frazer PehmoellerPhotos by Alvin Gilens

would rush home from work, skip dinner, and then push up the steepest, gnarliest hills I could find around where I live, the rolling hills of New York’s Hudson Valley. many a motorist must have thought I had a death wish, pushing mile after mile up nine-percent grades in 90-plus degree weather.

I developed my own training plan for this trip: lots of climbing with longer rides on my lighter days. I knew that to be suc-cessful, I needed to be strong and steady on the climbs. I also knew that my time in the saddle going up mountain passes would more than make up for endurance training. After breaking seven spokes on my rear wheel and cracking the rim from the force of plowing up steep grades, and with my bike in final repair, I was ready to make the trip west.

Flying into Portland is a great experi-ence. As the pilot started making his final descent, I looked out the window and there, level with the wing of the plane, was the snowy top of mt. Hood. my stom-ach started to jump a little. I had pushed up the steepest hills I could find, but was I ready for the climbing in the Cascade Range? Only time would tell.

I then remembered one of many emails we all received from Paul Wood, our tour director, and the email chain that fol-lowed. many riders had to develop their own type of training because they only had wind resistance or slight inclines to train from in their flatter home locations. If Andy from Orlando could be ready for this, so could I.Our “Tree Family” Reunion

my wife (who was accompanying me on the trip but not cycling) and I made our way to Portland to meet up with

everyone at the hotel. It’s like a family reunion. my “tree family” includes fel-low riders from all over the U.S. and Canada, now all in one place and ready to make our annual journey through a new part of the coun-try. We are all united by a common thread. most of us work in the green industry and share a deep love of trees and the role trees play in all of our lives. And this was the one week of the year that we could blend our passion for trees with our passion for cycling.

At my day job, I’m an arborist for Bartlett Tree Experts, one of the leading sponsors of Tour des Trees. Although the event began in the arbori-culture industry as a way to raise research funding to benefit our work, techniques, safety, and the trees themselves, the STIHL Tour des Trees has now grown to include a diverse array of people from all walks of professional life. This year, we were joined by college professors, theater managers, pharmacists, accountants, yoga teachers, and social workers. Caring for the trees that care for us continues to attract the attention of

more and more people across the country, and more and more of us are choosing to join the tour as a way to get involved.Cycling for a Cause

Each of us on the STIHL Tour des Trees commits not only a week of our lives but also many months to properly train and raise funds to take part in the tour. The event is not only America’s largest fund-raiser for tree research but has raised more than $5.5 million to benefit the

TREE Fund (Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund) since it began in 1992. This year, the 20th anniversary of the tour, was the biggest event yet, selling out for the first time in tour history.

Our week began with a welcome din-ner, some words of encouragement and gratitude for the ride ahead, a couple of drinks with friends at the bar, and a quick look at the goody bag filled with cycling apparel, water bottles, helmets, hats, T-shirts, maps, and cue sheets. Then, we, the 100-plus riders and support crew, were ready and anxious to get started the next morning.Along the Route Through Oregon

Over the next seven days, we rode all over the state. We saw it all: from Banks, a small town outside of Portland to the town of Seaside, down the Pacific Coast Highway, then inland to Grand Ronde where we stayed on a Native American reservation, through a vineyard region, up the back side of mt. Hood, around, down, and below to the desert, along the south side of the Columbia River Gorge, and back into and around Portland.

We traversed bike trails, city streets,


country roads, tunnels, railroad tracks, cattle crossings, highway traffic, switch-backs, and off-road detours with portages over rocks and creeks. We planted trees in every city stop along the way, partici-pated in educational events, sampled local wines, and ate famed Tillamook cheese. We enjoyed scenic overlooks and post-ride chocolate milk. We ate like kings and queens at every meal with breakfasts and dinners at evening hotels, restaurants, and once even a fellow rider’s home on the side of a mountain. Throughout the week, every detail of our journey was overseen by the TREE Fund, who made sure we ate well, slept well, and that our luggage arrived at our hotel before we did.

Along the way, we were supported by an amazing group of volun-teers, each of whom served up all the CLIF bars, bananas, and Fig Newtons you could possibly need with a smile and an endless supply of encour-agement. We were escorted by police, local bike clubs, and even local drivers offering to get us moving in the right direction. Drivers of logging trucks, hay trucks, pickup trucks, and families in minivans cheered on our long line of

matching, blue-outfitted cyclists.Planning for a Large-Scale, Weeklong Ride

With more than 100 cyclists, a ride of this scale would sim-

ply not be possible without an excellent mechanical support crew and a focus on safety. The STIHL Tour des Trees is open to all those who have a passion for trees

and who are interested a week of sightsee-ing and travel by bike. This means that there is also a wide variety of cycling skill levels, which can present a challenge for support crews. The TREE Fund and its generous sponsors ensure that the STIHL Tour des Trees travels with full mechani-cal and rider support throughout the entire week. Everything from flat tires to fatigued cyclists is meticulously planned for in advance, and a premium is placed on safety.

Another unique aspect of the STIHL

Registration is open now for the next STIHL Tour des Trees, which will roll out of Niagara Falls, Ontario in July. The weeklong tour will travel around Lake Ontario and through Upstate New York and Ontario.

The Tour will stop in Rochester, Syra-cuse, and Watertown in Upstate New

York, then head westward through Ontario via scenic Prince Edward County, Trenton, and Oshawa to our final destina-tion at Toronto Island, also known as Centre Island. The weeklong event will include tree plantings, educational pro-grams, and com-munity engage-ment activities in addition to a week of unforget-table cycling and

camaraderie.There is a $3,500 fundraising minimum

to participate in Tour des Trees, which benefits the Tree Research and Educa-tion Endowment Fund (TREE Fund). The TREE Fund’s mission is to support sus-tainable communities and environmental stewardship by funding research, scholar-ships, and education programs essential to the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry.

The TREE Fund has supported research that has led to important developments in:

• Understanding air pollution reduction and carbon sequestration by trees

• Determining the costs and benefits of urban trees

• Improving conditions for tree growth in difficult sites

• Strategies to manage diseases and pests that affect urban trees

Register today at STIHLTour desTrees.org. The 2013 Tour will once again be capped at 100 cyclists, (the 2012 Tour sold out six weeks early!), and the last day to register is May 31.

bring a passport for the 2013 stihl tour des trees


Affordable bike trips across Europe. Beautiful riding, great company, terrific meals, respectful travel. Flexibility, independence, loaded touring options. All ages and abilites welcome. Since 1986.

We’re different — discover why.bluemarble.org

Tour des Trees is its ever-changing loca-tion. The tour director typically conducts two visits through the area: one nearly a year before to determine the routes, and a second visit one week out in order to mark the route and ensure that there have

been no major changes that would affect the cyclists.

On these scouting trips, the tour direc-tor keeps a variety of things in mind. Will the ride be challenging for the hard-core cyclists without alienating those new to a

weeklong tour? Are the routes varied from year to year? Do they showcase the best of each region? Above all, is the route safe for all our cyclists? To accomplish this, the tour has built close relationships across the country with the cyclists who ride Tour des Trees year after year. Since the 2013 ride will travel close to my home in Upstate New York, I will take on the role of chair of the safety task force, ensuring that we deliver another year of phenom-enal cycling in the safest way possible.Patting Yourself on the Back

A ride of this type gives the cyclist many opportunities for a positive experi-ence. The feeling of accomplishment after months of training — when you feel strong in the saddle and you know with confidence that you can meet any chal-lenge — is a great motivator. The camara-derie with other cyclists working as a team to overcome the obstacles and challenges of the course while bonding in friendship is rewarding.

But the STIHL Tour des Trees offers another unique opportunity that other long organized rides typically don’t — we leave something behind. Although the trip


BIKE FRIDAYBIKE FRIDAY

is about cycling, the tour is also about trees.just about every day, carefully sched-

uled events were organized at different stops along the route, allowing cyclists to be active participants in tree plantings and educational events for children and adults. Digging a hole, and lifting and planting a tree, all while wearing spandex may seem odd, but completing the process by stand-ing in a circle around the tree, waving dirty arms with complete strangers, all while singing a blessing for the tree’s long-term survival, is what makes the Tour des Trees a one-of-a-kind event.Why I Ride

I came away with two of my favorite memories from the STIHL Tour des Trees through Oregon. The first memory was of a group of young Native American children from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, who more than shared our group’s philosophy of securing sustainable land-scapes for future generations, singing one of their tribal songs for us. The second was having the privilege of riding to a children’s hospital in Portland on the final long day and entering a third-floor hospital lounge area to participate in an educational plant-ing event with truly inspirational kids who

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CORPScamp features

four days of SAG-supported,

one-of-a-kind cycling in and

around “Mother Nature’s

Greatest Sports Arena,”

Death Valley National Park.

Includes daily afternoon

CORPSyoga classes, two

group dinners, a hike, and

more. Option to stay another

day to ride our Spring

Century, UItra Century, and

Double Century on March 2

for an even bigger New Year

kick-off!

February 25-28, 2013

Info and registration:www.adventurecorps.com

were battling for their lives.It may be a cliché, but it’s true: It’s not

the destination, it’s the journey that really counts. Training to cross the finish line only makes it sweeter. The STIHL Tour des Trees in Oregon was an incredible journey, and my experiences and the bonds I made from completing the challenge will last a lifetime. I can hardly wait for next year in Toronto. I know the rest of my “tree fam-ily” is looking forward to another big fam-ily reunion on bikes.

Frazer Pehmoeller and his wife Jennifer have two daughters, Lindsay and Alyssa, and a dog Rufus who enjoys watching from a trailer during spring training rides. A lifelong athlete, Frazer has held one world record, one American Record, and numerous state records in track and field and strongman competitions.

“People may wonder why a chainsaw company would be interested in sup-porting our efforts. What they might not know is that STIHL products are used to maintain overall tree health, allowing trees to live and grow to their full potential. They play an integral role in tree conservation. Good tree care requires top-quality tools, and tree-care professionals rely on STIHL products to care for and maintain the health of the trees in their communities. STIHL’s commit-ment to the Tour des Trees, the TREE Fund, and the research that powers progress in arboriculture is inspiring. We count ourselves fortunate to have such a generous and engaged title sponsor for our signature fundraiser.”

– janet Bornancin, executive director of the TREE Fund

some trees likechainsaws


2013 Bicycle Eventsalabama: alabama’s magnificent bicycling adventure April 20-26, amba1.com

alaska: clean air challenge May 18-19, http://action.lung.org/site/TR/Bike/ALAMP_Mountain_Pacific?pg=entry&fr_id=6580, 907-276-5864

arkansas: bicycle ride around arkansas April 1-6, arkansas.com/events/sports, xxv annual ozark mountain bike Festival April 5-7, arkansas.com/events/outdoors, 501-231-9350

arizona: luna lake tour May 25-27, bikegaba.org

J&p tucson tour Feb. 15-18, pmbcaz.org

ride to cure diabetes Nov 21-24, www2.jdrf.org, 800-533-2873

trail of the mountain spirits Aug 31- Sept 7, googl/VNCqI, 520-241-5556 (Jim Harms)

caliFornia: aids/lifecycle June 2-8, aidslifecycle.org, 415-581-7083

california coast classic Sept. 28-Oct. 5, afcabikeclassic.org, 800-954-2873

california spring Fling March 17-23, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

central california April 20-27, shop.cascade.org/content/tours/local-tours, 206-522-2453

climate ride california coast May 19-23, climateride.org, 406-322-3448

cycling for sight with the blind stokers club July 12-14, cyclingforsight.org, 619-583-1542

emigrant trails bike trek Sept. 6-8, sacbreathe.org/trek, 916-444-5900

golden gate ride May 24-27, hazon.org/programs/california-ride, 415-397-7020

great Western bicycle rally May 24-27, greatwesternbicyclerally.com, 562-455-0157

hi-usa christmas bike trip Dec. 26-31, sandiegohostels.org, 619-806-1284.

hiv russian river ride April 20-22, pospeds.org/ride-registration/#russianriver

norcal aids cycle May 16-19, norcalaidscycle.org

pablove across america Oct 6-12, pablove.org/pablove-across-america, 323-657-5557

sierra sampler Sept 7-14, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

sierra to the sea June 15-22, sierratothesea.org

solvang spring tour March 25-30, planetultra.com/portfolio/solvang-spring-tour

Wine & harvest Sept 15-22, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

Winter oasis Feb. 24-March 1, americabybicycle.com, 888-797-7057

colorado: bicycle tour of colorado June 23-29, bicycletourcolorado.com, 303-985-1180

colorado Wildflowers & rivers Aug 10-16, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

colorado rocky mountain bike tour Aug 4-10, crmbt.com, 720-379-5593 (2013)

denver post pedal the plains Sept. 20-22, pedaltheplains.com, 303-954-6701

denver post ride the rockies June 8-15, ridetherockies.com, 303-954-6700

Family Fun, colorado Aug. 3-8, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

iron horse classic May 25-27, ironhorseclassic.com

connecticut: angel ride May 25-26, angelride.org

ct challenge July 25-27, bike.ctchallenge.org, 203-353-7690

Florida: bubbaFest Nov. 2-9, bubbafestbiketours.com, 321-759-3433

dog days Weekend Aug 16-18, suwanneebike.org/sbf.htm

Fat tire Festival Oct 25-27, suwanneebike.org/sbf.htm

Florida bicycle safari April 20-25, floridabicyclesafari.com

orange blossom express March 23-29, bikeflorida.org, 352-224-8601

spring pedal and paddle Festival May 2-5, suwanneebike.org/sbf.htm

georgia: brag spring tune up April 5-7; bicycle ride across georgia (brag) June 2-8; georgia bike Fest Oct. 11-13; Winter ride February 26-March 3 brag.org, 770-498-5153

idaho: idaho relaxed July 14-19, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

ride idaho July Aug 4-10, rideidaho.org, 208-830-9564

illinois: grand illinois trail & parks (gitap) June 9-14, bikelib.org/maps-and-rides/rides/gitap, 603-978-0583

bicycle illinois July 6-13, bicycleillinois.com, 877-868-7455

le tour de shore June 14-15, letourdeshore.com

indiana: cover indiana May 5-11, hfhcoverindiana.org

amishland and lakes August 2-4, amishlandlakes.com, 574-387-6449

triri: June bicycle rally June 9-14, rainstorm July 8-13, september escapade Sept. 15-20, triri.org, 812-333-8176

ioWa: register’s annual great bike ride across iowa July 21-27, ragbrai.org

kansas: biking across kansas June 8-15, bak.org

cottonwood 200 May 25-27, cottonwood200.org

kentucky: old kentucky home tour Sept 7-8, okht.org

grand autumn bicycle ride across kentucky (gabraky) First week of Oct, gabraky.com, 502-226-4157

bike trek to shakertown Sept. 14-16, action.lung.org/site/TR?fr_id=5100&pg=entry, 502-363-2652 Ext. 13

louisiana: cycle zydeco April 4-7, cyclezydeco.com, 337-232-3737

maine: bike maine inaugural ride Sept 7-14 (Lobster Ride July 21), bikemaine.org, 207-623-4511

maine bike rally July 12-14, mainebikerally.org, 207-809-2453

trek across maine June 15-17, lung.org/donate/events/ride, 207-624-0312

maryland: c&o canal/great allegheny passage Sept. 28-Oct. 5, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

kent county spring Fling May 24 - 27, altobikeclub.org

massachusetts: autumn escape bike trek Sept. 27-29, lung.org/associations/charters/northeast/events/cycle, 800-499-5864

berkshires to boston Sept. 18-22, berkshirestoboston.com, 413-824-2041

mass bikepike Tour Aug 1-4, massbikepike.org

pan mass challenge Aug 3-4, pmc.org, 781-449-5300 (2013)

michigan: dick alan lansing to mackinaw bicycle tour (dalmac) Aug 28 - Sept. 1, dalmac.org, dalmacnotices.blogspot.com

great lakes relaxed Sept. 7-14, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

michigander July 13-19, michigantrails.org/michigander-bicycle-tour, 517-485-6022

michigan’s upper peninsula (mup) Tour July 14-20; Shoreline West Bicycle Tour Aug. 4-10;

pedal around lake michigan (palm) June 22-28, lmb.org/palm, 734-669-0172

shoreline West Aug 4-10, lmb.org/index.php/Events

sunrise bicycle tour June 14-16, lmb.org/index.php/Events, 888-642-4537

Wish-a-mile bicycle tour July 25-28, wishmich.org/wam

minnesota: bicycling around minnesota (bam) Aug. 15-18, bambiketour.org, 651-335-6505

bike ms: tram July 14-19, bike ms c.h. robinson Worldwide 150 ride June 7-9, myMSbike.org, 800-582-5296

red ribbon ride July 18-21, redribbonride.org, 612-822-2110

habitat 500 July 14-20, habitat500.org, 612-331-4439 x4

missouri: katy trail ride June 17-19, mostateparks.com/2012-katy-trail-ride

montana: tosrv West May 18-19, missoulabike.org/tosrvwest

cycle montana June 22-29; cycle the divide montana July 13-19, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

montana bicycle ride July 20-27, bicycleridesnw.org, 541-382-2633

park-2-park montana Sept. 9-13, park2parkmontana.org, 866-863-2272

nebraska: bicycle ride across nebraska (bran) June 2-8, bran-inc.org, 402-397-9785

numb June 22-26, numbride.org

tour de nebraska June 19-23, tourdenebraska.com, 402-421-1401

nevada: oatbran Sept. 23-29, bikethewest.com, 800-565-2704 (Sept. 22-28)

tour nez-vada July 25-28, tourdenez.com

neW hampshire: seacoast bike tour May 18-19, breathenh.org

trans new hampshire bike ride June 21-23, transnhbikeride.org, 603-471-2722

neW mexico: santa Fe century May 19, santafecentury.com, [email protected]

Gr

EG S

IPlE

Our definition of what constitutes an event ride may be different from yours. At times, the line can be quite blurry. Another good resource for these kinds of rides is the Bicycle Tour Network: bicycletournetwork.com.


Gr

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neW york: bon ton roulet July 21-27, bontonroulet.com, 315-253-5304

cycling the erie canal July 7-14; Cycling the Hudson Valley July 30-Aug. 4, ptny.org/biketourintro, 518-434-1583

Five boro bike tour May 5, bikenewyork.org, 212-870-2080

Five hundred miles across new york (Fany) Ride July 21-27, fanyride.com, 518-461-7646

get your guts in gear: new york June 7-9, ibdride.org, 866-944-6848

highlander cycle tour Sept. 6-7, highlandercycletour.com

stihl tour de trees July 28-Aug 3, stihltourdestrees.org, 757-340-7425

the new york Jewish environmental bike ride Aug. 30-Sept. 2, hazon.org/programs/new-york-ride, 212-644-2332

north carolina: cycle north carolina spring ride April 5-7; cycle north carolina Fall ride Sept 28-Oct 5, cnc.ncsports.org

north dakota: candisc Aug. 3-10, parkrec.nd.gov/activities/candisc.html, 800-799-4242

bike the border June 21-23, biketheborder.com

ohio: across ohio bicycle adventure (xoba) July 20-27, outdoor-pursuits.org/xoba, 216-272-7436

great ohio bicycle adventure (goba) June 15-22, goba.com, 614-273-0811

pan ohio hope ride July 25-28, panohiohoperide.org, 888-227-6446 x 1222

sweet corn challenge July 28, sweetcornride.com, 330-659-3300

tour of the scioto river valley (tosrv) May 11-12, tosrv.org, 614-442-7901

oklahoma: oklahoma Freewheel June 9-15, okfreewheel.com, 918-344-5987

oregon: amgen people’s coast classic Sept 8-13, thepeoplescoastclassic.org

bend and central oregon June 21-24, shop.cascade.org/content/tours/local- tours, 206-522-3222

cycle oregon Sept. 7-14, Cycle Oregon Weekend Ride July 12-14, cycleoregon.com, 800-292-5367

cycle the gorge June 15-22, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

oregon bicycle ride August 3-10, bicycleridesnw.org, 541-382-2633

oregon coastal loop Aug. 17-23, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

ride the oregon coast Sept 8-13, thepeoplescoastclassic.org, 206-547-2707

Wallowa and hell’s canyon Sept 23-28, shop.cascade.org/content/tours/local-tours, 206-522-3222

puerto rico: la vuelta puerto rico Jan. 23-24, vueltapr.com, [email protected]

south carolina: Festivelo Oct. 30-Nov.4, festivelo.org, 843-303-3334

south dakota: mickelson trail trek Sept. 20-22, gfp.sd.gov/state-parks/directory/mickelson-trail/trail-trek.aspx, 605-584-3896 (2013)

tennessee: bike ride across tennessee (brat) Fall tour: Sept. 14-21, Spring ride: April 19-20, thebrat.org

texas: easter hill country tour March 29-31, ehct.com, [email protected] (2013)

texas hill country April 6-12, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

utah: cycle utah June 8-14, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

moab century tour Sept. 20-22; moab skinny tire Festival March 9-12, skinnytireevents.com, 435-259-3193

tour of southern utah Aug. 24-31, planetultra.com/Utah, [email protected]

vermont: ride to cure diabetes July 25-28, www2.jdrf.org, 800-533-2873

tour de kingdom June 5-9, tourdekingdom.org, 802-334-8511

vermont challenge Aug. 14-18 vtchallenge.com/AboutChallenge.htm

virginia: bike virginia June 21-26, bikevirginia.org, 804-859-4820

blue ridge bliss June 1-7, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

tour de chesapeake May 17-19, tourdechesapeake.org

Washington: long beach cruise Sept 13-16, shop.cascade.org/content/tours/local-tours, 206-522-3222

northwest tandem rally July 3-7, nwtr.org/2013/

obliteride Aug 9-11, obliteride.org

redspoke July 17-21, redspoke.org

ride around Washington (raW) Aug. 3-10, cascade.org, 206-522-3222)

Wisconsin: act 11: Wisconsin aids ride Aug. 1-4, 800-486-6276, actride.org, 608-252-6540

bike ride exploring Wisconsin (breW) Aug. 5-9; Wisconsin state parks ride (Wispride) June 4-10, shuttleguytours.com, 800-675-2295

north Woods bicycle retreat June 20-23; Flavors of Wisconsin July 8-13; northern Woods & Waters Aug. 18-24, aroundwisbike.com, 920-427-6086

great annual bicycle adventure along the Wisconsin river (grabaaWr) June 22-29; bike northwoods July 13-19; schramm’s annual

great bicycle ride across Wisconsin (sagbraW) Aug. 3-9, bikewisconsin.com, 608-843-8412

ride to cure diabetes Aug 15-18, www2.jdrf.org, 800-533-2873)

Wyoming: tour de Wyoming July 14-19, cyclewyoming.org, 307-742-5840

cycle greater yellowstone 1,000 riders, August 18-24, cyclegreateryellowstone.com

national & regional: america by bicycle Various cross-country and regional bike events abbike.com, 888-797-7057

bicycle tour network: Online listing of major bike tours and events, bicycletournetwork.com

big ride across america June 17-Aug. 3, lung.org/associations/charters/mountain-pacific/fundraising-events, 800-732-9339

burlington to portland aids vaccine ride Aug 12-16, charitytreks.org

climate ride new york city to Washington, dc Sept 21-25, climateride.org, 406-322-3448

c&o canal gap Sept. 28-Oct 5, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

cycle america offers cross-country rides that can be ridden as individual, state, and regional

events, cycleamerica.com, 800-245-3263

Fight for air ride - lake tour bike trek (Illinois/Wisconsin) June 14-16, action.lung.org/site/TR?fr_id=6370&pg=entry, 312-781-1100

Freedom Flyer June 26-July 4, adventurecycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453

Fuller center bicycle tour cross-country (affordable home-building) rides that can be broken into segments, Summer of 2013, fullercenter.org/bikeadventure, 229-924-2900

rtc soujourn June 23-27, wilderness-voyageurs.com/rails-to-trails-greenway-sojourn.html, 800-272-4141

hazon cross-usa ride June 13-Aug 16, hazon.org/programs/cross-usa-ride, 415-397-7020

new england classic July 13-19 (2-day option July 13-14), newenglandclassic.org, 888-342-2383 x 3456

numb ride for hunger June 22-26, numbride.org, 402-289-2483

ride the Fault line (Mississippi Valley) June 22-29, ridethefault.com

seattle to portland bicycle classic (stp) July 13-14; Ride from Seattle to Vancouver (RSVP) Aug. 16-17 and 17-18, cascade.org, 206-522-3222

tour du rouge houston to new orleans May 5-10, tourderouge.org

tri-state ride July 10-15, shuttleguytours.com, 800-675-2295

tri-state trek July 19-21, tst.als.net, 617-441-7211

Wacanid bike ride September 2013, wacanid.org, 208-267-0822

canada: grand tour desjardines Aug 3-10, explorebybike.com/destination-bike-adventure-the-grand-tour

montrÉal bike Fest May 26-June 2, veloquebec.events include Metropolitan Challenge, Operation Bike to Work, Un Tour la Nuit, and Le Tour de l’Île de Montréal

cycle montana Adventure Cycling’s popular, fully supported, Cycle Montana tour features 410 miles of mountain country, June 22-29.

BREAKING AWAY IN SOUTHERN INDIANAStory and Photos by Chuck Haney

Story and Photos by Chuck Haney


When you first think of Indiana, what comes to mind? For me, having grown up in neighboring northern Ohio, my recollec-tions are of a flat-as-a-pancake landscape with orderly rows of cornfields bordering weathered barns complete with basketball hoops hanging off the side. You could just as easily hear the wind rustling through the corn stalks as the thud of a bouncing leather basketball. And, for heaven’s sake, what exactly is a Hoosier anyway?

Okay, this is actually an accurate description of northern Indiana. Glaciers from the previous ice ages have advanced and retreated, in turn they’ve bulldozed the landscape flat. These glaciers didn’t make it to the southern reaches of Indiana, but their meltwaters created narrow ridges, steep slopes, and deep gullies, especially around Brown County where, believe it or not, Indiana is quite hilly.

Those of you in a certain demographic surely remember one of the all-time clas-sic movies involving cycling in south-ern Indiana. The movie Breaking Away, released in 1979, portrayed a young rac-ing phenom named Dave, a local recent high-school graduate from Bloomington who hung out with his “cutter” friends,

mike, Cyril, and moocher. Dave becomes obsessed with everything Italian and even poses as an Italian exchange student to woo a young coed. But when a visiting member of a professional Italian cycling team jams a frame pump into his spokes during a train-

ing ride, Dave’s illusions are shattered and he realizes it’s not just his father, whom he’s been rebelling against, who is unethical. Dave becomes confused and depressed. The movie culminates with Dave shaking off his depression to race in the Little 500 bicycle

southern indiana in the fall. Riders often form up in groups on the Hilly Hundred.

little brick buildings for you and me. The Muddy Boots Cafe is ready to feed hungry cyclists in Nashville, Indiana.


nuts & bolts: southern indiana

Web: browncountymoun tainbiking.com. Good info and resources for mountain biking in brown County.

browncountymountain biking.com/breakdown.fun annual event held the second weekend of October.

hillyhundred.org. for 45 years this has been a staple of excellence for organized cycling events. Held the third weekend in October.

browncounty.com. They offer a really nice mountain biking map available for $7.50 and a great resource for lodging options.

bloomingtonbicycleclub.org/where_to_ride.php. The

bloomington bicycle Club has a good selection of road-ride options on their website.

cibaride.org. Central Indiana bicycle Association (CIbA).

best times: Springtime, when the trails dry out. May is excellent. Summer is a good time to ride, although it can be hot. My favorite, would be the middle two weeks of October when the hardwood forest goes off into some of the best autumn colors anywhere. be warned that autumn is extremely popular with leaf peepers. In other words reserve a motel room or campsite well in advance.

There are excellent campsites at brown County

State Park with shower facilities. To reserve a site, visit indianastateparks.reserveamerica.com.

brown County is the largest state park in Indiana. The road biking in the park is also excellent with smooth pavement and steep climbs. ride early in the morning before the auto traffic picks up. There are also road-bike options out of Nashville such as Highway 135 to the quaint Story Inn. Salt Creek road and around lake lemon are also good. The main road out of Nashville is Highway 46, which is extremely busy and best to avoid for any long stretches.

race held at Indiana University. The intra-mural race is still immensely popular today, and more than 25,000 spectators attend the race annually. There are both men’s and women’s races, as 33 teams relay race around a quarter-mile cinder track for 200 laps (50 miles) on single-speed coaster-brake bikes to vie for the coveted trophy. The Little 500 is a truly unique Indiana event.

I drove to southern Indiana with a bag-ful of camera equipment, hoping to capture the intense autumn colors that light up the rolling hillsides. Both my mountain and road bikes were attached to my roof rack so I could take advantage of all the wonderful riding opportunities Indiana has to offer.

The old adage, “If you build it, they will come” doesn’t just apply to fictional baseball fields in Iowa. Organizations such as the Hoosier mountain Bike Association have been instrumental in building an out-standing network of mountain-bike single-track in Brown County State Park located near Nashville. Events like the annual Brown County Breakdown, a three-day festival featuring homespun music, a hog roast, and local brews to go along with rid-ing the trails, have raised over $90,000 to maintain the progress of trail building and maintenance. With its strategically placed

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bluegrass musicians, it may be the only time you’ll ride while banjos and acoustic guitars serenade the singletrack!

The International mountain Bicycling Association (ImBA) recently bestowed epic status on the Brown County State Park trails. Epic status is quite a coveted honor handed out to only the most finely con-structed and scenic trail systems. There are currently over 25 miles of trail in the park with more currently in development. In addition, there are nearly 100 more miles of mountain-biking trails in Brown County, with Nebo and Hickory Ridge trails in the Hoosier National Forest being the most popular after the state park. There is even a great trail system located in basketball leg-end Larry Bird’s old stomping grounds of French Lick. Southern Indiana has certain-ly established itself as on of the top spots in the midwest to ride a mountain bike.

I had previously ridden the Brown County trails in may when the forest was 50 shades of green, so coming back in mid-October was a complete contradic-

tion as the hardwood forests, comprised mostly of maple, oak, hickory, and poplar, exploded in a symphony of vibrant reds, burnt oranges, and vivid yellows. The high humidity of spring was replaced by the crisp cool of autumn. I was eager to put in some singletrack miles, especially on the new Green Valley section, which had been recently constructed, thanks to dollars from the Breakdown event. Within a few pedal

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smooth rollers. If you like the look of this road, southern Indiana is calling.

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strokes, I was quickly rolling along on a well-crafted trail under a canopy of fall colors. On some leafy sections, the only way to make out the trail itself was from the indentation worn by thousands of ear-lier mountain-bike tires. I was able to ride aggressively as every dip, banked turn, and berm seemed to be in just the right place. The trails skirted around and occasionally took me down into sharp ravines, and I maintained complete flow as I ascended punchy short climbs and descended sinu-ous ridgelines. This was definitely a happy place! The ride has been described as a Goldilocks trail — not too hard, not too easy, but just right.

I veered from Green Valley onto the Hesitation Point Trail where a long, steady, pleasant climb took me out of the bottoms and hollers. The trail narrowed, and I had to navigate through the occasional technical rock garden. Hesitation Point was clearly more technically challenging than Green Valley. When I reached the clearing at the top of the climb, I could see why they call it Hesitation Point. You just had to stop, pause for a bit, and take in the magnificent view of the waves of rolling hills below, laden with autumn hues at their absolute peak, reveal-ing an almost painting-like scene, and the spot was a great place to get in a quick snack before the trail gracefully plunged me down-hill back along a ridge to the creek bottom. There was only a handful of riders out on the trail, unlike a few days earlier when nearly 600 riders had taken over the forest during the Breakdown. A series of up-and-down sec-tions of trail led me back to my car near the park’s north entrance. Three hours of sheer nirvana on a mountain bike during a prime autumn afternoon — it doesn’t get much bet-ter than that.

The base for the area is the quaint town of Nashville, not to be confused with its more famous namesake in Tennessee. The Indiana version is known more for its blue-grass than country music. In fact, there is a thriving arts culture in the town of fewer than 900 residents, and bluegrass tunes flow out of various local coffee shops and res-taurants. Nature and art are the big draws, and the town literally bursts from its seams in October as tourists flock in to leaf peep, shop, eat, drink, and take a leisurely drive to one of the many covered bridges in the area.

According to local ride organizer Tania juillerat, there is a certain division in the area. The interest in mountain bik-ing around the towns of Columbus and Nashville continues to grow, whereas

25 Years25 Years

www.co-motion.com

Where will your two wheels go?

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CHuCk HANEy INDIANA - 4

road biking remains more popular in the Bloomington area to the west. With that in mind, I pulled down my road bike for part two of my Indiana adventure.

After all the great mountain biking, I literally switched gears as I prepared for the 45th annual Hilly Hundred road ride just outside of Bloomington. It was a return to my cycling roots as I had ridden the event several times in the late 1980s. Looking at the Hilly Hundred website the night before the ride, some anxiety arose when I saw the elevation gains and losses. The profile looked like an extremely jagged saw blade, and there was more than one mention in the ride description of climbs reaching grades of over 24 percent. Was this a steep-er and more difficult route than it had been 25 years ago? At any rate, my mindset was that the ride was more of an end-of-season prize for all the training miles and sweat I’d put in during the spring and summer, and I eagerly anticipated a lovely ride through the rustic Indiana countryside.

I arrived at the high-school parking lot in Ellettsville at dawn to get an early start. I had heard there would be over 4,000 riders participating. You know it’s a large and well-organized event when groups are shuttled into the high-school auditorium for a mandatory 10-minute safety presenta-tion before registering.

The first day’s loop would head south-west of Bloomington and traverse back-roads for nearly 60 miles, with 5,200 feet of climbing. It was a calm, slightly drizzly

morning as I took off with several tightly bunched groups of riders in a staggered start. The light rain only enhanced the already beautiful array of autumn col-ors lining the rural roadways. With my montana nametag pinned to the back of my jersey, I stood out in the mostly midwestern crowd, and several conversations began as I passed riders along the way. I think my fellow riders were more astounded, though, that I was riding sans jacket in the 45-degree mist than by the distance I’d trav-eled to do the ride itself. I explained that in montana this would be considered a very pleasant temperature for a bike ride. All that montana mojo also applied to climbing the hills, which soon splintered up our little peloton as I glided up the grade with no problem. Either all those years of climbing long Rocky mountain passes had tough-ened me up or the stated inclination on the Hilly Hundred website was a bit exagger-ated. Soon, there were fewer riders on the road as I neared the first rest stop, where local musicians were just warming up and the pumpkin donuts were fresh and tasty. It was particularly nice being out in front of the masses, especially when picking a safe descent line on the steep narrow roads that were occasionally strewn with potholes.

Day Two of the Hilly Hundred took us in a northeasterly loop under sunny skies past limestone quarries on quiet county roadways. There was even a hot-air bal-loon rising into the still morning air as we neared Bean Blossom Road. Cruising in a

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CHuCk HANEy INDIANA - 4

pack of riders along the leaf-lined highway in the morgan-monroe State Forest was a visual treat that seemed to make our speed seem faster, as the blur of yellow-tinged leaves flew by in our peripheral vision. After another great lunch stop, featuring tasty chicken breasts and more local music,

there was one last big hill to conquer — the infamous mt. Tabor, which features a 20-percent grade in just over a half mile. As bad luck would have it, my chain slipped off my front sprocket at the base of the climb — so much for building any momentum, but I was soon mashing my pedals, weaving in and out of other riders, some pedaling and quite a few walking their bikes up the steep incline. At the top, I paused not only to catch my breath but to take a few pictures of the steady stream of riders suffering with pained faces along with the many conquer-ing heroes who were smiling upon reaching the top. Too soon we were back in town, and another Hilly Hundred was in the books.

One of the perks of my profession is that I travel widely. This gives me the chance to ride many of the country’s outstanding trails and roadways, and after several visits to Indiana, I can say without hesitation that the trails and roads in the Hoosier State rank in the very top tier of my all-time favorites. I can’t wait for my next visit.

Chuck Haney is a photographer and writer who lives in Whitefish, Montana. His dedication to waking up well before dawn has put him in a position to capture many amazing images. For more, see chuckhaney.com.

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Celebrating 25 YearsDiscovering Canada by BicycleTours from 2 days to 10 weeks


Bruce Gordon is sitting in the garden of his home in Petaluma, California, where he has lived for more than two decades. The sun is shining and

it’s 70 degrees in November. At age 64, he doesn’t take his good fortune for granted, but Gordon has a lot on his mind, about his journey in life and where it has taken him.

Born and raised in Chicago, Gordon knows he can be on the caustic side.

“If there were an Olympic event for complaining, I would win the gold medal,” he says over the telephone. “So I under-stand this. I’ve been complaining my whole life.”

But, as he sees it, he has plenty to com-plain about. Start with the fact that after 38 years of making bike frames and becoming one of the best known and most respected framebuilders in the country, specializing in touring bikes, Gordon finds himself fac-ing a financial abyss.

“People misunderstand me, thinking that I hate the bike business, or hate bikes, and that I’m focused on money,” Gordon says. “That couldn’t be farther from the truth. my entire career has been about making better stuff. I enjoy making, rid-ing, and thinking about bikes. What I hate is the bike business stuff we’re talking about.”

This is not a recent development for Gordon. Six years ago, he said he sat down with a bottle of wine and a mailing from Social Security that laid out his earnings over the years and figured out that over his career he has made an average of $24,000 annually.

“I’m not really obsessed with money, but I think that’s pathetic, considering how famous I seem to be,” Gordon said. “If I’m so famous, why am I so poor?”

A Brief EncounterDwan Shepard, co-owner of Co-motion

Cycles in Eugene, Oregon, has known Gordon since the mid-1970s when Gordon was building bikes in Eugene and Shepard was a “young starry-eyed bike nerd.”

“I’d seen some pretty cool bikes in bike shops, Italian bikes and Schwinn Paramounts, but there weren’t many people doing what Bruce was doing at the time,” Shepard said. “Beautiful workmanship; fine, fine lug work; and exotic paint. Really neat stuff.”

“The guy was pretty revered,” Shepard

continued. “Anybody that had the money and the good taste to buy a really elite bicycle in this area definitely bought it from Bruce.”

A few years later, Shepard was learning to build bicycle frames from Gary Hale, another framebuilder in Eugene, when he was sent to borrow some lugs from the neighbor.

“Gary’s shop was about a half block from Bruce Gordon’s shop at the time,” Shepard remembered. “Gary needed a cou-ple of lugs so I went to Bruce’s shop. I was very nervous and afraid of the master, but he was very nice. He showed me what he had. It was a very brief encounter, but it’s branded in my memory.”

Shepard may have been nervous partly because Gordon’s reputation already pre-ceded him, and not just for consummate framebuilding.

“He’s known for being very abrupt and telling people exactly what he thinks, which I think is admirable, but it’s not always pleasant,” Shepard said. “As I get older, I’m more sympathetic to that style of thinking. People joke about the famous Bruce Gordon persona, but I think it’s genuine and I admire it.”

You Need to Sell StuffGordon has an undergraduate degree

in photography from Ohio University. He dropped out of graduate school at the Art Institute of Chicago to move to California in 1970 to work in a bike shop. He was drawn by the weather and the laid-back lifestyle.

Soon Gordon signed up for a frame-building class from Albert Eisentraut, the dean of American framebuilders, who start-ed building bikes in 1959 and taught many of the best-known builders in the country between 1973 and 1992. joe Breeze was in Gordon’s class, as were many others who ended up making their living from bicycles.

In 1974, said Gordon, Eisentraut had about five people working for him, and he was making about 60 frames a year. Eisentraut was looking for investors, and Gordon had some money to invest. He became vice president of Eisentraut Bicycles, Inc.

“That lasted two years; it wasn’t going anywhere,” Gordon said. “I moved to Eugene and started Bruce Gordon Cycles.”

In 1988, with his business well estab-lished, Gordon moved back to California, again for the weather.

“I grew up in Chicago with lousy weath-er,” he said. “I’ll guarantee you it’s not 70 degrees and clear in Eugene right now.”

Over the years, Gordon’s signature Rock N’ Road Tour became the aspirational

Bruce Gordon

has something

to say

One of the most revered

framebuilders in America is

grappling with his future

by Dan D’AmbrosioPhotos by matt Farruggio



bike for bicycle tourists everywhere. For a while, Gordon was selling up to 120 Rock N’ Road bikes annually. Last week, he said, he finished number 6 for this year.

“The bottom line is I need to sell stuff,” Gordon said. “making stuff is the easiest part.”

What has brought Gordon to this point in his life, uncertain of what lies ahead for him? He sees several factors. One is his own admitted ineptitude at marketing what he makes. But, he said, he has plenty of company.

“Almost every one of the top framebuild-ers, who I would consider the best, are all dismal, horrible at marketing,” Gordon said. “What we need is help.”

Another factor, Gordon says, is the clue-lessness of touring riders — with the nota-ble exception of the readers of Adventure Cyclist magazine, he is careful to point out.

“Probably 80 percent of the people who go bicycle touring are not really cyclists,” he said. “Racers and mountain-bike people, they want to know every fact about their frame builder. For most touring cyclists, the bike is just a tool, like a kayak or backpack.”

Gordon said he realizes now he had a basic misunderstanding of the touring market.

“The average bicycle tourist wants to buy an off-the-rack bike, racks, panniers, clothing, a tent, and sleeping bag. Do the whole thing and walk out the door with one credit card swipe,” he says. “They have about as much emotional attachment to a bike frame as a tent. I’m not saying that’s wrong, but it’s a different sentiment. That’s

been a big problem for me.”And those off-the-rack bike and racks?

They particularly stick in Gordon’s craw.“I used to be sort of the gold standard,”

he said. “Bruce Gordon made the best racks and bikes. Nowadays I’m sort of looked at as the company that copied this cheaper gear. You know where this stuff is made? Everything — all of it — is made in China.”

Relying on ImaginationDwan Shepard and his Co-motion part-

ner Dan Vrijmoet, who started their busi-

ness in 1988, the same year Gordon moved back to California, have had a very differ-ent experience than Gordon has had.

Co-motion sells about 1,200 bikes a year to a nationwide network of dealers, some buying as many as 60 or 80 bikes in a single year, and the company employs 16 people at its Eugene factory where all of the bikes are made. Originally, Shepard built all of the frames himself.

“Dan was really instrumental in help-ing us get organized business-wise, and he concentrates more on running the machine

tools,” Shepard said. “He heads up our pro-duction side nowadays, whereas I’m mostly involved in design and head up the office side of things — and sales.”

Yet it wasn’t always that way.“To be honest, we started out without

much of a plan,” Shepard said. “We were pretty sure we could do something great, but it took about two years before we decided we were going to make a living at it. We needed to go beyond the local bike-club scene and figure out a way to sell bikes wholesale.”

Shepard and Vrijmoet first made their

names with tandems. It was a conscious decision, said Shepard.

“At that time, there was really a renais-sance of builders building mountain-bike frames,” he said. “We figured we missed that boat. We could throw our hat in the ring with that, but could easily get lost, so I think the tandem decision was a really good one. It was pretty simple for us to show people a different way a tandem could be put together, which not only looked differ-ent but rode differently.”

The other step Shepard credits for Co-motion’s success is the decision to define a line of bikes with specific geometries and component kits.

“It makes it easier for people to under-stand what you’re doing,” Shepard said. “When you sell custom bikes, you’re rely-ing a lot on the imagination of your cus-tomer, and it’s really tough to make the imagination and the reality merge together enough that everybody is happy.”

Shepard noted that Gordon has tried the formulaic approach with “mixed success.” That’s putting it mildly. It’s called the Basic Loaded Touring bike, or BLT, and it is, said Gordon, a “major failure,” not as a bike but as a product.

The idea was to take the Rock N’ Road Tour and build it in Taiwan to Gordon’s standards, so that one of the most respected and admired touring bikes in the country would become affordable for a much wider audience of touring cyclists.

Gordon was inspired by the success of the Surly Long Haul Trucker, which he learned at Interbike was selling 2,500 to 3,000 frames each year. Gordon figured he should be able to sell at least 500 of his BLTs yearly.

“When I had the BLTs made there, it took two years to get a prototype we liked,” Gordon said.

Once he had that prototype, Gordon took delivery on 100 BLT frames, but he soon realized to his horror that a clearance problem he had caught and pointed out in the prototype stage had not been fixed in the production stage.

“I was ready to hang myself,” Gordon said. “I had spent the last of my money and had 100 frames that needed to be fixed.”

Gordon airfreighted the bikes back to Taiwan at the manufacturer’s expense for the simple fix, and then told the fac-tory they could airfreight one-third of the frames back and send the rest by ocean. With the fixed frames in hand, he began shipping to dealers.

“I don’t have to own Bruce Gordon Cycles anymore, I’m beyond that. I’ve done this my entire life for almost nothing.”

in the zone. Gordon’s attention to detail is legendary in the framebuilding business.


Then the news came from a dealer that the front-fork rack mounts weren’t right. They were located in the right spot, but they were 10 to 15 degrees off the axis of the bike, not a simple thing to fix, Gordon said, and not something he trusted the Taiwanese factory to do. Instead he insisted they make 100 new forks, but it took three months to get the job done.

“Once the frames were returned and the 100 new forks were delivered, I was quite happy with the frames,” Gordon said. “They perform the same as a Bruce Gordon Rock N’ Road frame made in California, but the Taiwanese factory made it clear they were not interested in making the bikes 100 at a time in the future.”

Framebuilders EverywhereUnfortunately, Gordon has been

squeezed on the custom-building side as well as by the exponential growth in frame-builders.

“When I started with Albert Eisentraut, there were maybe 20 people in this coun-try building bike frames,” Gordon said. “I would guess there are 3,000 or more now. They have artificially brought down the expected value.”

Gordon points to the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, launched in 2005, as symptomatic of the problem.

“I’ve been to four or five, and it was very innovative when it started,” Gordon said. “Up until then, there was only Interbike, a big commercial fiasco. Now the best way I can describe the handmade bicycle show is a childhood beauty pageant. They make all these wildly intricate bikes, way above their pay scale and experience level, then realize they can’t sell them for as much as a Richard Sachs. They have to price them near the Surly, and at that point they can’t make money.”

Shepard seconded Gordon’s assessment, saying there are too many people who want to build bikes just because they think it’s a neat thing to do.

“To be perfectly honest, they don’t have anything to add to the genre, and that’s unfortunate,” Shepard said. “maybe they should get a job within the bike industry. It might be better if they didn’t try to start their own brand and become another flash in the pan for their own sakes, if not for the sakes of their customers, or potential customers.”

Bruce Gordon, said Shepard, prob-ably shouldn’t be competing with “a guy who just took a class from United Bicycle


Institute,” but that’s what happens at the handmade bike show.

“The theme there is that a handbuilt bike is the best bike, and maybe it’s not,” Shepard said. “Some of those bikes are questionable. Some aren’t going to last, and the builders aren’t going to be around. If the frame develops a problem, who is going to fix it for you? The experienced builders know how to avoid problems in the first place and will be around to fix problems if they do arise.”

Beyond ownershipAt this “tender point” in his life, Bruce

Gordon said he would not be opposed to someone buying or investing in his busi-ness in the same way a rich wine aficionado would buy a Napa Valley winery.

“I don’t have to own Bruce Gordon Cycles anymore, I’m beyond that,” he said. “I’ve done this my entire life for almost nothing. I’m looking for someone to take over the parts of the business that I’m not good at.”

But Gordon does have three “non-negotiable” requirements for a potential buyer. One, “The stuff has to be made in America.” Two, “I come with the busi-

ness.” And three, “The stuff has to be sold directly to consumers, not in bike shops.”

“I’m puzzled as to how to find this per-son,” Gordon said wistfully. “How do you set this up? I know this person exists.”

Gordon thought he had found his buyer when he talked to Brooks at Interbike, and the company contacted him later, saying they wanted to meet. Brooks, the iconic English company, had been bought by Selle Royal, the Italian company that is one of the premier bicycle saddle manufacturers in the world.

“I was on cloud nine,” Gordon said. “I was so excited. Wow, this is my big chance!”

Gordon put together his best titanium- lugged bike with a titanium frame pump and titanium cantilever brakes, both of which he made as well, and took it to the meeting.

“This tall, thin Italian guy was drooling over the bike,” Gordon remembered. “It was a pretty stunning bike.”

It wasn’t the first time Gordon had put together a stunner. He has about 35 bikes in his personal collection.

“When I get really depressed, I make a bike, and I have every one I’ve made,” he

said.As it turned out, the Italians were not

interested in buying Bruce Gordon Cycles. They wanted Gordon to design parts for Brooks.

“I said that’s not anything I’m interested in,” Gordon remembered. “If you work as a designer, it’s so stuff can be made in Taiwan or China. I don’t want to do that.”

So Bruce Gordon continues to wait and wonder how he will meet his bills. He said he’s putting the question out there: Should Bruce Gordon Cycles continue to exist? If the answer is no, he said, “I’ll just quit.”

Dwan Shepard has a different take on things.

“If anybody deserves to get some sales, to sell some bikes, it’s Bruce,” he said. “I think Bruce Gordon does exactly what he says he’s going to do, and he’s a true master. He’s a rarity.”

Dan D’Ambrosio is a business reporter for the Burlington Free Press in Burlington, Vermont, and the former editor of Adventure Cyclist magazine.

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san diego to houston I’m a 60-year-old male from Denmark who will ride a part of the Southern Tier. I will leave San Diego on February 18 and need to be in Houston on march 22. Camping and motels. Self cooking and restaurants. Email [email protected].

pacific coast to ushuaia I’m a 32-year-old American woman doing a two-plus-year self-supported bike tour in march starting in Seattle and going south via the Pacific Coast to Baja California, Central and South America, and pos-sibly to Southeast Asia afterwards. I plan on tak-ing my time and taking smaller dirt roads, and whenever possible, hiking, rafting, climbing, and scuba diving. I’m planning between 50 and 75 miles per day, and camping with one to two days per week in hostels. I speak Spanish fluently. Email [email protected].

natchez trace and beyond Looking to ride the Natchez Trace and a little extra, from Nashville to New Orleans via the Trace in early spring from march 15 through 25. Looking to aver-age 70 miles per day and take in the history of the Trace. Accommodations: Camping at campgrounds and probably two nights in a motel/hotel. Cooking will be camp-stove meals. I’m open to options as well as other ideas for a Southeast tour. Email [email protected].

sydney to brisbane A few experienced cyclists request the company of riders to go from Sydney to Brisbane on the Gold Coast. We’re leaving the first week of may 2013, and riding

in the hinterland using as many quiet backroads as possible, mainly camping with the occasional motel. We hope to ride approximately 80 kilo-meters per day with rest days when we want, so approximately 1,100 kilometers over 16 days or so. Email [email protected].

los angeles to charleston — summer 2013 Looking for riders to go from Los Angeles to Charleston, South Carolina, over june and july. Email [email protected].

san Francisco to virginia — may 2013 I’m riding the TransAm out of Oregon, and since I’m in the very early planning phases, I’m very flexible. I’m a 28-year-old male who may already have a friend coming along. Open to anybody as long as they’re friendly. Probably camping most days. Prefer Bay Area resident to train with but not essential. Feel free to inquire for more details. Email [email protected].

transamerica trail crossing — east to West First time touring, 54-year-old male, with a strong cycling background. I’m raising funds for cancer research. I hope to leave mid-to-late may of 2013 from Yorktown, Virginia, follow-ing the TransAm to Astoria, Oregon. I will also be returning east by way of the Northern Tier to Ohio, although I might be interested in fol-lowing the Northern Tier to its terminus in Bar Harbor, maine. Hoping for fellow riders on any or all parts of trip. I will be camping for most of the way and occasionally relying on inexpensive lodging. Email [email protected].

memorial tour starting in may I’m planning a 50-state tour in memory of my wife who recently passed away of cancer. I’m leaving Anderson, South Carolina, on may 10 and going to Cherokee, North Carolina. I’m picking up the Blue Ridge Parkway and riding into Virginia. my first major stop is New York City. On july 11, I’ll be in South Bend, Indiana, for our 14th anniversary. I’m going to finish in key West, Florida, and will be hitting all 50 states along the way. If anyone wants to ride all or part, call me at (864) 221-8973 or email [email protected].

virginia beach to yorktown to san Francisco This will be my first tour. my tentative plan is to leave from Virginia Beach and ride to Yorktown, then head for Pueblo, Colorado, to pick up the Western Express. There is a possibil-ity that I may opt to do the full TransAmerica Trail to Astoria, but I haven’t decided. my desired departure date is march 5, 2013, my 70th birthday. I will be cycling to promote my novel, soon to be published, and to promote cycling throughout the U.S. I plan to camp most of the way. Email [email protected].

Adventure Cycling Association assumes, but can-not verify, that the persons above are truthfully representing themselves. Ads are free to Adventure Cycling members. You can see more ads and post new ones at www.adventurecycling.org/mag/comp anions.cfm or send your ad to Adventure Cyclist, P.O. Box 8308, Missoula, MT 59807.


Geared Up

tAke sHelter And stAy wArmby Mike Deme and Alison Riley

nemo gogo elite and zor (nemo equipment.com, 800-997-9301)

The GoGo Elite ($400) is a bit of a tweener; Nemo calls it a superbivy, which fits, but I’d call it a mini-tent. Whichever, it’s a lightweight package that makes a great one-person shelter option for anything from a bike overnight to a full-blown attempt at the record on the Great Divide mountain Bike Route, currently held by jay Petervary at 15 days, 16 hours, and 14 minutes.

The GoGo Elite is constructed of OSmO Elite material, an extremely lightweight waterproof, yet breathable fabric, and it’s amazingly quick and easy to set up because there are no tent poles. Instead, the GoGo uses Nemo’s AirSupported technology to provide the bulk of the bivy’s structure. Once the GoGo is staked out at its five points, you simply connect the included and integrated pump mechanism and blow into it while simultaneously squeezing the inflated bladder. It took me less than 24 pumps and about 20 seconds to inflate the beam, better than mucking about with tent stakes any day. The Airbeam deflates in seconds and from setup to stuff sack I had the GoGo in a pannier in less than 90 seconds.

my initial concern with Nemo’s approach when I first used one of their shelters 10 years ago, was with the fragility of the Airbeam but they’ve solved this problem. The removable Airbeam is now well protected by a very tough x-Fly fabric casing and I can’t imagine how this would be penetrated by any natural activity. my only thought is that something extremely unfortunate would happen during a major spill, but then your tent would probably be the least of your concerns. If something like

this unfortu-nate event were to occur, Nemo includes a patch kit, so you’re covered.

The GoGo design includes a retract-able ExoFly vestibule and what Nemo calls the Swallowtail pattern at the foot end of the bivy. If you’d like to make sure the bivy doesn’t touch your sleep-ing bag, you can pitch a stick into the

grommet at the top of the GoGo, and it will provide additional space and ventila-tion. This is a bit odd, so if you find a stick that works well, you may want to hang on to it for the dura-tion of your trip. It seems like there might be a bet-ter solution for this but it’s not a deal breaker; the GoGo works well without the stick sup-port. In addition, I can see how this could become somewhat of a self-entertainment factor each night. For further enter-tainment, Nemo provides a con-stellation chart opposite the setup instructions.

The GoGo Elite offers 108

x 41 inches of floor space with an area of 19 square feet. It packs up nice and small, about 4 x 6 inches, and when packed, weighs in at 1 pound, 9 ounces.

The perfect lightweight companion to

the GoGo Elite is the Nemo Zor ($100) insulated sleeping pad. Nemo has devel-oped a dual-core construction method which results in the Zor sacrificing little insulating qualities for its minimal weight of 15 ounces. I found it comfort-able and I slept well. I won’t go so far as to say it’s as comfortable as some of the super-thick pads I’ve used through the years but it weighs a fraction of those pads, inflates and deflates much quicker (7 deep breaths in 15 seconds), and packs up to 9 x 4 inches.

The Zor is constructed of 20D nylon and, when inflated, measures 20 x 72 inches and is 3/4 of an inch thick (the Zor is also available in a short and xL version). On its bottom, there is slip- proof material in the shape of 12 chev-rons so the Zor won’t slide about atop your tent floor. – MD

crumpler bumper issue and artisanal loaf (crumpler.com, 718-384-3020)

The Bumper Issue ($90) is a versatile product that doubles as a hydration pack and a casual daypack. Capable of carry-ing a 2-liter water bladder (not included — you can use your favorite), the design offers simplicity. In addition to the blad-der compartment, there are only three others: two large compartments inside and above the bladder and one large zippered pocket on the outside. The


shoulder pads are well cushioned, and the back of the Bumper Issue is constructed of Air mesh padding and offers a breathing channel for increased airflow. The main body is constructed of very tough 1000 denier material which also is highly water resistant. There are four compression straps, and the waist belt is detachable, a feature I’ve not found on any other similar pack. On top of these features, Crumpler built an emergency whistle into the left belt buckle, just in case you crash into a ravine and need to call attention to your predicament, but they hope you don’t need to use it.

The Artisanal Loaf ($22) is a bag for your essentials that works great inside a pannier or a suitcase. Again, Crumpler’s focus is on simplicity. At 5 x 8 inches with a 2-liter capacity, the main compart-ment is large enough for all the essentials of travel but not big enough to allow you to carry more than is necessary. Inside the Artisanal Loaf offers two open-top mesh pockets and, on the outside, a zip-pered external pocket. It weighs 5.4 ounces and is carried by a padded handle which doubles as a hanger. Best of all, like all Crumpler products, it’s tough and durable. – MD

novara express 2.0 Jacket ($99.50, rei.com/product/818947/novara-express-20-bike-jacket-mens, 800-426-4840)

The Express 2.0 is a jacket that offers cyclists exactly what they need and no more — a solid level of protection from natural elements that may make your ride uncomfortable. It’s constructed of durable windproof and water-repellent (and breathable) ripstop nylon, and

offers such features as underarm and back vents; a drop-tail hem; a storm flap covered zipper; partial elastic cuffs with velcro-like closures; and two zippered pockets — one at the chest and another at the back. It comes in amazingly bright yellow and red, both offering reflective piping and a reflective logo.

Aside: In my opinion, in the past 20 years, marketing has completely overtaken reality when it comes to outdoor clothing. I’m not saying a jacket can’t be waterproof and breathable but, for extended cycling in constant rain, I think you’re better off with a less expensive option. The protection a jacket like the Novara Express 2.0 can offer is sufficient for on-and-off or light rain and wind. If it’s cold, the Express combined with a fleece layer underneath is about as good as it’ll get. I haven’t met a jacket yet that’s going to keep you dry if it’s pouring rain continuously for an extended period. Perhaps a bulky one designed for skiing might do, but is it worth the extra cost and the added bulk? – MD

extremities super Windy glove ($75, terra-nova.co.uk/clothing-accesso ries/all-gloves-mitts/super-windy-glove or sport-hansa.com)

Full disclosure: Ever since I bought a pair of Extremities gloves in Scotland during a tour in 1996, I’ve been a fan of their gear. So I have no compunction recommending the Super Windy gloves for those of you who endure winter con-ditions part of the year while commut-ing or riding for pleasure. Extremities uses Gore WINDSTOPPER material on the outside and thick Berber pile fleece inside to protect your hands from the wind and cold. The Super Windy offers

elasticated wrists, pre-curved fingers for better dexterity, and silicone grip material on

both the palms and fingers. The added bonus is that you can wear

these gloves to protect your hands during many other outdoor activities like skiing, snowball fighting, sit-

ting in the stands at a football game, or whatever you do outside for pain and pleasure. – MD

chrome pawn and bravo rolltop packs (chromebagsstore.com, 866-226-2470).

made in Chico, California, and weigh-ing in at 3.7 pounds, the Pawn Rolltop Pack ($170), is a lightweight, completely waterproof, messenger-style backpack with the look and style of a waxed-canvas military bag. The exterior is a weatherproof, 1000 denier Cordura shell,

and the interior is made of water-proof, 1800 denier military-grade truck tarpaulin. It sounds heavy, although it’s not, but it is simple and durable. The main compart-ment functions as a dry bag which, when rolled shut, is fastened with indus-trial strength

bars of velcro. The velcro cer-

tainly makes access and closure of the main compartment simple and quick, but I could see the velcro losing its oomph in a few years. I wish the rolltop was secured with an industrial metal camlock under-arm compression buckle like the two outer pockets, because then the Pawn would be completely indestructible, but the velcro is working just fine. In a photo on Chrome’s website, this bag is shown with the main compartment full of crushed ice and a loose 12-pack of Tecate mexican beer. Well, obviously I tried this out, with my macBook tucked securely into the external zippered pock-et, and not only did my computer and


NOTO PENINSULA, JAPANA thousand years of fresh fish; Jason checks out the day’s offerings at Wajima’s historic morning market.Photo by Kid

EXPLORE

every other part of the bag stay bone dry, but the uncomfortable bulges of crushed ice and cans pressing into my back, which I had anticipated, were notably absent, and this bag was nowhere near its maxi-mum capacity. With the supportive back panel and the sternum strap, the backpack

felt stable and secure for the duration of my ride across town. In addi-tion to the main compartment, laptop pocket, and two exter-nal u-lock-sized pockets, there is a very large, “secret” zip-pered compart-ment between

the internal and external shells of the bag, in case you need to Premium Rush a secret document or something. I never used this feature, but I like knowing it’s there.

The Chrome Bravo ($160), like the Pawn, is semi-indestructible, and has a rolltop, velcro-fastened main compart-ment, a padded back panel, and a ster-

num strap (featuring Chrome’s signature seatbelt buckle in miniature). This bag is noticeably sleeker than the Pawn and can be compressed down to nothing, or expanded to accommodate up to 40 liters. I’m a rela-tively small person, so the Bravo’s slimmer profile suited me per-fectly. Often when using cycling packs designed to carry a substantial load, I feel more like a turtle with a four-foot wingspan than a girl riding home with groceries. The Bravo fit my smaller build well but was easily adjusted to accommodate a larger person, or to create a larger carrying capacity. Both the Bravo and the Pawn are as per-fectly suitable for a bikeovernight with indoor lodgings. The Bravo is labeled as a laptop bag, and while this backpack does have a dedicated, velcro-closure laptop pocket with two small zippered pockets for pens and whatnot, this thing can carry a lot more than your computer and spare clothes. The front of the bag is crisscrossed

by two utility straps which can be used to compress the pack, or to carry absolutely anything you can’t fit in your bag or on your bike. It’s basi-cally like having a cargo bike on your back. Actually I did lash a bike frame to it at one point, as well as a new wheel set, a bucket with a mop, a rake, a snow shovel, a belt sander, tomato cages, a fly rod, ice skates, and, if I recall correctly, a chair. Basically, if you’re biking home from the

zombie apocalypse and you see the coffee table you’ve always wanted sitting in the alley, with a little ingenuity you can prob-ably strap that to your Bravo. – AR

novara colcha bike Jacket (rei.com, 800-426-4840).

The Colcha ($119) is an insulated, quilted, women’s-specific cycling jacket designed for cool-weather riding. I wasn’t psyched about the color options (black or powder blue) but when the jacket arrived, I was surprised by how nice the blue looked. It is definitely high visibility, but not obnoxiously so, and the jacket is


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accented with a quilted pattern and reflec-tive piping. The jacket is very thin and packable considering its insulating abili-ties, and I was skeptical about whether I would be warm enough riding in it, but on a tepid 35-degree, windy Saturday, I decid-ed to try it out on a 40-mile shakedown ride — and I was blown away by the jacket’s performance. While the material is thin, it is very insulating, with warmer windproof panels in the front, on the fronts of the arms, and across the back of the neck and lower back. These are offset by well-positioned ventilated areas along the underarms and shoulder line, allowing for breathability but not at the expense of warmth. I was cozy for the whole ride and not once uncomfortably warm or cold. The fit is dead on and the ventilated areas have a bit of stretch to them, which makes the jacket forgiving of underlayers or post-holiday love handles. The front pockets are placed intuitively, which is a plus since they have invisible zippers along the seams for a streamlined look. The zipper pulls are tiny and a bit of a challenge to open with gloves, but I can get over that. The roomy, zippered back pocket extends from the lower back to the base of the jacket, which sits a bit lower than your waistline for better coverage. The longer sleeves and higher collar were nice features as well and definitely kept me warmer than a regular jacket would have. While initially this jacket seemed like a layer for very specific conditions, I think it is an indispensable item for touring in cool-to-cold conditions, and, if paired with a baselayer and wind-breaker, could be warm enough for winter riding. And in warmer seasons, the Colcha would make a great late-evening or early-morning coverup. – AR


Road Test

of you, I straddled a succes-sion of Schwinns in my mis-spent youth. Varsitys and Continentals took me to classes in high school and college, and to janitorial and home-improve-ment jobs as a college dropout.

Like me, the Schwinn Bicycle Company was embark-ing on a patch of rough road. Ignaz Schwinn, who founded the outfit in 1895, certainly wouldn’t recognize his name-sake in its modern-day mani-festation as a minor cog in the multinational machinery of Dorel Industries Inc., which hawks every-thing from car seats to computer carts.

Still, flesh-and-blood Schwinns remain in the bicycle business. Ignaz’s grandson Richard Schwinn cofounded Waterford Precision Cycles in 1993, tak-ing over the Schwinn Paramount Design Group R&D facility in Wisconsin. And Richard’s daughter Anna is a player at All-City in minneapolis, which brings us back via the scenic route to Las Vegas, Interbike, and the Space Horse.

my 58-centimeter review model looks like a Creamsicle, all sparkly orange and white, plus black accents (the 2013 edition comes in Elven Blue). And it weighed in at 24.9 pounds without ped-als, which isn’t bad for a steel all-rounder.

And an all-rounder it is. You wouldn’t want to race the Space Horse unless everyone else in your category was on

steel bikes, too, and while it might not be the ideal choice for a self-supported trek across mongolia, it will serve admirably in any number of less dramatic roles.

Straight out of the box, you have a comfortable, durable machine suitable for exercise, commuting, and off-pavement adventures. The Space Horse’s double-butted 4130 chromoly frame and flat-crowned, lugged fork, paired with some portly tires — as big as 700C x 42 without fenders — really soak up the bumps.

mine came wearing 700C x 37 Continental Sport Contacts, but, after three flats in less than 80 miles, I replaced them with a pair of 700C x 32 Vittoria Randonneur Cross Pros. (Next year’s Space Horse will trot along on 700C x 35 Freedom Ryders.) I also swapped the stock 110-mil-limeter stem for a 90-millimeter one to accommodate personal infirmities.

There is no shortage of reasonably

priced steel bikes these days — I own a few and have rid-den several others — and it can be difficult to tell one from another without a cata-log. Little touches that set the Space Horse apart from the herd include that three-tone paint job (most steel bikes in its retail neighborhood seem to be monochromatic); a pump peg; an internally routed rear brake cable, which would be enhanced by a barrel adjuster; and semi-horizontal rear drop-outs with tabs and adjustment

screws that accommodate your choice of derailers or single-speeding (should you envision a tour of the Bonneville Salt Flats).

All-City being headquartered in minneapolis, where winter has been known to make an occasional appear-ance, the Space Horse also sports mount-ing points for fenders fore and aft, and you can still fit 700C x 38 rubber even with the mudguards on. Plus if you go the single-speed route, the semi-hori-zontal dropouts save you from having to remove the rear fender to fix a flat.

It has all the usual rack mounts, too, along with recommended cargo limits — the folks at All-City say they had maximum loads of 20 pounds up front and 30 behind in mind when they selected its tubeset.

After a few unencumbered out-ings to get a feel for the basic bike, I

All-City spACe HorseAn all-rounder ready for a century or a couple of weeks on the road

by Patrick O’Grady

PA

TrIC

k O

’Gr

AD

y

In the fall of 2011, Adventure Cyclist editor mike Deme and I were stalking the halls of the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas, hunt-ing machinery for review purposes, when we happened acrossthe Space Horse in the All-City Cycles booth. How could we not check out a bike called Space Horse? Especially once we learned that Anna Schwinn (yes, of that storied American cycling family) had at least one hand in its design? Like many

For online video, see adventurecycling.org/allcityspacehorse


installed SkS fenders, a jandd low-rider rack, and a Tubus Logo rear rack, then stuffed a few bits of this and that into bags, starting light with 10.5 pounds up front in a pair of Arkel B-26 panniers and 5.2 pounds behind in an Arkel Tail Rider rack trunk. After riding that for a while, I traded the Tail Rider for two Arkel B-40 bags containing a total of 10.5 pounds and buckled on a 1-pound jandd saddlebag holding spare tubes, tire irons, and a multitool.

The 13-mile circuit I used for most of my rides includes a gradual, half-hour climb that tops out near the Garden of the Gods, a 35-mPH descent, some lumpy old chip-seal, and plenty of hard-packed dirt. The Space Horse embraced it all with equanimity, whether loaded or unloaded.

The bike would be a comfortable all-day ride by itself, but I actually came to prefer the feel of a loaded Space Horse. It reminded me of a 1983 Toyota 4WD pickup I once owned that would handle like a passenger car if it had a half-cord of firewood stacked in the bed.

Even the stock All-City Gonzo saddle proved surprisingly comfortable for a guy who is particular about where he parks his posterior. (Bonus Space Horse joke, gleaned from — where else? — the Internet: What kind of saddle do you put on a space horse? A saddle-light.)

The Tiagra STI-controlled drive-train performed flawlessly, and its 50/34 chainrings and 12-30 cassette bore up under light loads and gradual ascents. I should trot out the usual rant here about needing a low gear of 20 to 25 inches for long days, heavy loads, and weary legs, but let’s give it a miss this time around because the Space Horse is designed to be more of an all-rounder.

This is the Curse of the Product manager: Bicycle touring is a niche, rich in savvy customers who have developed their own ideas of what constitutes proper specs, so product managers trying to throw a loop over our crowd without losing their shirts have been known to hedge their bets, outfitting bikes with readily available, mainstream components better suited to

commuting, which is a larger market seg-ment.

Thus my 2012 Space Horse came with only two sets of bottle bosses; Tiagra STI in a fairly traditional compact road config-uration; some generic-looking silver kalloy

bits (stem, bars, and seat post); and match-ing silver Tektro R520 cantilevers.

The 2013 edition will upgrade the cockpit to Salsa

Pro Road medium bars with a Salsa Pro moto stem, and the brakes to match the black Tektro R720 cantilevers. The idea is both to improve the specs of the bike “and to butch it up a little with the black accents,” explained jeffrey Frane, All-City Cycles sales and marketing manager.

However, if that fails to set your mind at ease about the Space Horse’s utility as a touring bike, take heart — All-City has also anticipated and preempted any grousing about component selection by making it available as a frame and fork for $575, thereby liberating buyers to indulge their wildest fantasies.

Having cobbled together more than a few Frankenbikes over the years, that’s how I’d buy it, though given my fond-ness for nifty items from Paul Component Engineering, Chris king, L.H. Thomson, Rivendell, and the like, I’d wind up spending more — much more — than the $1,450 an off-the-rack model will set you back.

But then I’d have a Space Horse of a different color, wouldn’t I?

Patrick O’Grady has written and cartooned about cycling since 1989 for VeloNews, Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, and a variety of other publica-tions. To read more from Patrick, visit maddog media.word press.com.

Specifications: All-City Space Horsespecifications: All-City Space HorsePrice: $1,450 (complete bike); $575

(frame and fork).sizes available: 46 cm, 49 cm, 52 cm,

55 cm, 58 cm, 61 cmsize tested: 58cm (22 7/8 inches)weight: 24.9 pounds (without pedals)

test bike measurementsseat tube: 22 inches (center to center)top tube: 22 7/16 incheshead tube angle: 72.2°seat tube angle: 72.5°chainstays: 17 3/4 inchesbottom bracket drop: 3 inchescrank spindle height above ground:

10 3/4 inchesFork offset: 1 3/4 inchesWheelbase: 41 1/2 inchesstandover height: 33 inchesFrame: 612 Select chromoly (All-City’s

name for its proprietary blend of 4130 tubing). Double-butted down, top and seat tubes; externally tapered, ovalized, and dimpled chainstays; tapered seat stays; pump peg; internally routed rear brake cable; bosses for racks, fenders, and two bottle cages.

Fork: 4130 chromoly. flat-lugged crown with matching dropout, tapered blades, and eyelets for low-rider rack and fenders.

rims: Alex DA16 Silver, 32 holehubs: Shimano Tiagra (130mm rear

spacing)

tires: Continental Sport Contact, 700C x 37bottom bracket: Shimano Tiagracrankset: Shimano Tiagra, 175mm,

50/34 chainringscassette: Shimano Tagra SH-3542

10-speed 12, 13, 14, 15,17, 19, 21, 24, 27, 30

chain: SrAM PC-1031brake-shift levers: Shimano TiagraFront/rear derailleurs: Shimano Tiagrabrakes: Tektro r520 cantileverspedals: Noneseat post: kalloy, silver, 27.2 mmstem: kalloy, silver, 110 mmhandlebar: kalloy, silve r, 44 cm (center

to center)headset: fSAsaddle: All-City Gonzo, blackgearing in inches: 50 34

12131415171921242730

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EG S

IPlE

Compact frame geometryThis refers to a bicycle frame that

has a top tube that slopes downward as it moves from the head tube to the seat tube. This frame characteristic made its first appearance in the late 1990s, and it allowed bicycle manufacturers to tout a lighter and stiffer frame. more impor-tant to manufacturers, it gave bicycle companies the ability to make fewer frame sizes to accom-modate a larger range of riders than before. This cut production costs for some of the major manu-facturers, especially those working heavily with carbon molds, which were (and still are) quite expensive to produce.

People seem to love or hate compact geometry, and the same seems to hold in terms of the benefits you’ll glean from a compact frame. As far as pros and cons are concerned, you can probably go ahead and throw away the lighter frame factor as a benefit. Because these frames give you a shorter seat tube, you’re going to need a longer seat post, and chances are your frame material is lighter than what your seat post is made from, so the total weight of the bike as a whole may actually increase, although probably not by an amount most people would notice.

As for the claims of increased rigidity, I don’t put too much stock in that notion. There are a lot of ways to make a bike ride stiffer, and a compact frame isn’t always stiffer than a classic frame with a

horizontal top tube. For

instance, you may find that a steel bike with compact geom-etry provides a softer ride than an alu-minum bike with a more classic horizontal top tube. Instead of looking at compact geometry as a way to make a bike stiffer, it might be better to look at it as a way for frame builders to fine-tune ride quality.

If you really want to get the core ben-

efit of compact geometry, the lower stan-dover height is where it’s at. For riders with shorter inseams, a lower standover height makes mounting and dismounting the bike a heck of a lot easier, especially when the bike is loaded up with gear. This might not seem like a great benefit for day rides because you may only hop on your bike once when you head out the door and hop off when you get back home. While touring, though, you’ll probably be jumping on and off fairly often to eat a meal, snap some photos, or talk to other riders or curious locals.

If you’re interested in a bike with compact geometry, one thing to be aware of is how much the top tube actually slopes downward as it reaches the seat tube. Especially in the case of mountain

bikes, smaller frames can

sometimes be so compact that you

might only have room for one water-bottle cage.

This isn’t the end of the world as you can

often use adapters or band clamps to attach a bottle cage

somewhere else on the bike or

simply use a hydra-tion pack, but it’s a good thing to be aware of.

moving from the frame to the drive-train, you may notice that compact double cranksets have become popular on both stock road and cyclocross bikes. In addition to that, they are also working their way into some stock randonneur bikes, or light-load touring bikes, which makes them worth keeping an eye on.

CompACt desiGnWhat it is and what it has to offer

by Josh Tack

Fine Tuned

The term compact is used in cycling a good deal these days, typically in three areas: han-dlebars, cranksets, and frame geometry. We all know that compact generally means smaller,but what does it mean in bicycle-industry jargon, and would it be something that you can benefit from? Let’s have a close look. We’ll start with the frame of your bicycle, the foundation of it all.


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What makes a road crankset compact is its 110-millimeter bolt circle diameter (BCD) whereas standard road cranksets have a 130-millimeter BCD. Don’t worry about that number too much. About the only time you will need to remem-ber it is if you find yourself replacing a chainring.

much like compact frame geometry, a compact crankset brings out some ben-efits for both the manufacturer and the consumer. manufacturers like the idea of compact double cranksets because it cuts down on the production costs they incur with front derailleurs and shifters built for triple cranksets. For the consumer, a compact crankset gives you the opportu-nity to run two chainrings in front with lower gearing than a standard crankset would offer. For instance, with a standard double crankset, you commonly see 53- and 39-tooth chainrings. A compact dou-ble crankset often has 50- and 34-tooth chainrings. This doesn’t replace the triple crankset, especially when you consider that most fully loaded touring bikes are fitted with not only a triple crankset but also a wide-range mountain-bike cassette. For loaded touring, I almost always rec-ommend a triple crankset, especially for newer riders, but if supported trips and ultralight touring is more your style, I really like what compact cranksets have to offer, especially when paired with a wide 11-34–tooth mountain-bike cassette and derailer.

On a side note, you may have also noticed that a lot of mountain bikes are moving away from triple cranksets in favor of a double chainring option. In fact, this past summer I toured the Great Divide

mountain Bike Route with a double crank-set sporting 27- and 39-tooth chainrings. With mountain bikes expanding the gear range of their rear cassettes, manufacturers are finding that they can get away with fewer chainrings up front. Again, this would work great for supported or ultra-light touring, but if you’re new to touring or are planning on touring heavily loaded, definitely opt for the triple.

The last compact feature on tap is the drop handlebar. Believe it or not, there’s a ton of design work that goes into making a handlebar, even though it may seem like they haven’t changed very much over the decades. mountain-bike bars are still flat, maybe with some rise here and there, and road bars generally still have full drops, some of them flar-ing out to varying degrees. A couple of factors keep handlebar engineers busy. They have to look at the intended use and the style of brake and shift levers that will likely be mounted to that bar. Any time one of the big drivetrain manu-facturers updates the ergonomics of their brake/shift levers, handlebar producers have to make sure their bars mesh well with the new brakehood contours and distances a rider will need to reach for the brake levers.

more importantly, handlebar manu-facturers need to keep up with the needs of the typical consumer. The marketing term of choice about 10 years ago seemed to be “anatomic” (10 years from now, we’ll probably be saying the same thing about compact), and anatomic drop bars were all the rage. As opposed to the traditional round drop bar, an anatomic bar had a deeper drop with a more oval

shape intended to relieve pressure on the hands. Over time, however, people riding road bikes with short headtubes started complaining about lower back problems, mostly because they had to bend down too far when riding in the drops.

Compact handlebars — or maybe they’re better called shallow drop bars — set out to address the back-pain issue by reducing the distance you have to move your hands down from the top of the bars to the drops. As you would probably expect, this is a great improve-ment for some, but not all, riders. Like compact geometry, this technology is probably going to benefit the smaller rider more than the larger rider. People with big hands or great flexibility may find that they actually prefer a deeper drop from one position to the next, oth-erwise, they don’t get as big of a benefit out of changing hand positions. The smaller or less flexible rider, on the other hand, might find that compact handle-bars provide a more comfortable transi-tion from one point to another.

That covers the three big items which comprise the current compact trend. All this talk about compact technology should give you a better understanding of what it is and how it could benefit you. Like anything else, compact geom-etry is not going to improve everyone’s riding experience, but it can make a big difference to the right people.

Josh Tack admittedly has smallish hands and short legs in proportion to his torso, making him a prime candidate for compact frames and handlebars. He is also Adventure Cycling Association’s membership coordinator and can be emailed for questions or com-ments at [email protected].


mechanical Advantage

wHeel size mAttersPicking which size is right for you, and why

by Jan Heine

as an “in-between” wheel size that offers the best of all worlds. Some bicycles, especially folding bikes, use very small wheels. Each size has eager proponents and detractors, but few people under-stand how wheel size affects the ride of their bicycles.

Wheel size terminology can be confusing because we are mixing the metric French system (650B, 700C) and the British sys-tem (26 inch, 27 inch), plus the emerging mountain-bike wheel sizes (27.5 inches, 29 inches). When you look at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) designations of the most popular sizes, things begin to make sense (see sidebar).

Names don’t really matter: What we care about is which wheel size gives us the best performance on our bikes. There are several factors to consider.Rolling Resistance

many riders believe that larger wheels roll faster; it makes intuitive sense. A tiny wheel will bump against a pebble while a large wheel will just roll over it. However, the differences between the common wheel sizes are not that great. A 26-inch wheel is only 10 percent smaller

than a 700C wheel. For the magazine Bicycle Quarterly, we tested different wheel sizes on various surfaces with a power meter in a carefully controlled experiment. We found that there was no difference in speed between the three popular wheel sizes (26 inches, 650B, 700C), even on equivalent cobblestones and certainly not on smooth pavement.

What about large-wheeled mountain bikes? The little independent testing that has been done indicates that 29ers don’t roll faster than mountain bikes with 26-inch wheels. However, the large-wheeled bikes certainly feel dif-ferent.Handling

Why do larger wheels feel differ-ent? The front wheel’s rotational inertia affects how a bike holds its line, both on straightaways and in corners. Larger wheels and/or heavier tires/rims have more rotational inertia, making it harder to turn the front wheel to initiate corner-ing.

If your front wheel has too much rotational inertia, it becomes difficult to change your line in mid-corner, for example, to avoid a pothole or to round a curve with decreasing radius. With too little rotational inertia, your bike requires constant corrections to stay on course. You want a wheel/tire combination that is just right, with neither too much nor

too little stabil-ity.

Another Bicycle Quarterly test had three peo-ple ride three bikes with identical geom-etries (fit, trail, bottom bracket height, etc.),

but with different wheel sizes (26 inch, 650B, 700C). All test riders indepen-dently found that they preferred smaller wheels for wider and heavier tires, and larger wheels for narrower, lighter tires. When we calculated the rotational inertia of the wheels, we found that these pref-erences all yielded similar values.

Based on that test, we concluded that 700C wheels are best for narrow tires up to about 30 mm. For wider tires (30 to 42 millimeters), our testers preferred the somewhat smaller 650B wheels. Tires wider than 42 millimeters handled best on even smaller 26-inch wheels. It is no coincidence that the outer diameter of

Which wheel size is ideal for a touring bike? Almost no other question has been discussed as widely among touring cyclists. When Adventure Cycling got started as Bikecentennial in 1976,most touring bikes used 27-inch wheels. Then mountain bikes popularized the 26-inch wheel size. The racing-bike wheel size of 700C has now replaced 27-inch wheels, which is now almost defunct. And more recently, 650B has been promoted

559 mm26”

584 mm650B27.5”

611 mm700C29”

630 mm27”

Figure 1: The differences between the common wheel sizes are not that great.


bicycle wheels has remained relatively constant, somewhere between 26 and 27 inches, since chain-driven bicycles were first were developed 130 years ago, despite much experimentation with other sizes. motorcyclists have arrived at similar conclusions; they went to smaller wheels when their tires became wider and heavier, so that the rotational inertia remained the same.

This means that you should first decide how wide you want your tires to be. The wheel size will follow from that. If you love narrow tires, you should use a larger wheel. If you prefer wide tires, your wheels should be smaller.Bike Fit

Small riders also have to think about fitting the wheels into their frames. The front wheel must clear the downtube, which runs at a steeper angle on a small-er (shorter) frame. Using smaller wheels requires fewer fit compromises. keep in mind that if the wheel gets too small, you may compromise handling. Because wider tires (and thus smaller wheels) make a lot of sense on touring bikes, you can avoid many of the fit issues that can crop up on small racing frames with nar-row tires and large wheels.

What about large frames? many mak-ers tend to put small wheels on their small bikes and large wheels on their larger ones to keep the proportions of the bikes similar. The larger wheels do make the larger bikes more stable, but there is no reason that taller riders need more stable bikes. I am six feet tall, and I ride relatively small 650B wheels with wide 42-millimeter tires because they give my bike stable, yet nimble, handling.

AvailabilityWhat good is your dream bike if you

can’t get tires for it? Before you choose your wheel size, look at the tire options. Not all sizes are supported equally. Sturdy, puncture-resistant touring

tires are available in most sizes, but if you’re like me and prefer supple high-performance tires, your options are more limited. For wide high-performance tires, your best choices are in the 650B size. Randonneurs have been using that size, and some wonderfully supple, wide, fast tires have been introduced in recent years. (Disclosure: my company, Compass Bicycles, sells some of those tires, as well as tires for other wheel sizes.) On the other hand, narrow high-performance tires come almost exclusive-ly in 700C. Traditionally, 26-inch wheels have been for mountain bikes, and even “slick” tires in that size usually have sturdy casings that may resist flats but also decrease your speed and comfort. (Generally with tires, you can have com-fort and speed or flat resistance, but that is a topic for another column.)

If you travel abroad, it makes sense to pick a wheel size that is well supported in the countries you will visit. If you are able to find any bicycle tire on the Bolivian Altiplano, it’s probably going to be a 26-inch one. That size appears to be the most common size, as far as availability goes. No matter where you tour, you probably should take a nar-row, lightweight folding tire as a “space-saver” spare, just in case. When you are stranded on top of a mountain pass miles from town, you won’t be able to buy any tire, no matter its size.

Jan Heine is editor of Bicycle Quarterly, a magazine about the culture, technology, and history of cyclotour-ing. His blog is at janheine.wordpress.com.

iso?wheel sizes traditionally were desig-

nated by the outer diameter of the wheel,

but this measurement depends as much

on tire width as it does on rim diameter.

A more logical system has been adopted

by the International Organization for

Standardization (ISO), which lists the

bead-seat diameter — the diameter of the

rim in the place where the tire seats.

Of the four common wheel sizes

on touring bikes (fig. 1), 26 inch is the

smallest. 650b is the same as 27.5

inches but is about 5 percent larger

than the 26-inch wheel. 700C (aka 29

inches) is another 6 percent more in

diameter, making it 11 percent larger

than the 26-inch wheel. The old 27-inch

size is just a tad larger than 700C — not

enough to make a functional difference,

but too much to allow you to interchange

tires and rims between the sizes. you

can also see that the new mountain-

bike sizes and the old british sizes are

unrelated: The old 27-inch rims (630 mil-

limeter) are actually larger than those of

a 29-inch mountain bike (622 millimeter).

That is why many people, including my

“Mechanical Advantage” predecessor,

the late Sheldon brown, advocate using

the ISO system.

shorts, found herself surrounded by eight-foot–high snowbanks. They haven’t stopped adventuring since. Whether traveling as part of work, bike touring through Tasmania and the U.S., or when on adventures related to her national ranking as a squash player, jill has always made time for fun. In 1998, the Rasmussens moved back to the U.k., where they live today, in a village near Dorking Surrey. This past sum-

mer, when they realized one of the Olympic cycling events

would occur right down the road, the Rasmussens raffled off a 10-day stay at their house to benefit the U.S. Bicycle Route System’s Build It. Bike It. Be a Part of It cam-

paign, running a per-sonal bed & breakfast out

of their home for another Adventure Cycling couple.

“We’ve never met people we couldn’t get along

with through Adventure

Cycling,” jill said, “and bed &

In 1985, jill came to the U.S. with Del, spurring two monumental events: The two were married in Billings, montana, and Del introduced jill to Bikecentennial. jill took her first bike tour in 1986, dubbed the Blue Bottom Tour, a self-supported trip from Cranbrook, British Columbia, to jasper, Alberta, that jill organized with the help of Bikecentennial maps, and which gained its namesake from the stunningly chic, matching blue cycling shorts she and Del sported. She described watching the geography of the Bow River, Lake Louise, and the Columbia Icefield unfold before her as one of her most treasured memo-ries. When the Blue Bottom Tour concluded in early September, the Rasmussens took a jaunt up Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park where jill, in her blue cycling

Jill And del rAsmussenTrue adventure cyclists

by Alison Riley

Life member Profile

breakfasting is a wonderful way to con-nect with people, whether you make a profit or not.” The Rasmussens ride a tan-dem at home, and have a couple of bikes stashed with their relatives in Seattle as well. Del had his hip replaced this past October, but that won’t stop him and jill from doing a little off-road cycling and canoeing when they visit their family in Seattle this summer. “Bicycle tour-ing is a hobby I share with my husband and something we can do together even though he is visually impaired,” jill said. “It allows him access to adventure and independence, and helps me stay physi-cally and mentally fit; and we can eat scrumptious food without putting on weight!” I asked jill why she and Del support Adventure Cycling. “We wanted to support something that could benefit a great number of people,” she said. “We love bicycle touring, it’s the perfect pace for travel — fast enough to cover ground, yet slow enough not to miss anything. The thrill and challenge posed by explor-ing the unknown by bicycle, touring in terrain you have not experienced before, and the unexpected camaraderie allow you to cut across culture, age, geography — it’s such a pleasure to meet people from different backgrounds and cultures who have cycling in common.”

Jill Rasmussen

Doctor jill Rasmussen and her husband, Del, have been mem-bers of Adventure Cycling for 31 years, and life members for the past two. That’s a long time to be cycling, so I asked jill about her first bicycling memory: “When I was about three,” she said, “cycling down to the road to get away from having my hair cut.” jill is a native of England who met her husband Del, of Whitefish, montana, when the two were living in the Netherlands.

A DV E N T U56

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• karen Denise & jim Badgley, Columbus, OH

• Terry E. Bahl, Treynor, IA

• Andy Bartholomew, Palo Alto, CA• Anne & Dan Billman, Anchorage, Ak• Larry Bogner, Napa, CA• Donna Boots, Baldwinsville, NY• jason Britt, Plymouth, WI• Pat Buckley, Ottawa, ON, Canada• kevin & janet Casey, Pittsford, NY• Peter Debreceny, Chicago, IL• Donald & martha Dolben, Concord, mA• mary Douglass, Helena, mT• Lisa & john Farrugia, Libertyville, IL• michael Ford, Washington, DC• karen Gardner, Pelham, NY• Debbi Greitzer, San Rafael, CA• Rami Haddad, middletown, CT• Peter E. Hall, Falmouth, mE• Paul Hawkins, Wilsonville, AL• joseph Hood, Houston, Tx• melanie kiper, Council Bluffs, IA• Chris kupper Family, Little Rock, AR• jim Langland Family, minneapolis, mN• marshall Lefleor, Richmond, VA• keven & Edith Lubben, Cedar Rapids, IA• john & Rosemary Ludway, Cleveland

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Springs, CO• keith morgan, Essex junction, VT• Richard munn Family, Fort Collins, CO• William & Gerri myers, Carlisle, PA• Paul Osika & karen Rainford, Eagan, mN• Richard Picard, Cabot, AR• Steven & Anne Pohnert, Vienna, VA• Robert Putnam, Arlington, WA• Thomas Rogers, Phoenix, AZ• matt Schuerger, Saint Paul, mN• Brian Sindt & Barbara Hays, Shasta, CA• Gail Spann, Rockwall, Tx• Geoff Talbot, Beaverton, OR• markus & Esther Truniger, Saint

Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland• Peter Underwood & mary jarosz,

Whitewater,WI• Susan & Edward Wancewicz, Poway, CA• julie Wartell, San Diego, CA• Todd Whitehouse, Los Angeles, CA• jo Zeimet Family, Boulder, CO

A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I S T F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 3 A DV E N T U R E C Y C L I N G . O R G 57


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croatia by bike and boat — This is absolutely the only way to find the heart of this diverse and poetic country. We will tour through the towns of Split, Hvar, Stari Grad, and korcula — towns that include two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, so named for their impeccable preservation, historic value, and stunning beauty. Each evening we make our way back to our private boat, which is outfitted with all the necessary comforts, and begin our journey to the next stunning vista, perhaps stopping enroute for a dip in the sparkling clear water. Contact our office for more details. Toll free phone: 877-777-5699. Email us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.pedalandsea adventures.com.

Women only bike tours — For all ages and abilities. Fully supported, inn-to-inn, bike path & road tours. Cross-country, National Parks, Europe & more. Bicycle work-shops, wine tasting, yoga. Call for free cata-log. 800-247-1444, www.womantours.com.

bike & cruise tours since 1990! — A unique combo of cruising & then cycling in each port. moderate/advanced rides, support-ed, guided and bikes provided. Pick cruises to Alaska, Southern/Western Caribbean Or Prague in September hotel to hotel. WE HAVE mORE FUN!!! bikeandcruise.com, [email protected]. (239) 431-6219.

angkor & the mekong — A mountain-bike exploration of Cambodia’s most iconic landmarks: the ancient temples of Angkor and the mighty mekong River … and the rural countryside that connects them. Small group departures in 2013 or custom-designed to suit you. www.symbiosis-travel.com; email: enqui [email protected]; +44 (0)845 123 2844.

pedal and sea adventures — We’re a personable travel company offering cre-ative cycling and multi-sport adventures in many of the world’s best places, including Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, P.E.I., Croatia, Italy, Greece, Norway, and Ireland. Guided and self-guided. Van-supported. Friendly guides. Charming inns. Custom groups anytime. Over 70% return clientele since 2005! Toll Free Phone: 877-777-5699. Please email us at [email protected] or visit our website: www.pedalandsea adventures.com.

cycle the route oF the orient express — This 2,500-mile expedition follows the route of the legendary Orient Express trains from Paris to Istanbul. From the French vineyards to the spas of Budapest, and the spices of Turkish bazaars, this is a continental tour like no other. Challenge yourself for 2 to 6 weeks on this trip of a life-time through Europe. PARIStoISTANBUL.com, 416-364-8255.

north American tours & eventshelping make good riders better since 1981 — join Transcontinental Record Holders Lon Haldeman & Susan Notorangelo for your cycling adventures from 7 to 30 days. Specializing in Training Camps, Historic Route 66, Rural Wisconsin, Eastern mountains, Peru and over 80 cross-country events. PAC Tour, www.pactour.com, 262-736-2453.

classic adventures since 1979 — COAST TO COAST — 2013 trip of a lifetime! All tours fully supported, hotels, guides. Also Austria, Lake Constance, France, Greece/Crete, Germany, Quebec, Vermont, mississippi-Natchez Trace, Texas Hill Country, N.Y. Finger Lakes, Historic Erie Canal. Full support servic-es, expert guides, outstanding cuisine. (800) 777-8090, www.classicadventures.com.

coast 2 coast — Hassle-free closely fol-lowing Southern Tier averaging 63 miles per day. Fully supported including freshly-pre-pared great-tasting meals, and a mechanic. You dip your rear wheel into the Pacific and your front wheel into the Atlantic, I will do everything in between. march 8 – April 29, 2013. BubbasPamperedPedalers.com or [email protected].

escapades bike tours — Celebrating 10 years of touring in 2013 with BUY ONE GET ONE 1/2 PRICE discounts on select tours! Natchez Trace, Cape Cod, Arizona, Georgia, Texas, maine, Hudson Valley, and more. Early bookings only — Limited spaces — Book now! 877-880-2453, escapadesbike tours.com/adventure.

classifiedadsRate: $115 for the first 30 words, $2 for each additional word. For more information, please contact Rick Bruner at phone/fax: (509) 493-4930, email: [email protected].


crossroads cycling adventures — The long-distance specialists! Come ride with Tracy Leiner — owner, cyclist, and tour director. Tracy travels with every group, every day! Small groups, personal attention, business-class hotels and meals. Luggage delivered to your hotel room and A/C turned on BEFORE you arrive! Extensive pre-trip support including training plan, telephone consultations, and rider/staff email introduc-tions. Ride coast to coast or split the tour into multiple segments. Celebrating 17 years of excellence. Rider references available (800) 971-2453, www.crossroadscycling.com.

bike the Florida keys — The ultimate Bicycle Vacation. Bike the entire key sys-tem, down and back. Fully-supported includ-ing breakfasts and most dinners. Beautiful sunsets. Swim with the dolphins. Snorkel. Dive. The Seven mile Bridge just might be the most beautiful seven miles you will ever bike. November 2-9, 2013. Details from BubbasPamperedPedalers.com or [email protected]. It’s just not a bicycle tour, it’s a keys ExPERIENCE … It’s all GOOD !!

carolina tailWinds bicycle vacations — Easy, flat terrain tours include: South Carolina’s Lowcountry, North Carolina’s Outer Banks, and maryland’s Eastern Shore. more challenging, mountainous tours include: Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and North Carolina’s Blue Ridge mountains. All tours include intimate group size, cozy country inns, and outstanding cuisine. www.carolina tailwinds.com; 888-251-3206.

vacation bicycling — You deserve a vacation! join us for fun, beautiful, and unforgettable 7-day bicycle tours from $1,099. Fully supported, hotels, food & SAG. martha’s Vineyard, Santa Fe & Taos, Outer Banks, maui, Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, Florida keys, or Georgia’s Silver Comet Trail. Come join us. 706-363-0341, 800-490-2173, or www.VacationBicycling.com.

america by bicycle, inc. — Your full service bicycle touring leader. Chose from 38 tours ranging from 5 to 52 days. Let us take you on your dream ride — Coast to Coast! abbike.com. 888-797-7057 FREE CATALOG.

cycle america® coast-to-coast — Enjoy a Fully Supported Cycling Vacation this Summer. Explore North America’s treasures on an epic Coast-to-Coast tour from Seattle to Boston. Choose one or ride several cross-state segments. Good Friends, Great Routes and First-Rate Support! Let us help you plan your next fun and affordable cycling adventure. 800-245-3263. www.CycleAmerica.com.

bicycle ride across georgia (brag) — Spring Tune-Up Ride, April 5-7, 2013, madison, GA. 34th Annual Bicycle Ride Across Georgia, june 2-8, 2013. Great fun for families and groups. Various mileage options. 770-498-5153, [email protected], www.brag.org.

cycle north carolina Fall ride — 15th Annual “mountains to the Coast” (September 28 – October 5) — Cycle 425 plus miles while experiencing the North Carolina countryside on scenic back roads amidst beautiful fall colors. Explore quaint towns, visit famous State Parks, Historic Sites, wineries, and more. Fully supported with SAG Support and rest stops. Various registration options available. [email protected], www.ncsports.org.

leitchField, ky — Shorten Your x-Country Ride — Free Camping – Hotels – Laundry – Bike Shop – Near mammoth Cave. Local Routes marked year round. R.A.C.k. Ride 1st Saturday in August. Contact: [email protected] or [email protected].

ride tWo states - tWo countries — Bike the International Selkirk Loop, North America’s only two-nation Scenic Byway through Washington, Idaho, and Canada. Pick your pace for 280 miles of incredible self-supported riding! www.selkirkloop.org.

bluebonnets and lone star beer — Sagebrush and longhorn steers. Come ride the spectacular Texas Hill Country with us … Stevie Ray Vaughn-style. Vesta Velo Cycling Tours for Women. April 13-20. www.vestavelo.com.

the great hudson valley pedal — july 30 – August 4, 2013 — A 200-mile tour from Albany to New York City through the picturesque and historic Hudson Valley, home to the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, West Point, the Catskill mountains, quaint villages, wineries and great scenic bicycling. www.ptny.org/hudsontour or 518-434-1583.

charleston, beauFort, savannah — join Charleston Bicycle Tours and discover Southern Low Country history and charm with local owners/licensed tour guides. Cycle on paved roads to plantations, quaint towns, coast-al islands, and wildlife areas. Three- and six-day tours at four star hotels and Inns. Excellent local cuisine, small groups, fun time. 1-800-408-1830. www.charlestonbicycletours.com.

cycle north carolina spring ride — (April 5-7, 2013) Edenton, NC — Enjoy unique waterfront camping and cycling on scenic country roads in Coastal North Carolina. Register for 1, 2, or 3 days. Various mileage options for all skill levels from easy family to challenging century. Additional lodging options are available. Fully sup-ported with SAG Support and rest stops. [email protected], www.ncsports.org.

michigander bicycle tour — Enjoy michigan’s railtrails and back roads in north-west michigan. It’s a family-friendly tour ideal for road, mountain, and hybrid bikes. Contact www.michiganTrails.org or phone us at 517-485-6022.

cycling the erie canal — july 7-14, 2013 — Learn from canal historians about the people, places, and things that made the canal so important. Visit museums, take a boat tour on the canal, and enjoy miles of beautiful rural scenery. The 400-mile route from Buffalo to Albany, NY is half canal path and half adjacent roads. most meals, SAG, refreshment stops, luggage transport, maps & cue sheets, evening entertainment, campsites at schools and colleges. www.ptny.org/canal tour or 518-434-1583.

cycle america’s national parks — Visit North America’s majestic treasures on our fully supported series of National Park Tours. Cycle through a painted Southwest wilderness, ride the Canadian Rockies, or bike an undulating Pacific Coast. Good friends, great routes and first-rate support! Let us help you plan your next fun and affordable cycling adventure. 800-245-3263. www.CycleAmerica.com.

candisc — “Tranquility Place Tour” will cycle from the expansive plains of the missouri River to the lush woodlands of the Turtle mountains. Experience North Dakota hospitality and scenery firsthand. August 3rd-10th, 2013, 400-mile Loop Tour originating in Garrison, ND. Contact: 1-800-799-4242, [email protected], www.parkrec.nd.gov/activities/candisc.html.

cycle canada! — Affordable Supported Tours Quebec, Cabot Trail, Icefields, Niagara and more. From the organizers of Tour du Canada. Call 800-214-7798 or visit www.CycleCanada.com. Celebrating 25 years of discovering Canada by bicycle.

historical trails cycling — in our 20th Anniversary Tour Season. Fully sup-ported tours on America’s scenic back roads. Twenty years of experience, helpful staff, mechanics, motel lodging tours, and camp-ing tours, luggage transport, fine dining and delicious local cuisine. Small groups, and all levels of riding. join us this summer on the Oregon Trail, Natchez Trace, or Oregon Coast. www.historicaltrailscycling.com, 402-499-0874.

alaska bicycle tours — with Sockeye Cycle, since 1988. Offering guided trips throughout our breathtaking region. Experience the beauty of Alaska and the Yukon with local guides and gourmet cui-sine. 877-292-4154 www.cyclealaska.com.

the great allegheny passage and c&o canal — 334.5 continuous trail miles from Pittsburgh to DC; custom or group tours; includes B&Bs, inns, excellent meals, luggage shuttle, full SAG support, vehicle or people and gear shuttle; attractions including Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, Antietam battle-field plus so much more... Call Trail Gail at 301-722-4887 240-727-7039 or www.mountain sidebiketours.net “You Pedal, We Pamper.”

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southern sampler — From Charleston, South Carolina, to St. Augustine, Florida, fol-lowing Sections 5 and 6 of the Adventure Cycling Atlantic Coast Bicycle Route, our new Southern Sampler is half coastal riding and half visits to inland locations presenting a mix of historic cities, natural areas, and farm country. Self-Contained, may 11-22. www.adventurecycling.org/tours or 800-755-2453.

timberline adventures — Fully sup-ported bicycling & hiking adventure vacations with an organization whose sole focus for 31 years is extraordinary adventure throughout western U.S. & Canada. Website: www.timber tours.com Email: timber@earth net.net Phone: 800-417-2453.

mass bikepike tour — August 1-4, 2013. THE FRIENDLIEST RIDE IN THE EAST. Visit wonderful New England towns, quaint vil-lages, beautiful farmland, and an option for the challenging climb up mount Wachusett. most meals, SAG, refreshment stops. www.massBikePike.org or 617 710-1832.

cycle the trans canada trail & rocky mountains — Fully supported or self-guid-ed memorable bicycle tours in Western Canada since 1997. Explore the historic kettle Valley Railway, gem of the Trans Canada Trail in BC, and the Rocky mountains supported by a dedi-cated tour operator. www.canadabiketours.ca.

ride the Fault line — 390 perfectly flat, fully-supported loop tour miles along the New madrid fault through missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, kentucky. june 22-29. Experience earthquake and civil war history; cross the mighty mississippi on riverboat ferry. 500 rider limit-register NOW! www.ridethefault.com. 573.380.7875.

ride tWo states – tWo countries — Six day, 350-mile fully-supported Rotary ride September 16-21, 2013 on the International Selkirk Loop, incredible Scenic Byway through Washington, Canada, Idaho. www.WaCanId.org or 1-888-823-2626. Registration opens mar. 1 – limited to 100 riders.

bar harbor maine – inn to inn — New this year, 200 miles of awesome riding, gor-geous scenery, and lobster dinner, to boot. Our serpentine maine route takes you to and through some of the East Coast’s most stun-ning landscapes and seascapes. Traveling from motel to motel, you’ll trace a watery necklace of inland lakes and rivers; pedal past peaks clad in birch, fir, and pine trees; and skirt gran-ite-lined harbors and bays where the essences of saltwater and tidal flats waft along on the breeze.$1,999. june 8-15. www.adventure cycling.org/tours, 800-755-2453.

livestrong is goodYou make some great points about the glo-rification of personalities in our society. Superstar athletes in particular are held to a higher standard. Because they are tal-ented at a sport we love, we feel person-ally aggrieved when they are exposed as flawed human beings.

But I would dispute a statement you made regarding “Livestrong.” Charity Navigator gives them a four-star rating, the highest rating in their system. The American Cancer Society, by comparison, receives a two-star rating and their direc-tor is paid in excess of two million dollars per year.

Richard RappaportTampa, Florida

Editor replies: My statement was that, contrary to what most people think, Livestrong does not fund research. As they state, it’s never been their focus.

cheaper optionsThe review of the Amazon Rohloff at $5,483 is pretty amazing! It’s true that many of us have spent several times that

amount for a car, but when I start to com-pare other bikes for far less, it blows my mind! In an extreme case, I ride a Nishiki mixte frame from the 90s. I got it free from a daughter-in-law who had barely ever used it. The bike shop said it would sell for about $200, even though it is in perfect shape. With the usual derailer’s three chainrings and seven sprockets, its gear-inch spread is larger than that of the Amazon Rohloff, and, with paraffin instead of grease on the chain, it’s clean. With bar cons, shifting is quick and easy. It has a rear rack and would support a front one. It’s a delight to ride and a real packhorse. If needed — it would be great for touring. Apart from internal gears ver-sus derailer shifting, I doubt that a blind-folded rider would know any difference!

Robert McInnesVictoria, British Columbia

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Your letters are welcome. Due to the volume of mail and email we receive, we cannot print every letter. We may edit letters for length and clarity. If you do not want your comments to be printed in Adventure Cyclist, please state so clearly. Please include your name and address with your correspondence. Email your comments, questions, or letters to [email protected] or mail to Editor, Adventure Cyclist, P.O. Box 8308, Missoula, MT 59807.

ALL ABOARD!Immerse yourself in our brand-new van-supported

tour of America’s legendary route to freedom.Underground Railroad: North to Niagara

Mobile, Alabama, to Niagara Falls, New York • April 14 - May 24

adventurecycling.org/toursmag

Riders visit the famous Underground Railroad ‘Station’ Rankin House in Ripley, Ohio.

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Open Road Gallery

Newlyweds Johannes and Rebecca Bulfin of Birr, Ireland, didn’t do things by half when they decided to combine their first trip to the U.S. with their first bike tour. When they arrived in New York City and set out on their journey to Portland, Oregon, their only training had been cycling the four-mile commute to and from college, and their route was put together using Google Earth and handwritten directions. Their second day found them sweaty, sore, exhausted, and lost in the Appalachians. Luckily, they met the first of many “trail angels” they would meet on their journey, a man named Bill, who gave them his old map of the area so they could find their way. Then they acquired some AAA state maps.

Unfortunately, this burst of luck did not last. They were completely blindsided when they woke up after camping near a reservoir in Pennsylvania to discover that a single raccoon had broken into their gear and had eaten an entire cake, pepperoni sticks, cream cheese, and almost all of their granola bars. That morning was one of only two times during their trip when they considered calling it quits. They persevered, however, and things began to get easier. Their aches and pains faded to vague discomforts as they acclimatized to life on the road, and their map selection improved with the acquisition of local and state maps. The couple eventually found their way to Adventure Cycling and “… realized that in order to get through life safe you have to have the proper maps!”

maps weren’t the only gifts bestowed on the couple; perhaps most unusual was a carpet to help keep them warm as they crossed the Rocky mountains. It was many kind gestures like this that ultimately helped the couple accomplish their goal. “We reached Seaside, Oregon, as the sun was setting, a beautiful end to the journey of a lifetime,” johannes remembers, “but instead of fulfilling my appetite for adventure, this trip has only ignited the fire of exploration and discovery that will take a lifetime to fuel.”

From Adventure Cycling’s National Bicycle Touring Portrait Collection. © 2013 Adventure Cycling Association.

rACCoon tourby Madeline McKiddy Photograph by Greg Siple

Adventure Cycling AssociationP.O. Box 8308Missoula, Montana 59807-8308

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