6/29/2018 1 Comment UP Cycle 2018Hello! Welcome to the blog I will be writing about my cycling journey across Michigan's Upper Peninsula this summer. From 22 July - 27 July I will be biking across the Upper Peninsula, starting on the eastern end of the UP in Dafter and ending in Ironwood. The total mileage is 307 miles, broke up into 6 days of pedaling:
Day 1: Dafter to Newberry, 57 miles Day 2: Newberry to Munising, 60 miles Day 3: Munising to Marquette, 43 miles Day 4: Marquette to Van Riper, 31 miles Day 5: Van Riper to Bruce Crossing, 63 miles Day 6: Bruce Crossing to Ironwood, 60 miles Within the past few years I have became more invested in cycling and decided that it was time for an epic solo sprint across a vast open space - and what better spot to start than my very own backyard, the UP. Along with blogging my thoughts and feelings and everything in-between of biking, I will also be blogging about my philanthropy - Gender Justice - and donating to the organization after my ride is over. I chose Gender Justice because I believe that gender is a social construct and a spectrum, and those falling on the LGBTQ+ spectrum are more likely to be disproportionately affected by gender-based violence. Supporting this organization will hopefully help improve gender justice and combat gender-based violence for those in the US. To read more about Gender Justice, visit Philanthropy & Resources or genderjustice.us. My main inspiration from biking recently came from when I read Juliana Buhring's book, This Road I Ride, documenting her Guinness World Record circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle in 2012 after training for eight months in Italy. I am a strong believer in GRL PWR, so to find an autobiography of a badass female cyclist in the 21st century is pretty rad. Also, it may be evident through some of the photos I've put on here, but a couple times I wrote out little motivational clips on masking tape to stick on my bike that say stuff like " Juliana Buhring 2012 GWR World Cycle" and "If Juju can circumnavigate the globe in 152 days you can mtb 48 miles before 3:30" 🙂 This year, I don't have a set number of training miles before the UP Cycle, but I hope to bike as many miles as possible before the ride without damaging my legs beforehand. Throughout the winter and spring semester I biked and ran a couple times resulting in a combined 62 miles, but I lost the paper for the breakdown of the mileage (so it's not included in my total miles for 2018). I started training once I came home from Alma for the summer, and so far my total miles biked is 108.57. There's a 20 mile loop around town that I call "Dollarville" because it utilizes that road, it has lots of hills that's easy to crank out in the morning, and as I get bored with that loop I'll create new ones. Most of the time, I'll opt for a complete loop, not a straight shot with a turn around point, but I have some exceptions. The exceptions are when I bike to Muskallonge Lake State Park (60 miles round trip), Tahquamenon Falls (56 miles round trip), or Whitefish Point (100 miles round trip), where I would either place a drop bag at my destination or ask someone to follow me/meet me along the route to refill snacks or water. One thing that I should definitely keep in mind is that even though I will have a support car following me (per my parent's requests), I will be carrying 97% of my gear on my bicycle, resulting in an extra estimated 10ish pounds on my bike. So I plan on taking practice rides to try to get used to the weight before the real deal. On the other hand, one thing that is working in my favor is that I'll be using bike shoes, so I'll be attached to the bicycle and receiving power on the downward and upward pedal strokes.
1 Comment
|
Author: Eryn corinthCyclist. Feminist. Outdoor enthusiast. Tree hugger. Archives
October 2022
CategoriesAll College Colorado Gear Goals Illinois Iowa Kentucky Missouri Motivation Nebraska Ore To Shore Pandemic Rides TransAmerica Ride UP Cycle Virginia |