I had another day of covering less mileage than I had anticipated. As fate would have it, I began the day with some irritating mechanical problems with my bike. My bike would not allow me to shift to the smallest front chain ring. The smallest chain ring has the lowest gear range. Since I knew I still had lots of climbing hills ahead of me, I really wanted that lower gear ratio. I tinkered with the front derailleur for a bit, and after some trial and error, I finally got the gears operating as they should. (I had put new cable on my bike in preparation for my trip. I suspect cable-stretch might have been the culprit.) All this caused me to leave much later than I’d intended.
I crossed the state line into Ohio, and celebrated by treating myself to a big country breakfast. I had a serious craving for some protein, so I ordered two extra sides of bacon and sausage along with my three eggs. It’s important to keep one’s body fueled on an extended bike tour since you’re burning lots of calories all day long. According to my bicycle computer, I’m burning about 1200 calories per day on average. This is a low estimate. I had to input the variables of my age and weight into the computer to get calories burned data. The problem is that the computer does not take into account the extra 65 lbs. of gear I’m carrying on my bike. It takes much more energy to move a “loaded” bike at any given speed that it does to move an unloaded bike. Although I can’t be sure, I’d estimate that I’m burning upwards of 2000 calories on a 75 mile day.
At about noon, I stopped at McDs in Columbiana to get eat a couple Mcdoubles. (Hey, at a buck a piece, that’s a lot of calories for the money --390!) I also wanted to update my blog. I had pics to download, and I needed to charge my cell phone and GPS. I ended up staying there until nearly 4:30. At this rate, I’ll never get to Milwaukee! I need to start pounding those pedals to make up for lost miles.
I stayed at a motel in Salem, OH. I was disappointed that there were no laundry facilities. I’ve been rinsing some of my clothes out, but it’s about time that I give my riding shorts a good washing. I chatted for a bit with some of the “long-term” customers of the motel who pay by the week. They were an interesting bunch. They were generous with their beer as well. Knowing, however, that I wanted to make up for lost time, I politely declined the offer of a third beer. It was the first time I slept in a bed since day 2 when I stayed at my Buddy, John’s house in Winchester. It was not the Hyatt Hotel, but I slept well.
I’m sitting in a McDs in Akron, OH as I write this entry. All McDs have a hotspot, and they are good places to recharge one’s electronics. The ubiquitous nature of McDs makes them very convenient when on the road. They typically have large glass windows, making it easy to keep an eye on one’s bike and equipment. I also must confess that when I’m not actually cooking my food at a campsite, McDonalds has been providing many of my calories at exceedingly reasonable prices. A few burgers and some fries really charges my batteries, and I feel like I can go for miles. I typically don’t eat a lot of McDs food because it is high in calories, and if I’m not burning it off, it’s a surplus that I don’t need.
Well, I really must run (ride) now. I’m going to load up on a couple of Mchicken sandwiches and hit the road; I’ll have the calories burned in two hours! (In your face, Morgan Spurlock!!!)
Ron "McDouble Eater" Occhiuto
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