Topics

1

General Discussion / Numbness, Tingling and Loss of strength in hand

« on: May 29, 2012, 08:44:19 pm »

Since someone brought a medical question, I thought I would bring up mine. I am going on the ACA Ride the Divide trip in July and have been doing some training. The last two weekends I have done overnight bikepacking trips on my loaded mountain bike. The first trip was only 26 miles one way and last weekend was 42 miles one way. I went out on Saturday afternoon and came back Sunday morning. I had about 30 pounds of gear including my camelback with water on both trips. I had no issues after the first trip, but after the second trip, I could not turn the key to start my truck with my right hand. Both hands were tingling as well as my lower leggs. I had lost strength in my right hand which is starting to come back now. It takes effort to eat with a fork or write with a pen.

I regularly ride on my road bike anywhere from 40 - 55 miles on each Saturday with no issues. The one thing I did different between the rides was raise my seat a little bit. I can only assume this put more pressure on my wrists. I have since raised my handlebars about the same amount. Has anyone else had this issue before? What did you do to avoid having it again.

I would appreciate any comments on this issue.

dbbcpa

2

General Discussion / Logistics for Divide MT Trip and the Ride-to-the-Sun Road to Glacier Natl Park

« on: February 26, 2012, 11:41:16 am »

I have just signed-up for the Divide MT ride in July with Adventure Cycling. I will be riding my mountain bike. My idea is to ride the Going-to-the-Sun Road to Galcier Natl Park. Our tour is over on Friday and I can extend my stay up to about three days to complete. I am wondering if anyone has done this before? I was thinking I could sleep in a Whitefish Hotel in Whitefish Friday night. Saturday I could start the ride to Glacier and possibly camp there Saturday night. Ride back Sunday and either catch a flight that day or Monday. Is riding up the road to Glacier then back down in one day possible? Could i do this without camping and be able to catch a plane on Sunday. I will be on a Mountain bike. I also need to figure in getting my bike back to a bike shop to be shipped back to Tampa, FL.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. This will be my first bike trip of anykind.

One other question. It may sound stupid, but I do mostly road riding. I recently put tires on my mountain bike that are basically smooth in the center of the tire with knobbies on the sides. I did this to practicing putting miles on my mountain bike in our hilly areas which are all roads. Are these tires suitable for the Divide, MT trip or do I need a full offroad tire?

Thanks in advance for your help.

3

General Discussion / Newbie to touring and trying to figure out my fitness level

« on: January 15, 2012, 09:23:50 pm »

Hello, I am new to adventure cycling but I think I am hooked. I want to do a tour this summer but I am not sure which one to do. I live in Tampa, FL and have been riding for about 10 months. I am a male age 52, over 200 lbs but fairly active. I run in addition to biking. On Saturdays I usually do a flat 42 mile ride at about 20 mph in a group. I have recently done my first Metric Century and Century. Both of these included at least half of the miles in hills (dont laugh). I have been riding in the hills for about three months now. I have a road bike and a mountain bike. I am new to mountain biking and have only done trails a few times.

I want to do a tour and if a friend decides to go, I was thinking the Tetons-Yellowstone Van tour. If my friend does not go, I was thinking of the Cycle Montana Divide or the Canada Great Divide trips. My friend would only do a road tour. I like the idea of an offroad tour and camping in the Divide.

I guess my question is can I do it physically? Is it something I can really train for in Florida? How tough are the climbs? Here some of our hills seem tough to me. I was thinking of a supported tour for the first time so I did not have to have the additional weight. I am game for anything, I just dont want to Bonk! Any suggestions or comments would be helpful. Even links to other sites or discussions on this subject would be appreciated.

Thanks in Advance for your help!!