Tour de SRAM USA 2017- unique cross-country route

[DSchweikert]

I'm planning a cross-country fundraising ride next year for World Bicycle Relief.  I've named the ride Tour de SRAM USA 2017 as I will visit most of SRAM's major US sites, so the route will be unique. 

Here's the tentative plan- I appreciate any input on the detailed route:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/11968520

More info on the ride itself can be found at https://www.facebook.com/TDSU17/

I can also be contacted at tdsu2017@gmail.com

Thank you!!

[MrBent]

Looks like a lot of noisy freeway riding on I 40.  Are you up for that?

Scott

[jamawani]

Are you using Google Maps? Because it is not your friend.

Just a quick peek indicates you are routing yourself on some dirt, remote roads in New Mex.
Also, they are on Navajo tribal lands with access only to tribal members or with a permit.
Google Maps doesn't know these things.

I agree that all that I-40 riding will suck. Plus the service roads along I-70.
A snout full of fumes and the constant roar of traffic.

<<<>>>

More:

What the heck are you planning on doing in the eastern Mojave - from dirt road to two track in summer heat?
Why aren't you using Old Route 66 in western Ariz then Hwy 64 up to Grand Canyon and Hwy 264?
You cannot bicycle over Mosca Pass - the trail is foot only. You can do Medano Pass further north.
But do you know what you are getting into?

I am very concerned that you are an Easterner without a clue about the West.
That is a recipe for serious, serious trouble.

[MrBent]

Huh, just looked at that Mojave section.  Yeah, Jamawani is correct.  Looks like a crazy Google map job.  I've crossed the Mojave multiple times.  Your route that leads into the heart of the East Mojave Preserve is on some very obscure, waterless dirt track.  Are you aware of that?  I'd only consider that in VERY cool temps and then have to carry a ton of water and cover a lot of miles quickly, somewhat difficult on sometimes sandy tracks.  Water is available in Kelso.  Methinks you've got a lot of research still to do.

[DSchweikert]

Correct on all counts.  Started with ridewithgps (which uses Google maps), am a Easterner who hasn’t ridden in the west much, and lots of planning yet to do.  Since I posted this in Dec, I used Adventure Cycling and a couple other sources to revise the route to this (sorry, I should have revised the original post):

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18478242

It’s not accurate in the eastern US, where I’ll use the Great Rivers route, USBRS, and state bike routes (such as NC).

The idea is to get from San Luis Obispo, California to Colorado Springs to Chicago (due to planned stops in each city).  So I now have the route hitting Route 66 in Barstow and follow it to near Flagstaff, then part of the Transamerica Trail in Colorado and Kansas (but it drops too far south as it goes east).

So specific questions are now the section to Barstow (from San Luis Obispo), and is the route feasible through 4 Corners that mostly follows US160?

I appreciate the input from everyone- thanks very much.  Physical training is going well, but the planning needs work.

[MrBent]

Looking better.  Just east of Barstow at Newberry Springs (Baghdad Cafe) swing onto I 40 until Ludlow.  It's legal there.  Route 66 degenerates into the world's worst pavement.  Get back onto 66 until Fenner--water, snacks--then I 40 again until Needles.  Swinging up to Goffs is okay but you'll have to run the gauntlet to get back to I 40 on Rt. 95--not nice.  It's better to just deal with I 40, which isn't bad as far as freeways go--huge shoulder, moderate traffic--smooth, too.  You'll love the ride through Oatman to Kingman--great stuff!  Do what you can to go during the cool part of the year.  Needles area is usually about as hot as Death Valley in the summer.  I've only pedaled through in late fall and winter.  When I went through in early Nov., for example, it was 80 deg. F.

You'll have a blast.

[MrBent]

Oh, another thing to consider:  See if you can follow some dirt road alternatives in Colorado.  There are A LOT of ways to go, and you'll have a much more scenic, enjoyable time.  The route from Pagosa Springs to Del Norte, for example, is beautiful, but twisty and often without shoulders.  We pedaled it in mid-Oct. and it was pretty good but mid-summer might be hairy with lots of RV's.  I wish we'd searched out more dirt options.

Oh, looks like you'll be able to pick up the Katy Trail in MO from Clinton to Sedalia--don't miss it!  Great car-free riding on a crushed limestone trail. 

[DSchweikert]

Thanks again- will look at those details and continue to fine tune the route.

On timing, I'm planning to leave San Luis Obispo about May 20.  My thinking is that will maximize daylight, and is the best time to avoid extreme weather at the elevations and before the worst of the summer heat and vacation traffic.

[jamawani]

DS -

Mid to late May is a good time to push off from California, but you may not be aware of the climate regimes in the West.
Imagine a bookshelf with fat, hardback books - yeah, I know, books are so 20th century.
Along I-70 in May there's not much difference in temperature between St. Louis, Indy, and Columbus.
Sure, there can be storms in one place and not another - but the weather is similar.

In the West climate zones shift radically on a west-to-east axis.
It can be 60F in San Fran, 90F in Sacramento, 40F with a chance of snow in the Sierras, and back to 75F in Reno.
Further south, it can be pleasant in Ventura - and broiling in Needles - then chilly in Flagstaff.
Attached Prism Climate Map - Oregon State Univ.

Because you will be in the Mojave in late May - you should expect high temps in the 90s - even 100+
But when you get to Flagstaff - you can expect low temps near freezing.
Western Regional Climate Center data -
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/Climsum.html

I am not sure what your specific stopping points are along the way.
Not sure why your endpoints are Morro Bay and Wrightsville Beach, but I'm sure you have your reasons.
I did see SRAM offices in Colorado Springs, Chicago, and Indy.
Can't tell if Flagstaff, Omaha, Charleston, WY, or Raleigh are fixed points.
(From the map, it seems that Raleigh is.)

What are the places you must hit in the West?
Because there are much better ways to do it.
And why miss the Grand Canyon or other spectacular regions of the West, eh?

Here's one example - East of Colorado Springs:
Take Hwy 94 due east to
US 40 east into Kansas to
Hwy 25 to Colby
Low traffic once you get 20 miles east of the Springs.
Enough small towns for the essentials.
Way more scenic than a service road next to I-70.

Best - J

[DSchweikert]

Thanks for all the great input.

Stops are planned at SRAM offices- San Luis Obispo, Colorado Springs, Chicago, and Indy, hence the ride’s name.  Wilmington (Wrightsville Beach) is surprisingly the shortest route to the Atlantic from Indy- closer than say Ocean City or Virginia Beach.  Plus I go through Raleigh where I have family and friends, and hope to raise money there.

I only have 4 weeks to do this ride.  Are there more scenic routes?  Certainly, but the intent is to use the effort of riding across the US to raise awareness for World Bicycle Relief and World Vision.  If there are alternatives that don’t add a lot of mileage, I want to use them (such as the great suggestion on taking 64 to the Grand Canyon).  It’s not RAAM, but I hope the physical challenge will inspire people to support and give, and maybe even try something similar themselves.  I’ve raised about $4000 so far, but have an audacious goal of 1000 bikes for Africa- $147,000.  More info is on the webpages: http://fundraise.worldbicyclerelief.org/tdsu17 and https://www.facebook.com/TDSU17/

Thanks for the weather info- I’ve definitely thought about it, and that extreme highs and lows of the ride may occur close together.  The current route maxes about 10,500 and appears to stay below the treeline- riding higher such as when I climbed Pikes Peak is- I hope- a one-time only experience!

I’m continuing to revise the route, including input from people in the cities above also, so this feedback is fantastic.

[indyfabz]

125 miles/day average? Makes my head hurt thinking about it.

[jamawani]

DS - Sent you a private message - you should have a notification.

[jamawani]

It's only a 70-mile savings, but that's more than 1/2 a day at 125 miles per day.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18586636

[DSchweikert]

Wow- the input and assistance is incredible!  Thanks-

Got your pm, will respond later today hopefully.  Still have a day job to maintain.

I think I had a similar route on my original plan.  I changed it to use as much of the Transamerica Trail as I could- trade off of known cycling route vs. mileage.

[John Nelson]

I changed it to use as much of the Transamerica Trail as I could- trade off of known cycling route vs. mileage.

ACA routes are wonderful, but they are definitely not designed to get you from point A to point B quickly. If you have only 4 weeks to get from coast to coast, and you have a number of fixed points you need to hit, I'm afraid your route will be constrained to pretty-much suck. I suggest you see if you can relax any of the constraints so that you will have a better time.