TransAmerica 2012

[staehpj1]

I think I'd get bored on a rest day unless there was something very compelling there.

+1

Believe it. I made the mistake of taking a day off in Packwood WA when doing the Sierra-Cascade route. I was bored to distraction. There's absolutely nothing there, I couldn't even find anything to read. What I found to be better than a rest day is a short day, say 20-30 miles, I even had a day of just 12 miles! You can relax, have a late breakfast, see the museum or whatever and set off early to mid afternoon. This way you satisfy the urge to keep riding, there's no chance of stiffening up and the next day you're ready for that 70 miler.

+1 only I usually ride my half day in the morning and take the afternoon off.

I like to take easy days once in a while rather than rest days in most places.  I call them half days.  On the Trans America we only took one day off to go white water rafting and even on that day rode a few miles down the road to camp in a different location.  That said there are places worth stopping.  We actually stopped for the better part of a week in Yosemite Valley on the SC route.  On the Pacific Coast I found a day in Harris Beach State Park worth the stop.

Bottom line...If I need a rest I take a shorter day; if I really want to see or do something interesting that takes a day or longer I might stop for that.

[indyfabz]

Hi guys, Im planning on going East to West starting Yorktown on 20 April and taking approx 9 weeks to complete.
Does anyone know estimated temperature ranges? Im about to buy sleeping bag but not sure how cold ..... or warm it gets.
Let me know if I can expect to see you on the Transamerica cycle route (Central)
Cheers
Scottybhoy
East Lothian, Scotland

I would "err" on the side of extra warmth in case things are like last year. This summer I rode the portion of the TransAm between Missoula, MT and the east slope of Big Hole Pass (west of Dillon). Got down to slightly below 40 in Darby and Wisdom. That was June 29 & 30. Just outside of Missoula we ran into a Scott who had started from Yorktown at the beginning of May. He had to deal with snow and cold. While this guy had some nice weather out west, he also had to deal with snow in WY and MT in late May/early June:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1&page_id=190494&v=6T

[PeteJack]

+1 only I usually ride my half day in the morning and take the afternoon off.

That's probably a better way to do it but it is is nice to lie in bed sometimes....

[webm8]

ok thanks for the info so far.  Hopefully the organised trip will have some great days off.  I see on the maps that we get kinda close to Little Big Horn and Devils Peak which would be great to see on a day off.  It's a bit of a shame the Civil War stuff is all at the beginning of the ride.

Hey "U2bike", sound good!  looks like you've done some routes around Europe already.  Have you got your flights sorted yet?  Not sure on how to get the bike out there yet.

[U2bike]

I will fly out of Amsterdam to Washington with KLM (May 17) and return from Portland (also direct flight). In Washington I will rent a car and drive to the start and from the finish I plan to do the same. The bike will go with the same flights. Shipping it earlier is pretty expensive and I'm allowed to take extra luggage for free.

[John Nelson]

I will fly out of Amsterdam to Washington with KLM (May 17) and return from Portland (also direct flight). In Washington I will rent a car and drive to the start and from the finish I plan to do the same. The bike will go with the same flights. Shipping it earlier is pretty expensive and I'm allowed to take extra luggage for free.

I'm not sure where you are finishing, but if you finish in Astoria, there is very nice bus service to Portland, and you can take light rail directly from the Portland bus station to the Portland airport. The light rail even has hooks for bicycles. It's all very easy.

[Scottybhoy]

I will fly out of Amsterdam to Washington with KLM (May 17) and return from Portland (also direct flight). In Washington I will rent a car and drive to the start and from the finish I plan to do the same.

I am flying from the UK to either Washington DC or Atlanta. Which of these would you guys recommend in terms of ease in transporting to Yorktown?
1. Washington is closer and I could hire a car (as is U2bike) and all my stuff goes direct to Yorktown but need to drop off hire car somewhere.
2. Washington to Yorktown by cab. Could be expensive but gets me and my gear to Yorktown without any logistical hassles.
3. I could get an internal flight from Atlanta to Newport News (which looks a stones through from Yorktown) but may unnecessarily blow the budget.




I acknowledge Washington is closer but I can get a connecting flight from Atlanta to Newport News

[U2bike]

I've chosen for Washington as it prevents any hassle with stop-overs and make the trip the most efficient also with respect to time. The car can easily be dropped off at a local Hertz or other major rental agency. Sharing is of course also an option if you fly on the same date. Other options closer by than Washington are Norfolk and Richmond. I didn't check the options.

[BikeFreak]

I will also arrive in Washington Dulles going West on the Transam. Like you, I had many thoughts on how to get to Yorktown. I checked on all types of airports in the vicinity, renting cars, greyhound busses, Amtrak etc. At the end I realized getting to Yorktown is way too complicated and I decided to discard all the above options. I decided on this option:

Leaving Washington Dulles I will ride my bike straight to Front Royal, VA (approx 60 mi), connect with the Skyline Drive (the extension of the Blue Ridge Parkway) and connect with the Transam in Waynesboro, VA.

Lucas

[John Nelson]

I flew into Newport News. Worked well.

[Pat Lamb]

I expect taking a cab from Washington (Dulles or Baltimore-Washington) would be far more expensive than a connecting flight from any transcontinental hub to Newport News.

[askmeaboutmybeard]

WOW! What great information!

I am planning the ride this summer with my 13 year old son. We are planning east to west as well. We will be flying from Boise...what is the best way to get bikes, gear etc. to the start location? With a youngster along I have some added challenges and the transportation issue to Yorktown has me concerned.

Any suggestions for doing the ride with a 13 year old boy are most appreciated.

We will be leaving in late May and plan on being gone all of June, July and part of August. Having never done a cross country tour...I was wondering are there a lot of other cyclists on the route during this period?

Thanks in advance!

[webm8]

Great! loads of help.  Glad to hear there is good transport connections on the West coast to Portland airport.  Flying into Richmond airport, but not sure what connections there are or where exactly we are starting lol

[John Nelson]

what is the best way to get bikes, gear etc. to the start location?

There are a lot of options, and you really need to check them all out one by one to see which one works the best for you. Taking the bikes and gear on the flight with you may be the most convenient option, but (depending on airline) it is probably not the cheapest, nor likely the least risk of damage. Shipping the bikes via UPS or FedEx is a very common option--you can likely find a bike shop or other host in your destination town to ship to. Bus and rail sometimes offer reasonable bike shipping too. There's always a one-way car rental, which is convenient and economical if multiple bikes are involved, and you have the time. A bike shop can do a pack-and-ship for you as well.

Unless I can find a non-stop flight (i.e., fewer chances for the luggage handlers to damage your bike) on Frontier or Southwest (i.e., a luggage-friendly airline), I prefer the UPS/FedEx option. If by some strange chance, Amtrak had a direct train from where I was to where I was going, and both stops had baggage service, I would consider that too. But that's not often going to be an option. For the trip back home, the bike shop pack-and-ship option works best for me, since I don't have all the resources at a distant location that I have at home.

[webm8]

Yep def taking bike on plane, BA, mainly so that I can train for longer.  Only problem with this, is that its not a direct flight.   If I post it over, I could loose a month training and not be able to cycle to work.  I've ordered a clear CTC cycle bag, which I will bubble-wrap to heck.  Thanks