Pound Miles

Whenever anyone gets a new bike, the first question invariability is; how much does it weigh? Every extra ounce is extra weight you need to push up the next hill or the next mile, so weight is a big deal.

A friend of mine once pointed out that people pay a lot of money for a lighter bike and instead of getting a lighter bike, you can lose a couple of pounds, saving money and become more healthy.

With that in mind, I've lost ten pounds for this trip. I think of it as Pound Miles. If you have to push one less pound over 100 miles, then that's 100 Pound Miles. Since this three week ride is 1543 miles and I've lost 10 pounds, then I'm saving 15,430 Pound Miles!!

Yea I know that it's kinda of goofy to think of the trip in these terms, but I'm motived to see if maybe I can lose one or two more before the start of the ride.

Lance Armstrong's first book was titled; "It's not about the bike". Many folks confuse bike features with the bike riders. A bike won't get up and ride down the road by itself. It needs a rider that has put in the training to prepare for the number of hours that it will take to reach the destination. The speed of the rider doesn't count, its the determination of the rider that makes the difference. When you stop to see the sights and have your lattes and ice cream floats, then those moments are huge bonus points. The goal is to collect as many bonus points as you can.

Happy Riding,

Brian