Still haven't reached the minimum fundraising amount to ride? I think begging is totally appropriate at this point. I bet you have people who have said several times they were going to donate but they still haven't yet? Start reminding them. Give them a deadline that's earlier than the real one. People are busy, they need reminders.
If you have a schedule that allows it, start training your body now to wake at 5:00-5:30am that way it won't be such a shock to your system.
Speaking of sleeping - now's not the time to stay up late doing stuff you don't need to do. Get as much rest as you can.
If you are planning on tenting during ALC, earplugs are a must! If you are not used to sleeping in earplugs, start testing them out now. They can seem a little weird at first and you need all the rest you can get when on the ride.
If your loved one will be going to orientation day with you, he/she can go in and watch the safety video. I found this to be really helpful to my husband and gave him a better idea what I was facing on the ride.
While on the ride, seek help immediately if any chafing starts to occur! The medical team can definitely help with this...trust me. Don't wait until it's become unbearable. In fact, seek help immediately if anything starts to hurt. The medical team on ALC is amazing. People's bodies slowly become a maze of tape as the days progress.
Take pictures! I took lots of pictures last year, but since I rode by myself I missed a lot of great picture opportunities. Some days I was so focused on just pedaling and getting done that at the end of the day I regretted taking a minute out of the day to take a great picture. I never got a picture of myself infront a " x amount of miles to Los Angeles" sign. I really wish I had.
This is YOUR ride. It's not a race. It's a ride. How many times in your life will you have the opportunity to ride your bike across California? Enjoy yourself. Make the most of it. Cherish every moment.
You may have already heard that going back to the real world after the ride is difficult. It really is.
REI is having their big annual sale May 18-28. Do you have a real camp towel? You'll definitely want to use a camp towel instead of a regular towel. And you want the XL.
You've been climbing right?
This is ALC's elevation profile on their provided route map last year.
This is how most of us are used to looking at elevation profiles. Here's the profile from someone's garmin data imported into ridewithgps.com
Tips Part 1
Managing Your Time while on the Ride
Here's an awesome picture tutorial on how to pack. Rule #1: don't overpack!
I'll have a Final tips post 1 week before the ride.
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