[HAMR] Tarzan (Kurt Searvogel)

[red marley]

Made me think Florida is not a cool place to be out on a bike, given the number of collisions etc he's reporting.

I agree, and having read plenty of Carl Hiaasen, Florida has never really appealed as a place to visit. Except that riding the causeway from Key Largo to Key West is on my fantasy bucket list.

[Pancho]

It always seems, too, that when talking to camera the sound of traffic whizzing by is really loud. It doesn't sound at all appealing!

The traffic make Florida (or USA?) sound pretty unappealing from a cycling POV. But then, Steve's collection of A-roads would hardly be a great sales pitch for gentle pootling in the UK either.

The number of prangs and crashes though is pretty alarming. He seems to be clocking up a near miss practically every week. That's a hell of a rate when you need to get through an entire year without any down time due to injury or crash damage.

[Somnolent]

In my limited experience USA is a not a pleasant place to ride at all.

Went on one club run in Irvine CA.   Supposedly the most bike-friendly city in the whole state.
The other riders were great, but thought nothing of having to endure a pre-ride safety-talk from Highway Patrol motorcyclist before setting off.... basically if you stray outside the bike lane you risk getting a ticket (if you survive long enough).

[Sergeant Pluck]

It was also another day when he was cut up be a car turning into a car park.  Made me think Florida is not a cool place to be out on a bike, given the number of collisions etc he's reporting.

His speed must be a factor too - he’s practically TTing it all the way and (guessing) has his hands away from the brakes. Drivers probably underestimate his speed too.

[clarion]

It sounds like most incidents are related to that.

[Wobbly]

I have to say that his messing about with his camper van's sewage outlet pipe immedately followed by eating a sandwich didn't give a good impression!

I don't think that's what caused him to be "sick" a few days ago. I think what made him "sick" was just the simple reality of constant riding in January and February with the associated freezing temperatures, rain, ice, snow.... er...

Let me get back to you on that.

[Mr Larrington]

Looks like a v. slow start for Tarzan today.  I hope it's just down to myriad traffic lights rather than another run-in with a myopic moton.

There are vast areas of USAnia which are totally devoid of traffic but they are either lumpy or, at this time of year, under a couple of feet of SNO.  Or both.

[TimC]

I've ridden in the US a bit, in NYC, LA, Florida and a few other places, and generally I find it no worse than UK - and in NYC's case, a lot better than most UK cities I've ridden in! Road surfaces excepted. Florida is a bit different in that there are few back roads, and drivers are just not used to seeing cyclists.

I have to admit to wondering how Kurt's going to progress as the summer comes on. Steve's schedule, like Tommy's, allows for the crap weather and low temperatures of the UK winter, then picks up to, what, 250-300 miles a day by August? Kurt is enjoying now almost the best conditions he'll get through the year, assuming  he stays in the USA. I understand they have to ride themselves into the kind of form that can accept 250+ mile days, day after day, but the summer in Florida - and much of the USA - is not conducive to the efforts involved. When Steve is likely to have great riding weather - and the roads to exploit that weather - Kurt will be looking at 35C, serious storms every afternoon, and millions of tourists on the roads. I can see why Kurt wants to get the miles in now, but is he doing enough?

[Ningishzidda]

If Kurt can withstand the monotony of riding round San Francisco Bay all summer, he'll have a great time.

[Wobbly]

My recollection of (driving round) San Francisco is that it's not exactly flat. That'll come as a shock to Tarzan surely.

[Von Broad]

You really think so?
Like TG, Tarzan's done so much cycling in his 50 years that he knows a hill or two. He's probably ridden most of them as well.

Conversely, up and down the Sacramento valley for the few months gives you plenty of flat terrain and almost assured good weather.
Wouldn't want to be around in July & August time though, not unless you wanted to fry under the sun.
Hell, it gets hot along there.

[citoyen]

332km yesterday. Not too shabby.

[Jack_P]

Surely Kurt will just increase miles with the increase in daylight just like Steve. Having ridden in the interior of Canada in summer I can appreciate that even going that North it will still be hot.
Is the camper van his own rather than hired, if its his then it will be interesting to see the migration over the year. If that's the case his listed race schedule gives an idea of where he will be heading.

[Wowbagger]

That touches onto the point I made quite a while back and which TimC referred to yesterday: the US is not an easy place to cycle in, particularly the summer months. Furthermore, Tarzan's relatively hasty decision to take part in this ride, and lack of detailed planning he seems to have done, makes me wonder where he will go after Florida, and if he's even made that decision yet. My view of the tracker page no longer includes the temperature, which is a shame, but a month ago it was up in the high 70s F and it's not going to be getting any colder for a few months at least.

@Jack Numplumz

The benefit of extra summer daylight will be a lot less the nearer the equator. He will have to leave the US all together if he is to get a far north as the UK, unless he opts for Alaska, which would carry its own risks.

[clarion]

Unspecified cleat issues with the 'bent today.

[citoyen]

The benefit of extra summer daylight will be a lot less the nearer the equator.

I was thinking that. Just what exactly is the variation in daylight hours in Miami? Can't be much.

He will have to leave the US all together if he is to get a far north as the UK, unless he opts for Alaska, which would carry its own risks.

Exit pursued by a polar bear...

[Jack_P]

Good points wowbagger, l forget just how far North blighty is.
Riders on the TransAmerica race last year suffered badly with the heat and dust storms and did a lot of sundown riding to cope.

Kurt has shown little desire to ride in the dark yet, even the Sebring race was on the curcuit at night, I wonder if that will have to change in the summer heat.

[Wowbagger]

The benefit of extra summer daylight will be a lot less the nearer the equator.

I was thinking that. Just what exactly is the variation in daylight hours in Miami? Can't be much.

He will have to leave the US all together if he is to get a far north as the UK, unless he opts for Alaska, which would carry its own risks.

Exit pursued by a polar bear...

Grizzly, more likely.

Today's sunrise/sunset in Miami: 6.49am and 6.19 pm. In Milton Keynes it's 7am and 5.31pm. At the moment, Kurt has an extra hour's daylight. From 21st March, Steve will have a daylight advantage, assuming they both keep cycling the routes they currently do.

[red marley]

Miami is around 25 degrees latitude and the north of the US about 47. MK is about 52.

[RichForrest]

Unspecified cleat issues with the 'bent today.

Just looked like he was not quite used to it on a recumbent.
Different shoes (sure I caught mention of MTB shoes in the video) and he looked like he was sat back too far to connect them properly.
Once clipped in and riding he had slide forward in the seat.

[Frank9755]

I agree with the main thrust of Tim's point: when is Kurt going to be able to do the big mileages if not now?

I'm not sure I agree with the sub-point of riding oneself into form and fitness; I reckon that they will both be in a better shape physically right now than they will with another three months' riding in their legs - but I could be wrong on that and I know that Steve makes that point too - but I believe that if it exists at all, it is far less important than the seasonal effect Steve is going to benefit from: longer days and warmer weather. 

As to where Kurt goes when Florida gets too hot, I don't know.  But he's a smart guy and I expect he has some ideas.  One strategy that has ocurred to me - so I'm sure it must have ocurred to him - would be to find a long, straight 40-mile downhill on the edge of the Rockies and do seven or eight ski runs down it, with camper van transfer back up, each day. 

However, even that would take time.  Assuming there is such a hill, and he could get down it at 40mph, it's probably going to take him another hour to put the bike back in the van and drive back up, so he would still be looking at 16 hours to do 320 miles, ie 20mph average speed.

[Climberruss]

Unspecified cleat issues with the 'bent today.

Just looked like he was not quite used to it on a recumbent.
Different shoes (sure I caught mention of MTB shoes in the video) and he looked like he was sat back too far to connect them properly.
Once clipped in and riding he had slide forward in the seat.

I looked at the videoand thought the same - he was way too far back - he could hardly reach the pedals.

[Ningishzidda]

The National Museum of Computing nr Bletchley Park is nigh-on exactly 52 degrees N.

The Canadian / US border is named ‘The 49th Parallel’. There is a shorter stretch of Border at NY State, named ‘the 47th Parallel’.

[Climberruss]

He will have to leave the US all together if he is to get a far north as the UK, unless he opts for Alaska, which would carry its own risks.

From Florida (if it was me) I would head towards Tuscon / Arizona for a few weeks until it started to hot up. Then head north - maybe Atlantic Canada or more probably towards Alaska. These days there are good quality roads all the way to Fairbanks which is a good 6000 miles from Florida.

He's no more likely to be eaten by a Griz in Alaska than munched by an alligator in Florida.
Rattlers in the mid-west may be more of an issue - they come onto the road at night to bask in the heat of the tarmac retained from the day. I saw hundreds as rode kill when I road PAC tour. Fortunately, I didn't see a live one, but plenty did. I hate slitheries.

[Ningishzidda]

From Modesto, his camper van could take him 110 miles up to the summit of Hwy 108. Then he could freewheel all the way down.
Twice a day is possible, sleeping in the van.

Streetview the CA-108 at Stanislaus National Park summit. Fantastic.

TBH, I wouldn't mind a ride of that on an ICE recumbent.