Kody's Pre-game tour #1

Yoooo. So. Although I commute by bike and shred around the suburbs pretty regularly, I have yet to do a tour lasting for more than one night. And because Boston had snow on the ground until late March and because I've been busy trying to afford to stay in said city with snow on the ground until late March, I haven't a chance to do a for-real bike tour until this past weekend.

Because I started so late in tour-prepping (we leave in less than two weeks!!), my goals for this tour were to:

• Average 50 miles a day over three days with full gear to get a feel for the punishment my body will be taking
• See what my food situation is gonna be about. Try to spend average of $10-15 a day.
• Figure out a sweet form for these blog posts so they're somewhat interesting  

Day 1- Jamaica Plain, MA to Dennis Port, MA (93 miles)

I left mi casa at 9:30am right after posing for this gem by roommate extraordinaire, Lauren Nelson.   To get to the Cape, I followed the Claire Saltonstall Bikeway through the southern suburbs before winding towards Plymouth, MA. I'm always amazed by how nature-y and quiet it is once you get 10 miles west or south of Boston.  Tons of open fields, lakes, and such which were super energizing to start the ride with.







Made it to Plymouth at 2 and demolishheddddd this waffle + a peanut butter smothering next to Plymouth Rock. 45 miles in and I was starting to feel a little tired. Wrote in my journal: "RALLY BABIII!!!!" It's true.

Left at 3 and kept biking through pretty similar rolling hills, walked across the Sagamore Bridge to officially make it to the Cape before biking the last 30 miles to a hotel in Dennis Port that my roommate, Lauren, had for a couple of days. Those 30 were some of the most difficult times I've had on a bike- super hilly with the same Cape Cod-y scenery while passing cute ice cream shops every 10 minutes.

Accidentally biked 93 miles on Day 1- 15 more than I thought the route would be. Ate a whole pizza, drank a beer, curled up in a ball and passed out super hard.

Day 2- Dennis Port to Chatham to Eastham to Dennis Port (45 miles)

First view of the eastern coast of Cape Cod

With Lauren! She was in the Cape for a gig so we planned on spending a day biking together. had a dope breakfast to feed my super pillaged body. Rode to Chatham- a small, kinda touristy town- on some quiet rail trails before shooting up the coast to Eastham. Gorgeous rolling hills, etc.. on the oceanfront and such.

Did Eastham back to Dennis Port on the Cape Cod Rail Trail and was a good day to get miles in.






Day 3- Dennis Port to Osterville to Hyannis (33 miles)

Abandoned lighthouse view of Hyannis Port

By far the most relaxing day. Originally planned to get in at least 50 miles just to do it but on my way to Falmouth, MA, I got super tired of biking on the same touristy, noisy, shoulder-less roads so opted to just ride through the Cape without any direction. Ended up biking through some really peaceful, quiet towns and ended my ride at an abandoned lighthouse in Hyannis Port. Felt more relaxed and at peace than any point in my trip.

Got to Hyannis by 3 and chilled there for the rest of the afternoon until I saw Lauren play in the pit for a high school musical production of Pippin. Twas pretty surreal.


Thought and Things
My main goal for this tour was to experience averaging 50 miles a day for 3 days- which will most likely be our pace for the summer. Unfortunately doing 93 miles the first day absolutely pillaged me and I spend the next two days recovering. Def my biggest mistake. I'm glad I got that out of my system because except for maybe super-flat Kansas, I don't see us doing that much in a single day.

The biggest thing I got out of this tour was learning that if I'm focused on the miles, the map, and the physical more than the spiritual appreciation for where I am, then I'm gonna burn out super quickly. Day 3 was by far the most enjoyable because it was the only day I didn't have to be anywhere at any time. I was able to just ride and be in tune with my body and my surroundings without the name of the next street to turn down barreling through my head.  I'm thinking it's probably a problem unique to solo touring but it's gonna be something to keep in mind for the summer.

Was an awesome experience! Don't think I'll be back to the Cape anytime soon though. Wasn't a fan of the touristy, something about it vibe. Florida beaches are just 13413943 times better.

Gonna do one last one-night tour where I'll actually camp before I leave. 11 days babiii!!! Can't wait to be doing this with my peeps and not solo.


Love,
Kody

Winning dinner. Trail mix, peanut butter, jelly, cliff bar in a tortilla