Shakedown Cruise

With less than a month to go before our trip, we’ve been finalizing preparations at a feverish pace. One of the key elements has been to load up BOB and Olga with all our gear and hit the road. Its one thing to get comfortable as a tandem team, but it’s a whole ‘nother ball game when you pack the bike with 70 pounds of gear. The bike handles quite differently, and all of a sudden the lessons you should have learned in high school physics come into play.

For instance, on our first camping trip, we rode about 30 miles to Vigilante campground outside of Helena. It was pretty uneventful, which is a good thing. Matt did notice that the front end of the bike was rather “light”…meaning that when we were pedaling up a hill, he found himself exerting far more effort than normal in keeping the bike going in a straight line. He was constantly correcting the steering…resulting in overcorrecting from one direction to the other. Since the longest hill only took us 10 minutes to climb, we didn’t think much of it. Boy, was that a mistake!

A few weekends ago we decided to leave town early and climb McDonald Pass, which lies atop the Continental Divide. Montana was in the midst of an unrelenting heat wave, and we knew we had to get our riding in before 1 PM or else end up fried to a crisp. The McDonald Pass climb is about 20 miles total, with an elevation gain of 2000+ feet. The majority of the climbing occurs in the last 6 miles, with an average grade of 8%. If this was the Tour de France, it would be rated as a “beyond category” climb. We loaded up BOB and Olga and blithely headed out on the road, not anticipating the drama that would unfold. After an hour, we took our first break at the base of the mountain. One thing we’ve learned about riding is that every hour or so we need to take a snack or “seat” break to replenish body and soul. It was already approaching 90 degrees and it was only 10:30, so we knew we made the right choice in leaving early. 6 miles…we figured it would take a little over an hour, climbing at a slow but steady pace. But then reality took hold.

We started up the mountain and within a minute Matt knew that this was not going to be any ordinary climb. The gearing on the bike was fine; in fact we always had 2 or 3 lower gears available if needed. The challenge was keeping the bike on the road! With all our weight located aft of Mary Ellen, the front end was barely touching the pavement. The shoulder going up to the Pass gets very narrow, especially when there is a guard rail, and with cars/trucks whizzing by, there was no margin for error. We climbed at a steady snails pace, averaging between 3-4 MPH. The slower the bike went, the harder it was to handle. We took a break after 40 minutes, not so much to rest our legs or lungs, but because Matt’s arms ached from trying to keep the bike going in a straight line. Then and there Matt had an epiphany. He finally understood why serious touring cyclist ride with front panniers. They rebalance the load, resulting in more weight up front and more stability and control. Suffice it to say, we finished the climb about one hour later…tired, but wiser. Olga is now equipped with a beautiful set of Ortlieb front panniers that match the ones in the rear. With the extra space, we’ve lightened BOB’s load by about 20 pounds, and it makes all the difference in the world. The lesson in all of this is never go on a long bike trip without first testing your equipment and capabilities.

One more thing about the McDonald Pass trip…we camped that night at the Cromwell Dixon campground. We had a beautiful site, nestled in the pines and shaded from the suns rays. We lounged around the campsite, reading, napping, and taking a few short walks. Before cooking dinner, Matt took BOB and Olga up a nearby dirt road to gather firewood. It’s amazing what you can carry on a BOB.

Returning to camp, he heard the sound of honking car horn behind him. Lo and behold, it was our friends John and Jan Wilson who were coming for a visit, and then some. We had seen them a few nights before and mentioned we would be out camping, making vague references that if they wanted to get out of town and the heat, they should stop by. And stop by they did…replete with a cooler full of ice, world famous Wilson top loaded gin and tonics (lots of lime to fight off scurvy!), lounge chairs, and a complete 4 course Chinese take out dinner. Now that’s what we call roughing it! A most memorable evening was had by all. We viewed it as a harbinger of the good things to come.