Month: February 2022

The Pedalshift Project 274: Tampa to Disney World Bike Tour Preview

It’s the first tour of 2022, and it’s got, perhaps, a magical twist? I’m escaping the cold northeastern US winter and trading it in for sunshine, and a multiway trek across central Florida on my trusty Brompton. Similar route, totally different finish from  past years… what’s this year’s winter tour look like?


The Pedalshift Project 274: Tampa to Disney World Bike Tour Preview

Hey it’s the direct download link for  The Pedalshift Project 274: Tampa to Disney World Tour Preview (mp3).

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
RSS – iTunes – Overcast – Android – Google Podcasts – Stitcher – TuneIn – IHeartRadio – Spotify

Reach out to the show via email, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109

Tampa to Disney World Bike Tour Preview

A year off, but back with another central Florida in winter tour
Adding some new complexity to this one with some exploration of cycling in and around the WDW property in a calculated and safe fashion
 
The basics
 
TPA-Orlando area
Brompton
3 days of riding
All roofed lodging
Minimal gear and carry
New things I’m trying this trip – a new more elasticy, form-fitting Brompton cover that I’m very excited about (#stealthmode)
 
Rough Itinerary
 
Day 1 – Fly DC to TPA early; ride to Lakeland, FL (~45 miles)
Day 2 – Casual start ; ride to WDW resort (~48 miles)
Day 3 – Ride from resort up and around WDW property, including multiple resort cycling paths (~25-30 miles)
 
Routing
 
Day 1 ride is directly from TPA airport (2019 got a ride, 2020 rode to TPA)
Considered a slightly further north than my 2019 route, but wanted to ride through downtown and the beautiful waterfront trail, so I added a couple of extra miles…  then I rejoin the 2019 route until I hit Lakeland
Slightly different route in Lakeland to account for staying on the northeast side of town, rather than the rental I did last time
Decided on hotel over Airbnb largely for value vs. cost
 
Day 2 ride initially was going to end after Dean Still Rd, the long rural straight west to east shot to the south of Disney property
Many of the Disney roads are shoulderless and high speed, and frankly just not safe to ride
Original plan was I’d do day 3 riding on resort paths, but was finding a dearth of info on whether I could bring my Brompton on Disney transportation between resorts (leaning no, but maybe stealth mode it passes as a stroller?) OR if I could get past  security via rideshare for resorts I wasn’t staying at without a dining reservation (probably? maybe? unclear). I was pretty stuck
BUT,  an email got me rethinking things
Listener and central Floridian cyclist Dale P. sent me an email about roads to ride in the area and also alerting me to a brand new video that was put up by YouTube Alex Regino about… you guessed it… cycling on Disney property (video here)
Turns out there are a few newish roads on property and a few lesser-traveled ones that are not take-your-life-in-your-hands riding AND it seems that cycling into at least one of the resort properties was not barred.
So I spent some time on Google Maps Street View and… I can safely ride to the resort I’m staying at on day 2, which to me is a HUGE win.
I’ll document it all for you, of course.
 
Day 3 is the fun one. Going back to the Dale and Alex tips, I’ll backtrack out of my resort and go to the northern side of the property and re-enter using the route suggested by Alex. From there I’ll do about 25-30 miles of riding through some of the bike-specific paths available (Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness, Old Key West and Saratoga Springs… perhaps others).
My hope is to lay down a route for anyone who brings a bike to WDW and wants to ride, along with a real assessment of safety.
Then that night I’m going to celebrate by drinking around the Monorail resorts… sans bike.
 
Weather
 
Could be hot (it’s been in the upper 80s within the last week or two)
Could be cold (it’s been in the 50s in the last week or two)
Looks to be dry and seasonal though – low chance of rain and highs in the upper 70s or very low 80s with some overcast skies (WAHOO!)
I’ll make sure I dial in the right gear based on weather forecasts as I get within a couple of days of leaving
Seems like this will match the two previous rides (earlier in the year in 2019 and 2020) I encountered really excellent conditions, and only a bit of drizzle in 2020
 
Documenting the ride
 
Pretty much all of the March episodes of the pod
I might try to do  some video on this one, particularly the WDW riding  – TBD
I’ll also be able to assess what resorts are the best ones to consider if you’re hoping to bicycle to them.
 
Wrapup
 
Excited to share this one with you, and particularly intrigued with the unusual nature of the WDW resort riding… this is certainly a route not done very often, and while I have to assume someone has included WDW as a stop on a contiguous bicycle tour, there’s nothing I can dig up on it. Also, the Disney property is full of really interesting flora and fauna for day 3, so it should be a unique way to wrap up the tour.

As always we like to close out the show with a special shoutout to the Pedalshift Society! Because of support from listeners like you, Pedalshift is a weekly bicycle touring podcast with a global community, expanding into live shows and covering new tours like this summer’s upcoming bike tour! If you like what you hear, you can support the show for 5 bucks, 2 bucks or even a buck a month. And there’s one-shot and annual options if you’re not into the small monthly thing. Check it all out at pedalshift.net/society.

Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Harry Telgadas
Chris Barron
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Mr. T
Nathan Poulton
Stephen Dickerson
Vince LoGreco
Cody Floerchinger
Tom Benenati
Greg Braithwaite
Sandy Pizzio
Jeff Muster
Seth Pollack
Joseph Quinn
Drue Porter
Byron Paterson
Joachim Raber
Ray Jackson
Jeff Frey
Kenny Mikey
Lisa Hart
John Denkler
Steve Hankel
Miguel Quinones
Alejandro Avilés-Reyes
Keith Spangler
Greg Towner
Dan Gebhart, RIP
Jody Dzuranin
Lucas Barwick
Michael Baker
Brian Bechtol
Reinhart Bigl
Greg Middlemis
Connie Moore
William Gothmann
Brian Benton
Joan Churchill
Mike Bender
Rick Weinberg
Billy Crafton
Gary Matushak
Greg L’Etoile-Lopes
James Sloan
Jonathan Dillard
John Funk
Tom Bilcze
Ronald Piroli
Dave Roll
Brian Hafner
Misha LeBlanc
Ari Messinger
David Gratke
Todd Groesbeck
Wally Estrella
Sue Reinert
John Leko
Stephen Granata
Phillip Mueller
Robert Lackey
Dominic Carol
Jacqi McCulloch
John Hickman
Carl Presseault
David Neves
Patty Louise
Terry Fitzgerald
Peter Steinmetz
Timothy Fitzpatrick
Michael Liszewski
Hank O’Donnell
David Zanoni
David Weil
Matthew Sponseller
Chad Reno
Spartan Dale
Carolyn Ferguson
Peggy Littlefield
Lauren Allansmith
Eric Burns
Thomas Pearl
Darrin McKibben
Richard Stewart
Dave Fletcher
Jack Smith
Luke Parkinson
Ryan Patterson

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Jason has a new track available NOW, and a new album dropping very soon AND Jason’s first solo album is now streaming on Spotify, including America, the Pedalshift theme. Go listen! 

The post The Pedalshift Project 274: Tampa to Disney World Bike Tour Preview appeared first on Pedalshift.

The Pedalshift Project 273: Route Scouting Shorter Tours + Honorable Mentions

Looking ahead to the spring and some new-to-me routes that can check some 2022 goal boxes! This episode, we close out the series to highlight some shorter tour options along with some honorable mentions. Will one of these be the one?


Pedalshift 273 - remote route scouting - shorter tours and honorable mentions

Hey it’s the direct download link for  The Pedalshift Project 273: Route Scouting Shorter Tours + Honorable Mentions (mp3).

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
RSS – iTunes – Overcast – Android – Google Podcasts – Stitcher – TuneIn – IHeartRadio – Spotify

Reach out to the show via email, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109

Route Scouting Shorter Tours + Honorable Mentions

NoBo Missing Link (CA)
I talked about this on an earlier pod, but I’m flipping things round (literally) to avoid a logistics issue and make it safer
Quick review – the missing link is the portion of the SoCal route I fast forwarded around in 2014
Marine Base Pendleton is restricted
Southern gate is where you get access… not great for SoBo travelers
Original missing link tour was SoBo using I-5, which I think is still doable, but why?
New idea – start in San Diego and time my arrival to that southern gate. Get access. Continue
Likely to end the trip in Anaheim, making it a true missing link tour, plus some additional mileage for interest.
I really like this one.
 
Brand new to me, thanks to Reddit.
Starts in Jersey Shore, PA (insert fist pumping and Situation jokes here) ends in Stokesdale, PA
Follows Pine Creek, a trib of the Susquehanna River
I’m familiar with the area as it’s in the same valley that I drive through to go back to WNY
62 miles – would likely do this as an out and back in 2-3 days
Good camping options, not a lot of towns – pretty remote
Probably some easy stealth options too
Would need to do this later in the spring, just to have better weather
Might be interesting to link to a DC or Cabin to Rochester ride with its proximity to the N/S PA bike route
 
Brand new to me, thanks to Reddit.
About a 3.5 hour drive from my cabin
78 miles, formerly part of the Chesapeake& Ohio railway – would likely do this as an out and back in 3 days
Runs parallel to the Greenbrier River, from the town of Caldwell to Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.
Great map shows off the many access points, restrooms, water points and more
Camping looks good with serval state parks on route
Probably some easy stealth options too
Trail is near towns, but goes through just a few with amenities, so I see carrying more food
This is in southeastern WV so it might be more doable if an earlier spring tour is in the cards?
I like this one because I’d like to explore more of the state. It’s rugged and beautiful and I’ve lived here long enough I need to see other parts!
 
Honorable mentions
Natchez Trace – MJ liked this one… definitely cannot fathom this one in the summer. Spring, then? Or maybe winter?
Empire State Trail – look, this is happening at some point to or from NYC. Does spring make sense?
Cowboy Trail – This one gets a lot of love, but Nebraska is tricky to get to and from easily. Needs more research

As always we like to close out the show with a special shoutout to the Pedalshift Society! Because of support from listeners like you, Pedalshift is a weekly bicycle touring podcast with a global community, expanding into live shows and covering new tours like this summer’s upcoming bike tour! If you like what you hear, you can support the show for 5 bucks, 2 bucks or even a buck a month. And there’s one-shot and annual options if you’re not into the small monthly thing. Check it all out at pedalshift.net/society.

Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Harry Telgadas
Chris Barron
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Mr. T
Nathan Poulton
Stephen Dickerson
Vince LoGreco
Cody Floerchinger
Tom Benenati
Greg Braithwaite
Sandy Pizzio
Jeff Muster
Seth Pollack
Joseph Quinn
Drue Porter
Byron Paterson
Joachim Raber
Ray Jackson
Jeff Frey
Kenny Mikey
Lisa Hart
John Denkler
Steve Hankel
Miguel Quinones
Alejandro Avilés-Reyes
Keith Spangler
Greg Towner
Dan Gebhart, RIP
Jody Dzuranin
Lucas Barwick
Michael Baker
Brian Bechtol
Reinhart Bigl
Greg Middlemis
Connie Moore
William Gothmann
Brian Benton
Joan Churchill
Mike Bender
Rick Weinberg
Billy Crafton
Gary Matushak
Greg L’Etoile-Lopes
James Sloan
Jonathan Dillard
John Funk
Tom Bilcze
Ronald Piroli
Dave Roll
Brian Hafner
Misha LeBlanc
Ari Messinger
David Gratke
Todd Groesbeck
Wally Estrella
Sue Reinert
John Leko
Stephen Granata
Phillip Mueller
Robert Lackey
Dominic Carol
Jacqi McCulloch
John Hickman
Carl Presseault
David Neves
Patty Louise
Terry Fitzgerald
Peter Steinmetz
Timothy Fitzpatrick
Michael Liszewski
Hank O’Donnell
David Zanoni
David Weil
Matthew Sponseller
Chad Reno
Spartan Dale
Carolyn Ferguson
Peggy Littlefield
Lauren Allansmith
Eric Burns
Thomas Pearl
Darrin McKibben
Richard Stewart
Dave Fletcher
Jack Smith
Luke Parkinson
Ryan Patterson

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Jason has a new track available NOW, and a new album dropping very soon AND Jason’s first solo album is now streaming on Spotify, including America, the Pedalshift theme. Go listen! 

The post The Pedalshift Project 273: Route Scouting Shorter Tours + Honorable Mentions appeared first on Pedalshift.

The Pedalshift Project 272: Route Scouting Dayton to St. Louis

Looking ahead to the spring and some new-to-me routes that can check some 2022 goal boxes! This episode, we take a look at filling in an important part of a segment-by-segment ride across country between Dayton, OH and St. Louis, MO. Will this be the one?


The Pedalshift Project 272: Route Scouting Dayton to St. Louis

Hey it’s the direct download link for  The Pedalshift Project 272: Route Scouting Dayton to St. Louis (mp3).

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
RSS – iTunes – Overcast – Android – Google Podcasts – Stitcher – TuneIn – IHeartRadio – Spotify

Reach out to the show via email, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109

Route Scouting Dayton to St. Louis

This goes back to the before times… piecing together a cross-country ride in segments.
2019: DC to Cincinnati (passed through Xenia, OH near Dayton)
2018: Kansas City – St. Louis via the Katy Trail
The gap in between… Dayton to St. Louis will get me contiguous ride from DC to KC, which leaves a really interesting segment or two to get to the west coast. So why not make that happen?
 
The route
Pro’s – it’s scouted, has great cue sheets
Con’s – not the most exciting route – focuses on flat and low traffic
Another route? Google maps?
I might do this to supplement an alternate route
 
Logistics
Direct flights from DCA to Dayton
Tag the OTET, then turn west
Emphasis on camping (perhaps stealth)
EE route goes through some towns with roofed lodging, but not many
 
Bike
Definitely would use the full sized bike
Fully loaded
 
Camping
I’d rely a lot on the excellent work done by Frank Moritz (Pedalshift Project 079)
When I’ve gone through the cue sheets before, I’ve found some of the camping to be only so-so
I’d almost assuredly mix in some stealth camping – I’ve had good luck in parks with wooded fringes, but there’s a lot of options
Would probably try to find my way to a St Louis hotel with a shuttle to the airport to allow for a more casual pack up
 
Time of year
Spring seems like a better bet
Summer = muggy/hot/exposed
 
What this gets me
The next ride would be KC to Ft. Collins, CO
The ride after that would be Ft. Collins to Boise
The segment after that is Boise to Portland?
Maybe!
 

As always we like to close out the show with a special shoutout to the Pedalshift Society! Because of support from listeners like you, Pedalshift is a weekly bicycle touring podcast with a global community, expanding into live shows and covering new tours like this summer’s upcoming bike tour! If you like what you hear, you can support the show for 5 bucks, 2 bucks or even a buck a month. And there’s one-shot and annual options if you’re not into the small monthly thing. Check it all out at pedalshift.net/society.

Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Harry Telgadas
Chris Barron
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Mr. T
Nathan Poulton
Stephen Dickerson
Vince LoGreco
Cody Floerchinger
Tom Benenati
Greg Braithwaite
Sandy Pizzio
Jeff Muster
Seth Pollack
Joseph Quinn
Drue Porter
Byron Paterson
Joachim Raber
Ray Jackson
Jeff Frey
Kenny Mikey
Lisa Hart
John Denkler
Steve Hankel
Miguel Quinones
Alejandro Avilés-Reyes
Keith Spangler
Greg Towner
Dan Gebhart, RIP
Jody Dzuranin
Lucas Barwick
Michael Baker
Brian Bechtol
Reinhart Bigl
Greg Middlemis
Connie Moore
William Gothmann
Brian Benton
Joan Churchill
Mike Bender
Rick Weinberg
Billy Crafton
Gary Matushak
Greg L’Etoile-Lopes
James Sloan
Jonathan Dillard
John Funk
Tom Bilcze
Ronald Piroli
Dave Roll
Brian Hafner
Misha LeBlanc
Ari Messinger
David Gratke
Todd Groesbeck
Wally Estrella
Sue Reinert
John Leko
Stephen Granata
Phillip Mueller
Robert Lackey
Dominic Carol
Jacqi McCulloch
John Hickman
Carl Presseault
David Neves
Patty Louise
Terry Fitzgerald
Peter Steinmetz
Timothy Fitzpatrick
Michael Liszewski
Hank O’Donnell
David Zanoni
David Weil
Matthew Sponseller
Chad Reno
Spartan Dale
Carolyn Ferguson
Peggy Littlefield
Lauren Allansmith
Eric Burns
Thomas Pearl
Darrin McKibben
Richard Stewart
Dave Fletcher
Jack Smith
Luke Parkinson
Ryan Patterson

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Sunfields has a new track available NOW, and a new album dropping very soon AND Jason’s first solo album is now streaming on Spotify, including America, the Pedalshift theme. Go listen! 

The post The Pedalshift Project 272: Route Scouting Dayton to St. Louis appeared first on Pedalshift.