In a few hours I’ll be driving south to beautiful Corpus Christi, Texas for the 6th Annual Conquer The Coast bike ride. My brother-in-law David and I will be doing the 65-mile tour around Corpus Christi Bay while my Dad, brother and nephew will participate in the 25-mile ride.
This is an exciting event for a couple of reasons. One, it’s been the focal point for my training up to this point – 595 miles and 41 hours in the saddle. Two, it’s great to see that my family continues to find cycling a fun and healthy activity they want to participate in. I think my Dad is ready to conquer the 25 miles because he and I ramped up his mileage for the past few weeks and he passed with flying colors.
There are a couple of big variables we’ll possibly need to deal with on this ride. One, it is typical for there to be a 15-25 mph sea breeze which if active will make those 65 miles seem a lot longer. Two, the latest forecast is calling for a 40% chance of rain. Riding in the rain means slowing down which stretches those miles even further.
The other big cycling event that is just around the corner is my first bicycle “tour”. I use the quotes around tour because this is just an overnight 65 mile bike ride from my house to Fredericksburg, TX versus a multi-day, multi-state tour. That said, I’m looking forward to getting a little taste of what it is like to do some long-distance cycling with some weight on the bike, hills to contend with, etc. I’ll be using my Trek Valencia for that trip since it is well-equipped for handling gear and is an all-weather bike with its disc brakes, stable handling in wet weather, etc.
Looking forward to both of these milestones!
Was thinking of buying the Valencia and ended up with the 7.5 FX but have really enjoyed reading your thoughts on the bike and cycling in general here. The gear reviews are most helpful. Good luck on your Conquer the Coast ride and happy touring!
Thank you! The 7.5 FX is a great bike. I'm impressed with that whole lineup. Ride safe!